Monday, July 2, 2012

My Goal to Live Hands Free pt. 1

For those of you who don't know who Hands Free Mama is, I strongly encourage you to hop on over to her blog www.handsfreemama.com. She is a mom and a wife who has chosen to put away the distractions in life in order to spend quality time with the special people in her life.

Before the summer started, my kids and I made a bucket list of the things we wanted to do this summer. We had so many fun things we wanted to do and try, and it was my goal to make myself more hands free- spending less time on the computer, watching tv, spending time on my phone, and instead, spending more time with my kids at the pool, at the park, playing outside, and fulfilling our bucketlist. While I was reading her blog, I took a bunch of notes on the things that I could do to implement more of a "Hands Free Lifestyle". While it seriously disappoints me that I can't do all of these things on our bucket list this summer, it is now my goal to implement as many of the things on the list that I CAN do with my kids and my husband and to make the most of the summer I have. My kids and I have already spend much time playing cards, games on the tablet, watching movies together and reading books. Here is a list of what I plan on doing with my family and friends now and long after I can walk again. Maybe there are some good ideas on here for your family. Either way, whether you are a mom or dad or not, I strongly suggest you hop on over to Hands Free Mama and read through her blog. You won't be disappointed!!

Ways to Go Hands Free
1. Take time to say what needs to be said whether it's an "I'm sorry" or an "I love you". Don't underestimate the power of an apology even if it's not a family member.
2. Greet those you love in a genuine way EVERY time you get the chance- when they wake up, when they come home from work, when they walk into the room. Make eye contact and put away the distractions to make them feel like they are the most important priority. They will notice.
3. Drop everything to hold your children. Don't be the first to let go.
4. Take time out of your day to show someone you are thinking of them. Ex) Drop off a bag of magazines that have been read to a friend, bring a basket of muffins to a neighbor, drop off a plate of goodies to a business in town.
5. When your child wants to show you something, put down whatever distraction you have (your phone, the tv, a book) to watch them. Make them aware that they are your only priority.
6. Hands Free Holiday Revolution- Opt out of using your technological distractions to really spend time with your loved ones.
7. Stop wishing away time. Savor the Moment
8. Acknowledge the things you are already doing right and keep doing them.
9. Think about the things you could have missed: Instead, Turn off the music in the car, lie in bed with them after you say goodnight, look at the stars, hug them, bend down and look them in the eye when talking to them.
10. Ask your parents/grandparents things about themselves: their parenting or their childhood.
11. Find the beauty within the work. Do chores with your children and see what conversations unfold.
12. Write notes to your best friends telling them the impact they have made in your life.
13. Do random acts of kindness with your kids- Put a bag of goodies where the trash collector will find it, etc.
14. Before throwing away your children's papers, sit down with them and use it as a way to talk about their day at school.
15. Make a list of the regrets you had before you started living differently. Cross them out when you don't have to regret them anymore. ie. hugging your child every day.

I think this is enough to soak in for a day. I will finish this list on another post. Let me know if you decide to start living more hands free and if you have any suggestions on ways to live hands free from my couch, feel free to let me know!