Back at it Again

Sorry if some of you have been waiting for my "Media-free Week" report. I will admit, there has been some catching up on Tivo, which BTW is one of the greatest inventions known to man. :)

Saturday night, we explained to the boys that we were not going to use screens for the week unless it was for business. (And to check to see if my nephew had been born yet.) The next morning, G. woke up at the crack of dawn and Andy suggested he watch a show. G. quickly said, "But I thought no screens, Dad." So I was impressed that given the chance, he stayed on track. Even though we didn't mean to tempt him!

When we got home from church, we played Uno as a family and luckily, already had a Johnson dinner planned. The boys had tons of fun with the cousins.

I have to say that the first few days were rather easy for the kids. Harder for me. I didn't even realize how much I rely on the computer. Online recipes, online banking, just checking in with my friends... So many moments I had to take a breath and find another way. And remind myself that I could post things on my blog sometime in the future. But I will admit, those old cookbooks are pretty inefficient! We played lots of games and read lots of books. We even made shrinky-dinks, remember those! I went to bed earlier and felt less rushed. Not sure I got more done though, because the media fast didn't really increase my motivation to get a ton done! LOL

A few days in, G. kept asking how much longer a week was and saying "Bishop Farley's idea isn't very fun..." But we got through it. G. has always needed me to entertain him, even when he was an infant, and since he can't read, he had to play more than A. Since the goal was family unity, we did use the internet for a project I have been meaning to do with G. for ages. He and I made a Superhero/Villain Alphabet book using google.com/images. Andy even joined in the fun, which was good because although I knew enough to come up with Charles Xavier for X, I needed help w/ Q, U, and Z. (Question, Underdog, and Zan from the Wonder twins...) And we ended up finding a picture of G. dressed up for "You" for Y. We had many to choose from! LOL (disclaimer: We did have to be careful when searching since it is amazing how inappropriate pictures can still pop up. Just in case you try this...)







2007- 2 yrs. old

I was amazed that we didn't have to do much to entertain the boys other than spend time with them, which we should do more of anyway. Who knew that throwing a ball with K. down the hallway would be so fun for him!?! So the week ended, and I have seen that my children have rediscovered their toys and have a greater balance in their lives. I had let them get pretty bad, going from one screen to another for entertainment, and trying to encourage them to do other things, but not liking to be the Bad Guy all the time. I think that we will do this when it gets out of balance again, though I will admit it was challenging.

Now the reason I chose the picture I did for this post is because of the absolutely best benefit. This picture shows how K. used to fall asleep at night. (Though wearing p.j.'s of course.) I hadn't won that "cry yourself to sleep" battle yet. And so, he and I would watch a show until he fell asleep every night. It was OK, because I learned this week that after getting the boys to bed, watching TV is EXACTLY what I want to do. Just veg, on the couch, seated. So I didn't mind, in fact, it was a perfect excuse. But when K. came up to me the first night and said, "Watch a show, Mommy," I had to tell him no. Had to. So we read 2 books each night, and put him in bed w/ his chosen blanket of the night and tucked him in like a big boy. And he did it. And now he does it every night. AWESOME!!! So if this was the only benefit, it was worth it to me. AWESOME!

I did feel bad for Andy because he was sick this week and just wanted to be sick and watch TV, but alas, he couldn't. I am glad to be back connected, but do have a new perspective. And I am grateful my kids do too. And I am glad I live in this time. What blessings we have. But we must still be wise stewards of our time. It is a never ending challenge to be balanced, but if our families are really the most important, they do deserve more time than the "Screens".

(Now, my brother asked about Koester's Mother Earth Experiment mentioned in the last post. When I was in ninth grade, my biology teacher made us carry around black trash bags to collect all our garbage for a week. We were only allowed to throw away toilet paper and feminine products. All food, pencil sharpenings, etc. went into the bag. Then we sorted through it on the last day to determine what part of our garbage was recyclable or biodegradable. I am not going to lie, it was smelly and gross. But it also changed how I think of throwing things "away" and has made me a little more aware of what I can use more wisely.)

Going Underground

That's how I feel about tomorrow... It feels like I am cutting myself off from the world.

Our bishop asked that all the members of our congregation go without TV and video games for the entire week of March 7-14th. He recommended that we consider including computer and texting, etc. The point is to increase our family unity. We are calling it a "Media Fast".

First off, let me say that I completely support everything our bishop says. I know that the Lord has given him stewardship over us and that he receives revelation that will bless our lives. Time and time again, he has said and done things that make me confident that he is in touch with our Heavenly Father. I know he cares about me and my family. And I think every family can definitely increase their family unity. It is amazing how you can be in the same room and really have nothing going on between you.

Andy and I are going to pin down the details tonight, but probably we are going without all entertainment that needs a screen. Goodbye TV, goodbye Wii, goodbye computer games, goodbye Facebook, blogs, and email...

I will admit, this is going to be hard for me. My sister-in law suggested that maybe it's good for our kids to realize that it will be hard for us, so they realize that we aren't doing it to punish them.

Yes, I do use TV to babysit my kids so I can get a shower and have no one underfoot so I can make dinner. Yes, I do use the internet for my news and the TV for my weather in the morning. I am not going to even know who wins the Oscars, because I can't watch it or check the internet for the results. I will miss my Facebook friends and frankly, the noise. Guess what friends, I hate quiet. Doesn't surprise you does it. LOL

I have heard that the first two days will be the worst. I anticipate that I will have to replace these activities with other ones, as any addict will tell you. So I have been brainstorming. I don't have money to entertain my kids, so I will have to use some creativity. My creativity. Hope I have enough. And enough patience to not lose it when someone tells me for the millionth time that they are bored.

I post this in blogland so you know, I will be far away for a week. You can call me, but I won't be checking in electronically. Sounds a little lonely, but I hope the benefits are great. I am going to feel out of it. I won't know about any recent earthquakes, terror attacks, the latest celebrity sightings or gossip... I guess as I think about it, that part doesn't sound so bad.

I am going to hunker down with my family, put on a happy face and see what life was like before people had Tivo, 400 channels, and immediate downloads. (I remember reading in a book once about a town set in the time when people were just starting to get TV's. They mentioned how you would walk down the street and you could see the blue glow coming from the front window and see the silhouettes of heads watching...)

I hope we have a lot of fun and I hope I am reminded how much I really do like these people that share my house. I hope we learn to not be quite so reliant on electronic entertainment. I know that will gain new perspective. (For those of you that took Freshman Biology with me, I am expecting the kind of enlightenment gained from Koester's Mother Earth experiment.)

But the week after, you'd better not call because I will be catching up on all my Tivo. ;) And you'd better all have new blogposts for me to read! Think of me at midnight...

How Do I Love Thee? And Thee? And Thee? And Thee?

So since Valentine's Day was on a Sunday, and we don't shop or spend money on the Sabbath, I needed a way to make the day special. Furthermore, I was looking for cheap fun.

I decided to cook a heart-shaped pizza and we drank homemade sparkling cider (one can of prepared frozen apple juice and one 2 liter of 7-up). We had raspberry sherbet, mostly so that Andy could eat it without worrying about his milk sensitive stomach. The thing that made the evening extra special was that we all ate by candle-light and toasted with our plastic cups. (This cool candle was a gift from one of my students back in the day.) K. was a little worried about it being too dark, so we ended up turning on a hall light to ease his concerns. A. and G. were full of compliments and toasts to me. They said it was the best day ever! So I think this will end up being one of those traditions that sticks. :) Always looking for those.

So who do I love? My sweet Andy. What a great friend and husband he is. :)

And my 3 boys. Who knew that I could handle THREE of them!?! But I can hardly imagine my life without them. They definitely keep me laughing and they maul me with hugs. Best Valentine's Day EVER!

The following are pictures of 4 year old G. He is getting so big and this was a Sunday a few weeks ago. He just looked great. The first picture is what he looks like when he's "put out". It took me a while to get him to look at the camera. He's funny that way. :)

I love the last one. I have said before he is my clever child. Just the other day, A. was chasing him through the house and G. dumped out a bag of toys to make a booby-trap. It would have been pretty effective had Andy not saved A. just in time. Clever, that boy... You can kind of see it in his eyes... lol

In the Laundry

NEVER, as a 14 year old girl could I ever imagined that today I would be doing loads of laundry that (I'm not exaggerating...) include 8 items decorated with Spiderman (with or without his many friends), 1 Scooby-Doo, 1 Mickey Mouse, 1 Kungfu Panda, 1 Star Wars, 1 Incredible Hulk, and 1 Buzz Lightyear. And that's just the Darks...

My Laugh for the Day

So this little guy pointed out a freckle on his leg when I was changing his diaper. I told him it was called a freckle and that I had them all over my face and arms. To which he says, "You have sprinkles all over your cheek." The closest I could get K. to say it right is "frinkles". So what can you do? LOL

My sister would ask, "Sprinkles of what??" ;) And if you know my sisters, you know which one.

Christmas "Fun"?

Ever imagine how the Holidays would be without one of these??? My family had been having flu symptoms last week and we were relieved to call Aunt Charlotte and Aunt Anna to tell them we thought it was over so they could still spend the night on Christmas Eve. They came over for dinner but during dinner A. and I got sick. They decided not to risk getting sick right before an airplane trip to Illinois. So they left. G. was so sad and frankly, I was too. We had so much fun planned and memories to be made. But what could we do?

We were feeling a bit better in the morning and had fun with all our new loot. Thanks Santa! I served my family lunch meat sandwiches and chips for dinner. (I know, wonderful mother, but I was taking it easy.) Right after dinner, I pulled out the sausage I had planned to use the next morning for belated Christmas Breakfast Casserole. It felt strangely "not cold". I put in a meat thermometer which came to 50 degrees, right out of the fridge. I was horrified to simultanously realize I had just food poisoned my family and that the flu symptoms were not contagious. Then I realized I may have food poisoned the aunts! And how much money would it cost to replace all my food? This was just getting worse and worse...

I sent my family to bed with pots and buckets, just in case and prayed we would make it through the night. Andy was the only one that got sick, but he was down for the count for 2 days. Sick in bed, achy, cold, and symptoms that polite people do not discuss online...

I contacted my landlord. (One silver lining, it isn't my responsibility to fix the fridge.) The repairman came on Saturday. Bless him. At first he told me he couldn't find anything wrong.

(On a side note, I wish there was a class for lay people about things you should know about stuff. Like how a garage door works, how you should use your dishwasher every couple of weeks in Arizona or it dries out, and how a refrigerator cools.) I felt like a dope when he told me I had blocked the source of cold air that comes from the freezer. He told me the top shelf was probably warmer, but my pickles on the bottom felt cold. But then I told him about the thermometer the night before. He wanted to see the temp of my pickles. We checked, and on the coldest setting on my fridge, they were 43 degrees. Your fridge is supposed to be lower than 40 degrees. So glad I didn't just let him leave.

He took another look at my compressor which was only half working and told me that my freezer was probably not working that well either. But at least everything was still frozen, so I don't have to replace those things.

The warranty guy was off for the weekend and if my fridge wasn't under warranty, we needed a new fridge. Cheaper to buy a new one than fix it. Found out yesterday, we need a new one. So now I just have to survive until Wednesday. My wonderful landlord even offered to take some of my next month's rent to replace some of the food.

My dear friend Bonnie, who is a kindred fellow Washingtonian, loaned me her mini-fridge. Without it, I think I would have lost my mind by now.

So we had a crazy Christmas, one that will definitely be remembered. I am grateful for kind landlords, repairmen willing to come on the weekends, that my babies didn't throw-up too much, stores that are close, and that I actually live in a time where we have electricity and refrigerators. And I am grateful that we are almost at the end of this trial, because I am tired...

Fasting

In his church class two weeks ago, A. learned about fasting when you pray for people. In our faith, we fast the first Sunday of the month for 2 meals and donate that money to the church to distribute to those less-fortunate. We also use that opportunity to consider those that may need extra faith and prayers going their way. A. was very excited and told us all about it on the way home. He wanted to do it this last Sunday.

On Sunday morning, I woke him and asked if he was still planning on trying it. He seemed really concerned and started talking about this boy in his class at school. It took me a while to understand why S. was relevant to whether A. would fast or not. S. is in a wheel-chair and I am not sure why, because he wasn't in first grade. A. told me that he told S. he was going to fast that he wouldn't be in a wheel-chair anymore. (Could he be more sweet and believing in the power of God!?!) S. probably didn't understand A.'s intentions because S. told him not to fast for him. So my 7 year-old was concerned that he didn't have a reason to fast, so should he still do it?

I assured him that he could come up with something else to fast for. He mentioned praying for everyone in the whole world that is sick. I told him that usually we try to be a bit more specific. So he decided on some people to pray for.

At church, he got a little hungry the first hour. Andy told him that he was hungry too because he was fasting, and then A. remembered and sat back down. He fasted the whole 3 hours and told me afterward that he was doing OK. He didn't even rush to the kitchen for lunch when we got home. We went to his room to close his fast with a prayer. He prayed and just said, "Bless all the people I am fasting for."

Andy and I were planning on having him start fasting when he is baptised on his eighth birthday and only one meal for a while. I told A. that and asked him if he wanted to wait until his summer birthday, or fast again in January. He told me he wants to do it again. I am so proud of him. What an awesome kid! :)