Coffee on the dock, loons singing, waves lightly crashing against the shore. This is how I started EVERY day last week while we were on our annual family vacation in northern Minnesota with my husband’s family.

The day slowly rolled into kayaking and paddle boarding for morning exercise. Later we moved into boat rides, kids skiing, wakeboarding, and tubing followed by a family-style dinner, drinks, and a bonfire. Each day was filled with these amazing moments.

Every year I look forward to this trip. This year I challenged myself to be present while we were there. To be present with my kids, husband, in-laws, and nature. I usually think I am pretty good at being present, but one afternoon, while my son was practicing his guitar, made me reconsider.

Three days before we left on this trip my son was practicing his guitar. He asked if I wanted to watch. I was practically in the same room so I responded, “Yep, I can hear you” while I scrolled mindlessly through Pinterest. Then he asked again, “Do you want to see me play it?” I responded, “Of course,” and laid down my phone.

In the one minute he played the new song my son checked to see if I was watching over 17 times. SEVENTEEN!!  I couldn’t believe it. All I could think about was how many times he must have looked to see if I was paying attention to him and been disappointed by seeing my face zoned out into my phone.

This minute of guitar playing gave me a reason to practice being present. While we were up north, my kids received an extra wave or wink when I saw them look up at me. I spent time enjoying nature instead of scrolling mindlessly through social media and I am so glad I did!

I Dare You To…

• Open up the settings on your cell phone.
• Click on Screen Time
• Check your average time spent on your device.
• Then check how many times you pick it up per hour.
• Next, your notifications.

Is it what you thought? I used to consider myself to be pretty good about not being on my device a lot. But after looking at this data I realized I was WRONG! Now I check my Screen Time and try to reduce it. I also changed what kinds of notifications I get. One day I had 97!

I Double Dog Dare You To…

To follow the same steps with your child’s account. After doing this we set some new ground rules and had an open conversation about screen time.

What do you do to stay present? Share in the comments below or email me at marnie@marniepauly.com.