Parent hack: Netflix

Kids in the Capital couldn't keep running if we didn't have sponsors. Writing the posts, managing the site, the social media, etc. - there are three of us who work on it and to make it possible we get advertisers who help defray the cost of our time.

BUT - we are always looking for sponsors that we believe in. That we use. That we WANT to talk about. We want to be authentic with you and we want to share what we love with you and how awesome is it if we can partner with some of our favourite brands and attractions?!

Which is why I am SO excited that we have partnered with Netflix, because, I don't know where my life would be with out Netflix ;)

Today I thought I would start off this new partnership with Netflix by talking about why Netflix is and has been a non-negotiable part of our lives for many years.

On Demand

My years of putting in Dora, Diego and Backyardigan DVDs that were inevitably scratched or THE WRONG EPISODES were seriously not my favourite.

Being able to turn on the latest episode of any number of shows whenever the kids need to be distracted is SO valuable. Knowing that there's any number of options for my three kids with vastly different tastes, plus the shows that they've all decided they can watch together gives me peace of mind. That's right - peace of mind that I can stop the squabbling and get a bit of quiet.

Plus, it's great for when my husband and I want to watch a movie after the kids are in bed.

Profiles

I like Offspring, Atypical, Jane the Virgin and the Fosters.

My husband likes Breaking Bad, Dexter,

The kids like Bella and the Bulldogs, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn, Pokemon and Naruto.

Keeping each of these incredibly different types of show preferences in separate profiles is GREAT. It means we can all build our own lists, have our own shows to "continue watching" and our own lists of recommended shows (see next point).

Lists

Anyone else remember the days of video store visits and standing there for eons trying to choose something you might actually want to watch from what was left on the shelves. (Video stores are a great "back in my day" story aren't they?)

Now we have pre-compiled lists of all the things we'd like to watch later, like a pretty TV wish list, ready to give us ideas whenever we have time to watch a show or a movie. I also like to add movies to the kids' list that I think we'd enjoy watching together.

Recommended Shows

When *I* don't know what I want to watch on Netflix, Netflix has my back and gives me ideas based on my previous watching and on how I've reviewed things I've watched. 

It knows the kids like Pokemon and it knows I like those super cheesy Hallmark love stories - like the one about the girl whose rich dad bought her a pumpkin farm as an investment and when he went bankrupt the only place she had left to live was the pumpkin farm so the fancy rich city girl had to go live on the farm and (spoiler) fell in love with the pumpkin farmer even though they started off by hating each other. I watch the worst stuff - this is why I need a separate profile from everyone else in my family.

I need my quiet down time - time where I'm not required to think or talk or make any decisions. Netflix helps me get it and I love that I have yet to run out of shows that I want to watch.

You can expect to hear more about Netflix in the coming months, so if there is anything you would like to know more about when it comes to them let us know!

What are some of the reasons you like Netflix? What are some of your must-see shows and movies?