Power Outage!

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Last week during a wicked thunderstorm we had a power outage for a couple of hours, and our house was suddenly silent and peaceful.

Before the storm, I was working on the computer, my oldest son was doing homework on his computer, and my daughter was sitting at the kitchen table working on homework.

Suddenly, the lights went out…we gathered flashlights, went into the den, read books and talked. Thanks to the power outage, my husband arrived home early and joined us for our quiet family night in the den.

After an hour or so, my oldest son said, “this is nice…it’s so quiet and relaxing, we need to do this more often.” His comment made me think that we all need to unplug and unwind every now and then…if mother nature doesn’t do it for us!

We live in a wired world. Our lives are constantly interrupted by e-mails, phone calls and text messages. We’re lured by the computer to check the latest new happenings, sports scores, weather updates and e-mails. Although it’s nice to have access to constant information and instant updates, we’ve added to our stress level by never having a moment of rest and relaxation.

So…is your family in need of a little rest and relaxation? Instead of spending lots of money on a family vacation…just UNPLUG and UNWIND!

It will be an evening of frugal family fun! Simply unplug (don’t use any electronics), and then enjoy some old-fashioned family fun!

Enjoy a picnic of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by candlelight!

It’s always an adventure to read books with flashlights.

How about playing a game by the light of the fireplace?

Stargazing anyone?

No evening in the dark would be complete without telling ghost stories, then bring your sleeping bags and have a “camp out” on the living room floor!

P.S. – Our quiet, peaceful evening abruptly came to an end when the power came back on after 2 hours…just when I was looking forward to my peanut butter and jelly sandwich! The computer started whirring, the air conditioner began humming, the security system was beeping and the clocks were all flashing. The wired world had returned!