Life without Cable - an update

While I'm sitting at the computer and am apparently in a chatty mood in a typing kind of way (did that just make any sense), I wanted to also give an update on our life without cable television. We cut the cable about 2 1/2 months ago Cutting the Cable, and I can honestly say it has been WONDERFUL! I was nervous, because I love watching TV, and up until 2 1/2 months ago, my TV was on pretty much all the time - sometimes even when I was asleep at night. The background noise from it was a comfort to me, especially if I was home alone.

I'll admit, the first week was a little tough. The house felt so quiet to me, and I felt kind of thrown off the normal routine without having my beloved random shows playing. I really did get used to it quickly, and I have to say so many good things have come from it. My whole family is watching much less TV per week, and I can see a change in how much more I am getting done each week as a result. I think having to make a conscious effort to decide what shows/episodes to pick to view is making us much more selective of our TV time. My daughter and I have also created a bonding time for us once a week where we cuddle up, eat some cheetos (yes - more junk food), watch the newest episodes of her favorite shows and laugh together. Loving every minute of it!

Before I start sounding like my family is SO terrific with our diminished TV time and we're oh so busy doing more important things I will make a confession. There are, of course, other electronics in the house, and the hubby still loves his XBox, the little one stills spends a little too much time playing games on either the XBox or her Kindle, and I still love wasting some time each day on Pinterest. But, I can say that for myself specifically, I have definitely reduced my computer time and have used that time to get back to other hobbies that I enjoy and have even managed to find time to start reading again.

How did we do it? We have a monthly subscription to Netflix streaming plan for $8/month. They actually have quite a few TV show options available. We've even discovered a few shows that we never watched until now. If you want even more options or more recent movies available, you can also add the DVD plan, but we really haven't needed it yet. Once we catch up on some of these series that we haven't watched before, we might add the DVDs for even more content, but even if we do, it's just another $8/month. $16/month is not too shabby compared to the $85 we were paying for cable (and we still had the streaming Netflix at that time, so really $93). We have many options for watching the Netflix either through the smart TV, the XBox, computer, Kindle Fire or the Apple TV.

What about new episodes of our favorite shows? Most major networks show the most recent episodes on their websites a day or so after they air, so I have one of two choices. If it is just me watching - such as my weekly fix of Pretty Little Liars. (I know, I know, I probably shouldn't admit that I am addicted to that show, but I am SO into it! Dying for the new season to start already!) I just watch it on my computer via the website. If it's something that I want to watch on the TV (like new episodes of New Girl with the hubby, so we can laugh together at Schmidt's obnoxious antics), that's where the Apple TV comes in. There is a feature called  Airplay Mirroring - whatever I am playing on my computer will show on the TV screen, so I simply play the episode on the website on my computer and it plays on the TV too, so we can all see it. On a side note - DO NOT waste your money on hulu plus. They have very little content and what they do have expires fairly quickly. I don't recommend it at all! You can still use the regular free hulu which is similar, although I haven't really needed it.

I could see this being difficult if you're a sports lover, but no one in my household is, so we're alright. We're also not big news watchers, but once again, there are websites for the local new stations too that are kept updated.

Whew....that was a long post! I've just had several people ask me how we're living without a cable subscription, so...there it is! 

Healthy New Me

I'm going to be honest here - I LOVE junk food! I think most people do, but I would definitely say I have an unhealthy love affair with candy and potato chips. My favorite thing in the world to eat is plain potato chips. I know, you're thinking - really Em? of all the delicious treats out there both salty and sweet you choose the plain old chip? It's true - something about that simple, salty delicious crunch makes me happy. I would pass up a cookie any day for some chips.

As usual - I'm rambling about just a small portion of the actual discussion here. :) I've been trying to start eating better. Well, in truth, I've been trying on and off for years and always seem to slip back into my comfortable spot of filling my pantry with processed, fattening junk. So, here I go again, trying to make a change. I'm determined to get myself and my family into healthier, more natural eating choices. For the hubby it's easy, he genuinely likes to eat healthy and has admirable self control when it comes to food. Don't get me wrong - the man can throw down a roll of raw chocolate chip cookie dough like nothing I've ever seen, but he can also bypass it any time he chooses to, which is where we differ. For me - if it's in the kitchen, I can't resist!

So, I figured I will take you along with me on this journey to healthier eating. I plan to try some new things, and I already know that I will discover some delicious new things and will be appalled at the grossness of others. To start, here are my overall goals:

1 - less processed/preserved food = more natural foods
2 - definitely more fruits and veggies
3 - more local foods
4 - no red meat = lean chicken, turkey and fish only
5 - less processed sugar = natural sugars

I'm not saying I'm not going to eat any candy or chips ever, because, let's face it, that is completely unrealistic at this point, but I'm definitely going to limit it. And who knows, maybe someday I won't crave the junk. Heck - I never thought I could kick the soda habit, and these days I would say I only have a soda about once a month. So, here I go - wish me luck on kicking the junk out of my life! Well, okay, to be totally honest - first I plan to overindulge in Easter candy this weekend - I mean who could resist some peeps and cadbury mini eggs?!

Rockin' Robin

For the past week, every morning there has been a beautiful, fat robin in the backyard. I look out every morning and that chubby little, red-breasted bird makes me smile. It makes me smile for a few of reasons - 1) because it is just so fat and cute! - 2) because I love birds - makes me happy to watch them flit around, and 3) because it makes me think of Spring and with the past couple of days being a little warmer I'm beginning to feel it in the air! I love Spring - when everything is fresh and new, when all the flowers and trees pop back to colorful life. I'm ready to come out of hibernation and get back outside!

The Dog Ate My Lunchbox...

My dog, that I love dearly, can be...well....let's just say a pain in my butt at times. He has separation anxiety as many labs do. He has always had some degree of this problem, but it got a zillion times worse when his best friend (our other dog) passed away a couple of years ago, and then we moved to a different house. We have had to learn to follow a specific routine when we decide to leave him home alone even just for a few minutes. We have to raise the blinds, because otherwise he will tear them up while trying to see out the window - looking for us I assume. We have to put away any random objects like toys, remotes and other misc, because we never know what he will decide to destroy while in his frantic rampage. We also have to close off all the bedroom and bathroom doors as he has been known to hop in and out of the bathtubs and destroy boxes of kleenex and shampoo bottles. Not sure what happens there?! He has progressively gotten better, and now tends to mostly wait by the door for us until we get home, but we still follow the routine of putting everything away just in case. Why not crate/kennel him you might ask? Yeah, well...we used to do that, and it worked well for a little while until one day he got in a frenzy and literally chewed his way out of a metal kennel. We came home to find a bedroom that looked like a tornado went through it, a broken kennel, and a dog with a broken fang. As a result, we got the pleasure of paying a significant surgical bill to have the rest of the tooth removed, and we now often refer to him as our 3-fanged dog, big, black dog. So, needless to say...no more kennels.

This past week, he was left alone while we went out to eat, and when we came home, he was happily chewing away at a small cardboard box?? Turns out someone (okay - I admit it was me) had eaten a frozen meal and left the empty container next to the sink - forgetting to toss it in the trash (which incidentally we also have to keep locked away in a cabinet, so he won't stick his happy, little nose in there on a regular basis). Fast forward to the next evening when we once again left him alone to run some errands. We came home to find he had pulled the little one's lunchbox off the kitchen counter (even though it was empty) and proceeded to lick it and chew on it a bit. Apparently, it stilled smelled like lunch. *Sigh* She was none to pleased with him! So, now we have to add to our routine - make sure there is nothing edible, or that smells edible, on the kitchen counters. Crazy dog!

Meanwhile, I did not have time to go buy the little one a new lunchbox before school the next day, so she took her lunch in a little purse/tote bag. I told her, on the bright side, she at least had an interesting story to tell at the lunch table - the dog ate my homework  lunchbox...

Show the Love

"Love your friends and family and make your best attempts to show them that love every day - not because you fear they might not be here tomorrow, not because any religion or rule of society tells you to do so. Love shouldn't be based on fear or obligation. Show them you love them, because it is what they deserve, and it is what you deserve, and it is the natural and joyful thing to do."

 

The above quote was my facebook status today, and below I will fill you in on why I was inspired to write it...

I have been exposed to several instances lately where quotes have arisen giving the repeating theme of "show those you love that you love them, because they might not be here tomorrow". The most recent one I encountered was the story of a small boy who, by way of a freak accident, was struck in the head with a tree branch and has been fighting a difficult battle ever since. It is a heart-wrenching story for anyone to read - especially a parent. My heart goes out to anyone who has to stand by and watch their child fight such a war while all they can do is sit idly by their side and cheer them on, but unable to truly fight for them - lives forever changed. While I do think it is great to turn around and create a positive by hugging those we love and being thankful that they are safe and healthy when we see instances of others who are not quite so lucky, it does bring up some questions for me. Shouldn't we be loving them and appreciating them like that every day? How many of us really are? Why not?

We should simply love and show our appreciation without obligation and without being reminded to do so. I know I am guilty of letting days pass without truly showing my friends and family how much they mean to me, and I am making a decision right now to change that. Even if it is just a small reminder to let others know that I am thinking of them. I choose to do this not out of fear of losing them or fear of regrets. It is a natural reaction that I think we just need to allow to surface more often rather than setting it aside while we attend to other things. Truly, even if I knew with 100% certainty that the people I love would still be around tomorrow, they still deserve to know today how much they mean to me.

Stumbling Upon an Answer

I just happened to stumble upon a terrific blog this morning, and it really struck a chord in me, so I thought I'd share it with others. One of the things I have struggled with over the last couple of years is what my purpose is in life. I think this happens to a lot of us - particularly stay at home moms - when our kids go off to school all day, and we are left with the task of rediscovering ourselves once again and deciding - "what now"? Do I go back to school? Do I get a job? What is my calling in life? In a nutshell...who do I want to be?

I finally decided that it was important to me to go back to school, but then the question became - what will I study? I felt such an immense pressure to make the "right" choice, because unlike those days of being fresh out of high school, I no longer want to spend endless amounts of time in school changing my mind and my major. Been there done that as they say. So, I asked myself - what is my calling in life? what is my purpose? how can I help others and fulfill myself? I made a choice and started back to school only to have to take a hiatus while moving halfway across the country. Now, it is time again to start thinking about jumping back in, and once again my mind begins to flutter and spin - am I still on board with my previous choice? is it the right thing for me? If I make the "wrong" choice will I miss out on my true calling?

I thoroughly enjoyed this blog post and recommend it to others as an inspirational read if you're struggling with your purpose in life or even if you're not:

http://kriscarr.com/blog/the-myth-of-finding-your-purpose/

It made so much sense to me and made me feel instantly lighter as she explained that putting so much value on an "external purpose" doesn't make sense as there are too many ways that it can be unfulfilled or lost. Placing value on knowing ourselves, loving ourselves and nuturing ourselves is so much more important, the rest is just gravy - so to speak. It felt like I happened upon this blog post for a reason - a reminder to look within for the answers and fulfillment.

Cutting the Cable

The hubby and I have been talking for quite awhile about the prospect of living without cable. I know, I know, those that know me best and know that I tend to leave my TV on 24/7 are either laughing uncontrollably or are thinking - "are you nuts? you'll never survive!" I thought the same thing for awhile, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that 95% of the time, I am either watching reruns of old shows, watching movies/shows on Netflix or just have it on for the background noise and am not even actually watching it. Hubby doesn't watch TV except for the occasional movie/show with me, and I can report with certainty that the day will never come when I will attempt to take away the internet or his XBox, because I am quite certain that would end in a battle more gruesome than the world is ready for.

Now, don't get me wrong...I'm not saying I am giving up TV, because I enjoy it WAY too much! We're keeping Netflix on the TVs, so I can still watch as many "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "BTVS" reruns as always (if you don't know what BTVS stands for, then I'm not so sure that you are welcome to read my blog anymore...I'm just sayin'...). I'm just hoping to be a little more mindful of how much TV I am watching, and saving about $80/month has inspired me to do so. ;) We also have hulu, so those few newer episodes I like to watch will be available on the TV also - speaking of - if you don't watch New Girl or Modern Family you're totally missing out on some laughs!