Too Much Television

I used to think that in my house my kids watched too much television, however almost a year ago in February 2011, we had to get rid of our cable. Since then we only watch movies and TV shows through online streaming or DVD's.

There are some pros and some cons about this new set up.

PROS

We watch what we really want to watch. We need to make a decision on what to see, we can't just browse to see what's on, so we tend to watch less TV.

My girls are not exposed to commercials so they are not constantly saying: "I want that!"

I know what my girls are watching. They only watch per approved shows appropriate for their age.

CONS

I don't know what's going on in the world as much. I don't read the paper or watch the news so I am out of the loop unless I find the news online wherever I may be browsing. I don't know what movies are in the theaters unless I actively search for them. But I know this is more of a lazy thing on my part. I can find out about the news online, I just don't actively search for them.

I can't watch my favorite TV shows at the same time as most people, so I tend to hear spoilers by the time I can see them.

Do you feel you watch too much TV in your home? Or have you made the switch to no TV?
What have you found to be the pros and cons for your family?

TV or No TV, That is the Question

It's been two weeks since I have no Direct TV, one day it just suddenly stopped working, as it constantly searched for a non existent signal. I called Direct TV and they sent over a technician who said that he could not fix it because the Satellite was owned by my landlord who is using a private contractor for his service and legally they cannot touch it as it is private property. They told me I should call the private contractor to get him to fix it. Well, the private contractor said he can come over right away and fix it, for $92 and he will give me a receipt so I can get credit from Direct TV. This sounds really fishy, so I tell the guy that I am going to call Direct TV and find out if it's true that they give credit for that. I call Direct TV and they say that they do not give credit for that kind of thing. So here I am back and forth with Direct TV and the private contractor and nothing is getting resolved. I don't feel comfortable paying $92 to get some guy to upgrade my Direct TV service so that I can use it. The thing is that instead of having individual satellites for each apartment, the landlord is using one big satellite and splitting it, and it has been overloaded and cannot accept any more people, so in order for me to see TV, I need the upgrade. So I am left with one question, TV or No TV.
With today's technology and the help of the ability to watch TV in the computer and devices that allow you to see the computer on your TV screen and the wonderful invention of Netflix and their instant view movies and TV shows I must say that in 2 weeks I haven't really missed having TV. And what I have noticed is that the girls now play more, draw more, paint more, talk more. And life seems a little bit better. There are periods of quiet when the TV stays still and the girls go about their days as if the TV didn't matter and it makes me realize that No TV has been a blessing. We have to carefully select what we watch and we don't have to worry about watching something at a specific time, we watch whatever we want, when we want it. And that is great.
So today I called to cancel service on my Direct TV and after a long talk with the Direct TV people they told me that they were going to investigate this private contractor because the story I told them did not sound like something that it is legal as my service is not set up as a multiple dwelling service. So while they investigate I will enjoy my TV-less time and the quietness that comes along with it.