2/18/2010 Watching TV

The kids have been allowed to watch some Winter Olympics, if they're completely ready for bed first. It helps that there's no school this week -- it takes so much pressure off.

The one thing I can't stand, and this time for new reasons, is the commercials. They take up so much time, and many of them are borderline inappropriate. I'm as big a Beyonce fan as the next tween, but it makes me uncomfortable seeing her act sexy (and few can do that as well as Beyonce) in front of my boys -- and my very impressionable little girl. It makes me cringe -- perhaps moreso because of what a prude I've become over the actual effect on my overall clueless children.

Some commercials aren't so bad though; there are a few tear-jerkers, like the one of Dan Janssen skating a victory lap holding his daughter Jane, named after his sister who died of cancer right as he was competing in speed skating in the last Olympics, and lost then. And the McD's commercial of the two parents racing to get their son french fries first is funny too. After a stellar effort, the Dad wins, but the kid says, "Thanks Mom!"

Complaining about commercials is as deeply instilled in the Olympics-watching tradition as the 5 rings, of course. The quality and quantity of commercials take on a new level of irritation -- and, to some extent, amusement -- when there are kids involved.

Katrina doesn't like watching hockey anymore, but when she does, she favors the team with red uniforms (China). They all love watching the half-pipe snowboarding, but have to be persuaded that long-haired competitors really are guys. I mused at Katrina claiming she didn't like cutie-pie 23-year-old redhead gold medalist Shaun White....she will!

Of course, my mind is on much more grownup things than racy dance outfits on pop stars and tousled snowboard dudes. I'm preoccupied with interior and exterior decoration, primarily our future landscaping. An artistic rendering of our future front yard:

Grown-up yes, but the kids aren't forgotten: I'm looking into some sort of play structure, and have it on good authority from friends who have such things that kids get good use out of them. None of these friends have two boys close in age who tend to turn any object, fixed or mobile, soft or hard, heavy or light, long or short, into weapons however, and can't offer direct experience on the potential weapon value of swings. I have to think about that one.

And now, it's time for the men's figure skating. I can't miss that, though the commercials gave me plenty of time to update my blog.

2/18/2010