It's Olympic Time!

Did you watch The Olympics this weekend? We did. Even though we don't have a television, we figured out a way.

On Friday, I was feeling a little depressed - I wanted so badly to watch but I couldn't figure out how to do it because NBC online requires you to verify your cable subscription and we don't have a subscription. I felt like everyone else got invited to a party and I couldn't go. I remember every Olympics since I was about 13 years old, even the one I watched on my tiny black and white TV in my bedroom as a teenager. I couldn't miss it.

We have been a TV-free family for about 5 years now (maybe more?) - I don't miss it at all. The girls do watch programs on the computer, and most of my favorite shows are available online (Hulu, Netflix, etc.) But every once in awhile there is this pang when something big happens and the only way to see it is on TV.



Well, necessity is the mother of invention, right? Mr. M found an antenna in the closet that we've had for two years (he won it in a raffle)- and he figured out how to use the antenna to turn our computer into a television. Since the signal is digital now, the picture quality is amazing.

I was so grateful to him for his genius in setting it up. It was probably so trivial to him, but to me it was an incredible gift. So, now we can get all the free television stations on our computer. No more waiting until the next day to watch The Bachelor! Haha. We can even record the shows onto our hard-drive. I was like...is this legal? And yup, it is. Crazy, huh?

So, long story short, we got to see the Olympics. :-)



This was Paprika's second Summer Games. I remember watching the 2008 Summer Games in a hotel room in Panama City Beach, Florida with Mr. M and Paprika when Paprika was not even two years old. Vivian and Annemarie had just passed away, and I wasn't yet pregnant with Ginger. So, this is Ginger and Baby Violet's first Summer Olympics!



We watched the swimming finals of the Men's 400 Meter Individual Medley with the girls. Paprika was so excited about it. As they were swimming, I said to her, "That guy is the fastest swimmer in the world." And she looked at me and said (in all seriousness), "But I thought I was the fastest swimmer in the world!"

Clearly, our girl has gained some confidence in her swimming abilities. Haha.



One thing that was kinda weird about the Olympics for us as a family was all the commercials. I know that a lot of people have the ability to fast-forward through commercials now, and maybe we will be able to figure that out with the new set-up...but for right now, we're stuck watching commercials.

So, this weekend, Paprika and Ginger saw their first commercials ever. I kept muting them, but then Paprika would turn the volume back on and say, "No, I want to watch!" Most of the commercials were Olympic-themed, so I didn't mind it so much. But there were a few ads (like that McDonald's one about the sandwich under 400 calories) - that were in bad taste, literally! ;-)

I am really grateful that my girls have not been exposed to commercials and ads. Those commercials are so insidious, and I am pretty sure that my kids cannot tell the difference between an advertisement and actual content. Phew! Stepping off my soapbox now. :-)

We are really enjoying watching all the sports, and we are so proud of Team USA and all the athletes around the world. Part of the fun of the Olympics is watching it through the eyes of your kids and seeing all the hope in their eyes. Paprika is convinced SHE is going to the Olympics for swimming, and is now begging me to put her in gymnastics, too. There were a lot of jumps off the couch last night as we watched the women's gymnastics. :-)



I can remember where I was when I watched every Olympics for the past 20 years - and especially the Summer Games (my favorite). I wonder what memories my girls will have of this Olympics?

I am so excited and it's just getting started. I am in Heaven watching and cheering along with the rest of the world! How about you?


Pin It