Turn Off the T.V.!

I am so excited to team up with Crystal at Savvy Moms Save! Like many of you, I am a mother (of 3 young children), trying to find joy in the every-day things. Life with young children (or children of any age, for that matter) is usually messy, often frustrating, and almost always a challenge...but, despite all the work, it is SO WORTH IT...which is why we all keep doing what we're doing.

For the time being, I am fortunate enough and have decided to stay home with my children. But regardless of whether you are going to work, working-from-home, or a stay-at-home mom, we are all super busy! We often have so many responsibilities, duties, and demands on our time that our kids "take the backseat" and we urge them to entertain themselves so we can clean the house, make calls, or even just have some "alone time". Obviously we need to take time to ourselves, many of our responsibilities outside the home are important, and independence and entertaining oneself are important skills to teach our children....I don't want anyone feeling guilty here!...but spending quality time with our kids is equally (if not more) important - so doesn't it deserve a spot on our busy calendar as well?

Although we may technically 'spend' a lot of time with our children, spending quality time with them can be difficult, especially if we don't have it scheduled or planned out. But I have found that by blocking at least one regular period of time each week (such as one hour every Wednesday), I am able to ensure that I have at least a little bit of quality time with my kids. I've discovered that an easy way to ensure I spend more time with my kids is to TURN OFF THE T.V. (and other electronic devices including computer/video games/movies/ipods/handhelds/

etc). (If you need any evidence to convince you to turn off your TV, visit here , here[especially the "recommendations" section] or here.) Whether you decide to turn it off for an hour a day, a whole day, or even weeks at a time, choose at least one block of time each week when you are going to turn off your screens and focus on spending quality time with your children. Obviously you can tailor the amount of time and frequency to your family's schedule, etc. But this is just a starting point.


And so, I invite you to join us at Savvy Moms Save in "Turn of the T.V. Tuesday" - where, each Tuesday, I highlight ways you can turn off your television and focus on spending quality time connecting with your children. The possibilities are endless......see you next Tuesday! :)

~Sarah