Change of Plans

Things have been so crazy that I haven’t had time to blog in the past few weeks. My husband got laid off, I became his personal secretary and my in-laws were in town for five days. I have finally started to relax this weekend. The “no TV and reduced computer time” this month have both worked out nicely with our new lifestyle. During the week, my husband is working from home to find a new job so the computer is occupied most of the day and we spend time in the evenings doing job hunting stuff.

I don't have the energy or time to say much else right now...see you in November!

I Miss You John!

So, what have I been up to??  I was out of town for three days this weekend and had limited access to the internet so that was good.  I’ve read two books, listed some backpacks on Craigslist and put a pendant up for auction on eBay.  I am very excited about the eBay listing as I have been meaning to do it for years. 

The internet still calls to me a lot during the day.  I have urges to check my e-mail or just sit at the computer and surf blogs, Facebook, etc.  I am hoping I think about it less frequently as the month goes on. 

 As for TV, I have finally stopped dreaming about the characters in Parenthood.  I don’t really miss watching television but it is an adjustment because my husband and I used to watch a show and eat dinner after the kids were in bed at least two nights a week.  We do plan on watching a little of the Vice Pres debate tomorrow night so that should be fun :)    If I could pick a show to watch right now it would probably be The Daily Show.  I love John Stewart and watching it with Dennis is fun because we pause it a lot and have great conversations.

Disconnected

I love being so disconnected!!  I actually feel lighter.  I’ve already finished a book, mended a pair of shorts, and caught up on a ton of little things I’ve been meaning to do around the house. 

I am also realizing what a blessing it is that I don’t have a smartphone.  I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that I might want one but I am currently too cheap.  And I can’t imagine how much time I would spend on the internet if I had access to it all the time.  This article puts things into perspective:

 http://www.redmondpie.com/buying-a-subsidized-iphone-5-with-a-two-year-contract-can-cost-more-than-1800-infographic/

That’s $1808.76 minimum with a two year contract and 301 hours spent using it for a year.  Alternatively, I have my old fashioned phone that costs me around $1000 for two years and zero hours of my precious time :)

Screen Time Crackdown

The average American watches between 4 and 5 hours of television a day.  Think of all the other things we could be doing with our lives and the real people we could be making connections with!  Compared to most people, I don't watch much TV.  I watch 30 minutes 2 nights during the weekdays and 1/1/2 hours on Friday and Saturday nights.  This was until I found the show Parenthood.  I recently started streaming at least one episode a night and have added an extra 6-8 hours a week watching this show alone!!!  So this month couldn't have come at a better time!  I am looking forward to making a clean break and devoting my time to more rewarding endeavors.  

 
I have also decided that I am going to cut down on my computer screen time.  I waste way too much time on Facebook, following blogs, and checking my e-mail.  I am a stay at home mom for crying out loud, I don't need to check my e-mail 20 times a day.  Old Navy's big sale that was the same as last week can wait! 

Initially, my plan was to have the entire family give up TV.  This has since been revised.  I decided that I want to live, so my kids will still get some TV time each day but we plan to cut back.  The kids usually watch less than an hour of TV and get 20 minutes of other screen time each day during the week.  This is less than the 2 hour recommended limit so I feel pretty good about that.We have, however, gotten in the habit of letting them watch one of their shows after dinner every night while we clean up the kitchen.  The plan is to cut out the after dinner show at least two times a week. 

All of this being said, when I was planning this month I failed to take into consideration that the presidential election is next month so I will allow myself to watch one debate and 30 minutes of election coverage each week. As for my husband, he says I am on my own with this one (but he will end up watching less because we often watch shows together). 

So, how do I plan to spend my time??
- Sell jewelry on e-bay (I've been meaning to do this for over a year)
- Make some homemade greeting cards
- Start researching what Christmas gifts we are going to make next month
- Read for fun
- Read at least one of the parenting books I have lying around the house