One of our best ever decisions!

One day about, oh three or four months ago, my husband was on the phone, yet again, with Verizon. They had switched their cable packages again and we had to either choose to pay an additional exorbitant amount to keep the channels we were used to, or we could pay the same amount we had been and gain a much smaller library of channels to choose from.

That's when it came to me*... Screw Them! We'll cancel our cable. We don't need them. We're always trying to make the kids less zombie-ish anyways, AND who has time to sit around and watch $100 worth of television a month when you have 3 little kids?

(* I say "it came to me" because this is the moment I agreed to it. My husband had brought this up many times before and gotten shot down - by me... cancel our cable - HA! how would I ever cook dinner without SpongeBob?!?!?!)

At a time when we have been trying everything we can to cut costs and spend more quality time with the kids, this seemed like the perfect timing, the perfect decision to make! And boy! Was I right!  We cancelled the cable (kept the internet - obviously! We're not animals!) and bought an antenna. We also stream shows and/or movies from Hulu and Netflix through our Roku when we want to. All this is more than enough for us and costs us about $65 a month (including the internet).

Let's review the benefits:

• A LOT less money per month!
• Kids (and parents) watch so much less TV. There are some days the kids don't ask to watch it at all. They play - using their imaginations, read books, help around the house, etc. I can also honestly say that Zoie - my almost 11 month old has never shown interest in watching TV at all!
• No TV in the bedroom = more quality time with the hubs, more sexy time AND more parental sleep - which is HIGHLY valued around here.
• Without the stupid TV noise in the background all day long - we are now big music listeners. Music is good for the soul. :)
• 95% less commercials viewed! This was a benefit I hadn't anticipated - but it is so so so nice. I love that the kids can watch cartoons and I don't have to hear "I WANT THAT!" a billion and a half times.
• Productivity: up 60% in the Deneweth household!

This has definitely been one of the best decisions we have made! Two days ago, Christopher asked me this, "If we were rich and didn't have to worry about cutting costs anymore, would we have cable?" To which I answered a quick, "Hell no!"

After we did this revolutionary thing called cancelling cable, I start reading news articles about other people doing it, the latest here in the St. Pete Times. Yup - I feel kind of like a trend setter. :D

Although - this is our first year without Shark Week - which is kind of a major bummer... :(

It's hard to be happy when...

... terrible tragedies happen to good people. This thing in Norway is so terrible. I honestly don't know how a human can open fire and shoot to kill innocent teenagers like that. Unprovoked. I mean, even bad people aren't 100% evil, right? First, a BOMB! Then this guy goes and shoots to kill for something like 90 minutes!! He sees these kids' faces, their pleading...

That link above is a blog post from one of the victims on the island - a child. Truly a real life horror story. All those in Norway that lost a friend and/or relative are in my thoughts.

... We lose another genius to addiction. RIP Amy Winehouse. Russell Brand wrote about this and his account on the whole scenario is touching, smart, witty...  I know some people have bad thoughts about my R. Brand (ahem - Christopher), but I see his genius.

I have my own theory about people whose personalities are like Amy's (addictive). Some are not so talented as she, some are. Sometimes I think in abstract and I haven't found the right words to explain this theory clearly, but I'll try: Drugs/Alcohol are very spiritual things. People do these things, yes to numb pain (emotional and/or physical), but it also opens up your spiritual beingness. Some people have spirits that are too strong, too powerful for their earthly bodies to handle. These people either learn to harness their powerful spirits and succeed at life... OR... they give in and let the drugs release their spirits into the heavens.

... I feel like crap and my baby feels like crap. :(

On Saturday, we had a pretty good day at Adventure Island. Shared some laughs with close friends, bonded a little as a family, ate some good food, etc.

Then we came home.     Zoie puked.     I read the news (above).     Zoie puked.     Chris tore apart the house looking for his wallet and lost glasses.     I started feeling crappy.     All in that order.

But, in true Tabi Happy form, I will keep on keeping on.

This keeps me happy. 

Peek A Boo!

It's IMPOSSIBLE for me to look at this picture without smiling. ;)

At this very moment...

from: http://jugga-lizzle.deviantart.com/art/Rainbow-Concepts-II-51037092

 ... I feel that anything is possible!

I've had this conversation with my husband before. It's one of those convos that after we finish up, I'm positive he records it somewhere in a password protected journal titled, "Reasons Tabi is nutzo."

He's the skeptic, I'm the believer - we balance each other out...

Seriously. I've considered that it's totally possible unicorns hang out by rainbows and maybe fairies are real. I think humans only think they know everything when actually there is so much in this world universe that anyone one has ever begun to think about. There is a shrimp - Mantis Shrimp, that can see 12 different wavelengths of color. We humans only see 4 wavelengths of color. See? Imagine if we could see all those wavelengths - what our world would look like. Physics, dimensions, parallel universes... there are studies that contradict themselves in the news every day. This is all very fascinating stuff to me. I am so not a grounded person.

Magic is real.

I've always felt that whatever I want - I mean what I really really want - I get. Is it praying that works? Is it The Secret? Karma? I'm absolutely not a person of unlimited resources (i.e. money) and I'm also that girl who always wants more. Yet - I feel very lucky and satisfied in that I get what I want - but there's always more, there's always a higher standard I want to reach.

Rev Run (of Run DMC) tweeted this recently:

If we pray little, it is probably because we do not really believe that prayer accomplishes much at all.

Every so often I read/hear something that sticks with me. This quote did and I am going to start praying bigger. I want so much more. Not just for myself - mostly for my family. For those awesome, incredibly cute little humans that I've put so much energy into raising - I want so much more. I've had such an amazing experience with life for myself so far. And since anything is possible, I want my kids to experience anything their hearts desire. Whatever they can imagine.

"Playing it safe can cause a lot of damage in the long run"
-Banksy

So - I'm sticking myself out there. Right now. God... I'm ready. I can handle it. I want to take risks and reap their rewards. Please answer my prayers and show me how to be that successful person I get a glimpse of in my daydreams.


<3

Today is Tuesday, July 19th...

I had to look that up. I really had no idea. I feel lost. I don't know what day it is, what I'm supposed to do tomorrow, when bath night is, what's for dinner or even what Christopher is watching on tv right now.
(Actually, I think he's in iPhone coma and doesn't know either.)

Since Lilly's tragedy, it's hard to write about stuff. It all seems so meaningless and small in comparison...

I could write about how lucky I am, but that's not fun to read/write about all the time. So, here I go anyways. :)

Here are all the pictures I took with my iPhone today:

 11:17 am

My Zoie Rainbow just fell asleep for her nap. Doesn't she have the sweetest little lips? And, oh my the eyelashes! Swoon. :)

 11:21 am

Me. Supermodel. Still striving to get that perfect profile picture.

 12:18 pm

Just finished Roxy's hair. This was my first attempt at two backwards french braids. Thanks Lori, for showing me the technique. I took this to text to Christopher and brag. Notice the Rapunzel hair attachment. It's a permanent fixture now.

 1:00 pm

The Bear's 'weirdo face' during lunch. Lunch consisted of 1/2 cheese sandwich on stoneground whole wheat for the Bear with a side of turkey, whole grain goldfish and a pickle. Roxy and Zoie had turkey and cheese pinwheels with whole grain goldfish. I went for the cracked pepper turkey sandwich with tomato and cucumber with a side of leftover potato salad. We all had the strawberry, mango pineapple smoothies for beverage. Gourmet!

 3:56 pm

The girls at the splash pool during break time (when the lifeguards blow the whistle and I have to run up the stairs to get the Bear with baby on hip because he's in his own little world and doesn't hear anyone unless your name is Batman or the Joker.)
In other news, the Bear got his head stuck in bars at the splash pool - didn't freak out and was freed about a minute later. But three lifeguards got involved. That was exciting. (No, I didn't get a picture of that.)

 7:12 pm

Dinner. Steak kebabs with squash, red onions and a side of french fries. I was nervous about this as Christopher usually is the red meat griller. He was at work - so I had to brave it. I did pretty good except I seasoned a little too heavily and it was too spicy for the kiddos. They didn't mind just eating french fries, though.

7:31 pm

And he's out! At the table. 

Don't worry, he woke up 10 minutes later.