Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Netflix Streaming is the New Potholder

This summer I have given up on most of my forced fun activities that I'm famous for (in my home only). But not without holding on like a toddler with stolen snickers bar. The weaker ideas have fallen by the wayside. . . math workbooks, I'm looking at you. . . and the stronger ones have remained loyal. Here they are, for you, to use at your discretion during the last few, precious (you're almost there!) weeks left before schools starts and we are all in a schedule once again or, as I like to call it, we join the human race again:

1. Homemade journals (doesn't "homemade" give the illusion that their hand-crafted? I like that illusion). So what I did, see, in a flash of inspiration at Target, whilst drooling over the flashy, new school supplies, is spy a bunch of composition journals is neat colors and began hoarding them in my cart. Then, see, what I did next was to take out my new pack of 100 Sharpies I got for my birthday, and took out one at a time, for each kid and I wrote one question at the top of each page on every page of the journal. Each book has questions for each child in mind.

Questions like: Describe yourself. How would others describe you? What is the funniest thing you've ever seen? Why is your mom so awesome? What makes her tick? and so on. . . you get the idea. But I have questions about things I want to know and things I think they'll want to remember (Like meeting the prophet), so I ask about those in a guided-forced way of writing.

We'll see how it all ends, I mean, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make that horse write in a journal, but sometimes that horse will write in it if you're having quiet time and the alternative is taking a nap.

2. Netflix Streaming: One of the best things about having my kids get older is their ability to instinctively understand and manipulate technology. I'm still trying to figure out all the features on my remote and it's such a mom cliche (Where's the "menu" selection?!), but, there you have it. So, at the beginning of Summer Miles told me (repeatedly, in anxious tones) that we could set up Netflix to our tv, but I just laughed and said, "Yeah, right! That's for rich people! Don't touch anything--you'll break it!" But as the summer weeks lagged on and Miles, the very example of patience, came to me one day and said, "Mom. I know I can do this and set it up. I'm not trying to be condescending, but just trust me. Let me just do it and I won't break anything." He was so sweet, how could I refuse? So, less than 10 minutes later, we're watching Netflix movies and tv shows on our tv FROM OUR COMPUTER, PEOPLE! IT'S THE FUTURE! NOW!

Every once in a while I catch Miles laughing at me with the kids like, "Remember how mom didn't believe I could just do this simple thing?" and so I repeatedly remind him of when I was born and a computer would have taken up our entire house, and how I didn't even have email in college, so I'm doing the best I can to adjust even though I can't shake the feeling I'm living in an Isaac Asimov novel.

18 comments:

  1. 100 Sharpies for you birthday? Awesome present!

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  2. That journal idea is freaking brilliant. I want to make one for my husband.

    And my nieces and nephews don't believe that I didn't have e-mail in college. "But what did you have?" Like there was some beta version of the internet that they weren't aware of.

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  3. I love Miles. Remember when he was like 2 and he would write words on the cell phone? And this was before texting or keyboards on phones and he just instinctively knew to hit each number multiple times?

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  4. Netflix on the t.v.? SH! Don't tell my kids.

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  5. We discovered Netflix on the t.v. this summer as well. My long suffering bil finally convinced us to step toward the future with Netflix and I must say it is mind blowing. I'm so over the moon about it I've practically stopped doing all I should just to plop down on the couch and watch whatever my little heart desires. Yay Netflix!

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  6. J's parents gave them each a journal notebook for enforced (self-defense) quiet time every sunday. Reading through that as adults made us laugh so hard we cried and it hurt. They are going to love those someday!

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  7. Now, may Miles and I interest you in a wireless router?

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  8. oooh, tell Miles that we were around BEFORE McDonalds came out with Happy Meals. Have you been asked what it was like when you could only see in black and white?

    We set up Netflix last week. Dang it IS cool. And the onDemand thing really is brilliant.

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  9. Miles set me up with a wireless router as soon as he got his ipad. He conspired with my brother, Chris. You should have seen the two of them looking at me like, "Lisa, it's time to join the future. . . "

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  10. netflix makes my world go round. If your kids don't want their journals send one my way. I love things like that. I once made one in highschool with questions on every page. Then on the front page I numbered 1-100 and passed it around to my friends and all the cute boys that didn't talk to me. They each wrote their name on a number. Daniel was number 38. He was the boy I had a crush on. Then they answered all the questions and and would just write their number and answer their questions. Does this make any sense? Anyway, it's fun now to look back at that notebook and read what everyone wrote, not just Daniel.

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  11. Sam set up our netflix thingy. I guess I should check it out?

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  12. I love your blog and just found it today. I put link to your blog on my blog...so now you're one step closer to being almost famous :)

    I think your pots are hilarious. love it.

    Tabitha at themodernmormonmom.blogspot.com

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  13. Love your blog...thanks for sharing. We just set up our Netflix through the Wii last week. No one can stop watching. Entirely unproductive but I love it!!!!! I might even cancel the satellite. Don't tell the rest of them. :)

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  14. My kids enjoy Netflix streamed to our TV too. And my husband and I just experienced The Thrillionaires for the first time last night at Mindy's concert. You guys are so hilarious and so talented! I loved it!!! Thanks for the laughs and the great entertainment! :)

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  15. We do Netflix through the Wii. I have been watching non-stop documentaries about things I never knew I was interested in.

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  16. The problem is that over time you run out of things to watch on Netflix streaming and then you are addicted and so "some people" end up watching entire series like 'Roswell' a 1999 teen drama about teenage aliens ...

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  17. You are hilarious. Thanks for the laughs!

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  18. No idea if you'll read this as it's a comment on an old post, but I had to tell you this line: "We'll see how it all ends, I mean, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make that horse write in a journal, but sometimes that horse will write in it if you're having quiet time and the alternative is taking a nap." may be my favorite line on a blog that I've ever read. The alternative to a nap bit sent me right over the edge from giggling to cackling. SO our house. (Sunday afternoon... I'm heading for my nap now!)

    Glad to have found you. Fun stuff!

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