Y’all, I keep some crazy hours. There is very little in my life that I truly do on a schedule. I work from home. My sleep schedule is ALL over the place. And sometimes I forget meals. My life is anything but routine. You see, with the nature of my job, my family, and my preferences, I have kind of a go-with-the-flow lifestyle that means things mostly happen on flex-time. That means that anything that can operate on an extended schedule (hello 24 hour grocery stores and gas stations, banking on my phone, online shopping, restaurant delivery, appliances with a timer) is a boon to me.
Ever since the first binge four years ago, parents and kids have been able to define their TV schedules on their own terms. Thanks to Netflix, cartoons aren’t just for Saturday mornings, and Friday isn’t the only family movie night. Families are watching when and where works best for them. Comedy for breakfast? 34% of Netflix viewers choose to start their day with the cheesy jokes of Fuller House as the sun rises. And while school may be out at night, learning is at an all-time high on Netflix with documentaries being watched 24% more often after midnight. No matter how your family watches throughout the day, Netflix puts you in control so anytime is prime time.
We have a bit of a unique living situation in our home. I live in the apartment downstairs and my daughter and her husband live up in the main part of the house. So, we generally start our days in our own separate abodes. My viewing choices, like those of many people it seems, starts with comedies – something fun to make me laugh before I hunker down and really get to work. For me this includes Grace and Frankie, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, or yes, even iZombie or Santa Clarita Diet. On the other hand, my daughter tends to prefer to start her day with the joy of Disney – Moana, Tangled, Finding Dory, Zootopia, and Enchanted are all favorites.
Because we blog together, often by around lunchtime, I’ve headed upstairs to work alongside my daughter. At that point, we have three basic criteria for what we’re going to stream.
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It has to be something we both really like (fortunately for the most part, we have very similar tastes)
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We try to fit in the shows her husband doesn’t care for as much while he’s at work.
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We often choose the shows that we know we’re going to want to dish about with each other. Or laugh about together. Or cry about together. Or all 3.
Choices to fit all 3 criteria: Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, The Crown, ANY Marvel movies (Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage), Downton Abbey, Once Upon a Time, and Supergirl.
In the evening, we’re usually back in our own living spaces and once again, making our own individual viewing choices. Sam’s tend to be shows she and her husband enjoy watching together: any of the Star Trek shows or Star Wars movies, comedies like Family Guy, Futurama, and American Dad, and once again, more Disney. For me, this is the time of day I love to just kick back and enjoy some period dramas. Call the Midwife, Father Brown, When Calls the Heart, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Mr. Selfridge, The Paradise, Land Girls, and Murdoch Mysteries are all ones I can watch over and over again.
With the ability to download certain Netflix shows, we’ve even been known to take some of our favorites on the road with us as we travel! It’s the perfect way to catch up on our current binges and pass the time on those boring car rides. I don’t know if it makes me a control freak or just a little bit selfish, but I love being able to have what I want, when I want. That’s the beauty of Netflix.
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