Halfway there!

            We are nearly half way through 2011 so I felt it appropriate, fitting even, to provide an update on all of my ambitious, albeit slightly crazy, ideas that have been inspired by my NOTV2011 experience. NOTV2011 has served as a spring board for so many great ideas already and I am sure it will lead to many more before year’s end.  It will be interesting to see what else stems from this social experiment during the upcoming six months and beyond.  It has already been a life-altering endeavor.  The greatest change in our lives is that we all read about five to ten times more than we did with the television on!  Librarians and teachers across this great nation can rejoice!  We are putting wrinkles in our brains.

            If you have been following my NOTV2011 adventures, then you know that it has been a bumpy and challenging adventure.  The statement “the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat” comes to mind.  I have been quite successful with the goal of leaving the television off, but I have had a few ugly failures as well.  I can’t say I have been perfect, but close.  I can count the number of times we have watched TV this year on one hand and that is pretty darn good all things considered.             

            For the second half of the year, I am going to attempt to get a perfect score.  I am going for the perfect ten, Nadia Comaneci style. As long as I can avoid watching Criminal Minds and Wheel of Fortune I should be okay.  Oh and I have to stick the dismount.  I figure November and December will be easy because the holidays will keep us so busy that we won’t miss television.  September and October should also be busy with Kara starting kindergarten and me completing my marathon training and running my first marathon so that should be fairly easy as well.  Really it all comes down to July and August and honestly if I can’t be perfect during the nicest weather of the year, then there is something wrong with me other than the flaws I have pointed out in previous posts.

           As I mentioned, there have been great successes and horrible failures along this NOTV2011 journey.  Some of my greatest successes have been:  My creation of Wacky Wild Wednesday Workout and Fantastic Friday Fart (and burp) Festival.  My running and marathon training are right on course for finishing a marathon this fall.  And my 5K time is faster than ever!  My water consumption has increased exponentially; I could easily down a couple of quarts right now.  Watch out everyone, the Camel is back!  And my ability to create new and exciting entertainment for three gregarious kids pretty much on the fly is nearly perfected.  I am like a traveling, one-woman variety show.  I must admit it is pretty impressive even to adult company most days.  Not to brag, but right now my main character is like a cross between Mrs Doubtfire and Julia Child.  I have excelled at all of these.   Possibly best of all, our sheets are changed much more regularly still to this day which never would have happened if we hadn’t turned off the TV. This fact alone is a small miracle.

     Now with this amount of success of course comes some amount of failure.  Nobody is perfect, right?  Some of my worst failures have been:  The use of 52 Weeks of Better Sex.  Enough said on that one. I also failed miserably at my lent inspired attempt to getting better organized.  The house is still as disorganized as it was a year ago and I am pretty sure that a year from now it won’t be much better. The bathroom ceiling is clean again after a heroic and death defying cleaning experience last night involving barstools, bathtubs, bleach and flexibility.  I am pretty sure the act of scrubbing it wasn't pretty, but the bathroom sure is!  Other than that though the house is a disorganized mess.  My driving skills are still not as stellar as they ought to be either especially since I chauffeur three kids around so often.  I got pulled over for speeding about a month ago, but thankfully I didn’t get a ticket.  Possibly my worst, most unforgivable failure is that I can’t seem to get totally into this new house stuff and it really makes Jeff mad.  I am trying really hard, but there are just a lot of things about the house that I don’t care much about.  The jetted bath tub is a must have.  After my long runs it will feel so good to soak in that.  However, I care much less about the color of walls in the new house than I do about the long run I hope to fit in this Saturday morning and that drives my husband absolutely mad.  But I can’t help who I am and I am a marathoner!

            So anyhow, half way through the year I feel wonderful about all of the incredible memories I am creating with my kids.  Memories that don't involve television or movies.   These memories will last a lifetime (or more) while any cartoons or sitcoms would only last thirty minutes.  I feel optimistic that I will finish strong in the NOTV challenge just like I will at the marathon later this fall.  I am confident that both experiences will impact my lifestyle for decades to come.  I feel blessed.

Vern Out