The Abbate Experiment - Post #1

Some of you have probably been wondering why I've been "missing" for the last several days. It's not that I have forgotten about you or even that I just didn't have time. We decided to conduct our own little experiment in the Abbate House.

Let me start by saying (and I'll be the first to admit this) that we do not spend enough time together as a family. We are all dependent upon the "electronics" in our home for entertainment instead of looking to each other. I was sick and tired of not doing anything together as a family. So when I woke up last Sunday morning I decided that it was going to change.
Tony unhooked all the cable boxes and computers and I hid all the Nintendo's. Needless to say, the kids were not pleased at all. There was lots of whining. I knew that this was going to be as hard on Tony and I as it was the kids. The following is my journal and documentation on how things went for the last 7 days. I'll be posting each days happenings throughout the week, so check back and see how things went (and a couple of exciting developments)!

Post #1 - Sunday, 9/13/09:
Today everyone pitched in and we cleaned the house from top to bottom and did all the laundry. Of course this was accompanied by lots of moaning and groaning from everyone...lol. I'm a firm believer that kids need to help out as much as the parents. They need to learn to take care of their posessions as well as having the responsibility for things that they need to accomplish in their everyday lives.

By the time that the house was clean, we all needed a little break. So we sat down in the living room in front of the fireplace and read quietly for 1 hour (which was also followed by lots of moaning and groaning...lol). After that everyone made their own pizza and we played Brainquest. By then it was bath time, then bed time.

When we thought the kids had settled, Tony and I went downstairs and just talked for almost two hours. I can't tell you the last time that has happened (probably about 10 years ago...lol). But during this time we kept hearing movement upstairs, so Tony went up and discovered Brody sitting on the top step. He was worried that we were downstairs watching TV and playing on the computers. We reassured him that this was not a punishment and that everyone in this house was playing by the same rules, even Tony and I.

Overall the day was exhausting, but it was also incredibly fulfilling. We hadn't spent that much time together as a family in months.