WIN In Our Warner Bros. Valentine's Day DVD Giveaway #WBValentine #giveaway #spon

Disclosure:  ChiIL Mama's happy to be part of the PartnersHub Family.  Thanks to  Warner Bros. for providing our prize. A copy of one of the following titles (Chosen at random) will be awarded to one lucky reader! Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown Deluxe Edition  A Charlie Brown Valentine  Bugs Bunny’s Cupid Capers  Happiness is... Peanuts: Friends Forever  Elmo Loves You  Looney Tunes Pepe Le Pew Collection  Scooby-Doo! 13 Spooky Tales: For The Love Of Snack As a kid, I had a HUGE crush on Speed Racer... those anime eyes, that shaggy dark hair.  Though, speaking of Shaggy, he'd be fairly fun to hang with, too.  We love big dogs and we're always down for a good mystery and a snack!  Who's your Cartoon Crush?! **Enter Here for your chance to win** Giveaway open to the U.S. only. Enter through midnight February 25th. • Take the Who Is Your Cartoon Crush Quiz? and post your favorite in our comments section for an additional giveaway entry.  • Pin The Warner Bros Valentine’s Day Blog App to your Pinterest to drive traffic to your website! Who is Your Cartoon Crush? - Everyone has had a crush at some point in their lives, but do you know who your cartoon crush is? Is it Scooby-Doo? Charlie Brown? or maybe Bugs Bunny? Find out who you would be romantically perfect with!

February is the one month of the year where everyone has love on their minds! It’s can be romantic, it can be love for your children or parents or you could just be a movie lover! Whatever you love, this February Warner Bros. has you covered with some amazing DVDs perfect for the whole family! If you’re a love lorn poet, there’s the Peanuts Collection! If you want to smother your significant other with kisses we have the Looney Tunes Pepe Le Pew Collection, and if you want to solve some madcap mystery, I’ll bet Scooby-Doo is the one for you!

Each household is only eligible to win One (1) Valentines Day DVD Chosen at Random via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.  Please notify us if you have won elsewhere so we can draw another winner. Valentine’s Day Recipes! When I think of movie night, the first thing I want to know is... What are the snacks? Here are three easy and fun recipe’s perfect for your Valentine!

Disclosure:  ChiIL Mama's happy to be part of the PartnersHub Family.  Thanks to  Warner Bros. for providing our prize.

FLASH GIVEAWAY: WIN 4 Tickets To Rock -N-Pop Circus THIS Saturday at Lincoln Hall

COME JOIN THE ROCK-N-POP CIRCUS!

IMW Presents Winter Music Extravaganza By Kids For Kids

ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama and a host of talented kids IN bands.  We've supported The Intonation Music Workshop (IMW) and its annual Rock-N-Pop Circus for years.  

**Be the first to comment below and share your families' favorite bands, and ChiIL Mama will put you on the guest list for FOUR FREE TICKETS (up to $28 value) 1pm THIS Sat. at Lincoln Hall.**

This Saturday, February 15th, The Intonation Music Workshop (IMW) will present its 4th annual Rock-N-Pop Circus, an all-ages event at Chicago's famed Lincoln Hall featuring performances by kid bands plus hands-on music activities to keep the whole family entertained -- the perfect way to spend a winter afternoon!

This year’s showcase features three of IMW’s flagship bands, THE POP TOTS, THE GLOWS and THE IMW ALL-STARS. Joining them under the musical big top will be the IMW Instructor Band, with talented teaching artists straight from the IMW classroom playing your favorite pop hits. Don’t miss their interactive set, complete with freeze dance and a rhythm jam!

The family-friendly musical extravaganza will also offer Rock Star Face Painting, a Celebrity Photo Booth, a "Musical Petting Zoo" and more circus surprises!

Rock-N-Pop Circus

Saturday, February 15th, 1:00 PM

Lincoln Hall

2424 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago IL

Tickets for adults are $5 in advance, $7 at the door.  Children are $3 in advance, $5 at the door. IMW Students and Children under 5 are free! Get tickets at rocknpopcircus.brownpapertickets.com.

Intonation Music Workshop (IMW) empowers children to become rock stars on every stage of life through innovative music education. IMW’s in-school, after-school, and summer programs provide year-round access to instruments, instruction, performance opportunities, and mentorship to youth age 6-17 in Chicago who would not otherwise have the opportunity. Through the process of learning to play instruments and working together with their peers, IMW students have the chance to get involved, learn new skills, express their creativity, and find their niche by playing in a pop band. 

Explore Awesome Kids Art/Dance Classes at Beauty & Brawn Art Gallery & Think Space

ChiIL out with amazing, affordable art/dance classes for kids of all ages with a new session beginning next week.   Have you heard about Beauty & Brawn Art Gallery & Think Space yet?  Check 'em out.  We finally met the inimitable owner, Lindsey Meyers, for lunch last week and this mother of two little girls is a HOOT and a half.  She's got the dreams of a visionary and the mouth of a truck driver.

Here at ChiIL Mama we're all about supporting local families & small business owners, especially artists & creatives.  And Lindsey is one chill Chi, IL Mama.  These kids' classes are the real deal... not McArt class clones dumbed down for the masses.  Spread the word. Beauty and Brawn rocks!  We hope to be partnering up often in the near future.i

The new class session at Beauty & Brawn begins on Monday, February 17th, 2014 and runs through Friday, March 28th, 2014.

$108.00 for six weeks of art/dance class. $150.00 for six weeks of private guitar instruction with Brian Riggs.

About

Art is meaningful. Art is courageous. Art is important. Art is alive. Art is generous. Art is thankless. Art is empowering. Art is healing. Art is jaw-dropping. Art is fancy. Art is organic. Art is raw. Art is legitimate. Art is non-judgmental. Art is classic. Art is hip. Art is life.

ART IS SMART.

Beauty & Brawn Art Gallery and Think Space is the vision of photographer and mixed media artist Lindsey Meyers–one which combines the intelligence and intellectual pulse of an art gallery and the indelible power and importance of an arts education space that truly lies outside the box.

Our mission is to service the community with outstanding arts education resources, supreme artworks, visionary projects, and philanthropic and charitable principles.

Beauty & Brawn Art Gallery and Think Space hopes to partner with other organizations and establishments, both city-wide and nationally, to offer a safe and welcoming environment in which to exchange ideas, to showcase young talent, and to involve and potentially employ the under served youth population of Chicago.

Gallery & Think Space hours:

Hours vary depending on classes, special events and gallery rentals.

Please call us for more information! 773-772-9808

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Winter I Class Session:

Monday, January 6th, 2014- Friday, February 14th, 2014

Current classes are for children ages 3 years old and up.

10% sibling discount offered.

Check out Beauty and Brawn on Facebook for more info.

**Starting the crazy race to register for summer camps yet?  You could get artsy, cultural and more this summer with Beauty and Brawn's Summer Camp.**

Monster Jam Photo Recap #ChiMonsterJam #MonsterJam

We caught opening night of Monster Jam at Allstate Arena as we have for years. Congrats again to ChiIL Mama's 4 ticket winner, Berto R., out of 500 entries!

Monster Jam is a fun time, and it was cool to see a woman driver (Madusa) in this male dominated field. 



Once again I took 4 tweens and they had a BLAST!   The bikes & 4 runners that flip in the air were the undisputed favorites in our group. 



This is also the first time we've ever seen a Monster Truck turn completely over! 



Max D had a spectacular wipe out which was cool to see. The driver was unscathed.

Our stellar seating... (sarcastic font engaged)

In the past we've included score board recap shots, but we couldn't even SEE the board due to the banners.  One redeeming quality, the nosebleed seats for Monster Jam and Disney On Ice did give me a chance to practice what I preach and keep my kids from being spoiled & feeling "entitled".  We do loads of music, theatre and events coverage and press seats are usually fantastic, so I've given my kids the dreaded "...how lucky you are. Be grateful." speech more than a few times. They were a bit disappointed,but good sports about the seating, and had fun with their friends anyway.  



I was able to zoom all the way in with my pro camera, but the quality suffered, since I was shooting from the back rows of the 200 level. There was only so much I could catch. Here's our slideshow recap with more favorites embedded below.

**Click here for our past close

photo and video features.**

I was more unhappy about our placement than the kids were.  With hundreds of close seats sitting empty on Friday night, I don't know why the promoters hosed us and put us in row Q at the back of the 200 level balcony when we've been in the first few rows for years.  I can't do my job and shoot the event decently from the worst seats in the house.  I hope FELD was better to our ticket winner at the very least! 

It wasn't due to a lack of open seating, as you can see:

Despite all that, we had a fun evening at Monster Jam.         

Disney on Ice Let's Celebrate! Photo Recap #ChiDisneyOnIce #ChiDisneyLive

Disney on Ice has been a favorite show of ours for years. Unfortunately, this time around, our seats through FELD Mom Bloggers were in the back rows of the 2nd balcony instead of the first few rows, as they have been for years, so we are limited on the quality of our photo recap feature.

Here's our eagle eye view from the back of the 200 level.

Nonetheless, we made the best of things and still had a great time.  The 4 tweens with me sang along, laughed a LOT and had a blast. 

I was able to zoom all the way in with my pro camera to catch a short slide show of highlights  (below), but the quality suffers.  So apologies to our readers. Hopefully the seating was just a fluke.  

Despite the nosebleed seats, we enjoyed the addition of the screen/multimedia elements to this show, the colorful costumes, and talented skaters.

 
Our favorite part was the multicultural flavor of this production and the Hawaiian fire and ice in particular.  



We also dug the seasonal/holidays theme, and as huge fans of the Nightmare Before Christmas, it was great to see Jack Skellington and his rockin' villain party.

Congrats again to Alina H., our 4 ticket Disney on Ice winner out of 295 entries.  Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often for loads of great giveaways, original content, photo & video filled features, news & reviews. We've got the heads up on great family friendly happenings in Chi, IL and beyond.

Monster Jam Ticket Winner Announced & Discount Code for ALL #ChiMonsterJam #giveaway #CouponCode

Congrats to ChiIL Mama's Monster Jam 4 ticket winner, Berto R.

All our readers are winners 

**We've got a rockin' 30% discount on Monster Jam adult tickets for you with the code MOM1!  Click here to purchase yours.**

Discount does not apply to Front Row VIP or Gold Circle seats.  No double discounts.  Service charges, handling, and facility fees may apply.   All tickets $2 more day of show.

**Click here for our past Monster Jam coverage including original photos and videos.**

ChiIL Mama will be there... will YOU?! 
I was wishing for tires like these on the snowy roads today. Come on out to Allstate Arena this weekend and watch how the big kids do it. We're hard core, Chicago. A little weather never stopped us! Get your tickets and get outta the house this weekend and GO already.   Then Check back with ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows for our photo and video filled recaps.

Hey Chicagoland! Who is ready to crush the winter blues next weekend, in true Monster Jam style? http://youtu.be/Rp06vG78jf8

Got your passes to “Party in the Pit” before the show begins?!   For more info click here to check out their Facebook page Monster Jam Party in the Pits in Chicagoland. 

Get your littles stoked for Monster Jam with our printables page.

Double Click the image and print.

We'll see you out there.