Television-Smellevision (Who needs it?)

Well, we survived our first 24 hours without the TV.  In fact, we had an amazing day!  Here are some of the things I have learned already:

1.       The kids really don’t care about the TV after all.  First thing this morning my daughter asked if she could watch a show and my son led her into the living room to show her the sheet over the television and reminded her of the challenge.  They then moved on to the playroom to get out some toys instead.

2.       Putting a sheet over the television was a genius idea, if I do say so myself.  I didn’t have to remind the kids of our no-TV challenge a zillion times – they looked at the TV, saw the sheet and knew that they weren’t going to watch it.

3.       The television doesn’t actually have to be on for the kids to be entertained by themselves.  I had a lovely long shower this morning while the kids played with Play-Doh and snacked on orange slices.  Who knew that was possible?!

4.       There are lots of quiet things to do other than watching TV in lieu of nap time.  For instance, just as our fun day was turning into a mid-afternoon of arguing, whining and crying (exactly the moment when I would normally reach for the remote control), the kids and I sat around the patio set, crunched on our apples and enjoyed a riveting game of I Spy with My Little Eye.

5.       I actually had a lot more time to myself when I was engaging with the kids all day, if that makes any sense at all.  My focus was on them, (which they loved), but I could also do this:

And in so doing, I made this:
(Thanks to this tutorial I found on Pinterest.)

All in all, a lovely day.  Tomorrow is a brand new one – here’s hoping it’s just as productively wonderful.

the one about Pinterest

“The reason we struggle with insecurity is because
 we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel.” —Steve Furtick

A new friend shared this quote with me one day while we were chatting about Pinterest.  I was explaining how the site makes me feel like an inadequate parent.  I’ve been home with the kids for five months now and can never find the time or energy to do any of the crafty ideas I pin, even without a day job taking up 40+ hours of my time.  How do all those other parents do it?

I’m sure there are some parents that really have it all together.  They love nothing more than being home, raising kids and making everything from scratch.  I’m also sure though, that most people are simply posting their highlight reels for the rest of the world, saving the behind-the-scenes for their eyes only.

This realization has definitely changed the way I look at other people’s posts, but still I feel that I could put a little more effort into things and take more advantage of being home while I still can.  That being said, I found a recipe for DIY Fruit Snacks on Pinterest this week and decided to try it out.

Not only did they turn out to be super easy and delicious, but I know exactly what they’re made of and can feel good about giving them to my kids.  They, by the way, love them so much that they  sneak more every time I turn my back.

I’ve decided to make a new goal for myself: find the motivation to complete ONE Pinterest project each week and post it to my blog every Friday.  Now, if you don't mind, I need to go do some research - I’m already sweating over next week’s looming deadline.  J