My son loves TV. Is it something I wanted to happen? No….but it happened none the less. Because of his obsession I do my best to keep him busy and out of the house so that we don’t have a tantrum when I refuse to turn the TV on. But really, the only reason I don’t turn it on is because other people make me feel bad about myself for allowing my kid to watch TV. Do I really think it fries his brain too much? No….therefore, most of the time I say SCREW IT, and turn on one of his favorite shows anyway. Yes…I will admit it dear readers….I let my son watch TV….and I am OK with that!

Did you know that they tell you to only allow your child under two to watch TV in 15 minute increments, and if they are over 2 to watch only 1 hour a day? Well my friends I do not follow that rule. My son is a VERY busy boy and runs around constantly, and TV is the one thing that makes him (and me) get to sit still for a bit. Yes, he zombies out a bit (or a lot) when it’s on, but it keeps me sane and for that I am thankful.

I work from home, and now that my son seems to only be sleeping an hour and a half a day I am struggling to find time to do my work. It is those times that I choose to pop on an episode of Diego, and get some things done.

Then there are those times that I just need a moment to myself. Whether it’s to fix dinner, or make a phone call, I just need a mommy moment, and the TV gives that to me. Is that such a bad thing? I know some people say they make it through with no TV at all, but I have to wonder how? How do you do it?

I am not saying I have the TV on all day. On the contrary…most of the day is spent with out TV. I put it on in the AM when we get up because I need some time to wake up, and drink some coffee before starting our busy days. I then have it on a bit while he eats lunch, then again around 4:30 when I pooped and need some time to myself. Maybe that does sound like alot…but oh well.

I do my best to keep my guy occupied, and do stimulating activities during the day…but it’s a long day. I have at least 10 hours to fill with him by myself, and if a few of them include a bit of Mickey Mouse, Diego or Dora so be it.

When I told The Captain I was writing this post he said “are you justifying this to yourself or to others”. My answer was “both….I’m just putting it out there”. So there it is. My son watches TV…..and he LIKES it! And so do I!!

Do you let your kids watch TV?

I have never been shy in admitting to my addiction to television. I love it, and it’s wonderful and I am not ashamed. That is why I am so super excited that the new fall season is finally upon us! That means new shows, along with new episodes of old favorites! But that also means that I have to pick and choose how to make the most of my TV schedule. It’s a tricky task each year, but it has to be done.

One of the biggest challenges is deciding which new shows I want to start to watch. It’s tough because I hate when I miss out on a great show, and it happens alot. Can you believe that I have never got into Glee? Mainly because of scheduling conflicts, but I think this year it will fit in. The Captain laughed at me when he saw my paper out with my show choices written down. He couldn’t believe I would do it, until I looked him in the eye and asked him “really?”…to that he replied that unfortunately he could believe it.

So here my dear readers is what I have chosen. I hope that I have chosen wisely, and I don’t miss out on the new biggest hit of the season. Because when that happens, I am just too far behind to catch up!

Fall Television Schedule

Monday:

8:00:

House and How I met your mother: “Hous”e is an old favorite, and The Captain and I have been catching up on “How I met your Mother” all summer, so we are excited to watch the new season!

9:00:

Gossip Girl and Lone Star: “Gossip Girl” is a must since I am pretty much a teeny bopper, and I decided to choose “Lone Star” over “The Event” because Entertainment Weekly recommended it. I am not sure if that was the right choice, but only time will tell.

10:00

Hawaii 5-0: I’m not sure what I think of it, but I will definitely give it a try.

Tuesday:

8:00

Biggest Loser and Glee: The Captain LOVES “The Biggest Loser” so this is a must since most shows on our DVR aren’t his. It’s a 2 hour show so it takes up a lot of time, but it’s worth it. I have also been able to add  “Glee” to the mix here. I am not sure what show is gone from last  year so I can watch it, but I’m glad I can.

10:00

Parenthood: This one I came to love last season. It took some time getting into, but I am loving all the characters.

Wednesday:

8:00

America’s Next Top Model: I am amazed each week how these sometimes awkward looking girls can get such great pictures!

9:00

Modern Family and SVU:” Modern Family” makes me laugh EVERY time! I’m so glad that they’ve brought back so many great sitcoms! “SVU” is always a good go to. I don’t have to watch every single episode and I can still enjoy it.

9:30

Cougar Town: My favorite part of this show is their love of wine! I loved the episode where they filled their wine glasses all the way to the top and wondered why each bottle only gave them 2 glasses! It reminds me of my wine pours! I hope this show gets more of a following because it’s really great.

10:00

The Whole Truth: I’m giving this one a shot. Looks good to me!

Thursday: My favorite night of the week! (TV wise)

8:00

My Generation and Vampire Diaries: The previews of “My Generation” are great. I think it has a lot of potential, but what do I know? Lots of shows I love get taken off. Can you say “what about Brian?” Vampire Diaries is just so good! Yes it’s the Teeny Bopper in me again, but really…it’s good!

9:00

Grey’s Anatomy and The Office: I am a little bummed here because NBC messed with their schedule and moved 30 Rock’s time slot! It used to fall here, but now it’s in the 8:30 time slot which stinks because I already have 2 one hour shows! I am hoping they move it around. But I still love Grey’s and The Office!

10:00

Private Practice: Self Explanatory

Sunday:

9:00

Desperate Housewives: Yes I am still watching it..

10:00

Brothers and Sisters: I am still giving this one a shot too..I love the show but here so many people have left! I guess we’ll see!!

So there you have it folks! My fall schedule! What will you be watching this season? What are you most excited about? Do you think I’m making any big mistakes?

Let’s start with a current favorite.. Charm School. This show takes women, who were cast off from such shows as Rock of Love and REAL CHANCE of love and put them together in a house in which they have to participate in competitions to learn how to be better women. Let me stress that these women are pretty trashy. I don’t want to throw any stones, but most are either drunks, strippers, and/or very ghetto and ALL have very foul mouths.

Let’s go back to Rock of Love. Now this show has my secret man crush as the main character….Bret Michaels from Poison! It’s kind of like the bachelor…trashy women style. This last season he put the women on 2 tour buses and had them follow him on tour. The idea behind it is that if the women were going to “be with him” then they had to learn to live life on the road. The women wear pretty much no clothing, and all do their best to win Bret over in whatever way they can. He’s a rock star…so he LOVES the rocker chicks who know how to PARTY!

One of my favorites was a show called The Tool Academy. Now I think the name says it all, and one of my favorite parts of the show was that they continuously called the men in the show Tools. It was hysterical! The men were brought into the show under false pretenses. They thought they were being part of a show called “Mr. Awesome”, when in fact their girlfriends signed them up for the show because they were big tools! hahaha It still cracks me up when I think about it. The couples had to learn, and go through different competitions to learn how to be compatible and for the guy to be less of a Tool…but in the end if they got kicked of…their send off from the host was “Im sorry, you are just a tool..” Now seriously people…does this not sound like TV that you’d want to watch?

These are just a few examples, but if you are looking for ways to turn your brain to mush then VH1 shows are the way to go. I think I get less intellegent by watching the shows, but for some reason I just can’t look away. I must not be the only one because the station always seems to have a new show that follows the same old model….What can I say? It’s a guilty pleasure!

So come on…spill the beans what is your favorite VH1 show? I know you watch it!

I believe the tradition started out back when I graduated college and my husband still had one more year. Since then it has morphed and changed to what it is today. Back in the day, Thursday nights were a big college night out. Being that I was no longer an undergrad, I felt it wasn’t my place to be going out to the same old places, not to mention the fact that the 3 am bedtime does not fit well when I had work the next day. Therefore, I was left on my own on Thursday nights. It turned out to be wonderful. I’d watch my favorite shows, and relax. It was wonderful “me” time.

Over the years it continued. When my husband was in law school he would normally be studying Thursday nights (among others) and for those 3 years I still had my time. When we moved into our town house my husband started Krav Maga classes. This still kept him busy on Thursday nights, and at this point  Martooni Thursdays came to be! I never really thought about it, but now that I look back I can see that it was a great opportunity to have a date night with myself.

Me Time – The Birth of the Martooni

The name “Martooni” came from my dad who invented the little word for martini. It is a little joke in my family because it seems that when any of us indulge in martinis the night gets a little more exciting. Martooni Thursdays don’t always have to be with martinis. Wine is a wonderful substitute, or anything else that helps with much needed relaxation.

Me Time – The Martooni Tradition Interrupted

Now here is where the dilemma begins. Before our wedding my husband stopped taking his classes due to the utter violence it forced him to face week after week. I could not have my groom standing at the alter with a black eye. And after the wedding he never returned. This alas left me with his company on Thursday nights, not to mention his constant nagging about how “awful” he thinks my shows are. Also, he has felt the need to invite his friends over so that I cannot concentrate due to their loud conversations. When this happens I am left to be thankful for my DVR. Now, I love my husband, and I love to hang out with him as much as possible, but I personally feel that being a wife does not make it ok to lose my sacred night of television and adult beverages.

Me Time – The Martooni Tradition Reborn

Now is the time that  I must mention the small ray of hope I have to regain my 7 year tradition. And that ray can be explained in one word….POKER! Yes, someone must have smiled down on me and taken pity on me. My husband has recently been playing poker with his friends on Thursday nights. Personally, I think my husband should be grateful to have such an understanding wife, who allows him to attend his weekly poker game. Who am I to stand in his way??? I’ll tell you who…a woman who whether right, wrong or indifferent gets overly excited for Thursday night TV.

Now let me leave you with this little piece of information. I have found the perfect and easy Apple martini. I don’t have the patience to make one from scratch so I buy Mancini’s pre made apple martinis.

It is the perfect amount of alcohol and gives you that martini kick. I have tried others and have been left disappointed. So this will be my recommendation.

So to all of you ladies out there who are looking for an excuse to have a night to yourself….why not start your own Martooni Thursday?!

If it’s not your thing then please share your personal “individual date night” stories! I am always open to suggestions!