Unpluged

I can't even remember what day it was now...but we suspended our Direct TV for 6 months.  We have nothing.  Not a single channel.  We will eventually get the satellite dish or box thingy so we can get the basic channels but right now we have a quiet house. 

I'm honestly amazed at how well the boys are taking this.  I think to a degree they took it better than I did at first.  They're just like, okay, no TV.  That doesn't mean they don't watch some videos once in a while, but they are getting better at just playing.  Sunday we played outside most of the day, roasted hotdogs and marshmallows over the firepit, and the boys slept outside in their little tent.  Chad and I just sat downstairs and read after putting kids in bed last night.  When was the last time we did that and didn't turn the TV on?  At first it felt kind of strange to not have the TV on just for background noice.  Now it's just so peaceful and calm.  Don't get me wrong...I hope we have it set up for basic channels soon so we can watch our 3 shows we like.  We don't want to miss out on our weekly "laughter therapy" from New Girl and Raising Hope.  Although - it's not like we can't just watch that online...hmmm.

So, why did we do this?  Well, to be honest, to save money.  We're spending about $1200 a year in cable!  That's steep when you think about it.  There's so many other things we can think of to spend that much money on.  Like groceries that seem to be getting more and more expensive!  And the fact that the boys wanted to watch cartoons all the time.  We didn't like that one bit and monitoring what Nathan would turn on in the basement was tricky.  That boy knew exactly what cartoons were on which station.  Sad!  And I look forward to more times like last night when Chad and I can just cuddle on the couch and talk or read together. 

And I think about what Pastor Kevin has said so many times.  What we watch on the TV comes right into our homes.  It can invade our thoughts and hearts without us even knowing it.  Think about how many commercials show scantily clad women, or trailers for horor movies there are - even during prime time!  I know I can't protect my children from what they see or hear once they leave this house, but while they are in this home I feel it's my blessed duty to protect and guard their hearts until they know how to do so themselves.  I want to arm them with the skills to do so.  Now, don't get me wrong.  Television in and of itself is not bad!!  We have the ability to choose what we do and don't watch but I don't think that a 3 or 6 year old can decipher that well enough yet.  Of course we can have great discussions about it and help them learn what's "good" or "not good" for their hearts, but we can have those discussions in the library when we are picking out movies as well :) 

And no Big Ten channel to watch the Hawkeyes??  That says something for Chad to give that up! :)  I love how he is leading our family in this and am so thankful for him.