Giving up...

I tried an experiment where I gave up social media. The experiment was supposed to last 72 hours, but it didn't. No Twitter, no Instagram, no Facebook, not even Snapchat. They were all gone from my phone. My morning routine used to go a little like this: my alarm would buzz at me, and I would snooze it and fall asleep. When I'd wake up again, I would immediately click the little blue box with the white F. Every.time. While I was waking up, I would peruse facebook. I would look at the "on this day" portion and see what my life was like last year and in years past. This is how it was...until the first morning when it wasn't. It's almost like my fingers didn't know what to do if there wasn't that option to click. What else is there? The withdrawal was real, as pathetic as that sounds; I relate it to an addict getting the satisfaction of the drug once it hits their system; the buzz of the alcohol once it settles. Except the satisfaction never comes because the drug isn't there. Make sense?

The second day wasn't so bad. I had gotten used to it not being there so I was able to do other things.

I didn't tell anyone that I was giving it up for a time. If I would have done that, I think I would have been more temped; who posted on my wall? Who 'liked' my picture? Who sent me snaps?

Let's be real: I'm just an ordinary person...those who need me know my number, so I wasn't really losing out on anything. Which led me to wonder, what did I learn from this?

Self-control. Addiction comes in many forms and social media is one of them. There are plenty of positives that come from using these applications; I have friends and family from everywhere that I don't get to see everyday so it helps keep in touch. I am a part of groups where I learn mommy tricks, and I can refresh my military knowledge. It's not so bad...but when you have someone like me who loves attention and who loves to be in the know, it can get pretty intense. From this point forward I need to pace myself and not use it while I'm using other things (ie, watching TV). It's NOT THAT SERIOUS. Not checking it so often will help trigger the excitement when I actually get notifications.

I encourage everyone to unplug, whether it's for 24 hours or 48 hours or 72 hours. It's refreshing to not be glued to a screen.

I'm baaaaaaaaack!

It's been a while. I can't believe how long it's been since I last blogged. Obviously so much has changed and I don't even know where to start.

D and I are back home where we belong, and I am kicking myself for ever leaving. I love it here so much...there is nowhere else like it in all the places I've been. I realized that the world really isn't as big as I thought it was and what I was looking for when I left was here all along. Shame on me for being so naive.

Raylan is amazing - he's almost 11 months old already!  I am so in love with him and that just grows every day. We are both learning. He's so much fun though.

I am going to get my Bachelor's degree. Finally. I'm enrolled online at Ashford University, studying law enforcement administration. The classes are 5 weeks long, which is perfect. It's been great!

Let's get down to business. I want to talk about something that has been bothering me: mommy shaming. What's that? It's women who shame other women for parenting "different" than them. For example, breastfeeding vs. formula feeding. WHO CARES? When I was pregnant, I was also cocky. I thought, of course I would breast feed, obviously. Then I gave birth to this amazing baby who didn't latch and threw a wrench in those plans. So, formula it was. Did I feel guilty? Well, a little, but that's only because society put so much pressure on us to do it one way. That saying "breast is best" makes me want to pull my hair out. Sure it has benefits because the baby has to rely on mom's immune system for a bit, but whatever I eat or drink goes to him - that's not always good!
Women are all about equality with men and we can't even come together in this...it's always a competition and it's quite annoying. Last I checked, a FED baby is what's best for the baby.
Can we all get along?