No Internet Thursdays

The problem:

Our internet service has been getting slower and slower over the course of several months. Sometimes it is so slow that it won’t load up any pages at all! We called the cable company once before, and they said they would come out and take a look, but if the problem was on our end (aka, our router), then they would charge us a service fee for coming out when it wasn’t their problem. And we would still have to buy a new router.

The solution:

A few days ago, my husband had the grand idea to plug the laptop directly into the modem to see where the problem lay, and sure enough, it was the modem and not the router. When he called again, they said he could bring the old modem in and switch it for a new one. Our cable company is a half-hour from home, but it’s near where Jesse works, so we packed up the modem Sunday night and he took it to work with him on Monday.

The other problem:

To tell you the truth, I was actually excited about an internet-less day. You see, I have a problem constantly checking my email, my blog stats, and tag surfer. I am forever looking for more blogs to comment on, and any time I find myself with a spare minute, I check out Twitter or Facebook as well. Then those spare minutes turn into minutes that I could be using to get things done around the house. They aren’t spare anymore; they’re wasted. Now I know I need to be social and network and all that, but not every single day!

The experiment:

So with an internet-less Monday looming, I just knew I would get all sorts of odds and ends accomplished, and do you know what? I did! I won’t go into detail (I always skim those posts where women brag on every single detail of their day), but I finished up several projects that had been on the back burner for awhile and got a good chunk of another one out of the way. And writing! Boy, did I write!

The resolution:

So, thanks to such a wonderful, blessed Monday, I hereby proclaim Thursdays my NO INTERNET day. (I picked Thursdays because I don’t have to be anywhere on those days, and I will have absolutely no excuse for not having a productive day.) So, in preparation, I am typing this post up ahead of time (Wednesday afternoon), and I will schedule to have it posted for me on Thursday. I am so looking forward to this mini-vacation every week!

The challenge:

Take a break, and tell us how it went! Or let us know your method of coping with all of this insanity!

Internet for Children?

Just what is our responsibility when it comes to teaching our kids how to be safe on the internet? If we use the internet in our homes, or even when we visit the local library, we can expect our children to use it when they move out. How much will they know about internet safety, ethics, and discernment (when it comes to figuring out which sources are trustworthy)? If we wait until they are adults and allow them to figure it out for themselves (as many of us did), it will be much easier for them to stray or make mistakes. Should we just teach them diligently about God and make sure they know right from wrong, and leave the rest to them? Or should we take deliberate steps to prepare our children for independence in cyberspace? I have a few ideas of my own, but I would like to collect some of yours!