It was a really full weekend. We didn’t do anything momentous, but it still felt full! A/G had gymnastics and piano on Saturday, and between that and a long run (plus a random fun trip to Barnes + Noble) — that was pretty much enough to fill the day!
Sunday we all slept in and I tried to convince both girls to do Taylor Swift yoga with me, but failed. Then we ended up going to the pool and out to lunch at an açaí bowl place. There was some device time in there and then Josh and I went on a much-needed date night.
(We hadn’t been out JUST US in a really long time, and since a lot of time we are dividing + conquering with kid activities I felt like REALLY were overdue for just hanging out + having an uninterrupted conversation!).
The date was great and relaxing – we went to Gulf Stream Brewery and I forgot how much I enjoy really good beer. AND we got warm cookies (Blueprint Cookies) for dessert. Just fun.
Monday we slept in again! I ran at 7:30 which felt super luxurious and then took A/G to Trader Joe’s + Walgreens while Josh took C on a bike ride. Then I did some work and attempted to do our monthly YNAB audit but ended up making pb protein balls + muffins (cheated, used a TJs mix) instead. Around 3, we headed to Miami Beach to hang out + make-your-own-pizza with Bebe and Poppy.
It was a really nice weekend and I feel well-rested! It wasn’t exactly packed with exciting things but it still felt pretty balanced + fun. We did struggle a bit with post-screen-time behavior stuff with the kids — A reminded us that she did not play on the iPad when she was G’s age and perhaps there was a reason for that. Josh and I are continuing to have our rules around screen use evolve. Even though I do feel like many weekends we are busy enough that screens are not necessarily the focal point, I hate how elevated the iPad/”iPad time” gets in certain kids’ brains — honestly especially G at this stage but the other two as well, sometimes. I don’t want them rushing through the rest of life / the things they need to do just to get to a screen! It is difficult to enforce different rules for different kids but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Things to think about . . .
(Not planning on another screen free month any time soon but just noting this continues to be a work in progress.)
9 Comments
Your date night sounds awesome! I really need to get back on track with planning dates for my husband and I. We were thinking a friend’s daughter would babysit for us but she’s so busy (in high school) that I don’t see our schedules ever aligning!
We had a really fun weekend up at my parents. I usually don’t go to my parents lake home for holiday weekends because it is PACKED. Plus Labor day always falls during my husband’s busy time at work (as does the 4th of July) But my AZ sister was there and I see her so rarely that we made the trip and stayed up there until Monday. It’s getting easier to take my kids there on my own but I still don’t love it as the drive is kind of rough. But I can see how it’s going to get easier in a year when the youngest is 3.5 and can be entertained by screens. I recognize the irony in saying I want my 3.5 yo to use a screen in a post about screen time challenges! 😛 He doesn’t get screens any other time, but if it will distract him in the car I AM HERE FOR IT. Ha. We have similar challenges with my 5yo. We do let him have his iPad during nap time so that I can have a break (I nap/read, the toddler sleeps, my husband often does housework/mows/etc). But we have noticed not so great behavior after iPad time… it’s just not bad enough for me to give up my rest time… When the toddler drops his nap, things will change, though. And on Sunday, he starts swimming lessons which fall during naptime so he’ll be down to only having screen time on Saturday afternoons.
yes – totally get it. the balance of “but i need to rest” vs dealing with the aftermath. no right answer, still working on it! One thing we’ve done it make kids REALLY cognizant that we watch them VERY closely after screen time because they tend to not act nicely and it will mean fewer screen time in the future.
and yes hope you can figure out date night b/c it really is nice. your kids may go to bed early enough it’s less of an issue (ie, if you can do a date night at home) but for us it’s essential.
Our kids go to bed fairly early but we still need to get out of the house because I am ready to lay down about 30 min after the 5yo goes to bed! We do commute together 3 days/week and have some good conversations then but it would be good to have an actual date!
LOL– giddy with freedom– this is the perfect description.
yesssss – you get me!
I’ve seen my friends’ kids rush through parent-imposed things like reading a certain number of pages in order to receive the “reward” of screen time and it seems so backwards to me. If we want our kids to value literally anything other than ~screen time~, why treat those things as obligations they need to fulfill, items to check off a list, in order to get to what really matters — their tablets? Our kids don’t have iPads but they do play Minecraft and watch TV (a few cartoons and sports). It’s just something they build into their day that’s not attached as a reward for anything else they do. Screens impact their dopamine enough; why formalize the association?
All that to say — I know so many people use screens as a reward but I think that just perpetuates the obsession because the kids come to see it that way, and by default all other activities are seen as boring or second-best.
I suspect certain kids of mine would obsess over screen time whether it was framed as a reward or just casually thrown in there . . . but I see your point!
Ohhh this is such a good point I hadn’t really thought about, thanks for commenting!
Yes, that sounds like a nice weekend! I’m glad you came out of it feeling rested. About the screen time- it’s so, so hard! If you try to limit it to, say, an hour a day, then that becomes the focal point of their day. I’m not sure there’s a great solution to this. I mean this is something new that previous generations never had to deal with- piecing it together as you go along, making sure they have a lot of non-screen activities, and doing your best is probably the most you can hope for, and know that the kids will be fine.