No more TV?

Well, I did it. I called the cable company and turned off our cable. Okay, I couldn't quite get myself to turn it all off, but we now have what is called limited cable. Meaning...we only get like NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, local stations and (thank goodness) the Hallmark station (which I love and plays good movies). Okay folks, although that probably doesn't seem like such a big deal, it is to me. I am a tv junkie and it has been a mainstay in my life for the past 12 years. I did grow up without tv, but lucky us-we had an antenna that was on top of a stump outside our back door. If we were desperate one of us would climb up on the stump (about 10 feet tall or so) to turn the antenna. Then one would stand at the back door to relay between the stump climber and whoever was watching the tv for the 'perfect' picture on the screen. 'Perfect' meaning, lots of snow with a barely discernible picture and hopefully clear volume. Unfortunately, this method didn't work all that well because several things including the weather, the tree-line around our house (which changed constantly thanks to local logging) and our cat (which called the top of the stump home) rubbing against the antenna, all contributed to changing the picture on the screen.
So, because I did it as a kid I know my kids and I can do it now. We did watch taped cartoons and movies, which I will allow my kids to do, but this will stop the tv being constantly on. When a movie is over, it's easy to turn off the tv. If you are watching cable you can just keep finding things to watch and I've decided we will just not waste our precious time doing that anymore. Luckily, Bryce has agreed, although he really didn't want to give up fall football. However, now with limited cable he can still enjoy those games. Plus we are looking forward to the summer Olympics-always a favorite to watch for us!