LISTEN UP: Drop the phone.

Are you with your kids? Look at them. Are they watching you? If you have a kid 8 and under, I can almost guarantee they are. They want to be JUST like you; Bad habits and all.

Do you see her? Watching me? Literally grasping on to me with everything she has; only wanting to be just like me. This is my life, now times it by three.

It makes me feel awful when I read articles about parents on phones and turning into zombies around their families. I swear that won't be me and I'm proactive for about a day, then I fall back into my old routines of scrolling social media. I'll be lost face-stalking someone and when I look over and see my 5yo on her cardboard phone cut out that she drew doing the same thing? My heart literally shatters. When I was 5, the only phone we had was hanging on the wall and nobody ever used it. Ever.

So tell me, are you guilty of spending too much time on your phone? What about social media?

When you get off your phone, how do you feel? Do you feel motivated or do you feel sorry for yourself? For me, I get tired. I I am exhausted thinking about how much time was just lost idolizing nothing more than acquaintances lives; wishing that I could have a little bit of their life, and little of another's. All while my family is watching their mom not realizing how lucky and impressionable she is. [insert mom-shame video, ugh.]

Just like clockwork, I pay more attention this time of year to how much I'm on my phone (primarily social media). I start to think about what I'm going to give up for Lent. Every year I choose social media. For 40 days: IT IS AMAZING. I feel free. I feel like I can conquer my to-do list. I feel like a rockstar-mom. I listen to my kids. I interact with them. I realize that soon they won't be under my roof and they won't need me to help pick out their clothes. Soon, we won't be fighting over insanely petty things like how one kid got 1 more ice-cube than the other.

Then Easter comes, lent goes, and I find myself falling back into old bad habits.

Enough is enough.

I love to see friends pictures and happiness being spread. BUT is that really what Facebook and Instagram are doing? Do you feel happy when you get off it? Or do you feel like you're missing something, lacking something maybe? Does it avalanche down to your kids that you wish you had something different? For me, yes. No question. Let's say I was reading a post and my kid comes over and interrupts me. I'm definitely not thrilled and they know it. They know obviously my phone is more important than them. How heartbreaking! Can you imagine the defeat they just felt to a small device with fake people on it?

Today is the end. I give up my hostage situation to social media. Yet again.

I'm going to challenge myself. I'm going to challenge YOU.

Before you start getting all hyped up that you didn't get surprised with a romantic getaway for Valentine's Day or your kids Valentine's Day card box wasn't as good as a strangers on Facebook: loosen the reigns. I'm not telling you what to do (even though the crazy bossy me wants to). I'm asking you to take action. Watch what you're doing and look to see who is watching you. That tiny little being is so impressionable and we can all work together to help create a generation of kind-strong-creative humans. TBH, I don't feel any of those characteristics after I get off social media.

I'm going to challenge myself to use social media 2x a day, for 10 minutes or less. Never in front of my kids. That's still a lot of scrolling and time for self-blame, BUT, after 2 weeks, hopefully I won't be dependent on getting through my day without it. I want the control; I want the power.

SO, will you take the challenge?

XO

Hells