T.v free and still can't seem to get things done!

[Gwendolyn's babies]

We only have a monitor basically that we watch videos. So....I hardly ever watch t.v.

I thought once I went "t.v. free" I would get everything done. still I wake up and see a floor not swept etc. Should I just chalk this up to life?

I wonder if I would have even more "not done" if I did watch shows? I limit time on the computer!

I want empathy here! I make dinner and get interrupted alot from the kiddos. For example;

Tonight I made chicken pot pie. I had the chicken already cooked and the veggies. All I needed to do was make a cream sauce and the crust for my hubbies (low carb version)...it like took me an hour to do!

The kids would come in..and say, "mom can you fix my stick house", "mom he hit me", "honey (dh) where is such and such"....Is it this crazy all your houses?

[Arwyn]

I have a lot more time for stuff than I did when watching TV, but now that I have a child too, it isn't always the stuff that I "should" be doing. We have lots more time to have an impromptu session of tickling, but the floor may be getting taken over by dog hair drifts. I get lots of birdwatching in while nursing, but the dishes sometimes sit on the counter. I read to and play with my kid more, and he gets lots more time learning about all the things in the kitchen, but it takes a while to make dinner.

And so it goes. My time isn't being sucked down a tube, and he and I get to live so much more, but still, life with kids is pretty chaotic. I think that's just normal.

[goldfinch]

Short answer: Yes. It sometimes gets that crazy. My house is absolutely more chaotic, less organized, and much dirtier than my neighbors' houses.

Longer answer/tangent: At mealtime, I try to involve my kids (3.5 years old) as much as possible. Sometimes there is very little for them to do (I am looking for little knives that really cut but won't cut little fingers!) other than peel garlic or other vegetables, but I try to engage them in the food-making. When the meal just doesn't permit them to help, I try to set them up nearby with an activity that they can do with minimal supervision (that said, I often have to leave dinner prep while I run out and wipe up spilled paint water or the like...) -- the point is not to have them milling about aimlessly and getting bored and/or into mischief while I've got something I have to do. When they were younger, I let them empty the pots and pans cupboard or the linen drawer.

Our kids have always been TV-free, and the grownups are mostly TV-free (occasional movies after the kids are in bed, a PBS show now and again)... so I can't really compare "TV-living" with "TV-free-living" except to say that without the TV there are a lot more hours in the day, but those hours don't necessarily translate into more time for household tasks.

I often get overwhelmed by the clutter, and the filth, and the chaos... and I see how clean and neat other people's homes are and feel ashamed of our mess. But I really, really believe that what's right for our family is not to have the kids watching television/movies now, even if it means that we have sticky spots on the floor...

[Gwendolyn's babies]

I guess I need to look at it that way. Yes, my house is messy, yes things are chaotic, but at least they are not sitting there like zombies!

I do try to incorparate their help at meal times not always easy ages 3, 2 and 1 but at least we are trying to keep them engaged!

Thanks Gals for keeping me on track!

[Arwyn]

I would also point out that, in my experience, the majority of people who do use TV still don't have immaculate houses or three course dinners. Life with kids is chaotic, with or without TV!

[summermay]

I have set lower goals and targets Point.
Having so many artprojects, preparing for interactive play, preparing and writing lessonplans as we homeschool etc I felt often a little bit sad not offer even more. Nobody is perfect.
Doing routines together like shopping, cooking, cleaning etc is as important and can be so much and as much fun too!