my kids are WAY cooler than dr. phil

Lately, I feel like I haven't been paying a whole lot of attention to the kids. Sure I take them to diaper gym, I feed them, bathe them, read them bedtime stories, take them places to visit. But to be honest, I'm so pooped lately! I find that I'm hitting the couch many afternoons after lunch, just to have a quick rest and before I know it I've killed a couple of hours. The kids play on their own or watch tv in the basement, or fight, or make mischief.

I've been thinking that if I ditched the tv during the day we'd all benefit. Theirs has been turned off for a couple of days now. I turn theirs off by turning off the cable box, so there's no way for them to get it back on. I hate when they watch loads of tv.

A friend of mine went shopping the other day, and she showed me this big textbook thing she bought at Chapters. I think it's a supplement to the work kids do in kindergarten. She's been going through it with her son. He turns five at the end of this school year, but she opted to wait until next year to start kindergarten. She's going to homeschool him, but hasn't registered him yet. In the meantime, she's been working with this book.

I want to get the book. I also want to do more things with the kids. I feel like the days just disappear.

Hence, buh bye daytime tv. For me and them. My one cheat will be Ellen. I'll tape it in the morning and watch it while I nurse the baby just after lunch. Once I fast forward commercials, it should only be about 45 minutes long. That's not bad. Plus it leaves hours for other things.

It's not that I watch all day. But it's enough that I feel like the stuff I've always figured I'd do with my kids daily just aren't happening.

I think what got me really thinking about it today was yesterday the kids brought some toys up to the living room and were happily and noisily playing on the living room floor when I was trying to watch Dr. Phil. I don't even like Dr. Phil, and rarely actually watch it, but there was something on yesterday that was kind of interesting. I sent them downstairs for making so much noise. It occurred to me after that I had chosen Dr. Phil over the kids.

How gross is that?

I told the kids that we were going to watch less tv and do things instead. They love to paint and colour, and they like it even more when I do it with them. We have games, we have snow, we have people here to hang out with.

Their first order of business? They want to have a party. I asked what kind of party. They said a family party. Just us, and not because it's somebody's birthday. They just want a party. They figure we need cake, balloons and decorations. Especially cake.

I'm in.

I'm going to come up with some fun stuff to do, and the kids and I are going to have a party. Maybe I'll make it a Christmas Is Coming party, and we'll decorate sugar cookies and make Christmas decorations. It's been a while since I've tried my hand at construction paper garland, or popcorn strings. How fun would that be??

Pretty darn fun.