Super Bowl XLV 2011

We don't have cable.  We thought it would be a good idea.  Cutting cable saves a few extra dollars in the monthly budget.  And, I read The Plug-In Drug over the last year.  It was definitely not one of my favorite books.  I committed to read it, and persevered.  Granted, I would usually only read 1-2 pages per day, so let's say, it took me about 200 days to finish it (and those were not consecutive days).  That's pretty pitiful and downright sad, but I just couldn't get into a book that found it appalling that a child would want to watch Electric Company.  Oooooo....Yikes!  Or perhaps Flintstones.  I think the book needs to be updated.  These days there's a lot more on TV/cable and most parents would be grateful for a little Electric Company.  Remember B...AT, Bat, C...At, Cat, etc.?  Okay, if you don't maybe you can find it somewhere online. 

Anyway, I already know watching a bunch of television isn't great.  Kids who don't watch hours of television might do more interactive things, like play games with each other.  Furthermore, moms who love FOX News might have to check the news in the morning, and then not worry about the troubles of the world for the rest of the day.  Lastly, husbands who don't have access to television may not be able to watch soccer highlights.  My sweetheart loves his soccer.  These are all good things in moderation, but we were just feeling they might have been interrupting some of our quality family time.

Well, since cutting the TV IV out of our home life, our kids do play more games together.  In fact they'd love to play board games all day.  We're all reading much more and we have extra time for activities, exercise, sports, piano, and the like.

Now, don't think we're proud or cool over this little experiment.  We still have televisions in our house.  Unlike the days mentioned in The Plug-In Drug, we don't have an antennae that might blow over in a wind storm thus inhibiting television viewing.  We also don't have televisions that break down for that matter.  I'm not going to throw out a perfectly good flat screen.  I'm not crazy!  We still access Netflix through the Wii.  We're not anti-gaming, but we limit them considerably.  We do watch movies.  Friday night, movie night is one of the best nights at our house.  We have traditions.  I'm not going to throw that baby out with the bath water.  And, our kids have now found an appreciation for The Dick Van Dyke Show and I Love Lucy.  That makes me smile for some reason.

So, for the most part, the benefits have far outweighed the negatives for cable-free home life.  There are, however, a few exceptions.  Super Bowl.  This year as Super Bowl XLV rolled around we had no plans for watching.  I guess we could have huddled around a computer to try to catch it, but that wouldn't have been much fun.  So, what to do when you live in Southern California and you don't have a way to watch the Super Bowl?  Go to Downtown Disney and watch it at ESPN Zone!  I think that's a perfect way to make lemonade out of lemons.

So, here's my sweetheart and boys hanging out in front of ESPN ZONE watching the game on the BIG SCREENS! I must admit I'm not so much a football girlie. So, my girlie and I went to Sephora for a bit and made it back for the fun, energy boosting half-time show.

Rainforest Cafe in the background

Notice the beautiful glow on my cheek bone?  Or perhaps the highlight on my browbone?  Thank you Sephora!

Downtown Disney

Fergie and the half-time show....Boom Boom Pow!

The wait to eat inside was CRAZY, but we had a good time hanging out with the other sports fans outside.