One Year Satellite Free

We arrived in Faro a year ago with our satellite dish in tow. Prior to moving to the Yukon we were self admitted tv addicts. The tv was on in the morning before work and we watched the news. The tv was on in the evening once we walked through the door and it was on until we went to bed. Of course since we were living in Nunavut and the NWT we always used the excuse, well it is too cold out to do anything else.

I was addicted to reality tv and my husband to mythbusters and future weapons. We would watch 2 hours of tv just waiting for the show we really wanted to come on. Of course our weekends were full of Simpsons and Family Guy re-runs. We only ever had the basic package with the addition of TLC and Discovery, yet we still had more than enough to watch.

After a few failed attempts at getting a signal late last winter and early spring, we decided to leave it until to fall. Summer was on its way and we would be outside and camping. I had also decided that I did not want Hunter watching tv until he was two years old, so no point in me having it either. I knew that if I had tv I would keep it on during the day while Matt was at work.

We went through some serious withdrawl. I am pretty sure we both had the shakes, we were irritable and good god what else do you do on a week day evening?? But we did survive. In the fall we brought it up again, but since we had just gotten through our withdrawl and had survived the process, we decided to keep going.

Now of course, we aren't completely tv free. We have a very nice tv and dvd player. We have watched movies and a few tv series by the season. Watching the shows by the season is a great option! No commercials, no waiting a week for the next episode, and no watching two hours of tv just waiting for it to come on. We have watched 6 Feet Under, Friday Night Lights, Dexter, The Tudors, CSI and Firefly.

My husband is pretty sure that I have replaced my tv addiction with an internet one. Ah well- I am very up-to-date on most northern blogs, the news and facebook! I do watch Lost and Fringe online too. I just wish I could watch Amazing Race somewhere online.

Hunter is now 20 months old and has watched very little tv. On grumpy days or when I have an important phone call to make, I load up youtube and let him watch kitty videos or 4x4 offroad videos. He loves both of those!! Matt and him love watching the 4x4 videos together in the evening. But it is never more than 20 minutes a day.

We have also both found we get a lot more done around the house! My place is usually clean and tidy, I have taken up sewing as a hobby and I get lots of little boy time. Matt is going to the gym everyday, doing repairs around the house and also lots of little boy time. Hunter has turned into a voracious little reader! We read well over 20 books a day with him. Some of his books are in hiding because he becomes so obsessed with them. He is developing a great imagination and plays well on his own.

So for now, we will remain a satellite free family. In a few years we might bring up the subject again. We have decided though that we will get a dvd player for the truck. Since our shortest drive is four hours each way to Whitehorse, the kids deserve a break. I am now on the look out for wildlife dvds and other good stuff in anticipation of getting it set up this summer after Hunter turns two.