Childhood Unplugged

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Spent some time, while in Arizona, at a local dairy. Saw some cows being milked, some newly born cows, some sick cows, but mostly just splashed around in the puddles of mud.
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Childhood Unplugged

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Some blocks, some tunes, some fighting. Am I the only one that finds unplugging the hardest to do while at home? It’s like we’re all comfortable with our in-home routine; some cartoons, some scrolling through things on my phone, etc. But it’s nice to shake that up every now and again and join my boys in an activity. I’ve been trying to do more of this lately; I suppose we all are. It hit home when a reader of my blog mentioned feeling like a ghost in her own home because I can totally relate. In this New Year, I hope to unplug with my boys even more and even more so within our own home. How have you been unplugging as of late?
Please join me in supporting the other photographers participating in the Childhood Unplugged movement by clicking here to see all our submissions. You can also follow us on instagram (@childhoodunplugged) and be sure to use #childhoodunplugged for a chance to be featured on our Instagram feed.childhooduplugged1

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Childhood Unplugged

Janet was in town for the holidays so we decided to be brave and take all 5 kiddos (4 of which are 2 and under — insert big eyes with raised eyebrows here) to the Natural History Museum in LA. And true to motherhood form, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. We got there when it opened, which was smart because by the time we left there was a line out the door (compliments of winter break, I’m sure). The fact that the older kiddos were actually into exploring the exhibits made it a lot easier. And ice cream at the end didn’t hurt either. All in all, a great day filled with a few educational lessons and second-to-none company.
Please join me in supporting the other photographers participating in the Childhood Unplugged movement by clicking here to see all our submissions. You can also follow us on instagram (@childhoodunplugged) and be sure to use #childhoodunplugged for a chance to be featured on our Instagram feed.

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Childhood Unplugged

Just after a long afternoon nap, with a wooden plane he got as a gift for his birthday, on an unmade bed, as the sun went down. Childhood forever.
Please join me in supporting the other photographers participating in the Childhood Unplugged movement by clicking here to see all our submissions. You can also follow us on instagram (@childhoodunplugged) and be sure to use #childhoodunplugged for a chance to be featured on our Instagram feed.

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Childhood Unplugged

I think every mother out there would agree that getting out the door is the hardest part of getting out. But every time we do, I’m reminded that sometimes unplugging can be as simple as a car ride. Willy and I refer to the boys as “car dogs” because they love the car; if they could hang their heads out the window, they would. They love pointing out “old” cars, beatles versus bugs, cement trucks (and any truck for that matter), and the train that runs along PCH. On this evening, we stopped off at a park that overlooks the ocean and spent the last minutes of daylight running around and watching the sun go down. Outings like this are good for the soul.
Please join me in supporting the other photographers participating in the Childhood Unplugged movement by clicking here to see all our submissions. You can also follow us on instagram (@childhoodunplugged) and be sure to use #childhoodunplugged for a chance to be featured on our Instagram feed.

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Childhood Unplugged

I have no doubt that one of the hardest parts of raising children, specifically toddlers, is getting them out of the house. Sometimes Willy and I will have extravagant plans to clean a room (not the house, just A room) and it proves to be a nightmare because it’s all based on the assumption that the boys will entertain themselves and not fight and not require our assistance with, well, anything. Reality is much different. 
But when we’re out, it’s much easier. Something about the combination of fresh air and the lack of toys to fight over creates a rather peaceful environment. Not to mention we too are pulled away from all the things that distract us from parenting; even real things like dirty dishes and laundry. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at Willy and said, “See, we just needed to get them out”, but what I really meant is we all just needed to get out.
These photos were taken just off the highway in Palm Springs. And it looks like it had been well enjoyed well before we got there 😉
Please join me in supporting the other photographers participating in the Childhood Unplugged movement (it’s our one year anniversary — wow) by clicking here to see all our submissions. You can also follow us on instagram (@childhoodunplugged) and be sure to use #childhoodunplugged for a chance to be featured on our Instagram feed.

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Childhood Unplugged

We finally got around to purchasing blinds for some of the rooms in our new place. Sure beats the black trash bags we had haphazardly taped to the window frame before. We purchased the Levolor blinds from Lowes, which were super affordable and easy (for Willy) to install. It’s made for some fun afternoons playing with the boys in their room. Before it was a dark dungeon and now it’s like a whole new room for them to clutter and destroy.
Please join me in supporting the other photographers participating in the Childhood Unplugged movement by clicking here to see all our submissions. You can also follow us on instagram (@childhoodunplugged) and be sure to use #childhoodunplugged for a chance to be featured on our Instagram feed.

Childhood Unplugged

A few snapshots from our time spent in Utah.
Little Sahara State Park, Utah
Please join me in supporting the other photographers participating in the Childhood Unplugged movement by clicking here to see all our submissions. You can also follow us on instagram (@childhoodunplugged) and be sure to use #childhoodunplugged for a chance to be featured on our Instagram feed.

Childhood Unplugged

They came dressed and left with wet undies, sand stuck to their skin like lint to a roller, and black bottomed feet (not to be confused with fat bottomed girls).  And this is just how Summer is going to go. And that is quite alright with me.
Please join me in supporting the other photographers participating in the Childhood Unplugged movement by clicking here to see all our submissions. You can also follow us on instagram (@childhoodunplugged) and be sure to use #childhoodunplugged for a chance to be featured on our feed.
You can find Hooper’s “New Generation of Rad” shirt here. Use code STORK15 for 15% off your purchase.

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Childhood Unplugged

Most of our unplugging this month was done in Maui. And, to be honest, I’ve wanted to do nothing other than plug-in since we’ve been back. It’s been such a challenge to get moved into our new place and sometimes it’s easier to just turn on a cartoon so one of the many boxes can get sorted. But, alas, we made it out of the house the other day to check out the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. It was a hot day and the boys were hot on the trot of finding shade so we spent a lot of time under trees and bridges. We did the Barbara Lake trail (part of the way) and surprisingly, both boys did pretty good. There was some whining on the way back, but given it was lunch and nap time, it was not unexpected. All in all, they enjoyed chasing all the lizards, smelling fresh sage (my favorite), collecting sticks, and watching the squirrels run around.
Please join me in supporting the other photographers participating in the Childhood Unplugged movement by clicking here to see all our submissions. You can also follow us on instagram (@childhoodunplugged, I had a blast moderating last

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week) and be sure to use #childhoodunplugged for a chance to be featured on our feed.

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Childhood Unplugged

A lake, somewhere in Arizona, on an evening where the light danced and the moon – in the distance – eagerly waited it’s turn to shine.
We have been spending more and more time outdoors now that the weather is not only inviting, but practically begging for company. My back has been getting stronger as well; every so often I turn a corner and I turned a new one right around the 6 month mark.
I’ve also been making a greater effort to let the boys explore since so much of what they knew as routine and home has been otherwise flipped upside down. A bit of freedom of exploration and joy of discovering in the midst of otherwise hectic and chaotic times.
Please join me in supporting the other photographers participating in the Childhood Unplugged movement by clicking here to see all our submissions. You can also follow us on instagram (@childhoodunplugged, where we all take turns moderating) and be sure to use #childhoodunplugged for a chance to be featured on our feed.

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Childhood Unplugged

There’s lots of things that can be said about this set of photos… like the fact that neither of my boys will keep their clothes on at the beach these days (it starts with Hooper wanting to pee and ends with Van wanting to be like his brother, who refuses to put his clothes back on after he pees), or the fact Van thinks he can still catch one of the seagulls (delicious ignorance), or the tantrum they threw by throwing themselves down butt-booty-naked in the sand because Van wanted to go “drive” the car (aka sit behind the wheel and cause what will later be hundreds of dollars worth of damages) and Hooper wanted to go play in the water, or the (hopefully not) foreshadowing image of Hooper digging through the recycling bin, or that killer yellow bucket that belongs to my friend Cindy (I’ll be posting some pictures of her and her beautiful daughter Mia soon).
Our new home is much closer to the beach, so when we finally move in, we’ll be unplugging via the sand and sea much more. How have you unplugged this month?
Please join me in supporting the other photographers participating in the Childhood Unplugged movement by clicking here to see all our submissions. You can also follow us on instagram (@childhoodunplugged, where we all take turns moderating) and be

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Childhood Unplugged

He claimed to have taught the seagulls how to catch bread mid-flight. I know enough not to argue with a man who comes to the beach on a weekday with a bucket full of baggettes to feed birds he seems to know on a first name basis. It’s my hope, in fact, that one day I too will have time to sit with the birds and take my boots off.
We all have a cause
Worth waging war
Worth making peace to keep
We all have a love
Whatever that is
Or whom is thee to seek
There comes a day
If we’re lucky enough
And the cards fall our way, I pray
To sit with the birds
And take the boots off
-Chuck Ragan, “Congratulations Joe”
Please help me in supporting my fellow photographers who are also participating in the childhood unplugged movement by visiting our collective monthly submissions here

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Childhood Unplugged

We moved Van into a big boy bed this month and spent loads of unplugged time jumping and horsing around. Time infront of the TV is a saving grace, at times, because -as you can see- unplugged time always involves some sort of tackling. As I move further down this road of recovery, I hope to spend more and more unplugged time outdoors.
Please show my fellow Childhood Unplugged comrades some love by checking out their submissions over on the Childhood Unplugged blog. You can follow @childhoodunplugged on instagram, where we take turns featuring images from loads of other photographers and / or mothers who are joinging the movement and making an effort to unplug.

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Childhood Unplugged

The toy store is still safe. And by “safe”, I mean we can take them there without them thinking they can have everything; or anything for that matter (note to self: don’t take Van away from the bikes). We came home empty handed and without any tears (any lingering tears, that is), so I came home and wrote this day down in the books because I’m pretty sure it was the last time we’ll be so lucky.
Please click here to see the submissions of my fellow photographers taking part in the Childhood Unplugged movement. And remember to follow on facebook and instagram (use #childhoodunplugged for a chance to be featured). 

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Childhood Unplugged

Recovering from my spinal fusion has meant a lot of time spent indoors. The whole notion of getting out, unplugging, and adventuring sounds both dreamy and worlds away. I’ve had to change the way I parent in an effort to adapt to my limitations.
The other day, my sister drove us to the art store and I picked up some fun activities to do with the boys. I’ve also started asking Hooper to help me around the house, which feels a bit child laborish, but truthfully he has really enjoyed. I’m kidding, entirely, about child labor. I think the sooner you get them involved in all that it takes to keep a house running, the better. Chores he has been helping with: emptying the dishwasher, filling Sarah’s bowl with food and water, and sweeping up messes on the floor. He has yet to tell me “no” and seems to enjoy it all more than any grown-up I know.
What kind of chores do you have your kids do around the house? How did you unplug this month?
Check out the image I chose this month, along with the images my fellow photographers picked, by clicking on the Childhood Unplugged icon below.
*Are you on instagram? I had the best time taking over the @childhoodunplugged account last week. Tag your photos with #childhoodunplugged for a chance to be featured.

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Childhood Unplugged.

A portrait of Hooper, unplugged: hair out of his (yes, HE’s a boy) eyes, breakfast still on his face, a wheel from the truck he’s thrown on the floor one too many times and a plastic hammer tucked in his pull-up (aka his “tool belt”)… Because life {unplugged} is messy, but at least he can see clearly.
You can check out the image I chose this month for the Childhood Unplugged series by clicking here. And you can see other posts in this series by clicking here.
Also, check out Childhood Unplugged on facebook and play along on Instagram by tagging your unplugged kiddo moments with #childhoodunplugged.
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Childhood Unplugged.

When I was a younger women, I’d dream about what motherhood would be like. I used to subscribe to Adbusters and I remember an image they published of a young girl in front of the TV. Her mouth was open, eyes dazed, body slumped. If the TV had not been in the frame, you would have thought she belonged in a mental hospital.
I vowed not to be the kind of mom that let her kids sit in-front of the TV for hours on end.
It seemed like an easy decision before real kids actually entered the picture. Now that I am a mother, I realize that getting the kids out and encouraging them to interact with dare-I-say-it, their environment, is – well – a lot of work for me.
I’m not a perfect parent. In fact, I’m well aware of my shortcomings. Truth be told, I put Super Why! on for Hooper so I could sit down to write this post in peace. Van’s napping.
The flip-side of limiting technology in your child’s life is that you have play an active roll. By the same token, for me, less TV means more fighting over toys, more hitting, slower and more frustrating meal times, and less peace n’ quiet.
And yet, I think know it’s really important.
It’s with great pride I introduce you to Childhood Unplugged. I’ve been invited to share one image, once a month, along with several other photographers I’m pleased as pie to be associated with. You can click on the button below to see the image I chose and to check out the images others chose as well.
How did you unplug this month?