Do Not Disturb Tuesday - I need a day away.

I had been doing really really well at staying away from the computer. However, the last few days I've been stuck to this chair. So I'm planning to stay away today.

I don't know if Amber is staying away too or not.

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

Do Not Disturb Tuesday

I am pleased to say that I am doing well with staying away from the computer on Tuesdays and on other days of the week too. So, I'm not here most of today. I will at times come on in the evening if J is away and the kids are in bed, but I'm not generally on during the day on Tuesday. I think today we will be doing some harvesting / canning / freezing. Be back Wednesday!



This post has been scheduled to post.

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

Do Not Disturb Tuesday - I'm Not Here Today.

We don't have any big plans this week on Do Not Disturb Tuesday. Today is just a day that I turn off Twitter, leave the computer off and I focus on my real life and my real life friends.

Today I might clean more than normal (since I'm usually distracted by the computer) or I might visit a friend, or both. We might do more hands on homeschool or just go to the park. Whatever we end up doing, we'll do it as a family.

Oh, on second thought, this week is canning / freezing week. We gotta get the stuff put away before we loose it! So we'll be busy.

Any posts you see, dated today, have been written and scheduled to come up today. I'll be back either late tonight, after the kids are in bed or tomorrow morning.

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

Do Not Disturb Tuesday - I'm Not Here Today.

Good morning. I'm not here today; any posts you see dated for today are scheduled. I'll be back on Wednesday.

The plan for my Tuesday is some reading, enjoying one of the last days of summer and lots of cleaning and organizing in the house. I still have mess from the moving around of stuff that I did last week.

Anything I would have done online today, can wait! My dh and my kids and my IRL friends need me.

If you want to join Amber and I, just let us know in the comments. Come back on Wednesday and let us know how you spent your day away from the computer.

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

Do Not Disturb Tuesday was a bust today.

After having such success with Do Not Disturb Tuesday for the last few weeks, I was a little sad that I did not stay away from the computer today. I'm blaming it on the long weekend.

Despite being on the computer some today, I got a lot accomplished. J and 7 picked up and brought me a new-to-me office sized desk. The desk I have been using is tiny tiny; this one is a monster in comparison. So that required changing the WHOLE living room around. I had this place torn apart. I took before, during and after pictures, but they are so dark that you can't see them. So I'll have to take some now that it's almost done, in better lighting and post those. I'm so sad! Oh well, such is life I guess.

We love the changes that we've made in the living room. So all in all, I had a product "disturbed" Tuesday in the real world.

J was productive as well. He got the garden covered in plastic a-frames. There is a threat of frost soon. We can feel it; the leaves are changing color; the days are cooler and the furnace was needed this morning. With the a-frames over the corn and cucumbers, we are hoping to still get some fruit of our labor over the summer to feed us through the winter. We have not yet figured out how to cover the spaghetti squash to protect it; there is some beautiful fruit on those vines; I'd hate to loose it.

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

Do Not Disturb Tuesday - What I Do To Prepare

Well, here is another Do Not Disturb TUESDAY! I'm bending my rules a little this week. I was off the computer most of Monday so today I plan to stay off most of the day and only turn on the computer in the evening after the children are in bed and my dh is gone to a meeting.

Last week I told you that I would talk about what I do to prepare for Do Not Disturb TUESDAY.

Each day I print off 5 chore charts using Let's Clean Up. On Monday night I print off Tuesday's and Wednesday's list.

I started using this program a few weeks ago and I don't think I will be looking back. Yes, it takes some ink and some paper, but my children love it. They can't seem to start their day unless they have their list of chores. I entered in ALL the chores that need to be done, when they need to be done, and how often as well as WHO needs to do them. I have some of the chores on a rotating schedule so that each day a different child gets the chore. It works so well; there are fewer arguments about who is doing what; we have a better plan for the day. I've even included a "room" called Homeschooling List so that we are including the basics in our daily to dos.

At the end of each day, I go back into the program and mark each chore that was done. Usually, I just mark them all as done, so that things don't pile up and we get overwhelmed. I haven't been marking all of mine because I'm trying to get a few of them spaced out. (I didn't get put them in correctly and I'm not sure how to modify them, but I'll work it out!) I love this program. It's cheap (under 10 dollars US) and simple to use.

Another thing that I set up on Monday nights is a post just like this one and a couple more. If I get a couple done for later in the week I don't have to worry about those later.

I check our finances and make sure that we are balanced and know where we are at in this area. I don't want to turn on my computer to make sure there is enough money for groceries or to pick up some two by fours. (That happened last week, I think.)

So, with just a little bit of planning I can enjoy my Tuesdays away from the computer, have fun with my kids. I am finding that Tuesdays are a little stretching which is good, but I am also finding that I am enjoying my Tuesdays away more and more. And this is moving into more of my life; the pull to be here at the computer is not nearly as strong. I've come to realize that my online world can do without me.

So, jump in (or out) and join us. Pick a day; it doesn't have to be Tuesday, but that worked for Amber and I. Stay away from the computer (unless you have to for work or school). Enjoy and interact with your "real" life. Cut the strings so to speak. On Tuesdays, I try to stay away from the computer, as well as IM and twitter on my phone. I do get some text from family or other close friends and so I do respond to those as well as cell phone calls. Let us know what you did / do on your Do Not Disturb Tuesday.


Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

Starting Tomorrow - Do Not Disturb Tuesday

Yesterday I had a conversation with Amber that went something like this:

Am:  I gotta start getting more life outta my days.

Me:  I know what you mean.

Am:  The saying it's easy, I'm really struggling with the doing.
I think I need to give up this computer.

Me:  :-(  I know.  Me too.

Am:  I don't think I get as much accomplished as I could.

Me:  Yes.  I think I'm going to have to stay away to get things
done and use this for pleasure.

Both Amber and I have lost focus. (Did we ever have it?) We never wanted the internet to become the center and focus of our worlds. We both have families and hubbies and friends in the real world. As important as our friendships are online, they shouldn't be more important than those we live with. What I mean to say is, I don't talk to some of my closest IRL friends everyday and yet I have started to think that if I don't talk to my online friends everyday I am deprived.

My dh and I were also talking yesterday about how my housework suffers BECAUSE of the internet. I get so focused on what is "out there" that I forget about what is RIGHT here. My kids have been telling me, "all you ever do is sit at your computer". ouch! I need to listen to that! And now that we are getting back into our homeschool / fall routine my focus does need to be here.

And so to quote Amber:

That being said we came up with Do Not Disturb Tuesday. A day to set the online world aside and focus on the wonderful blessings life has afforded us. Starting tomorrow and hopefully for many Tuesdays to come LaDonna and myself will turn off our computers until Wednesdays. If we have a blog post to go out it will be written another day and scheduled for Tuesday or it can just wait all together. I think that it goes without being said actions speak louder then words and I don't want people to look at my actions and think wow she cared more about the d*mn internet then her family or her home or...ya get the picture.

AMEN, friend!!!

Please consider joining us on Tuesdays and enjoy your families, friends and your real life. Then on Wednesday, come and tell us about it. Do Not Disturb Tuesday is open to anyone who comes in contact with Come Here Little Bug or Just Our Thoughts.

Our rules are simple:

• respect the concept of Do Not Disturb Tuesday.
  
• stay away from the internet in any form - including but not limited to your phone, twitter, email, instant messengers (except if you HAVE TO for your job).
• devote Tuesdays to the other parts of your life.
• if you use our button, link to one or both of us.
• if you're a blogger, consider making a post on Wednesday's updating everyone on what you did on Tuesday.
• comments will be open to all bloggers and non-bloggers alike.
• we will attempt to put up a linky every Wednesday.

And in the words of Bob the Builder, "Can we do it? Yes, WE CAN!" And my family will thank me.

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

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