Siggi's Yogurt Winner!

We have a winner: Carrie has won our giveaway for siggi's yogurt! She will be receiving a coupon for a free cup of skyr and a coupon for a free bottle of filmjolk. I will be contacting her soon via email about her prize!

Congratulations, Carrie! Thank you to everyone who participated!

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Walking Through The Grove

We always love to capitalize on great weather because you never know when the weather is going to turn. Probably our favorite way to enjoy beautiful weather is to go on a hike. There are so many different places to hike, each with its own unique charm.

One of the places that we love to hike is The Grove in Glenview. The Grove has some nice, easy to walk hiking trails. Also, The Grove has a little historic village. The village features a longhouse, a log cabin, a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, the Kennicott House and the Redfield Estate. Unfortunately, these structures are not open often. (Something my daughter always complains about because she loves to explore historic buildings!)

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Siggi's Yogurt Giveaway--Last Day!

Today (9/29/12) is the last day to enter our giveaway for one cup of siggi's yogurt and one bottle of siggi's filmjolk. This giveaway is a great way to try something new or treat yourself to a product you already love! You can enter the giveaway below. (If the rafflecopter doesn't open up, just click the link where it says "a Rafflecopter giveaway" for the directions.)

If you are curious about siggi's, check out our review here.

If you would like to see some of the beautiful sites of Iceland that inspired this giveaway of Icelandic yogurt, check out my review of the Golden Circle Tour.


 a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Nutphree's Cupcakes: Sweet Indulgences for Those With and Without Nut Allergies

An amazing (and might we say adorable) bakery has opened in Mt. Prospect, Illinois. Nutphree's Cupcakes currently specializes in dazzling us with cupcakes that are entirely nut-free. Inspired by their own son with nut allergies, Nutphree's owners have searched extensively to find quality, nut-free products to use in their cupcakes. Additionally, they continue to follow-up with their vendors to ensure that there have been no changes in the manufacturing of their products. The ingredients are all certified nut-free--so, no worries!

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Website Wednesday: Eating Well

One of my sources of healthy recipes is Eating Well. I am able to find a lot of new recipes there as well as old favorites re-envisioned in a healthier way. Even just by perusing the recipes, I have been able to make some of my standard recipes healthier! Additionally, Eating Well has all sorts of news about food and how to choose the best food for your particular diet. They also discuss such hot topics as the diet du jour and the new superfoods. There is a wealth of healthy diet information on the website, so take some time and look it over!

**Sorry for this post being a little late--we seem to all be fighting colds this week!

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Mamaphobia Ticket Entrants!

Hello, readers! Someone entered to win the Mamaphobia tickets as "Anonymous" last night. Since we do not have an email for you, we are unable to contact you in regards to your entry. If you email us at mommybloggingfun@gmail.com, we will be able to help you with the entry.

For anyone else who would like to enter, please go to this post. The giveaway ends on 10/01/12, so don't let this awesome chance pass you by!  :)

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Mamaphobia Trio Ticket Giveaway! Enter by October 1, 2012

Don't forget to enter our giveaway for tickets to see the Mamaphobia Trio at the Laughing Chameleon in Glenview! The show will definitely provided you with some much needed laughs as well as a sentimental look at early parenthood.

We are giving away a pair of tickets for the October 11th show (8PM) and October 12th show (9PM). Please look below for instructions on how to enter. The giveaway ends October 1, 2012.

(If the giveaway does not automatically pop up, hit the "a Rafflecopter giveaway" link.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Please note that the Laughing Chameleon has a two drink minimum. Winners must be 21-years-old or older.
***Disclosure: We received free tickets to Mamaphobia Trio in order to produce an accurate review. All opinions are 100% our own.

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Fish Feeding Frenzy at Bass Pro Shops

Last week, I learned you can watch the fish being fed at the aquarium at your local Bass Pro Shop. I have never been inside one but just from drive-bys, I can tell that they are pretty immense. However, I would never have thought that they had an aquarium inside of the shops! I have also learned that they have free events for Christmas and Easter (including crafts, games, photos with Santa and the Easter Bunny).

You can check your local Bass Pro Shops website for more information about these free events for kids. One thing that I would be aware of--I believe that they do have displays of taxidermy animals. My daughter gets a little nervous about such displays so I am sure some of you may also have this issue.

I know how we all love free events, so I thought that I would send out an FYI about my find!

Image via stock.xchng

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Getting Crafty: Easy Fall Tree Paper Craft

I am a total hoarder so I have tons and tons of scrap paper. My daughter and I were able to put some of those odd-shaped scraps of paper to use on a recent project. We used some creative cutting and some tissue paper to make a fall tree with a stained glass effect.

The items that we needed for the project were:

1 piece of brown construction paper
1 marker
1 pair of scissors
glue
tissue paper and construction paper remnants
some dry beans and grains (to add texture)

First, I drew the tree and some shapes to be cut out. The cut out shapes would serve as our leaves. My daughter cut out the shapes.

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Zucchini and White Bean Pasta with Fennel and Mushrooms

Eating Well is another great recipe source for me. Recently, I tried their Zucchini, Fennel & White Bean Pasta recipe. I could tell just by reading it that I would like it. But, that's just it--like it, not love it. I tweaked it a little bit before tasting it. It still has a ways to go and is a little bland but is a solid dish and will be better with a little more adjusting.

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Old 104 Rides Again - a Great Children's Book for Fire Safety Month (Review)

In October, our kids will be stopping, dropping, and rolling for Fire Safety Month. I am lucky to have the opportunity to introduce to you Old 104 Rides Again by Carrie Steinweg - a perfect book for Fire Safety Month.

Old 104 is a veteran fire truck. After years of valiant service, Old 104 has been replaced by faster, fancier firetrucks. However, he still serves a purpose--coming out for special occasions and teaching kids during Fire Safety Month. On one of Old 104's outings, he is called into service once more and rushes firemen to a nearby fire.

Old 104 Rides Again is a great children's book for Fire Safety Month. I think through how seriously Old 104 takes his duties, children can see how important it is to learn about fire safety and prevention. Additionally, the way the firemen and firetrucks come together to save those in need shows the bravery and comradery amongst the men and women that are on the front lines keeping us safe. Furthermore, the message about an outdated firetruck still serving purpose--whether it be for marching in a parade, helping teach children, or saving the day--teaches children about the importance that we all have---young or old, big or small.

The colorful illustrations by Javier Durate really help the story jump from the page. The story is well-paced for reading to children. Old 104 Rides Again is truly adorable and a great read for kids!

Carrie Steinweg will be doing a reading of her book at the Lansing Public Library in Lansing, IL on October 4 at 6:30PM. You can register for the event at this link.

Carrie Steinweg is also the author of Images of America: Lansing, Illinois, Images of America: South Holland, Illinois,  and Mom Moments: A Compilation of Columns from the Northwest Indiana Times. She is a columnist for the Northwest Indiana Times and is an author for several blogs including one of my favorites, Chicago Foodie Sisters.

If you are interested in purchasing Old 104 Rides Again, it is available online at Barnes&Noble and Amazon.

**Disclosure: I received a copy of Old 104 Rides Again in order to make an accurate review. I did not receive any compensation. All opinions are 100% my own.

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Kmart Big Layaway Giveaway--a Chance to Win While Holiday Shopping

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kmart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Halloween items are out in stores everywhere. Holiday items are also sneaking out all over the place. Yes, we are coming up on that time of year---the busy, fun, and bright holidays! I don't know about you, but I have already started my shopping and would love to be finished by Halloween. That way, I can kick it when everyone is going nuts trying to find gifts for everyone on their lists.
In preparation for the rush of holiday shopping, Kmart has launched Kmart's Big Layaway Giveaway. The Giveaway is an awesome way to win while putting items on layaway. Each week from 9/9/12-11/17/12, a lucky person at every Kmart store will receive a prize that will cover the balance of their layaway. Also, during this period Kmart will waive layaway fees thus giving you a free layaway opportunity.
If I were to take advantage of Kmart's layaway program (of course, during the giveaway period!), I would probably go for this library because I always need storage:

The layaway program allows you to pay for your purchase over an 8-week period. You also have the option of paying over a 12-week period for a purchase over $300. This plan may be helpful when paying for holiday gifts.
Kmart has prepared a grid comparing their layaway program compared to other stores:

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