"No Tech. Hour"

**I know I have been MIA lately but school is intense and after starring at a comp ALL day at work and usually most evenings for HW, the last thing I want to do is stare even longer to blog. I have missed blogging so I hope to "make time" for it every couple of days, so be on the lookout. I also miss reading, for fun, I am working on making time for everything but there are only 24 hours in the day, bummer.**

Technology is such a big part of everyday life, esp. since I am in graduate school and TM is a teacher. I felt like we were loosing ourselves to technology and I didn't want that to happen.

We were rushing through dinner to get back to whatever we were doing on the computer before dinner. We were having more and more dinners on the couch and I hated it.

E eats 100times better at the table and we actually have nice dinner conversations when we sit at the table.

I missed the routine of eating dinner (at the table) and playing outside till bath time, that E & I had before TM moved in. Not to say he is the reason that stopped, b/c he is NOT. I actually have no idea how I lived without him.

Its just that school has gotten really intense and I always feel stressed and bogged down with school work and house work and work-work.

I was over the blah feeling I had and I started a new "rule" in our house. (Okay its mainly for me but ya know...)

"No technology hour"

It is exactly what it sounds like, for an hour (or more) evey evening we put our cellphones away/ on vibrate, close the Macs, turn off the TV and just spend time as a family unit. It usually occurs around dinner time and continues till E goes to bed at 745. So its usually more than an hour. 

It is great! I don't feel as anxious anymore, I am more relaxed once E goes to bed and I can focus on TM and my homework better. I snap at E less. I prepare better meals. I can't think of one negative.

We usually let E play outside after dinner (weather permitting), but we always had our phones and we would sit in our chiars on the front porch/ on the patio furniture on back porch, damn you Words w.Friends(!) But since we started this rule all 3 of us play together, phones inside.

The only technology that gets used is my camera. So many memories, I've gotta capture them. 

We have gone for a walk, pulling E in her wagon, to visit and feed the horses at the end of the main road we live off of. We have let E ride her bike around the neighborhood and we walked behind her and talked. We have had "races" in the back yard, just played on the swing-set or with chalk, bubbles or the bouncy ball out front. 

It really is refreshing to "un-plug" for a little while each night. This is def. one "rule" that will remain in this household. 

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Keep up in between posts, I Tweet , A lot.

xo

-Kandid Kelli