I stream, you stream, we all stream... in hotel rooms

The following post was sponsored by Netflix. Thanks, Netflix!

 

I’m writing this from the bathroom of our hotel room in Boston as two of our four children sleep soundly and the other two sound like this.

“Mama! Dada! Nigh, nigh DODO! NIGH NIGH MAMA DADA DODO NIGH NIGH!”

“I’m not tired can you cuddle with me again. I’m not tired!”

By the way, it’s midnight.

Just, you know…

And we are on day three of zero naps during days spent mostly outside in 100 degree heat which is fine and wonderful but HOW ARE YOU NOT SLEEPING! HOW ARE YOU NOT!?

What does this have to do with streaming? WELL. Since Hal and I can’t really do anything outside our bathroom door at the moment (our hotel room is a little on the small side, see above.) we are streaming television. Arrested Development, new season here we come! Or, we were until I realized I should probably get working on this post.

Hi.

I spent last week in Los Gatos as part of the “Stream Team” aka a group of bloggers from all over the world brought together to discuss easy-to-stream content/My Little Pony. ED: I basically went on a two day rant about MLP (specifically Bronies) and why I appreciate that Netflix doesn't separate the sexes in terms of content. Although I DO feel there should be a "boys rule" type section in the same way there's a "girl power" section ahem. (I was also very vocal about this as well. I pretty much pitched Despicable Me: the TV series because I love that movie so much and think there should be a show spin-off because that would rule.) Speaking of spin-offs, I'm also hoping they bring back My So-Called Life, twentieth reunion style. I mean Jared Leto rocking out in his garage is totally on brand. He basically just traded in the flannel and red for black eyeliner.  And Claire Danes? I mean Homeland is basically just this with higher stakes.

Brody/Jordan. Jordan/Brody. Crazy/boycrazy. Boycrazy/Crazy.

Anyway. Our little two day jaunt at Netflx was basically like summer camp except all of the things we did involved television shows. And media. And My-So Called Life. And Arrested Development and what shows rule and which shows don’t rule as much and what shows we stream from our home television sets with our families and I had to raise my hand at one point and talk about Air Bud and how he’s our favorite.

Second to Marmaduke, of course. (By far our favorite family movie. Very high brow.)

Anyway. All of this to say that it’s all very full circle because earlier tonight, before we realized that Revi was NOT going to sleep (Bo passed out within seconds of hitting the pillow), we decided we’d stream a quick show while the big kids bathed as a super fun treat while their sisters fell asleep in the pack-n-plays wedged between their bed and the wall. (Our room was supposed to be not this small and whoops.) 

And while we're not huge TV people (we try to limit the kids to one (two) shows a day.) we swear by Netflix streaming.  It’s what introduced us to My Little Pony and, yes, the Air Bud series which is surprisingly timeless even though it’s completely dated. (And awful. AWFUL. But the kids LOVE it. LOVE LOVE LOVE.)

Anyway, cut to us streaming Air Bud in the bathroom of our hotel while Revi talks to herself for an hour in her pack-n-play. That pretty much sums up our nights, but you know what? It rules. It rules because we’re doing this thing together.  It rules because these are memories. It rules because we have the option and it feels like a special treat and oh, Buddies. OH, YOU BUDDIES!

I actually wanted to end this post with my top five shows for kids/families to stream on Netflix as chosen by Archer and Fable who can watch all of five of these selections together with their twin sisters and everyone can agree. 

1. Phineas and Ferb

2. My Little Pony
3. Good Luck Charlie 
4. Sesame Street
5. Treasure Buddies
6. Air Bed: Seventh Inning Fetch
7. Air Bud Spikes Back
8. Air Bud: World Pup

(And yes, that's eight, but I had to include all four of those Air Bud classics because are you kidding me with those titles? I mean.)

Also, this is a video Kristen put together of all the Vine videos we (Isabel, Charlie, Heather, Kristen and I) made celebrating Arrested Development's premiere episodes in Heather's hotel room during the Stream Team Immersion 2013 Spring Break Rules:

ED: Boys II Men's classic, I'll Make Love to You was the song I first slow danced to with my first boyfriend to at the 6th grade dance. Which seems incredibly inappropriate now that I mention it. My Hypercolor Gennera  tee shirt on the other hand?  (Or should I say shirtS because I had several of those bad boys.) Was perfect. Especially when tucked into my favorite cut-offs from Wet Seal.  

And sure, we were only boyfriend/girlfriend for one month and we didn't speak to each other the entire month we were "dating" because we were way too nervous, duh, so embarrassing. And then he broke up with me on the bus. So, you know, that sucked. But worth it, for sure, because Boys II Men/Hypercolor Generra/leggings as pants/Happy Monday, everyone.

GGC