As we come to the end of our first month with no tv I am reflecting on what we have already found to do with the time that would have been spent watching mindless television. We did not get rid of the tv all together, I compromised with Nat and put the tv in the bedroom where we can still watch movies....we did have to compromise again and agree to only watch movies in there at night twice a week (so far it's been about two to three days a week... so, good). Isaac will watch a movie in there pretty often still, maybe once a day or every other day...although sometimes he will still watch the same movie twice in one day! I haven't been able to crack down on that just yet since it does help occupy his time while Aralyn sleeps or I clean. I am taking baby steps...
So what have we been doing.....
We have discovered the joy of puppet theatre! We have a theatre set that we put together, it's just a frame with a curtain and window, it has been moving around the house for two weeks now. We have lots of puppets that until now have been hiding in a box. It was like old friends coming over when we took them out. Isaac loves putting on the shows more than watching them, Aralyn LOVES to watch them. The other day she brought one to me and started barking like a dog.
We also discovered the art of building a fort out of the sheets, chairs, and other misc objects. This was alot of fun but has caused quite a stir since now Isaac thinks all the sheets are only for his forts and gets mad if I try to put them back in the closet. Lucky for him I have been super behind on putting up laundry so they have all stayed on the bench in the dinning room where he can pull them out multiple times a day.
Music has been a huge part of our tv-less lifestyle, we now enjoy listening to all different types of music throughout the day. In the afternoons when Isaac is so full of energy we have "dance parties" where he really just spins in circles and sccreams while the music plays. Aralyn actually trys to move to the beat. I won't talk about my dancing, it's for the kids eyes only. Midday when Aralyn is napping and Isaac should be napping we have "quiet time" and listen to classical music. Isaac will sit on the couch reading a book or sometimes just sit and listen. I tell him to think about what he sees, sometimes however this only leads to him wanting to talk endlessly about what he sees....or play the "color game". I will admit there are many days which "quiet time" is only a dream and instead Isaac runs through the house like a taz devil, but alas that is the unpredictable, never dull life of a 3yr old. I am very thankful and satisfied to have even just a few quiet moments during a weeks time.
I wish I could say my life is more organized than before the tv's big move, but alas we are still all over the place when it comes to routine and supper is still served later than it should be most nights. We have been consistant most nights with Isaac's bedtime and have had some success getting him to bed before 9:30. I am still at the mercy of Aralyn who sometimse goes to bed with no problem at the same time as Isaac but other nights is up till 11pm! She will sleep longer stretches at night now which is nice.
Naptime with Aralyn is a whole other post I guess, lets just say they are few, short, and far between. It's hard some days. I am busy now with the natural birth group, Isaac is loud, and I have days where I 'm up at 6am and others at 9am. I keep saying I need to get us on a good schedule, but these so far have been just words. Again it's all about baby steps I guess....
So far I LOVE our tv-less living room, it just feels more social and inviting than before. Nat and I spend a lot more time talking at night than before, and we seem to be getting along more lately. I feel a lot less stressed....which by no means is saying that I don't have moments of stress, it's just not as often or as intense. I think having music to set a nice mood really helps....tv just seemed to highten the stress on bad days and was like a black hole for my motivation.
So one month down and I am in no way regretting it. Now if only I could cut down on my computer time......baby steps......
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