We’ve been home for two weeks and it feels like we’ve been home two days, but then when we were there, those three weeks, they crawled. In a good way. Travel time, in some ways (and very much not in others), seems to move at a pace entirely different than home time. Home time is frantic. The days bleed into one another. They all look the same. I was at a birthday party with Parker the other day and my friend asked, “What’d you do yesterday?” I had to look at my phone for clues in my camera roll of what I did the day before. Is there something wrong with me? 
Then, in Orvieto, time just sort of idled by quietly. I mean, certainly I felt less responsible for things–I wasn’t busy buying birthday presents, cleaning bathrooms, doing laundry (though, I did do laundry over there), making as many dinners–and without those things that slowly chip away at your day’s free time, time just moves slower. Do the Italians feel this way too? Or, since it’s home to them, is it filled with all the things that steal time like ours are too?
You know what else I did (or rather did not do). I spent less time on my phone. I didn’t get a SIM card this time, so I was relegated to using it only when I had wifi. And guys, now that I’m home, I’m recognizing an addiction. I check my texts like every few minutes sometimes. Sometimes I have better boundaries, and I silence it and leave it in the kitchen, but lately I’ve gotten lax about it and it makes me feel awful. Especially when Parker is trying to talk to me and I realize I’m not making eye contact with him. Then I want to smash it. SMASH IT. (I feel like I’d sort of be a happier person if I did.)
But seriously, do you ever feel like life is just going full-steam ahead with technology, consumerism, etc. and you’re just not sure you’re on board but also feel like you need to get on the train because everybody else is already on it? I think Italy helps me put the brakes on all of that. I just wish I could make our entire culture do it too. Including me! I’m absolutely part of the problem.
Those are my late night thoughts, as I sit here and look longingly at these pictures. Thanks for listening, as always.
okay, one, damn girl your bod is rocking.
two- yes!! i feel a compulsive need to check my phone and scroll… and i feel my daughter looking at me and feel like the view she’s going to subconsciously remember is the back of my phone. the worst.
xo, brittany
toddler two-piece sets on my blog today!
http://www.notablob.com
I think we’re all part of the problem… and it’s hard to reverse this technology obsession! But haha, I do get you on not remembering what I did yesterday!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
You guys are awesome. I have great respect for how you travel with children. It’s what I dream of doing and will one day. My sister is currently in England and I am over here envious that she beat me there and thrilled to death she’s there. One day my family will make it to Scotland and England and one day I will go back to Italy with my family. The last time I was there was three years before I married my husband and I tell him we are going one day! Thank you for letting me get a glimpse of these places. I love your blog!
thank you so much, Jen. And we are so lucky to be able to do this travel. You will get back! It’s just so hard to set faraway goals!
What did you say? I was too busy drooling over burrata and prosciutto.
But yes, I know what you mean. We went to a show recently and they had Yondr pouches. You put your phone inside and the phones are secured and can only be unlocked at the end of the show. I was like, “We need these at home!” It’s just so tempting to always keep on eye on your phone, even if you say you’re going to leave it inside on the charger. Sometimes I just want to lock them all up.
Going over to google Yondr pouches right this instant.
*raises hand* guilty of the phone addiction as well. At this point, the only people I know who don’t seem to be obsessed are my 60 year old parents.
One thing that I’ve found helpful (sometimes) is an app called “Forest” that allows you to set a timer for phone free time. If you successfully avoid going on your phone for the allotted time, a little tree grows in your forest. Even though the whole thing is more silly than not, I’ve found it to be a little more powerful than just setting a timer on my phone and trying to abide by it. The threat of “killing” the tree gives me a little more pause.
Anyway, hope the summer brings you some more trips that are so good you’ll forget about your phone!
I love this idea! I just downloaded it! Thanks!
So much yes to this — the phone part. I’ve really been noticing lately how obsessed I am. It feels like a compulsion, to constantly check, even when I know I should or WANT to be doing something else. I think, “I’ll get up and do yoga this morning before my kid wakes up, but let me just check Facebook first real fast.” And then a half hour goes by and there went my yoga time. I’m trying to figure out how to disengage a bit but it’s such a challenge. I wish I could just turn it off for chunks of time, but it’s the way people reach me and I worry about being unreachable. Oh, the double-edged sword of technology…
yes, click from one thing to the next and suddenly you’re looking at recipes shopping at old navy, and watching a facebook video (all at the same time) like HOW DID I GET HERE!
Yesssssss. I feel all of this, so strongly. I am thankful for the advances technology has brought us, truly. Also, my husband works in cybersecurity, and he is passionate about his field. However: I am at my wit’s end with the technology obsession and, like you said, I DO IT TOO. I find myself physically separating myself from my phone and when I do, even for a couple of hours, I feel sooo good to have been disconnected. I just wish that as a society we could be less dependent upon our devices and more focused on the present/here&now. As an individual I can do that and I can set that example for my kids (and hope they see and remember it), but if I’m the only one (not literally) doing so, that then leaves precious few people with whom to engage, and I worry even more so about how my kids will grow up. Will they value face-to-face time? Will they even know what to do with it? Society has such an impact on us and our children in terms of emotional and cognitive development, and I wonder if moving to a slightly “slower”-paced place might help.
I have loved reading your blog for quite awhile and especially recently with the photos from your travels. We are currently in life-change-mode and are very seriously considering moving to Europe (I’m a dual-citizen). Your recent musings and photos have spoken to me and made me even more sure that it is a challenge worth taking 🙂
P.S. For some reason, I feel like you might enjoy the movie Captain Fantastic. We don’t get to watch movies that often, but we managed to see this one a couple of months ago and it has made an impact on our thoughts.
I’m also soooo worried what it means for kids growing up in this world. And am so exhausted with the screen time battles we have (particularly with our teens). I’m also worried that “old school” parents who have kids dock their phones (even the friends who come over to visit!!)/limit screen time so they can actually PLAY, CONVERSE, LOOK AT EACH OTHER are a dying breed.
Hi there, I’ve been reading for years and never comment – who knows why.
Anyways, just popping up to say I appreciate how thoughtful you are in your posts. I feel the exact same about technology and it absolutely is addictive. What is this internet life?? It’s not real. So, felt compelled to share some advice that has really helped me and my husband slow down and enjoy moments. It comes straight from Ron Swanson/Parks & Rec so its obviously brilliant. “Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.” It’s been a straightforward (and obviously funny) way for us to remind each other to look up – away from phones, social media, work email, whatever – and just enjoy the little moments.
And while I’m here, you have a beautiful family, thanks for sharing with us.
I love that!!! Simple and direct.
Although I’m probably a fair amount older than your typical reader, I have children in their 20s and a three-year-old grandchild, I also observe and worry about the impact of technology. Yes, we’re almost all guilty of indulging in it too much, and it’s a huge challenge to try to control and limit it, especially for others. What I tell myself is that I’m truly serious about managing it, then I have to consider and approach it the way I do other important or significant facets of my life: diet, exercise, health care, books, spirituality, and relationships. I enjoy your blog immensely, Bridget, and see you as a strong, smart, and incredibly sensitive woman. (Your posts expressing the bittersweetness of parenthood and watching how fast our children grow and change bring tears to my eyes.) Just decide what you want or don’t want from it and then implement it. Keep it simple, straightforward. Don’t over think it or make excuses. Weeks, months, and years from now, you’ll be so grateful you did. And so will your beautiful family! Good luck.
Thank you so much for this comment, Marie! I want to be truly serious about management, and I figure these questions and an awareness is a good start?!