Catching Up on TV Shows with Netflix #StreamTeam

This post is brought to you by Netflix. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Normally I like to discuss all of the great kid friendly movies and television shows Netflix has to offer, but this month I though I would change things up a bit. This time I'd like to talk about all the things that I love to watch on Netflix. It has been seven years since we gave up cable and downsized to just the basic network channels. While it saves us a nice chunk of change every month, it does stink missing out on all of the great popular shows. About 18 months ago we signed up for Netflix, mainly for the kids so they had more options to watch. But then I realized there were some great shows that the husband and I could finally watch. And when we find a show we like on Netflix, we devour it.

Yes when we find a good show, we totally go into "Netflixing" mode and we watch nothing but that until we've completed it. For me it first started last year when a friend recommended Orange is the New Black. It was so different, and funny, and well, weird, and I loved it. But I think my first serious Netflixing relationship occurred when I discovered Sons of Anarchy. I first started watching the show because I was interested in actor Charlie Hunnam, who at the time was cast in a new movie. My husband wasn't interested in a motorcycle club show, but I was able to persuade him to give it a shot. It only took one episode for us both to get completely hooked. We would watch at least 3 episodes per night until we finished the first 4 seasons, and then we had to wait a few months for season 5 to hit Netflix. I'm pretty sure we finished that in 2 days. Now I am not so patiently waiting for season 6.

Currently I have moved onto The CW show Arrow. While we do actually have this network, I had never once watched the show. Since I happen to love super hero movies and shows, I thought it was about time I give it a shot. At the moment I think I am about halfway through season 1. I am moving at a more leisurely pace with Arrow and I am enjoying it. It's great to have both shows that glue me to my TV until I am 100% done and others that are a good filler for a night when there is nothing on network TV for me to watch.

And while I work my way through my latest show, I am adding some others I want to check out to "My List." Here are a few I'm hoping to watch in the upcoming months:

Merlin
Once Upon A Time
The Walking Dead

Have you watched any of the shows I've discussed hered? What are some of your favorite shows you've watched on Netflix?

I'm a Pull-Ups First Flush Ambassador #CelebrateFirstFlush #MC

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Pull-Ups. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Our youngest son turned four in December and we are getting ready to start on our potty training journey. It doesn't matter that I have already potty trained three kids, it still scares me to start down this road with #4. In my experience, each child takes to it differently and provides a new set of challenges each time. So I am thrilled to be a Pull-Ups First Flush Ambassador and have a great tool on my side.

Right now, we are at the very beginning stages of training and are just talking to him about using the potty and sitting him on it a few times a day. We are fortunate that his preschool teachers do the same thing when he is there as well. While he hasn't actually gone while sitting on the potty, I am encouraged by the fact that he asks to sit on it every night. One thing that seemed to help with my other boys was some sort of reward system. With my oldest, we used Hot Wheels cars and with the twins a sticker chart. The trick is figuring out which type of reward motivates them best and sticking to it. So that is my next step.

Huggies Pull-Ups offers some great tools to parents who are potty training their toddlers via their Big Kid Academy such as activities, celebration ideas, tips and more. I'm excited to start making some progress and I'm glad to have Pull-ups with me every step of the way.

Connect with Huggies Pull-Ups
Website: www.pull-ups.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pull-ups
Twitter: @PullUpsBigKid

Returning to the Work Force with Help From Mom Corps YOU #MC

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Mom Corps YOU. I received a free trial to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

It feels like forever ago, but there was once a time when I worked outside of the home. Seven years ago I had one child and commuted 120 miles a day, 4 days a week to my job as a Communications Director. I was truly lucky that I loved my job, but the commute from Connecticut to New York took its toll. With even just one child, I found it difficult to balance everything and get some quality family time. My days were go go go from start to finish. By the time I picked my son up from daycare and got home, I'd scramble to make dinner and than it would be bath time and bedtime for my little guy. When we found out I was pregnant with twins, we knew my time working had come to an end. The mental and physical exhaustion of having 3 children under 2 years old plus the commuting was just too much. Not to mention the daycare cost. So in May 2007, I said goodbye to the workforce.


Now here I am, a mom to 4 young boys and approaching the time when all my kids will be in school. I would like to return to working once my youngest is in kindergarten, but to be honest I wasn't even sure how to start after being away for so long. Thankfully with Mom Corps YOU, I have someone to help me along the way.Mom Corps YOU is an online community that offers professionals resources to  better integrate their professional lives and personal lives. They believe that the key to achieving work-life satisfaction is to take ownership of your career, finances and health & wellness. This subscription based community contains articles, webinars, toolkits, discussion forums, live career chats, online coaching and more to help you do just that.

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The first thing I need help with is my resume. As someone who is not very good at writing about herself, it is something I have always struggled with. Not only is there a helpful article filled with tips on writing your perfect resume; but there is also an hour long webinar that serves as a resume workshop. I have already started the process of updating my super old resume and I am hoping it will eventually get me into some interviews. Thankfully I still have some time to get it perfected.

While tools like this are great, what I feel can really help out a lot is real conversations with real people. Mom Corps YOU has this in two forms in the Discussion Forums and Chat Live with a Moms Corps recruiter. If you need some opinions on fine tuning your resume or even just general questions about reentering the work force, these are places you will want to check out. One discussion that just started is "Going back to work after raising the kids." This is something that so many moms face and I'm looking forward to following along with this discussion group.

But Mom Corps YOU isn't just about your career, it is also about balancing everything in your life. So you can also find tools and resources for working on your relationship, financial tips, wellness articles and more.

Making the decision to reenter the workforce after multiple years far removed from it is more than a little frightening and overwhelming.  I still have months to go but by the time I will be looking to get back in, it will be about 8 years since I stopped working. So in my opinion it is never too early to start preparing and Mom Corps YOU is just what I need to help me get there.

Mom Corps YOU is available via an online subscription for an introductory annual price of $99.99 (regularly $149.99) or $19.99 a month. Visit www.momcorpsyou.com for more details.

Armstrong Residential Ceilings Style is Looking Up #Giveaway #MC

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Armstrong Residential Ceilings. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

If you are like me, then you almost always have some sort of DIY home improvement project you are working one. Our most recent project was completely redoing the kids bathroom, which took weeks but was well worth the effort. For those of you that are considering working on your ceilings, Armstrong Residential Ceilings offers a variety decorative ceiling styles to give your room a face lift while fitting into your budget. And right now you can enter their "Style is Looking Up" giveaway for a chance to win a $2,500 room makeover grand prize (an Armstrong ceiling, installation credit, and a $1,000 Lowe’s gift card). Visit the Armstrong Residential Ceilings Facebook page to enter!