Have you noticed I changed my blog name again?
I'm trying to venture out and blog about more than just being a mom so I thought maybe that was a bit more fitting.
We will see... this is the third time I've changed it.

Anyway! I was stuck in a I don't know what to blog about phase the last couple of days, but I think I've got some good ones brewing inside this brain of pure chaos of mine!

I'd also like to quickly point out that I'm blogging OUTSIDE at 10am and it's not over 100 degrees!!
Wahoo!

Okay, so in this blog I wanted to discuss a little how we manage family time along with social media time. Because I'll be honest, even we are addicted to our phones and it sucks. Working from home, blogging, and just catching up with people can seriously take up a LOT of your day.

We've all been there -
Doing something with our kids
Hanging out with the family
At dinner
Watching a show/movie

And what are we doing rather than actually enjoying the time we have with them? We are on our phones.. probably posting pictures about what we are doing with our loved ones.
I totally get it, we have to show off how awesome we are and what we are doing. I'm all for it!
Plus I'm a mom so I obviously have to take pictures of everything, right? Only camera I like to carry is my phone.

A few weeks ago I was volunteering with the Red Cross for a blood drive and a little girl was helping me out while her dad donated blood. I pulled out my phone to check the time and she gave me the funniest look and says "Why is everyone so attached to their phones? Some times my mom is on hers all the time and I have to be like helllloooo, I'm right here."

She was 7 years old. Do your kids think like that? Will MY kid think like that?! I hope not.

So- with me working mostly through social media and blogging and just the bug to a flame attraction we all have to the internet, how do we manage family time?

Very simple

I made a no cell phone rule awhile back that we may or may not need to work on (we aren't perfect after all). We are not allowed to have our phones out during dinner, movie/show time, playing with Brynlee, or if we are out doing something together. Unless it is taking pictures and I must refrain from posting them the instant I take them.

Every night since I started with It Works I use my Buffer app (which omg is AMAZING!) to type up and schedule posts for the following day at different times. So in the mornings when I'm feeding, changing, and chasing around Brynlee I'm not attached to my phone trying to figure out which photo and update I'd like to use. And then when she goes down for a nap I am able to hop on and do all my follow ups and orders.

There is absolutely no way to blog while Brynlee is awake. So that one is also pretty obvious-  I have to wait until she is sleeping.

I'm part of this generation that is pretty attached to social media and yeah, it can be a bad thing- if you let it. Social media is also a very great tool to keep in contact, market, and do a lot of networking and honestly it is a great advantage to us.

Am I perfect? Pretty close, but no.  There are times I will definitely be on my phone way too much during the day and I won't be enjoying my time with my little babe. But practice makes perfect, right?

I encourage everyone to start separating their family time from their social media life. We can all wait to see all your awesome pictures. For the time being- enjoy it by yourself.
A little challenge- when out and about put your phone on Do Not Disturb. Don't answer calls, texts, or go on Facebook/ Instagram.
For a couple hours a day while everyone is home put those phones up! Talk and discuss with each other.
Heck, even during your you time, if you can do that sort of thing, put your phone up. Read a book! I have plenty of suggestions if you don't know what to read.

Don't make your family share your time with a screen and don't let anyone make you share their time with a screen!