5 Ways for Parents to Survive TV’s Summer Hiatus

Goodbye 30 Rock. Goodbye Office. Goodbye American Idol. Good riddance Lost… oh, wait… No matter your favorite program that let you ‘lax lazily on the sofa snuggled next to the hubby after the kids were fast asleep from wearing you out, the sad summer television hiatus has arrived leaving lackluster programming (*see schedule below) in its place. How are parents to survive? Here are 5 ways.

5. Flight of the Conchords: Get on board with this hilarious duo. In the series, Jermaine and Bret, who declare themselves, “New Zealand’s 4th Most Popular Folk Parody Duo,” are determined to conquer America and their laugh out loud pursuits begin. Actually, I had given the DVD and CD to my brother Christopher and he opened the package, threw the CD in the car stereo and didn’t think twice. Assuming I was introducing him to the next Jack Johnson, he was enjoying the new discovery (the music is actually good!) when he suddenly realized it must be a joke as he started to listen closely to lyrics like, “You’re wearing that ugly old baggy t-shirt from that team building exercise you did for your old work, and it’s never looked better on you. You know the one, baby, with the color stain” from the song, Business Time. Or from I’m in Love With a Sexy Lady, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking? No, I’m thinking what I’m thinking. So you’re not thinking what I’m thinking? No, cause you’re thinking I’m thinking what you’re thinking!”

The hubby and I recently ventured out to see them in concert and we were cracking up the whole time. To get addicted yourself, I recommend purchasing season one from Amazon or renting it from Netflix. To purchase from Amazon for $19.99 (vs. $29.98) click here. To order from the very parent friendly Netflix (DVD’s arrive in your mailbox and, to return them, you just pop them back into the self addressed stamped envelope and into the mailbox), click here. If dry humor is not your thing, consider renting an entire television season from *that* program you’ve always wanted to watch.

4. Get caught up on the Oscar winning films: If you’re like me, your popcorn chewing days in dark theaters are few and far between. It’s time to get caught up so you can finally join the conversation on the films you have been hearing about for the past year or so. A good place to start: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (click here), Frost/Nixon (click here), Milk (click here), The Reader (click here) and Slumdog Millionaire (click here).

3. Go on a date: With all the blockbusters headed this way, try and grab a sitter so you can catch a film. Better yet, head out to a concert, dinner, or, if you are really feeling spicy, get creative by browsing your city’s entertainment section and check out the unexpected, like, perhaps, The Derby Dolls.

2. Read: Shocking coming from me when it’s not People Magazine or Us Weekly, I know! There are some fun ones for you each to snuggle up to together:

For Him: Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood
Maybe the funniest, most unsparing account of ordinary daily household life ever recorded from the point of view of the man inside. The remarkable thing about this story isn’t that Lewis is so unusual. It’s that he is so typical. The only wonder is that his wife has allowed him to publish it. For Amazon’s price of $16.29 (vs. $23.95) click here.

For you: The Scarecrow
By bringing back Jack McEvoy, the reporter star of The Poet (1996), and by beginning the novel with McEvoy downsized from his job as crime reporter for the Times, Connelly puts both plotlines in gear. McEvoy, determined to go out with guns blazing, plans on writing a story about how poverty turns a 16-year-old into a killer, but he quickly learns that the kid’s confession is bogus. That unlocks the door to a serial killer every bit as warped, perverted, and brilliant as the Poet, the case that made McEvoy’s career.Alternating point of view between villain and reporter, Connelly builds tension expertly, using dramatic irony to its fullest, screw-tightening potential. Even confirmed Harry Bosch fans will have to admit that this Harry-less novel is one of Connelly’s very best. For Amazon’s price of $16.97 (vs. $27.99) click here.

1. Enjoy the sunset: Grab each other (pun always intended) and your wine glasses and take advantage of the longer days while enjoying the sunset. Throw in a game of backgammon (click here), and you may even be sorry when Fall programming returns… What? I said “may.”

Breezy Tip: Consider much of the above as great Father’s Day gifts, too! Or check out our extended Father’s Day gift guide– click here.

Want Breezy Mama to arrive in your e-mail in-box? It’s free! Click here.

Breezy Tip 2: Still want straight up TV? Here are some of your summer options:
Paid Cable Stations (I don’t have them, so, when interested, I rent or buy the complete season eventually).
True Blood –HBO
Weeds — Showtime
Nurse Jackie (new) — Showtime
Hung (new) — HBO

Drama
The Closer (never got into it) 6/8 TNT
Merlin (new) 6/21 NBC
Leverage 7/15 (Um, that’s over 6 weeks!) TNT
Raising the Bar 6/8 TNT
Hawthorne (new) 6/16 TNT
Merlin (new) 6/21 NBC
Dark Blue (new) 7/15 (again with the wait!) TNT
Burn Notice 6/4 USA
The Listener 6/4 (new) NBC
The Philanthropist (new) 6/24 NBC
Army Wives 6/7 Lifetime
Saving Grace 6/16 TNT

Comedy
Drop Dead Diva (new) 7/12 Lifetime
Michael and Michael Have Issues (new) 7/15 Comedy Central
Royal Pains (new) 6/4 USA

Sci Fi Not really my thing
Eureka 7/10 Sci Fi
Warehouse 13 (new) 7/7
Torchwood: Children of Earth BBC

Reality Totally my thing generally but not on this list (with slight exceptions)!
I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! (not even Speidi could get me to watch) 6/1 NBC
Bridezillas (lived it already -ha!) 6/7 WEtv
The Next Food Network Star 6/7 Food Network
Big Brother 11 (really?) CBS
Blonde Charity Mafia (can you say Real Housewives rip off?) 7/7 CW
Hell’s Kitchen 7/21 Fox
I Survived a Japanese Game Show 7/8 ABC
More to Love 7/28 Fox
The Superstars 6/23 ABC
NYC Prep 6/23 Bravo (I generally love everything on this station so I might have to actually check this one out… still have to do my top 5 things for a month though!)
Wedding Day 6/16 TNT
Top Chef Masters 6/10 Bravo
America’s Got Talent 6/23 (Bring me a Susan Boyle and I might give it a chance) NBC
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (Okay, I admit it, this one is worth your while and starts pretty quickly into summer) 6/8 (again with the…) Bravo

Not til August Does that even count? See the top 5 above on what to do til then!
Skins BBC
Monk TNT
Mad Men AMC
Psych USA
Project Runway Lifetime

And you’re still reading? You’re so sweet! Please subscribe: Want Breezy Mama to arrive in your e-mail in-box? It’s free! Click here.

Related posts:

1. Grandma Gonna Pinch Cheeks Again? Helping Your Kids Survive the Holidays Oh the weather outside is frightful, but you can help...
2. How to Talk to Your Aging Parents About Their Money Finance at a glance contributed by Geezeo How to Talk...
3. Cama’s Playlist: Summer BBQ Ahhh, nothing compliments the summer BBQ more than chips and...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.