I am a cheater. No, don’t go there. I don’t mean that in the way you are thinking. It has nothing to do with sex, drugs, money, or any other moral deviation.

I am actually a loving wife and mother of three with a serious electronics problem. I can’t pinpoint its inception. I believe it came on sometime in between feeding my twins at 3am while watching the home shopping network, and all the hours spent held captive in the house by three potty training toddlers.

Back then, I yearned for a minute to myself, a connection with the outside world. Sometimes, those stolen seconds facebooking behind a locked bathroom door was enough to help me maintain my grasp on sanity. All I needed was a glimpse into the world to give me hope of happier times beyond the colic, the sick kids, bodily fluids and tantrums.

Fast forward 7 years, and despite having children who are now largely capable of taking care of themselves, my phone, dubbed long ago my “lovie” by my husband, has become like an appendage. I can’t watch a TV show without texting at the same time, or playing 2048, or scrolling through headlines, facebook updates, or any number of other mindless distractions. My attention span has diminished to about 30 seconds. And, all at once, I am telling my kids they can’t have screen time, while they yell back that I am always on my phone. Touche.

I was largely and blissfully unaware of this until I came across an article recently, “Cheating goes far beyond sexual Infidelity.”

The article described perfectly the affair with my lovie. Don’t get me wrong. I have a good marriage, great actually. My husband is truly my partner. He is a fantastic father, he works hard to support our family, and he supports me in whatever I want to do. If he were still sporting his Scout uniform, he’d have a million patches on marital success. He’s a good egg.

And my children, now 9 (Coco), 7 (Crab), and 7 (Red), are pretty fantastic as well. But each day slips by faster than the last. Before I know it, I’ll be sending three humans out into this world, and if they are anything like their mama, they won’t look back. My time with them is precious.

Enter this blog. It’s the dawn of a new year. I resolve to put down my lovie and be present. I resolve to notice the little moments. Not just to notice, but to appreciate and find humor in them.

Like this little gem from the Crab: Happy Welcome to 2015 day. I wish I had her way with words.