So, my husband & I are about to do something CRAZY! I mean really crazy. A family with a new 6-month old living in New England during a particularly snowy winter just does not do this. When I told my parents of our plans, I thought my mom was going to have a heart attack. She looked at me with wide eyes, her lip quivering with distraught emotion and said “what about me?” At a late holiday gathering, I mentioned our plans to my extended family. All 18 of them looked at me as if I had told them we were moving to North Korea. The only word anyone could utter was, “Why?”
At this point, you’re likely wondering, what is this god awful plan that has horrified this mama’s family? I assure you isn’t all that bad. In fact, some of you may already be doing it. So, what’s our plan? Well, we’ve decided to pull the plug on our television. Yup, I said it. As of this weekend, we’re tossing out the life sucking cable box & that overcomplicated remote. Okay, we aren’t throwing out the equipment per se because that would be expensive. And, we aren’t actually turning off the service because oddly enough that was going to cost us more money than just keeping it on and not using it. (I know! That’s ridiculous, right?) But, what we are doing is banishing the equipment to our musty, creepy basement (I can’t remember the last time I went down there) so there is no temptation to turn it on and zone out.
At this point, you’re likely wondering, what is this god awful plan that has horrified this mama’s family? I assure you isn’t all that bad. In fact, some of you may already be doing it. So, what’s our plan? Well, we’ve decided to pull the plug on our television. Yup, I said it. As of this weekend, we’re tossing out the life sucking cable box & that overcomplicated remote. Okay, we aren’t throwing out the equipment per se because that would be expensive. And, we aren’t actually turning off the service because oddly enough that was going to cost us more money than just keeping it on and not using it. (I know! That’s ridiculous, right?) But, what we are doing is banishing the equipment to our musty, creepy basement (I can’t remember the last time I went down there) so there is no temptation to turn it on and zone out.As of today, we’re trading in our life of empty relationships with actors who don’t talk to us (regardless of how often I laugh that their jokes, how rude?!), repetitive stories of solve this murder or that crime & mindless channel surfing. You see, we have this long list of house projects & life experiences we want to enjoy – there are just not enough weekends in the year to make it all happen. And, for some reason when that television is hooked up, all our grandiose plans to read books, have more sex (Cha-ching! this is likely what sold my hubby on the plan), connect with old friends, make house improvements, exercise more, or even catalog our adorable son’s life, they all just get put on hold.Some of you may be thinking “Duh, why don’t you just turn the tv off?” Well, either you are much more disciplined than us, or you’re kidding yourself. After a long day of work & parenting, you tell me how easy it is to avoid plopping on the couch & turning on the tv. It’s not as easy as it sounds, Sally. Go ahead, I dare you to try it.
Many of you may side with my extended family and think we’ve gone off the deep end. Instead, I like to think that when we’re old & gray, I highly doubt we’ll be saying, “Honey, I wish we watched more tv.”
Do you think we’re crazy? What would you do with 1-2 hours more each night? Is anyone up for the challenge?
I’m Danielle, a nutritionist & health coach who specializes in helping busy mamas (& dads) become their most healthy self so they can raise healthy, happy families. I work with individuals, couples & groups both in-person & virtually. Are you ready to feel & look amazing?! Contact me today.