Chicago

A Visit to Kuipers Family Farm

November 9, 2013 by Sandra 3 Comments

My family and I had a special time at Kuipers Family Farm thanks to the tickets I received to facilitate this review.

A few weeks ago, we drove to a local family farm and spent the day enjoying pumpkins, fall treats, and so much more.

I took a superabundance of pictures to remember the day. It was great.

Kuipers Family Farm
The farm we visited is named Kuipers Family Farm, and it’s located in Maple Park, Illinois. I could describe everything Kuipers has to offer, but I think it’s best to show you.

Picture Places Everywhere
To start, there are plenty of areas around the farm where you can snap fun pictures to remember your day. Isaac, my six-year-old, is not camera shy and getting to take pictures with all the different displays was fun!

David had to keep his mask on most of the day to protect himself from germs, but he loves to be in pictures when he’s feeling well.

It was cloudy on the day we visited the farm, but we managed to get tons of fantastic pictures anyway.

Fun for Older Kids
At the farm, there’s a looong slide that put grins on the faces of my older kids. This slide is known as “Slide Mountain.”

Seriously, they loved the slide and went down a few times before we had to move onto something else.

A short distance from Slide Mountain is “The Maze” — also known as the corn maze. On this particular day, we decided not to try the corn maze. 😉

Instead, we opted for the beginner maze (perfect for us).

The kids loved it.

And rather than getting lost in a corn maze with five kids, we let them play in corn instead. Corn is so much easier to get out of your shoes and clothes than sand.

Next to the The Maze is Squeelington Park where you can watch pig races (not something you get to see every day) or a cowboy roping show. Show times are posted outside of the park.

If your kids want to test their own roping skills, they can do that too.

Fun Things to do All Around the Farm
My kids also enjoyed playing on the huge tractor tires. If you can believe it, we used to have a tire like this in our backyard when I was a kid. Don’t ask me where my parents got it from. I have no idea. But these huge tires at Kuipers Farm certainly bring back childhood memories.

Next to the tractor tires, you’ll find an actual tractor where kids can use their imagination.

Besides everything I’ve already mentioned, at Kuipers Farm, you can also pass the time tossing bean bags, getting to know farm animals, picking pumpkins and a whole lot more.

We wrapped up our time at Kuipers by searching for the perfect pumpkin and then headed across the way to buy a dozen of their awesome donuts.

Overall, it was a day to remember.

Have you visited a pumpkin patch or family farm this year? Does your family have any Fall traditions?

You can find a coupon to visit Kuipers Family Farm and coupons for corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and farms across the country in my blog post here.

The Wondrous 1893 World’s Fair Exhibit at The Field Museum in Chicago

November 2, 2013 by Sandra 4 Comments

Lately, life has been full of hospital visits and unexpected trips to the ER to get blood transfusions.

If you’re new to reading my blog, I’m not kidding. There hasn’t been a whole lot of fun going on around here — mainly because we have to be careful that my four year old son, David, doesn’t bump his head or get a fever. A bump in the head could mean a ride in the ambulance and a hospital admission. A fever means a hospital admission AND hospital isolation, which is one of the worst things that could happen to you if you’re four years old. When you’re in isolation in the hospital, you aren’t allowed to leave your room, and you aren’t allowed to visit the playroom. It’s terrible.

All that to say, we’ve been living life pretty low key when we’re at home.

However, this week, since David has been fever-free for awhile and his energy level has been up, I decided to plan on making a trip to The Field Museum in Chicago. We had heard about a new exhibit at the museum called, “Opening the Vaults: Wonders of the 1893 World’s Fair.” Then we found out that The Field Museum was born out of the 1893 World’s Fair.

Apparently, if it hadn’t been for the 1893 World’s Fair, The Field Museum would not exist.

I had no idea that was the case. The Field Museum was founded to commemorate the World’s Fair. Now I’m all the more thankful to have been able to visit the fair exhibit because of its history and connection to the museum and the city of Chicago.

1893 World’s Fair Exhibit Highlights
The exhibit itself was amazing, but before I even stepped foot in the exhibit, I installed The Field Museum Tours Mobile App on my phone and had the chance to get a feel for what I’d be experiencing. The mobile app also allowed us to view a spectacular interactive 360 panorama movie of sorts, and it was awesome! Here’s one of the phone screenshots I took of the 360 panorama video.

It’s hard to put into words just what this video is like. I keep telling everyone about it, but you really have to experience it for yourself to get the full effect. The video was wildly popular with my kids, too. They could hardly wait for their turn to experience it…over and over. I love how The Field Museum is using technology to help us understand history!

Besides the app experience, there was a lot more to see in the exhibit itself.

Oh, and if you look up, you’ll see this.

This really is an exhibit for people of all ages.

There’s something for everyone to experience and learn about.

Overall, it was a great day. I’m thankful that we were able to experience the 1893 World’s Fair exhibit as a family, and I’m thankful that it’s a part of Chicago, a city we love a little more with every visit.

Have you ever visited The Field Museum in Chicago? Did you know about the 1893 World’s Fair? Or, what’s your favorite thing about visiting a modern-day fair?

I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, however all content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Chicagoland: We have a NEW Mariano’s Store

November 2, 2013 by Sandra 8 Comments

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® and their client. #MyMarianos

I’ve talked a lot about how much I love shopping at Mariano’s, so you can imagine how excited I was to find out that there was a new store being built closer to my home than any of the other locations.

I know. I know. It might sound a little crazy to want to smile wide and high-five the person closest to you when you hear that there’s a new grocery storing being built near your home, but Mariano’s is unlike any other grocery store. Just ask the people that shop there. They. love. it.

Why do we gush about a grocery store?
Because when you visit Mariano’s, it’s so much more than just your average, mundane trip to the grocery store. It’s an experience. You can literally stop in to get a few items on your grocery list, whip out your rewards card, check out, and leave…or you can bring your entire family, enjoy a delicious hot meal, grab a latte while the kids enjoy gelato, and then while the kids make a craft, you can finish your shopping.

Some customers spend 3 or more hours at Mariano’s.

Yeah…it’s that awesome.

The New Location
The latest Mariano’s is located in Wheaton, Illinois. And while I could write all about what’s featured in the store, I think it’s best to show you. I was there on opening day and had the opportunity to snap lots of pictures of the different areas that make this store special.

To begin, there’s a smoothie bar that serves up nutritious and delicious smoothies.

Then there’s a Trail Mix Bar that offers a large variety of options to create a trail mix that’s just right for you and your family.

I have to say that the trail mix bar is one of my favorite areas of the new Wheaton Mariano’s.

Along with the gelato…

And the lattes…I just tried their pumpkin spice latte. So good!

The sitting area is like nothing I’ve ever seen inside of a grocery store. I love it. It’s green and beautiful.

There’s a beloved Todd’s BBQ that serves up hot, tummy tempting barbecue. If you don’t live in Illinois but come here to visit someday — definitely try to make it to a Mariano’s store that serves up Todd’s BBQ.

Oh, and one of my absolute favorite things about this store (besides the other favorite things I mentioned) is their labeling system. With the labeling system at Mariano’s, you know when a food item is gluten-free, organic, vegan, etc…

I really love the labels. It makes shopping for certain categories of food even easier. It’s also a huge help to families with food allergies.

More about the Wheaton Mariano’s
This location also has a huge assortment of organic produce, a sushi bar, an amazing assortment of hot and cold at-the-ready foods, a bakery you must see to believe, caramel apples made while you watch, and so much more. I feel blessed to have a Mariano’s “in my backyard.”

And I can’t wait to go back. 🙂

Have you ever been to a Mariano’s store? What’s your favorite area in the grocery store?

Did you know? You can find great recipes and ideas from the Mariano’s Community. And you can follow Mariano’s on Facebook and Twitter for their latest updates.

The Chicago Bears, Breast Cancer Awareness, and Early Detection

October 25, 2013 by Sandra 2 Comments

This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and P&G. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Cancer is ugly.

It’s a horrible disease that wreaks havoc on families every single day. Unfortunately, cancer is a disease I’m getting up close and personal with because whenever my four-year-old son, David, is admitted to the hospital or has an appointment with his doctor, he goes to the same floors where, tragically, kids who have been diagnosed with cancer go. The same follows for David’s treatment, it’s very similar to the way certain cancers are treated.

Breast Cancer Awareness
While I won’t be talking about childhood cancer in detail today, I will be talking about breast cancer, which affects us, ladies.

I had the opportunity to visit The Chicago Bears’ Halas Hall this past week and find out things I never knew about breast cancer — in addition to ways that women can detect it early. I had the chance to sit in on a roundtable that included Corey Wootton, a Chicago Bears football player who has personally been affected by breast cancer, and Janelle Hail, a breast cancer survivor and founder of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Here are a few key pieces of information I learned about breast cancer and early detection during the roundtable:

1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in her lifetime.

Breast cancer death rates are higher among latina women.

When breast cancer is detected during the early (localized) stage, the five year survival rate is 98%.

We can help save lives by spreading the message about early detection to those around us.

Creating your own early detection plan for breast cancer is easy. There’s even an app for it! Just search “NBCF” in the app store. 🙂

I also learned that there are free screening locations available across the country for women to get mammograms and other diagnostic services. If there isn’t a hospital on the list in your area, you can check with your local hospital.

The Bottom Line
We need to be informed about how early detection saves lives and helps beat breast cancer. I’ve already installed the app on my phone, and my reminder plan is in place. I’ll get an email 3 days before I should log a self-exam.

I love how technology makes life easier and even helps save lives.

Do you have an early detection plan in place? Do you know someone who has been affected by breast cancer?

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