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Courtney Ambrosia's avatar

Learning how to pause and notice the wonder of our surroundings is a gift, the present 🎁 from our Children that is quite literally the present moment. There are so many layers of meaning throughout this piece, and I’m definitely going to incorporate “help. Thanks. Wow” into my reflection. Looking forward to reading more musings!

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Courtney Ambrosia's avatar

Yes! I love this push towards more simplicity in our minds and our surroundings. Weekly “unplugged” sessions should be something we strive to integrate into our family schedules. It’s also quite humbling to be both the teacher and the learners with our toddlers.

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Bri Grosvenor's avatar

Isn't that the truth? I learn so much from my kids daily. I love the idea of a weekly "unplugged" session. I typically put my phone down for family dinner time, but I'd love to implement like a Saturday morning phone-free policy or something. What do y'all do?

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Courtney Ambrosia's avatar

Some unplugged activities that have been impactful for us include: wagon rides around our neighborhood where we play I spy, outings to the pool (especially since water and electronic devices don’t exactly play well together lol), and dance “parties” with the beloved Toniebox where we listen to everything from Bluey’s dance mode to the Powerline song from “A Goofy Movie” 🤣

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Curious and Capable Kids's avatar

Lovely read. Our phones are best experience blockers ever made. They rob of our own thoughts and our own people. We need every reminder we can get to tune in to the beauty around us.

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Bri Grosvenor's avatar

I totally agree! I don't want to look back and regret the moments I missed because I was looking down at a phone.

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Code and Crayons's avatar

You spoke of heart of many. Difficulty to admit that we have stopped looking around. Thanks for this. Sometimes a gentle reminder like this change a little perspective 🫶

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Bri Grosvenor's avatar

I'm so glad it resonated. I'm by no means perfect at it, but I want to try to do better for my kids and my family.

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Erica M Vogel's avatar

Finding little ways to be in the moment instead of in our phones is vitally important. Thanks for the reminder, I needed it for sure.

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Bri Grosvenor's avatar

I'm so glad it resonated :)

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Nicole Pritchard's avatar

Two-year-olds are AMAZING noticers. Today, I'm noticing how lovely the hydrangeas display themselves on darkish, rainy days. And, I love drawing attention to noticing. During a parent coach immersion group I was in, I learned that "noticing the good" can help us increase our windows of tolerance. We become more patient, focused, and present as we embrace gratitude and enjoy beauty. Thank you for sharing your story!

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Bri Grosvenor's avatar

I love that idea of "noticing the good". It's so hard to do, especially when I'm someone who dooms scrolls or can get overwhelmed with the world around me, but when I stop and make an active effort to practice gratitude about everything around me, it really does change your perspective and attitude. Thank you for that reminder!

And hydrangeas, lovely! Some of my favorite flowers.

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