National Screen-free Week: Day One

Today was day one of no TV or kids on computers at our house and overall, it was a huge success.

I got started on blogging again and re-found my love for documenting the fun things that our family does for us and our posterity to enjoy.  The boys only asked to watch TV a couple of times during the day and when I said, "no" they whined, but did not throw a huge fit.

I found myself sitting down at the computer several times today to open Facebook and then caught myself and got up to work on something else.  I really didn't miss the TV much until it was time to make dinner and I was stuck in the kitchen cooking.  Usually I'll turn on a show while I cook to distract myself and the kids.  Instead of TV, today I thought about the day (the pros and the cons) and made plans in my mind for how to spend the rest of the night and tomorrow.

To be honest, at the end of the day I am tired.  No TV means less "down time" while also means more productivity, but I am worn out.  The good news is that it is before 10 pm and I am headed to bed instead of staying up until after 11 watching TV.

National Screen-free Week

In honor of National Screen-free Week our family is going TV and computer-free for a whole week starting tomorrow morning. I will still check email and blog, but no Facebook. In fact, to avoid temptation I will have Darren change my password tonight to something I don't know and put the TV someplace in the garage that is inconvenient to get to.

I first heard about National Screen-free week a week ago when I received an email from the site Power of Moms on ways to live through a week of no TV. You can read the article here, but my favorite quotes and thoughts are these:

- "Our lives are a series of choices. Some we deliberate over, others we make automatically. But as we begin to live our lives more consciously, with more attention to the details, we become increasingly aware of just how many decisions we do make in the course of every day–from what we toss into our grocery carts to the images we allow into our living rooms."

- "Once we see our homes as sanctuaries from a hectic world, then television begins to feel more and more like an unsavory intruder, robbing our rooms of life and meaning, stealing our time, and preying on our souls."

Those statements were profound for me and I found myself reflecting on them over and over again. Then on Saturday and Sunday we had a chance to go to Stake Conference. The theme and topic that kept coming up in various talks was the importance of safeguarding our homes and our families against the influence of the adversary and to spend more time teaching our children.  A light clicked for me and I knew that going screen-free this week was what I and my family needed to get back on track.

I have several goals for myself this week.  My goals are to finish the Book of Mormon by Sunday night, spend more time playing and teaching the boys, and work with the boys to plant our garden.  I want to catch up on my blog and complete some organizational projects around the house.  I know that I and my family will be blessed this week as we spend more time together, not in front of the TV.