Netflix; or Kids, Let's Make It A Movie Day.

Disclaimer: I'm thrilled to write a sponsored post for Netflix (who wouldn't be?), but all thoughts, opinions, and effusive TV-watching statements are my own.

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Since P.J. and I both work in theatre, we’re big fans of good stories. And whether that comes in the form of books, classic cinema, or TV shows with gripping narratives, we’re always game to watch something fantastic.

And sometimes, we define “good stories” as “I’d sure love to take a shower today, would you enjoy a 23 minute episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Road Rally)?”

Enthralled.

Our girls are crazy about movies, too. Lately we've been having a blast introducing them to the favorites from our youth, such as 101 Dalmatians and The Aristocats. It’s not limited to film, either. It’s been rather exceptional to watch old (and new!) episodes of Sesame Street with the girls. (Anyone recall how crayons are made? I know you do.)

Regardless of what else is going on- or how tweaked out we are by the end of the day- the answer to “Can we pop some popcorn, snuggle in your bed, and watch…” will usually be a resounding yes. (If you call our household between the hours of 6 and 8pm and there’s no answer, that’s totally what we’re up to. There may also be some internet-searchin’ on my part to figure out why so many of the classic characters were voiced by the same three people.)

Sometimes you hafta watch a movie from behind a couch. Or with a microphone.

Here’s a confession: we dropped cable a super long time ago. And thanks to Netflix, I haven’t missed it once. Here’s why- not only do they have all of my shows (and series and comedies and Noir thrillers), but they offer a boggling amount of kid-friendly options:

• There’s Pingu, the very first show that Nora and I dug as a new mother/daughter team. Back before she had fully realized words, we laughed hysterically at this adorable Swedish Claymation series about a penguin (who doesn't use real words, either).
• Susannah, our favorite little monkey, gets her Curious George on whenever she needs to be talked down from the ceiling (or the shelf or the kitchen table or that pile of magazines).
• I could easily watch My Little Pony all day. (I’m pretty sure the girls would be super stoked to allow that as well.)

Watching a docu-drama, apparently.

And for those of you unfamiliar with the brilliance of Netflix, it works like this: you can stream any of this awesomesauce media from anywhere in your house, at absolutely any time. It’ll play on hundreds of devices- at least one of which I guarantee you have in your home. Streaming Netflix is oh-so-easy, too. Simply download the free app on any device (or go to Netflix.com on your computer) and it’s a cinch to go from there.

My favorite part? On the home screen there’s a dedicated section for kiddo programming with reviews and ratings vetted by Common Sense Media. Hey, anything that helps me make smart choices and get back to the business of TV-watchin’ even sooner gets my vote.

Because we’re totally up to the Sesame Street episode where the sign says Don’t Walk…and it’s a major cliff-hanger.

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What are you watching on TV with your family? Netflix has family favorites from Disney, Disney Jr., Hasbro, Cartoon Network and Dreamworks that are available to stream anytime, anywhere.

And streaming is easier than you think! Download the free app on your iPad, click on the Netflix app on any gaming device, go to the website on your computer – and you’re in business. Check it out here!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of NETFLIX.

Girlfriend And Writing Plays And Weeping At Things.

Feelin' feelings today, folks.

My show closed yesterday afternoon. And it was great. Of course it was great- everyone involved made darned sure that it was- but it's a mix of happy/sad/other for me right now.

Part of me still can't believe that a show I wrote (and re-wrote and punched and twitched at) became this fully realized thing that people- some people whom I never ever even knew- showed up to watch and laugh and applaud. It boggles.

Then there's the aspect that this play had been solely mine. Like, every word. Every character. Every ill-advised scene change. The lines didn't exist outside of me speaking at my laptop [and P.J.], but then I handed them all over to my director and actors and production team. And the play changed- it had to change- and it became theirs. Dialogue that the director heard differently than I did and conveyed it to actors who filtered it through their own minds and experiences and performers' toolboxes. There were lines that they personalized. Riffed upon. Things that worked (or didn't work) and became hilarious [inside] jokes. Stuff was reimagined by designers, creating a living space for the characters that simply didn't exist in my imagination.

And it was wonderful. It was.

But it was also rather sad. Because along with handing the play over came the inevitable stepping back.  And it was necessary. Because everyone else involved needed to feel like they could say or do whatever they had to to make this show awesome. (And it's wicked hard to do that when the playwright is weeping in the corner, shrieking "That is INCORRECT!" For example.)

So then it became theirs. And while it was still wild and heady to see this play come to life, it was fully bizarre to hear someone I didn't know discussing the show in proprietary tones with someone else I didn't know (who also had a few proprietary tones).

I imagine it's akin to when your college-aged kiddo comes home for break with her new roommate in tow and you get to hear "Your daughter is so funny- did you know how funny she is?" And you want to be all like- Seriously? Of course I know how funny she is. I grew her and helped form her speech patterns. You've known how funny she is for about fifteen seconds, don't talk to me about my kid like I've never even heard her do that weird monster voice.

(But you refrain from saying these things aloud, for you will absolutely be misunderstood and sound like a psychopathic emotion-monger.)

So yeah. My show closed this weekend. And it was good.

It was.

Invisalign And The Solution For "Rabbit Teeth."

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, but all thoughts and opinions (and painful memories) are my own.

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Listen, I'm about to impart some super-private info here. We're talking some real Behind The Curtain stuff.

I have not always been this glamorous. (Take as long as you need.)

Back in the fourth grade, I possessed an overbite that could chop wood. One of my most awful of le awful memories in life was when a group of girls persuaded me to sit sideways on a desk and then ran across the room to check out my profile.

"You're right," they whispered in a not at all whisper, "you can only see her top two teeth like this!"

There has yet to be a cure for multiple braids.

My parents put me in braces soon thereafter. Metal braces. The kind with wraparound headgear and rainbow rubber bands and wax tabs to soften wires o' death.

Unfortunately, the braces had to come off a little early, due to the fact that I was the only person in Massachusetts (circa 1990) with an allergy to latex. And, aside from the metal parts, every single apparatus involved with braces back then was comprised entirely of latex.

Fast forward fifteen years. I had just starting dating a guy whom I knew was The One. (I hadn't bothered to let him know; he'd figure it out eventually.) And I knew that I wanted to [finally] have awesome teeth for our [future, as-yet-unplanned] wedding.

So I chose Invisalign for my adult braces; they were clear, they were affordable, and they were latex-free. At the time, I was auditioning like a banshee- and metal braces would've been a bit of a deal breaker. Other stuff I dug: I could take the Invisalign trays out to eat, to floss, to have super-close-up-glamour-shots, etc., etc., etc.

My favorite part of the whole treatment was the instant gratification of it all. A computer-generated series of images of my mouth was created at the first office visit, showing how each set of aligners would subtly shift the teeth into place. (Painlessly, too!) I was actually able to see the progress of my teeth every time I removed my aligners, as opposed to waiting for a big ol' reveal at the end of two years with metal braces.

I still possess the biggest mouth ever, but thanks to Invisalign my teeth are now straight, and that's my point.

I love my new (non-embarrassing) mouth, for five years and goin' strong.

Take the Smile Assessment for yourself and see if you or a family member would be a perfect fit for Invisalign (they now offer Invisalign Teen for the younger set!) and to get more info about this rad product. And swing by here to check out all of the cases which Invisalign can fix; I was surprised to see the complexity of some of these toothly issues, most of which used to only be treated by metal braces!

'Cause seriously, no one should ever have to sit sideways on a desk to illuminate their rabbit teeth. So check out Invisalign.

Your inner fourth grader will thank you.

10 Things I Love About This Week.

1. Chicago days that settle comfortably in the upper 70s, letting us forget that thermals and triple layers ever needed to exist [last month].

2. Lilacs and hyacinth and linden and other sweet-smelling things which waft into [crazily/newly] opened windows.

3. Helping out in my kiddo's preschool and seeing her as a Big Kid.

4. Grass picnics. Bench picnics. Concrete stoop picnics.

5. Watching The Jungle Book in bed with my kids, eating popcorn and reveling in the fact that, as an adult, I get to make the plans and rules and spending the evening like this is one of them.

6. Walking to one's destination out of pleasure- and not because you've checked the Bus Tracker and nothing's due for at least another forty minutes and we may all die from the biting wind if we remain still.

7. My daughters reading together, all snuggled up like no one's even making them.

8. Eating a gargantuan tub of Graeter's black raspberry chip ice cream with my husband because this is another one of those plans and/or rules.

9. Writing. Writing stuff that makes me happy and makes me feel intelligent and makes someone else go "Oh, wow. She knows what's what. We should give her some money for this sort of thing."

10. The closing weekend of my show. Which means that it was awesome and real and it really, awesomely happened.

That'll do, Week, that'll do.