Around Town

Celebrating Earth Day In Grand Rapids

April 13, 2012 By Big Binder 3 Comments

If you celebrate Earth Day, you’re in luck! Quite a few events are happening around Grand Rapids that will let us get outside and appreciate our awesome planet.

The Grand Rapids Public Library is holding a Green Market and Information Expo on April 21, the same day as John Ball Park Zoo’s Party For The Planet. If you are near a National Park, get in for free from April 21-29, or if you want to hang out with some frogs head over to Blandford Nature Center on April 26.

For more ideas {for Earth Day and everyday}, check out my guide to April Family Fun. Don’t forget to check the Active Kids page, too!

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” Baba Dioum

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Filed Under: Calendar Tagged With: Conservation, Earth Day, Grand Rapids

Breakfast For Dinner With Tyson – And A Chance For You To Win Prizes!

April 12, 2012 By Big Binder 3 Comments

Remember when I got so excited about the prospect of early asparagus I made up a whole recipe just to celebrate? That was only part of the story. My asparagus creation actually became part of a Breakfast For Dinner meal that I made. Rebels that we are; my family likes a good breakfast for dinner once in a while. I am the most pathetic pancake maker in the whole entire world, so I have to rely on other dishes.

I hadn’t been to Sam’s Club in a while, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good the selection has gotten since I was there last. You can see all of my finds during that shopping trip here, but the big find for making my Breakfast For Dinner meal complete was Tyson Breakfast Bread Bowls.

There is something about them that makes me think of Dim Sum; I can totally picture these hanging out in a steamer basket and being wheeled around a restaurant on a cart. They’re kind of like a bagel with eggs, sausage and cheese all in a cute little bundle.

I went in another direction, though. More brunch for dinner than breakfast for dinner; I served Tyson Breakfast Bread Bowls, fruit salad, the asparagus-meets-fillo-dough experiment, and some cinnamon rolls from the bakery. Since the bread bowls take less than a minute to make, it was pretty easy to pull together a nice meal.

It was a perfect, simple breakfast for dinner.

Did my family like it?

I’ll take that as a yes.

And now for the fun part! I am hosting another #TysonBreakfast Bread Bowls twitter party, so that means more chances to win for you!

Make sure you RSVP for the Twitter party so you can win one of three $25 Sam’s Club gift cards, or a $100 Sam’s Club gift card. That buys a lot of Breakfast Bread Bowls!

When: Thursday, April 19, 2012 1-2 pm EST

Where: On Twitter using hashtag #TysonBreakfast or use this custom TweetGrid http://bit.ly/HV1ZLl

Who: Please follow @bigbinderblog and @havesippy , who are the hostesses for the party.

Prizes: We will be giving away three $25 Sam’s Club gift cards and one $100 Sam’s Club gift card. Please RSVP using the linky below (enter the URL to your Twitter profile) to be eligible for one of the gift cards. All winners will be chosen using random.org from the RSVP link and winners must be present and participating in the party at the time that they are drawn as a winner.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE TAXED, PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. Subject to Official Rules. Open only to residents of the United States.

Enter by RSVPing for the Twitter party on the link above, be actively participating in the party and are using the hashtag #TysonBreakfast. To be eligible, entries must be received by 12:55 p.m. EST except that mail in entries must be mailed separately and postmarked by April 14, 2012. To enter without purchase, hand write your name, completed address, age and telephone number on a 3”x5” card and mail it to Collective Bias, 205 S. Main Street, Ste. 1, Bentonville, AR 72712.

Prizes will be limited to three $25 Sam’s Club gift cards and one $100 Sam’s Club gift card and will be given away every 15 minutes during the 1 hour duration of the party on April 19, 2012. The grand prize of one $100 Sam’s Club gift card to 1 winner will be given away at the close of the party. All winners will be chosen using random.org from the RSVP link and winners must be present and participating in the party using the hashtag #TysonBreakfast at the time that they are drawn as a winner. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Winner will be notified via Twitter @ message by @havesippy during the party on April 19, 2012 and must respond to @havesippy within 5 minutes of being selected to claim their prize. All entries will be eligible for any unclaimed prizes after the close of the Twitter party via random drawing held on May 2, 2012.

To obtain a copy of the Official Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Collective Bias, 205 S. Main Street, Ste. 1, Bentonville, AR 72712.

SPONSORS: Collective Bias, 205 S. Main Street, Ste. 1, Bentonville, AR 72712

All winners will be chosen using random.org from the RSVP link and winners must be present and participating in the party at the time that they are drawn as a winner. There is a limit of 1 (one) prize per household during the party.

Does your family like breakfast for dinner? What do you serve?

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric” All opinions are my own.

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Filed Under: Eat Tagged With: Breakfast, breakfast for dinner, easy, frozen breakfast, prizes, twitter party

Bobble Bots In Easter Baskets – Review and Giveaway!

April 11, 2012 By Big Binder 9 Comments

Since discovering that food dyes have a strong effect on A.P., we have made a lot of changes in our diet. He’s pretty good about avoiding them whenever possible {for an eight year old boy…}, and right before Easter asked me if I could “text the Easter Bunny and tell him Peeps have food dye?“. I was proud and heartbroken all at once.

We decided to focus more on toys than candy this year in the Easter baskets. One of the toys was a joint gift from Mr. E. Bunny; the new Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters. A.P. loved them instantly, as they are made by the same company who brought his beloved HexBugs. Maybelle was much more interested in the Moshi Monsters than she was in the HexBugs for two reasons. First, they are not bugs and are very cute. Second, they go shopping.

They had her at “not bugs”.

You can see their excitement and the fun they had putting together Monstro City {where Moshi Monsters live, of course. They have stores, streets, and other buildings. They are Metro Monsters, if you will.} and playing with them together. Moshi Monsters are like tiny, motorized bobble heads. Your kids will love them like mine did!

Here is your chance to win a starter set of Moshi Monsters! The starter set includes one Moshling, one cobblestone building tile, four brick borders, three grass pieces, one small bush, one mushroom, and one rock.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received complimentary Moshi Monsters for this review and giveaway. No other compensation was received; and all opinions are my own.

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Filed Under: Enjoy Tagged With: Bobble Bots, Easter, Moshi Monsters, Toys

Spring Break Get Away At Castaway Bay

April 10, 2012 By Big Binder 3 Comments

My new favorite road trip is Sandusky, Ohio. When my sister and I were there last month, one place we did not visit was Castaway Bay – Cedar Point’s Indoor Water Park. This time, I took my husband and kids for a long weekend over Spring Break!

Castaway Bay is both a water park and a resort. We are simple folk, and haven’t stayed in many resorts. Each morning I went down to the front desk to get the “Island Time“, which was a cute little newspaper listing all of the daily activities. There are crafts, kids karaoke, and movies. There is also face painting, balloon animal making, and Peanuts Gang member meetings.

The resort is Caribbean themed; and there are cute little tropical details everywhere.

DSC 1496 300x205 Spring Break Get Away At Castaway Bay

Her name is Big Mama, and she sings.

There are three restaurants on site. A.P. especially liked Mango Mike’s Bountiful Breakfast Buffet {so… much… bacon..}.

There is also an arcade for all of your gaming needs.

Other things moms want to know are:

The rooms are very clean and smell good; like fresh laundry instead of the usual hotel smell.
There is a coffee maker, refrigerator, and microwave in the rooms.
You can take your own food into the actual water park, or there is food available to buy.
There is a little convenience store in case you forget anything.
There is a screened in porch overlooking a little lake.
They have Bath and Body Works toiletries in the bathroom.
It is very casual. I wore my Dolphin Research Center Dolphin Trainer sweatpants and bathing suit almost the entire time.

The real star of the weekend was the water park, of course. The lifeguards are incredible, and plentiful. I sat and read a book and took relaxing breaks in the indoor/outdoor jacuzzi while my kids splashed, slid, and swam.

There are height guidelines for all of the areas, and life jackets are required if the kids aren’t tall enough. Both A.P. and Maybelle loved the Rendezvous Run; a super fun, super fast water ride that is like riding a roller coaster in a lifeboat.

The other favorite activity was the wave pool. Part of the time it is like a nice, calm beach, then they turn the waves on it’s like being in the ocean (except it is really warm, and not salty, and there is nothing that will sting and or bite you).

The kids were completely, totally exhausted by the end of both days from swimming but no one had sunburns or sand in their bathing suit. Before we left, A.P. grabbed my phone and recorded a message for me I was instructed not to listen to until we had returned home. Here is a partial transcript. I actually took out some of the ‘pleases’.

Mom? Can we PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go back to Castaway Bay? Remember the water slides Mom? And the jacuzzi? Remember how you loved the jacuzzi? Just think, Mom. You could swim in the jacuzzi again and Maybelle and I could ride in the raft and Dad can try and teach me how to body surf again. Please Mom? PLEASE?