11 Boxsets to Watch with Your Teenagers

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As the children all go back to school and restrictions are starting to ease I'm sure that those of us with teenagers will start to see a lot less of them at home. That seems like a real shame, as we've developed a special closeness over the lockdown periods and as such I'm keen to still spend time with my teens just relaxing and at home.

With that in mind, I thought I'd compile a list of great boxsets that you can happily watch with your teens. I've put the official age guidance next to each one and of course, you as the parent can choose if the program is suitable for your child or not. I have to admit I'm not particularly strict on these age restrictions when we are watching something together as even the most challenging of topics can be a great in-road to a tricky conversation. 

Cobra Kai - Netflix - 15

It was one of my daughters who introduced me to this as I hadn't even heard of the series but as someone who adored the original Karate Kid film, it was always going to be a real hit with me. I love the way this appeals to teens and adults alike as it focuses on both age groups. Basically, you roll forward 34 years and Daniel (son) is a married successful businessman who uses his love of karate as a gimmick in his car sales business. Then we see his old arch-enemy Johnny who is a bit of a loser and ends up reopening a dojo. Of course, the two styles of karate come to war again. It's fabulous, have a watch!

Vicar of Dibley - NOW TV - 13 (suggested by Common Sense Media)

This is an old classic. I do love Dawn French and I think she portrays the boisterous and lovable Vicar Geraldine so well. As a Christian family, I think we enjoy seeing the church references but the show is definitely fun for every Brit who has lived in a small village or finds old-school British stereotyping quite comical. It's a super easy watch and you'll find yourself wanting to know how the characters lives pan out.

Binge-worthy Boxsets for Lockdown 2:0 on Netflix UK

I absolutely love to escape into a great boxset and I'm always happy to receive recommendations for new ones that I might enjoy. With that in mind, I thought I'd share some boxsets that I've been enjoying over the last couple of years.

This first post will focus on those series available on Netflix and then I'll share for NOW TV and Amazon Prime too.  I do find Netflix great value, as you get films, documentaries, box-sets, kids TV - the whole works for the one price of £8.99 for 2 devices at a time or £11.99 per month for up to 4 devices at a time. 

Emily in Paris - 1 season

It feels like everyone has been talking about this series recently and after watching it last week I can see why. It is light-hearted fun and who wouldn't want Emily as a mate? Emily heads to Paris to work in a marketing firm but there is one small problem, she doesn't speak French!

Virgin River - 1 season

I watched this one during the last lockdown and it made me want to move to a small town in America in the middle of nowhere! It's a sweet romance about Mel, a medical practitioner who moves away for a new start and doesn't expect such a warm welcome from her new community. 

My Top Five Legal Dramas to Watch Right Now!

I absolutely love getting absorbed in a good box set and drama is definitely my go-to genre. Give me medical, political, crime or legal dramas and I really am in my happy place.

I can't believe how cheap it is nowadays to be able to watch all the programmes that I love. For less than the cost of a trip to the cinema for my husband and I we have everything we want at our fingertips. We have Netflix, which costs £7.99 a month and also NOW TV, which is £6.99 per month for the entertainment pass.  However I got lucky with the McDonalds Monopoly earlier this year and got a 6 month pass for free, so it has been super cheap this year.

In case you're looking for some new legal dramas, I thought I'd share with you my top five -

1.  Suits
Suits has to come in as my top pick. Since I first met Harvey Spector, about three years ago I have been hooked. Suits follows the lives of the a group of lawyers and the cases they work on. Zane, Spector, Litt are the criminal lawyers that can solve just about any case, and all the while maintaining complex social lives and interesting office politics. I'm watching season 8 week by week as a new episode is released and I can't wait to see what happens next. Who knows maybe Harvey will move away and join a firm of Sydney criminal lawyers, or maybe not?  What I am hoping, is that there might be a little romance between him and Samantha Wheeler, the new character played by Katherine Heigl.

Rediscovering Netflix

I have a little confession to make - Netflix has been sitting there unloved for a few months. I went off and had a little love affair with another on-demand TV provider and shhh, don't tell Netflix but I liked it.

This other service seduced me with more variety, newer films and shows my kids love but then.... it went and started to change things. The kids channels were no longer included and the price of having variety was nearly £20 a month so I let them go and here I am, back with my first love Netflix and rediscovering all it has to offer me for less than half the price.

Here a few recommendations of shows/ films my family are loving right now -

White Collar - I adore this box set so much. I am on season 4 now and the plot just gets better and better. Of course it helps a lot that the eye candy is so good and I'm not sure about you but I find it so easy to fall in love with TV characters, Matt Bomer who plays Neal Caffery is just divine (but also gay in real life!).

Top Recommendations for Netflix Box Set Viewing (UK)

It occurred to me the other day that we have had Netflix for two years now. Never did I think it would last this amount of time and still keep our family interested but it is testament to the turnaround of the programmes and the new material that is put onto Netflix that means we are happy to stick around.

I do love the fact that you get entertainment and films all in one place with Netflix, not like some other subscription TV services where you have to buy multiple bundles. Netflix still proves to be great value at £7.49 per month to be able to watch in HD on 2 screens or there is a bargain option at £5.99 a month for one screen in standard resolution.

The other day it occurred to me that I've not watched a new box set for a while on Netflix and I needed a new recommendation, so I asked a group of bloggers and low and behold they did good and came up with tons of ideas for me, here are just a few -

Netflix - It just gets Better and Better

I'm not a big one for going out at night nowadays.  Each month I like at least one night out with my husband and probably every other month I'll go out with some girlfriends but that is about it, well unless you count my Monday night Spanish class but it is not exactly a big night out!

It's therefore really important to me to have some good TV to watch for those evenings when dh is at work or when I just need to completely relax and zone out. Netflix is my answer to this and over the last 18 months it has been a Godsend, we don't have Sky and we can't get cable due to where we live and thus on demand TV is what we have.

I written quite a lot about my love affair with Netflix, I truly think it is such fantastic value at £5.99 a month, I mean really, what else can you do for 6 quid?  not even go to the cinema once.

Every so often I get an email from Netflix and rather than annoy me, I love it as it flags a film or series that it thinks I might like based on my ongoing viewing preferences and it cleverly builds up a picture of what I like and do not like based on programmes I have watched and rated. It also acts as a reminder for me to head into Netflix and to explore what is new one there and add some new watches to my list.

I received one of those emails this week and it alerted me that Big Momma's House had been added to Netflix and I don't know about you but I think that is a classic.  Such a great family film and one I'll share with the kids and a bucket of popcorn one chilly evening when we cuddle up for some family time. It is a 12 and that's older than my girls but I can't recollect anything in it that concerns me. I'll need to have a little google and see why it is rated as that.

5 Thought Provoking Picks on Netflix for Adults #StreamTeam

Not so long ago I published a post highlighting some of my favourite inspirational watches for kids on Netflix UK. Well today it is time for the adults. So here are my recommendations of what to watch on Netflix when you want to feel challenged or inspired,

1,  TED Talks - There are so many of these short (anything between about 5 - 40 minutes) talks on Netflix now and there is something to suit every interest. My personal favourites are in the Love, No Matter What category. Check out Brene Brown speaking on Shame and David Epstein on a body by design.

New to Netflix - July Update! #StreamTeam

I'm pleased to stay that nothing seems to stay too static on Netflix and there is always something new and different to watch. Here are a few picks that my family are enjoying and are happy to recommend right now. These first ones are recommended by my husband and I -

Orange is the New Black season 3 - I know so many people who were waiting for this new season of this Netflix Original to release on 11th June. I'm sue it won't disappoint you if you are a fan, as the successful formula is still there and the episodes will engage and move you.

Films to Inspire your kids on Netflix #StreamTeam

The other weekend JJ and I went to the cinema whilst the girls were at a cubs event with dh. The choice of film was JJ's and we saw Tomorrowland, a Disney movie about Casey, an inquisitive teen who is passionate about all things science. The film sees her on a journey to find Tomorrowland (certificate PG) and unearth it's secrets, helped by former boy-genius Frank (George Clooney) and android Athena. I didn't find it the most riveting film but I did really like the questions it raised about positively and what a difference it makes when you do not give up hope and always seek a brighter future. I tried to have this conversation with JJ and he told me in no uncertain terms that 'Dad is more fun to go to the cinema with as he just enjoys the film rather than pulling it apart'.

This did get me thinking about how many great films are out there that have messages that we hope our children will embrace, so I had a search on Netflix and asked some blogger friends what they would recommend as an inspiring watch for their kids.

Families come in all shapes and sizes #StreamTeam

My little family of five

I don't think this statement has ever been truer than in 2015. When I was growing up in the 1970's most families I knew included a Mum, a Dad and probably two or three kids. I don't recall any very large families, nor any divorced parents, nor any same sex parents.

How different things are nowadays, most children would not blink an eye if introduced to a family with six children, one parent or two mums. Things have become much more diverse and acceptable. I was chatting to my friend Anya the other morning though and saying I don’t really know many single parents locally. I’m not sure why this is as I’m not avoiding anyone but I just put it down to meeting most people at the kid’s school, which is in the middle of nowhere or at church, where marriage is still the norm.

Reasons to be Cheerful (Suits, Parents and Reaching Number 1!) #R2BC

Thursday has come around again, life seems to be flying by at the moment but it is all good as the kids are still off school and I'm really enjoying having them around and taking things easy.

1.  I took the kids down to visit my parents on Monday and Tuesday and it was so good to spend some time with them, we didn't do too much as my poor Dad is suffering with sciatica after only having his pacemaker fitted a couple of weeks ago. It was really just a couple of days of getting Mum out the house so she didn't go stir crazy and taking the dog for a walk whilst the kids played in the park. Two days in a row Mum and I got to sit and stare out at this lovely lake view and I always appreciate these simple times far more than spending loads of money. It is these times that remind me why I would love to live closer to my parents.

The rest of the week has been pretty much the same, spending time with the kids, fish and chips in the park and loads of loads of playing. I'm so grateful for the gorgeous weather we have had that has made all this possible.

2.  I practically whooped for joy last week when I discovered that Suits season 3 has been uploaded to Netflix. This is the first series I watched when we got Netflix last April and I adore it. I have been devouring the episodes and getting my dose of Harvey Spector.  That sly little smile on his lips just makes my tummy slip but sadly there are only two episodes left of this season and then I'll be left hanging waiting for season 4. I may just have to buy it on DVD!

3.  On Tuesday I was on my blog answering some comments when I noticed my sidebar and whooped with surprise that I am currently in the number 1 spot for faith blogs in the UK. I've never quite reached that heady height in the parenting charts, The highest I've ever reached in the Teads ranking was number 6 in May 2011 and I reached number 9 in the TOTs100 in March 2014. To be honest reaching number 1 in either of these would give me the same thrill this has done.

This is all God's doing and not mine. I only submitted my blog into this category last year when I've been part of Teads (eBuzzing and before that Wikio) since 2010 but I've always been a bit down on my blog as a faith blog. I made the mistake of comparing myself to all those wonderful blogs that fill the rest of the Teads faith charts. They are what I'd call proper faith blogs and are obviously written by scholars and well-read theologians. I'm just an average mum writing a blog about her average life but guided by a very awesome God.

I suppose a friend summed it up when she said I was doing an important job as I'm not preaching to the converted, I'm reaching out to the lost and that was so good to hear as I do think of Mummy from the Heart as my evangelistic tool. The place I get to show people that Christians are imperfect too but thankfully we are covered by grace.

I hope you have a fabulous week ahead.  Why don't you link up with Reasons to be Cheerful this week (#R2BC) over at Jo's blog.

Netflix: Recommended for me

Bloggers are an outspoken bunch, known for having strong opinions so in my quest to find some new viewing material I put the question out there -

What series on Netflix would you recommend and why?

This is the response I got -

Chris at Thinly Spread - Mr Selfridge - I love a bit of historical fiction - with glamour and shopping! (I've not heard of this before and I see there are two seasons available and it was originally an ITV program, which is good as far as I'm concerned. Cheers Chris, I'll give this a try)

Annie at Mammasaurus - Breaking Bad! I got into it late and watched it all in a fortnight - oo and House of Cards, since watching that I keep wanting to do a Frank Underwood in real life and talk to an imaginary camera !!! (Now of course I have to watch as I have no idea what she is on about!)

Sian at You're not from round here - agrees that Breaking bad is totally addictive!

Emma at Emma and 3 - Orange is the new black - I've always loved prison programmes ever since I thought I'd be a prison officer. I turned teacher instead can you spot any similarities!! (Lol, Emma I can;t imagine you are like any of those prison officers. I have actually seen this series and agree with Emma, its a good 'un)

The Boy and Me - Oooh, hard. Charmed - relieving my youth with humour and a little bit of sorcery.

Annwen at the Ramblings of a Surburban Mum - House - addictive, amusing and the brilliant Hugh Laurie. Great combo.

Sim at Sim's Life - House of Cards!! New season out this month! It is beyond awesome, Kevin Spacey is so manipulative and corrupt yet you cannot help but totally love his character!

My husband is currently watching the Tudors and he is getting through it pretty quick which tells me it is good. Both historical but also very watchable, depicting the life of Henry VIII.

Liz at Me and My Shadow - Sons of Anarchy. For Charlie Hunnam and Charlie Hunnam alone. You need no other reason. (I had to google him and yes he has a very nice body!)

Cass at Mummy Never Sleeps - Orphan Black - really clever and enjoyable. (Yep this is another one I have seen and I totally agree with Cas, really clever and not what you expect when you start watching)

Steph at I'm Counting UFOs - Californication. An oldie but a goodie. David Duchovny at his finest (and hottest) (Ohh, I'd not even realised this was on there, so there is one I want to catch up on)

Laura at Max and Mummy is obviously a Netflix fan, as she could not decide on one recommendation for me - Ahhh. I'll give you 3. The league - great comedy. Think inbetweeners with grown ups. Chuck - gripping spy comedy series of a loveable tech guy and a brain full of gov secrets. Pretty little liars - a cult show of mystery and suspense. (Thanks Laura, I've nto heard of any of these so I'll go and check them out)

Chantelle at Mama, Mummy, Mum - the latest series I've been watching is Grimm. A bit different to the norm, easy to follow and reminds a bit of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, got to love a bit of demon slaying (not going to be my bag I'm pretty sure, but I'll put it on here as I know loads of people love this kind of thing)

And I'll leave you with my two newest recommendations -

Covert Affairs with Piper Perabo, there are 5 series and it is an eye-opening insight into life as a CIA operative.

Life Unexpected - I loved this and there is only one series on Netflix, which does make me a bit mad as I want to continue watching and see what happens to Lux now she is reunited with her parents sixteen years after they gave her up for adoption.

There we go, loads of great recommendations. Have you got any to add to the list?

Disclosure: I have received a years free membership to Netflix and a free device to become part of the #Streamteam. They have not instructed me what to write and I remain honest, as always. 

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If you like what you have read and want to stay up-to-date then subscribe by email for free and receive blog posts directly to your in-box - just click the link Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email or perhaps you like to keep all your blog reading in one place, if that is the case you can follow me on BlogLovin too!

I love it when a brand gets it right - thank you Netflix

Just before Christmas I received a surprise package. I was pondering what it could be as all my expected deliveries had come and the kids were not due any presents so I was very pleased to find it was a beautifully wrapped gift for me and in fact it contained my favourite Christmas gift of 2014 - a Powerstick, portable charger for my phone/ tablet. I've been coveting one of these for a while and just not got round to buying it. I can now watch my favourite film or program streamed on Netflix when I'm away too as I won't run out of charge!

What I liked so much about the Netflix gift is that so much thought had gone into it and all the little gifts were really appreciated and very useful.  I won't go through everything but I'll give you an idea of the kind of things they sent -

• Pack of AA batteries - This seems like an obvious choice, but without a doubt these will have been forgotten for the kids brand new toys.
• Sellotape - It's never to be found when you need it, so keep this one safe for your last minute wrapping.
• Jo Malone Candle - If you forget a gift, instead of returning to the mad rush of Christmas shoppers gift someone this luxury candle.
• Nurofen Tablets - The stress of Christmas can result in a real headache, with all the running around, crowds, kids and late nights of wrapping.

As well as this lovely gift for me there was also some hats, balloons, party streamers and noisy blowers for the kids to celebrate the arrival of the brand new Netflix original series 'All Hail King Julien', so we sat down to watch it.

Well what a fun series it is. If you like Madagascar and King Julien and the Lemurs in particular you will love this series. I know that at 41 years old I'm not supposed to be enthralled with silly little animals shaking their booty but they do make me laugh! Each program is 23 minutes and there 5 programs in the series, so I'd say you should definitely give it a try as my kids have already watched all this first series and they all love it.

Netflix really do seem to be coming up with some great original series. We have so far enjoyed Orange is the New Black, House of Cards and Veggietales in the House and I'm just about to put on the first program of the new epic adventure Marco Polo, which looks to be an amazing watch.

I did take some super photos of the girls doing some King Julien style dancing but they both put their foot down and said those pictures are not to go on the blog, so here they are having a play with the hats, blowers and balloons whilst watching 'All Hail king Julien'.

Disclosure: I have received a years free membership to Netflix and a free device to become part of the #Streamteam. They have not instructed me what to write and I remain honest, as always. 

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If you like what you have read and want to stay up-to-date then subscribe by email for free and receive blog posts directly to your in-box - just click the link Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email or perhaps you like to keep all your blog reading in one place, if that is the case you can follow me on BlogLovin too!

Winter snuggle sessions with Netflix #StreamTeam

We have been away on holiday just recently and when we go away we always allow some of the young adults who live in our community to come and stay at our house. On the one hand this is great for us as we have peace of mind and on the other it is nice for the girls as they normally share a bedroom with two other people and rarely have the chance to just kick back and enjoy home comforts.

I know they love our Netflix so one of the first things I do when I return home is tune into my account and look at the 'recently watched' to see what the girls have been watching (not because I'm checking up on them, they are adults after all but) because it gives me some new ideas of films and series that I might like.

In the short time we were gone on our last break they seem to have had some mammoth viewing sessions in between their working hours.  I'll share with you some of the ones I like the look of -

GREEK - After finishing all the episodes of Gossip Girl I really need a new series that is lighthearted watching for me to dip in and out of while I'm doing the housework and cooking and this college based one looks just right.

Top picks on Netflix for 7 year old girls #StreamTeam

TV is so different nowadays. I was chatting to my children the other day about how different it is, when I was a child we only had three TV channels and I think there was about an hours children's programs after school, a couple of hours on a Saturday morning and that was it and we were really grateful for that.

Now the kids get home from school and the first thing they want is a snack and a 20/30 minute chill out before we have to do homework, so if the weather is not great the perfect thing to do is to get the loom bands out and watch a bit of easy viewing kids TV.

Miss M can take it or leave it with TV, she would much rather be outside doing cartwheels but Miss E does love it on in the background whilst she does all her crafty type activities.

I asked the girls what their top recommendations would be for other 7 year old girls who want to watch Netflixs and this is what they told me -

iCarly - They absolutely adore this American sitcom and the best thing about it from my point of view is that it is actually quite funny and if I'm in the room I don't mind watching it and chuckling along with the girls at whatever madcap adventures Carly, Sam, Gibby, Freddie and Spencer.

Basically three young friends run a web show together and it is all about the fun they get up to doing that, there is everything you expect from a sitcom, laughter, tears, romance and fun and it is all age appropriate, I've never seen any swearing or acting inappropriately for their age.

There are three seasons on Netflix which will give your kids a ton of viewing!

Next has to be recommended by the girls is Horrid Henry - This is one that my husband likes. I tend to feel a bit sorry for Henry as he gets told off by his parents constantly and often it is due to his suck-up brother. This does give younger kids ideas that you might not want them acting out but I found that by 7 years my girls know it is OK to watch and laugh at some of the things Henry and his friends get up to but not to actually act on them!
Watch out though, have this on too much and you will find yourself singing along to 'nah, nah, nah, nah, nah', it's annoyingly catchy. There are 2 series available on Netflix.


The next two programs they enjoy are pretty similar. There is H20 and Mako Mermaids - Both programs are fantasy based about three mermaids and all the fun they have trying to remain undiscovered when they come on land. There is all the mischief you would expect.

Miss E tells me that she loves The Hive and I see this program is aimed at preschoolers but it seems sweet and has lot of good messages in it and helps youngsters learn to navigate the understand the world we live in. It is an animated adventure about the busy, buzzy bee family.

The girls saw both the recent Smurfs movies and this interested them in watching the original 1981 series that my husband and I used to watch as children their age. I like to sit down and re-watch these and once again see the little blue creatures outwit the evil Gargamel.

There are three seasons on Netflix of Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Bitty Adventures and these animated shows are really harmless fun. Strawberry Shortcake and all her best berry friends get up to all sorts and against is another program with good messages and teaching in it.

Great Films Too
As well as the great series on Netflix, there are of course loads of wonderful kids films too and that really suits us when we want a sit down and a snuggle in the early evening. Some of the favourite films they have watched in the last few months have been - A Second Chance, Freaky Friday, Princess Diaries, Tangled, All Stars, Bratz the Movie, Snow Buddies and the Baby Sitters Club.

There really is so much on Netflix and for a subscription of just £6.99 per month I think it is an absolute snip!

Disclosure: I have received a years free membership to Netflix and a free device to become part of the #Streamteam. They have not instructed me what to write and I remain honest, as always. 

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If you like what you have read and want to stay up-to-date then subscribe by email for free and receive blog posts directly to your in-box - just click the link Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email or perhaps you like to keep all your blog reading in one place, if that is the case you can follow me on BlogLovin too!

Our top 6 Netflix obsessions #StreamTeam

Earlier this week I got my monthly newsletter as part of the Netflix #Streamteam, it suggested that I post about it being back to school time and all the great programes available for the kids to watch and chill out with after a busy day at school.  And yes I agree, kids do need a balance between learning and then time to relax and process that learning but I think us parents also need some downtime after the busy summer months.

Having the kids for six weeks or more can be really tiring and whilst I have lots of housework and jobs to catch up on there is nothing I like better than taking my iPad with me and watching a fabulous series on Netflix.  So in case like me you want to do the same I thought I'd share my (and my husbands) top series obsessions since getting Netflix in April.

1)  First up is Suits. This was the first TV programme series that I watched on Netflix and I loved it. I literally was in mourning when I finished the two seasons that are on there and I'm praying Netflix get the third season very soon. It is a series based around a top firm of New York lawyers.

Look at these guys, I'm a little bit in love with both characters -

2)  Next we have Gossip Girl, I still haven't finished this as there are six seasons and thank goodness, it means I have hours and hours of watching available to me. It is great how things change, the characters I hated at the beginning I now love and vice versa. Never a dull moment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

3)  Taking this spot is Orange is the New Black.  My husband and I started to watch this prison drama together and I was hooked at first but by the second season I had lost a bit of interest, but hubby enjoyed it until the end of the second season and is avidly waiting to see if there will be another. Be warned this is certainly not one for when the kids are around it can be quite graphic at times.

4)  Orphan Black is brand new to Netflix and I just found it when it was recommended to me in August. There is only one series and it is not at all what I thought it might be but the plot is thickening and I have to keep on watching and find out what happens. Definitely worth a view.

5)  Lie to Me was the first series my husband watched when we got Netflix and I dipped in and out and saw a number of episodes. Basically Dr Cal Lightman works with the police to help solve crimes using his extensive knowledge of human behaviour. It is so funny to now watch my husband use little tricks he learnt from the program on our kids, he can spot a mile off when they are lying! There are 3 seasons on Netflix.

6) The next one I'll single out is the my husbands current favourite which is Prison Break. There are 4 seasons on Netflix and this is a really intricate plot about a prison breakout. Oh the lead stars are pretty easy on the eye too!

There are so many good TV program series on Netflix that I could go on and on. Others that I've dipped in and out of so far and would recommend are The Good Wife, Person of Interest, White Collar, 24, Kyle XY and Criminal Minds.  As you can tell we like law and crime dramas in this house!

Netflix is £6.99 per month to stream as many films and TV programs as you like, I think it is a fabulous deal and once my year is over I'll certainly be keeping with it.

Disclosure: I have received a years free membership to Netflix and a free device to become part of the #Streamteam. They have not instructed me what to write and I remain honest, as always. 

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If you like what you have read and want to stay up-to-date then subscribe by email for free and receive blog posts directly to your in-box - just click the link Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email or perhaps you like to keep all your blog reading in one place, if that is the case you can follow me on BlogLovin too!

My Top 6 Musical Film Recommendations for Netflix #StreamTeam

You'll have seen me posting before that I'm loving my subscription to Netflix.  It really is the best thing since sliced bread in my opinion. As I live in the middle of no-where and my internet connection is not great that limits my options but Netflix and my Apple TV are still coming up trumps and even better when the kids lose the little silver remote control (why is the Apple TV remote control so very tiny?) I can stll watch via AirPlay from my iPad to the Apple TV.

Or what you often find me doing is watching programmes (Gossip Girl currently in case you were wondering) and moving from room to room doing the housework, tidying, washing etc and I take my iPad with me and then when I'm ready to move to the lounge I can just stop play on my iPad and put it on the Apple TV and it is all so clever as it knows exactly where I stooped it and it just picks it up and plays from there - brilliant!

This month I thought I'd share with you my top 6 music film picks that we have watched in the last three months. All our family love a good musical film and here are our recommendations, in reverse order -

In 6th place - Pop Star - I just watched this last week with my girls and it is a sweet movie. It won't change your world but the lead singer has a nice voice and it has some good topics in it for conversation starters - like people taking advantage of you and who your loyalty should be to.

5th place is Cadillac records. This film was a bit slower than I might have liked but the tunes are really soulful and it was great to see a little slice of history and to learn how some of the big stars like Chuck Berry and Etta James were discovered.

4th place goes to an iconic movie - The Blues Brothers. The music in this is superb and the film is a lot of fun, this takes me right back to being a kid and I think it is one you either love or hate.

3rd place is for Burlesque with Cher and Christina Aguillaria. not one for the kids as you don't really want to encourage them to think about this as a career option but I enjoyed this film and of course the singing is fantastic.

2nd place is Coyote Ugly, which is one of my favourite films with some great singing and a sweet love story running through it.

And in 1st place it has to be Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act. I kid you not when I say that my husband has watched this in excess of 500 times, he absolutely loves it and when feeling down it is his go-to film. He also seems to have converted all my kids as often I return from a night out and find the four of them watching this or the sequel!

I hope you like our picks and might want to try out one of the movies on Netflix.

Disclosure: I have received a years free membership to Netflix and a free device to become part of the #Streamteam. They have not instructed me what to write and I remain honest, as always. 

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Netflix for animal lovers

You might have read last month that I'm a member of the Netflix #StreamTeam and each month I'll be bringing you an update on what Netflix has to offer.

First off I'll start by saying that I am still seriously in love with Netflix, which I generally watch on the big screen via my Apple TV but I also stream on my iPad and laptop. I mentioned last time that despite my slow Internet speeds I have not had any issues streaming Netflix and in the main this is still the same. There has not been one occasion when I could not watch a Netflix show, I've probably had it buffer a handful of times but when I watch it every day I am very happy with this and feel it is performing fabulously.

I have to tell you that I am a bit sad at the moment though, over the last month I've become very addicted to the TV show Suits and I have already watched all the episodes in season 1 and 2 that are on Netflix. I'm now wanting to know when season 3 will be on there! I've had to move onto White Collar and Gossip Girl but they are not quite cutting it, I want my fix of Harvey Spector and Mike Ross!

To take my mind off it I am joining Netflix this month by celebrating our animal friends. Miss M is desperate for a pet but we can not have one here and to be frank, I'm not interested in having any pets, so she has to make do with Nanny's dog, our friends guinea pigs and at our house it is about watching them on TV.

When I come down in the morning I often find Miss M and Miss E watching Cliffords Puppy Days and over the last month we have watched a ton of pet inspired films to satisfy Miss M's appetitue for all things canine. Here are three of our favourites so far -

The great thing with Netflix is that there is always something new to discover, so we won't be running out of dog films any time soon and they have suggested a fun activity for us as well. How do you fancy making a dog sandwich to go with your film?

You will need 
2 x slices of wholemeal bread
1 x wholemeal pita or 1 x slice of wholemeal crust
Your favourite sandwich filling
Cucumber Cheese
Cream cheese (optional)

Method 
1. Make a sandwich using two slices of wholemeal bread and your favourite filling
 2. Using a sharp knife, cut out a shape that resembles a pear or light bulb (wide and round at one end and narrower and rounded at the other)
 3. Using either pitta bread or the slice of a crust, cut two teardrop shapes and then tuck these inside the sandwich so that the rounded section is at the top and the point is downwards
 4. To make the nose, cut a slice of cucumber skin and then shape it into a round edged triangle and put it in place
 5. For the eyes, take a slice of cheese and using a circular cutter (small cookie cutter), cut two oval eye shapes. Cut some more cucumber skin and using an apple corer or very small circle cutter, make two pupils from the cucumber skin and place on top of the cheese ovals
 6. To finish, cut some small curves of cucumber skin using a round cutter and place above the eyes. To give the eyes and nose a more lifelike appearance, use a tiny dot of cream cheese to highlight these

Disclosure: I have received a years free membership to Netflix and a free device to become part of the #Streamteam. They have not instructed me what to write and I remain honest, as always. 

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If you like what you have read and want to stay up-to-date then subscribe by email for free and receive blog posts directly to your in-box - just click the link Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email or perhaps you like to keep all your blog reading in one place, if that is the case you can follow me on BlogLovin too!

Blown away by Netflix This Easter

Well you know, not literally. I am still sat here in one piece thankfully but I am absolutely in-love with Netflix and our Apple TV that we can stream it on. A couple of weeks ago I was asked to be a #StreamTeam blogger with Netflix and I thought why on earth not?

No buffering
My brother has mentioned Netflix to me before and I didn't take too much notice, we have had subscriptions to LoveFilm before and I thought it would be just the same. As we live out in the middle of nowhere our internet is not that great and we suffer with slow speeds (about 3.2mb for downloads) and buffering when we try to stream from BBC iPlayer, Youtube, LoveFilm etc but I kid you not when I say we have not had one buffering issue with Netflix and we have been using it over a week now. I don't know if the Apple TV box or Netflixs itself works in a different way but it is making my Easter holiday with the kids so much easier.

Such great variety
When we moved to East Sussex last summer we gained so much but one of the things we lost (and our girls have still not forgiven us) is the Nickelodeon TV channels, well by having Netflix they have been able to get their fix of programs such as iCarly and Austin & Aly and that is making them very happy (and well behaved too, thank the Lord!).

JJ has also been happy as he is finding lots of new movies to be able to play on his laptop whilst he plays Lego in his bedroom. Films such as Cody Banks, All Stars, Big Fat Liar and Cop and a Half. Paying £5.99 for all of us to watch as much as we like sure beats me going to the charity shop each week and picking up a couple of new Kids DVD's for a couple of pound each and dh and I watching the same old rubbish.

I suppose I should also admit that dh and I have barely watched regular TV since we have had Netflix. In fact I'm wondering why we are paying a TV licence when no-one is actually watching live TV nowadays, I'll have to see how that goes! Freeview does offer quite a variety of channels nowadays but without cable TV we have been in a rut of watching CSI after CSI and at least now we are able to start exploring some of the TV series available like Suits, Breaking Bad and House of Cards.

Programs at times to suit you (not a schedule)
We have also switched off our laptops and iPads and just sat and watched a good movie together. It makes such a difference to be able to start a program when you want to and not to be tied to the TV schedule. Then the Apple TV is brilliant with its little remote control as you can pause if the phone rings or in my case if one of the girls have a very urgent task they have to disappear for.

Parental control
The remote control is easy to use and even my less confident twin has figured out how to use it and is happy navigating her way round Netflix now. I do like that I have been able to set different profiles for the kids as well and this means they can only access content deemed appropriate for under 12 year olds. Of course there is no password on netflix (or not that I've found) so it does work on trust that they do not just use my profile but I suppose the check there would be that I can see all programs recently watched and they know this.

I was surprised when I came in the lounge the other day to find JJ using his IPad as a remote control, there is an app you can download for free and now he is the master controller! Well, so he tells me, lol!

Smart suggestions
I like that Netflix is clever and trying to get to know me, when I set it up it asked me to pick 5 films from a selection so it could learn a little about me and then once I was online I was able to personalise my profile and choose the genres that appeal to me most and rate films I have watched and as I watch and rate more it becomes more accustomed to my tastes and can make better educated suggestions. It is all good, I may never run out of viewing material again!

As part of my #StreamTeam responsibilities I'll be updating you each month on what Netflix has to offer. For this month I'll leave you with some picks for great Easter movies to watch together as a family -

Disclosure: I have received a years free membership to Netflix and a free device to become part of the #Streamteam. They have not instructed me what to write and I remain honest, as always. 

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If you like what you have read and want to stay up-to-date then subscribe by email for free and receive blog posts directly to your in-box - just click the link Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email or perhaps you like to keep all your blog reading in one place, if that is the case you can follow me on BlogLovin too!