Giveaway: THE Emperor's New Clothes

In the interest of full disclosure, the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre is providing my family tickets to attend this show next month. I received no compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

The wee ones love the theater. I was always a little afraid to take them, thinking that I would be wasting money for a show they wouldn't get or that they'd be bouncing around disturbing everyone around us.

Ha! Little did I know that they were so fascinated by the idea of the play that they were glued to their seats - at the ages of 2 and 4. Phew. We've gone to see several plays since then, and it's been the same every time.

Enter the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. It's at Navy Pier, which is convenient to get to for just about anyone (we're planning to take the train and then the water taxis, I think) an it includes lots of pre and post theater entertainment.

While the name of the theater is somewhat offputting to a parent, the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre doesn't simply do "adult" shows. They frequently offer great children's selections, such as the upcoming THE Emperor's New Clothes production that runs from June 30 to August 29, a nice long run. They have shows Wednesdays through Sundays, 2pm Thursday to Sunday and 11am Wednesday to Saturday - perfect times for kids!

Tickets aren't overly expensive either, with adult tickets $23 and kids 12 and younger available for $18. I love the idea of having affordable tickets for such highly reviewed theater.

In this show - a world premiere version of the classic story - it takes a slightly different twist on the story where the emperor's daughter doesn't get along so well with him - a story many of us know so well! Through the course of the play, they really start to see each other and gain an appreciation for each other.

Any interest in attending? With the new play, the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre is running a contest for dads who rule. You can win tickets to the show by sending a photo and description of your dad by July 2 to the theater here. Get creative!

In addition, I have tickets to giveaway! Not only can you buy tickets throughout the run of the show, but the winner will receive a family four pack to the performance of their choice. Note: this is subject to availability and is valid by phone or in person only. Not valid in combination with other promotions or on previously purchased tickets.

First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Friday July 9 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: What is the theater show you most want to go see?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for Tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Follower.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

Good luck!

Giveaway: Angie's Kettle Corn

In the interest of full disclosure, I received two bags of Angie's Kettle Corn to sample. I received no other compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

I was recently approached by Angie's Kettle Corn to review their product. They make all natural kettle corn that has all natural ingredients - four actually: popcorn, corn oil, sea salt and cane sugar. They are gluten free, dairy free, no trans fats, no HFCS (yay!), no cholesterol, and nothing artificial.

I love the fact that this is something that I can serve to the wee ones' friends with the majority of allergies (a boy with a corn allergy being the only exception). It's so hard to find acceptable snacks sometimes, and this all natural popcorn is perfect. This is a snack I can get behind - provided, of course, that it tastes good.

Angie and Brad (the founders of Angie's Kettle Corn) make their product in small batches in an actual kettle, which helps to preserve the artisanal flavor and quality. It comes in both Classic and Lite Flavors (Lite having 120 calories per serving versus the 150 in Classic and half the fat of the Classic flavor), with a new Caramel flavor coming this fall.

Angie's is based in Minnesota and is available in numerous grocers there as well as across the Midwest. If you're outside the midwest, fear not! You can order your Angie's online here - including the opportunity for a limited edition Vikings 45th Anniversary Tin.

The popcorn is brand new to the Chicago market (having just launched here on June 6), and I have to admit that we're a tough place for popcorn. We have our favorites that have been here for years, and it's hard to break away from that mentality.

But.

Let me tell you, this popcorn is worth it. Being in the suburbs, I don't often have "fancy" popcorn since I don't have access to any of the city outlets. This popcorn - now available at Jewel, Super Target, Whole Foods and other grocers - is perfect for me. We opened up our seven ounce bag awhile after dinner "just to try it out" we told ourselves.

Three-quarters of the way into the bag, I made my husband walk away from me with the bag. The popcorn is nice and crunchy and isn't broken up into little bits like other bagged popcorn I've had. It's not greasy at all, and it doesn't leave my hand covered in ick.

The popcorn isn't too sweet or salty, but it has a perfect combination of both - another reason I love sea salt and real sugar: they aren't overpowering and are satisfying in small doses. When I returned from work the next day, the bag was missing. My husband generously shared it with the wee ones, who love it. In fact, I think they now like it better than that popcorn I make on the stove.

I will also admit that after having eaten ummmmmm more than a single serving of the popcorn, I didn't feel overfull or sick to my stomach because it was too sweet. And I did eat a lot. Fortunately, each two and one half cup serving is only 150 calories (with 140mg of sodium and 8g sugar). Phew!

And while there is also a lite version of the popcorn... I actually don't feel the need to purchase that one because the original is just fine for me! Needless to say, this is now a treat on my approved list. Now if you'll excuse me, I have another bag to go dip into.

But before I go, you have an opportunity to try out Angie's Kettle Corn yourself. Angie's has generously provided me with ten (yep, 10!) bags of Angie's Kettle Corn to share with you. There will be ten winners - hello, great odds! - each of whom will receive one seven ounce bag of Angie's Classic Kettle Corn.

So what do you need to do to win your own bag of Angie's Kettle Corn?

First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Saturday June 26 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: When do you eat most of your popcorn?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for Tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Follower.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Follower.

Good luck!

Toys 'R Us Grand Opening Celebrations!

Oh, who doesn't want to be a Toys 'R Us kid? I still remember those commercials from when I was a kid. And my wee ones still love poring through the Big Book when it comes out each year... and well beyond. Figuring out what the latest and greatest toys are, and drooling over what you may or may not get is a rite of passage, in my mind.

For those of us who live in Chicago, Toys 'R Us is opening up new stores (ok, all over the county, for that matter - but let's focus on Chicago). They just opened up a brand new store in Downers Grove last Friday, and they're opening up a new store in Riverview on this Friday.

The store opens at 9:30am, and you want to be there!

What do those new store openings mean for you? If you have a grand opening event in your area, you can download a ‘secret coupon’ and take it in to a store on the grand opening weekend to reveal the shopping discount; up to 50% off a single item. Plus, the first 100 Moms at each grand opening will receive a special ‘Toys R Us Moms’ gift bag bursting with gifts and offers.

What, you don't live near Riverview? That's fine - there are fifty grand openings across the US going on this year. Find one near you by visiting here.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I will be receiving a link on their website in exchange for posting this information.

Review: Pepperidge Farm

In the spirit of full disclosure, I received two packages of cookies and one package of Golfish to review.  I reveived no compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Growing up, I had a couple of images of Pepperidge Farm.  The first - as it probably is for most people - is the traditional cheddar Goldfish.  The other was the cookies they make, in particular the Milano cookie.

Like many kids, I had Goldfish for snack on a fairly regular basis.  Not only did they taste good, but they were fun to play with.  It was a great way for my mom to keep us quiet when she needed a little break.  Every once in awhile, we'd also get to have the pretzel Goldfish - but those were only for a special treat.

Goldfish have branched out now with new flavors, and they're so fun.  There is now a Vanilla flavored Goldfish.  Silly me, I was expecting it to be a more vanilla-type flavored cracker.  I'm not quite sure why I thought that, and looking back, I'm not sure what it would be like.  Needless to say, when I bit into my first Vanilla Goldfish, I wasn't expecting it to be a cookie.

Fortunately, it's a pretty decent cookie.  They are still shaped like your traditional goldfish, but it's more of a graham type cookie (ummm yes, Michelle, just like it says so clearly on the package!).  It really reminds me of another cookie - in terms of both flavor and texture - that I used to get every once in awhile when I was a child, the Salerno Butter Cookies.

On the plus side, I remember needing to eat two or three of those cookies to feel satisfied, because mentally eating one cookie just didn't do it.  With the Goldfish Vanilla Grahams, I can have maybe ten of them and feel like I had a good enough snack.  My waistline thanks you, Pepperidge Farm!

Even better?  They make these cookies with whole grains and real vanilla, which makes me feel better about eating them.  You know me - no HFCS or trans fats come into my house.  This makes the grade on both counts - and there are no artificial preservatives.

And the cookies?

Yep, cookies.  Generally, I make my own cookies, but it's nice to sometimes have something in the pantry for just in case when I - ahem - need a treat.  And that happens some days.  I received both the lemon cookies and the sugar cookies.  They also come in oatmeal, shortbread, and gingerman flavors.

When I took my first bite of the sugar cookie, I was somewhat disappointed.  I'm one of the people who likes my cookie to be soft and chewy - especially for chocolate chip and sugar cookies.  This was definitely crispy and crunchy.  Thinking about it though, I realized that a soft cookie wouldn't work too well in the Pepperidge Farm packaging.  The taste was great, but the texture isn't my favorite - but that's me, and I know lots of people who like their cookies crispy.

The lemon cookies were also crispy (and in a very fun fluted shape on top), but lemon cookies being crispy works for me much better.  More importantly, the flavor was great.  Sometimes you have lemon baked goods that have lemon that just tastes fake or overly sweet and syrupy.  These cookies were not like that in the least.  They had a distinct lemon flavor, but it wasn't overpowering, and they weren't too sweet.  I was pleasantly surprised - and these did not last too long in the pantry.

Again, for me, a serving of these cookies was a mere two.  Their serving size was a suggested four for the lemon and three for the sugar.  With 160 and 140 calories respectively, I felt pretty good about my calorie intake of this special treat.

You can find both of these new products - the flavored Goldfish and the cookies - at major supermarkets, grocery stores, and mass merchandisers nationwide.  Oh, and did I mention that both of these are part of the Campbell's Labels for Education program?  Even better - three more points towards the preschool's goal!

For more info, check out the Pepperidge Farm website or follow them on Twitter.