2006

My iPhone is "in the shop" getting fixed. I dropped it a loooooong time ago. Like 9 months ago when it was brand new. Thankfully we had purchased the replacement/repair plan because my husband knows how abusive I am of my electronics. Not on purpose. But when given the option to catch my falling baby/child or falling phone/camera I choose the child EVERYTIME.

One would think that is an obvious choice. But in fact I had to learn that one the hard way. Not with my child thankfully. Way back in 1990 when personal video cameras were a new hot item.  And HUGE.  And expensive. The kind that recorded directly to VHS tapes.  Remember those? I was holding said family video camera and our cat. Both started to fall...I chose the cat. Wrong choice! Lesson definitely learned, albeit a very expensive lesson.  Sorry mom and dad.

Back to the subject at hand. While my phone is away being fixed, I am using my old phone.  This one to be exact:

 

I hate to admit it but for the first couple of hours with my old phone I felt a little lost. I didn't know what to do with a phone that is just a phone. No checking my e-mail. No facebook app. No pinterest app. No browsing the internet. No blog reading!  Just phone calls and text messages. 

 

And then it happened. I set the phone down. I cleaned my house. I made meals and wiped messy faces. I washed dishes. I even did some long overdue organizing and clothes mending. I played with my kids and read a few extra books. We played at the playground and I just watched them play. It was beautiful.

 

The first thing Joe said to me when he saw my phone was, "Hey can you call 2006 and ask what life was like without kids?" Funny guy! One problem buddy. This is a slide phone. Much too advanced for 2006! This one is from 2010 right after Charlotte was born. So if you want to know what life was like with only one mobile talking child....well just check out the background picture on the phone. Life looked pretty good. A lot less hectic. Charlotte was a mere week old and we were hanging out at a McDonald's play area. Clearly life with two kids was a breeze:)

 

The second thing he said, "Wow! A clean house, happy kids, happy mom and a hot meal on the table! And no iPhone. Is there a connection here?!?".  To which I responded, "I don't know but hand over your iPhone. I need to check a few things...."

 

And I did. I went on facebook, checked my e-mail and read a few blogs.  And guess what? I hadn't missed a single thing! Oh sure there were new pictures of adorable kids and babies to "like". Plus the usual funny anecdotes from others' day.  But really I hadn't missed anything!

 

In the end, I liked my day isolated in my house with my three kids. No interruptions. No influence from the outside world. I wasn't bombarded by pictures and status updates. There was no comparisons or wishing to be on the other side of the internet where the grass is always greener and the children are always happy and smiling...

 

 



 

And this morning I made Charlotte some white leggings to wear with her tunic tops this summer.  The kids were playing nicely...ALL THREE OF THEM TOGETHER! Craz-ier things have never happened! So I sat down and turned an old stained {adult sized} tank top into these:

 

 

(To learn how to make these super, super easy and cute leggings go HERE! Two pieces of fabric and only 2 seams. They are easy peasy. I promise. It is by far my favorite sewing site. TONS of free tutorials and cute stuff that anyone can do! My kids' Easter outfits were all inspired by her. And clearly my children were thrilled with the matching outfits I made them.)

 

 

Not sure what I am going to do once I have my phone back. Definitely less phone time. But how? What apps am I going to allow myself and which ones will be deleted?  I need phone rules. The ironic part? When I got my iPhone I was very deliberate about making sure the phone was NOT a toy for my kids.  I have no kid apps on it! Because I wanted my kids to learn how to entertain themselves without technology. Sure it would have come in handy while waiting....especially our frequent doctor's visits of recent. Instead the kids read books, color and play "I spy"...while mommy plays on her phone! Yikes. Something has to change. Because I like my unconnected world. It is happy and well a whole lot cleaner:) And maybe, just maybe, my grass is green enough!

 

 

And don't these kids look happy? This is what they were "playing" while I was sewing. Don't worry Hannah is NOT at the bottom of that pile. And they had almost as much fun taking it all out and putting it away! Win-Win!