iFLY Naperville “Halloween Flight Night & Trick-or-Treat.” All day on October 31, children under 18 can receive 50% off!

iFLY’s Naperville location is doing a special promotion for Halloween called “Halloween Flight Night & Trick-or-Treat.” 

Why walk door to door for treats when you can FLY?! 

Check out this scary great deal!! 

Disclosure: We were not compensated for this post but iFLY did invite me and my son out for 2 sample flights during a press preview for their grand opening.

All day on October 31, children under 18 can receive 50% off an “Earn Your Wings” flight package when they wear their costume to iFLY ($34.98 instead of $69.95). iFLY will be open on Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.

This offer is valid for walk-ins only. Due to limited space, availability is based on a first-come, first-serve basis. All flyers under 18 should be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian to check-in and complete a waiver for their child prior to flying.

Costumes should be easily removable, or be fit to wear under iFLY jumpsuits and flight gear while flying. Children who arrive in costume will also receive a FREE goodie bag with treats!

**Valid at the Naperville location only.**

Disclosure: We were not compensated for this post but iFLY did invite me and my son out for 2 sample flights during a press preview for their grand opening.

WIN: BEETHOVEN’S TREASURE TAIL ($26.98 value) 10 Winners -- Out On Blu-ray & DVD This Tuesday, October 28

ChiIL Mama is giving away TEN 

Blu-Ray+DVD+Digital HD Combo Packs

($26.98 value)

Here at ChiIL Mama we have 2 BIG dogs in our family, and we enjoy the on screen big dog antics of the Beethoven series. Bring all the joy of big dog adventures home to own, with none of the shedding or poop scooping!

 

Beethoven's Treasure Tail is out on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD This Tuesday, October 28. 

Disclosure: We're thrilled to partner up with Universal Studios Entertainment. We've been given 10 copies of Beethoven's Treasure Tail for our giveaway in exchange for sharing release information with our readers. As always, all opinions are our own.

ENTER HERE for your chance to WIN BEETHOVEN’S TREASURE TAIL ($26.98 value) 10 Winners through midnight November 8th. Open nationwide, to anyone in the US.

Get ready to howl with laughter in this all-new family comedy starring America’s favorite St. Bernard, the one and only Beethoven! After a doggone disaster of a movie shoot, the big-hearted pooch and his trainer, Eddie (Jonathan Silverman, Beethoven’s Big Break), are heading home when they get stranded in a small coastal village. 

When Beethoven befriends a local boy (Bretton Manley, Ted), he helps him find a pirate map to lost treasure and together they em-bark on an adventure that brings the whole town together. Co-starring Morgan Fairchild (Flamingo Road), Kristy Swanson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator), it’s a heartwarming “tail” about finding fun wherever your nose leads you.

DVD
Technical Information

• Run Time: 98
• MPAA Rating: PG ()
• Audio: English, French, Spanish
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, French Canadian Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• English SDH, French, Spanish
• Picture: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)

BLU-RAY
Bonus Features

• Digital Copy of Beethoven’s Treasure Tail (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.)
• Includes UltraViolet (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.)

Technical Information

• Run Time: 98
• MPAA Rating: PG ()
• Audio: English, French, Spanish
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Canadian DTS Digital Surround 5.1, Spanish DTS Digital Surround 5.1
• English SDH, French, Spanish
• Picture: Widescreen (1.78:1)

Universal Studios Entertainment. Universal Home Entertainment

Disclosure: Once again, we're thrilled to partner up with Universal Studios Entertainment. We've been given 10 copies of Beethoven's Treasure Tail for our giveaway in exchange for sharing release information with our readers. As always, all opinions are our own.

Happy Hauntings With FREE Chicagoween Fun All Weekend #MidnightCircus #Halloween #Chicago

ChiIL Mama's ChiIL Picks List 

for FREE 

Fam Friendly Fun 

This Weekend in Chi, IL

daily through 10/26

Midnight Circus in the Park is over for the season, but you can still catch the best little circus in town in their FREE annual Chicagoween incarnation. Check out the Chicagoween Site here for the 411 on all the seasonal festivities happening THIS weekend.

WIN A Pair of Contigo Stainless 16oz West Loop Autoseal Travel Mugs ($42 value) 2 Winners #BestGotBetter #Giveaway #DiscountCode

Mmmm. Fall means hot apple cider with cinnamon, hot chocolate with whipped cream, hot mulled wine, and of course hot coffee and tea. And Contigo's the one TO GO with when you're makin' it TO GO. Here at ChiIL Mama, we've long been fans of Contigo's awesome line of reusable water bottles and travel mugs. And we're not the only one. Chi, IL's own home town heroes, Contigo have THE #1 selling line of travel mugs”. 

Disclosure: Thanks to Contigo for providing us with West Loop mugs for our giveaway and for review purposes. As always, all opinions are our own.

Yet Contigo's not content to be #1 and rest on their past success. They're cutting edge innovators, constantly improving on their own designs. And they're pleased to announce that the best just got better! Not only that, they charmingly name a lot of their lines after Chicago's neighborhoods and streets. Contigo gave us some of the new West Loop stainless travel mugs to review and the whole family's become completely attached to them. These mugs go EVERYWHERE.



ChiIL Mama's daughter, Sage, LOVES her Greyed Jade colored West Loop Travel Mug. It keeps ice water chill all day at school.

*Made from 100% BPA-Free materials (That's a must for my family!)

They truly are leak proof and have amazing staying power to keep beverages hot or cold. 

• *Vacuum-insulated technology keeps your drinks hot for up to 5 hours and cold for up to 12 hours.

Before Contigo, we had a cabinet full of leak-proof technology FAILS that either gushed all over or were so hard to open and drink from as to be entirely useless. Finally West Loop lets you drink on-the-go without your drink going all over your clothes, car and kids! Lock it when you need extra peace of mind. Open it easily. Check out the tech specs & 7 available mug colors here.

• *Patented AUTOSEAL lid automatically seals between sips to prevent leaks and spills

• *New lid-lock prevents the AUTOSEAL® button from accidently being pushed while on-the-go.

ChiIL Mama's so stoked with the new West Loop travel mugs that we just have to share our enthusiasm with our readers (Even if it's not named the Logan Square or the Avondale for our hood!). Don't just take our word for it though.



ENTER HERE through midnight Friday November 7th for your chance to win a PAIR of Contigo 16oz West Loop Patented AUTOSEAL, Leak Proof Travel Mugs ($42 value), 2 Winners. Giveaways open nationwide to anyone in the US. Two of our our lucky readers will win 2 mugs each. 

ALL OUR READERS ARE WINNERS: 
These West Loop Travel Mugs make great stocking stuffers or gifts "just because". We're not only giving 4 away, but ALL ChiIL Mama's readers get a rockin' discount through Halloween. No tricks. It's our treat to you, thanks to our friends over at Contigo. Use the code below

*Log in here for 20% off with code: WESTLOOP20 (This expires on October 31, 2014)*

My husband and I trade off on laundry and dish duty (for multi year shifts) and I'm back to dishes as of this week, after over a decade on laundry detail. So I'm extra jazzed about the West Loop Mug's new lid clean ability. Next to my pet peeve of leaky, impossible to open mugs is a hatred of hard to clean lids with lots of little lose-able parts and moldy cracks and crevices. Thankfully Contigo's got my back.

The West Loop's newly designed lid pivots open for easy cleaning. It features a drop-down mechanism in the lid, which hinges away from the spout, with no loose parts to clean, lose or reassemble. Rinse with water and place it open in the top rack of the dishwasher for a thorough cleaning. (The Easy Clean Lid will retail for $6.00 if someone swipes yours 'cause it's just that cool!)

AND they have a tea infuser you can buy that snaps right in. Genius  It loads from the top so if you're a sipper you aren't stuck with a steeping mash at the bottom of your cup turning bitter. I so want to try one!

Still not convinced?!

• 
  
• *Fits under most single-serve brewers and in most standard car cupholders. 
• 
  
• *Constructed with a double wall and stainless steel inside and out for maximum travel mug performance.
• 
  
• *AUTOSEAL is America's #1 selling line of travel mugs.
• (Based on total branded travel mug sales, excluding private label. Source: Nielsen ScanTrack Drinkware Container and Set report for U.S. Food, Drug, Mass and Information Resources (IRI) Costco CRX report for the 52 weeks ending 8/3/13.)

The travel mug provides convenient one-handed drinking for both left- and right-handed users and fits most car cup-holders. This double-wall vacuum-insulated mug is engineered to keep drinks hot for up to 5 hours or cold for up to 12 hours, without a sweat. We mean that literally, because this vacuum-insulated mug keeps your drink at the optimal sipping temperature and eliminates condensation for dry hands.

For more info, check out the Go Contigo Site HERE, if you haven't already. You'll be glad you did! Best. Mug. Ever.

Disclosure: Once again, thanks to Contigo for providing us with West Loop mugs for our giveaway and for review purposes. As always, all opinions are our own.

Good luck! Remember to check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often. It's rewarding! Giveaways open nationwide to anyone in the US.

CLOSING: Forgotten Future: The Education Project at Collaboraction through October 26th

Act Out:  Chicago Theatre openings, closings, reviews, giveaways, ticket sale dates and more. 

Continuing Collaboraction's "incite change" mission,  Forgotten Future:  The Education Project  is an explosive devised piece of theatre inspired by  the dysfunction of the American education system The Flat Iron Arts Building 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave, Room 300 Wicker Park, Chicago Here at ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama we like to be entertained by live theatre as much as the next person. But what we really love is theater companies like Collaboraction who are willing to challenge, educate, enlighten and make their audiences squirm.  Their mission to "incite change" is exciting and so very necessary. Come on out and see Forgotten Future: The Education Project featuring actual, real CPS students. This is a must see for parents, and although it may not sound like a great date night show, there are few things hotter than a sense of social justice!  Forgotten Future focuses on the children going through Chicago's schools and features three youth actors making their Collaboraction debuts:

Leah Aberman
 a 7th-grader at Lane Tech Academic Center

Tyrese Hall
 a 6th-grader at Alain Locke Charter School

Kids are the focus in Forgotten Future: The Education Project, a world premiere devised piece inspired by the dysfunction of America's education system,debuting at Collaboraction September 18-October 26, 2014      Collaboraction's world premiere of Forgotten Future: The Education Project stars (from left)  Tyrese Hall, Leah Aberman and Esmeralda Ayvar-Perez.  (photo credit: Anna Sodziak). Continuing with the company's new "incite change" mission, Collaboraction's fall production is the world premiere of Forgotten Future: The Education Project, an explosive devised piece of theatre inspired by the dysfunction of the American education system, through October 26, 2014. Conceived and written by Sarah Moeller, co-written by Adam Seidel and Michele Stine, and co-directed by Sarah Moeller and John Wilson, Forgotten Future: The Education Project takes three students' unique perspectives of the Chicago school system and how it both serves and is failing them and their potential future. It has been constructed from extensive research and tackles the key issues of inequities, cultural barriers and testing. The result is a unique, immersive theatre piece designed to entertain and inform the audience, as well as motivate dialogue. Forgotten Future not only focuses on the children going through Chicago's schools, but three child actors - Leah Aberman, a 7th-grader at Lane Tech Academic Center, Esmeralda (Emse) Ayvar-Perez, a sophomore at Lane Tech High School, and Tyrese Hall, a 6th-grader at Alain Locke Charter School - are making their Collaboraction debuts playing students in this world premiere production. Forgotten Future also stars Scott Merchant (Mr. Wright), Susie Griffith (Mrs. Fischer), Angelica Roque (Ms. Mendoza), Nathaniel Swift (Mr. Perry/Administrator/Alderman), Ebony Joy (Mrs. Tate/CEO) and Jasmin Cardenas (Mrs. Rodriguez/Common Core Presenter). Forgotten Future: The Education Project runs September 18 - October 26 at Collaboraction, in residence at the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave, Room 300 in Wicker Park. The performance runs approximately 90 minutes, followed each night by a Town Hall Meeting. Tickets are $15-$30. Purchase tickets online at collaboraction.org or call (312) 226-9633. Forgotten Future dates, times and ticket information Regular performances continue through October 26: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. Note:  Forgotten Future will be available for live streaming for each show for $5 at gigity.tv.   Chicago kids center stage in Forgotten Future, literally and figuratively

Leah Aberman, a 7th-grader at Lane Tech Academic Center, plays Forgotten Future's Lauren Perry. "I am a CPS student and I had to go through the enrollment process because my school stopped at 6th grade," commented Aberman. "I just want people to recognize the stress and pressure I had to go through and see how hard people these days have to work just for education."


  

Esmeralda (Emse) Ayvar-Perez, a sophomore at Lane Tech High School with several TV, commercial and stage credits at Chicago Dramatists and School of Rock, portrays Carolina Rodriguez. "I'm a CPS student and I go to one of the best high schools in the city," said Ayvar-Perez. "I know I'm going to graduate and go to college but I see so many kids in my Humboldt Park neighborhood give up and think they 'can't.'  We need to show them they can."

Tyrese Hall, a 6th-grader at Alain Locke Charter School on Chicago's West side, plays Issac Tate.  Asked why Forgotten Future is important to him, Hall replied "I think the show will help make a change for people to try and make the education system better and not close down more schools cause in the end that will cause more chaos."  

"In telling a story about schools one must include the students," said Forgotten Future creator Sarah Moeller. "The school system doesn't exist without the children. It is there to serve them. However more and more we are leaving children behind in lieu of outside interests. When I decided to tackle this subject I knew it was crucial to include students in the storytelling as this story is for them and for our future."

In addition to being a Chicago theater artist, Moeller knows her Forgotten Future subject matter. She has been a Chicago middle school social studies and music teacher for the past 9 years, and has a master's degree in education.

More about the Forgotten Future creative team
 

Sarah Moeller (co-writer, co-director) is a Collaboraction company member, a Chicago-based director, deviser, producer and dramaturg, and the creative team leader for Forgotten Future: The Education Project. Moeller started at Collaboraction in spring of 2006 and went on to stage manage Sketchbooks 6, 7 and 8. At Collaboraction she project manages the Experience Design department and has production managed and produced mainstage shows since 2007. Outside of Collaboraction she is a company member at Eclipse Theatre Company where she has been the resident dramaturg since 2007 under their mission statement of "One Playwright One Season." Directing credits include Pearl Cleage's A Song for Coretta, Naomi Wallace's Fever Chart, and Dan LeFranc's 60 Miles to Silver Lake among several Sketchbook shows.  

Adam Joseph Seidel (co-writer) is a company member with Collaboraction, where he co-devised Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology, Crime Scene: Let Hope Rise and Crime Scene: Let Hope Rise 2014. His one-act, Harold After, premiered at the 2013 Chicago Fringe Festival where it won the Audience Favorite Award. His full-length plays include Catching the Butcher and The Devilman, and his 10-minute plays have been produced around the country.

Michele Stine (co-writer) is a Chicago-based playwright, director, actor, and teaching artist. She has worked with Illinois Shakespeare Festival, First Floor Theatre, Emerald City Theatre, American Theatre Company, Indie Boots, trip, and Manhattan Repertory.  

John Wilson (co-director) is a teacher, actor, scenic designer and storyteller. As a teacher, he has worked with Lifeline Theater teaching theater to 2nd and 3rd graders in Rogers Park, taught for Steppenwolf for Young Adults, and taught children on the autism spectrum with Chicago Children's Theatre's Red Kite Project. Acting credits include This is Not a Cure for Cancer (Collaboraction), El Grito del Bronx (Collaboraction/Goodman), and Our Bad Magnet (Mary Arrchie; Jeff nomination for Best Ensemble). He performs with 2nd Story, and has designed over fifty shows in Chicago as a freelance scenic designer.

Designers are Ashley Woods (set), Heather Sparling (lights), Jeffrey Levin (sound), Paul Deziel (video), Elsa Hiltner (costumes), Angie Campos (props), Ashley Bowman (stage manager), Gaby Lobotka (literary dramaturg) and Danielle Stack (production manager).

Collaboraction's world premiere of Forgotten Future: The Education Project is supported in part by The MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, Chop Shop/1st Ward Events, Reed Rigging, Inc., Wicker Park Bucktown SSA#33, Chicago Athletic Club and AV Chicago.

About Collaboraction

Collaboraction (collaboraction.org) celebrates its 18^th year as a Chicago-based arts organization and has recently moved its theater and operation headquarters to the historic Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave., in the heart of Wicker Park. By incorporating innovative artists and interdisciplinary collaboration, Collaboraction creates groundbreaking theatrical and art-based experiences.

The overwhelming response to its 2013 world premiere Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology was the first step in Artistic Director Anthony Moseley's new vision for Collaboraction to be used as an artistic tool to explore critical social issues in an effort to create dialogue and incite change. Crime Scene subsequently toured park district facilities in underserved Chicago neighborhoods in summer 2013 and 2014 as part of the city's Night Out in the Parks program.

Following Crime Scene, Collaboraction employed the same provocative, docudrama style to attack cancer, its treatment and the way we live with This is Not a Cure for Cancer in February 2014. With both productions, and now with Forgotten Future, Collaboraction collaborates with artists, community leaders, health professionals and citizens from throughout the city to create original theatrical experiences that push artistic boundaries and explore critical social issues with a diverse community of Chicagoans.


Collaboraction has worked with more than 2,500 artists to bring more than 60 productions and events to more than 50,000 audience members. Presenting such smash hits as 2010's Chicago premiere of 1001by Jason Grote, 2008's world premiere of Jon by George Saunders and directed by Seth Bockley, and 2007's critically acclaimed production of The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow: an instant message with excitable musicby Rolin Jones, as well as the annual SKETCHBOOK Festival, Collaboraction has worked with more than 2,500 artists to bring more than 60 productions and events to more than 50,000 audience members. 

WIN a Family 4 Pack To Baby Loves Disco Chicago THIS Sat 12-2:30pm ($55 value) #giveaway

Its here!! Baby Loves Disco's Annual Boo Baby Boo Halloween Spectacular on October 25th! ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama. We're your best source for the family friendly music scene in Chi, IL and beyond. Check back like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often for loads of giveaways, original video interviews, reviews & news on fam friendly events! *FLASH GIVEAWAY* First to comment below on the actual blog or on our FB pages comments (before midnight 10/23) with your full name for the guest list wins! We will confirm winner in the comments section since we're cross posting. Who needs an excuse to play dress up? Our kids certainly don't! Come one come all dressed in your fave Halloween costume. We'll have trickery, treats and costume contests as we celebrate BLD Halloween style! Crafts, tattoos, face painting from K Grace Childcare,  balloon animals, activities and more plus All the juice boxes your kids can drink from         HonestTea, super yummy snacks and a foodie demo from Whole Foods & cash bar for parents.            BUY TICKETS HERE

Fall dates on sale now in

Chicago

 Lincoln Hall - Lincoln Park

2424 N Lincoln Blvd

Oct 25 (Boo Baby Boo, come in costume)

Nov 22 (Pajama Party, come in Pjs)

12-230p

$15pp or 4 for $55

buy them before they sell out !!

Ticket Price

$15 per person

$55 Four Pack

General Admission

Non-walking babies get in FREE! Geared toward 6 mos to 7 yrs.

Must be with an Adult

No DEET No Skeetos With Guardian Wilderness 8hr #WeBeatDEET #EcoFriendly #GreenLiving

I'm all about keeping my kids Deet free and Guardian limits the bites without toxic chemicals. Parenting is full of tough choices. Hmmm. Poison or Pests?! DEET or skeets?! How about neither!! Here at ChiIL Mama we LOVE to ChiIL out outdoors, go fall camping, & hit the archery range.  Guardian Repellent Wilderness 8 hour DEET free works GREAT. I'm stoked to know it's out there.  Disclosure: Thanks to Influenster Guardian VoxBox for our complimentary sample for review purposes. As always, all opinions are our own. Joy! I keep my kids far away from DEET but we love to spend time enjoying the great outdoors with our big dogs, and it sucks to get swarmed by blood sucking mosquitos & ticks and come home itchy and covered in bites. Guardian's got your back! This product works great. Highly recommend it. Thanks to Influenster and VoxBox for sending a complimentary sample our way to review. So stoked to know there's a non toxic solution to the bug battle that really works. Disclosure: Once again thanks to Influenster Guardian VoxBox for our complimentary sample for review purposes. As always, all opinions are our own.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING: Earth to Echo Now Out On Digital HD, Blu-ray & DVD #ChiILFlixPicks

Earth to Echo Now Available on Digital HD™ as of October 7 and Blu-ray and DVD October 21 We've been promoting this release for months now, and thanks to our friends over at Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, our Blu-ray copy just got expedited to our door. Joy! This contemporary E.T., buddy story is one of our favorite new releases. Highly recommended. This is a great addition to any home collection. We just spent an awesome family movie night together, all watching Earth to Echo, and the adults enjoyed it every bit as much as the kids did! This little tech savvy, Owl shaped alien is sure to steal your heart. This wonderful journey, “full of adventure, bravery, excitement, and friendship…has something for audiences of all ages” (Claudia Puig, USA Today). The “lively and likable” (Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times) tale is told through the eyes of Tuck, Munch and Alex, a trio of pals who make an out-of-this-world discovery. After receiving signals on their phones, they meet Echo, a small, but amazingly energetic, alien trying to make his way back to his home planet. As they race to help their new friend, the boys will discover that little Echo has touched their hearts in unexpected ways and changed their lives forever. Blu-ray Special Features ● Creating the Truck Scene ● Casting the Characters ● “We Made That!” The Making of Earth to Echo ● Friends No Matter How Far ● Six Deleted Scenes ● Theatrical Trailer DVD Special Features ● Friends No Matter How Far ● Theatrical Trailer Earth to Echo Blu-ray Street Date: October 21, 2014 Prebook Date: September 17, 2014 Screen Format: Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Subtitles: English / Spanish Total Run Time: 133 minutes U.S. Rating PG Closed Captioned: Yes Earth to Echo DVD Street Date: October 21, 2014 Prebook Date: September 17, 2014 Screen Format: Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 Subtitles: English / Spanish Total Run Time: 106 minutes U.S. Rating PG Closed Captioned: Yes About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is the industry leading worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox produced, acquired and third party partner film and television programing. Each year TCFHE expands its award-winning global product portfolio with the introduction of new entertainment content through established and emerging formats including DVD, Blu-ray™ and Digital HD™. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.