This morning my kids will come downstairs and find that our television has been covered with a large playsilk.  Mama’s laptop will be closed the majority of the day, and the smart phones will be used only as phones not as gaming devices or to access social media.

Coming off of a super busy season of life, where I’ve been relying on the TV more and more for entertainment, the timing of this week is perfect for my household.

In this way our family will observe Screen Free Week:  a time of year to cut back on media consumption and avoid screen time.

This isn’t a yearly tradition we observe just for the kids – it is good for grown ups, too.  As much as I love some aspects of social media, it is good to take a break from time to time.

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The following is a guest post from Kathy Stowell of Bliss Beyond Naptime.

My name is Kathy and I married a non-talker.

The man can go for days without saying a word but when he does everyone’s all ears and laps up each and every single, quiet, mono-toned, but potency-packed, syllable.

Over the years his borderline mute ways have shone a light on my latent desire to fill every empty airwave with ongoing commentary, idle questions and ramblings that can sometimes lead us down the rabbit hole of too much information. Especially for little ears that, unfortunately, make up the bulk of my listening audience.

Of all the ways to simplify tossing out the excess in the form of spoken words is often an overlooked way remove excess from our lives.  Since shining a simplicity seeking searchlight on this realm I found a refreshing contrast between wading in an eddy of tranquil silence and floundering against the tide full of chit chat flotsam and jetsam.

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The following originally appeared in July of 2011.  It seems fitting during this busy season of life to post it again as a reminder to take downtime where we can get it.  Best wishes, Kara.

The importance of downtime has been on my mind quite a bit lately.  I am currently having about four medical appointments a week (don’t worry, the baby and I are doing fine, this is just a precaution) and those busy days are making the “off” days a real treasure.

A recent conversation with a stressed-out friend, the emails in my in-box from exhausted parents wondering how to disconnect, and my own desire to turn inward during this third trimester of pregnancy have all served to remind me of the value of taking time to recharge – the genuine need for a mental and physical break.

As I’m entering my 38th week of pregnancy, I find myself experiencing bursts of energy.  My first instinct is to use this extra energy to take care of things around the house, but experience has taught me that this is not the time to re-arrange the closets, weed the garden, or strip and wax the kitchen floor. No, this is the time to rest and save my energy for the work that lies ahead of me – the work of birth and the early days of life with a newborn.

However, the late days of pregnancy are not the only season of life when rest is important and women in the third trimester aren’t the one people who need downtime.  Many of us need to give ourselves permission to “time out.”

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A few years ago, when I shared here on the blog that I was feeling overwhelmed by pregnancy, life with small children, and trying to get through the solo parenting season at our house that is income tax time, a kind reader gently reminded me of the 80/20 rule.

To paraphrase, she basically said that it was okay that things were a little bit crazy at my house 20% of the time, because the other 80% things were normal.  The majority of the time, things are fine around here.  When I realized that she was right, I was able to let go of the guilt.

A messy season of life won’t define their entire childhood.

Things around here haven’t been up to my ideal lately.  It has been a bit chaotic, if you want to know the truth.  This is a busy time of year for my family, a season I know is coming every year, but one that often finds me a little on the frazzled side by the end of it, clinging loosely to our rhythm and routines but mostly just letting things go and focusing only on the essentials.

Tax season is coming to an end for 2013, which means things will start to return to what passes for normal around here soon.

In the meantime,  there are paper plates on my table, we’ve had pancakes for dinner more than I care to think about (because it has been one of our best gluten-free meal successes so far), and the last time we went to the library I’m pretty sure we checked out more children’s videos than books (and we won’t even mention the Netflix marathons).

We’re in “survival” mode right now.  And I don’t feel guilty for doing what I need to do to get through it.

At the end of the day we’re happy and we’re healthy, and that is enough.

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The following is a guest post written by Heather Gaither of The Incredible Infant

“You know this ends, right?”

That’s what an older friend said to me recently. I was giving my 2nd, Elena, a quick tickle at our homeschool group.

That question haunted me all the way home.

She had a valid point.

After all, at some point I went from “Tickle me!” to “Touch me and die.” (Thank you, adolescence.)

Looking at my three little girls in the rearview mirror, I was struck with how fast they are growing. Am I truly capturing those little hearts? Or just “doing life”?

The teens are just around the corner. Will they let me stay on board their little ship of hormones? Or maroon me on an island and sail on alone?

It’s a scary thought.

A thought that makes me determined to tie those hearts to my apron strings.

Tickling is my first rope.

Here are eight of the tickle games I play with my kids. It’s my first step in securing a conversation spot at the future Teen table.

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