Snowland at Great Wolf Lodge + PEEPS Giveaway

Remember when I told you about Snowland, the holiday celebration at Great Wolf Lodge? Well, Great Wolf Lodge has recently partnered with Just Born, Inc., the makers of PEEPS marshmallow candies, Mike & Ikes and Hot Tamales.

This dynamic partnership means these favorite treats are featured in the life-size Gingerbread House, baked right in the lobby of Great Wolf Lodges during the Snowland festivities!

My family and I are scheduled to have dinner in the whimsical Gingerbread House this week. You We're thrilled to get a chance to see Snowland and experience the Lodge for the holidays. Reservations to dine in the Gingerbread House may still be available– check with your local Lodge for more details.

As a Great Wolf Ask A Mom Panelist, I'm excited to offer you a taste of Snowland! Share a comment below with your favorite holiday memory to be entered to win a Great Wolf Lodge: Snowland package featuring the following items:

·         Seasonal PEEPS® product, including:

o    PEEPS® Gingerbread Flavored Marshmallow Gingerbread Men (my favorite!)

o    PEEPS® Marshmallow Snowmen

o    PEEPS® Candy Cane Flavored Marshmallow, Dipped in Chocolate

o    PEEPS® Rainbow Pop

o    PEEPS® Milk Chocolate Covered Mint Marshmallow

o    PEEPS® Dark Chocolate Covered Mint Marshmallow

·         Wolf Pup Plush

·         $50 Great Wolf Lodge Gift Card

Comment before 12/27 for your chance to win!

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I am a member of the Great Wolf Lodge Ask-a-Mom panel. No compensation was provided. All opinions are, as usual, entirely my own.

Stop Zombie Mouth This Halloween! (Free PvZ Game Download!)

My whole family is obsessed with Plants vs. Zombies. It started out innocently enough, with Bob and I playing on the iPad after the kids went to bed but eventually they got hooked, too. Jasper wants to be a bucket head zombie for Halloween this year and Roo's going to be a sunflower. Yeah, we've got it bad.

That's why I was so thrilled to hear about the collaboration between PopCap Games, the makers of PvZ, and the American Dental Association (ADA). The campaign is called Stop Zombie Mouth, and its goal is to redefine Halloween treats by giving away PvZ trading cards and free game codes instead of sugary, tooth-rotting candy. We gave away card packs along with plastic fangs as favors at our neighborhood Halloween party, hopefully without scarring any kindergartners.

If you'd like to give away PopCap’s hit Plants vs. Zombies instead of sweets for Halloween this year, you can download free game coupons at http://stopzombiemouth.com. The free codes are redeemable for the full PC/Mac edition of Plants vs. Zombies (a $19.95 value!) between October 30th and November 10th at the same website.

Tweet to Stop Zombie Mouth:

Hashtag: #StopZombieMouth
@PlantsvsZombies
@PopCap
@ADAMouthHealthy

Meet the Putrid Posse, who loooove Zombie Mouth… 

About the American Dental Association (ADA)

The not-for-profit ADA is the nation’s largest dental association, representing more than 157,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public’s health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA’s state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. For more oral health information, visit the ADA’s website at www.MouthHealthy.org.

About PopCap

PopCap Games is the leading global developer, publisher and operator of casual video games: fun, easy-to-learn, captivating games that appeal to all ages across PC, mobile, social and other platforms. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000, was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2011, and has a worldwide staff of more than 400 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, B.C., Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo. PopCap’s games have been downloaded over 1.5 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship franchise, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 50 million units.

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that we received PvZ trading cards to give away. No additional compensation has been received and, as usual, all opinions are my own.

KanDiWorld Jewelry

KanDi World is filled with treasures for girls with a sweet tooth. Their jewelry is festooned with gummy bears, jawbreakers and rainbow colored dots. Luckily, these treats won't cause cavities- or overburden your wallet.   

Roo received a pair of dangly gummy bear earrings. She was a little disappointed that she couldn't eat them but I think she likes them anyway!

I think Fergie had the same idea about her KanDi Charm Necklace!

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that we received the earrings pictured above to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided and all opinions are, as usual, entirely my own. 

Happy National S'mores Day!

Here are the ingredients. You know what to do! Skewer a marshmallow on a stick and cook over a campfire until it's toasted to your liking. (I like them almost black and bubbly!) Then sandwich it between a two graham crackers with a couple of squares of Hershey's jammed in, for good measure. If you're too lazy or it's just too darned hot to start a campfire, go ahead and stack a graham cracker with chocolate and a marshmallow and microwave for about 30 seconds, then squish it down with another cracker. I won't tell.

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I received the s'mores ingredients shown from my friends at Hershey's to celebrate this auspicious holiday. No compensation was provided and I was not asked to post about it. I just like s'mores and think my readers would like to celebrate along with me. 

Ghiradelli Chocolate Squares New Milk & Truffle

When I was little, my grandparents drove us up to the Bay Area from southern California to visit my aunt. Aside from the incredibly long car trip (made longer by having to sit in the backseat with my younger cousins who wouldn't stop fighting and my Ojiisan's Okinawan music on the radio, which sounded about like dying cattle in a slaughterhouse to my prepubescent ears), I remember going on a lot of tours. The one that sticks with me most was the Ghirardelli tour because of the delicious chocolate that became my solace. Oh, and I bought some Quadrophenia posters and a couple of 7"s, too.

Anyway, Ghirardelli has added a new flavor to their already-stellar collection of Chocolate Squares. I am already quite familiar with them. The classic solid squares are yummy but the filled squares are even more decadent. The new flavor, Milk & Truffle, is creamy and smooth. It tastes like pure indulgence. I have to admit that if they weren't individually-wrapped, I would eat the entire bag myself. The foil helps stave off my gluttony. I try to keep the bag on a high shelf and only remove one at a time. After bedtime. Because the kids are never this good. Trust me…

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I received a bag of chocolates as pictured at top to facilitate this review, which was coordinated by SheSpeaks. All opinions are, as usual, strictly my own. 

New Sugar Free Ring Pops

My kids are candy whores. It's sad but true. Every morning, I wake up to cries for candy. Pathetic. Even though I resist the urge to give in to their incessant whining, I am totally afraid that their teeth will be rotted out by the time they're old enough for braces. Argh.

Anyway, we received a package of new Sugar-Free Ring Pops to try and both kids went berserk. See, they come in a package of three (Blueberry, Watermelon, and Strawberry) and I have two kids. Do the math. They were arguing over the third lollipop before they'd even tried their first! In fact, they were so distracted that the whole "sugar-free" concept slipped by them entirely. Here is the evidence that the Splenda-sweetened pops are just as delectable as the original version, at least by Roo and Jasper's calculations.

Oddly, these newfangled new Sugar-Free Ring Pops still give kids a sugar high. They are less sticky and messy, though, so that's a big plus.

Available at Walmart and BJ's stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com and ShopTopps.com.


In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that we received the sample mentioned above to facilitate this review. All opinions are, as usual, strictly my own.

I Want Candy– Holiday Chocolate Cheer

I wrote about the deliciousness that is Wonka Exceptionals a few months ago. I received a top-secret baggie of the latest creation, themed for holiday giving and nibbling: Wonka Exceptionals Peppermint Shortbread Chocolate Pieces. Each little square is chocolate studded with bits of shortbread and peppermint candy. It is delightful, as one would imagine, and also very festive because they are individually wrapped in silver foil printed in holiday red and green. Set them out in bowls with the other Wonka Exceptionals and be the hostess with the mostest. Or hoard them all for yourself. I won't tell.

The limited edition Paul Frank Crunch Bar is basically a king-sized Crunch in an adorable Paul Frank sleeve that doubles as a card. I was kind of hoping for Julius-shaped crisped rice but I didn't notice any. They'd be cute for classroom holiday parties.

Disclosure: I received samples of Wonka and Crunch candies in order to facilitate this review. I may or may not have shared said candy with my family.

Mrs. Prindable's Amazing Apples

Amazing is an understatement when describing the deliciousness that is one of Mrs. Prindable's handmade gourmet apples. Drenched in buttery caramel and then festooned with layer upon layer of chocolate (milk chocolate! dark chocolate! white chocolate!), the Triple Chocolate Jumbo Caramel Apple Gift that we sampled was unbelievably decadent while retaining the fresh, crisp tang of the granny smith hidden within. Even the box it came in looks indulgent! Look at the pretty purple box and tell me you wouldn't want to see what was inside! I must admit that I contemplated hiding this package away since it came while Roo was in school and Jasper was napping.



I did unwrap it but I was a good mommy and put it into the refrigerator to save for a family taste taste. It was rough, waiting.



Still, I thought the kids should get to see how pretty the Mrs. Prindable's Triple Chocolate Jumbo Caramel Apple was before their mother butchered it. Literally. Jasper had never seen such a thing so he was a bit skeptical. Apples are good by themselves. So is chocolate. Would it work together? He wasn't sure.



Roo, on the other hand, knew instinctively that this was gonna be the bomb. The chocolately-caramely-appley bomb. I suspect her grandma had slipped her some Mrs. Prindable's before. Grandma tends to be the authority on fancy food gifts. Anyway, she knew she would like it. She was surprised I didn't eat it all by myself. (She certainly would have…)



Aside from the fact that Mrs. Prindable's handmade gourmet apples taste like heaven on a purple-ribboned stick, they slice up beautifully. Even with me wielding the proverbial blue steel, the apple and caramel and chocolate all stayed intact and presentable. Which means anyone could do it, basically, and get oohs and ahhs from the hungry crowd. Even fancy schmancy types.



If, for some incomprehensible reason you are apple-phobic, Mrs. Prindable's also offers an array of handcrafted confections that don't involve fruit. There are pretzel rods dipped in Mrs. Prindable's glorious caramel and assorted toppings as well as more traditional gourmet caramels and nut clusters. The object of my affection lust is Mrs. Prindable's Triple Chocolate Caramel Favors which is essentially the same thing as we tried, only sans the apple and boosting up the caramel. Holy cow!



These gorgeous Mrs. Prindable's Gift Baskets would be great for teacher appreciation and– hello, family!– Mother's Day giving.

Follow Mrs. Prindables on Twitter and Facebook to learn more. They have regular giveaways, people!

Disclosure: Thanks to Mrs. Prindable's and Mom Impact, e received the Triple Chocolate Jumbo Caramel Apple Gift shown above to facilitate this review. If it wasn't totally delicious, however, we would have mentioned it. Do you think they'd send more if we said we hated them? Hmm… totally joking, FCC.

Wonka Exceptionals

Oh, how I love getting packages like this in the mail! Jewel-toned candies in gorgeous, recyclable packaging? Happy days, my friends.





Wonka Exceptionals is a premium line from the candy maker you've known and loved forever. The Chocolate Waterfall bar blends milk and white chocolate, the Domed Dark Chocolate bar features pretty little orbs of milk chocolate nestled in dark chocolate, and the Scrumdiddlyumptious bar (my favorite) in milk chocolate dotted with toffee and cookie pieces and peanuts. The packaging on these new bars features a Golden Ticket contest, with a grand prize of a trip around the world for four!



We also received a selection of Wonka Exceptionals Delightful Fruit Jellies and Fruit Marvels, which will be sold exclusively at Walmart locations starting this month. If your family likes gummy candies, they are sure to love these fanciful versions. The Fruit Jellies are little gummy cubes of grapefruit, red apple and goji berry. My kids were more enamored with the Fruit Marvels, which look like hard candy drops but feature soft chewy centers with a crisp sugary shell. We especially loved the clementine orange flavor although the pomegranate and white grape were pretty delicious, too.

Disclosure: We received the candy bounty shown in the first photo but no other compensation was given or requested. Our tastebuds are full of integrity and we would tell you if these were yucky but thankfully they were not. And, yes, there are sweets that we don't like. So there.

Building A Better Basket

Hershey's is asking people to "pay it forward" this Easter. They asked 20 bloggers to use their products to create Easter baskets to donate to the charity of their choice. I was excited to be asked to participate, since my entire family is addicted to Reese's. I was able to make three baskets that will be donated to needy families who participate in our local Parents as Teachers program, which Roo and Jasper (and Bob and I!) have gotten so much out of. Check out this Whrrl story to see what I bought and how the baskets turned out:

More check-ins at Wal-Mart Supercenter

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I'll be letting you know about an easy way you can help Hershey's raise money for the Children's Miracle Network very soon and I hope you will consider joining in.

Disclosure: I received a gift card courtesy of Hershey's and Collective Bias to purchase the goodies to create these baskets.

Candy Girl (and Boy)

We got our personalized M&M's!