UnPlugged... Alternately Titled I must confess: I waste to many minutes in front of a screen.

I'm not going to lie. One of my guilty pleasures is watching television. I am well aware that zoning out in front of a t.v. is a complete waste of time; however, it is relaxing for me to be able to sit down and enjoy some mind numbing television after an especially draining day.

Like most people I have my favorite shows.

I am hopelessly addicted to Lost and Survivor but there are a plethora of other programs that intrigue me. I absolutely love watching chefs magically transform flour and sugar into works of art on various cake decorating shows. I enjoy watching the Duggar family, Michelle Duggar is my role model. How she manages to never once raise her voice at her crazy large brood is a phenomenon to me. {I only dream that I one day get there!} The various cooking challenges, baby stories, ... goodness I could literally go on forever. There is always something interesting to watch. There is nothing better than snuggling up on the couch after dinner to wind down after a long day. { The kids piling with us on the couch just makes it that much sweeter!}

As a responsible mother {of course} I am very strict during the day about not turning on the t.v. except for early morning cartoons while I am brewing coffee and trying to get the cobwebs out of my brain. Of course, I must also admit to the occasional bad day where movies are used and abused. Most of our screen time come from winding down after dinner most nights.

I don't think there is anything wrong with television, movies, or any screen time in general; however, I must admit that something was bothering my husband and I about the way we spent the bulk of our evenings. What we have come to realize as a family, is that its not about what is wrong with screen time {of any type.}

It has absolutely nothing to do with a high level of badness {cuz there isn't one} and everything to do with a low level of rightness. You see, we decided there is nothing wrong with the minutes we spend plugged in, except for the fact they drain minutes from the things that really do matter.

Time we could spend face to face with each other talking and playing games building deeper relationships with one another. Time we could spend face to face with God spending time talking to Him and studying who He is and what He wants for our lives. Time we could spend building relationships with other people. People who will inevitably need a Christian to take the time to invest into their life.

Taking these things into consideration we made the radical decision to pull the plug at home. No more high speed internet. No more cable television. No, we're not religious fanatics or legalists. We just think our time is to valuable to continue spending our minutes on screen time.

Just because we made the decision to unplug at home doesn't mean we won't ever plug in. I will still email, tweet and check up on things through facebook via my phone. {The sheer frustration of it taking forever to load without wifi will make sure I don't click on to much!} Things that take more time, like posting blogs, will have to be saved for trips to my Mom's house or the library where the wifi is free. We will still even watch Lost and Survivor with my parents and even enjoy the occasional family movie night thanks to our DVD player. {One night a week should be a good balance for us.} By unplugging we are simply removing the likelihood of accidently wasting to much time in front of a screen. Saving a few bucks every month doesn't hurt either!

Unplugging doesn't make me 'holier than thou', a 'better Christian,' or 'smarter' in any way. It is just what works for me to help me be a better steward of my time. I only have so many minutes left to live. I don't want to waste a single one.

I don't know if this is a permanent change or if we'll plug back in one day after making some better habits. For now I sure can't wait to see what a difference unplugging makes in a few months and even in a year or two.