Our Week Without Electronics

Alternate Blog Title: Our Return to Normal Human Interaction

After the "let loose" electronics mentality we had over Christmas Break, we needed to reboot.
We had let the boys watch lots of TV, play lots of Wii and Kindle, and be lazy bums.
I really started to check if their brains were oozing out of their ears.
The glazed look of TVoverconsumptionitits was running rampant.

So, we declared January 6th-January 12th, a week of... gasp...
NO ELECTRONICS.

This meant no TV, Wii, Kindle, iPhone games, blog reading, social media, etc.
Obviously, Micah has to use his computer for work, and I allowed myself to use mine to print photos and such for scrapbooking. I checked e-mail, but clicked no tempting links, and only responded when absolutely necessary.  We also allowed the watching of the football playoffs, because well, we are huge football fans, and good Americans.... and we of course, wanted to scream and cheer on our Broncos.

Do you know what happened?
Well, after about a day and half of the boys walking around like lost pups whose eyes hadn't adjusted to the new and bright world before them, they started to ya' know... interact.
They played games.
Read books.
Painted.
Played with Legos and other long forgotten toys.

In short, they became little human beings again.

Micah and I, we enjoyed it too.
We read books.
Had long talks.
Lingered longer over the dinner table.
Crossed lots of things off the proverbial "to-do list".

In short, we became humans again too.

I finished up my Project Life for 2013.
I read TWO books.
My house was actually clean.
The laundry was done, folded, AND my personal nemesis, put away.

I suddenly had time for all those things "I never have time for..."
I realized we were wasting time on electronics, but wowee... I didn't realize how much. I also underestimated how much more we would interact with each other. (and that means how much LESS we interact when we are all staring at various screens.) The funny part is, we are pretty tight on how much we let the boys watch normally. Kindles have time limits, no TV goes on in the morning except for Saturdays, etc. Compared to some kids, they are practically Amish. But it's oh so easy to let it slip... oh.so.easy.

Sure, the boys had many more squabbles.
Why?
Well, when you are sitting on your buttocks watching TV there is nothing to argue about.
It was as if they had to re-learn how to settle disputes in games.
How to compromise when they wanted to do different things.
How to share when there were limited amounts of something.

I knew we'd accomplished our goal when, after school one day, one boy was painting, one boy was reading, and one boy was drawing. I felt like I'd walked into a picture of the way I want our house to be, and almost pinched myself. I joined the boys at the table and worked on my 2014 Project Life, turned on some music, and enjoyed being WITH my children. Not just near them, staring at a screen. 

We loved the week so much, it is going to become a monthly occurrence at our home.
We still love watching football, and having an occasional "family movie night". 
For me, I am keeping my online time cut waaaay back.
I no longer get up, check e-mails, and get hooked into reading fifty articles on feedly before realizing, "Oh, it's already been an hour I've been sitting here."
There is nothing wrong with reading these lovely blogs or websites about home decor, photography, and bad tattoos. (google the tattoo fail blog. you will thank me later, or hate me for the hours you are now wasting looking at the moron who tattooed "No regerts" on their arm.)
What the problem is, is what no one wants to admit... it's nothing that I need to live.

 Found this scene in the living room on day four. 

The wild boys looking through Project Life 2013.

Remembering. Laughing. Engaging.

TV can't buy that folks.

So, take a try at it.
Turn your electronics off.
I promise, after the initial shock and maybe the occasional finger twitch, you will find some lovely hobby, interest, or person to engage you.
Take a walk.
Read a book.
Write a letter.

Be a human again...

 

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. 

Most people just exist."

                                         ~ Oscar Wilde

To My Micah, On His Birthday...

I have been mulling around this blog post for quite some time.
How would I pay tribute to my best friend and spouse?
The one whom I have affectionately referred to as "My Micah..."
for oh so many years...

You may need to bear with me.
I don't mean to brag or boast.
Rather, I want to point to how all these things
I am about to say... are not because of Micah, alone.

No, he is a truly new creature each day.
Made new by his Savior.
Constantly honed and brought through the refining fire,
and time and time again, he proves...

He is worthy.

I cannot explain what is like to live with a man who truly
realizes and lives out selflessness.
I have no need unmet. No want un-noted.
He goes without, and gives to us.
He will "make do", so we can have "shiny and new".
And I do not mean he provides and meets our needs on a purely material basis.
You should know, we are in the hardest financial season of our marriage.
Yet, we are happy as husband and wife.
Why? Because I don't need a fancy new car, dinners out, or an expensive weekend get away
for my husband to show his love.
(not that we both don't enjoy those things, or that they aren't fun and awesome. We are just doing without those extras right now, and it has shown us they are "bonuses", not "necessity".) 
He shows it when he washes the dishes.
He shows it when he helps me bring in groceries, or wakes up and greets his children with hugs and kisses, or holds me when I am sad or hurt, or encourages me when I feel weak, or even, yes, even when he rebukes me when I am wrong.

He is a true man of integrity, honesty, and justice.
He does not waver for the applause of men.
He is diligent in his pursuit of raising three little boys to be godly men.
He is loyal.
He is willing to tell you the hard things, and walk with you through your battle to face them.
He is beyond intelligent... he can do any job or task you give him. He will have read three books to learn about it before you blink.

I have never met anyone like him.
I never need to.
My Micah is the real deal.
You can't buy that.

 So, with all the It's A Wonderful Life gumption and sentiment I can muster, to my amazing husband, on his birthday I lift my glass and toast,
"To Micah, the richest man in town..."

"Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow.

The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."

                                                   ~ Abraham Lincoln

Off to a Rocky Advent start...

One of my least favorite qualities in people is the fake.
I like that balance between "keepin' it real" and "Your Facebook status is NOT a diary."

Every woman has her Holiday Breaking Point and this is the story of mine. 
Maybe yours will be in the post office while mailing packages.
Or decorating the tree with rowdy children.
Or burning cookies.
Whenever and whatever yours is, take heart.
You are not alone.
Oh, and be kind to your fellow females when their meltdown comes.

My HBP 2o13.
(It came early, lucky me.)
You see, I was totally into getting our Advent countdowns started.
I have a system of three things so that each boy gets to do one a day until Christmas.

We wrap up 24 books, like so:

And we have our homemade Advent calendar, like so: 

And this year, we added in these cute little bags, like so:

Only the story of how the bags got their home is a tad, um, not so Martha Stewart.
Maybe cigarette trading-jail Martha, but not "It's a good thing" Martha.

You see, I stamped/painted the numbers on the bags. Easy, done, looked good.
I placed a "Ticket" that I made (yes, made! I am tech challenged so I was kind of proud
of this part. No computer was crashed during the making of this card! Yeah!) and a
chocolate goes inside each bag. (the tickets are for various home perks, like skipping a chore, extra lunch cookies, etc.)

Then I got the bright idea to hang them from the ever adorable red baker's twine.
This would've been fine except for I also decided to use cute holiday Washi Tape to hang them on the wall.
Yeah, so Washi Tape... not so strong. I started to have my doubts about the sustainability
of my Advent Wall Art.

So that night, as I lay in bed, every few hours, I would hear a distinctive thud, knowing it was my cute little bags hitting the floor. And yep, I admit it.
I was so mad about getting woken up, repeatedly,
that I thought some not so nice thoughts about those cute little bags.
HBP had arrived at my door and I was not ready for it.
At one point when Micah leaned up upon hearing one of the thuds, I just muttered, "It's just my stupid, freaking Advent bags falling down." 
What kind of a heathen mom makes Advent bags and then curses their existence?!
THIS ONE.

So the next day, I set about making things right.
This old crib spring was supposed to be hung for a photo display a long time ago.
Someone couldn't decide what color to paint it though, so it sat.

But it works just right for my vile, adorable little Advent bags.

The moral of the story is...
Um, there is no moral. Just keep it real and be on the look out for other women in your life going through HBP. I have seen it on the baking aisle at the grocery store, the class Christmas party, and even, the Christmas tree farm. Encourage one another, and offer soy, I think that helps with the hot flashes, oh wait, wrong woman disease.  Offer wine... 

Hey, Target... it's not too late.

I am not going to address this as a "Dear Target" letter...
I am highly doubting the CEO will be reading the rantings of
a crazy redheaded mom of three wild boys.
But they should.
Because this crap matters.

I was slightly aghast when I saw this story:
http://pressroom.target.com/news/target-stores-to-open-at-8-p-m-on-thanksgiving-for-black-friday-deals

Really Target?
8 pm on Thanksgiving?
Wow, I guess you really are striving to be the Walmart of the middle class.
I am disappointed.
Why couldn't you just wait a few more hours?

Costco did.
http://www.thebraiser.com/costcos-closed-for-thanksgiving/
I commend them.
And I gotta tell ya'... I plan on buying as many of my Christmas gifts there now instead.
Yep.
I said it.
Target, you're out this holiday season.

But it's not too late!
Target... you CAN still back up and punt!
Pay those employees anyway, the ones assigned to work on that day.
Run TV ads with the change to close instead on Thanksgiving.
Do you realize what a GOLDMINE of good advertising you have here???
If you will just do the right thing.
I for one would show up (um, admittedly in the afternoon) and spend MORE if you did.
And eh... isn't that kind of the point? 

So I implore you dear, dear, dear, Target... please.
Close on Thanksgiving.

And Mr. and Mrs. Shopper... you DO have a choice where you spend your dollars.
What are you saying with yours? 

Google and Shallots

I bought shallots last week.
I am not sure why.
If I have ever eaten a shallot, I didn't know it.

I have never cooked with a shallot.
I don't have a recipe that requires a shallot.
I don't even own real "cookbooks" that would tell me what to do with a shallot.

So that is how I ended up awake at 3am one night,
Googling, "What can I make with a shallot?"

And apparently they are like an onion, but not an onion.
Mostly people like to caramelize them, which I am all for.
I learned how to properly caramelize onions this summer. (it is a long process, but oh so worth it.)
I may or may not have eaten two ginormous onions that I caramelized.
I have no regrets.

But now, now my Google search has that embarrassing fact forever etched in my
digital footprint. I am sure someone at Google or the NSA is going,
"HA! What a bonehead! She bought a shallot and doesn't even know what to do with it."

I am disturbed by the Google Search History.
It's like a diary of all the stupid things we are too embarrassed to ask our fellow humans.

Google Search: Are sheep and lambs the same thing?
Google Search: What is the difference between a disease and a disorder?
Google Search: How do I read my cholesterol test results?
Google Search:  Amanda Bynes (oh yes! I did! I had to see her freakish new face!)
Google Search: Calories in a Costco Hot Dog? (don't do it, just don't.)
Google Search: Are Sequoias and Redwoods the same?
Google Search: How to zoom in on firefox? (shut up, I forgot, ok?) 
Google Search: Where does dew come from? (my kids are no longer satisfied with, 'God made it')
Google Search: How old is Pat Sajak? 
Google Search: Pee Smell in Bathroom
Google Search: Football Girdle
Google Search:  Substitute for______. There are literally tons of these in my search history. I think the sheer volume of pumpkin spice substitutes I have googled should be a clear indicator that I need to just buy some dang pumpkin spice.

And worst of all, I am too scared to search the one most helpful thing...
"How do I clear my Google Search History?"

So, I am off to search "Nancy O'Dell's plastic surgery."
I figure at this point, its go big or go home...