Comments on: Focused Moms Challenge Week Two: Unplug

By: Focused Moms Challenge Week Two Results

Focused Moms Challenge Week Two Results — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:59:43 +0000

[...] can’t believe we’re already finishing up Week Two of the Focused Moms Challenge! We’ve reached the halfway mark, and I’m so proud of each and every one of you! [...]

By: Polly

Polly — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:16:20 +0000

Robin, what an awesome job you are doing and what wonderful memories you are making with your daughter. And yes, isn’t it cool to find out that 40 year olds can have fun playing in mud puddles! LOL! I love how you’re getting your daughter involved in the challenge. Next week we’re going to shifting our focus more to them, so you’ve got a good head start. I’ve found already at my house how frustrating it is that while I am unplugged, the kids are still in their usual spots watching tv, playing video games, and playing on the computer! Nobody told them that there was a challenge going on! One step at a time though! By the end of the month we’re going to have the whole house focused. Thanks for sharing what you’re doing at your house. Proud of you!

By: Robin

Robin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:43:47 +0000

Guess what I did yesterday (or, rather, didn’t do)? I didn’t use my iPad at home until I crawled in the bed.

My daughter doesn’t know this, but I’m spreading the challenge to her. As a 7-year-old, she already has a tv, wii, iTouch and iPod, camera, laptop, motorcycle, electric scooter and 4-wheeler (a lot of the electronics are compliments of the grandparents). No, I’m not bragging at what all she has, but instead am pointing out how much more electronics and motorized ‘toys’ our kids have than we did when we were their age. While my daughter would much rather be outside playing than watching tv, she usually still gravitates to something with a batter or engine.

So back to the challenge…before my daughter can get on anything with an engine, I have her make the mile and a half trip around the lake on her bike with me. She sees it as me playing with her, but I see it as bonding and a bit of physical activity. Yesterday, we rode our bikes and stopped and talked. She would “trick” me in to thinking she was resting when she really was trying to get a head start on racing me around the lake. When we were done with our bikes, we then took the 4-wheelers out, headed to the lake and fished until it was time for dinner.

Before this challenge, I would have stayed inside catching up on Facebook, reading the news on MSN, instead of spending this time with my daughter. Oh, and Monday it was raining, but we went outside after school and work after the rain left. I called her over to a puddle of water, and when she didn’t expected it, I jumped in it getting her all wet. This went on for 5 minutes. We laughed and laughed, and my husband laughed at us.

We are FAR from a Hallmark family or a Lifetime made-for-tv movie as my examples above might portray, but we have laughed and spent more quality time together this past week and a half than we have in the past 4 months. Now I still raise my voice, and she still gets sassy, but I can guarantee my daughter will remember me fishing with her and splashing her with rain water more than me sitting in my office chair hooked to the electronic world.

I am having so much fun with my daughter and my husband. Who would have ever thought a 40-year-old would be playing in puddles!

By: Focused Moms Wordless Wednesday

Focused Moms Wordless Wednesday — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:14:55 +0000

[...] a Wordless Wednesday post! On Tuesday, I was having a tough time making it through day two of the Focused Moms Challenge Week Two (UNPLUG!). I had cut out all talking on the phone AND computer use from the time my children got [...]

By: Polly

Polly — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:29:02 +0000

That is too funny! I agree though. Whenever my kids come home from school they find me sitting at the laptop. I need to GET UP and be present for them, not instilling that it’s okay to sit around on the computer all day! LOL! Love your idea about using the car as your thinking spot, I’m going to have to try that for sure!

By: Polly

Polly — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:27:30 +0000

LOL! I remember those cell phones that people carried in a bag. They were bigger than a purse! I agree, we were so much better able to live our lives to the fullest! Glad we’re working on getting back to that!

By: Anne

Anne — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:09:22 +0000

What did we do BEFORE we could lug our phone everywhere with us.
Remember when they were connected to a wall, in a house and if you didn’t answer there may not have even been an option to leave a voice mail.
Horrors!!
Oh wait – I know what we did – we LIVED our lives to the fullest!

By: 1 Funky Woman

1 Funky Woman — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:59:27 +0000

This is a great idea! I often wonder if my kids think the chair is glued to my backside as I sit here in front of the computer! It totally makes sense to engage with them and do the computer or ipad when they are in bed. This is something I need to work on. I have used the car as my thinking spot and put my phone in my purse. No phone call is worth it and for sure no texting! Thanks for all the tips!

Megan