Thursday, October 16, 2014

Back on The Wagon to a Simple Life

Now that I am finally feeling some what "normal" after having little Miss. I have started to notice that my children are overly stimulated and high energy. And for the longest time thought it was because I wasn't getting all their energy out.
Then today during quiet time while I was trying to get baby girl to nap, I read a couple blogs. One I read about "Becoming more Amish" and the second one was "The images we watch effect our hearts and minds".
The first one I read, I felt like God was speaking to me. Like he was telling me the plan he had for me and my family. So I laid out a plan in my head and prayed about it. I prayed for God to show me the path we should be one for a simple life.
Then this evening I called a family meeting after dinner and rooms where cleaned. And I laid out some small goals to start out our reattempt to a simple life.
Goal #1 -  When we rise, we get up and get dressed for the day (that includes teeth and hair). Then play using imagination and or arts and crafts.
I know part of this goal will be up to me to accomplish it. I pray to start becoming more functional, because since she came, I get up at 5am to nurse then fall back asleep, in the chair. And I am in the living room and just flip Mickey on and sleep while they watch cartoons once they get up. This has caused laziness on my part and for our day to be wasted.
Goal #2 - Limit TV and Nabi (tablet) to 1-2hrs a day. Every day when I say imagination time I hear "but I have NOTHING to do"... Well that's a lie, bc they have several toys in their room. I explained we are going to use more of our brain and more hand play. My son is really good at imagination time. He would play for hours, my daughter however is not because she plays for 20mins and comes out to ask is she done. I am going to work on them using their imagination and JUST play, and make stuff from simple things. Using their imagination full time!
Goal #3 - Calmer evenings and more family time. That really us goal #1 but I know it will be a couple grumpy nights bc they didn't get a lot of TV or Nabi.
I do understand that my goals seem simple, but at the end of my pregnancy and postpartum stage I formed really bad habits of TV and Nabi of unlimited. Yes it is easier to just sit them there so I can sleep, and do what I want. But the more I sat and watched my children slowly become the TV and technology obsess children. And it made me feel guilty and awful that it became this way. And I want to get our family to a simple life style. To erase the I wants, and the need for US to entertain them.

"A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life." Proverbs 13:7

I know God will guide our plans to his will. And I look forward to achieving our goals together as a family.

1 comment:

  1. Great goals!
    One way we monitor/regulate screen time is earning tickets for chores (3x per day), school, and quiet time. They earn it in 15 min increments. This helps me with a way to motivate to do their chores (work) so they can play. Also, I don't have to say you've already played too long today (or wonder how long it has been) because they are limited on how many they can earn. Just thought that might be spark some ideas for you to help meet your goals. :)

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