Day 3 and 4

The last two days without television. Honestly, I haven't thought it about it too much.

Day 3
Yesterday, I came home and Adam was waiting on me. We ate a light dinner of cereal (I can't be the only one who ends up eating cereal for dinner every now and then) and then took off to run. He surprised me and took me to Sweetwater State Park. It was AWESOME! It was the perfect temperature, perfect ipod playlist, perfect scenery, and the perfect hubby - the run was a total rush!! Then we came home and spent some much needed one-on-one time. Usually, the t.v. gets turned on and we are both A.D.D - so it is a distractor, I am sure. But Adam knew about me shutting off the t.v., so it didn't get turned on. And it definitely kept the attention where it should have been...

Day 4
I came home today and was starved. I went straight to the kitchen and made us all some yummy pasta. At the time, I was the only one at home, so the habit is to take my bowl in front of my television in my room and relax, eat, and watch the t.v...

I resisted - I think it is more a habit than anything. I ate and then decided to take a nap which ended up lasting 2 hours!! As soon as I finish blogging how it is going, I will still have a couple of hours before I go to bed. I will probably putz around the house and then read. I always wondered why I didn't have time to read and why I couldn't get anything done at home....yep - my t.v. show addiction. It is like a big pacifier.

The main thing I am contemplating now is whether the 4 hours of television I spent every night was a bad thing or a good thing. Is it harmful for me to watch that much tv? Do I need that time to relax? Will I feel better or be better from not watching television? And if it doesn't matter, why make myself resist? Those are the things I wonder.... I think it is always good to step back from things in your life - things that could or could not change and make a decision for yourself...

So that is where I stand. Taking a break from my addiction (that part I have decided it clear- I am addicted) - going cold turkey. Seeing what life is without it.

Day 2

So today hasn't been too bad. I had my daughter's birthday party this evening and so that took up some of my evening. Now that I am home, I had a phone call from a friend wanting to know if I was watching "Dancing with the Stars" and went on about how great it was. She was about the third person to ask me that today. Of course, that would have been added to my Season Pass list by tonight... but I keep reminding myself of all of the time it was sucking from my life.

Now the object is to make sure I fill that television time with something worth giving it up. I enjoyed it so much, I am hoping to find something that is better for me and that is equally enjoyable. Something that I can show for that time at the end of the day...

I did have so much more time last night. I researched some online regarding Evolution vs. Creation, picked back up the book, Wicked, and read for a good while.

I have also gotten into the habit of leaving the television on with volume turned down all night on the nights that Adam is at the firestation. I was glad that I slept fine without it.

I did find out on facebook that the Healthcare bill passed. I so missed that one!! So now I am going to find a newpaper at school to pick up and read. My news in the morning didn't happen and I also missed the memo on the snow that was coming down on the way to work - a total surprise to me...

I tried going Vegan last year and it lasted a very long and painful 3 days. My girls are placing bets as to how long this will last. We will see.....

Day 1

I have a serious LOVE for reality television. I think it really does send off those 'happy brain signals' and has rewired my brain or something....

I was so excited when I got TiVo for Christmas a few years ago! Before TiVo, I scheduled everything around the shows I watched. If I were invited to dinner on a Thursday, then I would probably decline because I didn't want to miss Survivor. Sundays were out because of Amazing Race and then it was Tuesday and then Wednesday...before I knew it, I was hooked and tried not to miss at least one show a night....I also had to choose between two really good reality shows that came on different stations at the same time.

TiVo was the greatest....you could pause them and rewind them and skip the commercials. TiVo seemed to be just what I needed. And at first, it was love! I did start getting out more and doing more and watched my shows on my own time. I also began taping shows that both came on at the same time. It was wonderful.

But then, I just could not get enough of the reality shows...they even have a way on TiVo to scroll through and get a Season Pass for every reality television show that is shown. I used this and before you know it....my Season Pass looked like this...

This is my Season Pass list and how many hours are taped each week:


1. The Biggest Loser (2 hours)


2. The Batchelor (2 hours)


3. Project Runway (1 hour)


4. Models of the Runway (30 min.)


6. The Amazing Race (1 hour)


7. Shear Genius (1 hour)


8. American Idol (3 hours)


9. Wife Swap (3 one hour shows per day - seen most of them and they get deleted-so about 1 hour weekly)


10. The Real World (1 hour)


11. 20/20 (1 hour)


12. Dateline (1 hour)


13. King of the Hill (30 min per episode - recorded daily but seen most- so about 1 hour weekly)


14. Survivor (1 hour)


15. America's Next Top Model (1hour)


17. Top 20 Countdown (2 hours)


18. Class Reunion (1 hour)


19. Georgia Traveler (1 hour)

This totals to 21 hours and 30 minutes a week. And this is not even including the news I watch in the morning, the late show with Jay Leno that I watch most of, House Hunters that I watch a lot of, and the other surfing and watching - which is at least another hour each day...

MY GRAND TOTAL: 4 HOURS A DAY!! (Even Fast Forwarding through the commericials)

Also should not shows not "in season" but was looking forward to watching and would surely season pass was: The Batchelorette, So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars, Jersey Shore

Other shows I have watched regularly: The Apprentice, use to love CSI - there are 3 of them, Dating in the Dark (I hated that show didn't make it past a few episodes), and a bunch of others!!

Therefore, it turns out that TiVo was actually not so much freeing me, but actually got me even more hooked and dependent on TV- TiVo was like a good friend who knew what shows I liked and aided me to seek them all out and saved them for me. TiVo also recorded other shows for me to watch if I ran out of my Season Passes...and they were suggestions based on what I already was watching...Before you know it, I was watching 4 hours a night.

So here I am. I have an addiction to reality tv. and it must stop. I have deleted out my Season Passes. I have done some reading online regarding this addiction. The blog was good mentioned in this article and where I got the idea to blog my own confession...

It is time for change. I wonder why I don't have time to read, or do my devotions, or journal...but it never occurred to me how much television I was actually watching.

The thought of gaining 4 hours of time a day is going to be the thing that is going to help me kick the habit!!

People can change. I can change. I am in control of what I do with my time and I decide what is good for me and what is not. As much as I love to watch tv, it really is no good for me. The pleasure that it brings in my life, isn't real...it is more of a mindless fantasy... helps me escape instead of engage in real life.

Life, here I come!!