Sometimes, You Just Need A Break

I’m writing this blog entry on pencil and paper because we are on a break.  No, no Kit-Kat’s are involved here.  The break I’m referring to is the Techie family “Screen Break.”  We all sat down as rational (hee) family members and discussed the fact that we have nearly three entire months of summer vacation ahead of us, and we needed a plan.  One that would include staying away from our computer screens for a set amount of time each day in order that our familial hunchback syndrome doesn’t worsen, and so that our neighbors will stop collecting our mail for us “in our absence.”

So, at this family meeting, we discussed the types of activities that we could do during our screen breaks.  My first suggestion was yard work.  I knew the boys had probably spent a little too much quality time with their PC’s when they both looked at me wide-eyed.  We had a yard???!!!

It was obviously time to introduce Uber and H-T to Mr. Trowel and Mrs. Shears.  After about an hour of good hard work, they were actually getting the hang of it.  Especially when Uber stopped trying to hold the trowel like a joystick.  The backside of my front flower garden is virtually weed free, and the bush that I have tried to kill for the past three years looks like it may have actually given up the ghost after H-T went after it like Rambo in an Afghan desert.  The boys were pretty good sports about their first day of screen break (aka manual labor).  I was quite proud.

I thought I’d make our next screen break a little more teen friendly, so I suggested we head to the pool this time.  Interestingly, it was very easy to get them to part from their ‘puters for a few hours when there was water and bikini-clad sunbathers involved.  The screen-free time fairly flew that day as they happened across some friends and plenty of eye-candy.

So I got to thinking.  What if I invited a few of those gals in their summer skivvies to come help with the yard work next time?  I’m figuring if I turn on the hose every once in a while, it will be almost the same experience.  And who wouldn’t give up a few hours of multiplayer online games for such good clean family fun?

This screen break idea is genius.  Pure genius.