Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Oh, What Have I Done?

A few months ago we made the BIG switch to all digital everything in our home. Digital cable, digital phone, and Internet all with the same provider...you can guess which one. While we had been digital cable customers for several years, bundling the all three services would save us nearly $100 per month, a savings we could not pass up.

[Especially with the those new iTunes charges for my husband...I'm just sayin'. honey.]

With our recent "upgrade" to all digital, came a subscription to STARZ...and all of the OnDemand STARZ programming we could ask for. At first I thought someone at the cable company had made a mistake, giving us this for free. But then I learned that it was part of the package and that I was not, darn it, getting anything for nothing - like I had hoped.

I'm kind of a sucker for getting something for nothing.

Love of the OnDemand is no stranger in our home, never has been. With this new channel to chose from, my kids (and their parents, cough cough) had even more choices - because we all know that there are just not enough choices in our television programming, right?

[I'll refrain from mentioning that we had 13 channels (13!) until I was in 5th grade. How did I ever survive?]

On the 2nd day of back to school after the long winter break, Katie finally had the TV all to herself.

"I want to watch a moooooovie!" She proclaimed after wolfing down her usual, waffles and banana breakfast.

"OK, which one do you want to watch?" I asked her, thinking she'd pick from the arsenal of DVDs stored in the cabinet under the TV.

"Hannah Montana on OnDemand," she said, like I should have known, duh. I didn't even know there was such a thing on our OnDemand menu and I suppose I have one of her OnDemand obsessed older brothers to thank for imparting that knowledge unto her.

As I searched the "free movies" and the "movies and events" sections, I started to worry, for there was no Hannah Montana to be found. Although we'd, so far, avoided the whole Hannah Montana craze at our home, I had friends with daughters who were Hannah obsessed and I knew the ramifications if I did not find this coveted film and find it fast!

Finally, I located it in none other than the STARZ category. Whew! I thought to myself as I requested the movie, settled my daughter in for an hour of completely pure and delightful little girl entertainment (no matter what the tabloids say, she doesn't read those yet - she's too young) and wandered downstairs to check my email.

Fifteen minutes later she sprang up behind my computer chair.

One hand on her hip.

One hand on the back of her head.

She flipped her wild and crazy hair in a way I have never seen and popped her behind to the left as if she were channeling Madonna's early, Like a Virgin and Lucky Star, days.

I raised one eyebrow, or at least attempted to - this is a skill I've never really been able to master - and asked her where she got those moves.

"From Hannah Montana!" She screeched.

She was beside herself.

It's moments like these (summoning my inner Laura Ingalls Wilder), when I wished we lived on the prairie...milked our own cows, grew our own crops, sewed our own clothes and used candles to see in the night. Not an OnDemand or a Hannah Montana in sight.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Elliot started giving Hannah Montana or, as she says "Hannah In Tanna" concerts. Singing, dance moves, the works. Terribly cute, if it wasn't for the fact she's only 3... or maybe because of.

xoxo

CK said...

Oh yes...I've got a minnie-me Hannah Montana. I'm just waiting until HM heads to rehab...ugh.

Happy Being Me said...

I thought I was living the prairie life until High School Musical slapped me up side the head. Isn't technology wonderful. This was cute! Thanks for sharing.
Take care,
Katie

Girlplustwo said...

see now, just send her with us.

Anonymous said...

Ha!

Do you remember when we live in a trailer in that fish processing "camp" on Kodiak Island? You were 3. Not only was there NO TV, also no radio except for some weird station. Just CB radio, no phones.

And all you had for electronic entertainment was a set of Disney & Sesame Street records.. you knew them all by heart.

I will NEVER forget when you saw your first movie in Kodiak.. and belted out " Hi-HO, Hi HO, it's off to work we go..." to the surprise of the other movie goers. Ooops.

Apple doesn't fall far from the old tree..

xxxooomom

Kyla said...

I'm glad we've been able to hold off on Hannah Montana so far (so far, not forever, I know)...though, we do watch iCarly, which I stomach much better.

Anonymous said...

Whew.
I don't have to deal with that HM non-sense..

bahahah who am I kidding? I am swamped with Star Wars and SpongeBob ALL DAY LONG.. Ever get knocked in the head by a spoon because it is really a Light Saber?? :p

Anonymous said...

I comfort myself that Hannah Montana is Not Britney Spears - who was the icon of choice a decade ago.

Le sigh.

Unknown said...

welcome to my world. My nine year old's latest affectation is when I am talking seriously to her, she puts her hand to her mouth in very exaggerated fashion and says the word, "gasp."

Aggravates me to say the least.

I think it's more peer set than Hannah Montana. Although I think iCarly isn't helping.

rachel... said...

My kids are fans of the OnDemand, too. Luckily, NOT of Hannah Montana.

Anonymous said...

Yes! That's it exactly. I've been craving a barn and land and maybe a prarie without computers because of WORDWORLD and Dora and the Billion-o-DVR saved kid titles.

I'm only a few short months away from teh Hannah here. Maybe I can talk the mister in to moving before then.

Sigh.

Julie said...

My mother let my oldest watch Hannah Montana and she came home saying "whatever, Mommy!". Yeah she was only 4 at the time. Nana and I had had a "come to Jesus" talk later that day!

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

I actually like Hannah Montana--it's very funny. Of course at 14 my daughter doesn't brag about watching it.

Anti-Supermom said...

ha-ha, Henry thinks everyones television can be paused now.

And I'm so lucky I don't have to deal with the HM thing. I just wouldn't do well with that...

Anonymous said...

For a while I was REALLY worried that my 3 year old was going have a bad case of the Hannah's. She's now exchanged it for watching the Sound of Music. 345 times a day.

At this point I'm not really sure which is worse.

Cheryl R. said...

OMG! This is my worst, worst nightmare (and a big reason why the Disney channel is NEVER allowed at my house).

My daughter is only 2.5 & it's bad enough I have to endure hours of Dora, Diego, Oswald, etc. on Noggin or Barney & Elmo on PBS, but so far, none of those characters is a smart mouthed, hip-ly dressed, know-it-all, teenager.

Lord help me, I hope she'll never become interested either. LOL.

G-d bless ya mama, I'd probably have wanted to lock my child up til she was I dunno, say 35?

Cheers,
C ~

Cheryl R. said...

P.S. I too lived for Laura Ingalls & Little House on the Prairie!