A Week of No TV.

For a whole week.

Can you believe it? It's time for an honest-to-goodness project week this week at Project Project!

This week I have roped in my long-suffering and endlessly supportive husband into doing a TV-free week with me. This is especially impressive seeing as piling onto the couch and watching a show or a movie after the kids are in bed is pretty consistently how we relax and unwind together. And I honestly don't think there's anything wrong with that: we're pretty diverse in our tastes, so we watch a wide variety of TV shows and movies from different genres, countries and time periods, which I think gives us fresh perspectives and things to think about and talk about. And it's something relaxing that we both enjoy doing together.

However, when we watch TV together every night, there are so many things that we don't do instead. We both like to read, but struggle to find the time to do it with two kids, work and a home to take care of. We like playing boardgames together, but rarely make the effort to set one up and play it. And of course there are hundreds (and hundreds) of projects around the house that are just calling to us to be done. And there's music to listen to and conversations to be had and some just-for-fun projects to collaborate on.

I'm kind of excited and kind of feeling like someone just suggested we stop eating for a week. It's just one of those things we do, y'know?

Here are the rules for the project:

1. Absolutely no TV for me and Nick between Monday August 26 and midnight on Sunday September 1. 
2. No TV means no cable, Netflix, Amazon Instant videos, Youtube, DVDs or DVR. They will all be there when we are done.
3. Espen is not part of this challenge and can still watch his shows with us. It's not like Doc McStuffins is something Nick and I indulge in willingly. 
4. Phones, computers and iPads are fine, just no watching shows on them when we're together. 

The very clever among you might have noted the timing for this project: before September and the return of Good Television. It is indeed much less of a sacrifice when I know that I'm not missing an episode of Parks and Recreation or the return of Luther. The biggest sacrifice will be the finale of Broadchurch, but that will safely wait for us on the DVR until we get back.

Do you know what else I think? I think it might be nice to head into the darker months that beguile you onto the couch under a blanket with a cookie in one hand and the remote in the other faster than you can say "Jack Robinson" (can anyone tell me, by the way, why I might want to say "Jack Robinson"?) armed with the knowledge that there are indeed all sorts of other ways to spend an evening than in front of the proverbial goggle box.

Shall I make a few predictions for our week? I predict lots of reading and talking, a bubble bath or two, some board games, and a few house projects started (and dare I hope completed?). We might work on the new look and domain for my blog (wha??), and the family history project we are working on together. I also think we might get to bed a little earlier when we don't have the siren song of just one more QI to keep us out of bed. More sleep does sound pretty tempting!

I'll be back later in the week to let you know how things are working out. And how about you? How do you feel about TV? Do you just have to watch your shows, or did you swear off watching TV completely? I'd love to know.


Image borrowed here.