Disconnet to Reconnect

There was recently an article on NPR about when parents are too distracted by their devices and it really convicted me.  When EV was first born, I noticed how our lives were so dictated by what TV show was on that day and after discussing with Jimmy we made the decision to get rid of our TV.  Since then, we have gotten comfortable again or should I say distracted.  Like the article, there are times when I see myself telling EV to hold on or not engaging her just so I can answer a text message, look at my email, peruse Facebook, or keep up with the latest Instagram photo.  And get this, I'm not even keeping up with my friends, it's to keep up with all the small business or moms group that I follow.  I complain that I don't have enough time with EV and Emmett but I seem to find the time to keep up-to-date with all my social media.  I get anxious if I don't answer a text or an email within the hour I get it (yes, this is a problem I have at work as well) and I have become glued to my phone to the point where I sleep with it in my bed.  I also don't want to teach EV and Emmett that it's okay to be consumed by these devices or that my text messaging is more important than her.

This is all to say that I feel convicted to disconnect from my devices, so that I can reconnect with my family. 

What does this mean?  I vow to:

1.  Put away my phone and not look at it until after EV and Emmett is down for bed and asleep.  If you call or text between the hours of 5 and 8, I will not respond. 
2.  During the week, not check Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or any other social media.  And on the weekends, I will only check these social media outlets while EV is napping or in the evenings after she is asleep.
3.  Now this is more for me in general and will be really really hard.  Limit my Korean drama watching to one show a evening at the most.

So, there you have it everyone.  My time is limited and precious.  I do not want to waste it away on media devices.  I want to maximize my time with my family and if by putting away my devices I can spend an extra 30 mins hanging out with EV or an extra 30 mins having a conversation with my husband--that is priceless.

Pretend Play

Let me just tell you--I suck at pretend play.  I hate coming up with stories; I don't have the greatest imagination; and I don't have the energy to jump, roar, or be animated in any way.  But here's the problem, EV LOVES pretend play.  One of the first things she asks when she wakes up is if she can play in her room, and she'll play with her little figurines and stuffed animals by herself for nearly an hour (or until she can't hold off on morning hunger anymore).  If you look in her playroom or her bedroom, there are these mini-vingnettes set up everywhere.  Some of her animals have tea set up before them, some of them are laying in boxes getting ready for bed, some scenerio for everyone.  And she takes every item in the house to use as props (no towel, hair tie, domino, board game pieces are safe).  So, as you can imagine, our house becomes an absolute mess but in her eyes they are all set up for a particular scenario. 

I have no problem with her playing pretend by herself.  It's also amusing to watch her and Jimmy play because he can really get into it and EV loves it.  But, I hate it and I feel absolutely guilty for hating it.  I try and try but after about 5 minutes, I can't think of anything new.  My stories are the same and I just get tired of having every stuffed animal doing the same ballet routine or every little princess figurine doing a special song for the stage.  I would much rather do something more practical or read her a book or talk about our day or even do a craft. 

Today was a rainy day so we decided to "play" with one of EV's birthday gifts called Shrinky Dinks. Let me tell you, this is one of the most genius crafts. EV spent hours coloring her shrinky dink fairies, flowers, gnomes, animals. Then we spent hours setting up the forest. Then we watched them shrink in the oven. I was able to spend hours with her putting everything together and even coming up with a couple stories. She was so into it that she didn't care when I wanted to stop "playing" and Jimmy was able to easily pick up where I left off.  It was the perfect compromise between crafting and pretend play.  Thank you Eunice and Eileen for this amazing craft/pretend gift.

If anybody has any other good pretend play ideas, please pass them along to me.  I know I'm not going to be good at everything that EV likes to do but I feel bad for never wanting to do the one thing she ALWAYS wants to do.  I already have enough momma guilt for feeling like I don't spend enough time with her.  So, I am grateful for days like today when I can enjoy the time I am spending with her.