Breaking Clouds

Sometimes little things crack me up.  Like the typo I made whilst writing the title of this post.  “Breaking Clods.”  Hahahaha.  Not exactly the metaphor I meant to start this off with. 

Guess what! The movie-detox is almost over!  I am SO happy I had to share.

The first sign that the no-movies week was paying off didn’t come until yesterday.  Here’s the story.  The long version, of course, because this is my blog and that’s how we do things ’round here.

I happily flipped the first blind reading “Shower & Dress,” when Cinderella asked what the next one was.  The kids hadn’t really commented on my new little checklist system, but they were watching.  Always watching. 

Naturally I made her read it.  She only wrinkled her eyebrows at me, which was a big improvement from the screaming fit she sometimes throws when asked to read on her own.  Duly noted.

“What’s a Hot Spot?” she asked.

“A place that gets messy really easily.”

“Oh, like the floor?”

(chuckle chuckle)  “Well, I had been thinking more like counters.  But yeah, that works too.”

She didn’t like that chore, and I had to sit and feed Freedom, so I thought my checklist was dropped from her interested for the moment.

Out of the corner of my eye, however, I saw something beautiful.  Cinderella was sweeping the floor.  Without being prompted, without being nagged, without even being asked! 

She proudly flipped over the “Sweep Floor” blind and then she cleared the table.  Flip!

And then she checked the sink and said, “Looks like Mom already shined it.  Good job Mom!”  Flip!

(Nothing like getting strokes from your 5 y.o. eh?)

So that was “TV-Detox-is-Worth-It” experience #1.  Also, props to the new blind-flipping chore checklist.  I still haven’t earned a sticker yet, in case you’re wondering.  Grrr.  Maybe tonight.

Experience #2 confronted me when I came down the stairs this morning.

“Mom!  Look at the sink in the bathroom!”  They were so giddy they both looked like they were ready to explode.  I was almost afraid to look.  Usually they don’t look this mischevious unless Eagle does something ghastly.  What concoction did he shmear all over while Mommy was sleeping and Daddy was getting ready for his 8am mtg?  Toothpaste?  I’ve been expecting as much with his ongoing obsession with that stuff.

Whew.  Nothing sticky.  In fact, that sink was shiny clean!  What a great surprise!  They were tickled pink with themselves, my cute little redheads.  I was rather tickled, too.

And so you see I’m not crazy when I say we’re better off without media here.  Not every kid will react like this when they get cut off from visual media cold-turkey.  Doodle doesn’t seem to be much different.  But man oh man, my spirited, smart little girl is a different person w/o it.  

I’m starting to see that there are two options for her. 
#1) She will be wonderful, it will be *her* idea, and I get to cheer her on.
#2) She’ll be awful, I’ll be a complete nag, we’ll both drive each other nuts.

 I shall try to make a point of writing out these happy moments of spontaneous goodness so I don’t forget how worthwhile it is to keep the projector off.