The Abundant Wife

This weekend Brad took a bunch of kids on an overnight trip, so I decided to unplug our Internet while he was gone.  I ended up going about 32 hours without using the Internet.  In fact, I wrote this post on Microsoft Word while the Internet was off.  I find it both difficult and refreshing to be off-line.  It’s difficult because I do so much on-line, but it’s refreshing because I like the things I do when I’m off-line.  While off-line on Saturday, I:

• Walked to the Farmer’s Market with all three kids, where we ate strawberries and played by the fountain.
• Walked to the park and played on the playground.
• Walked back to the Farmer’s Market and split a cookie.
• Soaked up the bright blue skies, cooler air, and warm sunshine.
• Made lunches, read books, wrote, and took naps.
• Washed dishes and did laundry.
• “Fixed” our garage door, and then organized our garage while the kids napped, watched a movie, and rode bikes.
• Made dinner, bathed kids, read books, and organized a couple of indoor cabinets.
• Wrote blog posts.

There’s no doubt that I’m more productive when I’m unwired.  I’m also more attentive and patient with the kids.  One of the more humorous benefits is that I find that I stop thinking in “status updates.”  It’s fun to remember how we used to do things without the Internet.  When I need a recipe, want to contact a friend, need to define a word, or want to do some research I have to find an alternative way to do it or put it off until another day.

When was the last time you unplugged from the Internet?  How long did you stay unplugged?  What did you learn?