Hat for Becky

I've started knitting and crocheting my own patterns again! It's been too long. I have not been able to write patterns since Becky was born, but now that she will play by herself I have been able to dabble a little. This is the infant size for a new hat pattern that I will be releasing soon! I also plan on having a toddler and adult size, as well as video tutorials as well.

It's super cute. I also plan on listing all these hats for sale on etsy because I need to pay off some debt from having this baby. I'm excited to be creative again, and have a ton of new knit/crochet ideas.

A Little Jacket

I was making myself a sweater, but instead I made Reuben a coat. Because one of my skeins of yarn was not the right color and it was glaringly obvious. So I unraveled about 70% of a sweater and remade it into a little neat jacket for Reuben.

This is the second time I have knit this pattern. I made a rainbow version of this last year for Reuben, and this year I made a red version. He loves it! The pattern is the Storytime Scholar, and I plan on making one for Rebekah next.

Happy Knitting!

Cancel Your Internet

If anyone is still around who read my blog in 2016, they might remember that I married a man who did not have home internet. I was baffled. After I moved in, I was inconvenienced. It took six months of begging and pleading with him, but eventually we did sign up for home internet! I know I posted about how happy I was. The very next year I also posted about how I was addicted to my iPhone, so clearly it worked out well.

Anyway, we had internet for four years. I say had, because we no longer do! For four years I have struggled to create good boundaries between myself and the internet. I have tried putting it on a self timer. I have tried deactivating my Facebook. I have tried many many things. They have all failed because the internet is mindlessly pleasing and easily accessible.

So we canceled it. And I have never been happier. I mean it!

Now when I sit down to write (like I am doing right now) I don't waste 20 minutes browsing Facebook. I write.

Now when I nurse I don't mindlessly scroll my phone and ignore my son. I read a book and ignore my son. Hah, just kidding. Sometimes I read him books, sometimes I read by myself, sometimes I knit, and other times I just sit and chill and talk to Reuben.

But not having internet has taken a ton of pressure off my life. No Facebook ads. No worrying about notifications or checking my e-mail. I just pick a day to go to the library and upload things and schedule posts and check what I need. My life is so much more free! My husband comes home in the evenings and we and talk to each other. We don't stare at our phones.

There are other benefits. I've always worried about how to keep Reuben and Rebekah from looking at pornography as they mature. (if you want to know why I think porn is bad, I can do a whole post on that, but for brevity's sake: you can't tell if those participating are of age and/or have given their consent) There are a lot of evils on the internet and I want to protect my children and teach them how to have good boundaries. But how can I make sure they aren't online in the middle of the night when I am asleep? And how can I teach them when I myself struggle with good internet boundaries?

I want my children to use the internet as a tool and not become addicted to any aspect of it. Moreover, I desperately want them to know that they can have joy and happiness and a life outside of social media. What better way to keep them from looking at pornography or talking to strangers online than not having internet at home? What better way to teach them they can have joy without the internet than by example?

Because of the revolutionary change that has come over our household with the removal of the internet I would greatly encourage everyone to try it! Only blessings have come our way from taking this step. We've saved so much money. Because of canceling the internet we also canceled Amazon Prime, Pandora and Audible. Not having internet has drastically reduced our online shopping!

I will update you as the weeks turn into years, as we have no plans of ever signing up for home internet again.