I did a ten day fast from social media, here's what I learned.

If you don't want to read all this, scroll down to how I colored cute personalized trick or treat bags!

I was actually wanting to do another social media fast so when the Prophet of the church I belong to, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, encouraged the young women/women of the church at the General Woman's meeting to participate in a 10 day social media fast, it was just the push I needed to start. 

I finished my fast yesterday and I learned a lot.  So much so that I wanted to share some. 

Firstly. I missed seeing my friends, I really did. A few friends had babies, some friends went on vacation, some posted some accomplishments, and probably even more things happened that I didn't get to see.  I really enjoy seeing my friends lives, their families, and the fun things they do. Social media can be so good when used properly and in moderation. 

Second. I don't like Facebook as much as Instagram. This one I already knew, but it was made even more evident after this fast. I deleted the app off of my phone and still haven't downloaded it. I'm contemplating even downloading it at all. I have mixed feelings about this because there are some of my friends on Facebook that don't have Instagram, some friends I really care about and who like seeing pictures of my little family too.  So to never post on there or see those friends' lives makes me a little sad, but Facebook seems to just make you scroll mindlessly without even meaning to and then you start missing out on your life. Your kids' life. That just won't do. I am posting this on Facebook though because it's so easy to leave a link to this blog there! :) 

Third. I had a lot of time to do a lot of stuff! I listened to the book, "Girl, wash your face", by Rachel Hollis. Most of you have probably heard of this one. If you haven't read it or listened to it, you need to! Like yesterday! It's a life changer, I connected with almost everything she talked about. I took notes and set goals! When you realize, finally realize, that YOU are the person responsible for your happiness, its a game changer. "Other people's opinions of you are none of your business." Seriously, can I get an amen! Personally, I don't think people talk bad about me, and if they did, it's none of my business, but I think I sometimes put these ideas of what people think of me in my head, and then I make it my goal to make sure I do everything right, be almost perfect for them. FOR OTHER PEOPLE! Sometimes strangers. WHAT? WHY? That seems crazy right. The only person I need to try to be perfect for is my Heavenly Father, and even He knows I can't be perfect. All I want is to be better than who I was yesterday. This book just opened my eyes to so many things. It's incredible.

Fourth. I guess I like painting and I'm not bad at it. Who knew? While I did fast from social media, I still got on Pinterest a few times, I love Pinterest and the ideas that I get from it. I saw a vintage truck step by step painting tutorial and I knew I wanted to paint it. My mom and dad were coming for a visit so it was the perfect time to do it. My mom and I painted together. We talked and laughed and I enjoyed every second I had with her. You can't get that on social media. Not happiness like that. The only thing I wished, was that my sisters could have been there too. 

I also listened to a few podcasts, started reading a book with Josh that our church came out with, also so good. It's called Saints, worked more on the kids' baby, school and birthday books, colored on some bags for trick or treating. I spent quality time with my precious children, there was so much giggling, dancing and playing it was wonderful. While I did play with my kids before, I don't think I was doing it as much as I should have been. They love it when we play with them. Social media shouldn't have that affect on us, it shouldn't want to take us away from playing with our kids, it shouldn't want us to feel like other peoples lives are more important than our own. Josh and I were looking through our old photos and videos and it was amazing to see how fast our kids have grown. Videos and pictures of them when they were babies that seemed to be taken just yesterday then looking at them now. Time is a thief! They are growing so fast, why would you want to not be a part of every second of their lives. These are some of the things that resonated in my head. I wouldn't say I was on Instagram or Facebook every second of every day, but it seemed like whenever there was a downtime throughout my day, that would be where I would go. When the kids where at school, napping, or playing in their room, thats where I would go. I could have been painting guys! I could have been listening to a book, or I could have been playing with them. 

Here's the thing, life still happens even when you don't post about it or see someone else posting about their day every day. Sometimes I think, if I didn't post it, it didn't happen. That's so not true. So much happened in these last 10 days and I didn't post about a single thing. I hope I don't offend those who do post a lot, please know I love seeing your life. It makes me happy. It would be a sad world if I didn't get to see the people I grew up around and where they are now. I couldn't even imagine. How lucky are we to be able to have this technology where we can all keep in touch. And you know I am still going to continue to post about my life, well my kids cause lets be real, they are pretty much all I post about lol. For me though, moderation is key. Maybe check just at night before bedtime, just once a day instead of 50. 

Post but then live! Continue throughout the day the way I did when I was on this fast. Time is too precious to spend it being a slave to our phones. Our kids need us more. Our families need us more. Heavenly Father needs us more. I love you all, and I LOVE seeing your lives. Let's not abuse this incredible technology and the wonderful way it allows us to stay close to those we may not have the opportunity to live close to. 

Here are the trick or treat bags I was talking about earlier...

I got some canvas bags and transfer paper from Hobby Lobby (click here for a link to the transfer paper), created a design I liked, printed it off on regular printer paper and then traced it on to the bag with the transfer paper. I just used the back of a paint brush to trace it. 

Then I used sharpie markers to color them!

They have these smaller bags at Hobby Lobby that are perfect for little Krim to carry around!

So cute and fun! Also, if you don't get what the vacuum, broom, and mop are for, go watch

 Hocus Pocus right now. Your welcome. 

Have a beautiful day guys! 

President Russell M. Nelson, Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints said this at the General Women's session of the October 2018 General Conference, 

"First, I invite you to participate in a 10-day fast from social media and from any other media that bring negative and impure thoughts to your mind. Pray to know which influences to remove during your fast. The effect of your 10-day fast may surprise you. What do you notice after taking a break from perspectives of the world that have been wounding your spirit? Is there a change in where you now want to spend your time and energy? Have any of your priorities shifted—even just a little? I urge you to record and follow through with each impression."