We have not had TV for five and a half years, so it won’t be hard for me to “turn it off” next week. However, I have other time “issues” that I plan on addressing during TV Turn-Off Week (starts this coming Monday, April 23rd through Sunday, April 29th).
My biggest problem is the internet. I have always liked the internet. Mostly I used to prowl around sites like Amazon and “browse “… or shop. But then, thanks to my friend, I discovered blogging. The good news is that I spend less money. The bad news is that I have become addicted. If I am not online, I am thinking about being online. It is awful! See my post: “Why Am I Doing This” for all the sordid details! (By the way, I just found out that galvanized has given this a name: OBD, or Obsessive Blogging Disorder.) While you are watching Seinfeld reruns, I am online. Is that any more productive? As my smug, TV-loving husband is more than happy to point out, I am certainly not as “unplugged” as I could be.
So, my goal for next week revolves around unplugging myself from the computer. I like gardening and need to start watering and planting. I have three children ages 15 months through 6 1/2 who would be very happy to read more stories, do more “Kids Cook Nights,” play a board game, or do a craft or two. So, we shall. I want to sort out all the excess of my life and donate it to my children’s annual school garage sale. I want to organize my home office. I have some old 1970′s board games and such that I have been meaning to sell on Ebay. There are so many things I want to do, that I know I cannot achieve it all in one week. So, I must narrow it down to an achievable goal:
- A maximum of one hour per day online. It will occur after the kids go to bed, no “peeking” at my email during the daytime. This one will be hard since the computer is in the kitchen, tempting me, taunting me, CALLING OUT TO ME!!! OK, this is getting weird. As I said - only one hour per day.
- I will order my roses from David Austin (if it is not too late).
- I will begin watering and weeding my garden.
- By the end of the week I will have my front porch looking planted and pretty again for spring.
- I will try to read an extra book, do a craft, or play a game with my kids after school every day.
- We shall have TWO Kids Cook Nights next week instead of one.
- I will buy and actually READ the book for my next book club (in case anyone is interested, the book is The Laws of Evening: Stories, by Mary Yukari Waters).
- I will take at least one long evening bath in my marvelous “Toto Lloyd Airbath” that I splurged on and installed over one year ago during The Massive Remodel and that I have used exactly - ONCE! (thanks to Wishy The Writer for the bath idea).
This sounds like a very full week to me. I will report on my progress along the way (as long as I can type fast and get it all posted within one hour!), and at the end.
If you wish to join our Challenge, please click here for more info and all the nitty-gritty details. Basically, all it really requires is an intro post (this is mine) and a summary post at the end of the week. You are welcome to post about it during the week too. Make sure to put your name in Mr. Linky so we can find you, and a link back to the main “Challenge” post so “they” can find us! If you succeed, great! If not, that is OK too, at least you tried and hopefully had fun.
By the way, I think that satellite radio and music, even if yours comes via the TV, is OK. My interpretation of the spirit of TV Turn-Off Week is simply… well… no TV shows!
Also, I will be giving away a HIGHLY COVETED $10 AMAZON GIFT CERTIFICATE to a random participant (regardless of whether you make it all week! ) How exciting is that!!
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