A week without....

So, you ask, what did you do all week without TV and the internet? Well, I'll tell you. I'd show you, but I managed to forget my camera most every time we went out so the pics will have to wait until other people can email me the ones they took.

Monday we all slept in. (Well, actually we slept in most every day this week.) See, usually Dade gets up at 4:30 (yes AM) to get online to play ROBLOX with some of his friends. No computer, so he slept in. Corben usually gets up at 7am to watch cartoons. No TV so he slept in. I usually get up because everyone else is up and they wake up the girls, but since everyone else slept in, so did I. This had unforeseen consequences. Though I can normally get them all to bed by 9pm and then have "adult" time this was seemingly impossible this week as everyone's sleep schedule was off and no one could fall asleep! Thus, everyone was up late so I got little, if no, grownup time. Since Ryan and I usually hang out on the couch and watch a TV show and there was no TV this week and since it was usually so late by the time we got the kids down we usually just ended up going to bed. This makes for a grumpy mommy. Luckily there were many pluses to this week of no technology.

1. I spent much more time talking with my children than usual. They also spent much more time talking with each other.
2. We read a ton of books!
3. We discovered that we love doing puzzles together and that it's a great time to talk.
4. The boys discovered a love of music that they didn't realize they had (Dade discovered Bass) and we all had a great time dancing the week away.
5. Both boys are now writing and illustrating stories that they hope to publish in book form!
6. Everyone spent a lot more time playing together.
7. No one died.

Minuses:

1. The sleep issue.
2. I discovered that computer time is how I take a break from the kids during the day so every time I started to head to the computer for my "break" I'd have to stop and then go do something else...like clean something...or spend time with the kids. Not bad things...but not the same as a break from the kids. This mixed with the lack of grownup time in the evenings led to a needy mom by weeks end.
3. More time with kids together is more fights to break up.
4. The need for more activities often means more trips out of the house and thus more gas money. (If I just turned off the satellite this could possibly balance out.)
5. Despite less time wasted on computer...my house was no cleaner than any other week. Oh well.

All in all I think the pluses out way the minuses so I'm hoping we can cut down now on our time in front of screens and spend more time together.

Monday we went out to spend the day with my sister-in-laws, Heather and Jamie, on Heather's property. They have a great pond there where we picnicked and rode 4 wheelers. It was so much fun. I took Dade and Corben out on the 4 wheeler and it was a blast. I'll post a pic when I get it.

Tuesday the boys spent the day visiting some friends they hadn't seen in a long time. It was so much fun. I got to catch up with some old friends as well.

Wednesday we just hung at home reading, dancing and doing puzzles. Corben had Taekwondo and Dade had scouts so my mom came to visit for the evening. We missed her while she was on her trip! We also got a great rainbow above our house that had pretty much faded by the time I got a photo but I'll definitely be adding this to the Yard Book!


Thursday we were busy getting Dade ready for scout camp. We met mom for a crazy lunch at Waffle House were everything kept getting knocked off of the table and ended with mom's chocolate milk tipping over and pouring straight into Sylvie's car seat....and wouldn't you know I forgot the diaper bag?! Note to self...only eat at restaurants where everyone fits at the same table. We later headed over to the library for their weekly activity. This week was snakes and spiders. Dade won the drawing for a free shirt and Corben won a bookmark. I love free activities!

Friday RJ came over and we spent another day dancing and reading. We did add painting to our day so the boys could begin to illustrate their books. I drew Corben a dragon for his story and he colored it with water colors. He mixed the colors himself and proclaimed the day wonderful! The best part of all? Corben learned how to ride a two wheeler all by himself and rode up and down the street several times! It's been a long time coming...way to go, Corben!!
Saturday we caught up on some chores. Busy children make big messes. Later in the afternoon we headed to the lake. Ryan's brother, Mark, and his family had a rough & very busy week. They had a last minute move and with Ryan's bad back and my lack of a sitter we were unable to help as we'd hoped so we decided to help them by giving them a break. We went to Rolling View and found a great little beach where Ryan could pull the boat right up to the shore. We took turns riding in the boat, getting pulled in the big float, and hanging out on the beach with the kids. It was a fantastic evening. My mom and Ryan's dad joined us which made it all the better. I actually got to go out on the boat, just me and Ryan, and we drove around for a bit before pulling into the marina and getting ice cream. It was a fun little date that brought back most of my sanity.

Today, we headed out for another wonderful day at church and a nice evening at home together as a family. Ryan made homemade pizza on the grill which was so yummy! I've been catching up on all my emails and everyone's blogs. Guess we're back to life as usual, but hopefully without as much TV and computer as before!