Day 1

After seeing my child wake from a deep sleep, start thrashing around, swinging his arms, yell "No I GET THE IPAD!!" and start crying...I decided that we needed a long break from technology.

After writing my husband all day saying things like "We should probably discuss our plans for this summer" and then coming home, sitting next to each other and watching a mindless TV show and not saying a word to each other...I decided we needed a break from TV.

That's why we are going to try and unplug a bit this summer.  Nothing extreme, just listening to more music, reading more books, talking during meals, making more art, being outside more, taking more trips, discovering more joys.

This does include stipulations.  My husband has two: Liverpool games are okay and Game of Thrones on Sundays (for the next three weeks) is okay.  The boys are allowed to go to an actual movie, watch a movie at a party/friend's house and watch iPad movies on long road trips.  So it won't be "TV free", but it will be mostly that way.

Day one so far has been great.  We woke up and instead of turning on the TV, Jude, my older son created something original out of Lego pieces and my son Oliver built a Lego Duplo train track.

We then met friends at the park for bike riding, kite flying and digging in the sand.  After that we left for Target to get a few supplies for this 'TV free' summer and then we came home, whipped out the slip n' slide and played for a bit - stopping to do chalk drawings on our front walkway.

They are now inside having a snack, building and listening to kids reggae. We have a dental visit later, but we plan on just playing around the yard, eating outside and stopping by the library for some new summer reads...for the whole family.

 

My summer reading list is kindof non-existent but I'm gathering ideas from friends.  Brock typically looks at ratings and chooses a book.  I want to finish listening to "Unbroken" as I draw...I'm almost done.  What an incredible story and history lesson.

I don't really have an stipulations except that nothing applies in an emergency situation. Can't wait until we do some camping stuff. It's really not too hard to occupy the boys as they love music and being outside. Tv free winter would be impossible.