Summer Fun Abounds With The Netflix Family Summer Truck Tour

ChiIL Mama’s ChiIL Picks List

Netflix Activity Truck at Navy Pier

Photo Recap by Guest Reviewer

Kimberly Robb Baker and Family

If your kids are anything like mine, they BLOW UP your Netflix account! So it was an extra pleasure to bring my kids to the Netflix Activity Truck at Navy Pier this weekend.

All event photos by Kimberly Robb Baker

They got to take pictures with Blippi and Po (of Kungfu Panda fame). Netflix didn’t even mind when I got in on the greenscreen action, put in-scene of The Sea Beast, their new girl-hero water adventure! Did I mention there were generous swag bags for the kids?!

The truck tour began in California and brought a taste of Hollywood to the Windy City. You can get your own kid-friendly experience with Netflix as they appear in Minneapolis at the Mall of America’s Toddler Tuesday 10-3 on July 19th, at the New England Aquarium in Boston on July 23 and 24 9-5, and finally in Atlanta at The Battery from 9:30-4:30.

To keep the fun going at home, download the activity guide here and check out the “Summer Break” collection at www.netflix.com/netflixfamilysummer for even more summertime viewing suggestions. 

The Netflix Family Summer Truck Tour features a kids and family friendly film & series-themed truck which is making its way across the U.S. during July and August with stops at MLB games, aquariums, malls, piers and a host of other locations. Family fun includes giveaways, character meet-and-greets and an immersive photo experience highlighting the best “what to watch” films and series for families this summer.

To get the latest on Netflix Family Summer, follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest @NetflixFamily #NetflixFamilySummer 

Nightbooks on Netflix is Scary Fun

ChiIL Mama's ChiIL Picks List: 

What We're Watching

Looking for some scary good fun for older kids? Check out Nightbooks on Netflix. 

 

When Alex (Winslow Fegley), a boy obsessed with scary stories, is trapped by an evil witch (Krysten Ritter) in her magical apartment, and must tell a scary story every night to stay alive, he teams up with another prisoner, Yasmin (Lidya Jewett), to find a way to escape.

Check out the trailer HERE.

Synopsis: Alex (Winslow Fegley) is a creative boy with a strong passion for writing scary stories. But when he's labeled weird and rejected for what he likes, he swears he'll never write again. That’s when an evil witch (Krysten Ritter), captures him in her magical apartment in New York City and demands that he tell her a new tale every night if he wants to stay alive. Trapped inside with Lenore, the witch’s spiteful cat watching his every move, Alex meets Yasmin (Lidya Jewett), another young prisoner who has learned how to survive the witch's wicked whims. With Yasmin’s help, Alex must learn to embrace what makes him unique — his love for scary stories — and rewrite his own destiny to break them free.

Directed by David Yarovesky

Screenplay by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis

Based on the book by J.A. White

Produced by Sam Raimi, Romel Adam, Mason Novick, Michelle Knudsen

Executive Producers: Rob Tapert, Jeanette Volturno

Co-Producers: Mary Anne Waterhouse, Tracy Kopulsky

Starring: Winslow Fegley, Lidya Jewett and Krysten Ritter

 *Head ups - this one has some big scares and intense moments, so it might not be appropriate for younger or sensitive viewers. If in doubt, check it out first without your child.

@Netflix #NightbooksNetflix

Our Netflix Stream Team Family, Shelfies and More

Over the 2 years ChiIL Mama has been blogging with Netflix' Streamteam, they've become like family to us. And like family they've given us the heads up on cool shows to check out, and even sent us fun surprises in the mail.

Disclosure: ChiIL Mama is a proud member of the Netflix Stream Team. We've been compensated for sharing monthly posts with our readers.  As always, all opinions are our own. ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama next month, for more Netflix fun in Chi, IL and beyond!

They really went above and beyond recently when they sent us a treasure chest of sweet dragons swag from Dragons Race To The Edge which got stolen off our urban front porch while we were at a press event and Minions Movie advance screening! Even though all the goodies had been allocated and sent, and the promotion was over, when they heard what happened, they managed to scare up another set for us! Thanks a zillion Stream Team. You rock!

 

(This is one seriously soft blanket for snuggling up and watching Netflix and it's been in demand. The kids and I have ALL been vying for the cool lunch box, and we shared the creatively named dragon themed treats!)

My kids may be out of elementary school but they're not too old to love Dragons Race To The Edge. Heck, I'm not too old to love Dragons Race To The Edge. I may work long and quirky hours, but one of the perks of freelancing from home is I can stop and watch Netflix with my kids! 

Sure, Netflix is a brand, but behind the company are real people with real families. And I for one can say my family is really glad we have Netflix. Now that my 12 & 14 year olds are in honors and AP programs in junior high and high school this fall, the lazy summer days of TV on the weekdays are over. Thankfully every 5 days brings a weekend and a much needed chance to relax, unwind and binge watch our favorite episodes and movies, on OUR schedule! 






Speaking of binge watching...

Our Stream Team Theme for the month is "Shelfies"

No, that's not a typo. Wondering what a shelfie is? We all have them – they’re the shows you’ve been wanting to watch but they’ve been sitting on the virtual shelf because… well, because you’re a parent and who has the time?

While you spent last year running the mom taxi, feeding, cleaning, teaching, scheduling, reminding and loving all those under your care, you probably missed episodes – if not full seasons – of some great shows. Did Olivia kick Fitz to the curb on Scandal? Who’s rocking the break room on Grey’s Anatomy? Just how long is Rick’s beard now on The Walking Dead? With full-blown fall premiere season upon us, now’s the time to hustle the kids off to school or bed, dust off your shelfies and get caught up!

Need some shelfie suggestions? Check out the great library of fall shows you can stream this month on Netflix. Here are ChiIL Mama's favs and a few top picks from Netflixs to get you started.

Thanks to my Streamteam family for sending these fun Orange is the new Black candles my way too. These votives set a great mood for cuddling up on the couch on a chill fall night and binge watching. And it's so much fun to get unexpected packages in the mail!

What We're Watching:
Some of these, like Orange is the new Black, have been on my shelfies list for years! I'm very excited to catch up on seasons 1-3, now that the kids are back in school.

Tweens and teens are such a fun age. They still like to watch cartoons with me (I'm a big push over for animation with decent plot lines) like Phineas and Ferb and Dragons Race to The Edge. And my kids are old enough to watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Daredevil, Doctor Who, and Sherlock with me too.

We've also been enjoying Project MC2 which I likely never would have discovered without a tween STEM girl in the house and the heads up from my Streamteam family. Check it out! We'll have more Project MC2 experiments, an unboxing and a great giveaway this month, so check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often!

Top Pixs From Netflix:

Which shows are on your Netflix shelfie list? 

Disclosure: ChiIL Mama is a proud member of the Netflix Stream Team. We've been compensated for sharing monthly posts with our readers.  As always, all opinions are our own. ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama next month, for more Netflix fun in Chi, IL and beyond!

Netflix Families Get Old School With The New Cool #Netflix #StreamTeam #Ad #TBT

Zoinks! Here at ChiIL Mama, we've always loved introducing our kids to the original classics from our own childhoods, when we all had to wait for Saturday morning for the good cartoons! I mean, what beats the classic Scooby Doo episodes?! It's a hoot to rediscover childhood favs anew through the eyes of your own kids.

Here's a little decade skipping #TBT action with the "way back machine" when my whole family rocked Scooby & the gang for our son's themed birthday party, staring the boy as the dog and the dog as a boy! Check out Dugan as Scooby Doo, the dog as Fred, Sage as Velma, and me as Daphne, somewhere around 2005! My husband, Dug, as Shaggy must have been taking this shot.

As much as we like to go all old school in our pop culture training, some of the next gen spin offs and updates are loads of fun too, like Inspector Gadget and Danger Mouse. 



So settle in with your littles for some now and then comparison watching. And when you're done cavorting down animated memory lane, check out some rockin' "New on Netflix" shows like our fam fav here at ChiIL Mama, Dragons: Race to the Edge: Season 1 or get multi culti with Gallina Pintadita (Now streaming in Spanish!)

This month our Netflix Stream Team Theme is: Reboot Your Throwback 

Disclosure: ChiIL Mama is a proud member of the Netflix Stream Team. We've been compensated for sharing monthly posts with our readers.  As always, all opinions are our own. ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama next month, for more Netflix fun in Chi, IL and beyond!

Check out the fun family favs below from our friends at Netflixs.

▪ Inspector Gadget ▪ Danger Mouse  ▪ My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic ▪ Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends ▪ Star Wars: The Clone Wars ▪ Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ▪ The Magic School Bus ▪ The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That ▪ Garfield and Friends ▪ The Super Mario Bros Super Show! ▪ The Smurfs 2 ▪ Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated When you're done exploring the original classics & their contemporary counterparts, check out something new. New on Netflix for Kids and Families

▪ Gallina Pintadita (Now streaming in Spanish!)

▪ Bindi's Boot Camp (6/15)

▪ Some Assembly Required (6/19)

▪ Dragons: Race to the Edge: Season 1 (6/26)

Here at ChiIL Mama we adore Hiccup & Toothless so we're so excited for this all new Netflix series:

Read more below from our friends over at DreamWorksTV, and learn how to get crafty while you watch! Even my tween was digging these. Hiccup and Toothless from the beloved “How to Train Your Dragon” films are back in an all new television series "Dragons: Race to the Edge" available now only on Netflix. In honor of its release, DreamWorksTV gathered the best DIYers on YouTube to create a brand-new dragon-inspired DIY series called “DragonStyle.”

 The premiere episode kicks off with a how-to video on creating a Toothless Phone Case with YouTube creator Lily, otherwise known as Coolricebunnies. You’ll learn all of the best tips and tricks for adding just the right amount of flair to your cell phone:  https://youtu.be/Rv1lbcWK7Ew

Tune in every Sunday to see new DIY experiments, including tips and tricks for painting “dragon style” nails as well as getting an Astrid-inspired look!

For more DreamWorksTV, visit www.YouTube.com/DreamWorksTV.

Disclosure: ChiIL Mama is a proud member of the Netflix Stream Team. We've been compensated for sharing monthly posts with our readers.  As always, all opinions are our own. ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama next month, for more Netflix fun in Chi, IL and beyond!

Join Netflix For A Fun Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire Theme #StreamTeam #ad

My favorite personal lie story involves my now nearly 12 year old daughter. When she was a toddler she went through a phase of leaving the water running in the sink often. One day I found the water flowing yet again. When I confronted her, she looked up at me wide eyed and innocent and blamed the DOG!

Disclosure: ChiIL Mama is a proud member of the Netflix Stream Team. We've been compensated for sharing monthly posts with our readers.  As always, all opinions are our own.

"A-Yah did it!"

This rescue dog sweetie is Alia Serendipity, who did NOT, by the way, turn both handles & leave the water running in the bathroom sink.

As much as we may discourage it in our kids, and attempt to avoid it, lying is a part of our collective human behavior and nobody I've ever met has made it a lifetime without indulging in at least a few lies. This month, our Stream Team Theme is Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire! Check out some fun movies and TV show ideas via Netflix, that maximize lying as a plot device or teaching tool.

Let’s face it, we all lie sometimes, even if they're just little white lies to make life easier for parents (the park is closed today) or make our kids happy (Santa Claus is coming!). Young kids make up stories as they learn the difference between fact and fiction, while older kids sometimes lie to cover for each other or to keep themselves out of trouble.

How do you cope when you catch your kid lying? What's one of the funniest lies you've ever busted them in? Check out Bloodline along with some additional kid-friendly titles related to lying and honesty for inspiration.

For your little kids: 1. The Gruffalo 2. Care Bears: S1E8, Untruths and Consequences 3. Veggie Tales in the House: S1E9, Lie-monade 4. Little Princess: S1E9, I Didn't Do It

For your big kids: 1. Totally Spies! 2. A.N.T. Farm: S3E9, Pants on Fire 3. Spy School 4. Jessie: S1E14, World Wide Web of Lies And for teens and parents: 1. Bloodline 2. Revenge 3. The Bling Ring 4. Pretty Little Liars The Rayburns, from the new Netflix original series, Bloodline, have some dark family secrets they’re willing to do anything to keep from coming out -- lying included. While you may not know the Rayburn clan just yet, The Philadelphia Inquirer calls Bloodline “an intricately drawn and superbly cast portrait of a family in crisis.” Starring Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) and set in the Florida keys, the series follows a family caught between the ugly truth and the terrible lie that covers it up - a storyline that conjured our friends at Variety to predict that, “.. those who give Bloodline a chance will, pretty quickly, find themselves hooked.” Also check out these NEW ON NETFLIX fun picks for kids and families...  They're some of our favs, no lyin'. 1. Monster High: Haunted (3/10) 2. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (3/11) 3. Inspector Gadget (3/27) 4. SUPER 4 (4/10)

Disclosure: ChiIL Mama is a proud member of the Netflix Stream Team. We've been compensated for sharing monthly posts with our readers.  As always, all opinions are our own. ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama next month, for more Netflix fun in Chi, IL and beyond!

Birthdays, Netflix and Reinventing Yourself #StreamTeam

Today is my birthday, so what better day to celebrate reinventing yourself? Birthdays are great for making a new start, setting goals, and following dreams. Birthdays are also a great time to kick back and enjoy Netflix with family and friends while you nosh on cake and ice cream. I know we did!`

Speaking of change... My mom even got in on the action for my birthday today & made a collage on social media of me now and at ages 1, 2, & 3. Recognize that toddler all these decades later?

Disclosure: ChiIL Mama is a proud member of the Netflix Stream Team. We've been compensated for sharing monthly posts with our readers.  As always, all opinions are our own.

This month, our Stream Team Theme is Reinventing Yourself, so check out some fun movies and TV show ideas via Netflix that rock that theme, and get inspired. Spring's a great time for new beginnings as well, birthday or not. It's crazy how much we grow and evolve as the years fly by and yet how all those past ages stay with us as well. No matter how much someone changes, some elements of their personalities and their faces are entirely recognizable.

Cha cha cha changes:
Did you catch our post earlier this month about the debut of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt? Click here to check our coverage out. If you caught the first few episodes, you know that the three main characters have something in common: resilience. Despite their circumstances, Kimmy, Tituss and "Jaqueline" were all able to reinvent themselves in one way or another to make it in New York City. 

Movies and TV can show kids that just because you may be quiet and shy today, that doesn't mean you can't be Superman tomorrow. Use this month's list of titles to help kids see a new side of themselves, even if it's not permanent -- after all, you can do anything for 10 seconds. (Thanks for the wise words, Kimmy.)

Now here are a few more wise words on the subject from David Bowie!

"Changes"

I still don't know what I was waiting for

And my time was running wild

A million dead-end streets

and every time I thought I'd got it made

It seemed the taste was not so sweet

So I turned myself to face me

But I've never caught a glimpse

Of how the others must see the faker

I'm much too fast to take that test

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Don't want to be a richer man

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Just gonna have to be a different man

Time may change me

But I can't trace time

I watch the ripples change their size

But never leave the stream

Of warm impermanence and

So the days float through my eyes

But still the days seem the same

And these children that you spit on

As they try to change their world

Are immune to your consultations

They're quite aware of what they're going through

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Don't tell them to grow up and out of it

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Where's your shame

You've left us up to our necks in it

Time may change me

But you can't trace time

Strange fascination, fascinating me

Changes are taking the pace

I'm going through

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Oh, look out you rock 'n rollers

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Pretty soon now you're gonna get older

Time may change me

But I can't trace time

I said that time may change me

But I can't trace time

Reinvent Yourself

For your little kids:

1. Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius 2. Mulan 3. Turbo 4. The Emperor's New Groove 5. Angelina Ballerina: Pop Star Girls 6. Stellaluna

For your big kids:

1. Mr. Peabody & Sherman (See you can go in the Way Way Back Machine...) 2. Princess Diaries 2 3. The Perfect Game 4. ANTZ 5. Avengers Assemble 6. School of Rock (Highly recommended and a fav of ours here at ChiIL Mama. Jack Black rocks!)

And for teens and parents:

1. Silver Linings Playbook  (Older Jennifer Lawrence fans will enjoy this quirky love story. I know I did!) 2. Chef 3. Safe Haven 4. Catching Fire (Catching Fire is a favorite of ours along with the whole Hunger Games series) 5. Freaks and Geeks (Here at ChiIL Mama we ADORE this series and highly recommend it.) 6. Dirty Dancing

Disclosure: ChiIL Mama is a proud member of the Netflix Stream Team. We've been compensated for sharing monthly posts with our readers.  As always, all opinions are our own. ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama next month, for more Netflix fun in Chi, IL and beyond!