Disconnected… Kinda

I deleted Facebook off my phone shortly after our vacation started. Anyone who knows me, knows this is a big deal. Not because I particularly love Facebook, but because a bunch of the programs I run work because of Facebook. So deleting it also meant letting go of it all for a short bit of time. Now I did ask friends to let me know if I was needed in those groups, but so far so good!

I also tucked my cell phone into the diaper bag (or the husband’s pocket). I can’t hear the alerts and only specific ones are sent to my smart watch. This was a necessary step for me to truly relax and enjoy a vacation with my kids. It’s amazing what one notices when their phone isn’t buzzing in their pocket constantly. And trust me when I say my phone buzzes All. Day. Long. Such as…

How much Pip observes when he doesn’t seem to be paying attention. Even when it appears he’s lost in his imagination, he still notices people and needs around him in the “real world” and comments on them to me.

How Liv is realizing people comment on her looks, and how it drives her crazy. She wants people to ask her about her age, her favorite color and all the things she knows. And she becomes very frustrated when too many people call her cute.

How they are finally turning the corner on car trips. Instead of needing a dividing line to stop wars, the giggles and songs from the back seat are now almost deafening.

How really really blue the ocean is here. The adorable white terns bobbing in the air when we were out on our whale-less whale watching tour. Olivia, the sea turtle, enjoying the waves splashing into her while she slept in the cove we visited. And so many rainbows.

Now, I’m not saying I’d miss all of this if I had my phone buzzing in my pocket. But I would miss some of it. And to me, some is just too much. Liv turns 3 in a few days, Pip just turned 6. And it’s already going by much too fast.

So, fellow mama, tuck the cell phone away for a while today. Notice what you hadn’t noticed before. And love on those kiddos big and small.