The Festive Season with Netflix

2015 is upon us and the glitter of Christmas has already been packed away giving way to the dismal bleak January days, but with that said the memories and magic of Christmas are not to far away from our thoughts and that is ultimately what lights this month up.

Leo is now 3 and a half, his understanding of the festive period has exploded this year and he has thoroughly enjoyed being involved in everything that has been going on. We have spent cold evenings curled up in the light of the Christmas Tree and watching family films on Netflix. I came across a film in December that really put a smile on my face, and I couldn't wait to sit down and watch it with Leo. The Cannon version of Hansel and Gretel. As a child this was my favourite film, my Mum had recorded it off the television well over 20 years ago, and I watched it over and over again. It's a film I have thought about over the years, and couldn't quite believe it when it fell into my lap. Leo sat next to me and it was so lovely to show him a film that I once loved so dearly, and it was apparent to see that he to was really enjoying it.

There have been so many great films that we have enjoyed with Netflix over the festive season:

- Mickey's Magic At Christmas

- Mickey's Twice On A Christmas

- I'll Be Home For Christmas

- The Muppet Movie

Christmas can be a stressful time, what with all the last minute preparations and not to mention December being the ultimate month for the lurgy, it sometimes feels like it's one thing after another. Netflix very kindly sent us out a Christmas Survival Kit to help get us through the festive season, they covered every base imaginable and I was really thankful for the goodies once my very own Christmas lurgy set in...

In the survival kit they included:

- A Netflix USB Charger - This little beauty was a godsend, I know keep it safely in my handbag in case my phone or iPad need a bit of juice while I am out and about.

- A pack of A4 Batteries - I don't need to tell you how useful these came in Christmas Day!

- Bear YoYo Snacking Fruit Bars - These made a great alternative to all of the chocolate I felt necessary to demolish over the Christmas period. 

- Sellotape - Because it's inevitable that you are going to run out what with all of the gift wrapping! Suffice to say Netflix were the angel on my shoulder Christmas Eve!

- Jo Malone Candle and Bath Oil - When you are feeling under the weather, nothing quite beats drawing yourself a bath and relaxing by the candle light... Although Christmas was a really busy time, I still found half an hour to do just this!

- Nurofen Tablets - This may have been the most practical part of the survival pack for me, and with the lurgy they definitely helped! 

Thank you Netflix for the very practical Christmas Survival Kit, not to mention the added treats. It really helped me cover every base and thankfully persuaded me to sit down, put my feet up and catch up with 90210. 

Disclaimer: I was sent everything I needed to get started watching Netflix for the next 12 months. I have not been paid to write this post. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.

Celebrating The New Year King Julien Style!

Celebrating 2015 King Julien Style!

With Leo being so young still we knew it wasn't going to be realistic to let him stay awake until midnight on New Years Eve, so when Netflix asked if we would like to celebrate the New Year King Julien style, we were really excited to oblige. 

Netflix wanted to help younger kids to party into 2015 with King Julien's 'New Year's Eve Countdown'. With a little help from King Julien and friends, they created three minutes of high-energy, music-filled fun that lets kids celebrate the New Year no matter what time of day! This worked out really well for us as it meant that Leo got a sense of the fun that bringing in the New Year is all about, but still got to bed on time. 

Netflix very kindly sent us a box full of King Julien party pieces including hats and party blowers, so at 6pm on New Years Eve, we presented Leo with our party preparations and handed over the all important party blowers! 

Having attended the King Julien Screening in December, we were more than ready to party hard with King Julien again, and Leo was so excited by all of the festivities that he could hardly contain himself! 

How to prepare for the big night

1. Draw inspiration of the Mahiki party in December! Boy does King Julien know how to party! If you didn't make it you can catch up with the first few episodes of All Hail King Julien here.

2. Prepare your party music playlists in advance 

3. Find a disposable camera for the kids to play 'paparazzi', it will keep them occupied and is a great way to capture the night! Just make sure to have your own camera ready to capture the “New Year’s Eve King Julien countdown” so you can play it back to the kids in later years

4. Share your party countdowns with us! social to #KingJulien #StreamTeam

5. Don't forget to Have Fun!

Here is a short clip of  Leo and I counting down to the New Year, just before Leo was put to bed and waved a fond farewell to our 2014 adventures.

Thank you Netflix, we had a great time!

Disclaimer: We were invited to party with King Julien and sent party goodies and a camera to share our evening with you. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.

All Hail King Julien - A Netflix Original Series

Being part of the Netflix Stream Team is an exciting role, and this year we have absolutely loved getting involved. Over the last year we have absolutely loved Netflix and the television content available for the entire family. I have indulged in countless box sets and Luke has enjoyed the film selection, where as Leo has been glued to the variety of kid's content.

It is no secret that Leo is a big fan of Madagascar, so when I had a family invitation to the screening of the new Netflix original screening of 'All Hail King Julien' that just so happens to star everyone's favourite characters from Madagascar, there was no two ways about it, we just had to go along!

The event was held at Mahiki in London, and as soon as we arrived we found ourselves with a virgin Pina Colada each in a very special Pineapple Cup, Leo was very impressed and looked every bit the sophisticated Londoner parading around the swanky cocktail bar with his tipple in hand.

We were one of the first people to arrive, and it very quickly began to fill up with our fellow Stream Team friends and familiar faces that took me a while to place. Pixie Lott, Jamie Winstone, Donna Air, Oliver Cheshire, Jo Wood, Wretch 32, Denise Lewis, Portia Freeman and Jasmine Guinness were all in attendance along with their families, and it was lovely to see such a great turn out!

While being treated to a number of delicious beverages and watching Leo have such a fantastic time jumping around on the bean bags that had been provided for the kids, we were previewed the first 2 episodes of the brand new 'All Hail King Julien' series, and if that wasn't amazing enough, we even got to meet the very real, smooth moving King Julien himself! 

Leo sat among all of the other children as the first two episodes were shown, he laughed and thoroughly enjoyed the new series, and I know that when Netflix releases the first Five 22 minute episodes on the 19th December, we will be enjoying them again and again! Leo said that he really enjoyed All Hail King Julien and it was apparent that he found Julien himself very comical.

All Hail King Julien is set long before the Zoosters arrive on Madagascar, when King Julien holds court. The colourful cast includes fan favourites Mort and Maurice, along with a host of all-new jungle dwellers as they take on the craziest adventures and wildest parties the jungle has to offer! 

What do Netflix say about the all new series?

'Keeping tune with the dance-crazed taste of its lead character, the humor of ALL HAIL KING JULIEN is backed by a pulse-pounding original score that includes a brand-new, infectiously upbeat theme song.  The series features a talented voice cast that includes television legend Henry Winkler (Happy Days) as Julien’s regal predecessor, Uncle King Julien, alongside Emmy-winning actor Danny Jacobs as King Julien, Andy Richter (Conan, Arrested Development) as Mort, Kevin Michael Richardson (Family Guy) as Maurice, and India de Beaufort (One Tree Hill) as Clover, the king’s special-ops expert.

ALL HAIL KING JULIEN joins the hit series Turbo FAST in a growing lineup of Netflix original animated productions from DreamWorks Animation.  By the end of 2016, DreamWorks Animation will debut 10 additional new series on the world’s leading Internet TV Network.'

We all had a super day, Leo meeting King Julien was exactly the same feeling as me getting to meet THE Pixie Lott, kind of surreal coming face to face with one of your favourite popstars in the ladies toilet I can tell you! 

It was plain to see just how much fun Leo was having, he practically disowned us from the moment we arrived until the moment I told him it was time to make our way home. His exact words to me when I told him it was time to leave were 'No Mummy! Wait! *Insert hand stop signal here* I playing!'. With that I got the hint that he had no intention of leaving any time soon...

Leo spent the afternoon dancing with King Julien and learning the very special dance routine, I couldn't believe my eyes when he got involved on his own accord! My 3 year old normally shy's away from such activities! 

All Hail King Julien is going to be a fantastic new addition to the already fabulous collection of children's content, and we absolutely love all the Netflix offers it's subscribers. We as a family wouldn't be without Netflix these days, and we are very excited to see the show go live on the 19th of this month!

Make sure you tune in! You can watch it right here from the 19th!

Disclaimer: I was invited along to the All Hail King Julien Screening, but all views and opinions are completely honest and my own.

Santa Maria Family Night

It is no secret that I like my food, I have an appetite that could keep up with any man (even if I don’t care to admit it), and one of my favourite meals without a shadow of a doubt is Mexican, and more to the point, Fajitas.

There was a point where I was eating Fajitas on a weekly basis usually on a Friday night. The spicier the Fajita the better, and ample amounts of cheese are the recipe for my perfect Fajita. Santa Maria, formally Discovery Foods recently set us a rather exciting challenge, they wanted us to cook up the perfect Mexican feast with our families and very kindly offered to send us everything that we would need in order to do so. They even treated us to Madagascar on DVD so that we could enjoy a proper family evening, with tasty food and a good film on the television.

A few weeks ago Leo and I decided to have a selfish night, we shut out the world and cooked up a Fajita storm in the kitchen. The chicken was sizzling in the pan, the peppers and onions were all chopped and ready to be thrown together, and it all smelt beautiful. The table was set with grated cheese and sour cream, the wraps were ready to be filled, and Leo was excited about his dinner.

One of the reasons I have always loved fajitas is for the convenience of a family meal, it allows Leo to get involved with what he is eating. He can put in exactly what  he wants, which usually consists of chicken and cheese (obviously he couldn’t possibly have any pepper in there…), it means that Leo can enjoy exactly what we are eating and I don’t have to faff around with a million different meals. We used the mild spice mix as Leo was dining, but I love the spicier of the mixes for when I am cooking for just myself.

As always the food was incredibly tasty, and I came away weighing a few lbs heavier, but it was all worth it for that comforting full feeling that you only get after a delicious Mexican meal. With Leo and I now full to bursting we decided to snuggle up in bed and watch Madagascar, this was the first time Leo had seen the original film, and to say it was a big hit is a little bit of a understatement. He LOVED it!

We whipped out the Cadbury’s Chocolate and the Skittles that I had bought in especially and enjoyed some quality time, just me and my favourite 3 year old. It was a lovely evening and I have no doubt that we will be cooking up Santa Maria very, very soon.

Disclaimer: I was sent the Santa Maria samples and DVD for the purpose of this post. All views and opinons expressed are completely honest and my own.