7 Month 4: Media

Month 3 of 7 was anticlimatic for me. I pulled stuff out of my closet, I pulled books off my shelves, but the truth is, Brian and I did a huge clean-out when we moved in together in August. We just don't have a ton of excess stuff and therefore didn't hit the 210 item goal. However, I do like how this month has changed my thinking: as we move forward into the Christmas season, I'm having a hard time thinking about presents that would really benefit us and not become more "stuff." (Somehow this mental block isn't in place about the Christmas decoration shopping I'm going to do tomorrow...)

Tomorrow starts Month 4 of 7: Media month. The idea is giving up 7 forms of media, as a way of letting go of distractions and focusing on family and God. Frankly, I think this is amazing that it falls in December. What's a better time to pull away from blogs & tv to focus on the Christmas spirit of generosity and giving and spending time with my husband & family?

Here are the 7 forms of media I'm giving up:

TV except sports & movie nights w/Brian

iPhone apps: twitter, facebook

Non-work web use: thepioneerwoman.com, tvwithoutpity, gofugyourself, people.com, blogs

All web use at home except looking up a project or a recipe

Facebook

Twitter

Radio in the car (I decided I was allowed to have music on at home & work).

In preparation for turning off the tv, I've made a list of projects to tackle this month, as well as stocking up on books from the library. It includes decorating & crafting for Christmas, painting our bedside tables (I've had the paint since August), ordering our wedding pictures, framing, writing Odne in Haiti, organizing my file cabinets, making holiday treats, etc.

I'm not giving up blogging (see how I did that? It's not reading a blog, it's writing one!) It's creative. Plus it keeps me honest. I'll keep you posted on the projects! In the meantime, I'm off to make sure all my shows are taping all month!