Life Without Internet: Not all it's Cracked up to Be

Welcome to the January 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Experiments in Natural Family Living
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have reported on weeklong trials to make their lives a little greener and gentler. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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After a discussion with a few of my fellow Natural Parents Network Volunteers, a few of us thought it would be fun to try to go a week without using the Internet as a means to live a more natural, connected life. We each determined what this would look like for us, and for me, I decided that since the Internet is my main communication tool, I would allow myself to check my Facebook inbox and my email once daily.

You see, my phone is in poor shape, being over 5 years old, and dies after about one or two minutes into a conversation if I'm not plugged in. It's like being stuck to the wall before the days of cordless phones and this is hard to master with a toddler roaming around the house. Not to mention, Burkley got ahold of my phone a week or so again and somehow got it permanently stuck on vibrate, so often I don't even hear it when someone does try to call me. Also, we do not have texting plans, so I really do use the Internet as my main means of communication. I even use good old AIM (remember that?) for my texting- it's free and I'm a much better and faster typist than I am a texter.

My mom gave Burkley an old phone of my dad's that is now his very own! So now he won't mess with mine anymore...hopefully.

So, I allowed myself to check my email and my Facebook inbox once each night while I was nursing Burkley to sleep. Turns out since most of my friends knew I was doing this challenge, no one was really trying to contact me.

It also turns out that the world without Internet was a very lonely place for me! I was surprised at how often I turn to the Internet for every day things without even thinking about it. I logged on to order a pizza, for example, without thinking twice. I also logged on to check TV Guide (we don't have cable and therefore no Guide on our TV). I noticed that without Internet, I found myself watching more TV than I would normally. I also needed to make an online purchase, so I logged on for that. In my mind, staying off of FB and email was really what was helping me to mentally be more connected to my family and logging on to do those other quick things didn't take much time.

And then, as you may have read, Burkley was having a terrible week. I longed for the support and advice from my dear friends at NPN. I gave myself five minutes to log on and share with them what was going and get some advice to help us out. I'm so thankful for them and I was able to get mentally recharged and armed with a few tips and pieces of encouragement.

Image credit: cnet.com

I also have formed the habit of surfing the Web while I nurse Burkley to sleep for his naps and bedtime. I've tried reading books and he mainly just likes to slap the pages instead of nurse, so I've found the computer works best for me to not just sit there bored in a dark room while he nurses to sleep. So, if I couldn't be on the Internet, what would I do? Well, I dusted off my old trusty pal from my college days: The Sims! I know, I'm a little old to be playing computer games, but I needed some mindless entertainment for a few 20 minute chunks of each day. Plus, it being Christmastime, it only seemed fitting, as my sister and I reflected: we always used to play Sims when we were on winter break from high school and college. However, I got to thinking that if I am going to be on the computer, I'd rather be on it connecting with real people than manipulating pretend people. ;)

All in all, taking a break from the Internet, while I didn't take a break entirely did help me focus more on interacting and playing with Burkley, I also mostly just felt disconnected and bored. I generally operate under a "no computer while Burkley's awake" rule anyway, so having some place to log on to that lets me connect with the outside world at the appropriate time is really something that helps keep me sane. My husband jokes that "addicts always have excuses" but really, I feel that this week showed me that I do not have an addiction, I just have a means of connecting that is easy and convenient and above all, desired.

So, I didn't actually go the whole week Internet-free. But, I did decrease the time I spend on the computer drastically, especially the time I spend emailing and Facebooking. Did I feel more connected to my family? I'd say I did a little bit. Did I feel more disconnected in other ways? For sure. So, what did I learn? I learned that I do need my Internet communities more than I thought. I also learned that while some days can get out of control, most days I use the Internet for connecting with others at appropriate times (while nursing or while Burkley is sleeping) and that for the most part (of course there are days when there are exceptions to this) my use of the Internet is not getting in the way of me connecting with my family.

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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Make your own moisturizer! — Megan at boho mama whips up a winter skin-friendly moisturizer.
• Cold Water Only — Brittany at The Pistachio Project talks about how you do not need hot water to wash laundry.
• Family Cloth... Really?? — After lots of forethought and consideration, Momma Jorje finally decides to take the plunge with family cloth.
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle : 5-5-5 Things A Day — Luschka from Diary of a First Child writes about decluttering her home in an attempt to create a gentler living space. She takes on a new project where she sets a goal of reducing, reusing and recycling every day.
• Pros and cons of family cloth — Lauren at Hobo Mama would love to continue replacing paper products with family cloth … if she could only get over how damp she feels.
• Craftily Parenting — Kellie at Our Mindful Life finds that crafting makes her a better parent.
• Changes — Laura at Pug in the Kitchen couldn't choose just one area to experiment with, so she wrote a long post about all the fun changes initiated in her life!
• Life without Internet: Not all it's Cracked up to Be — Adrienne at Mommying My Way tries to go a week without the Internet, only to realize a healthy dose of Internet usage really helps keep this stay-at-home mom connected.
• My Progression to Raw Milk — Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling shares her natural parenting progression all the way to trying raw milk.
• mama's new little friend. — Sarah at Bitty Bird tries a menstrual cup to "green her period," and is pleasantly surprised when she falls in love with the product!
• Before you throw it out, try homemade laundry soap! — Jennifer at Practical OH Mommy shows visual proof that homemade laundry soap is cheaper, easier, and works better than the store-bought chemicals!
• Oil, Oil, No Toil, No Trouble — K from Very Simple Secret talks about her foray into the oil-cleansing method.
• I Need a Hobby — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro couldn't decide which experiment to run, so she did them all.
• 7 days of macrobiotics for a balanced family — The Stones make a [successful] attempt to release the "holiday junking" with 7 days of macrobiotic meals to balance their bodies and souls. Elisabeth at Manic Mrs. Stone includes an explanation of macrobiotics.
• Chemical Free Beauty Challenge — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction turned to natural alternatives for her daily beauty and cleaning routine, with great results.
• Greening my Armpits!? My Green Resolution — Shannon at The Artful Mama talks about how she decided to give up her traditional antiperspirant and make the switch over to crystal deodorants and definitely isn't looking back!
• Going Raw (for a while) — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom shares her family's experience with raw food.
• Do we get to eat gluten today? — Sheila at A Gift Universe has been trying to figure out if her son does better with or without gluten in his diet … but it's really hard to tell for sure.
• Hippies Can Smell and Look Fabulous Too! — Arpita of Up, Down And Natural details her experience of going shampoo-free and overhauling her cosmetics to find the balance between feeling beautifully fabulous and honoring her inner hippie.
• Our cupboards are full...but there's nothing to eat — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud takes on the challenge of chomping through the contents of her storecupboard rather than going shopping — but there's something that she just can't bring herself to do …
• Elimination Experiment 3.0 — MudpieMama recounts the messy adventures of her baby daughter trying to be diaper free.
• Family Cloth Trial — Amyables at Toddler in Tow talks about making and using family cloth wipes in the bathroom for the first time.
• Taking a Hiatus — Amy at Peace 4 Parents shares how her experience of much less internet interaction affected her family and how it will change her approach in the future.
• Trying Out the Menstrual Cup — Lindsey at an unschooling adventure ditches the tampons and gives menstrual cups a try.
• Managing Food Waste in Our Home — Tired of the holiday waste, Robbie at Going Green Mama takes a weeklong focus on reducing food waste in her home, and learns some lessons that can take her through the new year.
• Going Offline, Cloth Tissues, and Simplicity — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama muses over her time away from blogging and social networking. In addition, she shares her newfound love of cloth tissues and simplicity.
• The Oil Cleansing Method — Erica at ChildOrganics explores an easy, organic and natural way to tackle skin care.
• Experiments in Natural Family Living - Natural Toys! — Lani at Boobie Time enjoys the silence of natural toys and being more present with her son.
• Discovering a New City and Organic Foods — Amy at A Secure Base describes her family's switch to and search for organic foods for one week.
• My Experiment in Homemade Bread — Crunchy Con Mommy tried — and loved — baking her own homemade bread.
• Menu Planning: Stop the Excuses — Gaby at Tmuffin stopped the excuses and started planning her weekly meals, drastically cutting her grocery budget and stress level and improving the quality of foods she fed her family.
• My First Menstrual Cup — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children was pleasantly surprised with her first experience using a menstrual cup.
• My Natural Beauty Regime — Christine at African Babies Don’t Cry shares the results of banishing cleanser and soaps from her bathroom, as well as a couple of natural homemade recipes that have worked well on her skin.
• Unplugging and Creating a Rhythm: Our Experiment in Natural Family Living — Dionna at Code Name: Mama focused less on gadgets and spent more time with her family to create a healthy rhythm for the new year.
• Experiments in Natural Family Living: 5 First Steps Toward Preparing for a Natural Birth — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama discusses how she tackled the pressing matter of how to begin preparing for a natural birth.
• All you need is...vinegar! — Kristen at My Semi-Crunchy Life learns that one household product can replace all the cleaners in her cabinet.
• Nope Nada Ixnay Negative Pass Decline — Zoie at TouchstoneZ finds out what shakes loose if she says, "YES!!" to anything anyone asks of her over the space of 10 days.
• Reducing our exposure to toxins found in plastics — Syenna at Gently Parenting Twins throws out the melamine and BPA plastics which have been hanging around the kitchen for too long.
• Duh! — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment shares how she began the process of helping her 2-year-old son stop physically acting out.
• Experiments in Natural Parenting: Starting, Stopping, and Gaining Perspective — Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings explains how pregnancy brain interfered with her attempts to complete an experiment, but how she gained some interesting perspective as she started and stopped several.
• From Experiment to Lifestyle — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter shares her experience avoiding processed foods for a month, and deciding to make it a permanent lifestyle change.
• From Disposable Paper to Reusable Cloth – AGAIN! — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle stops flushing trees down the toilet and switches to the softest ever butt-wiping material: cloth.
• Extra! Extra! Water Heater Turned Down, Mom Doesn't Notice! — Thomasin at Propson Palingenesis finds an energy-saving experiment that's so easy she didn't even realize it was happening.
• Worm Tea — CatholicMommy isn't sure how successful her worm bin will be, but she's having fun anyway.
• Miles to Go ... — Rachael at The Variegated Life learns that when it comes to sleep debt, she's in real deep.
• My Month With Water Kefir — Paige at Baby Dust Diaries experiments with a new fermented probiotic drink homemade in her own kitchen.
• OMG Mom is Home... All Day Everyday: A Week-Long Experiment in Connecting — What a difference a week makes! Ana at Pandamoly is afforded a week off from work and takes the chance to reconnect and reattach with her 16-month-old son through an experiment in simply being there.
• Creating Healthy Family Recipes — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares her experiment with healthy, gluten-free recipes and a chocolate muffin recipe that was created during the experiment.
• Adventures in Alternative Haircare: No 'Poo — This guest post at Natural Parents Network from Amy at Anktangle chronicles a months-long journey into the world of no 'poo.
• My Experiment in Natural Family Living: Natural Family Planning — Birth control options are seriously limited for those of us trying to live a little closer to the earth, so Mama Psalmist experiments with natural family planning.