'Traurig' Thursday

Thursday was the National Reunification Day.  It also was the first of the kids' 18 days off of school.  12 school days off.  Crazy.  I woke up in a decent mood but not great.  The weather has been uncharacteristically rainy and cloudy.  I have realized since moving here that it wasn't the cold weather that I disliked so much but the rain and the clouds.  Thursday was the 4th day in a row of rainy weather not to mention the temperature was also dropping.  We had such an amazing late Summer and early Fall that this sudden blast of cold and winter weather was like a slap in the face.
At breakfast I tried to discuss my EXTREME dislike for the kids using break to try to add much more screen time to their daily allotment.  I know every generation had their "thing" while raising kids but screen time is definitely mine and especially with my younger one.  He is given 30 minutes a day.  It often gets extended sometimes up to 15 to 30 minutes more.  I wouldn't mind it so much (or maybe I would) if he seem to have any other interests in his life but outside of reading, this is his only passion... and it drives me bat shit crazy.  He won't go on walks with us, he refuses to come outside.  He is either using some of his precious screentime minutes or he is reading.  I get that reading is important but it is starting to be his crutch and excuse to not do anything else. He definitely needs to get more physical activity.
Josie is better, definitely, but if there isn't a limit she would watch youtube videos all day.  She got a new video game for her birthday called Sims4.  She wants to play it ALL the time.  It is a torturous game to listen to. She basically is living life.  The goal is to have a ton of babies.  The "mom" in the game keeps getting points deducted because she doesn't eat or doesn't sleep.  There is a little timer that tells Josie when her "mom" character is low on sleep or food.  Then the "mom" sometimes just passes out in the middle of the floor because she is so tired, hungry and hasn't used the bathroom enough. Hahaha!!  If only that is how it worked in real life when worn out moms didn't take care of themselves.
Anyway, Thursday at breakfast I tried to bring up that we have another 18 days of vacation and I'd really like to come up with some activities or things the kids could do - on their own or with us- instead of screen time.  It is hard enough to keep them to their 30 minute a day limit when they go to school for over half of the day.  I conceded that yes, it was vacation.  And yes, they should be given more than their usual.  But I didn't want to be the one to monitor them.  Truth be told it is the time keeping and the reminding them of how much time they have left and when to get off that I hate.  If they could actually monitor themselves It wouldn't be so bad.  Every time I tell them that their time is up it nearly always causes a fight and then they get mad and then I get mad.  I wanted a plan going into break.  That caused a big family fight.  Marty - who disagrees with my time monitoring and screen limiting- says that they can monitor themselves.  I strongly disagree!  It has been proven that video games and other time spent on digital devices is just as addictive as nicotine or alcohol or other harsher drugs and trust me, if my 9 and 13 year olds had a problem with being addicted to alcohol or cigarettes I could not put a bottle or a pack by their bedside table and tell them to "monitor themselves" especially not at their young ages.
The kids came up with their own plan.  Day one =3 hours of screen time.  It was day one of vacation after all.  Day 2 = 2 hours of screen time. Day 3 = one hour of screen time and then 30 minutes per day after.  They even suggested 3 days of NO screen time.  We will see how they feel about that when that day comes. 
But the rainy weather and the fight about screen time set me off in a nasty, sad mood.  I took Mogli for a long walk but it was gross outside. The rest of the day the kids monitored their 3 hours of screen time and Marty did his radio show.  At least dinner was yummy with the left over enchiladas.  But it was just a 'traurig" (sad in German) day.  Couldn't even muster the energy for a few pics.