Ringling Brothers Presents Built to Amaze!

Ringling Brothers Built to Amaze will be arriving in Chicago in less then a week and I can't wait!  I am so excited that my boys will get to go to the circus for the first time.  It is exciting and to lead up to our trip I have some fun activities planned.  Click here for a coloring sheet your kids (or you!) can color to get ready for your outing.

Since it is almost Halloween I also have three super cute carving stencils for all those pumpkins you have sitting around.  Just click here!

Don't worry if you haven't gotten your tickets yet they are still available and make sure you use the coupon code! The best part parking is FREE!!

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey ^® Presents Built To Amaze! will be at AllState Arena November 1st to November 11th and United Center November 20th to December 1st. Get Your Tickets Today!

My readers can Save 40% on weekday shows and 20% on weekend shows.  Use promo code MOM to receive savings. Plus, get even MORE value with FREE PARKING in all official Allstate Arena and United Center parking lots.

Raise a Giant!

“Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by Green Giant® through MyBlogSpark.”

Although bulling is not something new it is something that everyone has become more aware of in the past couple of years.  Cyber bullying was not an issue when I was young but with Facebook, Twitter and smartphones it is quickly becoming a dangerous and hurtful world for young kids.  Green Giant is running a campaign called Raise a Giant in order to spread even more awareness and help parents teach their children to prevent, stop and cope with bullying.  They are asking parents to write a letter of encouragement to their children.   Its sad to think that it is something every child will encounter at some point in time but I think it is important that they have the tools to stand up for themselves.

To my boys,

You are both very special to me.  Chris you have always made me laugh and bring a smile to my face.  You are so creative and your imagination takes me on so many adventures.  Nick you are my sweetheart.  Nothing makes me happier then to see your enjoyment paging through a book or spinning around saying you are a helicopter.  I know that both of you are going to grow up to be strong, smart, and amazing individuals.  Know that you can be whatever you want to be and accomplish every goal you work towards.  Sometimes people may say hurtful things, or do things to make you doubt yourself.  They may say or do hurtful things to your friends as well but it is important that you stand up for yourself and your friends.  Let them know what they are doing is wrong and tell a grown-up.  Bulling is not o.k. and if you or someone you know is being bullied I want you boys to be strong and tell them what they are doing is NOT o.k.  When I was little kids were mean and would call me names and tease me.  It hurt my feelings but my true friends always stayed by my side and defended me.  My mom was always there to support me as well.  I want you to know that as your mom I will always stand by your side and support you as well.  I am there to give you boys strength to succeed and no matter what obstacles you come to face we will work to defeat them as a team.  And most important remember that I love you!

Love, Mom

I think it is always important to give encouragement to your children and I hope I have inspired you to write a letter to your child or at least have a conversation with them about bullying.  You can visit the Raise A Giant website here.  You will find tools, tips, and a space to post you letter.

GIVEAWAY!

In order to raise awareness to this wonderful campaign I was given the opportunity to giveaway a $25 visa gift card!  So after checking out Raise a Giant make sure you enter in the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ringling Bros and Barnum & Baily presents Built to Amaze!

 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey ^® Presents Built To Amaze!, the 143^rd edition of The Greatest Show On Earth^®. Surprise and wonder delights audiences with over-the-top feats of strength, agility and courage. As the momentum builds so does the anticipation. Magnificent elephants, ferocious tigers, astonishing acrobats and awe-inspiring aerialists are engineered into one spectacular performance. Celebrate the tradition TODAY and experience its modern flair of twists and turns where excitement and suspense are so intense you’ll be tempted to cover your eyes. 

 From the blueprints to the band, the crates to the clowns, the hammer to the high wire, witness the spectacle as we measure out the perfect mix of marvel and majesty in an imagination equation where the impossible comes to life. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Built To Amaze!

 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey ^® Presents Built To Amaze! will be at AllState Arena November 1st to November 11th and United Center November 20th to December 1st. Get Your Tickets Today!

My readers can Save 40% on weekday shows and 20% on weekend shows.  Use promo code MOM to receive savings. Plus, get even MORE value with FREE PARKING in all official Allstate Arena and United Center parking lots.

Weekday is defined as any show Monday through Thursday or Friday matinee, not including holidays such as the day after Thanksgiving.  Discount does not apply to Circus Celebrity, Front Row, or VIP seats.  No double discounts.  Service charges, handling, and facility fees may apply.

Zevia a New Kind of Soda ~ Giveaway

The average american drinks a soda a day and I was probably in those statistics until several years ago when I cut back, way back, on my soda drinking.  I tried to avoid soda all together but would find myself craving it especially with meals such as burgers or tacos.  I decided I would allow myself a soda a week and have been pretty good with that until recently where I have found myself drinking it more and more.  One of the major reasons I stopped was it was an easy way to lose weight for me and now that I am drinking it more I can see those pounds coming back.  This is why I was thrilled when Zevia showed up at my door!

Let me start off by saying I am NOT a fan of diet soda at all.  I would rather go thirsty, but with flavor choices from cola to strawberry I was willing to give it a shot.  I am a stickler for following directions and Zevia recommends drinking it as cold as possible and straight from the can so I decided to try the grape and actually threw it in the freezer for about 30 minutes.  I was honestly pleasantly surprised and it was quite tasty!  Zevia would definitely satisfy my soda cravings.  And I really think that having it extra cold made it taste better.

With Zevia, not only is it an easy choice but the smart choice for my family.  We are a busy household and it is nice to have a go to product I know is the healthier option.  I may not be able to say no to that special treat but Zevia makes up for it with 0 grams of sugar and no artificial sweeteners.  So what gives it that sweet taste?  Stevia!  It is all natural and grown here in the United States

Now for the fun part :)  Zevia has offered to let 5, yes FIVE, of my readers try Zevia soda for FREE!!  Just fill out the rafflecopter below and make sure you check out Zevia here to see all the wonderful flavors they offer.

If you are not a winner or just can't wait to try it for yourself make sure you head over here to grab a $1.00 coupon for yourself!  Good Luck. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fun Times at All Seasons Orchard

I was given tickets to facilitate this review but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This weekend my family and I had the chance to experience All Seasons Apple Orchard in Woodstock.  It was about an hours drive from our house and definitely worth the time.  It was the perfect day for a trip to the orchard, the skies were clear and it was in the upper sixties my idea of a perfect fall day.  I was worried that it would be super muddy from all the rain we had the day before but surprisingly it wasn't.  One of the first things my boys saw was the corn crib and they were super excited to jump in and play with the corn.  It must of felt awesome because they begged to come back to it later!

After we played in the corn we hopped on a tractor that took us over to the apple orchards were there were tons of apple trees to pick our apples from.  They loved picking their own apples and your ticket includes a bag you can fill up with a lot of apples.  We came home with plenty to share with family and my smallest couldn't resist eating one while we were there.  This was my favorite activity and something I cannot wait to do again.

Next we went over to the play area were they had a sandbox (I say sandbox but it is like a large fenced in sand area) filled with diggers and two tube slides.  Nick and Chris were in heaven and could of played here all day long so we probably spent a good hour there just digging and going down the slides.  I grabbed Nick for a few minutes to take him over to the petting zoo and goat bridge since he is obsessed with animals and he got some kisses from the goats.

I had to drag Chris away from the slide & sand but both Nick and Chris had a fun time riding around on the goat train, swinging on the swings, and playing with the other kids in the duck races.  Josh even sneaked off to go shoot the awesome apple and pumpkin canons and had a blast, literally!  There was so much to do that we didn't even get around to everything partially because they are a little young but mostly because they were having so much fun with all the activities we did do.  There is also an assortment of bounce houses, jumping pillow, pony rides, a huge corn maze, and zip lines!  You could easily spend an entire day at All Seasons Orchard.

After grabbing some lunch from the farm house and playing in the sand some more we finally went to pick out our pumpkins.  Chris wanted to buy all of them as you can see by his wheelbarrow.  All in all it was a great time and the best pumpkin patch time we have had by far.  Chris proclaimed as we walked to the car, "I had so much fun!", at the top of his lungs.  Stuff like that just melts my heart and I can't wait to do it all again next year.

You can plan a visit to All Seasons Apple Orchard by clicking here.  And don't forget they have a coupon too just click here.  You will not be disappointed!