June 11, 2016

the first week of summer TV FREE

i felt like we should start our summer tv free
which is a little crazy because i have five kids and i'm pregnant
and suddenly they would all be home allll the time
but it felt like the right thing to do so i figured even if we only went a week
it would be a good start and maybe help us form some good habits for the summer
i unplugged and put the tvs away (ok michael did) the day before school got out
so each day the kids woke up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed, clean their rooms, make their beds, do a chore (mom's choice), and some sort of free writing or workbook
it went really well
then it helped it we went and did something fun afterward and came home for lunch
and henry's nap and the kids found things to entertain themselves around the house
 we also had noah and hazel give us a final piano recital 
since their teacher stopped teaching them early
after her boyfriend suddenly passed away

 monday morning everyone slept in
even these two who woke up went back to sleep without tv being an option
 after chores we went to the discovery center





 we went to the park across the bridge and saw some baby ducklings, too
 henry wasn't so sure about the ducks wanting his snacks...
 after lunch the kids had a nice long painting session

 it made my heart so happy to stumble upon noah reading happily in his room all afternoon
 tuesday we went swimming before lunch
it was a super successful trip taking them by myself 
when we got home they all wanted to make their own lunch
they were pretty cute all huddled around the sandwich making
 one day their friends david and ann came over for a playdate
i thought the girls were pretty cute playing in my shoes
 mad elsa
 practicing our eye crossing together
 wednesday was a long day
michael took us out for snow cones at brodie's to help us feel better

 they make you feel like you're in hawaii, they're amazing

 thursday we ran some errands after chores and i took them to the park
i thought they were all cute swinging together
with olive pushing henry
 crystal and her kids came over for lunch and dessert for crystal's birthday
 they all had fun playing in the pool, too
 friday was low key
and i was feeling a little burnt out
it's an adjustment to not have time to myself
the kids had fun riding bikes
hazel went with a friend to the pool and noah rode his electric scooter around
exploring the neighborhood and enjoying a little freedom
 michael came home a little early and we took the kids to the pool 
i was pretty proud of myself for surviving the week without the kids using any screens
 we ended our tv-free "fast" watching zootopia as a family last night
i am hoping to keep screen time pretty minimal for the entire summer
if i were really strong i'd get rid of our tvs altogether 
but for now i think we'll limit it to one movie a day (while henry naps) and no netflix or video games
we'll see how that goes
happy summer!

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