Interview 5-8 without screens with Dominique co-founder of Les Belles Combines!

29 October, 2018

Dominique is the mother-teacher behind all the tools Les Belles Combines. Between 2010 and 2018, she accumulated 5 maternity leave, gradually giving up teaching in favor of her small tribe and her beautiful business. It is often said of her that she is not of her time! Between their country house and their log camp (no electricity, no running water) with her husband and children, she enjoys life in simplicity. She is the one who owes the awareness campaign Challenge 5-8 without screens. Read also on the blog the texts 5-8 screenless challenge And Take a break from the screens during the 5-8 screen-free challenge, but after?   How many children do you have and how old are they?     5 children 8 years, 7 years, 4 years, 3 years and 1 year   How many screens do you have at home? 2 tablets, 2 laptops and a cell phone! One of the two tablets is almost no longer used, it is the first generation of iPad. It was escaped everywhere, even on the stairs, I can't believe it still works. Definitely, Apple has changed the design of its tablets over the generations.   On a "normal" weekday, how many hours do you spend with your children? I have the chance to work from home and determine my own hours of work. With the older ones I spend 1 hour in the morning and 4 hours on the return from classes. I spend more time with younger kids who don't go to school. They are at home with me and/or my spouse 3 days a week.   How many hours a day do you check the screens?  All day long! From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Since the "Challenge 5-8 without screens" we have kept the rhythm of the screenless from 5pm to 8pm. But I must admit that as soon as they go to bed, I open a screen to do a little social media watch of Les Belles Combines and watch a TV show. So if I only count the hours outside of work, I'd say 2 hours.   What habit have you lost because of (or thanks to) technology? Read the paper diary! Since the appearance of La Presse - I just read the newspaper on my tablet. This is the only reason why I have a tablet. I think it's sad... I really liked getting my big Saturday Press delivered! My husband and I used to settle down in the morning with a coffee and share the different notebooks of our press. Also, I almost no longer consult a cookbook and find all my culinary inspirations on the web. What I find a pity in all this is that my children see me behind my screen without really knowing what I'm doing there. It is more difficult for me to pass on to them certain important values, such as the importance of being informed and following the news.   What's the app you can't do without on your cell phone? Plan! I've never had a good sense of direction. Don't ask me why, but I have a particular difficulty getting to the south shore of Montreal. The GPS on my cell phone makes my life incredibly easy!   What app should you delete? Facebook! Before starting the company Les Belles Combines I had no Facebook account for several years. I started using it again for professional reasons. But, since this platform is essentially designed to spend a lot of time there, I get caught, like everyone else! I really have a love-hate relationship with this social network.   Is it difficult to manage your own screen consumption? Yes. I do a little too many things thanks to the internet. Read the newspaper, find recipes, shop (I never travel to buy clothes again), search for information, contact friends, take pictures. Of course, it makes my life easier in many cases. The challenge is not to fork out what you do in order to find yourself on time-consuming sites, such as Facebook, You Tube or Instagram.  I don't want my kids to always see me behind a screen.   Is there a screen rule in your home? There are several. No screens between 5pm and 8pm unless you have a special privilege! No screens before leaving for school, as they need to keep all their attention span for the next day. No more than 30 consecutive minutes on a device unless you listen to a movie! I also watch everything they watch on You Tube! Finally, the people around are more important than what's happening on your screen. If someone talks to you, pause it and answer!   Are you more of an airplane mode or FOMO (fear of missing out)? When I started the business I was in FOMO mode at the board! The 5-8 Challenge made me realize that everything could wait until 8pm! Now I'm much more airplane mode.  

In burst:

  Your favorite board game? I like card games. The 8th, the (I really wrote this word in a blog Les Belles Combines ;)), the battle, pass the ace and so on!   Your favorite children's book? Hard question, I'm a compulsive child book buyer. Lately, I started reading them all kinds of classics in children's novel format. They love it. We are currently reading Jules Verne's "Travel to the Center of the Earth." I discover it at the same time as them.   Your favorite app for kids? "It's me" by Tinybop! It's really great. It's like a diary for children. They can write things about their lives, add images and photos, their likes, their dislikes, their feelings, etc.   Your favorite family outing? Weekends at the cottage! We watch beavers, we make fires, we paint bits of wood, we cook, we just make us be together. The big plus: there is no internet network, not even need the airplane mode!   The toy that can captivate your children for hours? The toy that has been used most by my children is the wooden blocks. I can't believe they've done stuff with these little bits of wood. Towers, pens for their animal figurines, houses, etc. They carried them in truck boxes, doll strollers, backpacks.   To participate in the 5-8 screenless challenge and don't miss out on the suggestions for activities, tips and tricks to better manage the consumption of screens of the whole family, click I participate on the page Facebook event! Don't hesitate to share photos of your 5-8 on social media using #Défi5a8sansécrans

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