I've stopped counting days of having the munchkins be "Unplugged" because I'm not going to keep track forever (and I slipped one day, see below) and would rather consider this a new reality for them. The benefits keep on coming too!
Derailed! It wasn't really a slip-up, it was deliberate. Em was playing with his new train set in his room and saw a hummingbird right outside his window. (Pic taken about 10 minutes before the incident.) He tapped on the window, and the inner pane cracked! Ack! He came to tell me and I didn't believe him until I actually saw it myself. There was glass everywhere! In the toys, on the carpet, the windowsill, etc.
I put him in the living room with Ro at which time Ro decided to pitch a full blown fit-- naptime luckily. My neighbor wasn't home to babysit for a few minutes and I could not keep Em in the living room, he kept coming back. The baby gate doesn't work... he climbs over it and it was way too cold to put him in the back yard. He read two books and drew me a bunch of pictures and ate a snack and then came back to watch me, at which point, I gave up for 20 minutes and let him watch Thomas! I felt bad that I was breaking my new habit, but could not think of another thing he could do alone. I cleaned every single toy (no small feat!) and dusted and vaccumed at lighting speed to get it all done and got a quote for a replacement window.
Daddy and overtime:
My husband works at UCLA but also co-owns a company that he does jobs for on the weekends. This weekend, they were rewiring (for network and phones) an entire 3 story building. Taking out the old wiring and installing new wires and then punching them down (to each desk). This meant, I'd he home alone with the babies all day both Saturday and Sunday... not unusual, but I'm tired by Friday! What to do... what to do... bike rides, baking, play dates, sprinkler amok running... etc. Rob worked 12 hours each day... it was so exhausting for both of us! But the TV stayed off and we had a grand time without it. The TV is an it you know... not a family member.
I also noticed that being more mindful of things, Em's potty training is going much much better! He is more aware of when to go and that saves me a bit of laundry!
This was Ro's first real time playing in water that wasn't meant for bathing. At first, he didn't want to go near the water, but by the end, he was giggling and walking back and forth through the little hoses as fast as his newly useable legs could carry him. I think I took over 100 pics!
Certain relatives keep trying to understand my desire not to have the TV on, but sometimes they forget and reminding them is kinda funny. They do like the benefits of a longer attention span and the exploding language useage in Em, but do not think any of it has to do with television. I just think differently I guess.
Lots more to babble about, but I've got to get bike riding with the babes before it gets too hot!
