Stepping Back

This past weekend was General Conference and there were so very many amazing and inspirational words spoken. Most memorable to me was Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel by President Nelson. He invited the women of the church to do 4 things:

1. Take a 10-day fast from Social Media or any other media that brings negative thoughts to your mind and pay attention to how you feel and how your priorities shift.
2. Read the Book of Mormon between now and the end of the year and share what you learn about Christ with family and friends.
3. Go to the temple regularly, or if you're too far away to go regularly, learn all you can about the temple.
4. Participate fully in Relief Society.

A precious moment Ryan captured... I love these little boys so much.

President Nelson issued a similar challenge to the youth of the church a few months ago, and I participated in the social media fast then. It was so much more powerful than I expected. Now that the same invitation has been given to women, I intend to embrace it fully.

At first I just deleted all the social media apps from my phone, but the more I thought and prayed about it, the more I realized that I might need more than a 10 day fast. Every time I get on Facebook, something makes me sad, mad, or irritated. Those are feelings I generally like to avoid. After some more thought and prayer, I decided to delete my Facebook account permanently. I know it might seem like I'm taking this 10-day fast to the extreme, but it's something I feel will benefit my life. I could do with a few less distractions, ya know?

I did a lot of pondering and praying about my Instagram accounts and blogs as well. I decided to simplify things by merging my blogs and keeping only one of my Instagram accounts - the one that I use to connect with other homeschool families. This blog is the place where I most enjoy sharing. It's my motherhood and homeschool journal, and I love going back and remembering what our family was up to a few years ago, or seeing the progress my boys have made with school and being amazed by how much they've grown. That is priceless and precious to me.

So that's where I'm at! I'll still be posting family updates and homeschool stuff here.

I have to say, it was terrifying to delete those accounts but I already feel lighter. I can tell this will be a good thing, and it will help me focus on the things that truly matter. Speaking of, I hung my first frame on the wall today!

I designed and printed this Family Proclamation myself! You can download it for free HERE. 

I think it's pretty fitting 😍