A Start...

Hopefully, I'll have time to post a bit more later. Mindy always tells me that when I haven't posted in a couple of days, she knows I've been busy. Well, I think she's right. It's been a little nuts in my neck of the woods. But only in the best way.
I wanted to clue you all in to something fun we kicked off this week. In a family-wide effort to reduce our energy expenditure, be generally aware of how dependent we are on technology and electricity and, chiefly, to gain quality face time with our ever-growing, slowly-disappearing children, we have instituted a weekly Blackout Night.
I realize that this will not make a big dent in our energy bill, but it's the principle of the thing that's the point anyway.
This week didn't go very smoothly, as we had chosen Tuesday night to be the big night and that coincided with the weekly meeting of the Lakeland Chess Club, of which the kids' coach is currently president. I sent Chris and the kids off to play what I thought would be 30 minutes of chess and they came back nearly two hours later. So, disappointment abounded, but we will have another shot next week. And maybe we'll try for Wednesday night instead.
Here's the idea:
After a certain cut-off time, say 6:00 or so, we turn off all the lights and prepare a dinner that doesn't require the use of electricity. As it gets darker, of course, we will light candles. We plan to play board games and card games, read (this summer's wish list includes The Hobbit and the Little House on the Prairie books), and make things. Emma and I are both planning to knit by candlelight and the boys can do...well....they can find something to do. Then the kids can carry a candle (in a tall glass container, for safety's sake) in to their rooms when it's bed time.
Sound fun?
It was - what bits of it we were able to squeeze in by the time the chess champs came home on Tuesday. But, being Blackout Night, it is also going to be a no-blog night, which is why you didn't hear from me on Tuesday.
Wednesday gets a little more complicated, but no less fun....