Discuss and draw with Marja Monette-Milette: interview for the 5@8 Screen-Free Challenge

Mom of two young children, near-Olympic champion of the morning sprint, proud owner of Dexter the little hamster in her head, and inveterate dreamer, Marja, a.k.a. La Parfaite Maman Imparfaite (in French), blogs about her world, her favourite things, her emotions of the moment, recipes… always with a touch of humour and in all simplicity! After all, everything is complicated enough already! She's working on forgetting guilt and making room for creativity.   How many children do you have, and how old are they? I have two children, Isaac, 6, and Charlie, 4   How many screens do you have at home? 2 TVs, 2 laptops, 1 tablet… 2 TVs and a tablet   On a “normal” weekday, how many hours are you with your children? I'd say it varies between 4 and 6 hours a day   How many hours a day do you spend on screens? Too many! Actually, the problem is that I use screens a lot for my work. I don't watch that much TV, but I'm very active on social media, which quickly drives up the time I spend in front of a screen.   What habit have you lost because of (or thanks to) technology? Unplugging! Since screens now let me work anywhere, anytime, I too rarely give myself the luxury of completely disconnecting.   What's the one app you can't do without on your cell phone? Facebook/Instagram   Which app should you delete? Facebook/Instagram lol!!! Actually, here are the 2 main reasons that keep me on screen: replying to messages/comments, posting, interacting...   Is it hard to manage your own screen time? Oh yes, and even though I have the perfect excuse (work), it's something I'm working hard to change my habits on. Imposing screen time limits on myself too, not just on my kids.   Do you have a screen rule at home? As a general rule during the week, there are no screens if the routine isn't finished. Mom and Dad put their phones away when we get home and don't take them out until the kids are in bed.   Are you more airplane mode or FOMO (fear of missing out)? Airplane mode, I had no choice! I was so prone to always glancing at my notifications that it was pathetic. And this mode lets me unplug from screens much more easily!  

Rapid-fire round:

  Your favourite board game? Expressio   Your favourite children's book? Le bain de Berk (do I have to name only one?! It's torture!)   Your favourite app for little ones? Coucou   Your favourite family outing? I have a soft spot for Clip 'n Climb!   The toy that can captivate your kids for hours? Costumes, basically anything that lets them play a role!!!   As part of the “5@8 Screen-Free Challenge,” Marja suggests chatting and drawing around the theme DRAW A NICE MOMENT FROM YOUR DAY. A very simple way to start a conversation with our (sometimes not-so-talkative) kids about how their day went! Of course, parents draw too! Don't hesitate to share photos of your 5@8s on social media using #Défi5a8sansécrans