Nooooo!!!!

I turned on the tv yesterday morning to set our DVR. I tape shows everyday for the boys to watch at their designated show times. As I was flipping through our normal stations for taping, I realized that I had somehow missed Nickelodeon Jr. I went back up and checked again and it just wasn't there. It wasn't there!!! Where did it go? What happened? What would I do if/when my boys asked to watch Bubble Guppies, Pocoyo, Mike the Knight, or Backyardigans? What if they suddenly wanted to start watching Dora again after their hiatus of several months?
I know, I know. You're thinking to yourself "big deal. They're just tv shows." And you're right, except that you're not. TV isn't a big deal and if my kids have to watch a show they've already seen ten times then that is what they'll do. But tv time is limited in our house and it is a special time. I need tv time. I need my children to be occupied by something other than me for that one hour so that I can be a normal human being who gets to do normal, adult things like make phone calls and chop veggies and drink a glass of water without having to share it with someone who backwashes. And when my kids are watching old shows, their attention tends to wander and they suddenly find themselves in the dining room asking me if they can have a sip of my water. But new shows keep their attention. They become glued to the tv and it makes for a better hour for everyone.
So where did Nick Jr. go? Basically, DirectTv and Viacom are battling it out over prices and stay-at-moms everywhere are suffering for it. Suffering I say! A plague on both your houses! I had better go tape a bunch of PBS and Disney shows to tide us over.

photos by: japanese forms  http://www.flickr.com/photos/japaneseforms/4200616492/