I had a revelation this evening. Actually it's a revelation that i've had several times but somehow I don't seem to be able to remember it (a bit like knowing that alcohol gives you hang overs but drinking it anyway...) It's that I am quite simply a much happier person when i can resist the temptation to turn on the TV.

It's such an easy thing to do. You know how it is - you've had a tiring day at work or with the kids and it's the easiest thing in the world to just turn on the telly and sink onto the sofa - there to remain until you decide that you really must drag your sorry ass into bed.

This evening though I summoned up all my will power and refused to let it entice me. I put on some music and danced around the house while i cleared away the dinner things and packed up the kids toys. I got myself organised for tomorrow and wrote some lists (I love lists. Well, I love making them and crossing things off them anyway. I sometimes write things that i've already done at the top of my list just so that i can cross them off... Perhaps that's a little too much sharing - you'll think i'm crazy!) I made a little mobile for one of my friend's new babies. I turned my thoughts to christmas for the first time and came up with some lovely hand made gift ideas. All of which left me feeling inspired and full of optimism and excitement.

It's only when I turn off the TV that I realise how much time there really is in the evening. So much more time that i can spend fulfilling my own wishes - doing the things that matter to me; writing to friends, sewing, editing my photos, planing fun projects to do with the kids, improving my french, going for a run (I'm going to start, I am), talking to my husband, cooking together, laughing together, even just snuggling on the sofa together with our books. All these lovely things which get shunted to one side just so that we can 'zone out' infront of the TV for a couple of hours.

And absolutely the best part of this is that when i know i have a few hours a day to dedicate absolutely to myself i feel so much more able to be fully present with the little ones during the day. I don't spend time my time thinking about other things I want to be doing, or worse trying to get something done which the children have no interest in and having us all get frustrated and grumpy. The day is for them (or perhaps is should say us) and the evening is for me. I've always been a bit of an introvert and i really do need some quality 'me time' every so often or everyone suffers!

So i'm going to make a proposal. I will not watch any TV for the rest of the month of November. Lets see if I can once and for all get my head around the fact that life is more fun without TV. I'm going to stick to it, i really am. I realise that i also said i was going to embrace Buy Nothing New Month which didn't really happen, but that was mostly because we went on holiday for a big chunk of October so i didn't really have the chance to get into it. That and the fact that I really like lovely stuff. Oh dear, i'm begining to suspect i might be a bit flakey. I'd better do better with No TV Month...

I'd like to thank Pink, Meg McElwee and Baileys for getting me off my lazy ass.

I'll leave you with a picture of this lovely Sri Lankan Sunset.

Holiday photos and posts coming soon!