ChiIL Reviews: Skylanders Swap Force Review by Du-Jay & Sagezilla #Activision #ATVIFamGames #ChiILPicksList

Don't lose your heads, people... The next wave of Skylanders has hit the stores just in time for the holidays.   If your kids are like mine, they can't get enough of Skylanders and finished the Giants and the original journeys long ago.   We've been eagerly awaiting Swap Force since I got a sneak peek at the yet unreleased game at SweetSuite 2013 at BlogHer.  

Activision’s Skylanders Swap Force is the 4th Series released in the Skylanders Game Series and they're already kickin' booty and turning heads!   This one's the best yet.   

Skylanders make ChiIL Mama's ChiIL Picks List for Video Game Favorites.

My kids, Du-Jay (12) and Sagezilla (10) split the 29 Skylanders they've bought with their own allowance "helpful works money" into types and made a video to welcome the new Swap Force series.   Check it out here.



We're super stoked all the prior series characters can still be played in the new Swap Force adventures!    

Embark on an exciting new adventure with the Skylanders and the SWAP Force. For generations, the SWAP Force protected the volcano that replenishes Skylands’ magic. That is until an epic battle caught them in an eruption that blasted them apart, sent them to Earth and gave them the ability to swap powers. Only you can mix and match their tops and bottoms, put them on the new Portal of Power™ and save Skylands.

Skylander Swap Force is available at retailers near you.

Skylander Swap Force Starter kit available in Xbox, Wii, PS3, PS4

Target $74.99
Toys R US $74.99

Best Buy $74.99

and more

Extra figures sold separately and priced differently

Activision Family Game Summit TOMORROW #ATVIFamGames

We've been an AcTiVision Family for years.   With a 10 & 12 year old boy and girl who love video games, it's a no brainer.   AcTiVision makes high quality, fun games the whole family can enjoy.   Once AcTiVision sent us a few starter Skylanders years ago, my kids have been saving up their own allowance or "helpful works money" to buy more Skylanders!   

They just made a fun video on their own, with all 30 of their Skylander figures, to welcome the new Swap Force.  We'll be publishing their video right here at ChiIL Mama along with info on the new Swap Force Skylanders.   I got a sneak peek at the newbies at BlogHer13 SweetSuite, but my kids are chomping at the bit to play and review it!

Two years ago we had the great pleasure of attending AcTiVision's Games for Girls event in person and we left with a big bag of games to review and one for our readers!   Last year, we were active with the AcTiVision Family Game Summit in NYC on line.   Again, they sent us an awesome swag bag which we used for reviews and great giveaways for our readers.   This year the verdict is still out, but we have our fingers crossed that we can partner up once again.

The Activision Family Game Summit on line is free and open to the public as long as you register in advance.  Check it out!   Last year it was full of great info, funny anecdotes and more.   ChiIL Mama will be there... will YOU?!   We'll be Tweeting along.   Be there--noon Chicago time!

Activision has game versions of so many of our favorites including Moshi Monsters and Trash Packs.   We've done loads of past Activision features--click here to check out a few.   We've also done lots of Skylanders, Moshi and Trash Pack coverage.   We even met the main Moshi Monsters designers and creative team at ChiTAG last year and that's where we were first introduced to Trash Packs as well.

We'll have loads of great info when we recap The Activision Family Game Summit, but tune in if you're free tomorrow at noon and hear it all for yourself!

Fingers and toes crossed that we can again bring our readers some rockin' reviews and giveaways from our friends at Activision!!

FOODIE TUESDAY: REVIEW New Girl Scout Cookie Creamers by Coffee-mate #ad #OriginalVideo

“Scout The Girl Scout” 

Disclosure:  Thanks to Coffee-mate for sending us creamers for review purposes.

To celebrate the new partnership between Girl Scouts and Coffee-mate, the iconic creamer company launched a nationwide casting call titled “Scout The Girl Scout,” to discover an authentic Girl Scout to star in an upcoming Coffee-mate commercial.  They received a slew of great submissions, including my daughter's.  Don't worry--no votes, clicks, likes or jumping through hoops required!   Woo hoo.   Just watch it if you want to, cause it's cute and fun.   No pressure.

My own 10 year old, Sage, is beginning her 4th year as a Girl Scout, and she was one of the hopefuls who auditioned.   Check it out above and/or Click here to check out her entry on the site.   She's second line center on the second page.   I'm sure everyone thinks their kid is one in a million, but in this case, Sage was one of 300+.    Click here for more “sweet” casting call videos.  They also ran Los Angeles and New York castings in person.   They should be announcing the winner any time now.

Sage didn't get a call back, but we did get some tasty, full sized samples in the mail.  Coffee-mate won Brownie Points in my book by choosing my very fav flavors for the roll out.  At this point they have Thin Mint and Caramel & Coconut (Samoa flavor).   Get your cookie flavor fix now, year round!

Thin Mint is my ultra favorite, but C & C is a close second.   If you're a huge coffee fiend like me, check 'em out!   It was a great pleasure to meet their PR peeps at BlogHer13, where they were giving out tiny tastes, and then to have the chance to review a couple full sized bottles.   The easy open, flip tops rock, and the tapered spout makes it easy to hit the mark even when your mornings are "mom hectic".   These creamers make for a tasty treat, without all the guilt (and calories) of scarfing a whole sleeve of thin mints.   

  

Disclosure:  Once again, thanks to Coffee-mate for sending us creamers for review purposes.

WC Soiree, Fashion Show & Water Tower Place Scavenger Hunt Photo Filled Recap #WCSoiree #fashion

I'm still reeling from all the awesomeness that was BlogHer13 and the before and after parties to boot!   Then we went right into our full blown, annual 24/7 Lollapalooza/Kidzapalooza coverage this past weekend.   Now, I'm trying to do as much catching up as I can because we're leaving shortly to shoot a travel feature on summer in Vail, CO for 8 days!   I'll sleep when I'm old...    



Photos by Bonnie Kenaz-Mara for ChiIL Mama/ ChiIL Live Shows. 

We'll have more fun WCSoiree videos to come, including The Australian Bee Gees, my "Candyality" personality test results & a rockin' catapult at Marbles the Brain Store in action. 

But for now, here's our original photo filled recap of the Chicagonista's WC Soiree, 





Water Tower Place Blogger Scavenger Hunt, fabulous dinner at FoodLife, and CBS Moms party.   I've been elated to be part of the Chicago Moms, Chicagonista Blogger Community for years now.   

Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often.   We'll have more in depth coverage on the WCSoiree along with all the latest haps, original content, reviews, interviews, giveaways and photo filled features for YOU.

Click the links below for more official Chicagonista coverage: 

#WCsoiree: A Fashionable Chicago-Style Blogger Celebration To Remember

 http://chicagonista.com/featured/wcsoiree-a-fashionable-blogger-celebration-to-remember/

Samsung Galaxy at Lolla Out Of This World #lolla

Here at ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama we're a Galaxy Family.   We bought the first Galaxy S right when it came out and currently have the S4 & S3.   They impressed me last weekend at BlogHer at McCormick Place with free engraved cases, new batteries, and sweet tech swag like speakers, chargers and even big giveaways.   This weekend they're rockin' Lollapalooza!

Ryan Walker of the band Imagine Dragons attends the Samsung Galaxy Artist Lounge at Lollapalooza on August 2, 2013

Dillon Francis attends the Samsung Galaxy Artist Lounge at Lollapalooza on August 2, 2013 

Friday in Chicago, Samsung Galaxy kicked off Lollapalooza 2013 with a massive presence throughout the festival.  Concert attendees, artists and VIP's had a chance to check out the latest Samsung Galaxy devices through a number of exciting interactive experiences.

Steve Aoki attends the Samsung Galaxy Artist Lounge at Lollapalooza on August 2, 2013 

Flux Pavilion 

Backstage at the Samsung Galaxy Artist Lounge, artists including Steve Aoki, Imagine Dragons' Ryan Walker,  Hot Chip, Ryan Cabrera, Theophilus London, Thievery Corporation, Dylan Francis, Flux Pavilion and more stopped by.  Artists and VIP's could grab a refreshing cocktail at the S Beam Bar, play corn hole, dine on tacos from the Salsa Truck and create customized Chicago-themed postcards using the Samsung Galaxy Camera and Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0.

Joe Goddard and Al Doyle of Hot Chip attend the Samsung Galaxy Artist Lounge at Lollapalooza on August 2, 2013

Theophilus London

At the Samsung Galaxy Experience, Galaxy owners and fans received rewards such as complimentary popsicles and an interactive area for guests to create flower wreaths and personalized henna tattoos using the latest Samsung Galaxy devices including the Note 8.0 and the Galaxy S 4. Attendees also had the chance to win exciting prizes including upgraded concert tickets and a Samsung Galaxy S 4 device.  In addition, by tweeting #PowerOn, Samsung Galaxy owners could receive a fully charged battery for their device at stations located throughout the festival grounds.

Adam Tune, Jr. Flo, and Adam Tune of Keys N Krates at the Samsung Galaxy Artist Lounge at Lollapalooza on August 2, 2013 

Lucky fans that received upgraded tickets from the Samsung Galaxy Experience had access to amazing views of the Lake Shore Stage and could hang out in the Samsung Galaxy VIP lounge where they could enjoy free food, drinks and play ping pong. Aside from lucky consumers, VIP's such as Camilla Belle stopped by the lounge as well.

photo credit:  Neilson Barnard, WireImage/Samsung

Big Behemoth BlogHer Recap From WC Soiree On #BlogHer13 #WCSoiree

Look out Chi-town!   It was an invasion of the blogger brigades last week.   Thousands of bloggers from across the nation descended on McCormick Place last weekend for the largest annual blog conference in existence.  The keynotes,  workshops, VIP networking parties, swag bags, and fun will be talked about in cyberspace for months to come.

I've been blogging professionally at ChiILMama.com since 2009, but BlogHer has always conflicted with Lollapalooza/Kidzapalooza which I always have press credentials for and cover heavily.   So, I was a BlogHer newbie.   I was crazy busy through the weekend, and this weekend will be our all consuming Lollapalooza & Kidzapalooza coverage.  But after that, check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often!  The photo & video filled recaps are coming.   For now, check out our FB and Twitter feed. I was happily hash tagging away in real time at BlogHer so you can get a little taste of things to come.

MC MJ and Beth Rosen of Chicagonista fame

ChiIL Out With ChiIL Mama Vicariously:

Tuesday things got off to a rockin' start with Chicagonista's fabulous Soiree in Water Tower Place and a CBS Moms party at The Ritz.   I've been pleased to be part of the Chicagonista and Chicago Moms Blog Network for years.  Our full photo and video feature on the #WCSoiree is coming.   For now, suffice it to say, the food, drinks and networking opportunities were stellar, the scavenger hunt was fun and all too short, and we got a hilarious Mom sitcom sneak peek.



Anupy looked lovely, though she secretly confided that she really dug the black leather look below more.   Me too!   I'd just run into Anupy the night before, at the press opening for Victory Gardens latest, the intense and excellent Mojada, a remake of the Medea myth based in Pilsen with a family of illegal immigrants from Mexico. 

Here's just a little sneak peek at some of the opening fashion show, featuring press personalities and bloggers from Chicago and beyond.   See any familiar faces?   A number of ChiIL Mama's friends and colleagues were tapped for the show including Anupy Singla (Vegan Indian Cookbooks), Meredith Sinclair, Andrea Metcalf (fitness celeb), 

and MCs Nancy Loo (WGN), MJ Tam and Beth Rosen.





The Australian Bee Gees even serenaded us with a mini excerpt from their current Broadway in Chicago Show, now running at The Broadway Playhouse.

We made loads of sweet connections, so we can bring you even more awesome giveaways, product reviews, entertainment and parenting news and more. 

Here's a little sampling of where ChiIL Mama was ChiILin':

Wednesday:   
*Staples Back to School Luncheon

*Flatout Flatbread Trolley/Improv Tour

*Press dinner at Pinstripes Restaurant through US Family Bloggers



Thursday: 

*Eli's Cheesecake Blogger Breakfast

*The Big Toy Book Sweet Suite Event 2013 (with MANY of our favorite brands like Skylanders, HexBugs, D3 and more!)

*Bump Club/PsychoBaby Party

*Petco/CBN/Reviver Pets Party

*Party on the Mag Mile with Womensforum & Escalate Network

*(E)  BlogHer Expo Opens


Friday: 

*(E) BlogHer (Expo/Workshops/Afterparties)

*Yo-Getter Brunch

*Walgreens Trolley/Beach Party

*Lifetime TV Party

*Hasbro Cocktail Party

*American Girl Party

Saturday:

*(E) BlogHer (Expo/Workshops/Afterparties)