Turning Off the Tube: Part 2

I am happy to say that Bella (and mommy!) survived Day 1 of "Turning off the Tube!" I am trying not to be over-the-top about it, so when she got up this morning and wanted to drink chocolate milk and finish the last 5 or 10 minutes of Sleeping Beauty, I didn't count that against her. But when it was over, I told her, "Mommy will look at the tv schedule on the computer and you can pick one show (30 min) to watch. After that is over, we are turning the t.v. off until after bath time."

So I cooked breakfast for K when he got home from third shift, then the girls and I went downstairs to the playroom while he went to bed. We played a few minutes, then Bella watched her 30 minutes of t.v. Unfortunately, there is no Dora the Explorer on Saturday so Spongebob it was. Anyway. When the half our was up, the t.v. went off.

And it stayed off all day, except for when K turned it on. Oh well. I'm not about to tell the man of the house his thirty minutes of t.v. time are up in the middle of a Wisconsin Badgers basketball game...

So after bath Bella watched some more Sleeping Beauty (we have it memorized now) and then went to bed. Yay!

We can so do this.

Turning Off the Tube

My sister and I were raised in what most people would consider a very strict household. We had limitations on music, movies, and extracurricular activities. And- a biggie for most people- we did not have a television. When I was a kid I never really understood the reaction I got from people when I told them that. Now it's kind of like someone telling you they don't have a cell phone or a landline.

Quite obviously I survived to adulthood.

My husband was raised (like most people!) in a home with a television. So when we got married and I moved into his house, we had one. For the first couple of years we didn't have cable. Then we just got basic cable. Then we got the bundle with internet and 75 channels.

Do you see where this is going?

So my children are being raised in a home with a television. Don't get me wrong, I do not believe their watching Dora the Explorer is leading to the early exploration of narcotics. I do not believe the Mickey Mouse Club is warping their little minds. Spongebob Squarepants, on the other hand...

And I'm guilty as well. I don't watch a lot of t.v. And when I do it's usually HGTV. And I do really enjoy "19 Kids and Counting" on TLC. Is this making me a horrible person? Probably not.

But for my kids it comes down to standards. When they outgrow Dora, do I really want them watching Hannah Montana or iCarly? Absolutely not. Do I want them seeing commercials with sexual innuendo? (even shampoo commercials, for crying out loud!) No thanks. Do I need to hear "Mommy, can I get that?" every time a toy commercial is on? I'll pass.

They could be looking at books. Drawing. Painting. Pretending.

For me it comes down to time. I've come to realize the past few days that I am wasting so much of it. I waste time that I could spend doing productive things around the house. Or with my kids. Reading them books. Watching them draw. Helping them paint. Pretending. Or I could be reading my Bible or praying.

I'm not saying the televisons are going in the trash. Although, to be perfectly honest that's exactly where about 98% of the stuff they show belongs. For one thing, my husband would go into major withdrawals without his ESPN. And I believe some of the childrens programs are good, sound, educational viewing. (like PBS!)

What I have in mind is more of a strict limit on viewing. For instance, allowing half an hour during the morning when a childrens program is on, and then half an hour of a DVD in the evening to wind down. Right now Bella is watching more that that, even though she is by no means a couch potato. So making the change may be a bit difficult. But I believe in the end it will be worth it.

And the winner is....the F350!

So, obviously there's a story behind this one.

About a week and a half ago I was washing dishes when I heard (and felt!) a big ruckus. My first thought was that a large piece of furniture had spontaneouly tipped over of its own accord. But all the chests of drawers (didn't you always think they were called chester drawers? I did!) were still standing. Then I thought maybe the clothes rod in one of the girls' closets had collapsed under the weight of their considerable wardrobe...nope.

My next I idea was that there had been a bad wreck out in front of my house. I quickly walked to the window, doing a quick mental review of CPR. Airway, Breathing, Circulation...look, listen, and feel for breathing...etc.

No wreck.

Then I heard that voice in the back of my head. You know, that little nagging one that is usually pretty accurate and almost always the bearer of bad news:

"Someone ran their car into my house."

So I went downstairs and opened the door into my basement. Sure enough. My garage door was hanging by a thread, or rather a cable, and the wall beside it was kaput. There was an F350 flatbed truck in my driveway and a very sheepish guy standing beside it. He had wheeled into my driveway with the intention of turning around. Unfortunately my drive was covered in black ice. And the rest is history. (The really ironic part is my husband bought a big bag of Ice Melt the day before but hadn't had a chance to put it out yet. I didn't bring that up.)

The driver was extremely embarassed and apologetic. I told him not to worry, it could happen to anyone. I called the police to get a police report. NOTE: if you need a cop, call 911, it does NOT matter if no one is hurt! It does NOT matter if it isn't a real emergency. Or so I was informed by a very snippy lady at the police department.

Then what happens is, even though you said repeatedly ,"No one is hurt, I just need an officer to come do a report," an EMT will show up at your front door and ask if everyone is ok.

So I spent the rest of the afternoon (in addition to chasing my girls around!) talking to the police officer, my insurance company, the drivers insurance company, etc. And now, almost three weeks later, the gaping hole in our house is boarded up with plywood, and insurance adjusters are the bane of our existence.

Just This and That...

So just to catch up on the happenings at the Edmonds household. Starting with Abbigail, as the Last shall be First.

Abby: I often tell Abby it's a good thing she's cute. I also tell her if she'd been my first kid, she'd have been my last. Please don't think I'm mean. I love her very dearly. She's beautiful and a blessing and I'm so thankful she's mine. That being said, she's a fussy, needy kid. Nana says it's just because we have spoiled her. I don't recall specific dates and times said spoiling occured, though. What does Nana know, anyway. Pffff. *eye roll* Moving on. Abby has just recently cut two of her lower molars, which makes teeth numbers 7 and 8. Twelve to go. And she's progressed quite rapidly from walking to running. ("From then on, whenever I went somewhere, I was run-ing".) Which would be fine, except she's about as coordinated as I am. Luckily, she's a tough little cookie. It's a good thing....which brings us to

Arabella: My Bella-boo. My punkin-head. Bella is growing both in stature and the ability to facilitate mood swings. One minute she is my sweet, adoring three year old, I blink and she's giving me tween attitude. Talk to the hand, sister, not in my house! So we are working on various methods of discouraging that. I find for now the best is to explain (calmly!) that certain behaviour is not acceptable. She usually gets the point. We are working (both of us!) on using our "nice" voices, and also on manners. Like saying, "Can I have chocolate milk please?" instead of "Get me chocolate milk!" Oh dear Lord, if they made a cow that produced chocolate milk straight from the teat (I really hope that's what it's called) I give my right kidney for it. Chocolate milk is like crack to her. Sheesh. Anyway, we completed our fall semester of homeschool co-op and will be starting back up in February. I have taken a break from home lessons over the holidays be expect to start back up next week. My plans are to begin a more structured program with her in the fall, using Saxon Math and a reading program recommended to me by several moms. I like both of these because they are simple, scripted, and require very little planning ahead.

Dad (K): The hubby is good. He has begun his new job at Eastman Chemical and we are adjusting to his crazy schedule. They work 12 hour swing shifts. So for instance, he has worked third the past three nights. Now he has three days off. Then works four days, then has seven off. Etc. and so on. I bought a big dry-erase calendar for the kitchen to help us keep track. So far he is liking it a lot. And when the schedule falls so that he is off when I am working, he has been keeping the girls. So they are getting lots of quality time. So much so that some days when I come in he has that semi-crazed look in his eye and I know he's thinking, "A twelve hour shift is nothing compared to this!" Just kidding. K is a wonderful dad.

Mom: Oh, mother of pearl. Now me. Lets see...oh, I am going to be working at ETSU this spring, helping instruct the dental hygiene students in their clinicals. I'm really excited about that. What do they say? Those who can't do, teach! I am just trying to keep up with these little girls and be half the mother my mom is! It's hard! Being a great mom would be so much easier without the kids! ;-) I love my punkin-head and my Baby Precious, and I am so blessed to have them. I am looking forward to what the new year holds.

Calorie Rich and Battery Poor...otherwise known as Christmas

This Christmas was, as is usually the case with holidays, a mixture of fun, excitement....and yes, stress! Since K worked Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, it was up to me to get food, gifts, and kids to all our holiday parties. We managed to get everywhere on time and not forget any gifts, so to me that was a success.

It really felt like Abbigails first Christmas, even though she was here last year. She was three weeks old and pretty much comatose the entire holiday. This year she was wide open. She ran around, she climbed on things, she ate stuff (edible and not!). It was fun. The good thing about holiday parties is there are plently of people around to help keep and eye on her. Although if Aunt Rachel is anywhere in the vicinity, thats who Abby wants!

And Bella got a plethora of new toys, games, books, etc. I know it is fun for little kids but I am kind of wondering how you keep them from feeling entitled. For two or three days you are going from house to house and they get several gifts each time. Bella got to the point where she would open one, look at it a second, then grab another. If anyone has any suggestions on how to help little kids stop and appreciate their presents, I'd love to hear them! I want my kids to realize that some people don't get all these presents and blessings at Christmas!

Anyway, the holiday came and went, leaving my house looking like a Christmas party had thrown up here. Last night K and I un-decorated the tree (is that a word?) and this morning I started putting away new toys, washing new clothes, etc. I got a new vacuum from the parentals which should come in handy once I can actually see the floor again. And a new Keurig coffee maker from K, which will be nice when I lose stamina...which will probably be before we find a way to get this huge tree out of our living room. It was bad enough getting it in when it was all tied up. Hmmm...between K's new skilsaw and the new vacuum, we should be able to work something out... Would anyone think I am a grinch if I said I'm glad the holidays are over?

Here are some pics from our holiday. Remember, K was working, it's not that I wouldn't photograph him. (He is very handsome.)



Me and my beautiful snow angels, the day after Christmas.

Me and the girls, at my moms on Christmas Eve.

Abby's 'camera face'. Cute.

Ashy, Rach, Memmie, Me, Bella.

A Little Sticky...A Lot of Sap...

This year I decided that no only did I NOT want to use our puny artificial tree, I did NOT want an overpriced, dehydrated tree from a roadside stand. I wanted a real, honest-to-goodness fresh cut pine tree. I wanted the whole experience.

So my husband, who is usually very accomodating when I get these wild hairs, loaded us up last Saturday and we drove to Madison County, North Kakalacka. It was beautiful. It was sunny. It was freezing. And so began our Christmas Tree Adventure.

We found the tree farm that one of my coworkers had told me about, and a friendly Mexican worker directed us to the first field on the right. The first field on the right happened to be on the side of a mountain. In mud. Really deep mud. We got turned around and parked facing down hill and bundled up the kids. There were trees as far as the eye could see. And several men walking around with chain saws, which I have to admit was a tiny bit disconcerting, despite the circumstances.

Here is my wonderful husband, foraging for a tree and carrying
the baby. Yep, he's a keeper. (The big stick he's holding is used
to measure the trees by)

Bella shows off our perfect tree!

Once we found the tree, we flagged down a couple of men to cut it and

haul it down the hill for us. They wrapped it up and tied it on top of my

Forerunner, we gave them $35, and headed for home.

Then the tree went easily in the tree stand, the end. Yeah, right. Of course, the

tree stand was missing a piece, which I pointed out to my husband after several

minutes of effort. He continued to try really hard to make it work, then said to

me, "There's a piece missing." At this point you say, "Oh, really?" like it's news you

you.

$20, thirty minutes, and a new tree stand later:

At this point we were starting to realize a crucial fact to remember when

purchasing a tree at a tree farm: When at the tree farm, remember that any tree you

pick out will be two to three times bigger than you think it is once you get it in your living

room. Luckily, we have a big living room.

Bella and her daddy decorating the tree:

Our mostly decorated tree- I strung some beads on

later. The thing is over seven feet tall, and I think six

feet wide. She's a beaut, Clark!

Happy Birthday, Baby Precious!

I must be living in a time warp. Because just two or three days ago I gave birth to a sweet baby girl...and now she is already a year old! A year! And even though first birthdays are the best, I hated to see it creeping closer and closer on the calendar.

Even though Abby's actual birthday is Dec 2, we celebrated on Nov 27th because of Kenneth's work schedule. So at one o'clock we gathered with a house full of family and friends to celebrate the birth of Abbigail Skye.


Abby's cakes, the big one for our guests and
the little one for her to destroy! (I made them both!)
Abby trying to decide which part of the frosting
to eat next.

Me and Baby Precious.

One of her favorite gifts....big sis Bella loves it too!!!!