I have discovered a fabulous - and healthy - way to keep a toddler busy for a long time. It's not TV but it distracts his attention the same way a big purple dinosaur on TV does. It's an apple! The bigger the better here; I've been using Fujis. Tyler takes such teeny tiny bites and has this need to eat the entire thing, right down to the core. It keeps him busy for a good 45 minutes. This means Gavin can play by himself without getting pushed or his arm pulled or his toys taken away. This means I can get some peace and quiet from Tyler's usually non-stop barrage of questions, and by barrage, I refer to his new thing of asking the same exact question that I have just answered, over and over:
Tyler: Is today a school day?
Me: Yes. Today is Monday which means it is a school day.
Tyler: Is today a school day?
Me: Yes!
Tyler: Mama, is today a school day?
Me: Yes Tyler.
Tyler: IS TODAY (breath) A (breath) SCHOOL (breath) DAY?
Me: No.
Tyler: Is today a school day?

This gives new meaning to the old cliche "an apple a day..."