Life goes by really fast.
Take this little guy for instance. He was someone new this February 1st... someone I had never met.
He was a tiny bundle of needs - and now he's an adventuresome tot with busy pinching fingers, wobbly legs, grabbing hands and a smile that can light up the whole universe.
But let's not stop there. I also have a two year old that knows all his letters and numbers. He draws and colors all day if you'll let him (and can manage to hide the books and anything else important that you don't want to become part of his artwork). My little Picaso knows how to work the iPad, too. He often asks me to "come play with him" - and how can I say no?
There's the twelve year old, too. She seems pretty independent now that she can cook a full meal (heavy on the dessert) and play some amazing piano... but I know that she would rather play board games with mama than be by herself in her room.
The fourteen year old enjoys Star Trek with daddy and any sort of documentary about science or history - his latest favorites are World War I and II. My eyes might gloss over a bit when he tells me all about submarine parts, but I love that he's excited about learning. He's a smart cookie. And 14 years is not far away from.... driving... (and then you blink - and he's leaving for college).
These are the people that I don't want to miss out on. So instead of doing just another thing on the internet for the next 31 days ... (which I admit looked pretty fun at first glance)... I am vowing to do a few other things with my 31 days in October.
Here's my 31 list (yeah, I know the month already started, but I'm OK with just jumping in and letting the goodness spill over in to November)...
31 DAYS OF BEING UNPLUGGED
1. exercise every day & drink 6-8 glasses of water
2. start my 17 Day Diet back up (today went great!)
3. limit my blog time to 31 minutes a day this month (until I leave for Relevant)
**note: I can't unplug entirely because I'm helping to run the Homeschool Blog Awards and it takes me at least 31 minutes a day just to check emails -- so when I say 31 minutes a day for blogging, I mean I'll be watching the clock when I get online to minimize every second and get my tasks done quickly.
4. Spend 31 minutes a day with each kid - without interruption
5. Spend 31 minutes a day in prayer and Bible study
6. Spend 31 minutes a day with my husband - with both of us unplugged and doing something we enjoy
7. Spend 31 minutes a day being a better homemaker - which might even include hanging my husband's shirts up even though he's entirely capable of doing it himself
8. Spend 31 minutes a day preparing for the next homeschool day
9. Take walks
10. read before bed (which means going to bed on time!)
11. spend more time with my mother
12. un-procrastinate a few projects
13. mail a package to a friend just because
14. ask someone over for a play date
15. take the kids on a field trip
16. get down on the floor and play trains with my 2yo
17. paint something
18. do some deep cleaning
19. draw
20. do a craft
21. start preparing our Christmas letter early
22. organize my CDs and upload some music to my computer
23. laugh more
24. smile more
25. keep my voice as soft as possible so people have to listen better in our noisy house
26. download a song for my 14 year old he really wants
27. throw away the unmatched socks
28. catch up on my school to-do list
29. sync my Outlook task list on my iPhone
30. sync my iPad
31. use Instagram more and take more photos
What are you doing for your 31 days? An awesome blog series?
Don't feel bad if you are unable to keep up online. The things that really matter in life are not things at all.
I'm sure there are people you live with who might enjoy spending time with you a lot more than reading your blog!
11 comments:
I love our idea about limiting blog time. I plan to do a similiar self imposed maximum from now till end the year as well. I was just thinking the other day...what could i get accomplished if i wasn't on my pc quite as often? my heart is telling me "quite a bit"...blessings to you. new follower from the homeschool post.
I want to do this.... someday. It's really hard to unplug in a world where we have gotten so used to electronics. I will.... someday :D
Awesome blog. I enjoyed reading your articles. This is truly a great read for me. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles.Keep up the good work!
I love your list. We have started 31 day of fasting for church and are using the time to curb some habits that have gotten out of hand.
Screen time is one of those habits I have to keep it to less than 2 hours a day.
Also no more Chick-fil-A...oh sweet tea and fries how I will miss you.
You are an inspiration, thank you for what you do.
Love this list. I have had a hard time this last month keeping up with blogging. I feel like I have been behind on so many things and not doing many things I wanted to be doing. Maybe I should unplug for a month!
I love this list! I've been a bit delinquent with my own personal "Happiness Project" list (http://www.happiness-project.com/)...but some of the things on your list intrigued me. I don't think I'm ready to limit myself to only 31 minutes on the computer since so much of our homeschool stuff relies on its use (think: online electronic flashcards for Chemistry)...but it occurs to me that if I spent a few thirty-one-minuteses doing some of those other things, I might actually be more efficient when I do start answering email!
Miss you... love your ideas!
Thank you for your post. It is easy to get so busy being" responsible" that we forget to do the things that really matter. Funny, your list was perfect for me. All the things I need to unplug and do were on wwtp list. We must an living parallel lives. LOL@
This is awesome! I love it.
They do grow fast. Enjoy your 31 days.
like it!
Good post!
I am there with you. I noticed that when I was on the computer or phone or etc., that I would sometimes get huffy with my kiddos when they needed something or just wanted to talk to mommy. I would say that ever constant, "just hold on, one more minute", etc. I am now trying to only be on the computer in the mornings before they wake up. If I have to do otherwise then, I stop what I am doing and give them full attention when they need or want me. I was in a bad rut, and so glad I got out of it, I was missing my sweet childrens moments in life.
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