what we're streaming while we shelter in place
Well the world has changed a lot in the last month. I can only assume most of us have been thrown for a loop or two (or three or four) during these weeks and I can only assume we’re all finally making our way through our streaming lists. Personally, our lists are always filled with shows we want to watch eventually even though we constantly return to our favorite ensemble comedies.
I thought I’d share what we’ve been consuming media-wise — movies/TV, podcasts and playlists (I won’t even pretend to include books because we’re not reading any). If anything, this feels like normal conversation I’d be having with my friends and siblings offline, so hopefully you get a small sense of normality reading this (and maybe a new show to watch)!
PODCASTS
Up First from NPR: a quick and informative news podcast that I legitimately begin my days with.
Corona Daily: not a podcast I’m listening to every day, but several episodes have been very helpful.
Janet Lansbury’s Respectful Parenting: if you have a toddler at home and want some guidance on how to remain empathetic through the tough parenting moments, this one has been incredibly beneficial for our family.
Code Switch: one of my favorite podcasts even before quarantine, covering lots topics relating to the experience of people of color. Great co-hosts and great stories.
PLAYLISTS/MUSIC
the drive: a playlist I created years ago to soundtrack our road trip to Disneyland that I’ve kept updating. It’s a mix of my favorite pop songs with some old favorites form my emo kid days. Basically a nostalgic list that I listen to when I’m not listening to my Taylor Swift playlist lol
worship songs: a work-in-progress playlist of peaceful worship music. Like a lot of us, my anxiety has spiked lately, and worship music has a way of getting me out of my head and allowing me to sing or cry and just release the intense feelings.
autumnal: a playlist my friend Sarah created years ago filled with cozy tunes
sleepytime: one of Brandon’s playlists he created for Izzy. We’ve started listening to it every night as a way to wind down and it’s become one of my favorite quarantine traditions.
kid’s music: we have a dedicated playlist for Izzy’s favorites. It’s a mashup of Sesame Street, Disney, and Raffi songs and is definitely going to mess with my spotify end of the year recap.
TV/MOVIES
DISNEY+
Star Wars: we started with Episode I because we never had before. Honestly, we suffered through the prequels (ESPECIALLY Episode II) and are all caught up with what’s available for streaming right now. Episode IX was so good that we might buy that one just so we can watch it and complete the saga.
Finding Nemo: these next ones are all going to be kid-centered because they’re Izzy’s current favorites. Finding Nemo is an almost daily request in our home and it’s a sweet movie we’ve been enjoying (although I’ll admit I’m getting a little sick of hearing Marlin shout for the whole movie).
Cars: this one is for sure a daily request. We usually don’t deviate away from the original movie because the sequels just aren’t as good.
The Lion King: a classic for a reason, Izzy loves this movie and Brandon and I have it pretty memorized from our childhood, so this one is an easy pick. We sometimes mix it up by playing the remake or Lion King 1 1/2, and even went through The Lion Guard TV show — which started out as a really innocent kid show but eventually turned into something I wasn’t comfortable letting Isaac watch at his age.
Frozen 2: the first Frozen didn’t hold Isaac’s attention but the sequel did! It was a nice break from our usual rotation and I fully enjoyed it.
NETFLIX
Ugly Delicious: if you haven’t seen this show and like food docs, you’re missing out! This one is so good! I really appreciate David Chang’s appreciation for high end food without being unapproachable. Don’t get me wrong, I love Chef’s Table, but I’m also always eating like Kraft mac and cheese while I watch. Ugly Delicious makes space for the nostalgic and beautifully covers how food is tied to culture and societal acceptance of immigrants. Seriously, it’s so good.
New Girl: this is one of our favorite shows (that unfortunately bombs in the last season) but we love rewatching this and laughing at all the jokes we’ve missed.
Puffin Rock: this one is for the kiddos. The sweetest show about two puffins and their friends. I really love this one on gloomy days for some reason.
Word Party: another kiddo show that is probably one of the more educational ones on Netlifx. This one covers vocabulary words. The latest season includes Mandarin vocabulary as well. I personally like to have Isaac watch this one with the Spanish language dub. Hearing Spanish on the TV helps keep Spanish my default language when I speak to him.
HULU
30 Rock: I told you we liked ensemble comedies! We’ve almost made our way through this show and we’re loving it. I’ve seen it in its entirety only once and this will be Brandon’s first time, but we’ve blown through these episodes pretty quickly! It’s just a great show.
Seinfeld: a show we started and stopped, but an absolute classic and one that we’ll for sure pick back up once we finish 30 Rock.
Lego Masters: a reality competition show all about building Lego models hosted by Will Arnett. It’s awesome and has been a ton of fun to watch.
Sesame Street: a classic children’s staple for a reason. We watch this through Hulu but it’s also available through Amazon Prime.
AMAZON PRIME
Daniel Tiger: probably the cutest kid TV show out there! We love Daniel Tiger and try to make sure that Izzy’s screen time includes wither this or Sesame Street before letting him watch a movie.
I hesitate to say “and that’s it” because WOW, that’s a lot! We do get out for walks and to play out in the tiny courtyard our building has, but our media consumption has definitely risen since not being able to leave the house to go to the park of to the library.
I hope you’re taking care of yourself and finding more good days than bad. I know personally I’ve been on a crazy roller coaster of emotions week to week, sometimes hour to hour, but even on the hard days, I try to find things to be grateful for or even things that bring me joy. What have you been watching while you shelter in place?
