One of the biggest challenges we have living here in Norway is learning the language and let me tell you, the struggle is real.

First, there’s 29 letters in their alphabet, the three extra are: æ, ø, and å. Also, there’s all kinds of different pronunciations, like kj makes a “shhh” sound and ki is like you’re whispering “he.” Crazy, right?

But we’re trying. We have CDs, DVDs, Norwegian classes and live with two native speakers. Another unexpected tool has been Netflix.

When we moved here, we logged into Netflix to find that some of the boys’ favorite shows were in Norwegian, which was great.  For example Pokemon and all its iterations, LEGO: Legends of Chima, Lego Ninjago, and Phineas and Ferb.

Thanks to Netflix, I can watch Scandal and work on my Norwegian at the same time. As Olivia would say: Handle it!

And for the shows that aren’t dubbed, there’s closed caption in Norwegian, which helps Logan and I when it comes to reading the language. Scandal, House of Cards and Orange is the New Black all with Norwegian subtitles? Yes, please.

It feels awkward assigning my 8-year-old to watch Netflix as part of learning Norwegian. But it’s a lot easier than getting him to do his math homework.

As a member of Netflix’s Stream Team, I get a heads up on many of the upcoming and fantastic things the service is doing. However, using it to help my kids learn a different language wasn’t on my radar until now.

So, thanks again Netflix!

*I’m writing this post as a member of the Stream Team, but as always all opinions are my own.