Parents Taking Back the Netflix

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Man it’s cold outside today in Toronto. As the weekend approaches, the forecast says, let’s stay in and watch something. But what? Well thankfully Netflix seems to reload the library so often now, it’s actually hard to keep up.

The other bonus for the parents is, the kids have taken a break from Netflix as they are hooked on some Ranger Rob show that airs on cable (gasp). Not to worry Netflix people, they have not forgotten about you and will be back as soon as Ranger Rob runs out of adventures.

So that frees up the Netflix for the adults.

A Netflix Year in Review – The Best & Worst of Binge-Watching

2017 in review

Happy holidays. Happy year end. Happy binge-watching.

You know what’s great about having your own blog? You can write whatever you want and rank things in the exact order you want. No group or team to please. No algorythms to follow. Just what I think.

With 2017 coming to an end, I thought it would be fun to look back at my Netflix viewing history and rank the 10 best things I watched over the past 12 months.

As a member of the Netflix Canada #StreamTeam it’s easy to get buried in kid’s programming and what I should be looking out for as a parent.

But let’s be real. Every parent needs their own time and their own shows to binge-watch when that precious amount of time becomes present. As you all know, time to watch TV can be a real battle, so Netflix has been a God Send for creating your own viewing schedule. No waiting a week for the next episode. How did parents of previous generations do it?

So, let’s stop with the formalities and get to the year in review and of course my overall Top 10 rankings.

Our Summer Bender Of #Netflix

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Yes, yes, I am a member of the Netflix Streamteam. Yes, I am supposed to be sharing my experiences about what the family is watching, how we are watching it, where we are watching it and how much of it we are watching.

You could say I have been slacking on most of this since the calendar flipped into summer mode. But I want it to be known, Netflix is still like another family member in our house. It’s right up there with heat and water. But unlike heat and water, Netflix keeps getting better and better and no crazy rate hikes.

So what have we been binge watching? What has our butts glued to the couch? Well here is a list of what the family has been enjoying during our current summer bender on Netflix.

For Our Family Netflix is 100% Turn The Brain Off Time

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For those who follow the blog each month, you know I post something related to Netflix and kids. Each month the team at Netflix shares a theme that we write about and try to tie it to our family and viewing experiences.

This month, I have to admit, the theme just doesn’t stick for my situation.

For your March post, share which female Netflix characters your kids connect with and how they have made a positive impact.

Now, the obvious is, I don’t have girls and my boys will make a face if I ask who their fave female characters are.

Secondly, when our sons watch Netflix, I am not in the mindset to really focus on what my kids are taking away from it. Yes, call me a bad parent, but it’s the truth.  I am probably dozing with my eyes open.

They, like me, watch Netflix to turn the brain off and just enjoy 22 minutes of entertainment. Whether it’s Saturday morning or a quick cartoon before bed, it’s a time to just relax.

Forget Secretly Cheating, We Just Do Our Own Thing

Catchy title eh? Don’t worry. It’s not what you think? I don’t have the energy to pull that off. I am quite happy with one special person in my life.

No, the title is referring to cheating on the person you binge watch Netflix shows with. Yes, it’s true. A recent study shows 46% of the people polled, will venture on with a show and not wait for their partner.

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So how do we get around that sticky situation at our house? It’s easy. We have our own shows. No waiting around required.

Currently my wife is blitzing through every episode of Scandal she can get her hands on, while I am spending time with The Fall.

The Move From Cartoons #StreamTeam

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Do you remember when your kids first started watching shows or movies that were not cartoons? In our house for many years, if it was not a cartoon, it was boring.

But that has started to change as our boys get older.

Now they like shows or movies that have real people and real stories rather than the world of cartoons.

Just this past weekend we watched the first Harry Potter movie from beginning to end. Both our boys (4 and 7) stayed engaged the whole time.

That would not have happened even 6 months ago.

It sure makes watching TV with the kids a lot more enjoyable. You can only watch so many Paw Patrols or episodes of Pokemon before you leave the room.

Dad Knows All

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Just before Black Friday of 2016, I actually had some blog money that was unspoken for, meaning I could actually check out the deals.

Short story even shorter, I hit The Source and scored a deal on a 40 inch TV, an Xbox One S and a second controller. I was pleased.

Now the idea behind it was, we really felt a TV in the basement would help us get our living room back from the kids. They could watch Netflix and eat their snacks in the basement and leave our nice stuff, nice.

The Xbox was an added bonus for the boys. It came with Minecraft which is Harry’s new obsession.

I have not really gone into great detail in setting up accounts and security, so right now my PayPal is connected but you don’t need a password to buy.

The other day while I was upstairs watching TV and the boys were in the basement playing Minecraft, I got an email with the subject line – Your Microsoft order of Skyrim Mash-up: Minecraft: Xbox One Edition.

Huh?