Well, the media issue has exploded in my home. I made the mistake of telling Rick how much I hate that he stares at a screen all the time. He's totally pissed at me, though I'm not sure exactly what for. He's not speaking to me right now. But he did leave a note informing me that cable and netflix are both cancelled. I guess someone will have to tell me who wins Survivor this season. And I don't know what I will do about exercise DVD's from Netflix. And I expect we will be planning our Hawaii trip via notes.
Having Rick mad at me is the most uncomfortable feeling. It honestly feels as bad as losing a loved one. I am totally lost. This sucks.
And to top it all off, Gabriel is having a really hard time in school and I feel completely powerless to help him. There are days that being a wife and mother really sucks! This is one of those days...
About Me
- BeachBrenda
- I am a... child of God, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, counselor...
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
written 03-08-10
This morning I started reading a magazine article about the threat of electronics chipping away at family time. Reading this was like preaching to the choir with me. If I could have my way, the screens in my house would only be on the windows! Don’t get me wrong—I enjoy a good movie or fun TV show. I have even been known to use the TV as a babysitter on a fairly regular basis. But it seems that every time I turn around, someone is plugged into something. And I have a pretty tight reign on the screen time in my family!
I watch at least 45 minutes of TV a day—I watch DVD’s while working out in the mornings. I am, of course, on my computer at work all day long. I love watching Survivor with my family every Thursday. And I enjoy watching movies on the weekends. Sometimes. If there isn’t something better to do. And that’s just it. I can almost always find something better to do with my time.
I’m not a total TV Nazi… My kids like to watch the PBS afternoon line-up or Malcolm in the Middle. An hour or so of that is fine, especially when they are winding down after school. Luke loves Dinosaur Train on PBS in the mornings. Again, a quick half hour show is a nice little break. I can even get behind Rick’s desire to have a movie from Netflix every weekend.
Unfortunately, my family is watching way more than what I have just described! Way more!!! And it really shows on the weekends when I’m home with them. They are asking left and right to get on the computer or to turn on the TV or to go to the movie store. Gabriel is now our live-in babysitter (I know, it’s awesome!) and we have just by chance always had a Netflix DVD available on the nights we’ve gone out. Well, we didn’t have one this weekend and Gabriel didn’t know what he was going to do with himself (and his siblings) without that glowing box! They ended up playing a Wii tournament while Rick and I were gone. What ever happened to building Legos together? I know I’ve spent a small fortune on them! Or a board game? Or, heaven forbid, playing outside?!
On Sunday we had stake conference at church. That means the meeting is only 2 hours long instead of three, but we don’t split into classes. The whole 2 hours are spent in one room. On hard chairs. Not the most fun for a kid—or an adult for that matter. This is the first weekend I’ve ever taken my kids to stake conference. I guess I’m just out of excuses not to go. And it was in Astoria instead of Longview, so there was no good reason to skip. Anyway, I totally prepped the kids. We had a bag full of quiet activities to keep them occupied. Not 15 minutes into the meeting, and the boys start whining about “is it over yet?” Finally I warned Gabriel that we’re gonna be on a flight to Hawaii (yeah, I’ll get to that) for SIX hours! So, he’d better get used to just sitting. You can guess what his response was… “They let you play video games on the plane. And there’s movies.”
What the heck did people do before the glowing boxes were invented?! I’ve got 4 kids and a husband addicted to the screen. Computer. Television. Wii. DS. It. Drives. Me. Crazy! There is a whole, wide world out there and my family is missing it. There’s a whole, wide world right in our own home and my family is missing it! What am I gonna do when they all get older and more demanding and harder to entertain?!
And you know what’s really sad? It does not take much effort or creativity to entertain kids, at least not mine. Last night we ate dinner together and then Rick went to bed really early. (Which is a good thing.) So Gabriel sat on the chair in the living room whining about nothing to do. A part of me wanted to make him clean his room, but I stepped away from the computer (No, I did not miss the irony here. I am trying to make spring break camping plans and plan our Hawaii trip. Really, I use the computer as a tool to work and plan. I even shop on-line. And then when I’m done, I get off and do something else.) and started interacting with my children. It was around 7pm and I started reading books for bedtime. They were all a little confused because it seemed so early to start bedtime. But I was able to read extra chapters to everyone because we weren’t rushed for time. When we got done at around 8 pm, Gabriel suggested we –surprise, surprise—watch TV. But instead I continued interacting with them.
We did stretches on the living room floor. I found out that Sarah can do anything with that tiny, little body of hers. Elijah is totally inflexible, physically. Gabriel has no stamina. And Luke is morally opposed to structured activities. I was a little surprised that they stuck it out with me, but they were eating it up. We did stretches and some stomach crunches. We tried a few yoga poses. It was fun and they loved it! Next I had them all get jammies on and brush teeth. Then they all got blankets and pillows and I had them lay down in the living room. I turned off all the lights and we did deep relaxation and meditation. They ate that up, too! Luke couldn’t close his eyes (he was sure of it) and was not at all interested in being quiet (he never is, really) so he crawled up on the couch with me. I rubbed his back and covered his mouth while the rest of the kids flexed and relaxed their muscles, made faces, focused on their breathing and imagined themselves sunning on the beaches of Oahu. It was a lovely evening that involved almost no screen time (I did let Gabriel show us a very long YouTube video titled “90,000 dominos”. And that’s what kills me about screens. Some group of kids took about a bagillion hours creating an amazing domino thingy. Then a bagillion other kids all over the world sit on their fat, lazy keesters watching other people play!)
By the end of the evening, the kids were relaxed and settled, after having spent some real time with a parent. Elijah and Gabriel were almost asleep on the living room floor. Luke and Sarah were a little amped, but they always are! And I slept like a rock!
So on to Hawaii…. My friend Katrina is (finally) getting married and the ceremony is in Hawaii. Her aunt lives on Oahu, so we will all be staying there. At first, I was bummed that she was getting married so far away, because I really want to be there. But then she got to talking and I got to thinking and it has all morphed into the family vacation of a lifetime! Airfare is reasonably low. We have a free place to stay. We are all pitching in on food to share. And there’s a wedding to attend. And friends to hang out with in Hawaii! We really really really want to see the volcanoes, but island hopping is not cheap, so we might just have to plan another trip to take in the big island (bummer, huh?!) We plan to see Pearl Harbor and the Polynesian Cultural Center and the wedding, or course. Hopefully, we can spend a lot of time just swimming and tanning in warm ocean waters. It’s gonna be warm. And sunny. I am very excited. The kids will have DS’s for the long plane ride, but hopefully there will be enough to do in HAWAII that I can pry all 5 of them away from all that darned technology. And I’m pretty sure I can live without Netflix DVD’s, Facebook and my blog for a week… in Hawaii! Where it’s warm. And sunny. Hawaii!!!
I watch at least 45 minutes of TV a day—I watch DVD’s while working out in the mornings. I am, of course, on my computer at work all day long. I love watching Survivor with my family every Thursday. And I enjoy watching movies on the weekends. Sometimes. If there isn’t something better to do. And that’s just it. I can almost always find something better to do with my time.
I’m not a total TV Nazi… My kids like to watch the PBS afternoon line-up or Malcolm in the Middle. An hour or so of that is fine, especially when they are winding down after school. Luke loves Dinosaur Train on PBS in the mornings. Again, a quick half hour show is a nice little break. I can even get behind Rick’s desire to have a movie from Netflix every weekend.
Unfortunately, my family is watching way more than what I have just described! Way more!!! And it really shows on the weekends when I’m home with them. They are asking left and right to get on the computer or to turn on the TV or to go to the movie store. Gabriel is now our live-in babysitter (I know, it’s awesome!) and we have just by chance always had a Netflix DVD available on the nights we’ve gone out. Well, we didn’t have one this weekend and Gabriel didn’t know what he was going to do with himself (and his siblings) without that glowing box! They ended up playing a Wii tournament while Rick and I were gone. What ever happened to building Legos together? I know I’ve spent a small fortune on them! Or a board game? Or, heaven forbid, playing outside?!
On Sunday we had stake conference at church. That means the meeting is only 2 hours long instead of three, but we don’t split into classes. The whole 2 hours are spent in one room. On hard chairs. Not the most fun for a kid—or an adult for that matter. This is the first weekend I’ve ever taken my kids to stake conference. I guess I’m just out of excuses not to go. And it was in Astoria instead of Longview, so there was no good reason to skip. Anyway, I totally prepped the kids. We had a bag full of quiet activities to keep them occupied. Not 15 minutes into the meeting, and the boys start whining about “is it over yet?” Finally I warned Gabriel that we’re gonna be on a flight to Hawaii (yeah, I’ll get to that) for SIX hours! So, he’d better get used to just sitting. You can guess what his response was… “They let you play video games on the plane. And there’s movies.”
What the heck did people do before the glowing boxes were invented?! I’ve got 4 kids and a husband addicted to the screen. Computer. Television. Wii. DS. It. Drives. Me. Crazy! There is a whole, wide world out there and my family is missing it. There’s a whole, wide world right in our own home and my family is missing it! What am I gonna do when they all get older and more demanding and harder to entertain?!
And you know what’s really sad? It does not take much effort or creativity to entertain kids, at least not mine. Last night we ate dinner together and then Rick went to bed really early. (Which is a good thing.) So Gabriel sat on the chair in the living room whining about nothing to do. A part of me wanted to make him clean his room, but I stepped away from the computer (No, I did not miss the irony here. I am trying to make spring break camping plans and plan our Hawaii trip. Really, I use the computer as a tool to work and plan. I even shop on-line. And then when I’m done, I get off and do something else.) and started interacting with my children. It was around 7pm and I started reading books for bedtime. They were all a little confused because it seemed so early to start bedtime. But I was able to read extra chapters to everyone because we weren’t rushed for time. When we got done at around 8 pm, Gabriel suggested we –surprise, surprise—watch TV. But instead I continued interacting with them.
We did stretches on the living room floor. I found out that Sarah can do anything with that tiny, little body of hers. Elijah is totally inflexible, physically. Gabriel has no stamina. And Luke is morally opposed to structured activities. I was a little surprised that they stuck it out with me, but they were eating it up. We did stretches and some stomach crunches. We tried a few yoga poses. It was fun and they loved it! Next I had them all get jammies on and brush teeth. Then they all got blankets and pillows and I had them lay down in the living room. I turned off all the lights and we did deep relaxation and meditation. They ate that up, too! Luke couldn’t close his eyes (he was sure of it) and was not at all interested in being quiet (he never is, really) so he crawled up on the couch with me. I rubbed his back and covered his mouth while the rest of the kids flexed and relaxed their muscles, made faces, focused on their breathing and imagined themselves sunning on the beaches of Oahu. It was a lovely evening that involved almost no screen time (I did let Gabriel show us a very long YouTube video titled “90,000 dominos”. And that’s what kills me about screens. Some group of kids took about a bagillion hours creating an amazing domino thingy. Then a bagillion other kids all over the world sit on their fat, lazy keesters watching other people play!)
By the end of the evening, the kids were relaxed and settled, after having spent some real time with a parent. Elijah and Gabriel were almost asleep on the living room floor. Luke and Sarah were a little amped, but they always are! And I slept like a rock!
So on to Hawaii…. My friend Katrina is (finally) getting married and the ceremony is in Hawaii. Her aunt lives on Oahu, so we will all be staying there. At first, I was bummed that she was getting married so far away, because I really want to be there. But then she got to talking and I got to thinking and it has all morphed into the family vacation of a lifetime! Airfare is reasonably low. We have a free place to stay. We are all pitching in on food to share. And there’s a wedding to attend. And friends to hang out with in Hawaii! We really really really want to see the volcanoes, but island hopping is not cheap, so we might just have to plan another trip to take in the big island (bummer, huh?!) We plan to see Pearl Harbor and the Polynesian Cultural Center and the wedding, or course. Hopefully, we can spend a lot of time just swimming and tanning in warm ocean waters. It’s gonna be warm. And sunny. I am very excited. The kids will have DS’s for the long plane ride, but hopefully there will be enough to do in HAWAII that I can pry all 5 of them away from all that darned technology. And I’m pretty sure I can live without Netflix DVD’s, Facebook and my blog for a week… in Hawaii! Where it’s warm. And sunny. Hawaii!!!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Luke the Cute
Well, I’m sure I’ve said this before: Luke is a delightful little person. As I described a few weeks back, Luke got a cut on his chin from our rusty, old trampoline. Well, he had not yet received the tetanus vaccine, so he needed one today. Yesterday I told him he had a doctor’s appointment because of the stitches. I deliberately avoided the word “shot”. Like his mother, Luke can be a pretty anxious kid. So too much prep time can turn into too much worry time, all of which is miserable and unnecessary in my opinion.
On the way to his “appointment” today, he was rather curious, so he started asking questions. I think he sensed my attempts at evading the word shot and he kept digging for information. I finally told him he needed an immunization and that satisfied his curiosity. When we arrived, I waited until the nurse was present with the vaccine before finally fessing up to the purpose of our “appointment”. He, of course, resisted the idea, but ultimately he conceded. (Perhaps this was because it was happening regardless of his consent or maybe it was all just over so quickly he didn’t have much of an opportunity to protest. I choose to believe it’s because my off-spring is a remarkably brave, cooperative young man.)
After the shot he was offered a sticker, to which he promptly and loudly declined. I guess he just didn’t want to remember the experience. We went to Burger King for a post-traumatic treat. He chose burger shots with apple slices. (Another “proud mommy” moment… *sniff*sniff*). On the way into the restaurant, I was talking with Rick on my cell phone, recounting Luke’s triumphant ordeal with the “tetanus immunization appointment”. When I said to Rick, “and then I got the shot”, Luke stuck his finger out and corrected me, “NO! I got the shot!” Priceless!
On the way to his “appointment” today, he was rather curious, so he started asking questions. I think he sensed my attempts at evading the word shot and he kept digging for information. I finally told him he needed an immunization and that satisfied his curiosity. When we arrived, I waited until the nurse was present with the vaccine before finally fessing up to the purpose of our “appointment”. He, of course, resisted the idea, but ultimately he conceded. (Perhaps this was because it was happening regardless of his consent or maybe it was all just over so quickly he didn’t have much of an opportunity to protest. I choose to believe it’s because my off-spring is a remarkably brave, cooperative young man.)
After the shot he was offered a sticker, to which he promptly and loudly declined. I guess he just didn’t want to remember the experience. We went to Burger King for a post-traumatic treat. He chose burger shots with apple slices. (Another “proud mommy” moment… *sniff*sniff*). On the way into the restaurant, I was talking with Rick on my cell phone, recounting Luke’s triumphant ordeal with the “tetanus immunization appointment”. When I said to Rick, “and then I got the shot”, Luke stuck his finger out and corrected me, “NO! I got the shot!” Priceless!
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