No TV Week - We Survived and Thrived

Well, despite the moans and groans from the kids (and adults:), we survived another NO TV WEEK. Was it easy...no. It required a little more creative energy to keep the family entertained and I had to accept the fact that I have a truly bad TV habit that I need to get under control. Otherwise, it was fun. I must admit that I was a little sad to see it all end and did not rush to turn the TV back on.



When I started this blog I asked the question, what do I have to lose or better yet, what did I have to gain. So, as I often do with major decisions in my life, I took a sheet of paper and made a line straight down the middle. Then I labeled one side "lost" and the other side "gained". This is what I came up with.



I LOST

• to opportunity to watch some favorite TV shows when they aired


• the chance to allow the TV and computer babysit my kids

I GAINED

• a new appreciation for my kids


• quality time with my hubby every evening


• more sleep (even though I used to say there weren't enough hours in the day)


• quality time with my family making memories we won't forget


• a more conscious approach to my personal TV and computer use for the future


• a decreased dependency on the TV and computer for my family (we know we don't NEED it and proved we can entertain ourselves without it)

I could go on and on. What really matters is, what I have gained far outweighs the two things that I have lost. I call that a success! We will do it again in September, will you join us.



September 20th-26th 2010 Go to Screentime.org for more information

Day Two No TV - I once watched Lost but now I've found...

a great way to connect with my children. Believe it or not I wasn't even tempted to turn on my favorite show last night! Instead, we had a book night and it was Darius' idea! He chose one of his favorite books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and read it aloud as we sat around and listened. It was great! We all found the story very funny and since this was a book that he had chosen as a favorite, it allowed us to learn a little bit about who he is and what he likes. My son is a pretty cool kid.

Now, I can not lie. It sort of felt like an episode of Little House on the Prairie. If we had turned out all the lights, and lit candles, then danced a jig while De'Vaughn pulled out a fiddle and played us a little tune, it would have truly been authentic. No, Seriously, I have watched shows depicting life before TV and other modern forms of entertainment and thought to myself, how boring. But now I can see how exciting it can be to enjoy the talents of those that are with you everyday. My family is funnier, more intriguing and suspenseful than any show ABC could ever create. The silence in our home is allowing us to to really get to know each other and it is also creating a bond that I am sure will last beyond this week.

Although we chose to have a simple book night here are some other things you can do to liven up an evening at home without TV;

• Announce a book night but build a fort or tent in the middle of the family room. Grab a few of your favorite snacks and some flashlights and even your non-reader will find it hard to resist popping inside.



• If it is nice outside, do some star gazing. Download a copy of the constellation chart for your area (they change with the seasons), set up some lawn chairs outside and see who can pick out the most constellations. (don't forget to bring a snack:)



• Let the whole family pile up into mom & dads bed for an old fashioned story time. Choose a funny story and make sure you change your voices to fit the characters. This can even be fun with older children if you give each person a character to read for.

Well, two days down...five to go...

Day One No TV - Tricks & Treats

Well, we started day one strong! We played outside until dusk, had great conversation around the dinner table and as a group activity we decided to make a treat together. Rice Krispy treats seemed like the perfect end to our TV free day, so we grabbed the marshmallows, cereal and butter and made our favorite gluten free family treat.

Now, being that this is April and not October, I wasn't on the look out for the trick just the treat. As you can see, Kamayah got a hold of a few rogue marshmallows and gave us all a really good belly laugh.

After we ate most of the treats (No TV Week may have an adverse effect on our midsections), and tucked the kids into bed, the hubby and I settled in for the night and had some great conversation before drifting off to sleep (much earlier than we would have if we were watching TV).

Now for tomorrow and the real test...missing Lost. De'Vaughn and I are both big fans of the show and we have never missed an episode. I think my internal clock is synchronized with the ABC network on Tuesday nights. When 9:00 rolls around, no matter where I am, I can hear the Lost opening theme music.... no, really. We will have to plan some distracting activities to help fight the urge to grab the remote.

Until tomorrow...

Turn Off the TV Week - Can You Do It?

Ok, so it's official, the Barnum family will be participating in Turn Off Your TV Week. I have just announced this novel idea to the Barnum children, and as you can see from the photo to the right they are not on board ...yet.

What is it? Turn Off Your TV Week is a semi-annual event emphasizing the importance of spending time away from television media. It was started by an organization called Screentime.org to help improve health, education and wellness while building stronger families and communities by reducing the amount of time we spend in front of the TV and Computer. Many of you are probably thinking, "That is a great idea! I have always said that my kids watch too much TV." but what about YOU? Do you watch too much TV? Do you know how much TV is too much TV? Try this TV addiction quiz just for fun http://www.trashyourtv.com/survey

You may be surprised by your results, I certainly was. I scored an 11 and after thinking about the questions, I had to be really honest with myself. While we try to limit our children's TV time quite a bit, I must admit that I have some bad TV habits that need to be corrected. So what do I do now? TV DETOX (this includes non-educational computer time)!

Now, this is the perfect time to use the old phrase, "This is going to hurt us, more than it's going to hurt you." We will miss some of our favorite shows this week too (please someone record LOST for us). We will also have to expend just a little more creative energy to entertain ourselves and our family, but what do we have to lose? No, the better question is what do we have to GAIN! So, we challenge you to join us this week and turn off your TVs and turn up the quality family time.

Log into our blog this week as we share creative ideas that will make this week fly by. Here are some tips to get started;

• Just take this challenge one day at a time. Everyday you are able to resist turning on the TV counts as a victory.




• Instead of telling your family that you are "TURNING OFF THE TV" like it is a punishment of sorts, try telling your family that your are going to be really creative and fun this week. Ask each member what they would like to do or where they would like to go and try to incorporate this into your week.





• Use music to liven up your environment. Each day let a family member choose a musical artist or genre that they like and blast it loud and proud. Use this time to learn about what each person likes. To make things really interesting you can go to your local library to try new music or world music and talk about the country and culture that that genre comes from.





• Do you remember that thing called the newspaper? Purchase one this week and let each family member take a section, sports, entertainment, comics, world news then read and share.





• Go outside! Enjoy your beautiful surroundings. Go for a walk after dinner. Be creative and take a camera to capture images that are usually overlooked. When you return home, review the photos together.





• Get each member of your family a journal for the week to record thoughts and feelings about turning off the TV.





• Plan something different, relax and have fun.

Sharing the LUV with Sherri Shepherd

A few months ago Sherri Shepherd came to Atlanta to promote her new book "Permission Slips" I went to the book signing to meet her. It was great! Although she says in her book that she doesn't consider herself a celebrity, she can't change the fact that she is a television personality and movie star. I was very excited to meet her.

At the book signing she answered audience questions and candidly shared her personal life experiences. One experience that she shared and often talks about on "The View" is her relationship with her son Jefferey. It is clear that she is dedicated to being the best mother she can be while adjusting to the challenges of raising a child with developmental delays. We can definitely relate to many of her challenges and decided to honor her passion for parenting with a gift. So, I presented her with a LUView Kit and Mirror to share with her son Jeffery.

I hope that Jeffrey is enjoying many special messages from his mommy and wish them the best.