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Door to Door Organics Review and Giveaway! (Three Winners)

October 30, 2014 by Sandra 16 Comments

Thanks to Door to Door Organics for partnering with me on this review and giveaway.

These days, I could definitely be classified as a homebody.

I like being at home and not leaving the house unless I have to or unless we have some fun family adventure planned, which doesn’t happen too often. I’ve really always been the type of person who enjoys just being at home, but now much more so because of everything that’s happened with David and the desire to protect him as his immune system continues to recover since his transplant.

So, ~~since it takes a crowbar to pry me away from home these days~~ in light of this, I was very excited when the opportunity came up for our family to try a food delivery service called Door to Door Organics.

It’s a service that allows you to have organic fruits and vegetables delivered right to your front door. For us, our “front door” is technically my in-laws’ front door because our house is just out of range of the delivery area.

With our last move, we traded closeness to shopping centers for a backyard and a single-family detached home to accommodate our family of seven. That means we had to move a little “further out” to find a home within our budget.

But anyway, my husband simply stops and picks up the box (or boxes) on his way home from work or while out running errands.

Click here and enter your zip code to find out if Door to Door Organics delivers to your area. If they don’t, see if they deliver to a friend or family member, and perhaps you can arrange to pick up your box of healthy goodness from their home.

More Than Just Fruits and Vegetables

Not only does Door to Door Organics deliver high-quality, organic fruits and vegetables, but they also offer lots of other grocery options that can be dropped off along with your produce. When I placed my very first order, I took my time and shopped around (online) for other items my family either uses regularly or would enjoy trying.

I was pleasantly surprised at the huge selection of other grocery items that we could choose from. There’s even a sale section!

Ruben and I both added several items to the online shopping cart, and among them were almond milk, which we use all the time, and organic salted caramel coffee syrup, which I thought I’d try. 😉

What My Kids Think

To tell you the truth, my three younger kids don’t understand why daddy brings home a box full of fruits and vegetables every week, but they do know that it’s full of good stuff. And they’re super excited to eat what’s inside! They love the apples, oranges, grapes, and bananas.

My two older kids have enjoyed more of the vegetables, and Breanna, my 12-year-old daughter, liked the pomegranates in our last two boxes.

Would you like to try Door to Door Organics? When you go through my referral link (or any of the Door to Door Organics links in this post), first time customers get $10 off their order.

What I Think

Overall, after using the service for three straight weeks, I can say that I love it! And I’ve been very impressed with the quality of the produce. Very impressed!

And Now… an Opportunity to Win a $50 Gift Certificate!

Now that you know about Door to Door Organics and how wonderful and convenient it is, how about the chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate?! 🙂

That’s right! THREE of my fabulous readers will win a $50 Gift Certificate to use on fresh fruits and vegetables delivered by Door to Door Organics!

How to Enter the Giveaway

Simply enter this giveaway using the Rafflecopter below. I’ve included options for extra entries, too!

This giveaway will run from now until November 7th, 2014 at 12:00am. The giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only, ages 18 years old and above. The winners will be randomly chosen. I will promptly send the winners an email notifying them that they’ve won, and the winners must respond within 48hrs. of the giveaway’s end. Otherwise, I will have to draw a new winner(s).

Enter Below
a Rafflecopter giveaway

P.S. Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll be sharing a delightful and sweet pumpkin pie recipe.

Connect with Door to Door Organics: You can get social with DTD Organics on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Entertainment for the Whole Family: Raging Waves Waterpark

July 10, 2014 by Sandra 4 Comments

My family and I enjoyed an amazing, fun, free Family Day at Raging Waves Waterpark in exchange for sharing this review. #WelcomeToSummer

We make a big deal about “Family Days” around our home.

They are must-do.

Can’t miss.

We’ve got to schedule a Family Day and make it happen at least once a week.

And if it looks like we aren’t going to be able to enjoy family time on our regular “Family Day” of the week, Sunday, then we plan ahead and schedule it for a different day. It’s that important.

Plus, we love this time together, because we realize that our days together are precious. And they’re not guaranteed. In fact, that truth became far too real for me this past year, and I guess that’s part of the reason why I strive to make family time a high priority — every single week.

Raging Waves Waterpark

Most of the time, we spend family days at home. But recently, we were able to experience an unforgettable time together at Raging Waves Waterpark, which happens to be located in the Chicagoland city of Yorkville, Illinois.

Seven Hours Later…We Barely Scratched the Surface

It was our very first time at Raging Waves, and we can see why it’s Illinois’ Largest Waterpark. Raging Waves is enormous, and it has something for everyone!

The Fun at Raging Waves Includes:

17 Waterslides

The Lazy River

1 Wave Pool

2 Huge Kiddie Areas

Good Food

Sandy Beach Areas

A Family-Friendly Show

So Much More!

We split most of our time between the two kiddie areas and the wave pool. David and Isaac loved the slides in the kiddie area, and everyone had a blast in the wave pool! We hung out at the shallow end of the wave pool. And that turned to be a good idea, because those waves are powerful and have the ability to knock little ones over. 😉

When Fire and Water Make Great Entertainment

Besides everything you can do in the water at Raging Waves, there’s also a new show you can sit down and take in with your family. It’s called “Sinbad and the Search for the Golden Pineapple.” And if you wait to see the last show of the day, you can watch one of the performers be lit on fire before jumping into a giant pool of water.

It’s pretty spectacular.

Cleanliness, Friendliness, and Safety

While we were at the park, we had the opportunity to learn more about the people who work there and how they go all out and do their best to make sure that Raging Waves is a clean, friendly, and safe place to be.

As a mom (and germaphobe because I have to be), this made me incredibly happy to hear.

Our family day at Raging Waves was awesome. I’m thankful for all the memories made and know that my kids will remember all the fun for a long time to come. 🙂

Have you visited a waterpark this Summer?

Family Fun at the Medieval Times Chicago Castle

June 14, 2014 by Sandra 4 Comments

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament took our weekly family day to another level.

We normally spend family day at home doing things like playing games, watching movies, enjoying special food, and planning for David’s Make-A-Wish Disney trip coming up later this year.

We think planning any Disney trip is exciting when we do it together. 🙂

But earlier this month, we decided to visit the Medieval Times Chicago Castle, which actually does resemble a real castle, for family day. I’d only been to Medieval Times on one other occasion with a group of local bloggers, so it was my second visit and Ruben and the kids’ first visit.

What to Expect

The whole Medieval Times experience is unforgettable. From the moment you walk into the castle, it feels like you’re stepping into another time in history. The walls and ceilings are beautifully decorated, and they definitely set the tone for what’s to come.

When you check in, you’re told which color knight you’ll be cheering for, and you’re then seated in a section matching your knight’s color(s).

We sat in the yellow and red section and cheered for the yellow and red knight. Sadly, he didn’t win in the end. 🙁

But he fought nobly and tried.

Food at Medieval Times

You’ve probably already heard. There are no utensils allowed during your Medieval Times meal which is made up of baby dragon (chicken), a spare rib, garlic bread, tomato bisque soup, roasted potato, and a pastry of the castle.

Well, I’m here to tell you that’s absolutely correct.

There are no forks allowed and you’ll get quite messy during your meal. You’ll without a doubt make use of the napkin, wet wipe, and warm wipe (that’s brought to you later on) as you eat of all the deliciousness that’s set before you.

Unless, of course…

You order the vegetarian meal. In that case, you’ll get a fork and appear quite clean and well-mannered while the others in your party eat with their hands. 🙂

DID YOU KNOW? It’s helpful to understand the definition of “Chivalry” before attending Medieval Times. According to Dictionary.com, Chivalry is the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, including courage, courtesy, generosity, honor, justice, dexterity in arms, and a readiness to help the weak. I think I like the idea of chivalry and what it stands for. Don’t you?

A Family-Friendly Place to Visit

Overall, everyone in my family had a fantastic time at Medieval Times. Elisabeth, my 2-year-old daughter, was a little startled at the beginning of the show, but once she realized it was all fun and entertainment, she enjoyed it.

I’d have to say her favorite parts were the roasted chicken (baby dragon) and being able to see horses gracefully run back and forth right in front of us. We happened to get seats in the front row of our section, and I think that made the experience even better.

We’re all looking forward to the next time we can visit this fun and exciting place. Isaac, my 7-year-old son, keeps asking if he can go again for his birthday next year.

I’m hoping we can make that happen. 😉

Have you ever been to Medieval Times? What was your favorite part?

P.S. You can use the coupon code: 3426CASTLE to get discounted rates at the Chicago (Schaumburg) Castle. This particular code is valid through September 30, 2014.

5 Reasons to Love Relished Foods

March 22, 2014 by Sandra 6 Comments

This is a sponsored collaboration with Relished – a fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service
that delivers to roughly half the U.S.

I know I haven’t been around much lately. 😉

We actually went through a crazy move that seemed to go on forever. I was a stressed out mess during part of it, but thankfully, we’re finally settled now and mostly unpacked in our new home.

Life is back to normal, and I couldn’t be happier. After everything we’ve been through the past eight months, I crave normal living like never before.

I just want to cook, clean, homeschool my kids, and do laundry. Doing these things makes me incredibly happy right now. Does that sound crazy?

I don’t know…

What I do know is that in the midst of getting back to normal, I stumbled upon a service that I can’t stop talking about. It’s called Relished, and I’m completely impressed with this food and recipe delivery service. It’s just awesome!

Why?

Well, allow me to explain. 🙂

Top 5 Reasons to Love Relished Foods:

Reason #1: The only ingredients I needed to have on hand to put together mouthwatering meals were salt, pepper, oil, and water. All of the other ingredients were delivered right to my doorstep, and they were fresh coming out of the box.

They also stayed fresh for days in my refrigerator. I prepared three Relished meals in all with ingredients that came from one shipment.

Reason #2: Relished sends entire meals that are easy to prepare, and they come with step-by-step instructions, so there’s no guessing what to start cooking first or which ingredients go together.

The best part is that your finished meal looks just like the meal on the recipe card. (Below are the Sous Vide Short Ribs)

Reason #3: Relished has a scrumptious, diverse menu that changes on a weekly basis. I’m thinking the Kung Pao Chicken would be amazing to prepare for a date night with my husband in the near future. 😉

I love the colorful, fresh salads Relished offers on a regular basis, too.

Reason #4: I absolutely loved that while following the directions, I was learning how to cook foods I’ve never made in the past. I’ve never made quinoa or black lentils, but I know how to now.

I also roasted baby carrots in a way I never have in the past. Oh, they were so good!

Reason #5: Meals are full of flavor and just good! I’m not even kidding when I say that the meals I made with Relished foods taste far better than food served in most table service restaurants.

My husband is still talking about how much he loved the short ribs.

If I had to sum up my experience with Relished, I would have to say, it’s a convenient, doable, delicious way to make an awesome dinner for your family while spending less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying everyday (normal) life.

I can’t wait to place my next order. 🙂

UPDATE: You can use the code TheSensibleMom to save 60% off your first Relished order! This offer is good through March 31, 2014.

Relished is a Chicago based fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service that ships to roughly half the United States. Be sure to stop by their website to see if they ship to your area, and follow them socially here on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.