AD this is a collaborative post

Being a parent is a funny old game. You worry about everything. A neverending list of potential issues have to be on your RADAR. If you aren’t on alert then you might get blindsided and franky, who has time for that?

We risk assess everything for our families constantly to ensure that good choices are being made and so that those balls we all juggle are kept in the air. To keep our spouse and our children safe and well. 

What about us?

Who amongst us is guilty of not taking a moment to risk assess ourselves? I know I am. When Vizulize asked me to examine my screen time habits, it got me thinking. 

How much is too much? When should Mums and Dads switch off?

My mobile phone is the first thing I reach for in the morning (usually to check what ungodly it is I have been woken at this time) and then it pretty much stays close all day. I use it far more than I don’t. It is also the last thing I use at night. My business is conducted online so I have to have my phone and my laptop for that. I write using my laptop. I spend massive chunks of the day browsing social media. 9 times out of 10 I will catch up on the news and current events online so that’s more screen time. Not to mention watching programmes and clips on the go. 

Vizulize have created a #screentimestats infographic and it makes for interesting reading

What can I do?

It makes sense to me to want to be more present. I frown upon my children spending too much time looking at screens so why shouldn’t I apply the same rule to me!? (well, mainly because as a parent I also reserve the right to be a hypocrite…) 

So, here is the plan. 

I have set myself family hours. Being a work from home self employed Mum means that working hours are hard to set so I have gone the opposite way. That is, I have assigned hours during which I will not engage with work. So, between 4 and 8 every week day the laptop will be off and my phone will be in my bag. This will allow me to be present and engaged with Moose and Bess after school. I will also set up my alarms and alerts for the following day, 90 minutes before I go to bed so I have screen free time then – I recently signed up to Audible so that’s how I will spend that time. Wait, am I old now?!? 

This doesn’t sound like much but honestly I know it will make a massive difference. Social media is great to a point but it can easily make you feel like crap if you let it. Add to that the actual physical repercussions of spending too much time at a screen – dry eyes, headaches, numb bum.. and I feel like switching off is the only way forward.  

AD This is a collaborative post

I cannot pretend that I am the best driver in the world. I mean, I’m okay but the fact that I did have to complete a speed awareness course last year and my youngest child does occasionally shout things like “hey idiot, are your indicators not working?!” when playing with his toy cars should probably give you an idea of the level we are at here. 

Kwik Fit have launched a campaign called Driven to Distraction. It really gets on my norks when I see other drivers using their mobile phones when driving. I may be the sort of chump who gets caught doing 35 in a 30 limit but using my mobile while in the drivers seat is a massive nope for me. I hope for you too? Driven to Distraction hopes to illustrate just how much a mobile phone can slow down your reaction time using an interactive quiz. 

Generally I tend to keep car journeys where I am driving to a limit. Because of my propensity to ocular migraines thanks to a rare eye disease I now prefer to drive short distances but that doesn’t leave me immune to distractions when driving. 

Children are a driving hazard

There is something about being in a car that makes my children lose their minds. Maybe it’s them being in such close proximity to each other? I dunno but it’s true and it happens almost every time. Get them into a car and there is usually an argument. Over the years I have got better at preempting this so here are some tips that you can use the next time you need to go on a road trip.

1. Allow plenty of time and plan your route. It’s a lot easier to stay chilled if you aren’t driving cross country by accident having missed your turn off. 
2. Children love a services. By children I mean me (and probably you) so plan to have rest stops and grab yourself a coffee. You will probably need it and definitely deserve it.
3. Give them a hand in choosing an in car playlist – not too much of a hand though. We once did a 2 and a half hour trip with only a Bing Bunny CD. Not fun. 
4. Invest in some in-car entertainment to keep the kids busy. If we could have watched dvd’s in the car growing up I honestly believe my Dad would have less wrinkles.
5. Let the kids have a role in planning where to go – You can steer this or dress it up to make them feel important even though, lets face it, you were always going to the same place.
6. Have a snack box at the ready. We all get hangry, children are no exception.
7. Allow your child to choose one of their toys to bring on the car journey. Not LEGO though or you can expect hours of trying to locate a teeny tiny brick under or in a car seat. You have been warned.
8. Drive when it fits in with your kids’ routines. Not always possible but, you know, try..
9. Make sure the kids are comfy with the appropriate, properly adjusted car seat and clothing. Don’t allow them to wear a thick coat in the car. 
10. Do the relevant car safety checks. Trust me, you do not want to be breaking down at the side of the road with small children. Nobody keeps their sanity in that scenario. Tyre pressures, oil levels, windscreen squirters, check them all before you leave.

“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth”

Each week I like to (try and) link up to a series called Living arrows which is about celebrating childhood. You can find out more here

The first photo this week was found on my camera after our trip to London. Bess must have taken this selfie in Kings Cross station while we were waiting for our train. I loved the huge poppy that had been put up for remembrance day. We had a brilliant time in London watching the musical, Dear Evan Hansen. The subject matter (teen suicide and the aftermath) is hard going in places but it is very well written and she wanted to see it so badly. 

Our second photo this week is of Moose making himself a sandwich. He is my baby and it’s so hard for me to admit that he is getting bigger whether I like it or not. He asked if he could make himself lunch, and I thought, why not. Note to self, we need more jam.