dulce de leche cheerios review and giveaway

 i need to make an emergency trip to the grocery store...we're just about out of cheerios!  some days i feel like i can never keep us stocked with cheerios, since everyone loves them so much.

now cheerios has a new flavor for my kids to fall in love with:  dulce de leche.  they have a caramel flavor that the kids really like.

i like the fact that they have 19 grams of whole fiber per serving.  for breakfast, i don't like the fact that they have 6 grams of sugar per serving.  we've been using these as a snack for after school.  the kids like the sweet flavor, and i like that i can give them something wholesome.  you can also try out one of these betty crocker recipes that use dulce de leche cheerios as a main ingredient.

i am excited to be able to offer a package of the new flavor for one of you to sample.  it comes with a beautiful polka-dotted orange bowl, a nice big spoon and a dulce de leche scented candle.  just leave a comment below telling me which recipe you would most like to try.  i'll choose a winner using random.org on february 7.  usa residents only; must 18 to enter.

the new dulce de leche cheerios information, product, and prize pack have been provided free of charge by cheerios and general mills, through myblogspark.  regardless, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.

ocean spray fruit snacks review and giveaway

 i try to walk a fine line between giving my kids healthy snacks and letting them have the things that they are always begging me to have (and that (of course) all their friends always get to have).  i love it when i come across something that falls into both categories.

for this reason, i have been very excited to come across ocean spray® fruit snacks.  made with real fruit juice, and having natural flavors and colors, and 100% daily value of vitamin c, they are the fruit snacks that my kids love without the unhealthy stuff that bothers me!

it seems like there are more and more warnings about unnatural flavors and colors and preservatives that can do more harm than good for our kids.  i'm very glad to give them something that is gluten-free, without high fructose corn syrup or red #40.

although they are not meant to replace fruit in a child's diet, they are made from apple, pear, and cranberry juice concentrate.  they come in two varieties at this time:  assorted fruit and mixed berries.

i also appreciate the fact that each box comes with year round double box tips!

for more updates and information you can check out their facebook page as well.

i have four prize packs to offer those of you who would like to try it for yourselves:  6 boxes of ocean spray fruit snacks!  just leave a comment below telling me which flavor you think you and your family would most like to try.  i'll choose a winner using random.org on february 7.  usa residents only; must 18 to enter.


i received ocean spray^® fruit flavored snacks, information, and giveaway thanks to ocean spray^® through myblogspark.  regardless, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.

getting ready for valentine's day...with tiny prints

i have been looking on pinterest for some good ideas to make valentines for the kids this year. that was when i realized that i need to collect 78 valentines this year between all the kids...and that doesn't even count the 5 teachers!

while i love the idea of making something crafty, i think it is time to look elsewhere for some valentine cards ideas...

of course, i think there is no better place to look than at tiny prints...

i love this one for tate's class.  maybe having a card like this would help him be more interested in the idea of valentine's day.  somehow he doesn't seem as interested in giving away cards as the girls are!

i think zoe would like this one.  she is at the delicate age where you don't want to do anything that seems "babyish" or especially, being too romantic...

i think tessa might like this one for her class.  these are so cute without being too romantic!

of course, i would also like to consider sending a few valentines day greeting cards myself!

i always have a hard time finding just the right card for bill.  i don't want to be too cheesy but i'm not good at being too mushy either...

i think this one seems just about right.  especially for as much time as we both spend with our noses in books!

if you are love tiny prints cards as much as i do, you may want to follow them on twitter, like them on facebook or follow their boards on pinterest.

i am thankful to tiny prints for making our valentine's day a whole lot easier and very, very special!

i will receive 50 free cards from tiny prints as a thank you for writing this post.  all the information and links are from tiny prints.  regardless, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.

disney on ice: dare to dream (giveaway)

now that christmas has come and gone, and the grey days of winter seem to be settling in for the long haul, we're starting to feel the winter blahs around here. with spring break far, far away, what can we do to lift our spirits?

i can't think of anything better to do than to get ourselves to disney on ice: dare to dream.  we love the story of rapunzel around here, and everyone is excited that she will be the star of the latest disney on ice show.

we'll see just how much trouble flynn rider gets into, and to what "lengths" rapunzel will go to escape her life in the high tower.  we really can't wait to see it!

we will also enjoy seeing our other favorites, cinderella and tiana again as well.  overall, the night promises to be exactly what we need to get out of the doldrums and feel more positive about cold and ice.

the show begins at allstate arena on january 25 and runs through january 29.  then the show moves to the united center (with free parking) on february 1 through february 12.

thankfully, for those of you who want to join us in bolstering our spirits, there is a great offer available if you use the coupon code: MOM.  get 4 tickets for $44 on weekday shows -- or save $4 on weekend shows. (weekday shows include any performance monday through thursday. weekend shows included any performance friday through sunday.)  you can follow this link as well to get this discount when you order.

if you want to have some fun with your kids before the show, this link has a crown you can color, cut out and glue.  

i am happy to be able to offer one of you readers a four-pack of tickets to see the show for yourself.  you can choose from opening night at allstate arena (january 25), opening night at the united center (february 1) or thursday, february 2 at the united center.


this year, hair cuttery is teaming up with disney on ice.  when you purchase your tickets, you can also purchase a disney on ice princess package, which includes a shampoo, blowdry, updo and special princess finish with a tiara at your local hair cuttery salon. you will also receive a savings coupon for disney on ice merchandise ($5 value). You can add the princess package to your order on ticketmaster when purchasing tickets to disney on ice presents dare to dream in chicago or rosemont.  i will give another reader the chance to win a $40 gift card to the hair cuttery to use for whatever services you like.


just leave a comment below telling me your favorite disney character and what you like about him/her/it.  i will choose a winner using random.org on january 20.  


thank you to feld family entertainment and disney on ice for tickets for my family in exchange for sharing this information with you.  regardless, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.

holiday gift guide: books

this is my last "gift guide" post.  i think no christmas is complete without some really great reading material.  this past year, i have come to know more about the publisher, lee and low books.  they are an independent publishing company focused on diversity. 

i was thankful to win a set of books through a blog giveaway.  while some of the books were better liked than others, overall, i really appreciate the mission and vision of this company to make books celebrating diversity more accessible and available.

lilianna's favorite book of all time is one that we received in our prize pack.  baby born takes the reader through the first year of a baby's life, month by month, comparing the developmental stages of a baby to the passing of the seasons (in october, baby's gap-toothed smile is compared a jack-o'-lantern's; at thanksgiving the baby can say "mum-mum-mum / when she sees the turkey come").  there is something about the really cute drawings and the rhythmic rhymes that appeals to lilianna.  she asks us to read this one over and over.

seeds of change is an award-winning book about nobel-prize winner wangari maathai.  when she had the opportunity to be educated, as few girls did, her mind sprouted like a seed as she learned more and more at school.  i can't say this is the top choice of any of my kids, but i want them to have exposure to the idea that for education is a gift that some people never receive.  i want them to see the strides that have been made, particularly on behalf of the girls to give them the incredible opportunities they now have access to.

as part of my involvement in the book club, teen lit rocks!, i received a free copy of under the mesquite.  this story is fascinating, in party because the whole thing is written as poetry.  in the book, i learned the story of a mexican girl who learned how to make her way in the united states while going through the trauma of her mother's cancer and ultimate death.  i think zoe will be ready for this in a year or two.  i love that she will learn about another culture, as well as gain experience in reading poetry in such an accessible format.

i highly value the mission and vision of lee and low books.  i hope that you will take a look at the choices they have available and see if any of them would be a good fit for your family.


while i have received all of the above books for free from lee and low books (as well as a few additional books), i have not been compensated for this post nor asked to write it.  i simply wanted to share with you a valuable resource in the form of a company that i think is worthy of my support.

holiday gift guide: toys (part 3)

i guess that i can't really make a gift guide without mentioning this last toy.  this is what tate is asking for from santa this year:

"slingers" are something like yo-yos (does anyone remember those automatic yo-yos we had when we were growing up? i can't remember the name but these are like those...). the nice thing (for kids like tate) is that they automatically return to your hand. each slinger is associated with a marvel comic book character.  there is spiderman, iron man, the hulk,captain america, and wolverine, etc.

the slinger also comes with medallions that can magnetically attach to the slinger when you "sling" it down just right.  this allows for a wide variety of play and competition between people wielding slingers.  while we were at the chicago toy and game fair, we ourselves played 3 or 4 different games.  you can see who is the first person to get the medallion with a certain character.  you can see who can be the first to get four (or any other agreed upon number) medallions.  or you can see who can pick up the most medallions within a certain amount of time.  there is even a game to play that was explained to me twice (and i'm still confused); somehow you can set a counter on the slinger and the "power" goes down for each time you hit the ground.  getting medallions of a certain type can raise your power again.  each hero has different power and speed levels (i recommend spidey or iron man if you care about those things--i think the hulk may be strong but he is slow).

by the end of our day at the chicago toy and game fair, i think this was declared the most popular exhibit (at least by our family).  even lilianna had somehow gotten her hands on a slinger and was picking up medallions like crazy (faster than i could, i'm embarrassed to admit).

based on the popularity of the booth, i really thought this was going to be the "it" toy for christmas, but now i have heard next to nothing about them. 

i think it is a worthwhile game, though on the pricey side for what you get ($14.99 for one slinger, $27.99 for a "battle pack" of two; $6.99 for 10 extra medallions (which you really need to have very much fun--the single slinger only comes with three medallions)).  it is a great and fun way for kids to develop eye/hand coordination.  it provides some version of exercise, and it really is just a lot of plain old fun.  we returned to this booth again and again, each of us trying to collect as many medallions as we could.

for boys or girls, this is a worthwhile option for gifts for christmas or for birthdays in the coming year.


while upper deck was a major sponsor of the chicago toy and game fair, they did not give us free slingers, which i was very disappointed about!  i finally went ahead and bought one so tate can get his wish for christmas.  while i received a free pass to the chicago toy and game fair and some free trading cards from upper deck, i have in no other way been compensated for this post.  the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.

holiday gift guide: games (part 2)

one challenge that i have with four kids of such diverse ages is trying to spread myself out to spend quality time with each kid.  if i play a game with one or two, another one is either too old or too young to participate.  i really appreciate games that can be played alone or with the help of one other person.

smartgames fall exactly into this category.  we own the police blockade game.  bill and i have spent a lot of time playing this ourselves (there may or may not have been some competition involved!).  zoe really likes this game herself.  it has been a great one to bring on trips, since she can spend an hour or so trying to work out the different puzzles.

each game come with a book that provides challenges at different levels.  for example, in police blockade, you start with a board that has the buildings and the "bad guy" on the board.  your job is to surround the bad guy with police cars so that he can't drive out and escape.  each of the games has a similar booklet with all kinds of challenges that can fill a lot of hours!

until recently, i thought these were the kinds of games that tessa and tate would have to wait to play until they were older.  i was so excited to discover that this is not the case at the chicago toy and game fair.

for tessa, this castle game is a great way to practice thinking strategically.  the pieces are solid and well made.  she enjoyed trying to figure out how to put the castle together to match the picture.  the posts have to fit in the holes in such a way that the blocks match the picture.  again, there is a range of challenges from simple to more complex so this is a game that can grow with your child.

this truck game is a great entry-level strategy game for someone like tate.  the truck can be played with as a regular truck.  but it is easy to ask someone like tate to try the challenges of fitting the blocks in the truck to make the cargo level. 

i spent some time with this chicken game at the chicago toy and game fair.  the game has plastic plates with chickens on them in varying positions.  you place the challenge card under the lid and arrange the chickens to cover all the eggs.  i have to admit, i wasn't very good at this one.  i definitely need some practice!

even lilianna doesn't need to be left out!  i think she (and the other kids too) spent a really long time playing with these:

these are very large magnetic pieces that can be put together to build anything imagination can come up with.  lilianna liked using the curved pieces as a phone.  i can see how having these long term would help her develop fine motor skills and creativity.  i really hope she can get some of these some day soon.

i have not received any compensation for writing this post.  these are toys that we really enjoyed when we used our free pass to the chicago toy and game fair.  the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.