Around Here

Loving your posts and watching your children grow. Brings back wonderful memories of my girl who is a woman now. We haven't watched tv for about 4 years except for a movie now and then (especially during the winter). We don't miss it. We gradually turned it on less and less and think more for ourselves. However, when with friends we notice that everyone talks about tv or uses a tv show as an example to explain what they are talking about which meets with blank looks from us. They cannot believe that we don't watch tv and often the conversation stalls because they have nothing else to talk about. Its sad really to watch people who just work, come home, eat in front of tv and go to bed. The same thing the next day adding talking about what they saw on tv the night before. To each their own of course. We have found that we have more time to enjoy each other, hobbies, reading, family and something else we had when we were kids - nothing to do - time slows down - to daydream, watch the clouds, journal, and nap. With little ones it might be easier to just put it in a box and store it away. Out of sight, out of mind, no whine ;)

Its not the kids worried about no tv I would have to say it would be me worring. No CNN,Reality shows. Deadliest catch. I think I would be the one needing help. LOL.

Loving the pink & purple outfit! LOVE! my daughter is (almost) 6 and still very much in love with those colors & lots of frou. Seeing it on Anna is so precious. Especially in combination with the new bed. what a milestone.

I'm also loving the 'no TV summer'. Good for you guys! I grew up in a non-TV & then 'very little-TV' household and I don't remember once ever saying 'I'm bored' (and I'm still never bored! old habits.I do thank my parents every single day of my life for that decision!)

and because you seem to be reading my mind the past couple of weeks, I, too, am reading Family Dinner and LOVING all the inspiration. I know how to cook & have plenty of recipes, but that book was just the jumpstart I needed to enhance our dinner hour. I saw someone else posted about Dinner, a love story blog- check it out- they're great, too.

and after I say all that- can't wait to see all the creative things you've got going on. Your work is always an inspirational jumping off point for me-
Thanks Ali for sharing such wonderful moments

So true.. plans with no tv.. let it go.. have movies at times..
tv shows and news.. forget them.

have a great summer.. cook some meals.. have fun as flow..

What a happy girl with a big girl bed.

Thank for sharing.

LOVE Anna's new BIG GIRL BED!!! Yippeee!!!
LOVE that you are turning off the TV - kids need to learn to play and use their imaginations, go outside and play, ride bikes, build forts and explore. Big kuddos!!! Have a great summer!

thanks for the book recommendation! just added it to my hold list at the library. :)

i just love your "around here" posts. such a great way to capture the here & now.

loving the idea of a no tv-summer but I was wondering does this include no Wii time and/or computer for the kids? Now that we're winding down the school year i noticed that my girls' want to play the wii or get on the computer more than normal (there not real big tv watchers with the exception of a few shows that we dvr for them). I was just curious how you're handling that.

Thanks for another wonderful post!

We gave up TV the summer before last and it was awesome! No loafing around on the couch all night and there was a lot of book reading that summer........people will think you're nuts (as they did us) but it was great. Since that summer, we only have local TV (thank goodness for PBS) and Netflix for movies and we're still making it work. Enjoy...

Congrats on the big-girl bed! :)

We eat dinner together almost every night. I guess it helps that my kids don't have any activities after school or in the evenings. Sometimes it's just a free for all meal but we still sit down at the table. I should be happy about that because I have two teenagers that would rather be somewhere else but I appreciate the time to talk about things like school, etc. with them. And how I wish we could cut out the tv for the summer! We will be on holidays for the first two weeks of July and I know my kids will be in withdrawal but it's good for them to step away from the electronics since they are bombarded with them at every turn!

Congrats on taking the no TV leap for the summer. I bet you find you love it! We decided not to start cable after moving in March and I think it's been the best thing I've ever done for my kids. We still watch movies, but not until after 4pm (while mom's getting dinner ready - we homeschool, so that waaaay after school is finished). It's been great!

Well I just love your post Ali...so inspiring..although no kids on my front I can remember my childhood days, when we were told to go outside and make our own fun, TV was turned off and as for dinner, we had all meals as a family around the table...I feel blessed that I was brought up this way and I feel in today's society it is a major loss and being used less and less, my hope is that everyone reads your inspiring blog post and possibly pick up the book that you are reading to encourage them to do as you and your family are doing..sending hugs.

Our kiddos range in age from 24 to the twins who are 6. I can not tell you how glad I am that I made dinner time a tradition. Now that our older kids are out on their own...when they come home to visit...they head to the kitchen to whip up their latest culinary successes. It is SO MUCH FUN to watch their level of excitement in the process. One of the traditions we began...many years ago, was a round or two or ten of 20 questions at dinner. It is amazing to me the discussions that have sprung from that simple game. You would think that eventually the crew would tire of the ritual...but, instead I've found that they come to the table more and more with a "answer" already for their round. The other tradition that has remained a constant is "Friday News".... the night when each member of the family has a chance to share "THe Best thing that happened to me this week". Again...you'd think that once they outgrew the ...I memorized a new poem want to hear it? stage...that it would get old...instead... our grown children e-mail home photos or notes to be shared and demand a full update report in reply.(This week I have a photo of the Navy Ship on which our daughter is an officer...in dry dock, and of our oldest son's newest girlfriend...just waiting in the friday folder. All traditions that keep us connected as a family....because, at our house we eat together. (Sort of like...at our house no one is allowed to leave without a hug....our children's friends line up like troopers)

Love no TV summers!!! We own one little bitty 19 inch TV.... you have to know that no one hangs out at our house to watch TV or play video games....and I have a lot of children who do not call me Mom who love to hang out at our house.

During the summer I wasn't allowed to sit in front of the TV all day, I was shoved outside to play with my friends. The only time I came in was lunch and dinner and then before it got dark (or my curfew, whichever came first). We only stayed inside if it was raining.

TV, video/computer games are the reason why kids lack imagination. I work in a school system and it amazes me how kids no longer have imagination. When I tell them to use it they reply, "What's that?" Pretty sad when you think of it. Good for you for implementing a no TV rule! I think it's a great idea.

Just prompted to add a cautious note to the no TV comments. My dad was really strict about how much TV we were allowed to watch - and that was in the 60s and 70s! So what happened was that when we went to friends houses to 'play', all we really wanted to do was watch TV! Ditto grandparents ( a bit later) and hotels - rather than visit the place we had come to stay! And, when we did watch it, we were completely absorbed in the programme. There was no chance of having a conversation along the Tv, If we had a chance to watch, we watched! If my parents went out and we were left with a babysitter, we watched way past our bedtime. Even now, although I can turn the TV off and actually, I don't watch a huge amount, when I watch, I am still 100% focused!

As a geography teacher, I often suggest parents watch selected TV documentaries/Discovery channels etc with their children. Mostly it is to stretch the child's mind. I want them to watch
together so they can discuss what they see. Likewise, when watching a drama or something like that, I want them to discuss what might happen next, what clues there were for that, what the relationships are like - how do they know that: facial expressions, ways of talking (this all helps with creative writing). I want them to talk about the background - where is it set, what is the landscape like, what about the weather? Look it up on an atlas. And so on!
My own daughter (22 now) was allowed to watch more or less what she wanted within reason and not all the time. She is not as focussed as me, can turn it off, and is selective and balanced! (Not that i am biased!)
It sort of goes with the no chocolate argument, I think. Again, my Dad was strict about sweets. One bar between 6! You can guess what I am like with chocolate now. And I let my daughter have pretty mush what she wanted, when she wanted it. Now, she can take it (choc/sweets etc) or leave it.

Hope you don't mind me adding this other point of view.

And don't be too hard on yourself, Ali. At the top of your post, you sounded a bit down about how you are doing as a Mum/parent. Having read your blog for many years now, it seems to me you are doing more than fine! Your kids will have a hard time improving on thier upbringing, so maybe cut yourselves some slack! Enjoy the lazy days ofsummer.

Good for you on turning the television off. My three boys are allowed to watch very little, and only at a specified time (just before tea) on Saturdays. The rest of the time they don't even think about it and never ask to watch it. I am convinced it makes children more imaginative, more creative, healthier and happier to live without it.

I love how you repeated the phrase "around here".

The two major issues in our 28+ years of marriage: indoor temperature and TV usage.

I'd love to ditch the TVs. We did hold the line on only one TV until recently; the youngest were already in HS I think. When it's on, I get sucked in. OTOH my husband watches it constantly. According to him, it's the 'only' way he relaxes. (When you've never tried anything else, well...)

{Temperature? He wants the inside to be the opposite of outside. COLD in the summer, HOT in the winter. Since the kids joined me in ganging up on him, and the utility bills went up, the temperature is more in line with the real world.}

Ali, I find it absolutely super that you're planning a no TV summer. I grew up in Germany w/ barely any TV & it wore off on me as an adult. To be honest, I could live w/ out one. However, Americans & I hate to say it British, seem to be so bound on TV, people wake up to TV, TV's in public places, shows on top of shows at night, ... as much as I enjoy a good movie, when I'm alone & the hubby is not home, the TV is almost never on. Go for it!!!
Love you're "AROUND HERE ..." journaling.

Hi, Ali. Very brave to turn off that TV. I know I really struggle with that as well. My kids are banned from it today, in fact, because they were just being bad. I do think too much tv is part of the reason. Anyhow, I also wanted to thank you for sharing Anna's baby album in your previous post. It really inspired me. I've followed your blog for a long time, and I just can't believe that Anna has a big girl bed. She looks grown up. Enjoy your summer.

We are doing tech free Tues. and Thurs. this will be very difficult for my 12 year old, but so far my 5 year old loves it, she has been playing with toys she hasn't played with in a long time. It is hard because we live in a part of the country that sometimes has days like today where it is just to hot to spend an extended period of time outdoors, so we went bowling this morning!!