App-sessed! How did our mothers ever survive?

Ok, I love a good organizational tool just as much as the next OCD mom, but I feel like every component of my children’s lives is connected to an app. I’ve had to become “app-sessed” if I want to know the latest information about their activities so I show up at practice when I’m supposed to and deliver orange slices to the soccer team on the right weekend. There are apps for each classroom, an app for the soccer team, and a group chat for scouts. I’m sure I’m missing one, but just know there are multiple groups with lots of people in them.

Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the fact that these apps allow me to connect with the people I need to, but it does get me wondering…how did our mothers ever survive? Forget about there not being apps 30 years ago, there weren’t even cell phones! Yet, I still got to where I needed to be at the right time and the soccer team had their orange slices on the right weekend. It was pure magic!

I remember my mom being part of a  “telephone tree” when information for school or an activity had to get out. The idea of a phone blast was not even a thought! My mom would actually pick up the phone to call someone to relay a message. I know…the horror.

Nine times out of ten they even picked up the phone since there was no caller ID. They couldn’t just let it go to voicemail to avoid having a conversation (not that anyone would ever do that these days). She actually gave up five minutes of her day to have a live conversation with another human being. Imagine!

There were no group texts to send out and get information. She didn’t have to worry about being part of a group text where everyone needed to text back the entire group to say that they not only got the message but to also say thank you five minutes later! I now turn off notifications because I don’t need twelve people saying “thank-you” at midnight. Yes, that’s happened and I’m sure many of you can relate.

Sure, I could choose to not download the apps and not join the groups. Then what? I wouldn’t know what’s going on in my children’s classrooms, I would overlap with someone else’s “orange slice weekend” and my kids would miss practice or worse, we would show up on the wrong day.

Call me crazy, but I would love to go back to the days of “telephone trees”. Granted, I may not answer the phone all the time, but one solid, informational phone call versus 20 text message sure sounds good about now. It was a much simpler time back then and things still got done and we all survived without our apps. Our “app-less” mothers still got it done, and probably better than we are today.

Is anyone else feeling “app-sessed” these days or is it just me?

 

 

Is it Too Late to Unplug Our Kids?

Kids and technology. It seems to be a love-hate relationship for parents. For me these days it’s more of a hate relationship. Everywhere I go I am seeing more kids plugged into technology, glued to a screen, walking around like zombies. This frustrates me and makes me sad at the same time.

I wish we could rewind to the days when Atari was considered ground-breaking technology and the thought of having a cell phone seemed like something only the Jetsons could achieve. But, the reality is many kids are obsessed with their various devices to the point they don’t know how to have a conversation or use their imagination.

Market research found that children ages five to sixteen spend six and a half hours in front of a screen everyday! If you take into consideration the fact that they sleep for at least eight hours if not more, that means there’s less than ten hours left in the day. When you factor in school and activities, there’s hardly anytime left to have a simple conversation. Is it too late to unplug our kids or have we lost them to technology forever? I guess it depends what side of the screen you’re on.

Have you ever watched a child while they’re on a device? It’s like they’re in a trance. It totally consumes them. Part of me thinks that’s why so many parents let their kids spend so much time on them. It acts like a free babysitter. No parenting required. No interaction needed. Sad isn’t it?

Before you think I’m a technology hating mother who only lets my kids play with pen and paper, I will tell you my kids do play games on my iPad and my phone. But, they do not have their own devices. Why do a 7 and 5 year-old need their own iPads or tablets or kindles? I’m sure many people have their reasons, but they’re not enough for me to take out my credit card.

I am fully aware that kids need to understand and work technology to exist these days and to compete with the rest of the world. I know there are a lot of educational apps and games and books to read. Does that mean we throw out real conversations and books or imaginary play or the arts? I surely hope not. From what I see that seems to be where we’re headed, if we’re not there already. So many kids don’t know how to interact with real people because they spend so much time interacting with their devices.

In order to change the tide, there needs to be balance, as with anything in life. While my kids are allowed to use technology on a daily basis, I usually limit their usage to 15 minute intervals. Once the time is up they have to go and do something else that doesn’t involve a screen. Most of the time they agree, other times I’m “mean.” I can live with that title if the result is that my kids go out and play or use their imagination instead of gluing their eyes to a screen.

When it comes to technology addiction many kids are only copying what they see their parents do. Truthfully there are times when we’re no better. I know I’ve been guilty of a little phone addiction every now and again. Do we really need to constantly check our Facebook feed to see who is blowing their nose every minute? I think we all know the answer to that.

That’s why I have a little rule called “no phones at the table”. It means just what it says. My husband and I are not allowed to have our phones at the table when we’re having a meal. This way we can pay attention to each other and have real conversations. Crazy, I know. But, it works.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s tempting to run over and check a dinging text or go back and finish scrolling through Facebook. But, it’s also important to set an example. If kids see their parents glued to their devices, they may be more inclined to do the same. If we set the example that technology is not king, then maybe we can start to slowly unplug our kids, one device at a time. Hopefully it’s not too late.

 

 

No Phones at the Table

“No phones at the table.”

That’s my quote. My husband knows it. My kids know it. Even our extended family is aware of it.

Why? You may ask.

Why not?

I grew up in a house where family dinner time meant something. It was a time to talk about your day or any other topic you had on your mind. It was the one time of day when everyone was together, even just for a short amount of time. It wasn’t the time of day to check your Facebook or text messages. Granted, they didn’t exist then (geez I’m old), but you get my point.

Sad to say, family dinner time is pretty much non-existent in many households today. Opposite and crazy work schedules can make family meals impossible. For others, it’s overscheduling ourselves or our family that seems to be the problem. Whatever the case, dinner time ain’t what it used to be. I’m sure many of you agree.

That’s even more reason why we should give our phones a little nappy when actually sit down to dinner with the family. That Facebook video doesn’t need to be watched now. It doesn’t ever need to be watched if you ask me, but I digress. Twitter will still be there in a half hour. That text message that’s dinging incessantly will eventually go away. Don’t worry, it will be waiting for you when you’re done eating your mashed potatoes and corn.

Trust me, it’s hard to resist the urge to set your phone a place at the table. Just because I made the rule doesn’t mean it’s easy for me to follow. I really don’t know why our phones have such a hold over us. It’s an addiction. It’s hard to accept the fact that our phones can wait.

I don’t think the same can be said about our kids or spouses. A little piece of me cringes when parents tell their kids to hold on to that great story they are bursting to tell so that they can finish a text or finish watching a video. The next time, that child may not want to tell their story. Think about that the next time your text messages dings.

So, if you ever have dinner at my house, remember no phones at the table. If you forget, don’t worry, my kids will remind you. They know the rule so well that their play phones don’t even make it over!

How about you? Do you have similar dinner time rules?

 

 

Are Your Kids “Plugged In” at Night?

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit both of my girls have TVs in their bedrooms. The one in my 5-year-old’s room is old as sin and has the gigantic back to prove it. The one in my 3-year-old’s room is tiny and not even plugged in because we don’t have a cable cord running to it. But, it’s still there, just taking up space.

Although my older daughter has a TV in her room, I can count the times on one hand that she actually watches it…even at night. We usually watch our night shows together on the couch. The funny thing is they don’t really enjoy watching television in their beds. So, I guess that’s a good thing.

A new study shows we shouldn’t keep TVs or small electronics in our children’s rooms if we want them to sleep better. Besides all the screen time rules we’ve heard about, it makes sense for other reasons too. Obviously your kid isn’t going to want to go to sleep if he or she is too busy finding out if Doc McStuffins fixed Lamby. Also all the bright lights and sounds are too much stimulation when you want them to sleep.

Do your kids have TVs in their rooms? Do you allow them to watch TV before bed?

 

Farfaria App Review & Giveaway

As a parent, we all know the importance of reading to our children. As a parent in the 21st century, we also know that kids these days love technology. So why not blend the two? Many companies these days are doing so as they find ways of teaching through technology. There are numerous apps out there that teach numbers, letters, and reading. If you’re like me, sifting through to find the right app for your child is time consuming and annoying. Luckily, one app, FarFaria, found me. So, my children and I had the opportunity to try it out. Honestly, I’m glad we did. FarFaria is an app for your iPhone, iPad or Android device that contains more than 750 illustrated children’s books. Five new titles are added weekly. When you open the app, you simply pick from various groupings, such as “Pre-school Playground”,  “Mt. Make Believe”, or several others. Once you choose, there are several books at your fingertips, all sorted by age groups and  reading abilities ranging from pre-school all the way thru age nine. Preschool Playground Once you pick a book you can choose the option of reading the book to your child or having the app read to you. Since my daughter is learning site words in Kindergarten, I find it helpful when the app reads to us, so I can help her point out and spell the site words on the screen. Even my two-year-old gets into it. Since using the app for about one week, I think we’ve already gone through about fifty stories! I can honestly say my kids love it. They actually ask me if we can do the “iPad books”. The app even has a feature where you can mark your favorites. This is helpful because I’ve found it a little difficult to find certain stories again after we’ve read them once. While we absolutely love FarFaria, I’m careful that our “old school” books don’t get lost. For every digital book we read, there’s one real book to follow. I think using both is a great tool on the path to learning and helping your children read. Here’s your chance to win one FREE three month membership! Just enter below! One random winner will be selected on September 19, 2014. Must be 18 or older to enter!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

*I was compensated with a membership to the FarFaria app to complete this review.

Can You Survive Without Your Phone?

   I love my cell phone. There, I admit it. There are days when I wonder what I ever did without one. With that said, there are also days when I wish I didn’t have one and I wish other people didn’t have one either. I’m talking about times like in church when people’s phones go off and you wonder why they just didn’t turn them off. It must be God calling them. I mean there’s no other explanation, right?

   How about when you’re at the library for story time with your little one and another Mommy’s phone goes off. That’s always special. In this case, the librarian hit the pause button as everyone looked to see who forgot to put their phone on vibrate. You would think she would have turned it off and let the nice librarian finish her little story. Nope. After fishing for it at the bottom of her diaper bag, she told her child (and everyone else) she had to take the call. The poor little girl just sat there while Mom moved away to talk on the phone. Who knows what the call was about, maybe it was important. But, I couldn’t help but feel bad for that kid.

   The same thing happened when I took my daughter to her little play gym. We were having our circle time filled with songs and games when yet another phone went off. This momma took the phone out of her pocket and walked away to take the call, leaving her child alone in the circle. Again, I have no idea what the call was about. It could have been important as well. It just got me thinking. Have we become so connected that we are becoming disconnected with what’s going on in the present moment? Our Moms didn’t have phones attached to their hips when they took us places and they somehow survived. So, why can’t we?