100 Day Family Challenge - Day 25 Check-In

On Saturday, May 10, 2014, my family and I began a 100 Day Challenge to limit our screen time. The idea to live simpler didn't spring up overnight, nor did our plan for 100 days. For quite some time now, both myself and my husband have become increasingly more aware of the distractions caused by technology, specifically social media. Our 12-year old daughter received an iPhone as a Christmas gift from her dad, and with the new technology comes great responsibility. However, it isn't the simplest task pulling a 12-year old girl away from her phone.

After a lot of discussion, my husband and I decided we needed to do something about all of the screen time that distracts us from what's really important. I sat down and scribbled out some thoughts that had been running around in my head, then together with my husband, we came up with our plan:

{This was posted on my Facebook page and Instagram feed}

Here's the details:

• NO social media: This is more for me than anyone else. I will stay off of Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter for 100 days.
• LIMITED internet: Pretty self-explanatory, but we are allowed to check emails, do our banking, etc. And of course, I'm allowed to write my little blog posts. :)
• NO video games: We actually tweaked this just a bit to allow for rainy days when there's nothing to do outside. One hour limit on those days.
• LIMITED cell phone usage: This one was aimed very directly at my daughter. No little chat apps like Kik, Facetime, Snapchat, or any of the other dozen or so apps. If she wants to talk to someone, she'll call. But NO phone usage during family activities, at meals, or after 7pm every night
• LIMITED TV time: This should be the last thing we do each night, not the first thing we do each day. After family time, meals, and chores, and if there's nothing else going on, we can watch a movie or TV show together before bed.

Now, wouldn't you know, when I presented Marley with the 100 Day Challenge, she was so overjoyed and anxious to get started that she handed me her phone right then and there!  She even did a happy dance!

Yea right.

She cried folks.  Like real tears!  Which did nothing but make me realize exactly how important and necessary this challenge is for our family.  Marley and I had an awesome heart-to-heart talk and by the end of it, she was on board, although hesitantly.  She did understand my reasons behind wanting to limit our screen time, and she wants more family time, too.

There is so much more to life than what goes on behind a screen, and we are spending our summer enjoying every last drop of that sweet nectar of life.  My little girl won't be little much longer, and in six short years, she'll be heading off to college or a job.  I want to enjoy this time with her now, while I can still get her attention.  And my hubby?  He and I won't be this young ever again, either, so we want to enjoy being active for as long as we're able.

Today is Day 25 of our 100 Day Challenge, and I'll pop in every 25 days with an update.  So far, so good.

• Social media:  I don't miss Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter.  Not even a little.  Actually, I was thinking that I might delete my Facebook account altogether at the end of this 100 days.  We'll see.
• Internet:  We hardly ever get on the computer at home anymore.  When we do, it's for a specific purpose, not just a time suck or brain drain.
• Video games:  So far, none.  Little win!
• Cell phone usage:  We have all been so good about putting our phones away during family time, meals and at night.  We're so much better, in fact, that Mark and I left the house this weekend without either of our phones and we didn't notice until much later.  Marley struggles a bit with the 7pm cut-off, but we're working on it.  She's been great about staying off of chat apps, though.
• TV time:  It's hard to limit a man's TV time when there is NHL Stanley Cup playoffs going on, and it's baseball season (Go Tigers!) but we're doing really well!  No more dinners on the couch, and no more Saturdays with the TV on as soon as we wake up.  It's wonderful!

Got questions?  Do you want to, or have you already, implemented a similar challenge within your family?  How's it going?

Linking up here.