TV free Tuesday

(Cedar taking a "free" ride on his rocking motorcycle thanks to the gift of time, talent, and the loving hands of the one and only Popsy)

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas! We certainly had a relaxing and renewing weekend at home. We were blessed with time off for Daddy Oak, an inspiring experience at Christmas Eve service, so many wonderful and thoughtful gifts (and lessons learned from them), and lots and lots of food! Jeremy surprised me with an Ipod Touch! I've been spending the majority of my free time getting my hands on nearly every GLEE song ever produced and snapping lots of shots with the Hipstamatic app. For someone who has been known to claim nearly complete computer ignorance. . . I am in technological bliss. And I'm pretty certain that I've become a life long Apple customer due to amazing customer service and for the ease of which I (yes, ME!) can program the device and navigate the programs. In love I tell you. IN. LOVE!

Onto other business. . . .

I'm going to sum up the past TV free week with a few words: barbies, superheroes, family, 109837590129740 songs sung, awe at His Glory, new swords! foam ones! thanks Daddy!, bird watching and um. . . superheroes and barbies. Yep, that's our week!

The kids each received a few books that have been in constant rotation.

Being the logical, no nonsense type of gal that she is, Willow was gifted none other than an encyclopedia and a wildlife book along with an extention of her beloved Ranger Rick magazine subscription.

- the Usborne Internet-linked Children's Encyclopedia

- It Stinks to be Extinct by John Lithgow Palooza readers



On the other hand, Cedar was given this. He's a guy of little words . . . until you open up this book. He was saying words we'd never heard come out of his mouth! He loves it and is engrossed in its pages often.



Each year Daddy Oak and I each get the kids a gift. This year he purchased them the swords and I gave them this book along with some binoculars. Despite his jesting that looking at what we're giving the kids shows who's the 'cooler' parent, the kids genuinely do love this book. We spent the better part of yesterday afternoon outside feeding and watering birds (who are missing and who we hope find our bribes), laying in the snow listening for calls and becoming giddy with excitement when Willow spotted the one and only bird of the afternoon with the specs.



I'm trying to come up with some more activities to do outside for the coming week. I think we'll do the iced stained glass craft again. It was a hit last year. Willow thinks we need to make many of them to share with our neighbors. What a great idea!



I also want to make peanut butter pinecones, some popcorn and cranberries on string and a few other treats for the birdies to hang on our tree while it waits for the recycling truck. I was inspired by this post by Ginny at Small Things. Her blog always inspired my heart and strengthens my desire to be a calm, loving, and present mother.



I'm itching to make some ice sculptures. I'm pretty certain that Cedar will be enamored with this idea. Maybe it will turn his distaste for winter around :D



We're also bustling around cleaning, making room for new play things and carving out a space in the basement for a play corner that will include a swing and other fun things such as an indoor trampoline.

Overall we had more of a commercial Christmas than usual and I think both Daddy Oak and I missed the homemade objects that normally fill our Christmas morning with joy. This year I tried to make less in attempt to lessen my stress so that I could actually enjoy the holiday. My plan worked, but it also made my heart ache. I think that I may try to pluck off one homemade gift a month this coming year. That way next year we'll have homemade gifts AND I won't be over-stressed rushing to the deadline of Christmas Eve.

I truly hope that your weekend was a happy one! I'm hoping to post again tomorrow on a few things I'm working on for WIP Wednesday, but if I don't I hope you have a blessed, safe, and happy new year!

TV free Tuesday!

(Willow at her ballet performace. Not shown in picture is a strung out on candy, over-tired, public place hating Cedar losing it in my left arm while I took the photo with my right hand. This is her, "Cedar, it's ok" face.)

We made it another week!!! Wahoo! Really it is such a relief. This week we've all suffered a little bit of the sniffles so there was a little YouTubing action going on, but over all we survived another week without TV.

Some of what we did this past week:

-Snowflakes. Lots and lots of snowflakes now decorate our windows! Willow wanted to make them to "make snow come for Christmas". . . and it apparently worked. She is pleased with herself. I took a suggestion from Jean and used white coffee filters and am so glad I did. Beautiful results!

-We made a gingerbread house with a Wilton's kit. It took longer than I expected and there was quite a bit of whining from the munchkins about that. . . but it was fun and it's cute. Well, was cute. Yesterday I found Cedar on top of the play fridge eating the candy off of it. Naked.

- Lots of sword play by Cedar. Lots of running and screaming by Willow. And lots of reminding not to hit sister with wooden light saber (*doh! I should have made it out of foam!) and then putting said saber on top of fridge by this mama. I had to get creative; I took some of Daddy's old socks stuffed them with mis-matched socks lost in the basement and secured them with pony tail holders. Wa-lah! Nun chucks safe for chasing sister with!

-A good friend of mine came and spent the night with us. We all had a great time visiting Santa at the mall and eating french fries in the food court.

-I now know the full capabilities of one, just one, felted wool sweater. In one night I made two ugly monsters, one pair of mittens, one hat and one pair of leg warmers. Thank you gorgeously striped gap sweater. My family will be kept warm and have buddies to snuggle with thanks to your sacrifice.

This week we are hading to the kitchen! on the agenda:

- This amazing peppermint bark. I make peppermint bark every year and it barely lasts an evening. I'm estimating a 3 hour lifespan for this batch of Christmas-y sweetness.

-Yet another bark, this one more suited for the adult set. Well, except for Daddy Oak. YUM-O!

- This family should attend Hot Cocoa Addicts Anonymous. We have all mourned the passing of our Cocoamotion. I was over joyed when I stumbled on these last night. I think I'm going to top them with marshmallows from Sara's blog.

*On that topic, please pray for Sara's young daughter. Middle Miss is having some GI issues and is in the process of testing to determine the cause.

Daddy Oak and I are still glad we ditched the TV. We are using the computers a little in the morning while we wake up (Cedar's up at 5:30 everyday,and though I'm a morning person, I'm not that much of a morning person). We also finally broke down and bought a portable DVD player. Before going TV free again we had purchased Willow a DVD for Christmas, we also know my mom got her one, and she will be quite dramatically devastated if she has nothing to watch it on. We also seem to be on the road. A lot. With friends and family all over the state we tend to travel quite a bit. I always said I'd NEVER let my kids watch a movie in the car. Well, now aren't I eating my words. At 20 months Cedar still screams constantly in the car. I'm hoping this eases the hysterics.

I hope you all are having a happy holiday season!

TV free Tuesdays!

When we were engaged my boss at the time gave us one piece of advice and it was to "have no TV for the first year of marriage, it'll set you up for success by giving yourselves more time to get to know each other than some characters in a sitcom". We prayed over his wise advice and decided it was best for us. We kept my 13 inch TV/VCR combo for movie nights, but opted out of cable TV. I have to say that between that decision and the support we received from our friends at our Bible Study, we made it through. By the skin of our teeth, but we did it.

By the time our 1 yr. anniversary came around we welcomed a screaming (*ahem* precious) Willow into the world. Tension ran long but money was short. We moved about a bazillion times during which we continued to use our loyal 13 inch TV for occasional movie nights. We finally settled into a spacious 350 sq. ft. apartment. As a means to escape the reality of a year and a half old child who never slept and a whole lot-a family drama, we gave in to the free cable.

Long story short my dreams of having a child who had no idea who Dora was quickly turned to dust as Willow stomped on it with her Strawberry Shortcake shoes while singing "Yo Gabba Gabba!". One day I hit a breaking point, almost literally beat the TV up with a bat, decided to throw it in the closet instead and lived a blissful TV free life. . .. until Cedar was born.

We made it almost two months after his birth until we brought it out and dusted it off. I was overwhelmed with an almost 3 year old with some sensory needs, a newborn with colic that never ended and a whole lot of post partum yucky-ness. And, well, it helped.


A year and a half and another child screaming "Dora" and chasing after a girl with short hair later, I was officially done. Granted, they still didn't sit in front of it all day and we didn't have cable, but I was looking around at my children, children who God created with amazing imaginations sitting around staring at a blue flashing screen. I couldn't help but feel responsible. Of course I was responsible. I am supposed to be the steward of these children at home while they are here with me on Earth and I was not doing them any service by allowing Dora to babysit them so I could read a few blog posts or knit a few rows.

I cannot stand TV as background noise. Sensoraly (is that even a word?) for me I can't think when it's on. I hate what it turns my children into. I hate that it becomes an easy out so that I can have a minute for myself. Shouldn't I lean on Jesus, not the Super Hero Squad?

Daddy Oak and I talked. We agreed it was best. So the first Sunday of Advent I hauled it to the basement with Willow literally holding onto my feet and Cedar pulling on my shirt. It's gone. For good. I listed it on Craigslist.

Three days later and they are back to showing me pictures they took on their digital camera (a wooden block) and defeating monsters in the mirror. They haven't asked for it once! And I am happy.


(and so are they)


I bring all of this up for a point. I promise! From now on on Tuesdays I will be posting what we have done in the past week without the need of a TV, share some ideas for what I have planned for the following week and will share some general thoughts on how I feel we are doing since going back to TV free. Feel free to join in and share your thoughts and ideas, links, and even gripes!

Have a happy day!