What Netflix Shows are Canadians Savouring and Devouring?

When people ask "What show should we watch on Netflix?" I struggle with the answer because each person connects with a different genre and I need to know if you're looking for something funny, scary or intriguing. When Netflix posted the results from shows that Canadians savoured and devoured over the year, I was interested to see which ones I loved made the list–were they ones that I would recommend? 

Getting into the Christmas Spirit with Kid-Friendly Netflix Movie Nights

November can be quite dreary and throw in a busy season of basketball after school hours and we are in the need for some calm and cozy connecting after dinner. Our house may not be decorated for the season yet but it has been the perfect opportunity to start watching kid-friendly Christmas movies on Netflix! Looking forward to the magic of Christmas is always fun and a great change of pace. 

What have the kids been watching?

When Netflix Sends You Googling

Anyone else love being exposed to history through fictional books or movies? I recently read Moloka'i and learned all about the history of a leper colony in Hawaii. Immediately after I had to google to see what was true and what was fictional. The same thing has happened when watching Netflix! There are several series that we have watched where I have had to head off to google and see what the characters really look like and how close to reality the events were. What are some of my favourites?

The Crown: Based on the life of Princess Elizabeth. It's sort of embarrassing how little I knew of the royal family and I now find them so much more fascinating. It is very well done and beautiful to watch.

How to Make Your Child's Birthday Extra Special with Netflix

I remember when I was younger calling the news station to ask them to wish my mom a happy birthday. They would often announce special birthdays at the end of the newscast and although hers wasn't a special one (100th or above!) it was such a delight to hear it announced on TV. Over the years we have also submitted photos to our local TV station for our own kids as they would do birthday announcements with the addition of a photo. Now alongside your annual tradition of the birthday bumps (do you do them? Our kids LOVE it) you can get your kid's favourite characters singing to them for their birthday using Netflix...

When You Don't Want to Netflix Alone

Although I love alone time, I also really appreciate cuddling up with Gary at the end of the day and watching a show together. With a snack, of course. Then comes the issue which was never taught in premarital counseling: How to choose a Netflix show that both of you can agree on. If I was on my own I'd spend most of my time on shows like The Fosters and Switched at Birth but Gary is definitely not into that sort of thing. He needs cooking (yes), superheroes and sports. So, here are a few shows that we have convinced each other to watch:

Me-Time for Moms

Who needs "me time"? Everyone! Whether it's being consumed by work or family or both, a little time for yourself is just what we often need. Netflix surveyed moms and found the various reasons why they need their Netflix shows and I would say that I most agree with two of them: Get peace and quiet to decompress alone and take a break from daily routine. Gary's breaks usually involve games like Star Wars Commander or watching sports.

According the survey, 58% of moms are sneaking TV "me time" throughout the day in a variety of locations from laundry (that's me) to making dinner (sometimes me) to walking the dog (not me–we don't have one but I don't think I would do it while outdoors).

Travelling with Netflix

For the past five days we have been on the go exploring Vancouver Island. Our kids have been spending hours playing at the beach, skimboarding, hiking new trails, and even spelunking! My Fitbit has us getting 15,000-25,0000 steps a day!  Here are some of our adventures from the past few days...

Searching for sea anenomes and sand dollars at Tigh-Na-Mara

When We Netflix

Remember the days of waiting until 4 PM for your show to come on and having just five channels to choose from? Times have changed! Now we can watch what we want when we want (well, if mom says it's okay!). So, here are all the times we Netflix; it's a verb, right? 

1. Hockey games. Nya, who just turned five, has to attend both of her brother's hockey games. I encourage her to pay attention and cheer until at least the half and then she is welcome to watch a show on the iPad. She loves Teen Titans on Netflix and if there is no Wifi, she watches episodes of Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig that we've downloaded from Netflix.

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

If you've been following along with me for the past year, you know I've been watching Gilmore Girls for the first time!  I love having it playing while editing photos or running on the treadmill.  I feel like it's been there with me through so many hard times this year.  The show isn't edge-of-your-seat action, it's just witty banter with some great pop culture references thrown in there (which is funny because my pop culture knowledge is really lacking).  This Friday, Netflix is releasing a revival of four seasons set ten years after the finale of the original series and is called Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

You Got It, Dude {Fuller House}

You got it, dude. Have mercy. How rude. Cut it out. Oh man, I can still hear my sisters and I saying these catch phrases from Full House.  When we were growing up, this was one show that we would watch together because it was something that worked for our age ranges and it was deemed appropriate by our parents.