Nuttiness and Netflix

NUTTINESS

Nuttiness; a slang term meaning crazy or insane.

Normal; defined as meaning a common pattern, situation, or type.

Combine the two and you get  ---- norminess?  Numiness?   I don't know, I'm still working on it.

Anyway, that is how I have come to view today's two income society; a delicate balancing act between financial security and family time that often leaves both parents frazzled, tired, and, occasionally, with the temperament of a sleep deprived two year old.  (Yes, I would be said two year old)

You don't hear the phrase that much nowadays, but when I was growing up I heard more than one old timer utter the pig headed phrase, "A woman's place is in the home."

I vehemently disagree with this way of thinking.  However, having been home for a couple of months I definitely see the value of SOMEONE being home. When someone is there during the day to take care of the laundry, dishes, etc, etc,  it cuts away a lot of catching up in the evenings ---- assuming, of course, that you have an evening free.

It's when you don't have an evening free that everything begin's to pile up and your house starts to look like one of those Hoarder's episodes that Karla has become so addicted to.  Personally, I don't see how she can watch that show.....It's kind of disturbing.

 Last weeks events are a good example of why I now feel so strongly about having one parent at home:

Monday night:  Make up football game in Holton.

Tuesday night:  Softball practice

Wednesday night:  Parent teacher conference.  (The business woman and social butterfly took care of this one)

Thursday night:  Football game

Friday night:  Softball tournament

Saturday and Sunday:  Softball tournament.

With one person staying home, we got through the week without the house falling apart.

With one person staying home we had time to make sandwiches with the idea of keeping us out of the restaurants during tournament weekend......(It didn't work....Tera knew her cheat day was Saturday, and so, we ended up eating at an Italian restaurant....Oh well.)

With one person staying home we had a home cooked meal for supper everyday.....Now if the kids would just eat what I cook.  I have to admit, even I'm not fond of some of the crap I've whipped up.  I still have a long way to go in this area of my stay at home journey.

Speaking of cooking; today I removed the trash and the compost thinking perhaps one of the two were responsible for the unpleasant odor floating about the house......Then I realized the smell was coming from the crock pot.......Shit.  I fear the cabbage rolls are yet another meal destined to make Tera's "Hall of Butt" list.

I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to get out of bed in the morning and not look around and think, "Man, this place is a dump."

Now, by man standards, our home is looking really good.  However,  Karla has been getting a little more vocal about the flylady website and deep cleaning......The honey do list is about to get longer.

Oh well, I'll cross that bridge whenever I finally get dragged to it......



NETFLIX

A couple of years ago, Karla and I made the decision to cut the cable.  The reason behind it was to save money and to get the kids away from hours of mind numbing crap TV.

The money part worked out well --- really well.  We knew that we would save a monthly bill by cutting the cable.  What we didn't know was the effect it would have on Christmas and birthdays.

It's incredible how much smaller a kid's wish list gets when they aren't being constantly bombarded with commercials about all the toys and video games that are the "must have" items that all of their friends are getting.

Last Christmas Tera had only five items on her wish list; Toby had only four.  I almost felt as if I were getting away with a heinous crime when I saw so few presents under the tree on Christmas morning.

As far as getting away from the mind numbing TV  ---- not so much.

I was dreading cutting the cable as much as the kids were.  As part of the deal I asked to have Netflix streamed into my computer.  Karla saw nothing wrong with it, and away we went.

The problem I have found with Netflix is,  should I find a TV show that I like, I will watch episodes back to back to back.  I get so sucked into the story that I can't tear myself away.

This week season three of The Walking Dead became available for streaming.  Now, I am smart enough not to watch TV or play video games during the day......The end result would be me going back to work full time because I wouldn't be getting anything accomplished at home.

In the evening however......

I knocked out season three in just three evenings.  I would fall asleep about one a.m. and have to get up at 4:45 to go to my part time job.  Needless to say, I've been dragging ass this week.  I have been a live version of The Walking Dead.

Toby has the same problem.  His hangup is the Myth Busters.  Season ten became available for streaming last week.  Plus, he figured out that he could stream Netflix through his X-Box....Shit.

Now Tera doesn't have this problem.....But her choices in entertainment most definitely has the "mind numbing" part we tried to rid ourselves of covered.

Thank God, Spongebob Squarepants is no longer available for streaming.....Now if we can just rid ourselves of My Little Pony.


Still.....It is a lot better than having cable.