More Reasons to Turn Off TV
April 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Are you participating in TV Turnoff Week? How’s it going?
My kids don’t watch a lot of TV. My 4 year old daughter is allowed to watch The Big Comfy Couch and the boys like Cyberchase (and while I don’t view TV as educational, they do actually pick up some math concepts from the show). So it’s not a huge transition for us, but I did expect some resistance.
The first day, they asked and I said no. I talked with them about TV Turnoff Week and the purpose of it. I think it took the emphasis off Mom, which was nice. 
My 4 year old daughter is the only one who seemed upset. She did whine a bit the first day. Interestingly, by the second day, noone even seemed to notice or care. The only thing I’ve noticed is that they are fighting more. That’s not a big shock, because TV kind of numbs them and they’re less likely to get on each other’s nerves.
But the extra fighting did spur me to do something different. I realized that lately, my kids have had a bit TOO much freedom in their schedule. My oldest is the only one who really “does school” in our homeschooling family.
The 6 year old is not all that interested in learning to read, and I’m not concerned. He enjoys writing letters. He writes letters to his cousin, to his Nannie, to me, to his Dad, etc. So he’s learning how to write and spell that way.
He also spends LOTS of time creating Lego structures. I’m a big fan of Legos. Free middle of the night acupressure aside, Legos are a very brain stimulating toy in my opinion. They’re the ultimate in open ended toys. They require imagination and creativity. He creates things that astound me and that I don’t think I could ever make. I’m convinced he’ll be an architect or engineer (or perhaps an electrician) when he’s grown.
But back to what I did.
Even though my oldest is very conscientious about his schoolwork and I almost never have to bug him about it, he still has a lot of freedom in his schedule and the routine is a bit lax.
So I sat down and made a flexible schedule for the kids. There’s schoolwork time, quiet time, outside time, chore time, and plenty of no particular thing time. But it’s still a flexible schedule. I sat down and explained the schedule to them and told them that I thought they were fighting too much, likely because they were bored. I told them that the fighting was getting too much for Mom and that I wanted a peaceful household, so when fighting erupted, BOTH parties would be assigned a chore to do together.
Yesterday when they started in on their daily attempt to kill each other, I reminded them that boredom leads to bickering, and the 4 year old and 9 year old were instructed to sweep and mop the kitchen floor.
To my surprise they didn’t balk, but got to work, and at the end were pretty worn out and needed a rest. Hey maybe they’ll be to exhausted to argue!
But this post was supposed to be about TV.
I think what I’ve learned this week is that TV is indeed the “creamy filling” that fills us up, preventing us from making progress in our lives. The upsurge in sibling rivalry spurred me to take action. This has major implications for my life.
What do you think?
Limiting TV - Here are some tips
April 23, 2007 | 2 Comments
13 Things For Your Child To Do (Instead of Watch TV)
C’mon, admit it. We all sometimes use the television set as a cheap babysitter. Ah, but it’s a double-edged sword, because kids who watch a lot of TV have trouble keeping themselves entertained, which in the long run makes your job harder!
If you’re trying to limit the TV viewing in your household, you might need a little inspiration. Try these TV-free activities guaranteed to keep the kids busy… at least for a little while!
1) Make paper airplanes
Warning: This one is highly addictive! My two boys absolutely love making paper airplanes. Buy them a book on the fine arts of paper airplane making, and then put your feet up and read a book. My boys have this paper airplane calendar and every day at the table and in the car (watch out - this can be distracting to the driver. 
they’re folding and flying.
2) Make a tower with toothpicks and peas
Go ahead- encourage them to play with their food!
3) Make homemade ice cream
Put two parts milk and cream and one part sugar in a coffee can, with any flavorings you want. Put the lid on, then put it in a bigger can and pour ice around the little can. Put rock salt on the ice. Put a lid on the big can, and give it to your child to roll it back and forth for about 1/2 hour or until it turns into ice cream! (Do this one even if it’s winter…I won’t tell!)
4) Give them a magnet and instruct them to run it all over the house and see what they find. And loose couch change is fair game!
5) If you have bunk beds, put blankets around the lower one and make a
submarine. Make it a yellow blanket. Then sing the appropriate Beatles tune.
6) Play First Family Savings and Loan
Save your cancelled checks and fake credit cards that come in the mail. Supply the kids with a calculator, pencils, small table and Monopoly money. This one was my favorite as a kid!
7) Build a mini log cabin with twigs
Have a tic-tac-toe tournament
9) Make your own soda.
Here’s an easy recipe: http://www.easyfunschool.com/article2052.html
10) Make a card for Grandma
Get out the rubber stamps, art supplies and construction paper and make a greeting card for Grandma or another loved one.
11) Bake a cake
Buy the kids an easy cake or brownie mix and let them loose in the kitchen. Tell them they can enjoy the fruits of their labors as long as they clean up all mess.
12) Make up a treasure hunt
Buy cheap dollar store toys. Hide in your closet. Make a list of items they must find outside. (A white rock, a feather, a red leaf, a penny, etc) Tell them an exciting booty awaits when they bring all the items to you.
13) Make a cave inside the house.
Put old blankets over the backs of chairs or over a table to make a tent.
Grab a flashlight and instruct child to go read scary stories inside it.
http://www.InsteadofTV.com is a resource for parents trying to turn off the TV and turn on life. Sign up for our free newsletter and get “101 Things To Do Instead of Watch TV”.
Natural Moms Podcast #47
April 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment
This week Katherine Westphal of the TV Free System joins us to share information on the truth about television’s impact on us and our kids. She’s giving NMTR subscribers a free ebook entitled The Awful Truth About Television. Be sure to sign up to get your free copy.
Download mp3 HERE.
Natural Moms Podcast #46
April 18, 2007 | 4 Comments
This week Elon Bomani, author of Dynamic Diva Dollars joins us. Elon is a natural Mom who went from homeless to house rich in 18 months.
Her books teach women how to invest on a shoestring budget. Elon is sharing the 3 things women can do today to get right with their money. Download the mp3 HERE.
A transcript of this show is available for subscribers. Sign up at www.naturalmomstalkradio.com
Someday
April 12, 2007 | 5 Comments
Someday, I won’t have to hang my purse from the hook on the back of the door to keep little girls from smashing my lipstick all over their faces and the carpet.
Someday, I’ll be able to drink a hot drink on the sofa without worrying if someone is going to do a flying leap next to me, sending hot coffee all over my lap and the upholstery.
Someday, I will put an object down somewhere. And I’ll come back later and it will still be there!
Someday, I’ll not have to keep nail polish, keys, pens and glue under lock and key.
Someday, the car windows, fridge door, and my pants won’t have peanut butter fingerprints all over them.
Someday, I won’t have to pay for library books that had pages torn out or written on.
Someday my bras won’t all be milk stained yellow.
Someday I’ll be able to sleep past 8 am.
Someday I’ll be able to run errands. Quickly. Without bribing everyone with steamed milk from Starbucks.
Someday I’ll sit around and think about all this and be just a little. bit. sad. about it all ;-)
Because someday my girls will have their own lip gloss and won’t need mine.
And I won’t need coffee when there’s noone waking me up at night.
And objects don’t really matter that much.
And I’ll miss the fingerprints.
And I won’t have anyone to read stories to.
And by the time everyone’s weaned I probably won’t even need a bra because my cups will no longer be runneth over.
I try to think of these things when all those little things threaten to stress me out.
Natural Moms Podcast #45
April 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment
This week Kimberly Rider of Atmosphera joins us. Kimberly is the author of Organic Baby: Simple Steps for Healthy Living
Download mp3 link HERE
Natural Moms Podcast #44
April 3, 2007 | 2 Comments
This week Dr. Scott Theirl D.C., D.A.C.N.B., joins us. Dr. Theirl is a Chiropractic Neurologist and is sharing how parents can optimize their child’s brain and body function naturally.
Download the mp3 here.