Saturday (Day 12) went swimmingly. We kept ourselves busy with chores that needed catching up on and getting the Christmas boxes down to pack--yes, we're that late. Didn't end up packing them away and instead did quite a bit of laundry. Now the bins are taking over my kitchen but we all smell clean. Nothing really to speak of concerning t.v.--just seemed to fade into the background.
Sunday (Day 13) was easy to stay away from the t.v., but I've noticed something emerging in it's place. I'm now entertaining myself with long articles on various subjects through my iPad. It's not important stuff I'm reading, either. It's entertainment on the screen, just the same, and I've been eating it up the last day or two. Time to put those away as well. The point of this was to experience life away from all the entertaining distractions and to connect with real people. Those articles, though not t.v. were just as effective in cutting me off from wanting to engage with the faces of friends and family in the very same room. Why do I feel I need this stuff?
Interestingly, we did "watch" a little t.v. today--although I wouldn't count it as entertaining. We went to see a friend and a hunting show was on. It was of no interest to me so it wasn't a problem. It's interesting though, that some t.v. doesn't have the pull that I'm trying to get away from and some other distractions, like articles online, do.
Monday (Day 14) was the worst day of this experiment so far. I played this high-graphics game on my iPad that was extremely engaging and so difficult to quit that I stayed on an hour past my two hour weekly limit of screen time. It's the first day of the week, people! And I'm already an hour past my time. So that's out as well as entertainment-only articles. Ugh! What is this pull that these things have over me??
During the game, though, something became clear that kinda gave me a personal epiphany (am I using that word right?). Anyway. While engaged with the game and for some time afterward, I felt a deep sense of loneliness. I've been feeling this deep sense of loneliness for years and just thought it was my hermit like qualities. But during the game it became clear to me that I hadn't been feeling that way in a week or so! I haven't changed any other habits at all, and my deep feelings of loneliness are fading.
This got me thinking about the act of engaging with another person. Face to face, eye to eye, skin to skin contact kind of engagement. That's been going on this whole time with my family. The kids sit right up against me while they practice reading, we look back and forth eye to eye while discussing what's happening in the bible passage, and Josh and I are face to face while discussing what happened at work that day. I'm the kind of person that thinks very little of this kind of thing. If the person isn't talking about something I'm interested in learning I don't engage. I listen for clues on subject matter or importance and engage only when my "alarm" goes off to certain things. I'm very socially tuned out and feel bored easily among peers. It's not uncommon for me to look past the person talking and study the interesting pattern emerging from the wall behind them. But, without it making sense to me, this act of engagement in the past couple of weeks by forcing my attention off the t.v. and screens by forbidding myself, has produced a mysterious relational improvement. I feel less lonely. I can't logically explain it--I just know my experience is that I don't feel so deeply lonely.
Knowing these things and experiencing them are very different. I know that other people like eye to eye contact and discussing useless information, but I've never understood it before. Rather, it annoyed me. I was happy to give my kids the lap holding, listening to silly conversations and stuff, because well, they're children. It's understandable that they wouldn't have the maturity for deeper conversation. But the past few weeks I'm beginning to engage out of interest rather than obligation. Why? I don't know.
I have a small theory. I have a severely hard time focusing on more than one thing at a time. When the t.v.'s on, it gets my entire focus because it contains a facade of importance. A murder mystery, an escape from the enemy, a problem to be solved are in real life all very important. But, I think this facade of importance is pulling at me to engage with it rather than the people standing in the same room wanting to talk about traffic or the cool thing a toy can do. Maybe...just maybe, my brain can't make the distinction between fake importance and real small matters. Maybe my brain is placing the escape from an enemy that's merely visual above the reality of a solution to a Lego puzzle and not reevaluating quickly and reordering the importance of real over fake. In that way, the t.v. is becoming more important on a regular basis than the people in my life that are of real and true value. Just a theory.
Sorry this one was sooooo long. I tend to work out thoughts through writing and since this is literally my journal for this month, it took a while to work it out.
Showing posts with label no tv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label no tv. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Day 10 and 11 of No T.V.
Day 10
We're starting to feel like this is normal. No one has asked about the t.v. in days. I'm surprised though, at how little they get on the Just Dance. I thought it would be daily and it's every few days, instead. Eating at the table is becoming regular and not a special event. We just move over our school stuff, plop a paper plate down and chat as we eat. Sometimes I work on preparations for the next school day while we're at it. I really like this eating casually at the table instead of casually in front of the t.v.! I hope that it stays the new-norm.
School is going swimmingly!! There used to be nagging accompanying the morning start to school--and a little negotiation. Ya know--I'll let you watch the rest of your show at lunch if you'll pause it now. And, I know you didn't get your turn, but you can do handwriting while you watch part of it. But we need to get going before lunch! No more. As soon as I call them, they come. We sit around the table or snuggle on the couch to read. We're schooling four hours with one hour for lunch and fitting far more in to each sitting. When there's no distraction, there's momentum, and we're flying on some of the subjects that were dragging before.
Day 11--Friday
This was the first day that I was really tempted to turn on the t.v. We fried up some home-made tortilla chips (I've never fried anything at all before this--sudden bout of bravery at the stove), and they just sounded like the perfect accompaniment to a movie. The ironic thing is that I would have never made them if we were watching.
Josh was away at a men's game night and the kids were asking to use up the last of their screen time playing minecraft. They didn't have much time left, it was Friday night, and they had done awesome on school all week--so I added to their time by an hour. The kids were busy with screen time and Bubzy was asleep and nursing, so I decided to use my screen time searching for houses on HAR (Houston Area Realtors or something close to that). It felt good to know that the only time I was on the screen was the same time no one needed my attention. No guilt. The kids had fun and stayed up late playing in their rooms after I went to sleep. I usually stay up until they're out, but I told them as long as they stayed in their rooms and in-between, they could stay up until Daddy got in.
I can't believe a third of my time is over! I'm not looking forward to turning it back on, but I know everyone but me wants to. Still though, there's some permanent changes on a personal level already. I'm going to keep with no screen time while the kids are up and about. That's been the best change of all. And I have a feeling that the t.v. is going to remain off until after school time every day. I don't know what else will be permanent...but I'm hoping a big change in our viewing habits is in store.
We're starting to feel like this is normal. No one has asked about the t.v. in days. I'm surprised though, at how little they get on the Just Dance. I thought it would be daily and it's every few days, instead. Eating at the table is becoming regular and not a special event. We just move over our school stuff, plop a paper plate down and chat as we eat. Sometimes I work on preparations for the next school day while we're at it. I really like this eating casually at the table instead of casually in front of the t.v.! I hope that it stays the new-norm.
School is going swimmingly!! There used to be nagging accompanying the morning start to school--and a little negotiation. Ya know--I'll let you watch the rest of your show at lunch if you'll pause it now. And, I know you didn't get your turn, but you can do handwriting while you watch part of it. But we need to get going before lunch! No more. As soon as I call them, they come. We sit around the table or snuggle on the couch to read. We're schooling four hours with one hour for lunch and fitting far more in to each sitting. When there's no distraction, there's momentum, and we're flying on some of the subjects that were dragging before.
Day 11--Friday
This was the first day that I was really tempted to turn on the t.v. We fried up some home-made tortilla chips (I've never fried anything at all before this--sudden bout of bravery at the stove), and they just sounded like the perfect accompaniment to a movie. The ironic thing is that I would have never made them if we were watching.
Josh was away at a men's game night and the kids were asking to use up the last of their screen time playing minecraft. They didn't have much time left, it was Friday night, and they had done awesome on school all week--so I added to their time by an hour. The kids were busy with screen time and Bubzy was asleep and nursing, so I decided to use my screen time searching for houses on HAR (Houston Area Realtors or something close to that). It felt good to know that the only time I was on the screen was the same time no one needed my attention. No guilt. The kids had fun and stayed up late playing in their rooms after I went to sleep. I usually stay up until they're out, but I told them as long as they stayed in their rooms and in-between, they could stay up until Daddy got in.
I can't believe a third of my time is over! I'm not looking forward to turning it back on, but I know everyone but me wants to. Still though, there's some permanent changes on a personal level already. I'm going to keep with no screen time while the kids are up and about. That's been the best change of all. And I have a feeling that the t.v. is going to remain off until after school time every day. I don't know what else will be permanent...but I'm hoping a big change in our viewing habits is in store.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Day 9 of No T.V.
Less hurried. I feel today like I'm living in a simpler time. Do you know, every day I complain of feeling overwhelmed and hurried? Every.single.day. And yet, right now, I feel no hurry...and very little pressure. Could it be that the frantic, adventurous lives of those we watch cause us to also feel this anxious, expectation-filled existence? I think so.
Today, instead of journaling about feelings, I have something on my heart to share with you--about what the word of God says about words--particularly Luke 8: 11.
Luke 8: 11 says, "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God."
The parable of the sower and the seed is by far my favorite one and the parable I am most intimate with. I go back to it often and think about it nearly every day. Since starting on this journey I've also been thinking about other words and what they are. If seed in this parable is the word of God, what are other words? Are they seeds too?
I got to thinking about this and pondering it. What if every word we hear is a seed? And a seed that grows what exactly? Are we carefully choosing the seeds we allow into our "gardens"? And what is this garden...I mean, what do these word-seeds grow into?
Well, these questions started me on a very looooooong train of thought, but without going into a lot of detail, this is what I think:
Words are seeds to thought. Words of God are seeds to godly thought and therefor produce in your life right thinking, and therefor right actions and a good heart. Words of any kind produce thought, good words produce good thoughts, bad words produce bad thoughts, busy words produce busy thoughts, useless words produce useless thoughts, etc....and on it goes. We are surrounded by words, but the less we have control of what we hear, the less we have control over what we think! It is a really popular thing to believe that people should have their own thoughts on issues, but isn't this a misnomer? Does anyone ever have a thought totally their own? Don't all thoughts originate or at least grow from other's words and their thoughts from still other's words?
So to sum up--what thinking do you want to have? Do you want the world's brand of thinking? Do you want God's thoughts pulsing through your mind? Do you want wise thought ruling your life or useless, random facts? Is the choice yours? Are you allowing every word that's out there into your daily life? The t.v.? Every e-mail? Every facebook update? Every blog post? Every musical lyric? Every book/magazine/article? That's thousands of words a day!! And they are all producing, unbeknownst to us as we sit numbed by it all, THOUGHT!! Good thoughts, bad thoughts, and just random thoughts.
But, here's the important thing: Are the words of God, the thoughts He has in store for us to think (that can ultimately change us and the world around us) being crowded out by useless words???
These verses came to mind while thinking on all of this:
James 1: 26 "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Matt. 12: 34 "You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (WOW!)
Rom. 8: 6 "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."
1 Cor. 15: 33 "Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals."
Mark 4: 14 "The sower sows the word."
Matt 13: 22 "As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."
Today, instead of journaling about feelings, I have something on my heart to share with you--about what the word of God says about words--particularly Luke 8: 11.
Luke 8: 11 says, "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God."
The parable of the sower and the seed is by far my favorite one and the parable I am most intimate with. I go back to it often and think about it nearly every day. Since starting on this journey I've also been thinking about other words and what they are. If seed in this parable is the word of God, what are other words? Are they seeds too?
I got to thinking about this and pondering it. What if every word we hear is a seed? And a seed that grows what exactly? Are we carefully choosing the seeds we allow into our "gardens"? And what is this garden...I mean, what do these word-seeds grow into?
Well, these questions started me on a very looooooong train of thought, but without going into a lot of detail, this is what I think:
Words are seeds to thought. Words of God are seeds to godly thought and therefor produce in your life right thinking, and therefor right actions and a good heart. Words of any kind produce thought, good words produce good thoughts, bad words produce bad thoughts, busy words produce busy thoughts, useless words produce useless thoughts, etc....and on it goes. We are surrounded by words, but the less we have control of what we hear, the less we have control over what we think! It is a really popular thing to believe that people should have their own thoughts on issues, but isn't this a misnomer? Does anyone ever have a thought totally their own? Don't all thoughts originate or at least grow from other's words and their thoughts from still other's words?
So to sum up--what thinking do you want to have? Do you want the world's brand of thinking? Do you want God's thoughts pulsing through your mind? Do you want wise thought ruling your life or useless, random facts? Is the choice yours? Are you allowing every word that's out there into your daily life? The t.v.? Every e-mail? Every facebook update? Every blog post? Every musical lyric? Every book/magazine/article? That's thousands of words a day!! And they are all producing, unbeknownst to us as we sit numbed by it all, THOUGHT!! Good thoughts, bad thoughts, and just random thoughts.
But, here's the important thing: Are the words of God, the thoughts He has in store for us to think (that can ultimately change us and the world around us) being crowded out by useless words???
These verses came to mind while thinking on all of this:
James 1: 26 "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Matt. 12: 34 "You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (WOW!)
Rom. 8: 6 "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."
1 Cor. 15: 33 "Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals."
Mark 4: 14 "The sower sows the word."
Matt 13: 22 "As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Day 7 and 8 of no t.v.
Monday:
Monday was a relief. We were all very busy with school and didn't really even notice until evening. Evening was pleasant as me and Josh just talked as the kids played Wii fit. I'm getting used to the house being pretty quiet.
Tuesday:
I'm frustrated today. I'm not in the mood to blog, but I wasn't yesterday, either. I think sometimes I'm missing real life because of self-made expectations. Some of these that I've made are things like blogging well (which can take a couple of hours a day--longer if I link to multiple parties), homeschooling in a way that sounds better when telling other people about it rather than what actually works for our family, staying on facebook even though I could care less about it, and keeping lots of e-mail addresses even though I just delete most of them and then miss the ones that I wouldv'e liked to read.
Today I'm dreaming of a simpler time. A time when alarms were only by my bed. A time when I could only read my bible by opening a book. A time when I could be away from the house and know I was totally free from the phone. A time when you only had to worry about people being mad at you if you just had a face to face or voice to voice conversation. A time when I only percieved expectations coming from people I actually knew. A time when I had to sit on the office chair in front of the desk to get on the computer. And I could go on...but my family's about to start a Nerf gun war that I'm not about to miss!!
Monday was a relief. We were all very busy with school and didn't really even notice until evening. Evening was pleasant as me and Josh just talked as the kids played Wii fit. I'm getting used to the house being pretty quiet.
Tuesday:
I'm frustrated today. I'm not in the mood to blog, but I wasn't yesterday, either. I think sometimes I'm missing real life because of self-made expectations. Some of these that I've made are things like blogging well (which can take a couple of hours a day--longer if I link to multiple parties), homeschooling in a way that sounds better when telling other people about it rather than what actually works for our family, staying on facebook even though I could care less about it, and keeping lots of e-mail addresses even though I just delete most of them and then miss the ones that I wouldv'e liked to read.
Today I'm dreaming of a simpler time. A time when alarms were only by my bed. A time when I could only read my bible by opening a book. A time when I could be away from the house and know I was totally free from the phone. A time when you only had to worry about people being mad at you if you just had a face to face or voice to voice conversation. A time when I only percieved expectations coming from people I actually knew. A time when I had to sit on the office chair in front of the desk to get on the computer. And I could go on...but my family's about to start a Nerf gun war that I'm not about to miss!!
Day 5 and 6 of No T.V.
Day 5, Saturday
Absolute torture until about 2:30. The kids were staring at me, lifting their eyebrows and giving a half-smile, a sort of hopeful glance to see if I had any ideas. I was doing the same to Josh, who was staring into space probably trying to search his mind for something we could do. If we hadn't spent so much fixing the plumbing right before Christmas, things wouldn't have been so tight financially and we would have bought ourselves out of boredom (a museum trip, skating, maybe browsing a thrift store for winter outfits). So, we sat there. And sat there.
We tried a game of Uno--boring. We started to try a game of Trivial Pursuit--too hard.
By 2:30, we were all grumpy moody messes, and we decided to go to the gun show in Pasadena. I had a headache and we had loaned out the stroller to Josh's sister and the baby-carrier to friends. We traded off carrying Bubzy for 1 1/5 hours through lined up tables of gun parts, custom-crafted knives, survival gear, and shirts that said "We don't call 911". I laughed at that one after I finally got it. We haven't been on a date-night at the shooting range since I was 5 months preggo with Bubzy (afraid the sounds would scare him in utero or even hurt his ears). And now, it's just hard to find baby-sitting. I guess a gun show will do for now, although a little boring.
We used gift cards from the past Christmas to go to McDs and let the kids play inside since it was rainy out. We talked, had ice cream after burgers, and the day started to turn for the better. By evening, things were on a roll again. Leah came by and played Just Dance with the kids and The Baby Sitter's Club board game with Abby--yes, I played--I was that bored. It was silly fun and Abby ate it up.
Day 6, Sunday
I woke up this morning a little late for church. I really don't know why I slept so deeply, but it felt great. However, my dreams have changed!! I'm not one of those people that remembers my dreams well, but I tend to remember the subject matter. Say, when I watch Bones, I'm likely to dream about an encounter with one of the characters or a run-in with a tree top skeleton. Or, if I've watched a lot of Star Trek, I am reminded the next time I watch it of the dream I had about some alien sending me on a secret mission. My dreams tend to be weird variations on the shows I frequent. But, I woke this morning dreaming about wolves. What?! I haven't watched anything about wolves in a very long time. Where did that thought come from? Anyway, it wasn't the dream itself that surprised me, but what it wasn't. It wasn't a variation of some movie or show.
The rest of the day was quite normal, considering that we rarely watch t.v. on Sundays anyway. Well, that's about it. Just hangin' with the family.
Absolute torture until about 2:30. The kids were staring at me, lifting their eyebrows and giving a half-smile, a sort of hopeful glance to see if I had any ideas. I was doing the same to Josh, who was staring into space probably trying to search his mind for something we could do. If we hadn't spent so much fixing the plumbing right before Christmas, things wouldn't have been so tight financially and we would have bought ourselves out of boredom (a museum trip, skating, maybe browsing a thrift store for winter outfits). So, we sat there. And sat there.
We tried a game of Uno--boring. We started to try a game of Trivial Pursuit--too hard.
By 2:30, we were all grumpy moody messes, and we decided to go to the gun show in Pasadena. I had a headache and we had loaned out the stroller to Josh's sister and the baby-carrier to friends. We traded off carrying Bubzy for 1 1/5 hours through lined up tables of gun parts, custom-crafted knives, survival gear, and shirts that said "We don't call 911". I laughed at that one after I finally got it. We haven't been on a date-night at the shooting range since I was 5 months preggo with Bubzy (afraid the sounds would scare him in utero or even hurt his ears). And now, it's just hard to find baby-sitting. I guess a gun show will do for now, although a little boring.
We used gift cards from the past Christmas to go to McDs and let the kids play inside since it was rainy out. We talked, had ice cream after burgers, and the day started to turn for the better. By evening, things were on a roll again. Leah came by and played Just Dance with the kids and The Baby Sitter's Club board game with Abby--yes, I played--I was that bored. It was silly fun and Abby ate it up.
Day 6, Sunday
I woke up this morning a little late for church. I really don't know why I slept so deeply, but it felt great. However, my dreams have changed!! I'm not one of those people that remembers my dreams well, but I tend to remember the subject matter. Say, when I watch Bones, I'm likely to dream about an encounter with one of the characters or a run-in with a tree top skeleton. Or, if I've watched a lot of Star Trek, I am reminded the next time I watch it of the dream I had about some alien sending me on a secret mission. My dreams tend to be weird variations on the shows I frequent. But, I woke this morning dreaming about wolves. What?! I haven't watched anything about wolves in a very long time. Where did that thought come from? Anyway, it wasn't the dream itself that surprised me, but what it wasn't. It wasn't a variation of some movie or show.
The rest of the day was quite normal, considering that we rarely watch t.v. on Sundays anyway. Well, that's about it. Just hangin' with the family.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Day 4 of No T.V.--Boredom Rocks
Day 4, Boredom Rocks!
I'm noticing some simple but awesome changes that are happening! No longer am I finding dvds spread out all over the shelf with the t.v. There's still cases, but they changed to Just Dance Kids and Just Dance 3, plus the Wii Fit remote thingies are laying everywhere now. No one has cried out "Where's the stupid Apple remote??? It's way too little. Who had it last? Rrr." in a few days now. The dining room table is littered with card games, crayons and pages haphazardly scattered about. More books are found next to my favorite chair than drink cups. Just small changes.
Abby has been talking to me a lot lately. Nothing profound...just sits on the corner of my recliner and chats for a few minutes about the characters in her book. Was she trying to do this before? I'm scared to wonder. But it's really nice. There's a connection there. She's read two full teenybopper novels in two days!! That's like, 300 pages! Boredom can sure be productive.
I'm keeping busy a lot more and messes seem to bother me less. I think this might be an awareness of the fact that I am busy instead of wanting the appearance of busy-ness--maybe. You see, I felt like a tidy house testified that I was busy or doing a good job. The last few days, though I have been busy...and it's a total mess. But, I feel less guilty about it--amazing.
We've been playing this word game called Quiddler, a card game where you get points for making up more and more words out of the letters you're dealt. Games like this didn't interest us before.
Abram, for the first time ever, is bringing me non-school assigned books and attempting to read them to me. Gasp!! And he's doing great. He's up beyond the level I have him at.
Lego's are becoming their most treasured toys--everyone's, really. Big Lego's, little Lego's...every Lego they own...out...everywhere.
So...what to do what to do, is our main question, and we're successfully finding things. I have become a big fan of my new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I thought I would read all my magazines that I've shelved the past year, but instead I'm really reading cookbooks. The magazine still sits beside me pretty much unread. Hmm.
Oh, and I didn't just read that cookbook--I cooked! Oh my. I helped Abby make a fruit salad so we wouldn't waste the fruit this time. I made tuna salad out of Betty Crocker's cookbook instead of the one I'd memorized, just to try something new. And then, I toasted the bread, cut up a tomato, peppered the top, and washed some grapes to garnish the lunch plate--all for lunch! Like seriously...boredom ROCKS!! I also cut my finger while using a cheese grater (the large side) to scallop potatoes. It hurt! First injury from no t.v. Those cheesy Scalloped Potatoes were oh so yummy!!
We went to a friend's house yesterday and visited--snacks galore! The football game was on, but we didn't pay much attention. Although, the commercials kept grabbing my attention--all the movies that were going to come out soon--grr. Why couldn't I keep my eyes away? I could care less about the football game (Josh either--not a fan), but the commercials were too engaging to ignore. I left the room and sat around visiting with the ladies. Most of the men, including Josh visited around the barbecue or in the kitchen, the kids all played upstairs. Abby got her hair done. Abram got chased by a cute girl--pretended not to like it. Bubzy was amazed by the big 'ol dog in the hallway kennel. It was nice.
Observations from Day 4:
Linked to Overflowing With Creativity
Kids pretending that one of them is blind and the other is leading.
I'm noticing some simple but awesome changes that are happening! No longer am I finding dvds spread out all over the shelf with the t.v. There's still cases, but they changed to Just Dance Kids and Just Dance 3, plus the Wii Fit remote thingies are laying everywhere now. No one has cried out "Where's the stupid Apple remote??? It's way too little. Who had it last? Rrr." in a few days now. The dining room table is littered with card games, crayons and pages haphazardly scattered about. More books are found next to my favorite chair than drink cups. Just small changes.
Abby has been talking to me a lot lately. Nothing profound...just sits on the corner of my recliner and chats for a few minutes about the characters in her book. Was she trying to do this before? I'm scared to wonder. But it's really nice. There's a connection there. She's read two full teenybopper novels in two days!! That's like, 300 pages! Boredom can sure be productive.
I'm keeping busy a lot more and messes seem to bother me less. I think this might be an awareness of the fact that I am busy instead of wanting the appearance of busy-ness--maybe. You see, I felt like a tidy house testified that I was busy or doing a good job. The last few days, though I have been busy...and it's a total mess. But, I feel less guilty about it--amazing.
We've been playing this word game called Quiddler, a card game where you get points for making up more and more words out of the letters you're dealt. Games like this didn't interest us before.
Abram, for the first time ever, is bringing me non-school assigned books and attempting to read them to me. Gasp!! And he's doing great. He's up beyond the level I have him at.
Lego's are becoming their most treasured toys--everyone's, really. Big Lego's, little Lego's...every Lego they own...out...everywhere.
So...what to do what to do, is our main question, and we're successfully finding things. I have become a big fan of my new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I thought I would read all my magazines that I've shelved the past year, but instead I'm really reading cookbooks. The magazine still sits beside me pretty much unread. Hmm.
Oh, and I didn't just read that cookbook--I cooked! Oh my. I helped Abby make a fruit salad so we wouldn't waste the fruit this time. I made tuna salad out of Betty Crocker's cookbook instead of the one I'd memorized, just to try something new. And then, I toasted the bread, cut up a tomato, peppered the top, and washed some grapes to garnish the lunch plate--all for lunch! Like seriously...boredom ROCKS!! I also cut my finger while using a cheese grater (the large side) to scallop potatoes. It hurt! First injury from no t.v. Those cheesy Scalloped Potatoes were oh so yummy!!
We went to a friend's house yesterday and visited--snacks galore! The football game was on, but we didn't pay much attention. Although, the commercials kept grabbing my attention--all the movies that were going to come out soon--grr. Why couldn't I keep my eyes away? I could care less about the football game (Josh either--not a fan), but the commercials were too engaging to ignore. I left the room and sat around visiting with the ladies. Most of the men, including Josh visited around the barbecue or in the kitchen, the kids all played upstairs. Abby got her hair done. Abram got chased by a cute girl--pretended not to like it. Bubzy was amazed by the big 'ol dog in the hallway kennel. It was nice.
Observations from Day 4:
- Boredom produces creativity!
- Cooking becomes a creative endeavour rather than a quick trip to the kitchen for a hunger-quencher.
- Lego's become the children's favorite activity.
- I find out I like to read The Pioneer Woman's cookbook more than my Real Simple magazines that I thought I just didn't have time for.
- The kids like to read more than they thought they did.
- A busy house equals a messy house, not the other way around.
- A child staring at the ceiling is just fine--they will eventually get up and find something to do.
- Most toys still go untouched, but some are all over the house.
Linked to Overflowing With Creativity
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Day 2 and 3 of No t.v.
Day 2: Total Bliss
Seriously, the day couldn't have gone better! It was as if everything slowed down and life was simple again. We played Lego's with Bubzy, the kids pretended everything imaginable, and we ate dinner as a family. It was glorious.
I felt really laid back all day, but Josh still commented on how much we must have done. I didn't think we had done that much, it was so laid back--just cleaned up the kid's rooms, cleaned the kitchen, did a load of laundry, picked up the living room, and cleaned up our bedroom...and a little spelling. Wow! I was really amazed at how much I got done.
(old picture, since blogger is not wanting to upload new ones right now, and I'm not going to spend more than my allotted time on it)
This picture reminds me of the simplicity that Day 2 felt like.
Observations from Day 2:
Day 3: Tired and Bored
Today has been worse on our nerves. Abby slides down the side of the couch, groaning that there's nothing to do. Abram keeps singing Christmas songs over and over and over again. All I want to do is nap cause I'm off the Christmas sugar high and very tired.
I end up at the table making up copy work for the kids school since we're starting Monday. Seriously can't wait since it'll give us all something to concentrate on. First complaint about no t.v. today. I read a lot in my bible, which was nice.
The kids played on Wii fit for awhile until they started fighting over it and I made them turn it off. I soooo need some coffee! I took a nap with Bubzy and the kids got out the Lego's. Things start to get better. We'll be grocery shopping tonight, so at least we can get out of the house for a while.
Observations from Day 3 of No t.v.:
Seriously, the day couldn't have gone better! It was as if everything slowed down and life was simple again. We played Lego's with Bubzy, the kids pretended everything imaginable, and we ate dinner as a family. It was glorious.
I felt really laid back all day, but Josh still commented on how much we must have done. I didn't think we had done that much, it was so laid back--just cleaned up the kid's rooms, cleaned the kitchen, did a load of laundry, picked up the living room, and cleaned up our bedroom...and a little spelling. Wow! I was really amazed at how much I got done.
(old picture, since blogger is not wanting to upload new ones right now, and I'm not going to spend more than my allotted time on it)
This picture reminds me of the simplicity that Day 2 felt like.
Observations from Day 2:
- Pretend play became the biggest form of entertainment and play with the kids.
- Even Josh joined in with Just Dance--so funny!!
- Interruptions are far less annoying.
- Everyone is in the kitchen when you cook--Oh my gosh!! Get out from under my feet, people!
- Dinner at the table just happens. It just does. Why not?
Day 3: Tired and Bored
Today has been worse on our nerves. Abby slides down the side of the couch, groaning that there's nothing to do. Abram keeps singing Christmas songs over and over and over again. All I want to do is nap cause I'm off the Christmas sugar high and very tired.
I end up at the table making up copy work for the kids school since we're starting Monday. Seriously can't wait since it'll give us all something to concentrate on. First complaint about no t.v. today. I read a lot in my bible, which was nice.
The kids played on Wii fit for awhile until they started fighting over it and I made them turn it off. I soooo need some coffee! I took a nap with Bubzy and the kids got out the Lego's. Things start to get better. We'll be grocery shopping tonight, so at least we can get out of the house for a while.
Observations from Day 3 of No t.v.:
- Children follow me around a lot more. They are constantly in the room with me and I'm observing much more of how they play than normal. Pleasant, but LOUD. They are so active, and did I mention loud?
- I really notice when I'm bored, tired, lonely, and hungry. It's like the signals turned up several notches. The same with the kids. They get hungrier faster and ask for attention more often.
- Is this REALLY how they act when they're playing in their rooms? Abram's arms and legs are flailing everywhere and they're flinging each other across the room! FUNNY and extremely stressful. Don't bump...wait, be careful...you just...don't...whoa! And did I tell you how loud everything is around here?
- There's seriously less fighting.
- We are SO easily entertained! The kids see Bubzy sticking his hiney in the air and decide they're all going to copy him--then they laugh and roll around on the floor. Please don't break my window when you flip!!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
No T.V., Day 1
So New Year's Eve arrived and everyone finished their favorite show's season. Abby had to try extra hard--she watched like 6 hours a day, lol. She finished the last season of Saddle Club-a really cute show that's become her favorite. I finished the last season of Bones that was available on Netflix. I can't wait for Season 8! I'm dying to see Temperance on the run as a fugitive. Josh, on the last day finished his season of Top Gear. Abram really didn't have any he was finishing--he just watched a lot of Transformer reviews and the like, and traded off with Abby on the last few days watching different things.
The clock struck midnight--and the confetti fell. It is 2013 and the end of the world didn't arrive--I'll have to say, though I didn't think anything of it, the Mayan craze did inspire some pretty good movies. I get all the titles of them mixed up, but my favorite was the one about the big boats (Noah's ark like) where they held a lottery. Anyway, back to midnight. We were at Josh's parent's house and NO, we didn't walk up to their t.v. and push the off button! That would have been so rude. We finished our visiting and watching the confetti fall on a bunch of excited who-knows-whos, as Bubzy seemed to get a second wind and danced around the living room.
Fifteen minutes later, after a night of games and fun, I walked back home with Bubzy to nurse him to sleep. I got home and the first thing I did was reach for my iPad to watch a few YouTube videos for entertainment! I caught myself and didn't. It wasn't upsetting, just a little Ah-man-ish. So, I stared at the beautiful boy nursing in my arms and we both fell asleep. The rest of them walked home a little later.
So, January 1st really came the next morning, when we woke up a little late. We all almost turned on the t.v.! Every one of us said, "Ah Man". So, I fixed my coffee and watched as Bubzy started his Barney "I love you, you love me" dance and pointed to the t.v. I promise I'm not making that up. Abram went straight to playing with real transformers instead of watching reviews, right after breakfast. Abby sat staring at a wall for a while feeling a bit sorry for herself--I think she wrote a woe-is-me song. About an hour into being bored, though, she up and started making a sheet tent with our dining room chairs. Josh and I got into an argument out of pure boredom. Then we got up and made a room-wide sheet tent!
We SO tricked the kids! We asked them if they wanted to help us clean up in the den. Then we started sneaking sheets past them. I'm surprised they didn't catch on, but we finished before they did. When they discovered it, they went ballistic! Coolest tent EVER!! They spent the night, gathering up all the new presents to play with while they were there.
(My normal lens broke :( so my pics had to be really far away and were really hard to get right. Sorry.)
First observations of no t.v.:
The clock struck midnight--and the confetti fell. It is 2013 and the end of the world didn't arrive--I'll have to say, though I didn't think anything of it, the Mayan craze did inspire some pretty good movies. I get all the titles of them mixed up, but my favorite was the one about the big boats (Noah's ark like) where they held a lottery. Anyway, back to midnight. We were at Josh's parent's house and NO, we didn't walk up to their t.v. and push the off button! That would have been so rude. We finished our visiting and watching the confetti fall on a bunch of excited who-knows-whos, as Bubzy seemed to get a second wind and danced around the living room.
Fifteen minutes later, after a night of games and fun, I walked back home with Bubzy to nurse him to sleep. I got home and the first thing I did was reach for my iPad to watch a few YouTube videos for entertainment! I caught myself and didn't. It wasn't upsetting, just a little Ah-man-ish. So, I stared at the beautiful boy nursing in my arms and we both fell asleep. The rest of them walked home a little later.
So, January 1st really came the next morning, when we woke up a little late. We all almost turned on the t.v.! Every one of us said, "Ah Man". So, I fixed my coffee and watched as Bubzy started his Barney "I love you, you love me" dance and pointed to the t.v. I promise I'm not making that up. Abram went straight to playing with real transformers instead of watching reviews, right after breakfast. Abby sat staring at a wall for a while feeling a bit sorry for herself--I think she wrote a woe-is-me song. About an hour into being bored, though, she up and started making a sheet tent with our dining room chairs. Josh and I got into an argument out of pure boredom. Then we got up and made a room-wide sheet tent!
We SO tricked the kids! We asked them if they wanted to help us clean up in the den. Then we started sneaking sheets past them. I'm surprised they didn't catch on, but we finished before they did. When they discovered it, they went ballistic! Coolest tent EVER!! They spent the night, gathering up all the new presents to play with while they were there.
(My normal lens broke :( so my pics had to be really far away and were really hard to get right. Sorry.)
First observations of no t.v.:
- Every song they hum is from a show! Oh my gosh. Seriously heard Barney, Saddle Club theme song, and Transformer noises all day long. I'm going to turn on some real music today and get that in their heads instead.
- WAY messier house!! With no t.v., every toy they can find is out in their reach within seconds.
- Pain can be felt a lot more. I have back pain and without a zone-out available, I noticed it a lot more.
- Games become a lot more desirable. I played Battleship with Josh and Abby before we went to bed.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Unplug January: Preparations
So, knowing that we're going to almost entirely unplug in January--no t.v. shows, movies, or programs and only 2 hours/week of video games and the like--we've been preparing. How?
Weeeeell, by totally inhaling our favorite shows. The kids knew they had about two weeks, so I let them watch way more t.v. than normal so they could finish out the season they were on in Netflix for their favorite show. I did the same--mine being Bones! I watched an entire season (Season 7) in about a week. Josh isn't so much watching more than normal, but when he's not working I give him first pick. He's getting quite the viewing time, too. His favorites--Wings (because he has a private licence to fly airplanes but NEVER gets to because of the high cost) and Top Gear (really I secretly enjoy watching it with him, I just wouldn't choose it).
So, what shows have we really enjoyed this year?
Josh--as above, Wings and Top Gear, but also Star Trek (a family favorite), oh and Mythbusters
Josh tends to watch casually. He can be interrupted without too much annoyance and watches shows that the kids can easily get into, like Mythbusters and sometimes Dirty Jobs. When it's Josh's pick, the whole family's in here, eating and chatting about the show, roughhousing on the floor, etc.
Me--Bones, Numbers (I really love math), Lie To Me, Warehouse 13, Hoarding or the like, Clean House, and Star Trek. Yep--I have a lot of favorites. When there's a new season, I'm on it!
As you can see, my tv differs from Josh's in a major way. Mine tend to be action-based dramas that tend to be set in a scientific theme. Also, mine aren't so family friendly and when I'm watching it's either after the kids go to bed or when they're occupied with other interest. Sometimes--hard to admit--I tend to find stuff for them to do for a few hours just so that I can watch my favorite show. Not everyday, but when a new one's out it tends to be several days in a row of this. Then I'm back to watching one show a day for a while. Bad, bad t.v. habits on my part.
Abby--Hannah Montana, Good Luck Charlie, her all-time favorite H2O, and her newest favorite The Saddle Club
Abby is the copy-cat of the family and probably the most easily effected by t.v.! After thinking I was already strict enough, I had to drastically reduce her time watching Hannah Montana and Good Luck Charlie. She loved them, but I could see her attitude changing right before my eyes. They are both full of sassy kids who don't have a lot of respect for others (although Hannah Montana was surprisingly better in this area than Good Luck Charlie) and I kept hearing little "harmless" lies throughout these shows. H20 had already been a favorite, but even more so after that. Their attitudes were much better and bad choices were typically shown with consequences. Anyway, she tends to be a lot like me--not much t.v. for good amounts of time, and then she hits on something and has to see them all in a row. She tends to overindulge to the extent that Abram complains that she takes his turn.
Abram--Transformers, Jimmy Neutron (a favorite), some Power Rangers, Transformers reviews (YouTube--shows how they transform) which are watched in plain view just in case, and some documentaries
Abram's way more effected by sugar than shows, but he tends to zone out and I have to snap him back to attention. He'll forget to eat if it's a favorite. The thing I hate the most is that he's super intelligent, but it's far easier to absorb information coming from the television than from books or school assignments. And Abram is all about the easiest route...I'm hoping he'll mature out of this! He's my video game player, too, although I'm usually pretty strict with this already. Sometimes I'll just let him play as much as he wants, about two days a month, but most of the time he plays about two or three hours per week (although I think he plays his ipod touch more at night when he's ready for bed).
Little Bubzy--Barney and Veggie Tales. He watches them almost every morning, asks for them by singing the theme songs, lol. He dances with the songs and then ignores the rest most of the time.
Most preparation is in all the questions that come up:
Do we get to watch t.v. on Saturday morning?
No, not for the month. We'll see after that.
Are we going to ever go back to watching t.v.?
Well, we don't plan on throwing our tvs away, but we don't really know how much we're going to allow after this. That's why we're getting off of it for a month--so we're not making blind decisions or decisions based on what we want instead of what's healthy for our family.
Is this because we're in trouble?
No. If anyone's in trouble it's Mom! I watch far more tv than I should and I'm the one that's causing problems because of it. (This stirred a whole night of conversation as they were totally honest and open about how they felt about playing in the back on those nights when I wanted to watch t.v. instead of spending time as a family. This question brought up a lot of emotions that I wasn't prepared for and really solidified in my mind why we were doing this!)
What are we going to do for fun?
More of what we already do--play outside, play more family games and cards, and stuff like that. And then maybe we can start some things we haven't really done much of, like family puzzles, reading a book together, eating a lot more dinners at the table, having more people over, and stuff we haven't even thought of yet.
What about video games?
For now, t.v., movies, and the like are the only completely off-limits things. However, we don't want to just trade one for the other. On normal school weeks y'all play about two to three hours a week--so we'll just limit it to that so it doesn't increase. We can play Wii fit for longer, though since physically being tired will set it's own natural limit.
Some questions, I just thought about privately:
What am I going to do for peace and quite, since that's what usually drives my reasons to turn it on in the first place?
I can still set them to doing an activity or personal study just as I did during these times, but dive into my bible reading instead. I don't suspect the problem is that I need rest for an hour, the problem is when I'm so absorbed that it goes on for more than an hour.
If the weather's nice I can send them outside for a while.
If Josh is home, I can occasionally relax in a bubblebath and read.
What limits do I need to set for myself so that I don't just switch from one zone-out activity to another?
I think my internet time needs to be in sinc with the kid's video gaming time. While they play, I play. I get just as absorbed in blogging as in t.v., mostly because of the pictures. I need to keep all non-writing activities (like browsing, research, picture sorting and loading, linking-up, etc.) to within that 2-3 hours a week the kids are going to be playing video games.
What can I personally do with my free time that's not t.v. related?
I've always wanted my pictures organized. I think that would be a productive use of free time. Also, I could teach myself some new recipes and maybe get Abby involved in some of them.
What can I do to make this experience better for the whole family?
Read from the physical bible instead of just listening to it on my iPad.
Cook enjoyable meals and eat together at the table way more often.
Play with the kids instead of sending them off to play.
More family games, puzzles, and activities.
Read aloud to the kids and start tucking them in at night with prayer.
Create one or more virtual scrap books together and maybe even order one.
Take silly family pictures.
Do some school stuff that's just for fun (like science projects we've put off or educational games that weren't as interesting as the t.v. show we were into).
Weeeeell, by totally inhaling our favorite shows. The kids knew they had about two weeks, so I let them watch way more t.v. than normal so they could finish out the season they were on in Netflix for their favorite show. I did the same--mine being Bones! I watched an entire season (Season 7) in about a week. Josh isn't so much watching more than normal, but when he's not working I give him first pick. He's getting quite the viewing time, too. His favorites--Wings (because he has a private licence to fly airplanes but NEVER gets to because of the high cost) and Top Gear (really I secretly enjoy watching it with him, I just wouldn't choose it).
So, what shows have we really enjoyed this year?
Josh--as above, Wings and Top Gear, but also Star Trek (a family favorite), oh and Mythbusters
Josh tends to watch casually. He can be interrupted without too much annoyance and watches shows that the kids can easily get into, like Mythbusters and sometimes Dirty Jobs. When it's Josh's pick, the whole family's in here, eating and chatting about the show, roughhousing on the floor, etc.
Me--Bones, Numbers (I really love math), Lie To Me, Warehouse 13, Hoarding or the like, Clean House, and Star Trek. Yep--I have a lot of favorites. When there's a new season, I'm on it!
As you can see, my tv differs from Josh's in a major way. Mine tend to be action-based dramas that tend to be set in a scientific theme. Also, mine aren't so family friendly and when I'm watching it's either after the kids go to bed or when they're occupied with other interest. Sometimes--hard to admit--I tend to find stuff for them to do for a few hours just so that I can watch my favorite show. Not everyday, but when a new one's out it tends to be several days in a row of this. Then I'm back to watching one show a day for a while. Bad, bad t.v. habits on my part.
Abby--Hannah Montana, Good Luck Charlie, her all-time favorite H2O, and her newest favorite The Saddle Club
Abby is the copy-cat of the family and probably the most easily effected by t.v.! After thinking I was already strict enough, I had to drastically reduce her time watching Hannah Montana and Good Luck Charlie. She loved them, but I could see her attitude changing right before my eyes. They are both full of sassy kids who don't have a lot of respect for others (although Hannah Montana was surprisingly better in this area than Good Luck Charlie) and I kept hearing little "harmless" lies throughout these shows. H20 had already been a favorite, but even more so after that. Their attitudes were much better and bad choices were typically shown with consequences. Anyway, she tends to be a lot like me--not much t.v. for good amounts of time, and then she hits on something and has to see them all in a row. She tends to overindulge to the extent that Abram complains that she takes his turn.
Abram--Transformers, Jimmy Neutron (a favorite), some Power Rangers, Transformers reviews (YouTube--shows how they transform) which are watched in plain view just in case, and some documentaries
Abram's way more effected by sugar than shows, but he tends to zone out and I have to snap him back to attention. He'll forget to eat if it's a favorite. The thing I hate the most is that he's super intelligent, but it's far easier to absorb information coming from the television than from books or school assignments. And Abram is all about the easiest route...I'm hoping he'll mature out of this! He's my video game player, too, although I'm usually pretty strict with this already. Sometimes I'll just let him play as much as he wants, about two days a month, but most of the time he plays about two or three hours per week (although I think he plays his ipod touch more at night when he's ready for bed).
Little Bubzy--Barney and Veggie Tales. He watches them almost every morning, asks for them by singing the theme songs, lol. He dances with the songs and then ignores the rest most of the time.
Most preparation is in all the questions that come up:
Do we get to watch t.v. on Saturday morning?
No, not for the month. We'll see after that.
Are we going to ever go back to watching t.v.?
Well, we don't plan on throwing our tvs away, but we don't really know how much we're going to allow after this. That's why we're getting off of it for a month--so we're not making blind decisions or decisions based on what we want instead of what's healthy for our family.
Is this because we're in trouble?
No. If anyone's in trouble it's Mom! I watch far more tv than I should and I'm the one that's causing problems because of it. (This stirred a whole night of conversation as they were totally honest and open about how they felt about playing in the back on those nights when I wanted to watch t.v. instead of spending time as a family. This question brought up a lot of emotions that I wasn't prepared for and really solidified in my mind why we were doing this!)
What are we going to do for fun?
More of what we already do--play outside, play more family games and cards, and stuff like that. And then maybe we can start some things we haven't really done much of, like family puzzles, reading a book together, eating a lot more dinners at the table, having more people over, and stuff we haven't even thought of yet.
What about video games?
For now, t.v., movies, and the like are the only completely off-limits things. However, we don't want to just trade one for the other. On normal school weeks y'all play about two to three hours a week--so we'll just limit it to that so it doesn't increase. We can play Wii fit for longer, though since physically being tired will set it's own natural limit.
Some questions, I just thought about privately:
What am I going to do for peace and quite, since that's what usually drives my reasons to turn it on in the first place?
I can still set them to doing an activity or personal study just as I did during these times, but dive into my bible reading instead. I don't suspect the problem is that I need rest for an hour, the problem is when I'm so absorbed that it goes on for more than an hour.
If the weather's nice I can send them outside for a while.
If Josh is home, I can occasionally relax in a bubblebath and read.
What limits do I need to set for myself so that I don't just switch from one zone-out activity to another?
I think my internet time needs to be in sinc with the kid's video gaming time. While they play, I play. I get just as absorbed in blogging as in t.v., mostly because of the pictures. I need to keep all non-writing activities (like browsing, research, picture sorting and loading, linking-up, etc.) to within that 2-3 hours a week the kids are going to be playing video games.
What can I personally do with my free time that's not t.v. related?
I've always wanted my pictures organized. I think that would be a productive use of free time. Also, I could teach myself some new recipes and maybe get Abby involved in some of them.
What can I do to make this experience better for the whole family?
Read from the physical bible instead of just listening to it on my iPad.
Cook enjoyable meals and eat together at the table way more often.
Play with the kids instead of sending them off to play.
More family games, puzzles, and activities.
Read aloud to the kids and start tucking them in at night with prayer.
Create one or more virtual scrap books together and maybe even order one.
Take silly family pictures.
Do some school stuff that's just for fun (like science projects we've put off or educational games that weren't as interesting as the t.v. show we were into).
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Unplug January
T.V. is something that baffles me. I don't have the energy to keep cleaning, so I sit down for some t.v. and think it's going to somehow energize me or allow me a bit of rest. I feel irritated at the kids and in frustration allow them to go turn on the tube and I do the same--so we can both cool our tempers a bit. I begin a great show that grabs my interest, and by mid-season, I'm actually mad if someone talks to me over them, as if they're interrupting a real person. Confessions aside, t.v. has a baffling hold on many people, including me.
I think if we could back up and see it for what it really is, we'd be amused at the time we spend around it, and maybe even angry. It's a box...that tells really interesting stories...and flashes pretty lights...and about once or twice a year gives us a public announcement that we needed to hear...and sometimes we all get together and sit around it, giving a loud grunt ever-so-often.
And somehow we can't understand why in the world the Israelites who escaped Egypt would ever haul around that big 'ol golden calf, when all it did was...ignite elaborate stories of what happened to someone somewhere sometime...sparkle in the sun so pretty...be the centerpiece to important tribe meetings once in a while...and sometimes big groups of people would gather around it and expel loud noises ever-so-often. Hmm.
Many of you are going to argue and then I'm going to agree, that some tv is useful and fine. You're right. God was the one who told the Israelites to plunder their Egyptian neighbors before leaving Egypt. The gold itself wasn't bad. Later they could have bought land or goods, but instead they ended up drinking it. Gods are not gods because of the material they are made from or what shape they are made into. They are gods because of the hold they have on our heart.
This is hard for me to write because I know I'm not preaching, but confessing.
So, how can you tell if t.v. has become a god in your life? or your kids' lives?
First of all, like I said before, it's a heart issue. I think prayer is needed to discern where our heart is because like the Word says, "The heart is more deceitful than all else and desperately sick; who can understand it?" -Jeremiah 17: 9. And it also says to "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." -Proverbs 4: 23. Don't just assume your heart is right without searching it out, even if you are a Christian. I know I am prone to wonder away from the right path and so I think many others are too. Let's take the time to find out.
Here are some questions to get you started in searching your own heart, but please don't take them as the end-all of questions. Add to them in the comments. Ask other people in your life. Search your own heart and your children's.
- When a person you love interrupts your attention on the t.v., how does it make you feel?
- If there was no way to record or otherwise hold to another time a regular show/sport/program on t.v., and a family member's favorite show was at the exact same time, would you gladly share, trading off from day to day who gets to watch?
- Are you impatient when an important news report happens in the middle of your program?
- If a major electrical outage, such as a huge storm, happened during the season finally of a favorite show, and you did not have a way to find it later, would this give you a surge of anxiety?
- When you're desperate for rest, where do you go?
- You're schedule just filled up for the next two weeks and you only have 30 minutes before you go to bed that you could possibly spend with God in prayer or reading. Which do you choose: It's only two weeks, I'll get back to my bible after it settles down. OR It's only two weeks, I'll get back to my program after it settles down.
- Would you show upset feelings more if your children tossed a shoe and it broke the t.v. or if it hit and broke the window that cost the same to replace?
- Can you imagine being brave enough to put all your televisions in Goodwill and live without them forever?
What about your children?
- Do your children know more about their favorite character on t.v. or their very best friend?
- If you told your children you were going to turn off the t.v. for a month, would they cry and plead?
- If your child loves to read, do they still chose the book they're in the middle of reading if you call and say a shows starting?
- It's amazing weather outside and you tell them they have a choice. They can watch t.v. all day or you can take them to their favorite outdoor spot. Which do they chose?
- Your child has 30 minutes before school starts. You've fixed their favorite all-time breakfast but it has to be consumed in a different room then the t.v. What is their reaction?
- It's time to watch their favorite show and it's just not working. Do they quickly forget or is it a tragedy?
- Their best friend calls and wants to play. How quickly do they turn off the t.v.?
- Their favorite Aunt, Uncle, Cousin is in town for only one day, but the mascot to their favorite t.v. show is going to be at Barnes and Noble the same day. If they had a choice in the matter, what would they chose? And how hard of a decision would it be?
Time To Unplug!
In January, I'm breaking this stronghold that's over me and my children! We're literally unplugging the main television and allowing only the use of Wii Fit and 2 hours/week of video games on the other. I'll also be praying all month about what to do beyond January.
Rules:
- Physically unplug any t.v. that isn't being used for anything other than viewing.
- Make a family commitment to stop watching all t.v. shows, movies, programs, YouTube, sports, and news for a full month.
- Reduce screen time other than t.v. to 3 hours or less per week (video games, computer games, Internet browsing, or anything else that could merely shift your attention from one screen to another).
- Don't purposefully view television while out of the house--such as televisions playing at restaurants or friends and family who leave them on while you are there. Keep your attention elsewhere and don't go these places as an excuse to watch.
I expect that this is going to be hard and I would love to know that there's other moms/families out there doing the same thing. Please give me a holler in the comments if you have decided to do the same or similar. I would love to hear from you. And I would also welcome anyone who wants to pray for us during this time, as well.
I'll be journaling:
If you would like to join in or just observe, please subscribe to my blog. I'll be journaling about this personal commitment through the month of January.
Do You Want To Join Us? Here's how:
- Comment below and just let us know that you've made the commitment.
- Pin the "button" (although it's not a link here, so please make sure your pin links) to pinterest if you have an account.
- Link to this page from your facebook account, if you have one.
- Make your commitment public by either telling friends and family or by writing a blog post and linking to it below so we can all find you. Be sure to link back here in your post so that others can find us and join in, too.
- And remember that this is not like joining a club! The last four are not requirements, but only requests so that people can stay accountable and not feel alone in this. If you would rather do this privately--there's no one stopping you! And...you won't hurt my feelings.
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