7.08.2009

Day 1 down...Countless others to go

So yesterday was the first day our cable was shut off. It was kind of sad to see the kids panic when the first thing they did when they came through the door was to turn on the TV. Palmer was a little beside himself not knowing what to do. However, after about 5 minutes of pouting, whining that they didn't have anything to do, and that they wanted the TV back they started to figure it out.

They both went outside and *gasp* played until dinner. After dinner Bret left for work and the kids and I went for a walk. While Palmer was taking a bath Emily got out a birthday present from LAST year that had never been opened. It was a bead and string kit to make bracelets and necklaces. She loved it. When Emily took her bath I got out some puzzles that haven't seen the light of day since Emily was 2 for Palmer to play with and he had a lot of fun. As I was digging these things out I realized that they have so many toys that have barely been played with. I saw toys that were Emily's (like Mr. Potato head stuff and her Candyland game) that Palmer would love.

It wasn't until the kids were bathed, read to, and in bed that I realized I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Usually at this time of night I settle in front of the couch and watch a couple of shows before I stumble off to bed. Of course I could have cheated and watched a movie on the computer (since we still have Internet access and Hulu is awesome). We are also new members of Netflix and should have our first movie in the mail any day now. Instead I decided to settle into one of the many books I have been wanting to read. Maybe I will feel really adventurous tonight and break out my sewing machine as I have a ton of projects calling my name.

I still wonder what the heck I was thinking by deciding to have it turned off 3 weeks before Bret's night rotation is over not to mention in the middle of the new season of True Blood. Honestly so far it feels pretty good. If nothing else I realized after watching my kids feel very lost not having the TV just how necessary it was.

7 comments:

Stephanie said...

It gets easier! We've been without cable for over two months (almost three) and it's amazing how much time I 'lost' sitting in front of the boob-tube. I've managed to read so many books, get some rest and spend time with my family.

Mrs. Dawkter said...

We have the basic channels (there are about 7 or so) but can't justify spending another $30-50 a month on television.
I think what you did was great! We never had cable or video games growing up and I remember not wanting to come inside at night because we had so much fun playing outside... now a days kids hardly play outside!

The Blonde Duck said...

In college I didn't have TV, and it was wonderful how much time it saves up!

Thanks for the love on my SITS day! Hope you come back to the Pond!

alissa said...

netflix is my trouble haha! i dont watch any shows right now on 'regular tv' but im addicted to so many tv series over dvd!
true blood, entourage, weeds. just pop one disc after another...

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice said...

OK so I am just jumping in here but first of congrats on making surviving residency eek! I saw my SIL go through that with 3 kids. CRAZY! Go YOU!
And I don't know why you decided to turn off cable but it's pretty amazing how fast your kids will acclimate to the new NO TV lifestyle.

Former Fat Chick said...

you are so brave...I can't give up my Sookie Stackhoue, NO Way!

Anonymous said...

Ahhh yes, the days of no cable. I went for four years without cable, just doing the antennae thing. When Dr. Love moved in, he also moved in his rather grotesquely large flat screen in. Now, eight months later, I'm totally into my shows. We have DVR so we can pause/rewind/record, which is really nice, because there ARE those times that there's not much to do and there's nothing better to do than sit in front of the TV in the AC and veg. So, I've lived with cable and without cable -- I'd say you can get used to either one. Good luck! :)