Operation "No T.V. Screens"...Day One

AKA "Mission Impossible" is a go at the Kanigan house. This mission was accepted through force by our children as a chance for them to realize that there is life outside of Wii time, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon.
            How this mission came about: It's been a long time coming. Dan and I have been talking about it for months now because it seems that a few of our kids have reached a point where they literally don't know what to do with themselves without some sort of electrical devise to stimulate their brain. It's gotten so bad that I can't even turn on my computer to pay bills without a little pair of eyes over my shoulder, begging me to have the screen when I am done. Last week we let two of the boys spend A LOT of time playing the Wii because their brother was at a fun ice skating party, and when their hours of entertainment were over, the first thing they did was beg to use my computer and play Daddy's phone! The brother who went to the party, and got home close to bed time, was beside himself because he didn't get any Wii time. He'd spent all afternoon, having a lot of fun, and all he could think about was the Wii time he'd missed. I think that was the straw that broke this Mama Camel's back. It was decided then and there that this week would be screen-less for the kids and that Dan and I would only have screen time in the evening and to check email a few times through the day. Dan of course has to work, so his screen-less time is only while he's home and the kids are awake, but it's something!

Okay, so how did day one go?  I'd say, all in all it was a success. Two kids out of four declared at different periods throughout the day that this was, "...the best day of my life!" So I'd say that was pretty cool.  The other two, however, were not as easily won over. Baby girl begged all day long for Super Why and even snuck in part of a show while I was up cleaning out a closet. She was quickly discovered and ratted out by my loyal band of tattle tales and Super Why was taken down quickly and quietly. My other "zero screen non-believer" did really well in the morning while everyone was making creations out of paper and tape, but as soon as he lost interest, he spent the remainder of the day exclaiming that this would be the longest week of his life and that he wished he could just have one little minute on the computer to google tiki costumes. (yeah, don't ask.)

Me? Well...I'd have to place myself somewhere in the middle of the hate/love specturm. I loved watching my kids adapt to their imaginations. They really are such fun and creative individuals and I was impressed with the amount of activities they came up with. Mondays are my cleaning days, so I told the kids that they would have to come up with their own ideas and that I wasn't planning an entire day filled with things for them. They accepted that and took charge. Therein lies my dislike of day one.  They were so energetic about their activities that it felt like they were bulldozing around reeking havoc from left to right and I was left trying to do a full days worth of work while also cleaning up after them. I gave up on that pretty fast and stuck to their tails like super glue, making them clean up each mess as they finished them. And to think, I felt annoying just taking their screens away, now I felt like an absolute nag!
Because I was getting nothing done, except annoying, previously annoyed children I decided it was time for some outside play. I went out, turned on the sprinkler and ordered everyone to "go outside and have fun!"  Ah, if only orders for happiness were non-negotiable. The younger two were more than excited about it, but the looks of smolder and hysterical pleas from the older two about broke me. Apparently being "outside" is close to a death wish...I never knew.

All in all, it really was a great day. I wavered and almost gave in a few times, but in the end remained strong and the kids, I really believe, were the better for it. Tomorrow we will get out of the house and do a few things to keep their minds off of what they are missing. I'll be sure to do a quick update and let you all know if we survived another screen-less day!  Here are a few lightly edited (I am trying to cute down screen time!) pictures of the kids adventures at home!

For now, I am over and out...and going to go watch a movie...  ;)

To start, making paper hats!

Tee, hee, hee!

Silly Owen one!

Owen's picture of the desert including, scorpion, camel, anteater and something I can't pronounce.

Logan's hat sale.

Ellie's crazy run in with a spray bottle!

 Buddies

Logan's Ranch

Logan's dress-up experiment...Ellie had a blast and Logan pretended to be a photographer.

Found Linc moping in my closet in front of a shelf full of Disney movies.

Silly Owen two.

Found Linc moping infront of the computer.

Ellie's second photo shoot outfit.

Silly Owen three...ah boy. Any guess about how long it took to get this lipstick off? O was relieved when it did come off because "It would be so embarrassing to go out with that slimy stuff on my face".

Science experiment...Logan's idea.

Food coloring in water.

Running in the rain...had to stop when the thunder started, but it was fun for a minute!