• A list of things that help me be off line • 
A few months back, a friend of mine posted a drawing on Instagram which her daughter had been asked make in school of her family doing their favorite things. The girl had drawn her dad with a football, her brother running around and playing with his friends and herself sitting with all her dolls. Her mum was standing in the background looking at her phone.
Right away I decided that a similar picture would never be drawn by any of my daughters.

To free myself of some basic needs that my iPhone used to help me with,  I started to create my own little offline kit. Things that will help me pick up my phone a little less throughout a day and things that will allow me to be more aware of being in the moment. When I used my phone to check the time, the date, take pictures and write notes, I would often end up doing other things as well (like looking at Instagram and facebook, reading the news or checking my email.)

Here’s a list for my little off line kit.  And if you wander if it works, the answer is yes.
– A watch. I gave myself a cheap one for Christmas, just to see if I would use it, and after a month I can’t live without it. It shows the time, the date, and can light up just enough for me to see what time it is if one of my daughters calls out for me in the middle of the night.

– A camera. Big enough to take good pictures but small enough to bring along. I still use my phone, but I try to get used to using the camera as much as possible.

– A notebook. This is essential, since I always have small sentences, words or ideas I want to write down. One bonus of not using my phone for this is that I get to use all those beautiful notebooks that I have always found so tempting to buy.

– A nice pen. A good looking notebook has to be accompanied with a nice pen. I prefer soft pencils, and just found an amazing little shop on the Lower East Side that only sells pencils.

– A small calendar. My calendar is smaller than an i-phone,  which makes it possible for me to bring it everywhere. It’s a mini version of the classic black Moleskin, and I love it.

A to do list. The handwritten kind, were I can check out the things I’ve done. The pretty pink version with a TO DO LIST printed in gold makes it so much more fun. Even doing the laundry looks good on that list.

P.s. after posting this, I asked my eldest what she thought was my favorite things to do. Her answer was, hanging out with her and her sister, drinking coffee and sewing. I guess she knows me quiet well.