Friday, July 20, 2007

The Great Babysitter

Ava has discovered tv/video in all of its forms, and she's addicted. Baby Einstein and Kipper are her favorites. She perches herself in the computer chair - the highchair won't do since she must be like her brothers - and watches as long as I'll let her or until she falls onto the tile. I'm thinking a strap or buckle would help before watching tv is all she can do.

We have gone a long time without real tv in our house. Our eyes have grown semi-accustomed to the grainy pictures that we get sans cable, and when the show is dark, we just listen - as we did during all of last season's 24. Yesterday, salvation arrived in the form of the cable guy (huh?) who for one reason or another wouldn't tell me his name, so I had to keep calling him "Cable Guy." I got to know him a bit; he was here for 4 hours. Our house didn't come pre-wired; it's old and so we have avoided having cable wires wrapped all around our house and popped through various outer walls to gain access to the rooms inside. We finally gave in and I really don't care how many wires I have wrapped around my house, I'm in heaven. My kids are in heaven. They were amazed to see that they could watch cartoons past midnight if I'd let them. They're already asking. Just for fun on the first "day after" I let them watch without time limits - they watched until 1 p.m. Friends came calling and I shoved them out the door.

Prior to their departure, they ate their meals positioned where they could see get the best view of the screen of our microscopic test tv (until we move the other one upstairs). We should have held off until Christmas as this may be the great event of 2007 for them, and as parents we should know better to play these things smart. Timing is everything, after all. I could have even had my friend "Cable Guy" install the whole thing dressed in a Santa suit to top it off. My kids would have been snapped right back into belief. If I don't tell anyone, I could actually set Ava up with her chair, a buckle, helmet, and Baby Einstein; the boys could lock in on Nickelodeon or maybe a minute or two of the really horrible Cartoon Network, and I could read my book and eat mythical bon bons for an uninterrupted afternoon.

2 comments:

Celia Fae said...

Dear Jan,
It was a happy surprise to see your name in my comments today. Thanks for visiting. I think you should blog more and then we could comment and be friends again. I loved reading about your family. I can't believe you are remodeling your house. You are your mother's child. Ava is adorable, as are your other kids, but Spencer is my favorite. He looks like a Bolen kid.
Love, Celia

Alice said...

Dear Janelle,
Yes, I believe I do have the most beautiful grandchildren in the world! Lucky me! Thanks for the pics and text. It's nice to catch up on my kids. By the way, where did you get the picture assembly on your other entry. I love it. Is it an Ikea discovery? I want one, so please get me in the know. It's the perfect solution for Grandmas.
Love, Mom