Are you a distracted parent?

I don't know about you, but my biggest distraction in parenting is my phone. It often is an easy distraction preventing me from hearing my children, noticing their little emotions, and looking at the eyes of my husband.

What I'm working on focusing on at home: putting my phone in the mail carrier when I walk in the door and being a curious question-asker.

Here are some ways I've been regrounding myself and becoming less distracted:

1. Take a day: over the summer, I haven't been great with Sabbath. We have traveled on the weekends and only practiced it a few times. As the school season creeps up, I know we need our one day to rest. Read more about my Sabbath practice.

2. Take 5 minutes: What if 5 minutes a day you silenced your world? What would that look like? "Do Not Disturb" is the most-used setting on my iPhone lately.

3. Take control: habits like picking up my phone to scroll or mindless television—they have their place, FOR SURE. But have you noticed the times they are distracting you? I'm starting to turn off the meaningless distractions & turn on the things that matter—sleep, quiet time, a walk, time with my kids and husband, or a phone call with a friend.