TV Time-Out

We were slaves to the television. It was the first thing Violet asked when she woke up. "Mommy, can I watch something?" And unfortunately, that voice was waking us up before 6 a.m. Not. Cool. And woe be it if we were running short on time. Violet would refuse to leave the house before the entire episode of Backyardigans was over. And she noticed if I tried to slyly fast-forward while she wasn't looking.

And it wasn't just mornings when the tv held us captive. Part of Violet's established, set-in-stone bedtime routine involved bringing the iPad upstairs so she could watch Minnie Mouse youtube videos. Three, to be exact. Although she always asked for more. There were many a tear involved.

Unrelated picture to jazz things up.

Well, finally Matt got sick of it. (I was also sick of it, but much more likely to oblige in the name of my sanity.) My brave husband, however, had no qualms. Just like ditching the pacifier, he decided we needed to go cold turkey. No more videos at bedtime. No more tv in the mornings before school. Enough was enough. The tv doesn't decide when we leave the house for school, the grown-ups do! Yeah! Take that, tv!

So I spent a day prepping Violet. "No more tv before school," I reminded her at least a dozen times. She seemed okay with it. I figured she really had no clue. The morning would be painful. Because, let's face it, tv is awfully convenient. That episode of Backyardigans allows me to make coffee, eat breakfast, pack up for the day, all in relative peace. Now, it's also made for plenty of tears and late arrivals at work, but I've always considered it a compromise.

And as painful as I thought the change would be, surprisingly it was not. Every morning she checks the tv, and every morning there is a big "time out" sign right there, front and center. And she doesn't question it. (Ha! Sucka!) She plays in the morning before we leave. We're back to reading books (lots... and lots of books) at night before bed. I feel very triumphant.

Although that Violet can be a sneaky thing. Yesterday she asked if we could watch basketball together. I'm pretty sure she was just craving some screen time and was willing to watch pretty much anything, even a lame March Madness match-up. Tonight Matt and Violet are watching old episodes of Good Eats. Again, I'm pretty sure she asked for Alton just to get the tv out of time-out.

But overall, it's definitely an improvement.

Spring break is going to kill me.

Going Back to Bed

Ugh, I am so sick right now. I have this awful stuffy nose hacking cough crud that I just can't kick. I'm going to blame my first graders for sharing their germs with me. We're single-handedly keeping the Kleenex company in business in my classroom. It didn't help that we were stuck inside all week this week due to the rain. The kids were awful, I lost my voice Monday afternoon and it's still cowering under a rock somewhere, I spent two hours in the urgent care clinic on Wednesday while the students terrorized my substitute. It's just been that kind of week. I'm really hoping having Monday off will help me recover. And I'm really hoping no one else in this house catches anything!

Poor Matt has been bearing the brunt of parenting duties this week. Someone get that guy a medal. He's dealt not only with Violet having a nighttime accident, but our cat also deciding to treat our bed (with it's brand-new bedding set) as a litter box. Grr. Fortunately my lovely new washing machine managed to erase any trace of either misdeed.

When you're stuck in bed all day suffering from whatever this illness is, you need some entertainment. Do any of you remember that show Felicity? Oh my gosh, I loved that show. It came out right before I started college, and I remember my friends and I watched mouth-agape at the freshman college antics the characters got into. We wondered, is that what college will really be like? I remember one episode in particular, when Felicity and friends are studying for exams. There was a countdown clock on the screen, detailing how many hours were left to study, libraries were packed with grumpy, stressed students "SHHH-ing!" everyone who dared breath too loudly, Noel took some crazy "smart powder" and had an allergic reaction causing him to sweat and yell at people. I guess it's a good thing that my own freshman experience turned out to be much tamer.

Well folks, that's it. My wonder-hubby is making me a cup of hot tea with lemon and honey, and I'm taking my pathetic self back to bed.

To Do List

So Matt and I are closet nerds. There, I admitted it (and outed Matt... sorry hubs). But the fact remains that we happen to enjoy watching a documentary every now and then. We've been known to DVR shows that detail the history of our national parks. We're plowing through ESPN's 30 for 30 sports documentary series. And we love watching GPB's Georgia Traveler. The show is exactly what it sounds like - each week the hosts travel to a different Georgia location and showcase the wonders it has to offer. There are the touristy spots, and then the random off-the-beaten-track places no one has ever heard of. But it's always interesting.

This week highlighted two things I just had to share. The first is the Savannah Slow Ride. The next time I am in this fair city, I am so totally doing this. It's almost enough to plan an entire trip around! How fun does this tour look?

Particularly loving the guy who brought his bike helmet! (via Savannah Slow Ride)

That's right, it's a bicycle built for... 12! Everyone pedals to power this unique tour bus...er, bike... around the city. You can even bring your lunch along! Genius! Who's with me? There's a group discount!

And for something a little closer to home (well, my home), allow me to present The Four Coursemen. This group of friends gets together twice a month and throws a dinner party that you are invited to. They use local, sustainable ingredients and unique wine pairings for a creative, ever-changing menu. Sign up and you'll get an email letting you know when reservations are open (and with only 28 seats, they fill up fast). Again I say to you... who's with me?!

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

EDIT: whoops, link is fixed, sorry!

I stumbled across this amazing interview with Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. It's long, but so worth the read. I'm not gonna lie, it had me in tears. This guy was amazing.

How'd They Do That?

I did so much Sesame Street watching this summer, I became more and more fascinated by how they make it work. The puppets are amazing! And the real actors, kids and celebrities that are in the scenes seem to totally buy into the fact that they are conversing with a lovable creature, and not actually two guys hiding under a furry blanket. It's really something... Anyway, I dug up some behind-the-scenes footage in case anyone is as interested as I am. Enjoy! (Or be totally creeped out - your choice!)

Dinner and a Movie

Make that lunch and Sesame Street.

Ah, the best-laid plans...

The other day I was reading an article from one of my favorite writers about the parenting rules we lay down, only to cave on. Take a look and you'll see why I so quickly related. In it, she speaks (hilariously) about how she and her husband were not going to stoop to the level of using television as a babysitter for their energetic twin boys. And then reality struck. She already put it much better (and wittier) than I'll ever be able to, so suffice to say, ditto.

Obviously, the evidence clearly points to a guilty verdict.

I remember the good old days, when I could watch hours of Say Yes to the Dress while nursing Violet, reasonably confident I wasn't polluting her rapidly forming neurons. We tried a bit of Baby Einstein, but she never seemed that interested, confirming that we could keep watching whatever we pleased without too much of it soaking into her sponge-like brain.

As Violet grew, however, so did her awareness. Now Elmo has struck. She's actually started responding to the show, saying "buh-bye Noo-Null" when Elmo bids farewell to Mr. Noodle (also,  hello two word sentences!). She knows what the remote does, and gets mad if I don't fast-forward through the boring segments to get to her furry red friend. We see a lot of Sesame Street in this house. Perhaps too much.

And then, while staying home with her all summer, teetering on the verge of losing my mind from a combined cocktail of boredom, irritation, and shimmery, heat-induced mirages, I decided it would be a good idea to let her eat lunch in front of the tv.

So sue me.

Actually, it's worked wonders. Ever since her dinnertime meltdown and the ensuing revelation that Violet has decided she is far to grown up and sophisticated to be strapped down in a high chair, all mealtimes have commenced at the kids table. Even when she eats alone. But alone without the boys modeling what to do (at least some of which is putting food into mouth), she is easily distracted. So in a spur of desperation one day, I plopped her in front of Sesame Street while I went to slap my own lunch together.

I'll be darned if that girl didn't clean her plate and ask for more without a single murmur of dissent or displeasure.

So now this is our new routine. And you know what? I don't feel too bad about it. I'm filing it under "you do what you have to, " cross-referenced with "oh well" and "it could be worse". Besides, daycare starts up in a few weeks and there's no tv in there!

So, what's on your "oh, I'll never..." list that you caved on?

Toddlers and Tiaras

My weekend was consumed by two things. Can you guess what they were?

On Friday I woke up early (having showered the night before to give myself maximum time) to watch the Royal Wedding. I managed to see the whole ceremony before rushing off to school, where several of us giddy teachers put it up on our interactive white boards and remained captivated. The kids didn't have a clue, but we just kept insisting "it's history! Watch it!" We even held off starting our school day until after the kiss! Huge nerds, all of us. I was so jealous of my friend who hosted a Royal Wedding party, complete with framed photos of the happy couple, a guest book, wedding cake, and tulle galore! (I have endured no end of ridicule from Matt. I just don't think boys understand.) Did you watch?

Exactly like my wedding... in that we both wore a white dress. Other than that...

On Saturday, Matt's parents came up (he to play golf with Matt, she to watch Violet while I went to book club - we watched Water for Elephants. Per usual, we all liked the book better than the movie, but the film itself was very good.) I also took the opportunity to drop a pretty penny on first-year-teacher stuff at Schoolbox. Teachers don't get paid enough. It is going to cost me a fortune to get my classroom up and running!

When I came home, I was greeted by the sight of Violet mid-Crayola masterpiece. It turned out to be more fun to throw the crayons on the ground and pick them up again than it was actually putting them to paper. Hey, as long as she doesn't put them in her mouth, I'm happy!

Taking a break to do some relaxing stretching. This is either downward-facing dog or the start of the handstand.

Playing 52 pickup. Hilarious. Violet had no idea how to get them all in her hand without some falling right back out again. Bless her heart, she didn't give up though!

I am the crayon master! Hear my roar and tremble!

Hanging with Grandpa after dinner.

Sunday we heard an awesome message at church and then played outside in the beautiful sunshine. It was a great weekend, and it ushered in the official start of our crazy overbooked next few months. I don't think there is a single weekend where we don't already have plans in some shape or form! Trying to enjoy every moment - happy May everyone!

Sesame Street

Violet loves Sesame Street. In fact, as much as we have the tv on (because that's just the kind of rotten parents we are, sorry) Elmo and Co is the only thing Violet will actually stop and devote her attention to.

Violet is trying to physically climb into Elmo's World.

Her favorite segment is definitely Elmo's World. In fact, I'm wondering if I should go out and buy her an Elmo doll, seeing how much she loves him. I often find myself singing the theme song (la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la, Elmo's World!) to distract Violet or cheer her up.

But there is one feature of Elmo's World that Violet decidedly does not like: Mr. Noodle.

I'm not exactly sure why... One of the first time's she saw him, he was wearing a snorkel and flippers, and the poor girl freaked. Since then, she does a little frightened whine and backs away whenever he appears (might not be a bad thing, considering how close she gets to the tv!) I guess I can't really blame her... he's a bit of a crazy.

Currently

I love finding a television show that has been airing for a while, I just haven't been clued-in enough to follow it. Because it means I can start DVRing the heck out of it and always have something new-to-me to watch. I remember when Matt and I finally started watching House. We watched at least an episode a day until, within a few months, we had caught every show. The downside of this method of tv watching is that we tend to overdose ourselves, but boy, is it a fun ride while it lasts.

Right now, we are currently smack in the middle of a Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations gorge-fest and loving every second. Part travelogue, part food-fest, this show combines the best of both worlds. Bourdain, the host, is the icing on the cake. Yes, the show travels to random sites (the rerun I'm watching now takes place in the Azores - Bourdain's eating some boiled eggs cooked by putting them in a sack and tossing them into a bubbling hot spring that happens to smell like (his words) a wet fart) and odd food is consumed. But Bourdain's wry commentary on it all gives a dry hilarity to the happenings. He doesn't spend too much time describing the taste and texture of what he's eating, one of my pet peeves with other foodography shows (because you telling me it has a creamy, nutty flavor is really going to help me experience that bite of food through my tv). Instead, he just eats and nods with appreciation. Or not. On the Icelandic adventure, Bourdain seemed rather disgusted more often than not, and didn't bother sparing the natives' feelings.

Speaking of currently, I just started reading a new book, One Day (Vintage Contemporaries Original). It follows the relationship of Dexter and Emma over twenty years, but here's the catch- the story visits them on the same day each year, revealing snapshots of their lives over the two decade span. It sounds like an interesting gimmick, and word is that the story has already been optioned for a movie. So perhaps it will end up being one of my book club picks.

And speaking of book club, next month we'll be reading (or in my case, rereading) Water for Elephants: A Novel. The movie-version comes out in theaters mid-month, so we'll be catching it on the big screen, yay! If you haven't seen the trailer, check it out here. It always makes me nervous when Hollywood takes a great book and attempts to turn it into a movie, but so far I like what I see. Do you agree?