It used to be just a social thing. A hobby, nothing serious.
It had, at times, after a late night net binge session, affected my work, but I’d kept it under control.

I took a breath recently and looked around me….

I could see the damage my addiction had caused. My house, a complete mess, not exactly the domain of a proud stay at home mum. Like looking through the hungover eyes of a regretful drunk, I winced. I could see the dishes piled up, the piles of washing begging to be laundered, the toys lay in amongst piles of paper and bits of cracker biscuit.

My house had suffered, my family’s nutrition had suffered and my son was speaking Spanish thanks to too much Dora. – I recognised this is another trap; Believing that the television is educating your child can justify the further hours of letting it babysit while I check facebook.. again.

I’m also pretty sure that my husband grew a beard in silent protest of my inattention and my constant attachment to the netbook.

It was time to check in to Internet Rehab.

The first 24 hours were hard, thankfully computer problems on the second evening helped keep me away.

This morning I logged on for my agreed 15 minutes, and found facebook to be a bit overwhelming. Too many updates to catch up with in such a short time. I moved on to my email. Quickly replied to ones needing a reply and deleted some spam. Logged onto kidspot, replied to a couple of posts, checked that all was well with the world and LOGGED OFF. That is the most important lesson I’ve learnt in internet rehab.

Staying logged on, just in case, is dangerous…. it seems innocent enough, just leaving it on and checking it later…. that’s the intention. But it’s a gateway that leads to hours of social networking mania and the procrastination and then neglect of everything else you SHOULD be doing.

So the aim is, to NOT be online while my son is awake and with me (right now he is at occasional care). To spend more time being a mum and wife and less time being attached to my netbook.
Hubby may even quit his shaving strike and show his face again!

I can log on for 15 minutes in the morning and log off. I can log back on after 7pm but only for an hour or two at the most. I have better things to do….I need something to keep my hands busy and have a few craft projects on the go, so that will help.

It will also make for better blogs – because I will have something to say, because I may actually leave the house every now and then.

Stay tuned .. It should be interesting.
And if you see me on facebook “liking” random statuses and updating my status more than once a day – kick me out.

Are you addicted?
Or have you got it all under control still?
Are you recovering? Any tips?

This photo was taken last summer. I crave summer right now. It is so cold here in Melbourne that I sometimes wonder why we moved here from New Zealand. 
I have the heater on constantly at the moment and a few days ago, received a gas bill to reflect that!
Pictures like these make me remember the good bits of summer.


And it’s not until it arrives that I start complaining about the heat, the flies and the bill for the air conditioner.

Tell your friends.

About 7am this morning. On the Princes Freeway heading towards the Westgate bridge.
Melbourne – one of the worlds most liveable cities….. unless you rely on public transport that is.

I drop my husband off at the train station every morning for his 45minute trip into work. But this morning the radio told us that due to a power cut at southern cross station, there were delays of up to an hour on all lines.

lovely.

So I could have dropped hubby off at the train station to wait in the gorgeous 4 degree winter morning, or I could drive him to work. I kinda had to drive him to work… I’m sure it’s in the wedding vow fineprint.

As well as the usual traffic on the westgate, there were other cars that are usually parked at train stations.
The traffic was crawling. We had been driving for an hour when I noticed we were only 2 suburbs away from our house. A place I usually go when I just “pop down to the shops”.

The most annoying thing is that we pay for a monthly train ticket, so todays travel was already paid for. We don’t get that back. Stupid freaking trains.

All up it took 2 and a half hours to get hubby to work and me and Millar back home – in time to dress him and for me to scoff some toast and throw my hair in a ponytail before jumping back in the car to meet the lovely mums and kids at the playcentre.

2 and a half hours!!
What a way to spend 2 and a half hours.

*mental note* plug in ipod in the car. stop listening the the very helpful radio and you will be home for breakfast.