Summer TV Guilty Pleasures

I've actively been trying to cut down on the amount of TV I watch in the last several months, between the fact that I try to avoid Baby watching TV and because I hate feeling like a slave to my DVR. But...it's now summertime, and that means there are lots and lots of trashy reality shows (my personal favorite guilty pleasure!), so my DVR is quickly getting full, but in a good, I-ate-too-many-cookies kind of way... Want to know what I'm watching?

The Real Housewives of New JerseyMy workout buddy suggested this one - and boy was she right. It's right up my alley. It's like if "The Sopranos" was about the women behind the men. It is so much fun to watch. They air new ones on Tuesdays at 10 on Bravo. The season just started - there's only been three episodes so far, and it seems like Bravo airs them a lot, so you can probably still catch up if you want to watch. One of the women is rumored to have had some kind of Columbian drug cartel connections, and that's going to be addressed on the next episode, it seems, so if you're going to start watching, tonight is the night!

Charm SchoolThis is the second or third iteration of Charm School - it's what VH-1 does with its leftover reality chicks from their various dating shows, like Rock of Love and Real Chance of Love. Ricki Lake is hosting this latest incarnation (Sharon Osborne hosted the last one, which was awesome), and basically the girls go through "lessons" on how to become normal human beings, and the one who does the best wins some money, and gets to "graduate." Cheesy, I know, but it's fun to watch. It airs on VH-1 on Mondays at 9pm.

Daisy of LoveSpeaking of VH-1's various dating shows, Daisy was the runner up on Rock of Love a year or so ago, and so this is her second attempt to find love on TV. So far, it doesn't seem to be going well - she's had guys deny having girlfriends only to leave to go back to the girlfriend they didn't have in the first place, a cage fighter who almost caused some serious violence in the house, and an overly sensitive rocker who got mad when Daisy didn't listen to him, so he took off. Daisy herself is a total trainwreck - she looks like forty miles of bad road and then some. Not only that, but she's a few fries short of a Happy Meal, so it makes for some entertaining TV. Daisy of Love airs on VH-1 on Sundays at 9pm.

So You Think You Can DanceThis is the one reality show I watch that I don't think is trashy, guilty pleasure TV - there are some really, really talented dancers on this show. I love seeing the beautiful dance routines and the joy they all seem to express when dancing. It's fun stuff. I used to take dance classes as a kid, so I know just enough about dance to be dangerous. That way I can throw around the proper terminology when it comes to judging time after the performances, which is half the fun of watching. It airs on Wednesdays and Thursdays on Fox at 8pm.

So what are your guilty pleasures on TV? What trashy reality shows am I missing? Happy viewing!

What else did my mother dictate in my life?

I was at the grocery store today, one of my favorite tasks of the week, and I noticed Skippy peanut butter was BOGO. I love BOGO deals. On top of that, I had two Skippy coupons. Perfect for taking advantage of the BOGO deal. Problem is, I've never had Skippy peanut butter. Well, never knowingly had it. My mom was a Jif mom. Exclusively bought Jif all throughout my childhood. So I go and grow up and what do I buy? Jif peanut butter. Well, I'm tight with my money these days, so I bought the Skippy. I had some peanut butter toast for lunch and it was pretty good. It definitely didn't taste bad, but it also didn't really taste any different than Jif did. So much for brand loyalty.

The whole thing reminded me of a scene from "Gilmore Girls," one of my all-time favorite television shows. If you're not familiar with it, the main character Lorelai was the polar opposite of her mother, Emily. At one point, after breaking up with a boyfriend Emily did not approve of, she was shocked and appalled that her mother didn't get up and dance a jig when they broke up. She started to question all of her decisions, because she had used her mother as a barometer all of her life to figure out what she liked and didn't like. If her mother liked Skippy, then Lorelai liked Jif.



I'm rambling again, aren't I? Must...have...sugar...

TV Turnoff Week is this week

Have you ever heard of TV Turnoff Week? I remember it from when I was in school. I can remember we did it as a two-week project - the first week, we wrote down what our television watching habits were, and then the following week, we were to watch no TV at all and to write down what we did instead. It was an interesting experiment, and apparently, it still happens (I so didn't know that - thanks Google). I'm going to see about convincing Husband to try to do that with me this week.

It's interesting, there are lots of times where I feel like I lose track of time when the television is on - and oftentimes, it's not even anything good on TV. That's just silly. I could be spending the time reading a good book or blogging or (what a novel idea) talking to my husband (assuming he's home). I can totally see how something like TV Turnoff Week could help you whittle down your TV viewing habits.

There were some really interesting facts about television watching I came across when reading up about TV Turnoff Week...including...

• Number of 30-second commercials seen in a year by an average child: 20,000
  
• Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 38.5
• Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680
• Percentage of children ages 6-17 who have TV's in their bedrooms: 50
• Percentage of day care centers that use TV during a typical day: 70
• Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours
• Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500
• Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66

Wow, right? I've been wickedly strict with Baby as far as TV watching is concerned. He doesn't do it. The AAP (Academy of Pediatrics) says not to before the age of 2, so I've kept him away from it. It's been hard at times, when I've been desperate to just keep him busy for more than three seconds, but so far, I haven't really cracked. He's watched a few short videos on my computer of "Sesame Street." But that's it. I know I'm probably overcautious about it, but Baby is my first kid, and I am totally Type A...

So what do you think? Does TV rule your life? Do you think you'll try to participate in TV Turnoff Week?

Yuck...and other random thoughts

So I'm not feeling so super today...a sore throat has snuck up on me, so it was kind of a blah day. I had some chicken noodle soup for lunch, which shockingly didn't make me feel much better, and I wound up eating biscuits and chicken gravy for dinner. Not the most healthful dinner, that's for sure, but it did make my throat feel better...until I started coughing. Fun.

Speaking of yuck...did you watch "American Idol" last night? Were you shocked that the judges chose to save Matt Giraud? I was. My friend has a theory, and it's a pretty good one - that they just saved it to use up the save. I'm not sure, but I seem to recall that Disco Night is always a total trainwreck. Maybe they thought it would be fun to send two people home after the mess that will be Disco Night next week. Who knows.

I know everybody and their brother wants Adam Lambert to win "American Idol." Don't get me wrong, he's wicked talented (no pun intended), but I just can't imagine in my head what kind of record he would make, or as Kara would say what kind of artist he would be. Like, would he record a rock album? A Broadway tribute album? A Prince cover album? I don't know, I can't seem to figure him out. I don't see him as very marketable - though I do see him as immensely talented. So who should win if Adam doesn't? I don't know. I really don't. I think that Lil's time is over - she hit her peak in the audition and Hollywood and has stunk ever since. Danny is good, but his song choice as of late has been disappointing. Anoop is all over the place, totally inconsistent. Kris has potential to be a cute little tweeny-bopper kind of pop star, I suppose, but that's not my cup of tea. And then Matt, poor Matt. He thinks he's Justin Timberlake. He's talented, but he needs to find himself, if you ask me.

Anyway, you can blame this totally random post on me not feeling well. Maybe I need an outrageous brownie.

What did you think of "Idol" last night?

Things I Love Thursday

Kind of belated post, I know - but it is still Thursday, though not by much.

What do I love this week? Internet TV. Hulu.com, Vh1.com, the whole nine yards. Husband and I cut the cord with the cable recently, and are surviving with a high-tech antenna attached to the house (don't get me started on the whole antenna business) and over-the-air digital TV signals. The few shows that we can't tune in with the TV we can mostly catch online, with the exception of one of my favorite guilty-pleasure reality shows - "The Bad Girls Club."

Not only are we saving money because of this, but we get to skip most of the commercials altogether with Internet TV. So far the only drag is that sometimes you see the same commercial 15 times. Yesterday, I watched "The Real World" online, and saw a preview for "I Love You, Man" at every commercial break. There were five of them, so I saw the trailer five times. I may never see this movie as a result. There's also a Honda Civic commercial that drives me crazy that seems to be making the rounds on both Vh1.com and Hulu.com. I have to say, though, seeing the same commercial repeatedly really isn't a huge deal in comparison to the money we're saving, so I'll bite the bullet for now.

This was really an experiment for me and Husband, but I'd have to say it's going well thus far. We've cut down on our TV watching now that we have Baby, which is a good thing. We don't watch TV until after he goes to bed, or after he's down for a nap. It's not that I think TV is the devil or anything, but I'd rather Baby be playing than watching TV, if I can avoid it. Anyway, I think this might be an experiment that turns out to be pretty darn worthwhile. And heck, I'm kind of enjoying the freedom of Internet TV watching - it's kind of like getting one over on the cable company, which is kind of fun. Give it a try - see what the over-the-air signals in your neighborhood are like. Tampa is notoriously bad for over-the-air signals, hence all the antenna drama I alluded to earlier, but from what I've read online, in most cities, it's a totally do-able thing. Good luck!

Time for a change

I haven't had my hair cut in a little more than six months now. I don't have time for that kind of thing anymore, the way I used to. I don't make time, really, for myself much at all. Five minutes to brush on some foundation in the morning to cover up my blemishes and under eye circles, and throw on some clothes and deodorant and brush my hair. And of course throw it in the requisite ponytail. I decided today that I'm sick of the ponytail. Baby pulls on it, and I'm just sick of it. I needed a change.

So, I hunted on the Internet to find a salon that was worthwhile that was open today, on a Sunday, which is apparently rare (I never realized). Finally, I found the Shear Art Salon and Spa, which isn't too far from my house, and I'd heard mixed reviews about over the years. Well, I had an awesome experience. Ashley, my stylist, was great - totally easy and fun to talk to, a straight shooter who was honest with me about the style I was interested in, and a very good stylist to boot. I watched "Grey's Anatomy" with Husband last night, and Addison was on, as part of the big "Grey's Anatomy"/"Private Practice" crossover thing going on, and she had a cute new haircut I hadn't seen before. I decided this morning that I needed to chop nearly seven inches off my hair and get that cut, the shortest haircut I've ever gotten in my life. I was totally frightened while I chatted with Ashley and watched chunks of my hair land in front of me on my smock, but when I looked in the mirror, I was totally pleased. It will definitely take some getting used to, and I'm pretty sure it's not going to fit in a ponytail very well, but I like it. It's cute, it's different, and it's a change. Now if only it had changed my nasty attitude from this weekend. I've been terribly PMS'y and grumpy most of the weekend. Hopefully Monday will bring a new attitude!

Reality TV is so ridiculous...and fun

Oxygen is running an "America's Next Top Model" marathon today, in light of all the Super Bowl coverage. I absolutely LOVE "America's Next Top Model." It is the most retarded show, and some of the contestants are so ridiculous, but for whatever reason, it's so enjoyable to watch. I'm not into fashion, I'm plus size so I'm not really into models or anything, so I'm not sure what's so attractive.

In fact, I'm not really sure why I like reality TV so much. I'm intelligent enough to recognize that it's not actual reality - yet, most of the programs on our DVR are reality. "Sober House" from VH-1 (the sequel to "Celebrity Rehab"), "Rock of Love Bus" from VH-1 (the sequel to "Rock of Love"), "Amazing Race" from CBS (one of my personal favorites), "The Real World" from MTV, and many, many more it seems. Yet another new one starts on Monday, actually - "I Love Money 2," which has a bunch of alums from the VH-1 reality shows "I Love New York," "Flavor of Love," and "Rock of Love." That might be trashiest one of all - the first season was a mess of cat fights, love triangles, and general silliness, while the contestants competed for $100K.

I'm excited that "Amazing Race" is coming back soon - it's my guilty pleasure that allows me to travel without the jet lag. I love getting to see all the different countries they go to. And inevitably, there's some drama along the way. Last season, in the next to last episode, one of the contestants left his passport in one of the cabs in Russia. I wonder how long it took him to get out of the country after that mess. Yikes.

Oh, Baby's up now, must go fetch a bottle and find some kind of entertaining activity to pass the rest of the day. Husband and I are going to buck the whole Super Bowl craziness and head out to the movies tonight while our friendly neighbor hangs out at our house while Baby sleeps. We're going to be the last people to see "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" - and I'm hoping it will be entertaining. I really am. We haven't been to the movies together, I think, since Baby was born almost a year ago, so this should be a nice treat. Stay tuned for my thoughts on the movie experience. Mmmm, movie theater popcorn...I can't wait!