Celebrate! An ALMOST Screen Free Week.

I'm linking with Ruth Ayres, and her weekly link up.  Read More about that here.  

Hello Blogging Friends!  On Sunday, I casually mentioned at the dinner table that this past week was Screen-Free Week.  Check out this website for more information.  Immediately, my nine year old was all over the idea.  He knows that his parents would benefit from such a challenge as much as anyone in the house!  Like most families, we have checkpoints in place to prevent overuse and abuse, but do grow complacent.  After the mean winter we had in Iowa, complacency about devices had taken over.  It was easy to justify.  But time for a change.  

So, we dove in head first.  The rules:

• No devices out.  
• Phones were for talking and texting with friends and family.  Music was allowed, since that is where we keep most of ours these days.  No other apps.  
• No recreational TV.
• No Computers
• No Peeking!  (That one was for mom)
• Mom and Dad could use them during the work day.  

The Highlights:

Monday Morning I knew I was in for a change.  I usually roll out of bed and grab my phone, teeter downstairs and flip on the TV to catch up on news.  I sat down at the kitchen table for a change in scenery and train myself differently.  I grabbed a book and began reading.  Soon my sons came rolling downstairs and sat with me.  It resulted in a breakfast together, and a great conversation about allergies and peripheral vision.  :)  

• The "Breakfast together thing" has stayed with us all week. Dare I say it's become a part of our routine now. 
• We were outside more.  We connected with neighbors.  
• We listened to more music.  As musical people, it was great to return to this.  
• We read more!  I finished a book and I'm half way through another one.
• We slept better.  (Minus one unfortunate night resulting in blankets missing and a 4:30 AM unwanted wake up call.  It happens to the best of us.)  
• In all, our "vibe" if you will was more relaxed, because we had opened up the time we weren't staring at a screen!  That time was used to do the "If I had more time I would..." things we set out to do each day/week.  

The ALMOST part:

Thursday, as it happens in Iowa, there was a threat all day for severe weather.  As the day went on, and the humidity kept building, Mr. and I knew we would need to keep an eye on things.  And what a bizarre storm it was.  Hail, wind, greenish-purple skies (if you are in the Midwest, you know...), a downpour of rain and double-rainbows.  And that was in 5 minutes.  

What started as a need to keep an eye on safety, turned into a lot of peeking, and it really was at that moment that our Screen Free week ended.  

What the 9 year old said:  "I learned it really wasn't that hard.  You can read or just go outside."  

What I Hope Will Stick:

• A Screen Free Morning.
• Awareness and Purpose about screens at night.
• The Reading.  
• The things I see my family doing when they aren't in a screen trance.

Did you participate in screen free week?  How did it go for you?  

Joy!  Kendra