OK, it's not as bad as you think.
I let my girls watch a movie.
We were at a friend's house yesterday for Father's Day. Most of the day was spent with family: church, hanging out at the pool, and a very casual, kid-friendly dinner at my friend's house. The kids were worn out from hours of playing, but the grown-ups weren't quite ready to call it a night.
So we turned on a movie. And I don't feel guilty at all.
It's been close to a month since the TV has taken center stage in our home (and our life in some ways). Like many things, moderation is the key, right? The movie was entertaining for the kids and the grown-ups (I confess, we watched a good part of it with the kids). The funny thing was, my 3-year-old had little interest in the movie and instead chose to keep playing with toys in another part of the room for quite a bit of it (when she wasn't curled up in my lap).
Am I planning to relax my rules about the TV at home? Not likely. The atmosphere in our home is different, and I like it that way. Will we watch an occasional show or movie as a family? Yes, at some point. I hesitate to plan on anything too "regular" at this point. I don't want my family to start structuring plans around whether or not it's "movie night" or something like that. I'm enjoying investing my time into people - real people with real stories and real friendship to offer. Both kids are old enough that we can go to the pool as a family. And we will probably hit the theater some time in the next couple of weeks to see our first movie as a whole family. That's what I want my kids to remember. Time as a family.
I wanted to create some memories for my children this summer. And I think my husband and I are well on our way to doing that.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
What's Growing in Your Garden?
Yes, you read the title correctly, and it isn't a metaphor. I'm taking a break from our "unplugged" updates because I found some fun stuff growing in my garden this morning. I have several gardens around my house, most of which are flower gardens. I also have a strawberry patch, vegetable garden, and raised-bed perennial herb garden. It took me over an hour to thin the mint in the herb garden a couple of weeks ago. The effort was worth it since I had room to plant oregano and rosemary.
The interesting thing that I found this morning was in one of my front flower beds. I planted celosia in one of the beds a few years ago. Since I was pregnant and couldn't work the ground that much, the plants went to seed at the end of the year. The flowers that came back the following year were dense and beautiful, so I just continued the practice. It takes a little longer than buying starter plants at the store, but they are free and look great. Worth an extra couple of weeks. But that isn't what I found.
I found basil! At first I was surprised, but then remembered transplanting a tired-looking plant last summer. It grew to a 2-foot diameter bush. Lots of pesto and fresh basil in many dishes, plus a bunch of happy friends. I guess it went to seed, too, because there are about 10 basil seedlings randomly placed in the garden. I'm going to let them grow. Basil is one of those herbs that smells of summer and is always welcome. I'll harvest as much as I can and put it to good use.
Did you find anything interesting today?
Barb
The interesting thing that I found this morning was in one of my front flower beds. I planted celosia in one of the beds a few years ago. Since I was pregnant and couldn't work the ground that much, the plants went to seed at the end of the year. The flowers that came back the following year were dense and beautiful, so I just continued the practice. It takes a little longer than buying starter plants at the store, but they are free and look great. Worth an extra couple of weeks. But that isn't what I found.
I found basil! At first I was surprised, but then remembered transplanting a tired-looking plant last summer. It grew to a 2-foot diameter bush. Lots of pesto and fresh basil in many dishes, plus a bunch of happy friends. I guess it went to seed, too, because there are about 10 basil seedlings randomly placed in the garden. I'm going to let them grow. Basil is one of those herbs that smells of summer and is always welcome. I'll harvest as much as I can and put it to good use.
Did you find anything interesting today?
Barb
Monday, June 13, 2011
Will Another "Unscheduled" Week be our Undoing?
Hello friends -
Last week was so busy for us all that I think we will all benefit from a less-structured week ahead. With plans every day last week, a day of catch-up errands on Saturday, and church on Sunday morning (and a picnic Sunday evening with some amazing friends!), the last 7 or 8 days have been incredibly packed! As I'm sitting here writing this post, I'm wishing I had a double that could be folding laundry or doing the dishes. No such luck, so my evening plans are set! Tee-hee.
Or maybe we will just take a walk down to the park. I wanted to do that this morning, but rain got in the way. Some cooler air has moved through, and it seems like the perfect evening to run off some extra energy. We spent most of the morning purging one child's bedroom. I think a reward for hard work well done is in order.
At last night's picnic, one of my friends and I started talking about the "courage to unplug." His remark was that he noticed how much his kids are spending time in front of the TV. Ironically, we were at a park where he'd spent many summers running around and playing. I love that my kids are getting a little more of "experiencing" life instead of watching someone else experience it. And my kids no longer tell time by which show will be on next. While I have no doubt that it would all come back to them in about 3.2 seconds if given the chance, it's my job to not give chances.
I've noticed that their imaginative play is more imagination and less imitation of the last show they watched. They are starting to come up with constructive ways to fill their time without me rattling off 7 suggestions to their grimaced faces. Is it more work than I expected? Yeah, it is. I've had to shift some priorities. But it's also given me a chance to "tune in" (please forgive the pun) a little more to them and their questions about life. Requests at the grocery store are now for new hula hoops, bubbles, and outside toys instead of the latest movie rental.
Is it always perfect over here? Far from it. When we're all tired, the TV is still a big black temptation in the middle of the living room. Sometimes it is difficult to resist. It was refreshing the other day, though, to hear my daughter tell me that they had only seen about "5 minutes" of TV at an afternoon play date. I'll take my victories when they come!
Taking the "virtual" out of "reality,"
Barb
Last week was so busy for us all that I think we will all benefit from a less-structured week ahead. With plans every day last week, a day of catch-up errands on Saturday, and church on Sunday morning (and a picnic Sunday evening with some amazing friends!), the last 7 or 8 days have been incredibly packed! As I'm sitting here writing this post, I'm wishing I had a double that could be folding laundry or doing the dishes. No such luck, so my evening plans are set! Tee-hee.
Or maybe we will just take a walk down to the park. I wanted to do that this morning, but rain got in the way. Some cooler air has moved through, and it seems like the perfect evening to run off some extra energy. We spent most of the morning purging one child's bedroom. I think a reward for hard work well done is in order.
At last night's picnic, one of my friends and I started talking about the "courage to unplug." His remark was that he noticed how much his kids are spending time in front of the TV. Ironically, we were at a park where he'd spent many summers running around and playing. I love that my kids are getting a little more of "experiencing" life instead of watching someone else experience it. And my kids no longer tell time by which show will be on next. While I have no doubt that it would all come back to them in about 3.2 seconds if given the chance, it's my job to not give chances.
I've noticed that their imaginative play is more imagination and less imitation of the last show they watched. They are starting to come up with constructive ways to fill their time without me rattling off 7 suggestions to their grimaced faces. Is it more work than I expected? Yeah, it is. I've had to shift some priorities. But it's also given me a chance to "tune in" (please forgive the pun) a little more to them and their questions about life. Requests at the grocery store are now for new hula hoops, bubbles, and outside toys instead of the latest movie rental.
Is it always perfect over here? Far from it. When we're all tired, the TV is still a big black temptation in the middle of the living room. Sometimes it is difficult to resist. It was refreshing the other day, though, to hear my daughter tell me that they had only seen about "5 minutes" of TV at an afternoon play date. I'll take my victories when they come!
Taking the "virtual" out of "reality,"
Barb
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