No, not me, silly!
Well, yes me, in a roundabout way.
I am hooked on the time the cartoons are giving me in the morning. My kids might just be hooked on the cartoons themselves.
During the preschool year, I get up much earlier than the girls do. I do my hair and make-up. I usually have a Bible study going on at church that I need to work on. I check my email or catch up on blogs. By the time the girls get up, I am ready to face the day. And the children.
Not so this summer.
Long days spent thinking up ways to entertain a preschooler and a toddler, schlepping them around town to run errands, and making sure they don't drown in the pool sort of leave me drained. So I've been sleeping in...until 7:30 am.
Sadly, that constitutes sleeping in for me these days.
I have discovered that if I sit the girls in front of the TV for twenty minutes to a half hour or so in the morning, I can not only fix my hair and make-up; but I can also get snacks and drinks ready if we're going to be running errands, stock the diaper bag, and maybe even wash some dishes before they've realized I've left the room.
They do this (isn't it great? they don't even know I'm there, they are so engrossed!):
So I can look like this:
(Ha! Only in my dreams!)
This little guy in particular drives me nuts with his penchant for speaking in the third person, but if he can keep Michaela Byrd occupied so I can put on some eye shadow in peace, he's a friend of mine! Michaela Byrd loves "MelMo."
Before you get all judgy on me for subjecting my children to the lure of the "boob tube," I'll interject that we read enough books to keep the local Borders books in business. I can recite
I am a Bunny,
Moo Baa La La La, and the complete works of Stan and Jan Berenstain by heart.
Sometimes I hide books so I can get a tiny break from reading out loud. I wish they liked Mary Kay Andrews.
Many of Natalie's favorite series have been transformed into cartoons. She loves watching her favorite books come to life.
The Berenstain Bears:
Arthur:
Olivia:
Sometimes, it's all about
fluff. Natalie loves any of the movies featuring these ladies. These are a special treat if she's had a good day.
And sometimes it's okay to learn a little while you watch. I grew up watching Sesame Street, and my girls get a big kick out of watching Cookie Monster...perhaps he reminds them of their mother?
Sometimes TV can even provide a bit of inspiration, but for now it's my morning sanity saver. Thank you, cartoons, for distracting my little munchkins so I can attempt to look like Liv Tyler. That might take some more time. Maybe I should get them hooked on Gone with the Wind for an extra couple of hours to achieve that look?
Who am I kidding? Do they make War and Peace on DVD?
{What are you hooked on this week?}
Please go visit Julia at Hooked on Houses to see what she's hooked on. Her fun party including other bloggers will have all sorts of things you'll want to be hooked on too!
Happy Friday!
Too funny! My daughter loves watching PBS and Noggin!
ReplyDeleteNo judging from me! My kids all watched PBS, much more than a half hour a day!
ReplyDeleteThey also all were reading before they started kindergarten (well all the ones that are that old).
T.V.'s not evil...just some of the stuff that's on it!
Plus...you may want to LOOK like Liv Tyler, but she should want to BE like you...you're one of the coolest chicks I know!
No judging here also. Most of my kids are older, so they did the Ninja Turtle thing...they were never big on SS, sadly enough.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest is 9 and she was okay with SS...but I wasn't by that time. PBS isn't allowed in our home, except for very few occasions. I wish Caillou would drown or just die. I despise that show and that brat (sorry). We don't allow Dora or Diego except in really small doses. I REALLY wish that our cable system got Boomerang. Old school cartoons that we used to watch. Looney Tunes, WB, all the good ones. My oldest daughter (18) has found Angry Beavers, Gummi Bears, etc online so she gets them and watches them with her sister.
I've just found PBS so politically correct and strangling that the shows drive me nuts. I'm old :D
Personally, I'm hooked on phonics, but that's another story entirely. Good for you finding a way to get some more "me" time. When do we get a 5k training update? You realize how far you could run in 30 minutes?
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, how dare you feel bad for getting some time to "primp", that's what my mom calls it, and second, t.v. was created for a reason... to help those of us that have NO time to ourselves, get some...Genuis!! So go ahead flick on the t.v. and think to your self at least I won't scare anyone today! *wink*
ReplyDeleteHey, a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. Your girls probably watch a lot less on television than most little ones.
ReplyDeleteAh, I remember those days well. Cartoons are great! They keep them entertained for a bit, so you can get a few things done.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your time with those precious little ones. Before you know it, they'll grow up and go off to college. Then you'll look forward to their visits and cry every time they leave. :)
Jane
My kids sat in front of the TV for the same reasons yours do. It's amazing what you can get done in the 20 or so mintues that a cartoon (or whatever) airs. Talk about multi-tasking.
ReplyDeleteIt was also my sanity time. I even grew to be able to stand shows I hated, like Barney. [What's up with that Yo Gabba Gabba show? OMG!].
Another great post, Amanda. You're a very talented writer.
Ditto here! Check my blog!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you can achieve in 5 minutes of making up yourself what they do on "What Not to Wear." Wish I could have such dramatic results!
ReplyDeleteI am semi-embarrassed to admit (at the ripe old age of 43) I can sing the entire Bob The Builder theme song and do Barney's "Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun" complete with hand gestures. Apparently, I need to get out more.
ReplyDeletep.s yes I do have kids!
Hey, it works! They're such cuties!
ReplyDelete