TV, Playstations, P.C's and Power Cuts !!!!!

[Still Kate]

One of the joys of living in rural England is that we have quite a few power cuts and the whole village is wiped out for anything up to 12 hours during a storm.
We had one last week and the power went off from 3pm to 11pm. Luckily I had a load of bottles sterilised for Millie.  
However, Ryan obviously couldn't play the playstation, P.C or the TV ......  my, my what a disaster !!!!!  
Jons 19 year old brother was here too.... he can't live without the TV either !  
So I lit loads of candles, made sandwiches and some salad, found a bottle of wine and a pack of cards. After the boys initial shock that they would have to interact with other humans, we played quite a few good games of Black Jack and actually spent some family time together.
I'm looking forwards to the next power cut !

[RedRonin]

They were able to operate the cards without buttons and a joystick??

That was probably a learning experience in itself.

[Shadow]

When we lived in the condo basic cable was part of the condo fees. When we moved it was about three weeks before we were ready to start looking at getting cable or satelite dish, both of which the house is already wired for.

Well, the first two weeks the kids were really in withdrawl. I even missed CSI and NCIS. By the end of the third week we had all found we could live quite happily without television. We keep the thing around for watching movies, but it doesn't dominate our living room.

We have friends who just have to have the biggest and best TV they can possibly get. It would be nice to have a big screen if we were watching a movie but I just can't see spending four or five thousand dollars US for a TV, especially since we spend so little time with it on.

I know what you mean though, conversation for many people is getting to be a lost art. I hate going to a friend's house and ending up sitting around watching some television program. That's why I often get my friends, at least the ones with the TV fetish, to meet me at Starbucks or some other place that has no TV.

All of that being said though, I'm still going to have to get my friend to download the cooking shows and put them on cd for me.

[Sebbi]

Oh how I miss power-cuts.

How long do you give it until Ryan's into poker?

[Anonymous]

I love it when we have powercuts; it's an excuse to sit by candlelight. It's also good for using my telescope. I can actually see all the stars. We rarely have powercuts here though.

[NachtSorcier]

I find it quite fun when the power goes out.  I like to read by candlelight or meditate in the dark.  It also makes me realize how much time I spend watching television sometimes, so it gives me a chance to think of some better things to do.

[Ara]

Well, the first two weeks the kids were really in withdrawl. I even missed CSI and NCIS.

The only TV I ever watch is NCIS.  Other than that, the tube stays off.  The computer, on the other hand, is another story.  It's ALWAYS on, but hardly ever used.  Just depends on what the assignment was in class that I need it for.

<3 Ara

[Zenon]

I do poorly in life nowadays without the internet.  My job is very involved with the internet, and when I'm done with work I usually stay online.  But i've taken up running as a sport, plus I do a lot of reading.  I'm worried about my son, though, who has been watching TV since he was 2.

[Still Kate]

I don't tend to watch much TV, I'll more than likely read. Jon just watches his football, either than that he's not worried either. Ryans bad for the Playstation, so I've started to limit that (especially since I got the electric bill).  But one rule I always stick to .... we all eat dinner together, sitting at the dinner table.
And breakfast together at weekends. Then at least I get a few words out of him about his day !

Bless'd Be

kate. xx

[mermdotcom]

We were cable and internet junkies until we looked at the budget and realized that we were eating up too much of our bank account to keep them.  So they left.  And for a couple of weeks, we suffered!  The way we grieved, you'd have thought we'd just buried our cats!  Then we realized that network stations weren't that bad a couple nights per week (I only have 3 must-watch shows now, instead of every night being filled), and we started playing cards again like we did when we first started dating.  (I kick Dan's butt in rummy!)

I'm worried about my son, though, who has been watching TV since he was 2.

I worry about my nephews, too.  They're 4 and 5, and rather than taking them to the park, or the zoo, or the library, my brother-in-law just pops in a movie.  They don't have cable, but the movie thing is just as bad.  He's been the stay-at-home dad, and I understand that it's difficult, exhausting work.  However, the lack of actual human interaction has caused the oldest to have to take speech therapy (I can't understand a word that comes out of that child's mouth!) and neither can read more than a couple of words.

In my opinion, kids are supposed to go outside and play: ride their bikes, run around, skin their knees - that's what I did when I was a kid!

[Zenon]

I worry about my nephews, too.  They're 4 and 5, and rather than taking them to the park, or the zoo, or the library, my brother-in-law just pops in a movie.  They don't have cable, but the movie thing is just as bad.  He's been the stay-at-home dad, and I understand that it's difficult, exhausting work.  However, the lack of actual human interaction has caused the oldest to have to take speech therapy (I can't understand a word that comes out of that child's mouth!) and neither can read more than a couple of words.

In my opinion, kids are supposed to go outside and play: ride their bikes, run around, skin their knees - that's what I did when I was a kid!

My son is addicted to the Cars movie.  He has the DVD, he evens plays with the disc (it's 99% scratched but it amazingly still works).  He loves to go out and play, or on the other hand, he loves to play inside the house - and nearly tears it down in the process!  So sometimes I'm happy to let him watch the movies and DVDs.

Going out to the park is cool.... but some kids require extra fitness to catch up with.

The speech therapy, that's too bad.  It's a solvable cognitive problem though, nothing to worry tons about.  Are you sure it's about lack of human interaction?

[mermdotcom]

The speech therapy, that's too bad.  It's a solvable cognitive problem though, nothing to worry tons about.  Are you sure it's about lack of human interaction?

I really think it is, because they live in a rural area and only went to daycare for a short time, so he hasn't really had other children to emulate.  Also, his parents have catered to his way of speaking his entire life without coaching him on correct pronounciation.  He can say things correctly if you coach him (I've done it with him before), but it takes a few tries, and if he's not coached, he reverts back to his garbled speech.  He's slowly getting better, now that he's in kindergarten and taking the speech classes, but he's still very hard to understand.