i have been without a cell phone for about 24 hours. and i have felt so very happy. it is so wonderful to not be distracted by the instant technology. i am getting a new phone on monday, but i am really going to try to put it down a lot more. yesterday we spent a lot of time working in the yard. it has been really rainy for the last three or four weeks and it was getting a little boring. reese literally spent the entire day outside with his friends. they hooked up the hose and played with water balloons all dang day. it was awesome. kids from up and down the street came over throughout the day. it was great. jovi spent a lot of time outside too. i love that our kids are getting old enough to play for extended periods of time and entertain themselves. they are getting so creative and so fun. i am really trying to make an effort to turn off our screens and spend more time together and spend more time with free play or doing things that we truly enjoy, not just passing the time looking at apps. i am also trying to become more minimalist. i have always been the type to get rid of stuff and sent it to the DI. but it seems that with our bigger family we somehow acquire more things. or i tuck things into places to get out of the way, but really, i should just get rid of them. i am finding that with less stuff i am happier. i literally got rid of half of my wardrobe a couple of weeks ago. it was so liberating! now all of the shirts i own i kind of love. i am not quite there with the bottoms, but i am working on it. anyway, this is kind of a ramble of a bunch of thoughts. but still.