Month without TV

Zo scoots (this photo also looks like she is running or something, you can hardly see the scooter)






As our month sans TV comes to an end I am reflecting on the changes we have seen in the kids and our quality of life.

First, the kids play ALL the time. Whereas before, when the TV was off they were bored and whiny. Now they are begging to go outside to play with the neighbors (Did you feed your guiena pig? Homework done? Then yes, run free). And last night, after dinner and showers, they asked if they had time to do a craft. I gave them 10 minutes, pushing bedtime back a few, and they made pumpkins out of paper, crayon, and scissors in B's room. They were so cute working together and their pumpkins are adorable.

Secondly, and maybe most important for my sanity, our house had been free of the sounds of SpongeBob! His whiny voice, Tommy-gun laugh, and the ridiculous story lines. Hallelujah! But S.Bob did teach them to hold their pinky up to be considered fancy. At the Bible Brunch on Sunday, I noticed all the other eight year old kids holding their pinkies up to drink out of the china cups, too (That was kinda funny).

Thirdly, we have been playing more games as a family. Cards, Battleship (this game is seriously tedious, maybe because I am used to something more fast paced), checkers, and games the kids make-up.

And the benefits continue...more time to take bike rides, practice tennis, get homework done, run errands, treat ourselves to dinner out on a school night, take Lafawnda for a walk, scooter around the cul-de-sac, perfect their fort, and J and I watch way less TV (mostly just at night, The Office is back on!)....

But they ask every day, well, mostly it is B asking, when the no-TV-month will be over. J and I have decided there will be more rules and regulations for the kids when the boob tube comes back on. We are still hammering out the details. I don't think it will be hard for the kids to swallow though, they will just be so happy to have ANY amount of time with the idiot box.

So are you brave (or crazy enough) to try no-TV-for-the-kids for a month?