Smith Kids MSU Tailgate

Smith Kids MSU Tailgate
Dominica, Veronica, Rebel and Miranda

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Holy Smokes!

I wasn't going to write anything today.  I had resolved myself to just do my everyday stuff: picnic with grandma, play at the library, clean the house, squeeze in a run if possible and in short fill our time with activities other than the television.  Then someone at the library asked if people were able to add comments about blog postings so I came to NOTV2011 to show her how it works and low and behold there was a posting yesterday!!! Holy Smokes a real live post!!!!  And best of all, I didn't write it myself.  I nearly had a heart attack or maybe I was just in shock from the fact that some other life form other than Vern had actually written on NOTV. 

Miranda you always were my hero, but now you are my hero in another new wonderful way; You are my NOTV2011 hero!  I am so glad that you guys are busy harvesting your crops, eating healthy snacks and not comsumed by watching the Wheel or Sesame Street!  You guys rock!

Vern Out      

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

how to get your kids to eat vegetables

Ever wonder how to get your kids to eat vegetables?  I have the solution, plant a garden!  My two boys have shown me that getting to pick your food somehow makes it more fun to eat them!  I have two grape tomato plants that they keep totally picked (and eaten) for me.  Cody even takes care of the green ones for us :)  If you ever look outside and wonder where Cody is, he's sitting next to the tomatoes filling his mouth!  Kenny also decided that cucumbers were yummy after he got to pick them and taste test them in the garden.  Moral of the story, if you want your kids to eat vegetables, try planting a garden!

That's the Daniels family input today...also gardening is a great activity for when you're not watching TV ha ha

Monday, August 29, 2011

The Weekend

It is getting harder to write about NOTV; it is not harder to live NOTV just harder to write about it.  Living it is actually getting easier each and every day.  I think the writing is getting harder due to my crazy busy lifestyle of recent.  Between training for the Grand Rapids Marathon, preparing for my first child to enter kindergarten next week and finishing the building of our new house it has been really busy even for me and I am used to a fast-paced life, but it is seriously getting a little fast even for me.  With three kids life seems to move at an always challenging speed, but it seems to be even worse than usual these days.  I wonder if it will ever slow down enough to just enjoy the moment completely, but I fear it may not. 

Anyhow, we are still not watching television although we did do a Shirley Temple Movie Marathon on Saturday night.  We watched Curly Top and Heide. After my nearly 17 mile training run Saturday morning, I had no energy to fight the kids when they requested movies and popcorn Saturday night.  I simply gave in to the request.  I was home with four kids (we added my neice to the mix) flying solo for the night and movies and popcorn seemed like a fair form of entertainment that would keep the kids safe and would allow me to sleep on the couch.

I am still reading a lot these days.  I just read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers for next month's book club assignment and it was really good.  I read it over the weekend that is how good it was!  Now I am reading Goldie and What I talk About When I talk About Running.  I am just starting those two but they seem to be good.

Vern Out

  

Thursday, August 25, 2011

I'm back baby!

And you will all be glad to hear that the fun-loving, self abusive, slightly crazy and always entertaining Vern has returned!  I attribute the mood alteration you are about to experience to a post dinner run last night and I am still taking Ginkgo Biloba so it may have something to do with that.  I pushed Hazel in the jogging stroller and logged four miles. Whatever the cause, I got over my PMS or whatever funk I was caught up in yesterday and I am here to start your Thursday out right!  With a little humor!

Anyhow, life without TV today is going to mean that I get in a super killer workout, attend a Dr. appointment, run errands (without kids since it is Grandma Day!!!), attend book club (I even finished the book although I did take Lori's advice and just read the interesting stuff) and probably drink some wine!

NOTV today also means that while Hazel is eating breakfast there will still be no Sesame Street (sorry, Hazel) and while Jeff is watching the kids tonight there will still be no movies (sorry, guys) and when I get home there better not be the  hum of the television set in the air or someone is going to be in BIG TROUBLE (this is a warning to you-Jeff). 

I have to get going to prepare for my wonderful, busy, television-free day!

Vern Out

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Daniels

The daniels are still here.  We had a great weekend thanks to everyone to came to the great party on Saturday!  We also had a blast with Vern and AJ on saturday and sunday :)  This week we have been really focusing on the potty training.  Kenny pretty much runs around naked when he's awake, and its working out great! its just been a real nice surprise for all of us!!  anyway I think he may be completely trained soon if we can keep it up!  Tomorrow is canning day so everyone feel free to stop in for some fresh spaghetti sauce or tomato soup.  Peace out

mird

Moody ME!

Today the best word to describe how I feel is irritable.  I know it's not so good and actually I have been this way for a few days now.  It could be related to my irregular womanly cycle, the muggy weather, my seemingly always-demanding, constantly fast-paced lifestyle, or perhaps it's a result of too little sleep the past few weeks and too little running the past few days, but whatever the reason I am irritable. 

As a result, I have argued with Jeff just about every day of the past week other than when I was out of town with the kids attending my nephew's birthday party.  The arguing I only take half of the responsibility for it because it not only takes two to tango and it take two to fight as well.

As a result of the combination of irritation and ongoing heated discussions, I nearly turned to the television last night.  Had it been Wednesday (Criminal Minds) or 7PM (Wheel of Fortune) I probably would have, but it was nine oclock on a Tuesday and as far as I know there is nothing worth watching in that time slot so I remained strong.  It was a very close call. 

This time instead of falling victim to a book, I was saved by my book.  The book (Devil in the White City)  that I was struggling to get started the other day (and at the time I feared may push me to watching television for a second time this year since 1984 had done so a few months ago) has actually gotten pretty darn interesting so I have been glued to that the past two days and last night I turned to that for comfort instead of television.  What I should have done was gone for a good run then I probably would not be so moody today, but it was dark and stormy.

Anyhow, life without television is still good today, just a little irritable as well. 

Vern Out

   

Monday, August 22, 2011

I survived

In case everyone was wondering if I actually made it through the rest of last night without the television, I did.  I guess small miracles do happen.  Now, had I borrowed the movie Office Space from Miranda, I would have totally watched that last night since it pretty much single-handedly guarantees 90 minutes of out-of-control laughing. Since I did not have it, I just took a hot bath and went to bed.  I did not try to force myself to read more of Devil in the White City because the last time I did that with a book (1984) I ended up cheating and watching Criminal Minds later the same night so I just gave up on the book for the short term and tried to get some extra sleep by going to bed early.

However, Hazel had her own little plan to sabotage my sleeping efforts.  She woke up a couple times during the night and was quite miserable which in turn means that I was quite miserable.  Now I am sitting here quite exhausted from my interrupted sleep and with muscles that are quite sore (day two after exercise really is the worst) wishing the Coffee Whisperer would swing by with a cup of Joe.  At least I am not watching television as I sit.

Vern Out

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Television smellivision

I have totally gotten to the point where I no longer think about television.  It is just not a part of my daily routine and has not been for so long that I really don't give much consideration to television anymore whatsoever.  That said, today I thought about it for the first time in a very long time.  It was just a brief fleeting thought, but I did think about watching television for a few moments today.  Today I feel old.  My body is tired, worn out really, and my legs are slightly sore from the half marathon I ran last night.  So when I started thinking about what I wanted to do after the kids were tucked into bed, I thought that sitting and watching a movie would be nice.  I thought it would be relaxing and entertaining and nice.  And then I thought, "no Vern you are better than that and you don't have any good movies to watch anyways".  Then I thought, "I wish I would have borrowed Office Space from Miranda this weekend.  Then I could watch that tonight.  That show is really funny."  Then I thought "No Vern you are better than that.  You are stronger than that and darn it people like you".

Now I am on my way to take a hot bath and head to bed early.  Maybe I will try to read more of my book for Book Club, Devil in the White City, although it is off to a slow start and I am struggling to get into it at all.  I need to force myself to keep reading, but I so do not want to do that...

Vern Out

Friday, August 19, 2011

What is ridiculous?

To answer the question at hand, "what is ridiculous?" I need only look at our monthly statistics for the blog.  We have only had two other posts this month.  That is truly ridiculous.  What's even more ridiculous? None of my siblings have been on here since June 6th.  That's right for over two months I have carried the entire weight of this crazy NOTV deal on my shoulders.  All I have to say is they are totally not getting any of the royalties from my book! 

Other ridiculous things in my life today include: my 5 year old wetting the bed; my 20 month old being awake (and unhappy) from 2AM-4:30AM today; me not having a coffee pot, or the Coffee Whisperer, at my disposal to help with sleep deprivation; the fact that we can not get through any single meal time without at least one beverage being spilled; laundry (I really believe it reproduces asexually in my basement or someone dumps their dirty laundry in my basement); my husband's obsession with wood hauling (this one is the worst); trying to go to the bathroom (without the company of a child); and the fact that I can not seem to finish even the most simple and mundane task without interruption from someone.

These are provided in no particular order of importance or ridiculousness other than the fact that my husband's obsession with the hauling of wood is completely out of control and irritates me the most of any of these.  Despite all the ridulousness and the irritation that comes with ridiculous, I have been strong and have not been turning to my television for therapy or comfort.  I have however taken to drinking (just kidding I am still self medicating with running.)  Tomorrow I am doing a half marathon in Alma so at least for tomorrow the Daniels will not be watching television!

PS if you have been dumping dirty laundry off here, please stop!

Vern Out   

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Smiths (finally)

Okay so this is late, really late; Ridiculously, embarrassingly, inexcusably late.  I promised this update about Rebel and Leslie back in July, but finally halfway through August it is here. Better late than never, I suppose.  You’re about to  embark on a true reading adventure!

I figured out why Rebel and Leslie have not been on the blog; they have created a television watching Utopia out on their deck.  They probably do little other than watch television while lounging on their comfortable couch and snacking. They are just too embarrassed to admit it so they avoid the blog.  They avoid it like the plague because to recognize it would force them to realize that they are addicted to their porch.  Apparently back in May Rebel was sitting around watching a Tigers game and wishing he could be outside enjoying the nice weather while enjoying the game and without having to buy tickets and commute to Motown.  Well after a little brainstorming session of his own, followed up by a fair amount of tough manual labor, he completed a major room transplant.  Rebel literally moved their living room from their former living room location out onto their deck.  It is so amazing and now he can honestly say they do not watch television in their house!  Their couch, coffee table and matching end table are all out on the deck as is their big screen television, lounge chairs and stereo system.  They have even decorated the area so that it has an authentic flavor of its own.  It is a television watcher’s Mecca; A true work of art.  I can honestly say if Jeff has done the same at our house I may have caved in and taken to watching television again myself so I guess I can be thankful that he is not as creative as my little brother.   

Anyhow, we don’t have a television deck castle like the Smiths and we survived our camping trip and have been completely television free with one exception, that until recently, I was unaware of; my husband has been cheating… and dragging our kids into his cheating ways as well.  I really think I would have been more forgiving if it had been a woman, but alas it was the television set that lured him away from our commitment.  The agreement was no television except for approved sports.  We had a heated discussion about this the other night so I believe the problem to be eradicated.  We’ll see. 

With my crazy marathon training schedule that requires long periods of time spent running for me and long periods of time watching our children for him, apparently he has been allowing for some television during these times and the kids were not watching Tiger Wood’s return.  And by some I mean a lot of useless cartoons.  I know it is scandalous.  I found out when I returned home for my watch the other day a few minutes after I had left for my long run of the week.  The television was up and running its own little marathon.  I was very upset, but I used my anger to fuel my run so it was a good one.  I kept a record breaking pace.  Last night I put in a long run and was gone for two hours and the television was not on when I got home.  After grilling the kids for quite awhile, I feel confident that it was not on while I ran either.

Vern Out 

Friday, August 5, 2011

A week away

We are heading out on our annual, week long, fun-filled family camping trip!  We will be spending the week camping up north.  Since we will be camping there will not be any updates from me.  Maybe one of my siblings will come through in this tough time and update us on their progress with life without television, but I wouldn't bet on it.  Miranda and Mark will actually be camping with us so you probably won't hear from them.  We will not be watching any television since we won't have power or a television for that matter.  I have a ton of packing to do so I will see you on the other side! 

Vern Out