Category: Movies

Learning the Art of Persuasion Netflix Style #StreamTeam

netflix

Bribery. Compliments. Little white lies. Hugs and kisses.

We have used all of these persuasion styles in our house when it comes to ensuring that we get to watch the movie or episode we have been dying to watch on Netflix instead of something else that another family member has chosen. The biggest offenders? The kids! And wow are they amazing at persuading us to watch Power Rangers (or any superhero show) for about the thousandth time (only slightly exaggerating here – I think I know some of the episodes by heart).

Learning the Art of Persuasion Netflix Style #StreamTeam

Here are their top three Netflix Persuasion tips:

1) Compliments are always key!

I always know something is coming when I am about to put my show on and they start their sentence with, “Mom, you are the best Mommy in the whole entire world” or “Mommy you are so pretty”. I always fall prey to these one liners, who doesn’t love hearing how you are the best person in the world?! So I go from getting ready to watch Kurt Seyit and Sura to Just Go With It or Power Rangers or Paw Patrol.

2) Hugs and Kisses.

I am a complete sucker for this one and they know it. We have watched Sharknado way too many times for me to count but every time they say just one more and give me a kiss – I can’t resist them.  We then usually end up watching all four movies in the Sharknado series.

3) I will do *insert chore* here for a whole week.

This one is a wicked persuasion tool! They will offer laundry, dishes, cleaning up after the dog and more just to ensure they get first pick when it comes to movie time. While they are great at completing their chores and follow their chore list, this extra offer of help can’t be passed up.

So how do we as parents fight back against their adorableness and re-gain control of the television?

Here is what I do:

Learning the Art of Persuasion Netflix Style #StreamTeam

1) Use the Netflix Recommendations

I am sure many of you have already noticed those super handy recommendations but they are the best at helping you encourage your child or spouse to break out of their comfort zone and watch something new. Over the weekend, my son wanted to watch Just Go With It again but when we logged in I saw RV was on our recommendation list and I thought they would LOVE that movie. The first reaction I got when I suggested we watch RV? No. So I told them it has exploding poop in it, trust me – you will love it. That won them over and we watched RV. Guess what – they loved it.

We also found the Luther series this way and while my kids were at their Grandparents for a week, my husband and I binged on this series. It is definitely a must watch show – one that I am so glad that Netflix popped up as a recommendation on my husband’s profile for us to watch.

2) Use humour to get your way.

We all love to laugh, especially kids and they usually have a great sense of humour. Get them excited for new movies with one liners, I love this Star Wars one from Netflix: “Watch this new movie, we shall. Or come for you the Rebellion will”. It gets them into the concept of the movie while making them laugh.

Learning the Art of Persuasion Netflix Style #StreamTeam

And when all else fails?

Play the it’s my way or the highway card. I am not going to lie, I have used the ‘I carried you in my tummy for nine months so you are going to watch Full House with me’ card a few times. It definitely works!

Watching movies together as a family is a great way to unwind after a stressful work and school week. Choosing new and different shows helps lend variety and excitement to family movie time and can even spark a love of a new series (this is how I fell in love with Star Wars!).

What is a movie or show that you initially were not interested in watching but someone convinced you to and you fell in love?

Disclosure: I am a Netflix #StreamTeam member and receive perks with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.

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My Little Pony Equestria Girls Magical Movie Night DVD Giveaway

Shout! Kids Factory

Growing up, I loved My Little Pony – I had what felt like hundreds of the ponies to play with and my Mom has kept every single one to this date. While My Little Pony has gone through a few changes, they are still fabulous and full of adventure and magic. The Equestria Girls are back in an all new DVD, Magical Movie Night, set to release August 8th, 2017.

My Little Pony Equestria Girls Magical Movie Night

About My Little Pony Equestria Girls Magical Movie Night

There’s a reason these seven girls look familiar, as they step through a magical mirror, they transport from the world of My Little Pony, transforming into teenage girls at Canterlot High.  Full-time students and part-time magical pony-girls, the Equestria Girls are always ready to save the day with the Magic of Friendship!

The new DVD features three mystical adventures (Dance Magic, Movie Magic and Mirror Magic) and a bonus sing along.

Dance Magic

With the Camp Everfree fundraising deadline looming, the Equestria Girls realize they need a new plan to raise more money. Rarity finds out about a music video competition, with a huge cash prize, and she’s eager to convince her friends at Canterlot High to enter the contest. However, the girls soon learn that Crystal Prep Academy is also interested in participating in the contest. The students at CPA have many more resources and are better dancers! The girls learn that sometimes coming together instead of competing is the best plan of all!

Movie Magic

The Equestria Girls have been specially invited by A.K. Yearling to go on the set of the upcoming Daring Do movie and they are overjoyed. For super-fan Rainbow Dash, watching behind the scenes as her favorite heroine comes to life is a dream come true. However, when a rare and important prop from the set goes missing, putting the movie on hold, Rainbow Dash’s dream becomes a nightmare. The Equestria Girls take it upon themselves to track down the missing prop and end up trotting into a real-life Daring Do adventure!

Mirror Magic

As the pages in her journal run out, there’s only one thing for Sunset Shimmer to do: return to Equestria as a pony to get a new journal! There, she meets new pony Starlight Glimmer and agrees to bring her back through the mirror portal to experience life as a human girl at Canterlot High. However, while Sunset Shimmer is away, a revenge‐seeking Juniper Montage finds a beautiful hand mirror enchanted with Equestrian magic. Not only can it provide a window into another land, but if you push the right button, It can also make things disappear into limbo, trapped between the two realms! Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer return to find the Mane 6 missing and Juniper Montage acting extremely suspicious. Will Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer save the girls, or are the Mane 6 lost in limbo for good?

My Little Pony Equestria Girls Magical Movie Night

You can now pre-order a copy of the DVD on Amazon and Shout! Kids Factory.

Do you want to win a copy of this awesome all new Equestria Girls hit?

The Giveaway

My American and Canadian readers can now enter to win their own copy from Shout! Kids. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below – good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a copy of this DVD in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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A Passport to Adventure: Igniting a Love for Protecting Animals #StreamTeam

netflix

We love to watch documentaries together as a family, especially anything and everything to do with animals and nature. We love learning about the habitats of an animal, watching them grow up, their unique personalities and traits and even how they survive. Our world is an amazing place and it is so important to my husband and I that our children learn as much about the world around them so that they can fully appreciate and cherish it’s beauty and wonder. It helps them to understand how the world works and to show compassion for the creatures that are our neighbours.

Passport to Adventure #StreamTeam

Growing Up Wild is our FAVOURITE animal show to watch on Netflix at home! We have watched this documentary from Disney Nature over thirty times (and that is low balling it). This movie follows five animals from birth as they grow up in the wild. We learn how they are raised and nurtured, who teaches them, their predators and their unique traits. While at times the movie can be sad (especially when the babies are hunted), it is such an important lesson for children to learn how much they are like humans. Their parents love their babies and would do anything to protect them, they play with their siblings like children do and they show affection like humans do.

Our second favourite documentary on Netflix is Wild Ones, which has thirteen episodes in one season. This series explores the habitats of some of the strongest, fastest and cutest animals in the world. We can travel from Madagascar to the Amazon to the Savannah. We learn everything that there is to know about the important animals that live in these habitats, how they grow, hunt and work together to survive.

Passport to Adventure #StreamTeamOver the winter, we went on an incredible trip to South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe to visit family. We were very blessed to have had our family take us on amazing adventures while we there which included a safari and boat cruises both in Chobe, Botswana and in South Africa. All of the amazing animals that we had been watching for months on Netflix were brought to life. It was an incredible, humbling and amazing experience that has stayed with us. The animals, the countries and the people who do everything they can do protect them was inspiring and gives you hope for the future.

Passport to Adventure #StreamTeamOur youngest son, who is so fond of animals, has decided that when he grows up he wants to move closer to his family in Africa so that he can do everything he can to protect these beautiful animals! As an animal lover myself, I was so proud of him, even though I know I would miss him so very much.

All of this love and passion for protecting these animals started with a simple movie on Netflix and a trip to visit family. This ignited a dream for our son that I can’t wait for him to pursue as he gets older. As we begin to plan our next trip back to South Africa and Botswana, I know that this summer will be full of more amazing adventures and education from Netflix.

What are your favourite documentaries to watch on Netflix? Have they helped to inspire a dream? What will you be watching this summer with your children?

Disclosure: I am a Netflix #StreamTeam member and receive perks with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Digimon Adventure Tri.-Reunion DVD

Shout! Kids Factory

The monster battles and classic adventures of DIGIMON have captured a special place in the hearts of millions and continue to stand as an enduring global pop culture phenomenon since the late 1990s (hard to believe it has been that long!). On May 16th, Shout! Factory released DIGIMON’s first full length DVD since 2000. This film reunites the characters and original cast from the classic series and picks up where the beloved DIGIMON Adventure 2002 series ended.

DIGIMON Adventure Tri.-Reunion

About DIGIMON Adventure Tri.-Reunion

It’s been six years since that summer adventure when Tai (now in high school) and the rest of the “DigiDestined” crossed over to the Digital World, and nearly three years since the frenzied final battles between warring factions. With the gate to the Digital World closed, time continues to pass, until the adventure “digi-volves” once again.

DIGIMON Adventure Tri.-Reunion

The Cast

Toei Animation has revamped this wildly popular anime movie for North American audiences by bringing onboard a stellar English voice cast. Joshua Seth, who voiced the main character Tai Kamiya in the original series, returns to the role for this feature film, alongside an exciting team of voice talent and DIGIMON luminaries, including Tom Fahn (Digimon: Digital Monsters), Kyle Hebert (Dragon Ball Super), Vic Mignogna (Star Trek Continues), Kirk Thornton (Sonic Boom), Colleen O’Shaughnessey (Toy Story 3), Cherami Leigh (Sailor Moon Crystal), Melodee Spevack (Digimon: Digital Monsters), Mona Marshall (South Park), Jeff Nimoy (Digimon Data Squad), Philece Sampler (The Legend of Korra), Anna Garduno (Digimon: Digital Monsters), Mari Devon (Digimon: Digital Monsters), Robbie Daymond (Transformers: Rescue Bots), Bob Klein (Digimon: Digital Monsters), Johnny Young Bosch (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Laura Summer (Digimon: Digital Monsters), David Mallow (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Tara Sands (Sailor Moon Crystal), Kate Higgins (Naruto), Cristina Vee (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug) and Doug Erholz (Digimon: Digital Monsters).

DIGIMON Adventure Tri.-Reunion DVD

The Japanese language version boasts an exceptional Japanese voice cast of Natsuki Hanae, Suzuko Mimori, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Mutsumi Tamura, Hitomi Yoshida, Junya Enoki, Junya Ikeda, Mao Ichimichi (M.A.O), Chika Sakamoto, Atori Shigematsu, Mayumi Yamaguchi, Takahiro Sakurai, Kinoko Yamada, Miwa Matsumoto, Junko Takeuchi and Yuka Tokumitsu.

Trailer

Our Thoughts

Our kids couldn’t wait to pop this DVD in when it came in and they were not even born when the Digimon craze began but fell in love with the characters and battles.

The Digimon Tri Reunion DVD was everything we expected and more. The animation was amazing and the story line even more so. Our characters have grown up and are maturing, they can connect easily with both a younger audience and a teen audience. We see them begin to take responsibility for their actions and even begin to question good and evil and battles. They had grown apart but they are once again reconnected in order to save the world.

DIGIMON Adventure Tri.-Reunion DVD

The graphics are amazing and really help to draw you into the battles and story. The graphics are bright and bold which aids in the telling of the story. Our youngest fell in love with the characters, which were all new to him.

New and old fans alike will fall in love with this new addition to the Digimon DVD family. You can now pick up your own DVD in stores at Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Amazon and iTunes.

Disclosure: I received a DVD copy in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Watch Netflix When and Where You Want It #StreamTeam

netflix

 “If you don’t like how the table is set, turn over the table.” – Frank Underwood

I don’t think my children can ever truly appreciate how far technology has come in the last twenty years (I would even say ten!). I remember growing up having to record on video tapes to be able to watch a show later or just being out of luck if you were not at home at the right time from school or work to watch your favourite show. I used to race home from school in order to watch Saved By The Bell! If you missed a scene on the television, there was no rewind button and you couldn’t just pause a show in order to get a refill or go to the bathroom. I still remember when we received the TMN guide every month and I would plan out my month based on when the movies I wanted to watch would be on!

Netflix has changed the way we watch television. Gone are the days when you were limited to watching series and movies at certain times of the day and month, gone are the days of being unable to rewind and pause and welcome to days of flexibility and watching what we want when we want it.

Watch Netflix When and Where You Want It #StreamTeam

While Netflix gives us the opportunity to watch television like never before, it the viewers that are determining a whole new schedule for television viewing. Thrillers for breakfast, comedies in bed and learning at night? All of this is possible now!

Watch Netflix When and Where You Want It #StreamTeam

In our home, it is Power Rangers and comedies before school, documentaries after school (the kids LOVE Growing Up Wild and all of the amazing animal documentaries) and action and thrillers at bedtime, for the big kids – hubby and I – of course! Of course the best part is this can change anytime because we have the ability to watch a wide range of shows, even though our youngest is currently making us watch Power Rangers Super Samurai the entire season for about the twentieth time.

Watch Netflix When and Where You Want It #StreamTeam

BONUS: Are you in Ontario and traveling this summer? Check out the new download zones before you hit Cottage Country! Now you can stop the tears and frustration during the long drives up to the cottage by stopping in one of the download zones to load  up on some great hits. The download zones can be found in these spots and dates:

Canada Day weekend

 Civic Holiday weekend

  • Saturday, August 5 and Sunday, August 6 in Huntsville – 37 Main St E

 ­­­Labour Day weekend

Talk about taking streaming to a whole new level!

How has watching television in your home changed? How do you stream?

Disclosure: I am a Netflix StreamTeam Member and receive perks with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.

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