My last two cents...

I have begun to realize that this monthly challenge to unplug (which has been going on for several months) is an on going thing for me and my family..not something that can be accomplished in a matter of a  month or two... or three.  Living in this day and age- it will be a continual thing and adjustment. So, don't freak out if you feel like you are not where you want to be. We are all in the same boat!

But here is one last official post (I am sure there will be more to come on this topic) but first I wanted to turn your attention over to my post at How Does She right here- if you haven't read it already. After unplugging in my home with my family I have learned so many things about myself and my son...that I had to share. And sadly, the photo below is a real photo- not staged of me holding my son, walking across a street and checking my phone.

 I do know that I feel strongly about this topic as a mother and as a counselor. I am really noticing an impact on children and teens that I have worked with and it is what got me worried to begin with.

But the most important thing I have learned is that IT STARTS WITH ME!! And it is not easy because like I said in the post- I am not willing to ask something of my child that I am not willing to do myself. I have to be the example. 

Today my son begged but I mean begged and pleaded with me to watch a TV show after dinner.  I have to admit that I considered it completely knowing the difficulty he would have around bedtime getting to sleep.

 But I had to ask myself- what is my motive here for having him watch TV? Was it because I would really love to finish this blog post that I started several days ago and finish some photos I need to edit on the computer...or because I really feel like it would be a great and healthy activity for him to engage in before bedtime. 

I knew I wanted to get my stuff done...

So, I said no.

He cried.

Then, I forced myself to be present and we painted a birdhouse and made bird nests together- thanks to our BabbaCo box! I loved the time and moment we had together and I won't ever forget it- way better than any task that had to get done. But I have to admit- the itch to get stuff done first is always there and it takes effort to ignore and wait for a better time to do it. 

He is now asleep as I finish this post and I am happy that I can go to bed with a full heart of the memories we made today. Plus we learned all about birds- how fun is that? What if I had said yes to TV? What memory would have I missed out on?

I am not saying get rid of technology all together- although there are moments that I wish we could go back to the simple times of life...but I think it is just something to be aware of. There are a lot of studies out there proving some serious effects particularly in young children and it is good to be informed.

So, if this is something you are interested in finding more about- you can go to www.mediatalk101.org  where they have a great amount of interesting info about statistics and effects on children  you can read right here. Check out this video of statistics:

Then, I think I have mentioned this before- but you have to see this documentary if you can with your family...this is what motivated my media detox and it was amazing to find out all the research and books written on the subject!

With that being said,  I think I am ready to move on to a new challenge which I will share with you in my next post.



besitos, xo

Flashback Friday- living without TV.

I have been so excited to tell you about this month's challenge... but haven't had a chance to finish the post- but it's coming... tomorrow... You will have it revealed to you...and it's a big one. I'll give you a clue...it's not as extreme as a complete month media fast like in the post below...but perhaps a little media diet...check back tomorrow. 

For now here is

Flashback Friday
(Diary Entry on 7/07/08)
Side note: What I love about this post is that it was a time when I was in graduate school,  didn't have children, and was always slammed with photography work. At that time there wasn't really a big obsession of facebook, pinterest,  instagram, ipad apps, and everyone having a smart phone.  Sigh...life was a lot more simple then- however- I still craved background noise and starting my day with the TV on as I spent hours editing photos on my computer for work.

What would it have been like to be a student and working from home with the distractions we have today?

I'm happy to say, I can (and actually prefer) to type in silence and be away from the TV for days or even weeks at a time... but there are a lot other distractions that have come about since 2008... I'll talk to you tomorrow about them.

Dear Television,

I know you may have noticed that we have been avoiding you. You see, today is day TWO of our “TV fast.” Yup, that is right- our stake has asked all of us members to turn you off for four weeks and pay more attention to our families and the Lord. So, as of yesterday, we have not gathered around you laughing and vegging out while tuning into Extreme House Makeover or Desperate Housewives. No, instead we quietly spent the evening reading and catching up from the weekend and… yes…we actually went to bed before eleven! New record time for us!

Okay okay, to some, your absence is not missed…but I have to confess, today I have really struggled to keep away from you. Today when I woke up, I missed tuning into my friends: Al, Matt, Meredith, and Ann who always keep me in the loop about what is going on in the world. But I restrained from pushing the ON button that was staring back at me and taunting me. No, instead, I went straight to work diligently editing the hundreds of photos I have on my desktop…but the silence was KILLN’ me! I tried turning up my music but it didn’t seem to help- I even chatted with friends on the phone…but nothing could replace the background noise that I have grown so accustomed to. I actually missed being distracted by your mindless MTV reality shows or being entertained by Oprah, Ellen or even Dr. Phil in the afternoon! Sheesh... I haven’t realized how much I actually rely on you to keep me company when I am home spending hours and hours in front of the computer editing photos. I just finished 9 hours worth (mostly in silence) of editing photos today... (yes I am still in my PJ's- don't jduge) now I only have a whopping 7,000 photos more to edit this month! Wedding season-It is INSANE!!! How will I ever get by with out you?

Desperately going through withdrawals,

Cristi

Happy Friday.
besitos, xo