This post is a collaboration with TV Licensing (a trademark of the BBC), but all thoughts and experiences are my own.
As the kids get older, life only seems to get busier. My brain is running with at least 12 tabs open at any one time, and my To-Do list has morphed into a colour coded and categorised full-time job. I think it might all fall down around my ears if it wasn’t for the calendar on my phone.
I know I absolutely have to plan in down time, or it doesn’t happen. Time to rest from the chaos in my head, time to myself, and time to connect with the husband and kids. I am a big advocate for mindfulness and the huge benefits it can have on our lives in reducing stress and anxiety. But mindfulness isn’t just gratitude journals and meditation. Watching TV and films on TV is a great way to unwind. BBC TV Licensing are running a rest and connect campaign, which is all about switching off from the chaos, and taking the time to connect with family and friends through the TV programmes we watch.
With that in mind, this is how I rest and connect through me time, family time, and date nights.
Me Time
Having the TV to myself can be a rare occurrence, so when it happens I like to make the most of it. Especially as there is always a huge list of things I want to watch alone. Without interruptions and snack requests! As a self-confessed organised freak who has an unhealthy attachment to my label maker I love watching Sort Your Life Out. I’m also very partial to anything heartwarming like The Dog House.
My #1
One of my all time favourite TV shows is Strictly. My family knows not to disturb me on a Saturday night when I am watching Strictly. It is pure escapism. I watch it whilst messaging my friend, who is watching at her house just across the road, and we send each other our thoughts on the dances and who our favourite is. I genuinely need cheering up when the series is over, because I miss the pure joy that it brings me.
Old faithfuls
There’s also familiarity in re-watching old favourites. I like having something on in the background whilst doing the more mundane life admin. Recently Gavin & Stacey kept me company again. I re-watched it all from the beginning on BBC iPlayer. It’s still so good!
Quality Family Time
The viewing we consume as a family has changed a lot over the years. The days of CBeebeies are well behind us. I am always forever grateful to Mr Tumble for helping our youngest communicate when he had a speech delay, and secretly, I quite enjoyed Charlie & Lola. I never quite got my head around The Night Garden though. Although I wish I had been a fly on the wall when the creatives came up with the concept. Mainly to see what was in the water that day!
Saturday nights
Saturday night entertainment is now our family viewing. It’s actually quite nostalgic watching Gladiators with the kids, as I used to with my parents. The kids like to watch things like Britain’s Got Talent. Our 10 year old is borderline concern level obsessed with Michael McIntyre, so we watch any show he does. One of his favourite TV shows is Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, he finds it hilarious, and it is great entertainment. It’s his birthday next week and I have planned to surprise him with his own Midnight Game Show. I’ve even persuaded the husband to don a suit and be Michael McIntyre. It’s going to be epic!
Trying to be cool
We’ve reached that point with the 15 year old where hanging out with us is totally uncool and the last thing he wants to do. It can be hard to find common ground. But TV can be a way in, sometimes we watch Friday Night Dinner, because we know he likes them. So we subtlety trick him into spending time with us, and for a brief half hour window we have a tiny bit of credibility in his eyes!
Movie nights
We love a family movie night with popcorn and the works. In the Summer we get the projector out in the garden and the kids love it. Even the teen. Apart from the bit where his little brother makes him a ticket and then pretends he is the usher at the cinema. That bit makes the teen cringe!
Date Night
Let’s face it, when you’ve been married for 20 years and are frazzled by the end of the night, going out for a romantic meal doesn’t have the same appeal that it used to. Snuggling up on the sofa with the dog fighting for space between us is far more up my street these days.
Am I old now?
Somehow the husband and I have found ourselves in our quiz show era. I don’t know if it makes us old, or uncool, or probably both, but I’ve made my peace with it. I love a quiz show! In fact I have a theory that your forties are peak quiz show age when it comes to getting the answers right. Hear me out: You are old enough to have enough knowledge of past events to get you by, and young enough that you haven’t forgotten them. Our current favourite quiz shows are The Weakest Link, The 1% Club, and Wheel of Fortune. We’ve also discovered House of Games on Dave.
LOL
We are also partial to some comedy. We love Would I Lie to You, and Goggle Box, but our favourite is Taskmaster. We’ve been known to wake the kids up by laughing loudly when watching.
FOMO
We also love to binge watch something and love those 5-part dramas that are on every night for a week. Ones like Dr Foster, or Playing Nice. They’re the kind of shows that has everyone talking about them and you get proper FOMO if you’re not watching. I cannot wait for The Walsh Sisters 5 part series which is coming to the BBC this year. I’m a huge Mariane Keyes fan and I am really looking forward to seeing the Walsh family brought to life on my TV screen.
What Are Your Favourite TV Shows?
TV is such a great way to escape from everyday life and rest, and also to connect with family and friends. Tell me your favourite TV Shows. What TV do you love to watch alone? Which show makes you laugh the most?
P.S. If you don’t love The Traitors, we can’t be friends.
Your TV Licence lets you enjoy a huge range of live TV. It covers you for:
- All TV channels, like BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Dave and International channels – but you don’t need a licence if you only watch non-BBC channels on-demand
- Pay TV services, like Sky, Virgin Media, and BT – but these are platforms that could have both live and on-demand services
- Live TV on streaming services, like YouTube and Amazon Prime Video
- Everything on BBC iPlayer.
This includes recording and downloading. On any device.
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