It’s TV turn-off week, and though it isn’t affecting us greatly, it is having an influence. We aren’t overly dependent upon the televisions in our home, but it is nice to take this opportunity to unplug and show our boys that every now and then, you have to have something else be the focus and/or background of your life. It’s both rewarding and painful, but mainly rewarding, and I think we can all agree that’s a good thing.

There’s several consequences to TV turn-off week. One, it means I’m also not playing games. Which isn’t necessarily bad, especially given the fact that I played through a couple hours of TMNT over the weekend and came away less than impressed. Although Super Paper Mario is sitting on the shelf begging me to begin chapter four, and that’s difficult. The draw of Nintendo properties is still as powerful as it ever has been.

But, this week has also afforded me an opportunity to rip through A Clash of Kings, the second Song of Ice and Fire novel by George R. R. Martin. It’s a phenomenal book, and a quick read if you’re already deep into the story. I’m nearing the end, likely I’ll be able to finish in time for a quick trip to the city with the family on the weekend to pick up book three.

Of course, it also means I have to miss this week’s Thank God You’re Here! That will be a testament to pure willpower.

But Caleb is learning something valuable: that TV isn’t the center of the living room. It is an object of entertainment that is no more or less important than other objects of entertainment in our home, such as our library of books, mountain of toys, and plethora of art projects. He’s well entertained, that one is. Alex seems, as always, largely unmoved by the whole thing. He prefers to toddle about the house pretending to dance to silent music anyways. The lack of TV doesn’t appear to have affected him in that regard.