On Television

I am not going to pretend that I am one of those people who say they don't like or watch t.v. because I do. I never really just sat down to watch whatever whenever for hours on end when I could be doing other things, however. I mean, I had my favorite shows and I enjoyed having the Food Network on or when I was up late waiting for my husband to come home from a flight or if I was up nursing the baby there was always something crazy on on Bravo to keep me entertained at least. But when we moved into our home this past summer, there was no room in our budget for cable. And that was that.

Since we moved here in June, we have not had television. And I can't say that I miss it terribly. As long as one has internet, there really isn't any point to having cable especially with our lifestyle. My husband and I like to watch pretty much the same shows and I would have to wait and miss them anyways to ensure that we could watch them together if he had trips. The other shows that I think I might prefer to watch, I watch them when they are online, that is, if I even remember and now that the fall season is starting, because we haven't seen commercials or trailers for the upcoming shows, I have no clue what I am missing. Reading the newspaper I recognized ONE movie title that is playing. Nemo in 3D. That's it. We rarely get out to the movies anymore anyways... I have to say, it's a little odd. But do I mind? I've got to say that I am really enjoying it. If you think about it, television is just a habit really. A fail-safe. When there is nothing left to do, you turn it on and just sit. Now, it's not really an option. We have shows on the computer and we have hundreds of movies, but it has to be intentional: I am going to sit and watch XYZ and that's all there is and when it's over, you are done or you have to make another conscious decision to watch ZYX. No more getting carried away with whatever is on and looking up two hours later wondering what the heck I've been watching. So, again, I guess that's a good thing. Right?

With kids, it's a different story. There are times when I would LOVE to just pop on Disney Junior and walk away. Somedays, I would pull my own teeth and donate a kidney if it meant I could just throw on Nick Junior and be left alone indefinitely until someone got hungry or it was bedtime. Television isn't all bad and these days, when life is super crazed and stressful, kids can even benefit from a half hour of disengaged mindless entertainment and God knows Mommy could use a break to make dinner in peace.

We've gotten out of the habit of just popping it on whenever, though and I suppose that's a good habit to break. There is a dining room closet bursting at the seems with all manners of child activities, games, puzzles, and art supplies. There are stacks of books everywhere and their rooms are filled with more toys than could be employed by a small country.

Last week, my husband hooked up the antenna. We now get PBS, ABC, NBC and a Spanish channel. Could Mommy be any happier? Just the few moments of Peep and the Big World so Mommy doesn't have to smell for the third day in a row won't hurt anybody! It's amazing the little things we come to appreciate.