Unplugged

We shut off the tv a couple of months ago to save money.  Though the kids protested and complained, I was pretty happy about it.  I've wanted to shut down the tv for years.  It seems like such a loud voice in our home. Over the years anytime I thought about life without tv I imagined less fighting, more creative play, more reading, a better feeling in the home, etc.  It was a rosy picture for sure.
Well, here we are two months out. I went through withdrawals the first couple of weeks not because I really missed the tv, but because I couldn't have the tv.  Don't you hate how that happens? You want something so bad just because you cannot have it. Think dieting.   I got over that however and only once in a while, like when Wimbledon was on, do I feel for a second like I'm missing out on something.  
The kids?  They're fine.  They've replaced tv with DVD's they check out at the library.  They are getting plenty of screen time is what I'm saying.  The bad part is that during the day they don't seem to find time to watch so they think they need to start a movie at night. This makes for late nights. Are they being more creative, fighting less, reading more?  Not really. They fight more, aren't really doing that many creative things, but they are reading more. At least Lindsey, she's loving reading right now.

So, I don't know. It's not the rosy picture I imagined, but it's better. I think I could go a very long time without the tv. Especially for money's sake. I added up how much we've spent on sattelite tv over the years and I figured we could have taken the kids on a very nice vacation. Dang!