FLASH GIVEAWAY: 2 Family 4 Packs to All Hail King Julien at Logan Theatre & Kids Activities Too! #ChiILFlixPicks

ChiIL Mama's a member of Netflix' Stream Team, so we're able to offer 2 of our lucky readers exclusive access to a screening of All Hail King Julien in Chicago, and we’d love for you to join us! In addition to a first look at two all-new episodes of the Netflix original, you and your family will be able to create crowns fit for a king, learn King Julien’s signature dance and pose Hollywood style with the King himself.

ENTER HERE:

This is a quick one. The first two readers to comment below (on this actual blog post) with the words "Me Please" and the adult name for the guest list WIN 4 tickets. It's that easy!

**PRIVATE INVITE ONLY SCREENING**

Netflix is Perfect for A Friendsgiving Food Coma Weekend #StreamTeam

Ah... Thanksgiving. This year that means a 5 day weekend where we're thankful for lazy pajama days, sleeping in, a roaring fire, tons of food, and family down time. We're embracing the food coma, the fabulous, bountiful leftovers, and hangin' with a few favorite friends.

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

Photo Credit: Kenaz-Mara 2014

We're usually super busy with events and shows to shoot and cover daily (we hit 8 theatre openings in 7 days last week) and international film crew travel. Hubs will soon be off to Hawaii-LA-San Diego-San Francisco-Atlanta over a 10 day span. And the kids are usually on the run to team gymnastics, tumbling, honors classes, Girl Scouts, ultimate frisbee, darkroom photography, and mentoring younger kids after school. So we treasure the few times our whole family has nowhere to go and can veg and watch Netflix together. This Wednesday through Sunday that's exactly where you'll find us!

ChiIL Mama is elated to be back again for another year as an official Netflix Stream Team blog. Once a month we'll be sharing fun content with you. One of the things we dig about this partnership is the creative flexibility. They send a suggested monthly topic, but ultimately we have the freedom to cover anything we want. This month we're loving their suggestions for "Friendsgiving" and famous/infamous TV and movie friends.

This month we're all about Friendsgiving, a popular take on Thanksgiving when friends come together to celebrate good food and great company. We kept our Thanksgiving feast traditional but low key, with just our immediate family, but we've been enjoying hanging with out of town friends over the long weekend and introducing the kids to some of our favorite buddy movies too, while we nosh on leftovers like pumpkin pie, turkey sandwiches and carbs galore. 

Our real life friends are one of the biggest things we're thankful, and so are some of this month's ‘dynamic duo’ titles to stream on Netflix for a wide range of ages and interests. We've marked some of our favs with an asterisk * below. 

If you need some thought starters on how to spark a conversation around friendship with your kids, check out these tips from Common Sense Media.

20 Dynamic Duos Available on Netflix 1. Bob and Larry: VeggieTales in the House 2. *Bert and Ernie: Sesame Street: Elmo and Friends (You can't beat the classics and these roomies rock! The ultimate odd couple for the tot lot set. We've got a life long love for Ernie & Bert.) 3. Bo and Dezzy: Bo on the Go! 4. Justin and Olive: Justin Time 5. Tod and Copper: The Fox and the Hound 2 6. Clifford and Elizabeth: Clifford 1. *Phineas and Ferb (Here at ChiIL Mama we LOVE Phineas and Ferb.) 2. *Shaggy and Scooby: Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (There are so many generations and incarnations of Scooby-Doo movies and episodes dating back to the originals from my childhood. My kids have caught them all.) 3. Vada and Thomas: My Girl 4. Martin and Chris: Wild Kratts 5. Finn and Jake: Adventure Time 6. Mario and Luigi: The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! 7. *Charlotte and Wilbur: Charlotte's Web (Forget arachnophobia and embrace a love for smart and helpful spiders. This sweet story is one of our long time favorites.) 1. Rory and Lorelai: Gilmore Girls 2. Schmidt and Nick: New Girl 3. Ted and Barney: How I Met Your Mother 4. Liz and Jack: 30 Rock 5. Walter and Jesse: Breaking Bad 6. *Mulder and Scully: The X-Files (We're always down for a good supernatural mystery and have seen all the X-Files episodes at least once.) 7. *Wayne and Garth: Wayne's World (Classic Chicago burbs comedy and still as funny as ever!)

Speaking of friends... "Friends" -- all 10 seasons of them -- hit the service Jan. 1. Mark your calendars!

Explore lessons about friendship from a few of the greatest duos, including Rory and Lorelai, Charlotte and Wilbur and Bob and Larry, whose all-new Netflix original, "VeggieTales in the House," starts streaming Nov. 26.

Disclosure: Once again ChiIL Mama is a proud member of the Netflix Stream Team. We've been compensated with a free year of Netflix and a rockin' engraved iPad Mini for sharing monthly posts with our readers! As always, all opinions are our own.

Adipose Pumpkins and Treats for Whovians & Netflix Stream Team Fun #StreamTeam #DrWho

Happy Halloween all. Have a safe, creative and scream-tastic evening as you ChiIL out with your friends in Chi, IL and beyond!

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.

We're elated to be chosen again as an official Netflix Stream Team blog. Once a month we'll be sharing fun content with you. One of the things we dig about this partnership is the creative flexibility. They send a suggested monthly topic, but ultimately we have the freedom to cover anything we want. This month we're foraging ahead on our own to share our undying devotion to the long running BBC series, Dr. Who.

My 11yo. daughter, Sage's Adipose pumpkin.

If you are a Dr. Who fan (or Whovian), or if you're a newbie, just discovering the series, Netflix has you covered. They have loads of back episodes under Dr. Who and Classic Dr. Who. Click here to check it out.

Netflix has 18 seasons of classic Dr. Who from 1963 on, which are pretty tame and cheesy and not too scary for most kids. These are retro fun for everyone. Then Netflix also has 7 seasons of new Dr. Who, beginning with the 2005 revival of the series. The new episodes have phenomenal writing, superb special effects, and some seriously scary characters! Frightening fun for Halloween and beyond... way beyond. Like a whole new space-time continuum and galaxies far far away and all that. This second batch of shows includes the brilliant one below that inspired my 11 year old's pumpkin this year and the tasty treats she created, pictured below.

Adipose screen shot from Dr. Who from "Partners in Crime" 1st episode/4th series. The Adipose are pudgy, little aliens made from human body fat, but this diet pill can be lethal! 

Our fav quote from the show: "The fat just walks away."

Sage's own creation--Adipose marshmallow treats 

Disclosure: Once again, 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.

NETFLIX NIGHT: Who's Down for Pizza & A Movie? #NetflixKids #Streamteam

Ahhhhh zaaaaaah. Four of the sweetest words in the English language: 

PIZZA AND A MOVIE.

Now that my kids are in 6th and 8th grades, their weeks are busy with gymnastics team, yoga, mentoring, ultimate frisbee, & Anime Club, not to mention school work and homework. My husband and I are both busy freelancers, who work quirky hours, so it's a special treat when we all manage to land on the couch together. One thing we can all get on board with is a family night of pizza and Netflixs movies. 

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.

Fall is the perfect time to start a Family Movie Night Tradition and make some memories with Netflix. 

I love the tween age and teen years because the kids are still young enough to get a kick out of new animated offerings, like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and give me a great excuse to relax and watch with them. I'll admit it. I'm not too mature for kid flixs. 



They're also old enough to "get" classics from our teen years including iconic Chicago flixs like Ferris Bueller's Day Off. They've chosen it twice already and love seeing the city they were born and raised in on screen. Hopefully they're not getting too many devious ideas, but we sure have had a lot of laughs rediscovering old favorites from our own teen years, and enjoying the kids seeing the movies we loved, for the very first time. It's one of my favorite things about parenting... getting to introduce your kids to pop culture you dig and enjoying it anew WITH them.

Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often for great nationwide giveaways & Chicago tickets. We gave away complete seasons of DVDs of H2O to some of our lucky readers as well as loads of advanced screening tickets to Free Birds when it played in theatres, and more. Of course now you can see these movies and shows any time you want, with Netflix! Netflix Titles for Family Movie or TV Night For your little kids: 1. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 2. The Pirate Fairy 3. Hoodwinked 4. Angelina Ballerina 5. Bob the Builder 6. The Muppet Movie For your big kids: 1. Strange Hill High 2. The Avengers 3. The Smurfs 2 4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars 5. Free Birds 6. Mako Mermaids: An H2O Adventure For teens (and you!): 1. Clueless 2. The Breakfast Club 3. Friday Night Lights 4. The Vampire Diaries 5. Ferris Bueller's Day Off 6. 13 Going on 30 Before you sit down to watch one of these titles - or your own family favorite - check out these tips from Common Sense Media on how to make family movie or TV night a success.

Disclosure: Once again, 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.

Netflix Stream Team Back to School With Kindness #StreamTeam

Here at ChiIL Mama we're half way through our final week of summer vacation before school starts after Labor Day. It's been a sedentary week, since my 11 year old is down with the stomach flu and my 13 year old is recovering from ingrown toe nail surgery to permanently remove both sides of one of his big toe nails. Thank goodness for Netflix and great books!! Our kids know we're all about kindness and anti-bullying. And as we prep for back to school once again, we know learning life lessons like making friends, learning social skills and learning peaceful conflict resolution can be as important as reading, writing and 'rithmatic. Need a little family refresher on treating others well, that's entertaining and fun, instead of heavy handed? Netflix has you covered. 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. Kindness is magic. Taking a cue from Derek – star of the Netflix original series – this month we’re focusing on kindness. Derek's mantra of acceptance, no matter age or ability, inspired our list of titles which are a great resource to remind your kids about how to see the good in everyone. Because in the end, teaching the values of kindness and acceptance are just as important as any academic learnings. In our family, one of our all time favorite magic and kindness movies is Harriet the Spy. We highly recommend it and you can easily stream it on Netflix on your TV, computer or portable devices!  ChiIL Mama's thrilled to partner up with Netflix and the Stream Team once again this month and to share their list of titles that model kindness & respect to stream on Netflix. In addition to those below, Derek is a great way to foster a conversation about acceptance with your teens – from the creative mind of Ricky Gervais, a comedy genius with fans of all ages, this mockumentary style comedy-drama makes tough discussions more approachable. 12 Netflix Titles to Promote Kindness and Acceptance For your big kids: 1. Rudy 2. Mulan 3. A Mile in His Shoes 4. Radio 5. Good Luck Charlie: Down a Tree 6. Glee Want even more titles about kindness and acceptance? Our friends at Common Sense Media have shared a list of TV and movie titles that teach empathy - check out the list here. And your little ones: 1. Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Vol. 1 Ep. 6: Friends Help Each Other 2. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Season 3, Ep. 4: One Bad Apple 3. Arthur, Season 15, Ep. 8: Muffy's Classic Classy Club / Best Enemies 4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame 5. Super Why, Season 1, Ep. 61: The Ugly Duckling: Becoming a Swan 6. The Fox and the Hound Disclosure:  Once again, 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.

Summer Learning's a BLAST With Netflix #Streamteam #NetflixKids

Summer Slides Are For Playgrounds Not For Minds 

And Netflix Can Help

Something weird happens every year, about this time. All the school uniforms, school supplies, and school sales start ramping up and taking over the airwaves while there's still plenty of summer left! We're not quite ready to leave the long, lazy days of summer for school yet! But with Netflix Kids and a little help from your friends on The Stream Team, nobody needs to freak out about a lack of learning or suffer the summer slide.

Everyone's heard about the summer slide by now... that dreaded phenomenon where kids lose months of learning every summer. School may be out, but learning doesn’t have to be, and Netflix makes summer learning A BLAST! 

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

Give your little ones a summer brain-power boost by introducing them to something new with Netflix—whether you choose a documentary about dinosaurs or go on a math adventure to the moon. Learning rocks inside and outside of the classroom. 

Here at ChiIL Mama we dig documentaries. My husband shoots documentaries & TV Shows all over the world, and we've learned soooooo many interesting things about a wide range of topics from watching his shows and more.

For the perfect way to beat the heat and indulge in some screen time, introduce your kids to something new with Netflix. It's a great way to relax and wind down after a full, active day of outdoor play too.  ChiIL Mama's Top Flixs Pick: Check out Wild Horse Wild Ride, an awesome documentary the whole family can enjoy, by a husband/wife team who are friends/co-workers of my husband's.  An annual contest challenges people across the U.S. to tame a wild mustang in 100 days, a dangerous feat performed by people from all walks of life. Rated PG. Available on Netflix.

Take a look at the plethora of great documentaries available for older kids and adults, including Blackfish, Food, Inc. and Mitt.

10 Netflix Titles for a Summer Brain-Power Boost

1. Lewis & Clark: The Journey Out West 2. Walking with Dinosaurs 3. Secret Yellowstone 4. The Blue Planet 5. When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions Want even more brain-boosting titles? Our friends at Common Sense Media (one of ChiIL Mama's favorite resources) shared 12 age-appropriate documentaries that encourage kids to explore worlds they may not normally encounter, all currently streaming on Netflix – check out the list here.

Netflix Kids Titles for a Summer Brain-Power Boost:

1. The Great Mouse Detective 2. Busytown Mysteries 3. LeapFrog: Math Adventures to the Moon 4. Turtle: The Incredible Journey 5. The Magic School Bus ChiIL out with us this summer in Chi, IL and beyond at ChiIL Mama (family friendly) and our sister site ChiIL Live Shows (adult). Check back with ChiIL Mama for more cool Stream Team Themes every month!  Stay cool and stream on... Disclosure:  Once again, ChiIL Mama is a proud member of the Netflix Stream Team. We've been compensated for sharing monthly posts with our readers.  All opinions are our own.