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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Turn Off TV Week Survival Guide and Giveaway

***UPDATE 5-10-09***
Winner of the Outdoor Prize pack is...Stacy!
Congratulations!
*******************
Last week my kids participated in Turn Off TV Week. Note, I did not say ‘family’, I say my kids. I actually did not w
atch TV either. The Mister, however, cheated just about every night when the girls went up to bed. But who’s counting.

I was in full support after having been part of the Subway / NIH WE CAN! effort to fight childhood obesity. Actually, it was easier than I thought, even with one kid sick and home from school on one of the days! Here are some of the things we did that helped us survive.

We Made a mural in honor of Earth Week

I am not a crafty gal but I do have a large roll of white paper. I laid out about 5 feet from a roll of white paper I had in my non-crafty craft closet, grabbed the glitter glue, markers and stamps they got from the Easter Bunny, and told them to have at it while I cleaned up from dinner.

Murals = Cool

We played board games

Now that the Twofer are almost 6, they have kid versions of games that even I can get into…. Princess Monopoly, Cranium Cadoo, and various card games. Yet reality is, we’re playing those games on the floor in the family room…in front of our tv…that is turned off. Depressing. So, why not add a little gambling? Whoever loses has to empty the dishwasher. The next person to roll a 6 has to get Mom a glass of water...you get the idea

Play-Doh anyone

For real, I can't remember the last time they just sat and played with Play-Doh. That roll of white paper came in hand again...

Play-Doh = Cool

We made dinner together

Em was definitely into this. And has been asking every night since if she can help. We stepped it up a bit and I allowed her to do some cutting with an actual knife, AND crumble up the ground beef as it was cooking. But it just isn’t real cooking until someone gets burned and Em wound up with burn on her tummy. Yes, her tummy. Long story, but it involves my cook top being located on an island in the kitchen and the lack of a child guard that has since been put back.

Other things we did besides watch TV

  • Went to the library and read books.
  • Had friends sleep over…with no TV – yes, they were game for it!
  • Went shopping, ran errands, got ice cream (no TV means yes to spending money)
  • Took a bath! (Girls have been showering but a nice leisurely bath with lots of toys was very entertaining)
  • Played outside…a lot.

Which leads me to the giveaway...


I have in my hot little hands a big box filled with all kinds of outdoor toys that YOU can enter to win!

Win ALL of this great outside stuff!

Contents Include:
Balls
Bubbles
Baseball bat game
Some kind of racquet game
Frisbee thing

Chalk
Butterfly net
A kite and

a $10.00 gift card to Subway!
Photobucket

Here's what you need to do (as ALWAYS, separate comment for each!)

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite "No-more-TV-today!" activity
2. Tweet this post (click on '30 sec ago' for the link)
3. Email a link to this post to 5 friends and cc me (scarytwins [at] yahoo)
4. Grab my button and put it on your site (leave link)
5. Do 10 squats, 3 Hail Mary's and pat yourself on the back (just making sure you're paying attention)
6. Blog about this topic and include link to this post

Contest ends Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at 11:59 pm!

Doing my squats,
Janine

Thanks to Subway for providing the great outdoor prize pack!

13 comments:

Grace @ Sandier Pastures said...

It's nice that you took the time off from TV. My family had turned the TV off for almost three years now and we CAN'T imagine what we'll do if the TV is installed again. We always ask, how will we find the time to watch? :-)

I am not from the US so I am not entering this giveaway. Just wanted to say that life without TV is so much better and that good for you for taking the first steps!

PMKU said...

Good for you! If you are looking for good clean computer gaming fun for your girls, try pbskids.org.

Our kids are very limited on tv time. They watch more tv at school than at home.

Unknown said...

Hello there! The tv-free activities are easy for us, considering we don't have tv ever! We play a lot of games together--both board games and card games. And when the weather is nice, we play outside (I bring along a book and sit while they run around).

Unknown said...

I tweeted!
http://twitter.com/1momof5/status/1665440262

Unknown said...

We have alot of no more TV today activities, Depends on the season too! Go play outside is one of our favorites, be it backyard or park. We also like board games (Hi Ho Cherry O is new to us) and play-doh, coloring, practicing our letters, playing family (house).

Debbie New said...

our favorite thing to do when we turn off the tv is to just play hide n seek or just be silly with the kids in the house. Our kids both love to be tickled, and we can easily keeped them entertained that way!

minnemom said...

Get outside and play. (And if you think you're "bored," I can use extra hands in the garden--my radishes are coming up)

Anonymous said...

Knowing that it was NO TV week, my kids didn't ask for the TV. And they played everything from playdoh to "school". It's amazing what an 8 year old can teach a 4 year old!!
BS JLES walker

Anonymous said...

WE frequently don't even have time for tv,between after school activities, especially when it is nice out. Rebecca likes to play outside until it is dark. The only down side is that I don't get a chance to cook dinner, so it is either Daddy bring home take out or cereal or sandwiches.

Lorraine (playgroup)

Stacy said...

Love this idea. I try to turn off the TV more and more these days.

A good activity -- just sitting on the floor and watching my 16 month old play with his toys. I find it fascinating to see what he does and how he plays when the imagination is uninterrupted.

Anonymous said...

This would be great for the boys. No TV means outside as much as possible!

AA (GHES mom)

JK said...

I think my girls would be fine without TV. It would drive ME crazy!

jk said...

Ooops...forgot the GHES mom note