Unplugged and forgot to turn back on

Where have we been for the past month?  I kind of disappeared for a bit. We had Screen Free week and I have not done a blog post since.We were originally supposed to have Screen Free week the week of May 5th, but then all 3 boys and I ended up getting sick with fevers and upset bellies and there was no way that I could keep the screen turned off.  We honestly laid around and watched more tv more than we ever had that week.  A little ironic, really.

So, we tried again for the following week when were were all on the mend and did a really great job keeping unplugged.  (I may or may not have cheated a few times, but I will admit to nothing.)  My children did not lose their minds without technology nor did they ask me every other second if they could get on the computer.  The strangest thing, they used their imagination the whole week! It was amazing to watch.  I had actually come up with 30 ideas to keep the kids busy in their "bored" moments, and we really did not end up crossing too many of them off the list. I will be adding the activities we didn't get to to our Summer Bucket List.  The boys entertained themselves the whole week.  This is very unusual because they usually need to me to give them ideas, which drives me crazy.

One of our most favorite things we did while unplugging was watching a pair of birds protect their nest.  We saw them fight off cats, squirrels, and even a monitor lizard!  I wonder if we would have even noticed these birds if we had been busy watching tv or playing on the ipad.

 One of the birds we watched during the week. 

Here are some other fun things we did over Screen Free Week:

Watching one of the first big storms of the season.

 Playing with Oobleck

Lots of reading and lots of coffee for me

We will be limiting our screen time this summer in hopes for a much happier household.  I notice that if the boys watch tv or get on the computer right away in the morning, it sets them up for a really rough day.  They seem to fight more with each other and are also grumpier.  It's amazing what the affect of unplugging had on our family in a positive way.  So, here's to  happy (unplugged) summer !