Cutting the cord

I recently looked closely at our Verizon bill and discovered among the many fees we are paying for Internet, TV and our home phone, was more than $60 a month to rent those cable boxes that hook up to every TV.  This only covered the set-top boxes, not the actual tv channels or anything else.  23 years of paying that each month!  Stop the madness!  Our Verizon bill is ridiculously high and for the longest time I've wanted to do something about it.

I got inspired to start researching our options when one evening, Jeff said to me, with the kids away for so much of the summer, let's see if we can bring our FIOS tv channel package to the lowest one they offer and save a little money.  I replied back with, let's get rid of them altogether.  There has to be a more reasonable solution.  We have friends who have said goodbye to FIOS and cable many years ago.  But, they don't care about having live tv and is satisfied with streaming shows as they are posted.  The only way this was going to work for us is if we could still watch TV live as it aired.  We needed to have the same channels we had with FIOS.  It needed to be a mostly seamless process if we were going to give FIOS the boot.  We are family that LOVES our TV.

As for getting rid of our landline, I needed to find a company that would port our home number. This would only be successful if we kept the same phone number.  We briefly thought about getting rid of the landline altogether and only use our cell phones, but too many people have our home # and we still use it quite a bit.

I am happy to report that I was victorious with everything.  We've officially gotten rid of Verizon providing our services for our home phone and tv.  We still have them as our internet provider but only because I haven't found a better alternative.

Our landline is being provided thru Vonage, it's a VOIP (voice over internet protocol).  We still have the same phone number and all of the features that we had before (voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding).

I found a few different companies that offer live TV streaming through a Roku.  Our first attempt was with DirectvNow.  It had every channel we wanted.  However great the price was and the live tv channel offerings, it wasn't reliable and it didn't work more than it did work.  It was frustrating and Jeff was ready to stop this little experiment I was undertaking and keep paying the big bucks to Verizon for FIOS.  We took to calling it "DirectvNever" when speaking about how the transition was going.

Fortunately there are no contracts and it's a month to month arrangement.  I went back to the drawing board (in this case google) and found a different company.  YouTubeTV had all the local channels we wanted and the sports channels Jeff loves, but it was lacking the food and entertainment channels we needed.  So another quick search gave me the idea to try Philo.  Between the two streaming companies, we had every channel we needed.  And even better, these two Internet companies work!   The streaming is flawless and we can do everything we did with Verizon, including recording our shows and watching them later.

We've quickly adapted to our new set-up and the money we will be saving each month is pretty spectacular.  I love technology and love it even more when it works.

I must be dreaming.

I've been having a "pinch me" moment that keeps going on and on and on.  There are some things I experience that even amaze myself it is happening.

It all started when I noticed that a baby born on the soap opera "General Hospital" had the same unique name as my neighbor's newborn who was born shortly before these episodes aired.  I commented on Facebook to my neighbor what a trendsetter she was.  My neighbor replied back and said her husband's aunt was a writer for the show and that is how that happened.  Next thing you know, I'm chatting with the writer herself and telling her what a fan I am of the soap opera.  I had been watching since I was 5.  General Hospital has become a part of me.  It's just something I do.  It's always there.

Then this happened:

SERIOUSLY!!!   The writer I had been emailing with made Ian's name (first and last!!) an off-screen character.  Ian's name was spoken by the great Nurse Bobbie.  OMG!!  I think the kids and I watched this video about 50 times in a row right after it happened.  How insane is this!?!?!    It should be noted that there are already females character named "Sam" and  "Robin" on the show, so that wasn't really an option.

But wait, it gets even better!  I get an email saying the studio has a surprise for me and will be sending it to me shortly.  In the mail, a signed script by the cast of the episode Ian's name appeared in arrived at my door.  HOLY SH*T!  I can't believe it and was shaking as I held the script when I realized what it was I was taking out of the envelope.  THIS IS INSANE!!!!   I've since figured out a great way to protect it and display it. I've put it in a shadow box frame.

After thanking my new bestie, she indicated she'd be open to getting together the next time I am in NY.  OMG!!  This just keeps better and better.  If I am dreaming all of this, please don't wake me up.

Lunch with her on Sunday in New York City was a surreal experience.  The icing on the cake?  When at the end of lunch she said "We should do this again."  Um, yeah...how about every Sunday?  Is every Sunday good for you?  I am pretty sure I'd never get tired chatting with her.  She is fascinating, lovely, and so incredibly sweet.

Back in TV land

We did it!  My Toppall team and I went approximately 3 weeks without our big downstairs television.  This is the main TV we all use.  We were successful in waiting for Thanksgiving sales and got an awesome television from the Big Screen Store.  We didn't go super huge either.  Our original set was 42 inches and the new one we bought was 49 inches.  It's a 4k curved Samsung.  I am still not used to the picture.  It just seems too vibrant.  I guess that's a good problem to have.

The technology has come so far in the last 12 years.  I know it didn't make sense to get a new television before the one we had broke, but it is certainly nice to have all the new features and better picture quality.  It's funny to compare the price from what we paid 12 years.  The new television we bought was a 1/3 of the price of what we paid in 2005. And it's a bit bigger too.  Additionally, we have all the smart features, including voice activation.  Jeff is even able to connect bluetooth wireless headphones to the tv for when he is on the treadmill.   Yippee!!

Love!  That's our fake brick on the lower right hand corner of the tv hiding the cables.

Binge watching.

I love binge watching television.  It's a wonderful way to spend 13 hours.  Netflix recently released Season 3 of House of Cards.  I was drooling at the thought of this show releasing more episodes.  They were posted on Friday, February 27th.  Of course, this would be the Friday that I volunteer in Ian's class from 12:30pm to 3:45pm.  OMG!  I could've watched 3 episodes during that time!  Having a full Saturday and a busy Sunday with all of our usual running around kept me from watching season 3 as fast as I would've liked.  But I persevered and stayed up late watching and woke up early to keep watching.  By 11:30pm on Sunday night, I did it!  I managed to squeeze in 13 awesome episodes. 

Is there anything more delicious than having extremely high expectations on how great something is going to be and then having those expectations met and then some?  That's House of Cards.  Specifically, that was House of Cards season 2.  And now I can say that was House of Cards season 3 too.   Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright are absolutely brilliant.  The casting, script, storylines and acting is phenomenal.  I just can't get enough of it. 

Just like after finishing my binge watching of the first four seasons of Breaking Bad, having to wait for new episodes to be created is challenging. It almost makes me wish that I watch these shows at a slower pace and savor each & every one.  It's way too tempting to plow through and see what happens.  It gets the better of me and I will happily stay up for most of the night getting my fix.

Good thing I am not alone in my binge watching. The more of us there are, the more likely Netflix will keep this good thing going.

Coffee Talk

About a month ago during one of our many snow days from school while I was out to lunch with the kids, I ran into a mommy friend that I first met when Ian was a baby.  Once her little boy and mine got old enough for preschool, we naturally went on different paths and didn't really talk as much. We had traded emails sporadically, but that was the extent of our friendship.

We decided it would be nice to get together for coffee once school was back in session and we were sans kids for few hours.  This past Friday was our date to meet at Panera Bread for coffee.  I got there about 10 minutes early, got a cup of hot tea and found a table.  This particular Panera location has their tables really close together and my table for 2 was near the really big table that a Panera Bread always has available.  Seated at the big table were 3 women who had to be in their mid-seventies.  They were chatting a mile a minute.  These women were so full of life and were pretty much finishing each other's sentences.  After listening to their conversation for 5 minutes (really, it couldn't be helped!), I had to chime in.  I HAD to!!  It was killing me to keep my mouth shut. 

Me:  Sorry to eavesdrop, but I've been watching for 37 years, since I was 5 years old.   I totally agree with you, the character of Sonny couldn't be played by anyone else.

THESE WOMEN WERE TALKING ABOUT GENERAL HOSPITAL!!!!!

We started chatting and I instantly fell in love with these women.  They were the coolest!  To hear them talk about this soap opera reminded me that I am not alone in my love of the show.  We are a dying breed!

When my friend arrived, she sat down and told me these women are always there.  Every time she's been there, these women are sitting at the same table and having the same conversation about General Hospital.  How cool is that!?!? 

Once I've retired from all my jobs and have more time on my hands, I aspire to be one of these women.  A regular coffee meet-up to discuss General Hospital or whatever the latest show is my idea of a great reason to hang-out with friends. I wonder if these women will still be around then?

On a side note, it was really great catching up with my friend.  We filled each other in on our kids, what's new, our Summer plans and more.  I told my friend about Sam and my latest challenges with her.  It's been more intense than usual and we are really going through a difficult time.  Once I got done giving her the 5 minute version, she just looked at me and said, "Wow, you don't even look haggard.  You always have a smile on your face."   All I could answer her with was, "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.  What else can I do?  I can't give up.  I've got to keep trying."

House of Cards.

Ever since I discovered streaming, I've tried very hard to find a show for Jeff and I to watch together.  With each series I'm about to start watching, I ask Jeff if he wants to join me in this endeavour.  "Breaking Bad"?  No.  "Orange is the New Black"?  No.  "Weeds"?  No. "Mad Men"?  No. 

It sucks that we don't have any pop culture interest in common.  I hear of couples all the time that stream television shows together.  They get into the series and start binge-watching.  How awesome is that to have the one you love get all caught up in the action too!  Someone to discuss the character development and plot twists right there next to you! 

I was ready to start watching a new series. And yet again, I asked Jeff if he wanted to watch it with me.  "House of Cards"?  Yes.  Yes?  Really?  Yes.  WOW!  I couldn't believe it.  We made plans to begin the next night.  If it was me, I'd be ready to start watching then and there.  But Jeff needed another day to prepare.  Whatever. :)

We watch the first episode. Jeff says he can see the appeal of the show.  I love Kevin Spacey and am already hooked.  However, I love Jeff too and am willing to go at his pace on streaming these episodes.  Therefore, the 2nd episode will have to wait for another day.  Since watching a show together is a dream come true, I restrain myself and patiently wait for when Jeff is up for watching this show.  We average an episode every other day; sometimes we go two full days between episodes.  It is hard to go at this snail's pace, but I do it.  I do it because I LOVE my husband and that's what you do when you love someone. 

It should be noted that as we are watching each of the shows, I've leaned into Jeff (very lovingly) and said to him, "I love that we are doing this!  This is like a dream come true for me."   Ugh, I could throw-up now having said that.

We make it to the end of episode #6 and Jeff says to me, "You can keep going if you want.  I'm not that into the show."  Um, ok.  Watch out people, because I can stream like no one's business.  I could be in the streaming Olympics with how I am able to squeeze in watching shows on my iPad, iPhone or TV at home while also getting everything else done.

I am now taking my iPad to the gym and getting in an episode each morning and another in the evening after the kids have gone to bed.  I come to the part where Claire has turned on Frank and I exclaim out loud, "Ooooh, Claire just double-crossed Frank."  At which point Jeff goes, "I know."

WHAT!?!?!?!!?!?!   I pause the show and look at him.  How do you know this?  Because the last time I checked, you weren't that into the show.  Jeff says he went online and read a summary of the remaining season.  OMG!  I am not a happy camper.  Obviously he was interested enough to want to find out what happens, but not interested enough to want to watch the show with me.  Sooooo not cool.  And to think that I showed such amazing restraint not binge watching this show for close to two weeks. 

I am presuming that Jeff must feel bad at this and not only apologizes but also offers to start watching season 2 with me when it comes out on Friday.  Yeah, thanks buddy, but I'd rather keep watching at my own pace.  I'll be done with Season 2 by the time the snow stops falling.  :)

I've learned my lesson. I am not going to try so hard to find a show for us to watch together.

Maximum Isolation

For one entire week our house was without tv, Internet and the landline phone. To make matters worse my cell phone reception is very spotty in the house.  It can really only be used by standing in the open doorway with your arm up in the air.  Not fun.  And not conducive to anything more than the most important and briefest of conversations. 

We lost electricity for a few hours on Monday morning.  When the power came back on, everything was working fine.  It was not until 5:00pm that night that we were in trouble.  Big Trouble with a capital "T".  After troubleshooting with Verizon and finding out that it would require a service call, we were told the earliest they would be able to come was Saturday.  WHAT!?!?!  Apparently we weren't in enough of a need to expedite a faster visit.  If you ask me, I thought we were in plenty of need.  But I guess our lack of life-support medical issues didn't constitute an emergency.  I get that.  And yes, it put it all in perspective.  But really, this 42 year old mom needs her tv.  She needs her Internet.  And she most certainly needs her phone.  As far as I was concerned, Verizon could have our electricity too.  What good was it if we couldn't connect to the outside world?

Can you imagine?  It wasn't pretty.  Quite ugly in fact.  Funny things happen when you can't be connected 24/7. Without "The Today Show" playing in the kitchen during my mornings, I lost all track of which day it was.  I put the trash out on the wrong day.  I had no idea what was happening in the world.  The only way I knew there was a two hour delay for school on Wednesday was because I got a text message from Fairfax County Public Schools.

I usually have the tvs on as background noise.  The silence was driving me crazy.  Coming home to a quiet house while the kids were in school was hard to take. 

Not a good combo - TV not working and a beautiful fire blazing in the fire place.

It seemed like I was the only one in my Toppall house that had an issue with the lack of Fios.  Jeff was gone at work at all day and had very little down time at home when he'd be watching tv.  The kids didn't complain at all that they couldn't watch tv.  Not one word was uttered from them during the whole entire week.  In fact, towards the end of the week they didn't even go downstairs to where the main tv is located.  The kids were very content to hang out in our living room reading and drawing/creating crafts.  How old school.  It was a bit refreshing to find out that Ian and Sam can easily take it or leave it, especially since we don't give any kind of limits on screen time.  But the person writing this blog was going through withdrawal.  Big-time!  I was waking up in the middle of the night with the shakes.  I had this list of everything I wanted to do as soon as I could connect again (pay bills, rsvp to evites, put a vacation hold on mail and newspaper, etc).  I didn't feel like myself.  It was like a part of me was missing.  I started sleeping with my cell phone on my nightstand, even thought I didn't have a chance of getting a signal.  Each day I would randomly turn on the tv and see if this bad nightmare had somehow resolved itself.  After 2 minutes, I'd be depressed all over again.

To help my situation, I did get a bit resourceful.  One night I went to Starbucks to use the Internet.  On Friday morning, I streamed the previous night's episode of "Parenthood" while working out at the gym.  That definitely helped me get my day off to the right start.   Overall the situation wasn't pretty.  I felt like we were living in 1985 and everyone else was in 2013.

Finally Saturday arrived and I knew I would make it.  Within 10 minutes of the Verizon guy walking in our house, our tv, Internet and phone were back up and running.  I ran around to each room and turned every tv on.  It was glorious hearing all the tvs working.  I picked up our phone and heard a dial tone while loading an Internet page on my iPad.  It was a beautiful thing to be connected again.

**Please take this blog entry for what it is -- a joke. While it was very challenging to not have tv, Internet or phone, I am fully aware that there are much bigger problems people face every day that don't go away as easily as service call from the Verizon tech.  I do have perspective and know how fortunate we were to have electricity during this Fios outage.  To have a roof over our heads and food on the table are the crucial things.  I get that.  :)

Irony

You want to know what is ironic?   Sam used to obsessively watch "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse".  We couldn't play them enough for her on the tv or her iPad.  Meanwhile, Ian was big into "Phineas and Ferb" and that was his show of choice. 

Guess what?  Sam now LOVES "Phineas and Ferb".   "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" has all but disappeared from the line-up.  This would be great if Ian was still into the tv show, only he has now moved onto "Survivorman."  

Go figure.

Changes are brewing.

There were two things I could always count on;  General Hospital coming on at 3:00pm each weekday and eating dinner together as a family. 

Within the same week, both constants in my life took a left turn, when it should've gone right.

I've been watching General Hospital since I was 5 years old.  For the past 36 years that I've been tuning in, you could set your watch to it starting at 3:00pm on ABC.  Over the summer, commercials started announcing that as of September 10th, it was moving to 2:00pm. I guess I should consider myself lucky that they are keeping the show on and not giving it the same fate as "All My Children" and "One Life to Live".  When something like a 3:00pm start time has been happening for as long as this show has, it really throws you off to shift everything up to an earlier start time.  Not that I plan my day around watching General Hospital, but I knew exactly at what point I'd have to leave the house and pick up Ian from school. No more.

Unless Jeff gets caught in a late meeting or I have a girl's night out, our family can be found at the kitchen table having dinner each and every night. It was the rule, not the exception.  I find eating dinner together as a family one of the most important things we do with raising kids.  It gives us a chance to talk, recap our day, go around the table and give the best highlights.  We are able to put down all the electronics and enjoy each other's company.  Take some time and unwind.  Not to mention, this is the best opportunity to get a well-rounded, healthy meal into the kids and have them try new foods.

I plan our meals for the week on Sunday and go grocery shopping accordingly to be ready to make dinner each day.  As each day flew by last week, I realized even if I made the meal, we wouldn't be around to eat it.  I thought for sure, I'd be able to get our act together for Tuesday.  Nope.  Then Wednesday.  Nope.  Three nights of dinner planning that will get moved to this week.

With our new Fall schedule, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays can find us in the car during the dinner hour shuffling back and forth between activities.  As soon as I pick Ian up from school, he goes directly to his next stop.  There is no passing "go", no collecting $200, and no time to gather the family and eat together at the table.  It is a bit of a mess.  The only bright side in all this is that I don't have to cook dinner.  By the time we are all in one place again, at the house, it is too late to begin serving dinner.  In order for Ian's energy level and focus to remain elevated, I've been bringing him a substantial snack to eat in the car, when I come to get him at the end of the school day.  I've been rotating between pizza bagels, chicken & cheese quesadillas, or a burrito filled with bean, rice and cheese.  It's a nice, tasty, hot mini-meal that he can eat on the go and be ready for religious school or gymnastics.  Because Sam likes to do exactly what her brother is, all of a sudden, Sam is hungry too and needs the same exact thing, at the same exact time.

When the activities are over, it is time to wind down with our bedtime routine.  The kids usually need another snack at this point, not a full blown dinner. 

I never thought we'd get to this point where we weren't home for dinner.  But then again, I never thought they'd move General Hospital to 2:00pm either.  Each occurring on its own was a lot for me to wrap my mind around...both in the same week, I feel like we are entering the twilight zone where anything goes.

THE Bet!

Ever since I discovered the tv show "Breaking Bad" I can't stop thinking about it.  Going from watching 48 shows as fast as I could to waiting now 7 full days for each new episode is an exercise in patience, one that I am not very good at.  Man, this show is good!  And I am not the only one who thinks so.  Around the time I discovered it, so many of my facebook friends did too.  It was really neat for us all to compare notes on which season we were in the middle of streaming and devouring.  Or, you'd hear bits and pieces of people talking about it and how crazy-insane-good this series is.  Just when you think it can't get any crazier, something happens that blows your mind.

I know Jeff appreciates quality television and would enjoy watching this show as much as I have.  And he too has been around a completely different crowd than my own, all commenting the same thing...."You've got to watch this!!"  Television doesn't get any better than this.

I was firmly convinced that once Jeff watched the first 3 episodes, he'd be hooked like I was and not be able to walk away.  I was so certain of this, that I made a bet with him over it.

ME:  I challenge you to watch the first 3 episodes of "Breaking Bad" and not feel the need to watch the next episode.

JEFF:  What will I get out of it if I do?

ME:  2 hours of really great television.

JEFF:  That's not enough.

ME:  Ok, then, what if I give up using the Amex card for the month of September?

JEFF:  Really?  You'll go without using the credit card for 30 days? 

ME:  Yes.  Not a problem.

JEFF:  How will you pay for things?

ME:  I will only use our check card, knowing that we have a limited amount in checking to use and will make sure I stay within those limits.

JEFF:  You got a deal.

ME:  Ok, but we have to watch the first 3 shows together.  I want to make sure you are not napping during them or on your computer or reading a magazine.  Your full attention has to be to the tv show.   And I need your word that you won't wikipedia the 4th show or any others.  Plus, I am trusting you that you won't watch any episodes when I am not around to catch you.

JEFF:  Ok.

Jeff and I watched all 3 episodes together on Saturday.  He said the show was good, but that he can easily not watch anymore until after he's won the bet.  Hmmm.  I do believe he so badly wants to win the bet that he has mentally turned himself off to wanting to watch this show.  I'll be interested to see what happens come October and I've got the credit card back.  How quickly he tunes into episode #4.  Should be interesting.

My part of the bet starts on September 2nd.  It should be interesting to see how well I do too.  :)

Take a look at me now!

We've lived in our house going on 8 years.  About a month ago, my eyes opened for the first time and I noticed what Jeff & I had created in the family room.  A mess of wires coming from the tv, a dated looking fireplace and ugly media components on an even uglier shelf.   Then the wii entered our life 3 years ago and the mess got messier. I hate clutter!

Before:

The overall look.

On the left side of the fireplace -- DVD player,
Fios DVR, wireless router, external hard drive, phone

On the left side of the fireplace - the wii,
all the controllers, and about 25 wii games

AFTER:


The new overall look!

Fireplace is now painted white!  Check out the
black trim around the fireplace -- no more ugly brass.

Nothing on the left side of the fireplace. 
Whoo-hoo!

Right side of the fireplace -- new media cabinet that holds
all the stuff -- Fios DVR, DVD player, wii, wireless router,
and external hard drive.  In the side cabinets are all the wii games,
and controllers.  On top sits the phone.

All the wires/cables are hidden as best as possible without doing
 a lot of damage to the fireplace or the wall. 

I came up with an idea to do a layer of fake bricks to hide
the cables behind.  They are painted white to blend with the
other bricks.



I put my pictures of Bailey back in the same place to hide
the cables coming out from the holes.







The view from far away.  Love it!

Streaming.

I know I am very late to the game.  In terms of how fast technology moves, it might as well be obsolete now by the time I discovered streaming video.  But WOW!  Am I glad I did.  We've been Netflix customers for many years.  And usually it's just Ian that streams classic cartoons through the wii to watch. I prefer watching movies on the discs that get sent in the mail.   However, about 2 weeks ago I decided to give streaming a go.

There is very little on tv right now that has captured my attention.  I saw one of those newsy-entertainment shows the other day talk about the new season of "Breaking Bad" about to start.  I hadn't even heard of this show and the reporter was saying it was one of the best shows ever done.  Hmmm, it got me interested in wanting to check it out.  I started streaming the first season and watching it on the ipad, through the Netflix app.  This was incredibly cool.  I figured I would do one episode each night before bed.  It took exactly 2 episodes before I got ridiculously hooked to this show. I can't stop watching it!  I understand what all the hype is.  This show rocks!

The coolest thing is I can watch an episode anywhere.  When I am at home, I can stream it through my tv in the family room (where the wii is hooked up).  When I am anywhere wifi is offered, I can stream it though the iPad. And when I am just out and about (or Jeff is driving), I can stream it on my iPhone.  Going back and forth to Williamsburg for Great Wolf Lodge, I was able to watch 2 episodes each way.  The streaming capability is phenomenal and the show comes across without a hitch.  I love that it is commercial free too.  The best part is, I can stop in mid-show and pick it up exactly where I left off on another device.  Got to love technology!

Of course, my list of 8 books I want to read has now taken a major back seat.  Kindle?  What's that?!?!    There are 46 episodes to watch until I am caught up with the beginning of Season 5, which just started.  I am recording that on my DVR, so I can start watching it right away and not need to wait for Netflix to offer it.  I am proud to say (or is it very pathetic?) that I did it and have managed to watch all 4 seasons by the time you are reading this.  It helped greatly that I was home all day yesterday, kid-free, because we had new carpet being installed. 

It's funny, sort of like when you get a new car and then you see that same exact model all over the road.  It seems like everyone I know is watching this show. Every time I turn around I hear another person say how they've just started watching it.  And they've all gotten hooked as quickly as I did.  It doesn't take long.

Streaming...my new favorite thing.

The Fun Mom

I love the show "Modern Family" on ABC.  One of my most favorite episodes aired right before our November trip.  It was Manny's birthday and the whole family was coming together to celebrate at a local restaurant.  The show to me was hilarious and I enjoyed it all 3 times I saw it.  I don't normally watch the same episode over and over again, but it seemed like every time I turned around, another family member of mine was catching up on recorded shows on the DVR.

Which reminds me of something similar to the show "Sex and the City". I never watched that show.  Ever.  But the one episode I saw at a friend's house (because they faithfully watched it each week), was "Plus One".  Then get this, years ago, Jeff and I went to NYC for a weekend trip and went to visit the "Museum of Television and Radio".  We had gotten tickets for some kind of exhibit and arrived early.  We ducked into the theatre showing a "Sex and the City" marathon and you guessed it, they were showing the same exact episode, "Plus One."  And, another time I was at a different friend's house who was watching a rerun of a "Sex and the City" espisode and the same exact "Plus One" came on.  OMG!  I am sure that "Sex and the City" made other shows besides this one, but you wouldn't know it by me.

Whoa, please forgive my tangent. I just had this memory pop into my head and felt the need to share. I mean, what are the odds for a show I never saw, that I would see the same exact episode 3 times!?!? 

Anyway, back to Modern Family, which I do love and will watch each week.  Claire, Phil and the family are about to leave their house and head to the restaurant.  Words are exchanged between Claire and Phil and a bet is placed on who can get to the restaurant first based on their favorite route to get there.  During the drive Claire comes to the realization that she is not the fun parent, Phil is.  All the crazy, zany ideas come from Phil, not Claire. 

This got me thinking.  I want to be the fun parent!  I want to surprise the kids and do something out of character for once.  I feel like for weeks we were getting into a boring routine of picking Ian up from school, heading home, having a snack and then making sure Ian did his homework, have me make dinner and then get the kids ready for bed.  Not a whole lot of fun.  And looking back years from now, are the kids going to think I was the fun parent?  Probably not.  It was bumming me out.

So I went for it.  One afternoon, before our big trip, Sam and I picked Ian up from school.  I told Ian we had a stop to make on the way home.  It was to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream.  Now that was fun and unexpected, right?  Ian got very excited when he realized where we were going.  As we were getting out of the car Ian came clean and said to me, "Is it okay if I have ice cream again since we had an ice cream party in class today?"  WHAT!?!?!!  Who knew that the kids were having an ice cream party at school?  And since Ian's kindergarten is all of 3 hours long, it was probably within the last hour.  Oh my!

I couldn't go back on my word now.  The fun mom was out and was not going back!  "Sure Ian.  You can have ice cream twice today."  Because that is what the fun parent would say.

Minute to win it!

Now that Ian's bedtime has officially moved to 8:30pm, he has noticed a whole new world of television programming that he previously missed out on by going to bed. One evening, as his bedtime was approaching, Ian came into my room to say goodnight and give me a kiss. Jeff was getting ready to read Ian his bedtime stories. Ian noticed I was watching the game show, "Minute to Win It". Instantly Ian was captivated and loved what he was seeing.

Next thing you know, the number of bedtime stories getting read went from 3 down to 1 because it took that long to get Ian to leave my room and go to his. Ian quickly figured out that this game show is on every Wednesday at 8:00pm. Ian had Jeff set up the DVR to record each episode so that when he wakes-up the next morning he can watch the remaining 30 minutes.

A few weeks ago, Ian came to me early in the evening and asked if I'd like to watch the show with him in his bed. How cute is that!?!?! Of course, I'd be delighted. While we were watching it, this one couple effortlessly sailed through what looked like an extremely difficult challenge. When it was over, I excitedly said, "Holy crap!" Ian then replies with, "Yeah, holy crap!". Uh-oh! Guess I temporarily forgot I was watching this with a 5 year old.

When this couple got to the $500,000 challenge, the host, Guy Fieri, asked them what they planned to do with all this money should they win this level. While this cute couple is answering, Ian is also dreaming and answering the question. Ian's idea of what to do with $500,000? He would have Rocknoceros (children's band) play in his backyard and get himself a minivan. Oh, if Ian only realized how many minivans he could buy with $500,000.

Last week I was having so much fun watching "Minute to Win It" with Ian in his bed, that when 8:30pm came, I couldn't turn it off. I told Ian he could stay up to the end. I guess this is what Ian was hoping when he invited me to come to his room to watch it.