My Hands Free Journey

Earlier this year, I read a book titled, "Hands Free Mama," written by Rachel Macy Stafford. This book has truly opened my eyes and inspired me to become a hands free mama as well. Its a self help book that teaches women that it's ok to accept the fact that we as women cant do it all and to make sure we put our families first above everything in our lives. (Except for God). The main purpose of this book is to call out the main thing that distracts us all on a day to day basis- technology. This is to include, our phones, computers, social media, etc. The author tries to show us the outcomes of our actions and how much putting the techy stuff down and paying attention to our loved ones can improve on the relationships we have. Being hands free means  dropping everything, keeping your hands free from distraction, paying attention, making memories, and showing your loved ones they mean more to you then a post, tweet, text message, or email. What a powerful message!


I realized while reading this book, that I am guilty of putting my phone (checking my emails, newsfeed on Facebook, posting constantly, etc.) to be more important than my little 2 year girl who wants my undivided attention at all times. I found myself engulfed in whatever I was doing and would look up at my daughter staring at me or at most times, whining because I was ignoring her. This was completely heartbreaking to me. I couldn't believe how deep my focus was into things that really don't matter. I decided to work on this but of course after a few weeks, the "matrix" pulled me back in and I soon forgot about being "Hands Free." Recently, I listened to a podcast by "Contending for Truth" by Scott Johnson discussing EMF's (electromagnetic fields) in our every day use of wireless electronics and how dangerous it is to be consumed by this radiation non stop each and every day. This was definitely a wake up call for me as it brought back my lost inspiration of being hands free. It is this podcast, coupled with this awesome book, that something clicked, and I knew that my life had to change. Making memories with my child, living in the moment, and giving my loved ones my undivided attention, was the number one priority. It is my goal to be hands free!

It's soon you realize the countless hours you waste when you're so attached to

technology. There is a sense of freedom when you're out with your family and you see other people so engulfed in their phones that they are ignoring the people they are with. I laugh to myself because that was me not that long ago. Seeing parents engulfed in their own little world neglecting their children who just sit there with sad faces yearning for attention brings a tear to my eye. How many times was this me to my own little girl? To my husband? Or to my parents? It makes me wonder of how many missed moments I had. But no more! I am hands free now. And I know from now on, things will get so much better.

To help me remember about my hands free journey, I made my phones wallpaper a collage of my favorite moments with my family with a quote that says "the time you invest in the people you love will always add up to something that matters." This helps to remind me that I need to put my phone down if it's not important, and go make memories. And when I feel an urge to want to post on social media, I ask myself a few questions: Why is this important for everyone to know? What is the purpose behind letting them know? Can it wait? The answers alone make me chuckle and thank God that I'm free from thinking that I have to post every little thing about my day for people to know. Let's face it, who really cares what you ate, or did, or watched. It gets to a point where we become so self absorbed. And things just become a competition. So remembering all this, makes things that much easier and I remember how much I really don't miss it.

I've noticed so far, how much closer my daughter and I are and how her behavior has gotten a lot better. She use to throw a lot more tantrums, be more whinier, and just start acting out due to boredom. Now she's a happy little girl who loves to play and snuggle with mama.  Its amazing how one thing as small as this, can make such an impact on the relationships you have with your loved ones.

I'm sharing my journey with you to hopefully spread the word out there and get people to wake up and stop wasting so much time and missing out on all the memories you could be making. I'm not saying to detach yourself completely, but make the most of life outside electronics and social media. Set a certain "tech" time when your loved ones Or little ones aren't around. That's what I have done!Life is so precious. And our little ones won't stay little for long. So we have to soak up every second we have with them! Make the most of your day with your hands free.