Friday, December 10, 2010

Almost Christmas?? ALREADY!!????

I can't believe Christmas is so close!  I haven't even started shopping yet!! ACK!!! ACKACKACKACK!

Lucky for me, no one on my list really wants much this year.  Everyone has asked for practical things.  Times like this, no tv is a true blessing!  We are not constantly bombarded with ads and tv shows telling us our lives are incomplete and pathetic because we do not own Product X.

Oddly enough, Eöl was just having a conversation with co-workers about the evils of television advertising aimed at children.  Several co-workers were complaining that, thanks to tv ads, their kids were demanding expensive and hard to find toys.  Eöl's response?  Turn off the tv.  Better yet, get rid of it. 

The co-workers gasped in horror as one.  Turn off the tv?? Get rid of the tv?  Oh, that's right, they say, Eöl is the weirdo that doesn't have tv.  What, they want to know, do your kids do instead? 

With a shrug, Eöl answers:  Play outside.  Read.  Do chores.  You know, kid stuff.

Eöl tells me the looks of amazement were something to behold.  Imagine, kids reading instead of watching tv.  Wow.

Yikes..that's all I can say.  Yes, we have a tv set.  It's an old one...not HD or digital or anything remotely cool or high tech. Just a plain ol' tv with a plain ol' dvd player, and also a...can you believe it...vhs player. No cable, no satellite, no channels.  We rarely turn it on in the summer, when the days are long and we are outside until late.  In the winter, it's nice to watch a movie and eat popcorn by a cozy fire, especially since it gets dark shortly after noon.  (At least it seems that way.)

It amazes me that turning off the tv never occurs to people.

So...back to Christmas being so close:  ACK! I say again ACK!

We have the tree up and decorated.  That's pretty much it.  I've been so busy working on projects, and then daily chores (do a project, clean the house, do a project, clean the house, etc etc etc), that I haven't even had much time to think about it.

We have snow already...a tad early, I think...but it looks like we may have a white Christmas, instead of a wet Christmas, for a change.

Christmas muzac has been blaring from Little Sis' room and Eöl's car since at least Halloween...and yet I'm just not feeling particularly Christmassy.  I guess that will change once the baking starts. 

Two weeks til Christmas Eve?? ACK ACK ACK ACKACKACK!!!!!!!!!!!!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas :)

We ditched cable before moving to our farm and haven't looked back since.

The kids are MUCH better off without commercials (and so are our ears). They get to watch cartoons on DVD which is sanity and baking time for mom at this age.

Our 3 year old asked for an orange combine and our 5 year old wants a house for her ponies. No specific brands, just specific equipment to look after their own homesteads and we love it :) Although I cannot find an orange combine to save the life of me! And why orange???

I do fear that school influences will rear their ugly heads as the years move forward unless I figure out a way to homeschool like you.

Do you have posts about how you started homeschooling?

Anonymous said...

Yay for less to no TV! I HATE commercials. Hate them. Do not watch them. On the shows I DVR, I fast forward through all commercials. Any show Sam is allowed to watch must be PBS (NO commercials) or DVD (which is old stuff from when I was little - Sesame Street. Mupppets. Fraggle Rock. Smurfs). I think commercials are soooooo bad for children. I prefer books, of which Sam is already amassing a library :)

It's hard to believe Christmas is so close. I'm almost done with the gifts, but soooo not even started on the cooking.

Country Wife said...

@ Staying..: That is so sweet about what your kids want for Christmas!

No, I don't have any posts (at least I don't remember doing any) about how we started homeschooling. But that's a great idea..I should do one! Homeschooling is really a lot of fun, and when I think of all those hours I missed with my two oldest kids in public school, I wish I'd done it from the very beginning!

@ Theldara: I remember Fraggle Rock, and the rest! I still love the Muppets!! And I have to ask: Does Sam have a copy of Green Eggs and Ham?

Anonymous said...

Woohoo Homeschooling! Is it bad that I had ideas for curriculum before my kid was conceived? Oy.

Yep, Sam has Green Eggs & Ham ;) I call him "Sam I Am" all the time, mwwhahaha.

Kristen @ My Semi-Crunchy Life said...

I, too, can't believe Christmas is only two weeks away!

We have TV, but have seriously downgraded. Beanie still watches some most days (mostly public broadcasting) and I pretty much don't watch anything. It's nice not to have it.

I remember a discussion on a mom's forum awhile back. Someone mentioned that there wasn't any room on their DVR to record a new show bc their child *had* to have this show and that show and the exact episode to watch. Another mom said, "Take back the TV!" I like the idea of "get rid of it!" even better.

Now, my computer? Don't know if I could do without that ;-)

Country Wife said...

@ Theldara: I will have to bring him some green eggs next time we visit!!

As for homeschooling, it totally rocks!! Little Sis is doing all college science (plus geography) this year...she's 13.

@ Kristen: I'm with you about the pc. That's my link to the outside world. Although I do have days that I really don't want to know what the rest of the world is up to. lol

Anonymous said...

Go Lil Sis! Homeschool rocks. My little sis just got admitted to community college at age 15. I <3 Homeschooling.