and it left a huge impression on me.
i thought this san franciscan family was a bit extreme in their approach
about technology, but i do understand their concerns.
technology is supposed to make our lives easier and connect us more,
but there is strong research that shows we are often less productive and less connected.
cell phones encourage us to check our email and texts more than we need to,
and distract us from the task we are doing and from the people we are with.
so after reading that article,
i thought why not do a little experiment and spend an entire day away from technology.
it's not possible during the week, but i certainly could try it on a weekend day.
i shared my idea with c and encouraged him to do it with me for an entire day.
he had no problem with it. unlike me, he puts his phone away sometimes for the
entire weekend. he also doesn't play video games, computer or console,
so that wasn't an issue. {we both agree we don't ever want them}.
we often watch movies on weekends so that would be the challenge.
i did get a little resistance from the little guys who were hoping to go on our
old phones to harvest their crops in their smurf game they play.
this past sunday, we completely UNPLUGGED for the day,
and spent the entire day working on the treehouse.
we decided it's home would be in the northeast
corner of the backyard in an old pine tree. c had to cut out several branches
in order to make room for a platform.
while christopher sawed and hammered, the boys were his assistants and
gophers, bringing him tools and refreshments while i kept a clean jobsite.
i spent hours cutting smaller branches off of larger branches and putting them
into trash cans for hauling away.
the treehouse is far from being done...it needs a floor and walls,
but the framing is almost complete. the boys are so excited!
i made a big dinner that evening because we all worked up a good appetite.
as i sat at the table looking at the boys i couldn't think of a better way we
could have spent the day.
we were all together,
working and focused on a fun project.
surprisingly, i didn't miss technology at all.
i took this photo from the our backyard slope which is behind the pool.
the tree doesn't look high from this vantage point, but from the ladder side,
it's a good 10' up. the rope ladder will probably go on the backside so it's
only a 4-5' climb up.
 |
| a view front the front |
to me, the coolest thing about this treehouse
is it will have a dumbwaiter!! {was c's idea}
i told the boys i would send snacks and lunches up to them when
they are playing or camping out in it, and finn and scout said it could
also be used for secret notes and codes for fellow spy agents. of course!
~ as for the new {old} house, there are still a million projects to do,
but c is making this treehouse the priority for now so it's ready
by summer.
