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Jen's Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 11/19/00 -------------------- 11/14/00 10/30/00 10/24/00 10/18/00 10/11/00 10/10/00 10/3/00 9/20/00 9/13/00 9/5/00 8/22/00 8/15/00 8/1/00 7/24/00 7/17/00 7/11/00 7/5/00 6/26/00 6/19/00 6/12/00 6/5/00 5/15/00 5/10/00 5/1/00 4/25/00 4/19/00 4/10/00 4/4/00 3/29/00 3/20/00 3/14/00 3/6/00 2/29/00 2/22/00 2/15/00 2/8/00 2/2/00 2/1/00 1/26/00 1/12/00 1/4/00 12/29/99 12/20/99 11/29/99 11/17/99 11/8/99 10/27/99 10/26/99 10/18/99 10/13/99 10/7/99 9/29/99 9/22/99 9/13/99 9/7/99 9/1/99 8/31/99 8/17/99 8/10/99 -------------------- Jen's Introduction

February 22, 2000

This wasn't a big event sort of week, but Steve and I are trying to make some pretty profound changes in our lifestyle. One is to drastically reduce how much TV we watch. Its such an insidious thing -- we used to watch none at all, then we got an antenna about a year ago and watched a few shows a week, now it's creeped up to sometimes 3+ hours in any given day! What's up with that? I think it's because it's so easy, and when you come home tired from work, you just want to sit down and relax.

What worries me about this is what kind of effect this has on Jason. Honestly, a lot of it is stuff I really don't want him watching yet. I'm embarrassed that we allowed ourselves to get to this place, but it happened so gradually that I didn't realize how far from our value system we had strayed. I had promised myself that I wouldn't do this, and here I am. Sigh. I don't believe that TV is some evil entity -- I'm not that much of a fanatic, LOL, but I do believe in a healthy balance of creative pastimes.

The good news is that we have a solution. Steve and I took stock of what programs we really enjoyed, and which ones we only watched because the TV was on. What we discovered was that all the things we really like are on after 9:00 p.m., so we simply have resolved not to turn it on until then. So far, we haven't been perfect by any means, but the amount we watch has been reduced considerably.

The time it has freed up to spend with Jason has been so valuable, and the rewards of that time helps motivate me to not give in to those lazy moods. One particularly fun thing that I've done is to get a really big pad of newsprint paper and a box of washable crayons, and Jason and I draw together. Well, to be honest, it's more a matter of putting marks on the paper, but it's still fun!

I wish Jason could talk more, though. I can't wait until he's old enough for make-believe, and we can play all sorts of games. Sometimes I'm at a loss of what to do with him. Granted, he doesn't mind if I read the same books over and over, and he can play with his toys on his own just fine, but honestly, I get a little bored sometimes, doing the same things again and again. When the weather is good, there are tons of outdoor activities, but what do you do all day when it's pouring rain and you're cooped up in a very small house?

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