The Roll & Learn Activity Suitcase is recommended for ages 12 – 36 months. Since Alex is a bit over the age limit, I thought it would be perfect to pass on to my niece who is 8 months. When the package arrived, Alex was super excited to open it, like he is with every package. As soon as he saw that it was a toy, it was over. We turned it on (batteries included!) and I told him he could play with it, but we wouldn’t take it out of the box because it was for Baby Zuzia.

Even without taking it out of the box, Alex had a blast with it. He loved the songs, playing with the keyboard and pretending to talk on the little doggy phone. He was also very eager to try the sorting parts, but I told him we had to wait until we brought it to Zuzia’s to try those out.

While kids love almost anything colorful and loud, parents are more objective when it comes to toys. I thought that this was a great toy for a number of reason. First of all, it comes with different volume settings. There is nothing worse than a blaring toy that your child loves, but you can’t turn down. Second, I love that the toy is bilingual. Birth to age five is the most critical language learning time in a child’s life, and even learning a few words and songs from a toy can foster a love for learning different languages. Third, I really like the suitcase design. Whenever we go away, Alex is very eager to pull the suitcase, which usually ends with him tipping it over and dragging it on the sidewalk. This would be a great toy to bring along, have him pack his toys inside it and make him happy that he is able to help. Also, since it is a suitcase, all of the functions are travel themed, which is nice compared to the usual alphabet and numbers.

Finally, I can really see that this is a toy that is really pleasing to all ages. Alex is over the recommended age and it kept his attention. He played with it over the course of a few days, and kept going back to it. While my niece is a little young to fully appreciate it yet, it also kept her attention. She liked the bright lights and the songs and Alex enjoyed pressing the buttons and showing her how to use it. This is a toy that you can buy for a child on the lower end of the age range and they will enjoy it for a very long time. I have purchased a lot of VTech toys over the years, and I have never had a bad experience. They are durable, even when your toddler is going through a throwing phase, and most importantly to me, they are educational. Kids learn best through play, and I know that Alex had learned a lot thanks to his toys.

So now that I’ve convinced you that you need one of those for the little one in your life, I’m going to do you one better. VTech is being amazing and letting me give away a Roll & Learn Activity Suitcase to one of my readers! Enter below and I will be picking a winner next week!

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If you are looking for a fall race, the Women’s Health RUN10 FEED10 is a great option. This is the second year that the race is being run and it takes place on September 22 in New York City on the West Side Highway. The concept behind the race is simple: run a 10K and provide 10 meals for those struggling with hunger in New York. Last year, RUN10 FEED10 raised 1 million meals nationwide and Women’s Health is also encouraging all runners to try to raise $100 in donations, to help further support the cause. Right now, over 50 million Americans are food insecure, meaning they don’t know from where their next meal is coming and this number includes a lot of hungry little bellies. Doing something you already love to do, will allow lots of kids receive the food and nourishment they need.

After the race, all participants will be invited to take part in a post-race Wellness Festival with post-run yoga, giveaways and freebies from some great bands and a special concert by Naya Rivera from Glee. You also get a limited edition RUN10 FEED 10 bag and bracelet wen you sign up.

There will also be timed 10Ks in Chicago and San Francisco, as well as, fun runs in Boston, Los Angeles, Miami and Seattle. There is also a cool Run Your Own 10K feature where you can run a virtual 10K, and still help support the cause the RUN10 FEED10 stands for.

If you want to sign up head over the the RUN10 FEED10 page, and use code R10F10USA for $5 off registration!

If you can’t make it to the race, but want to held spread the word about the cause, you can enter to win one of the RUN10 FEED10 bags, to get the word out about the race series.

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Are you signed up for any races this fall?

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The movie is a documentary that chronicles the juicing journey of Joe Cross. At the start of the documentary, Joe is 310 pounds, on steroids and is suffering from an autoimmune disease. All of the conventional doctors which he sees, give him medication, but don’t give him a way to fix his body from the inside out. He visits a holistic doctor that put him on a 60 day juice diet. Joe decides to go cross country and spread the word about his juice diet and to make others think about what they are putting into their own bodies. Along the way, Joe meets a trucker named Phil with the same problems – obese and suffering from the same autoimmune disease. In the end both Joe and Phil loose an incredible amount of weight and are able to discontinue their medications, thanks to juicing.

Since the movie came two years ago, it had had an incredible amount of success. So much so, that there is now a whole community dedicated to juicing with Joe. Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead is celebrating it’s second birthday, and they would love to have you join in the fun! On the Reboot With Joe page, they are giving away a juicer every day for 60 days. The website is also a great resource if you are interested in juicing. There are forums, FAQs, recipes and a ton of information regarding juicing and how to fit it into your lifestyle.

Since they are in celebration mode, they were kind enough to extend the celebration to us! Reboot With Joe was kind enough to send me the Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead DVD and a to-go cup so that I can bring my juice with me wherever I go. The best part is that they send me a second set to give away! If  you want to enter, check out the video below to see the good and enter! U.S. Residents only, please!

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Do you juice?

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Bestowed is the creation of Heather Bauer, a nationally recognized nutrition expert, author, and entrepreneur. Each month she selects the products that Bestowed includes in each box, and you get 5+ healthy, new products to try out at your doorstep. I was excited to see that so many of my favorite brands had been included in past Bestowed boxes. I knew that I would be getting some good stuff, if their past boxes were an indication of what was in store for me.

In my box I received:

• Oloves Hot Chilli Mama Olives
• Nature’s Earthly Choice Easy Quinoa Lentil Soup Mix
• Happy Family – Happy Squeeze Smoothies (which was promptly consumed by my little guy)
• Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts
• Artisana Coconut Butter
• Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars
• $25 iTrain Gift Card

The box also came with a sheet describing the product and its benefits and two tips on how to use it. I found this handy for the hemp hearts, since they were something I never used to really heard of before.

Overall, I was very happy with what I received in my Bestowed box. All of the food items were great and I especially loved the Quinoa Lentil Soup. I ended up making it for dinner on an evening when I came home from work to an empty fridge. All I had to do was bring some water to a boil and a yummy, hearty and filling soup was ready for my belly.

Bestowed box retails for $19/month or for $209/year, but if you use code 5OFFBSTOWED01 you get $5 off your first month’s box!

The absolute best part is that Bestowed agreed to let one of my readers try one of their boxes for free! Just use the Rafflecopter below to enter. U.S. residents only, please!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

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I stopped in today to announce the winner of the Mediterranean Snacks Giveaway! The lucky winner is:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Alicia! Please send me an e-mail to frolicthroughlife[at]gmail[dot]com with your address so Mediterranean Snacks can send you your snack pack ASAP!

The post And the Winner Is… appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

A few days later, my package of chips arrived, and the snacking commenced. The awesome people at Mediterranean Snacks sent me a whole snack pack which consisted of three bags of their Lentil Chips and three bags of the new Hummuz Crispz.

These babies kept me company while I studied and for that I will be forever grateful.

As far as snacks go, these are at the top of the totem pole. They pack between 4 and 5 grams of protein per serving, are gluten free and are baked, which drastically cuts down on the unhealthy fat and calories! And lets not forget the most important part – the taste! They come in a bunch of unique flavors and are quite enjoyable to snack on. They are Munchkin’s favorite treat. As soon as he finishes his bowl, he starts to yell “More Mama, more!” They are also sturdy enough for dip, and are a great alternative to tortilla chips.

Since I am not one to keep all the goodies for myself, the great people at Mediterranean Snacks are giving one of you the opportunity to try a snack pack of their products. One lucky winner will receive a variety of flavored of Baked Lentil Chips, Lentil Crackers, HummuZ Crispz and Popcorn.
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Good luck!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

In case the Rafflecopter isn’t showing up correctly, the winners are:
Joanna B. (@TheBroadbents)
Elle (@WeCanBegin2Feed)
Cinnamon (@eatpraytri)

If you are one of these lucky ladies please shoot me an e-mail at frolicthroughlife[at]gmail[dot]com with your mailing address so I can pass it on to KIND and get you your yummy Healthy Grains!

I’ll be back manana with the next part of my Runner’s World Half & Festival Recap!

The post **KIND Healthy Grains Giveaway Winners** appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

KIND’s motto is ingredients you can see and pronounce, and they’re not lying. As soon as my package of Healthy Grains arrived, I ripped into the first flavor that sounded amazing, in this case, Vanilla Blueberry Clusters with Flax seeds. Quick look at the back to scan the ingredient list and I could pronounce everything and quick look down into my hand, I could pick out the different grains in the clusters I was chowing down on.

Do not be confused, this is not your mother’s granola, either. These Healthy Grains aren’t just oats, they are jam packed with gluten free oats, brown rice, buckwheat, amaranth, millet and quinoa (yes, quinoa! You know this made my heart pitter patter!). And don’t let me forget to mention the taste. One word – deslish. Okay, maybe that isn’t a word, but still. The Vanilla Blueberry is definitely my fav, but they come in a bunch of other yummy flavors too – Peanut Butter Whole Grain Clusters, Cinnamon Oat Clusters with Flax Seeds, Maple Walnut Clusters with Chia & Quinoa, Dark Chocolate & Cranberry Clusters and Oats & Honey Clusters with Toasted Coconut.

Now onto the best part. You get to try some…fo free! The people at KIND were not only kind enough to send me Healthy Grains to try, but they are going to give three of you two bags of Healthy Grains to try! The winners will be chosen on October 24th. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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After I was done at court yesterday, I took a walk through the market to grab something quick for lunch before heading into the city. This little booth caught my eye.

Body & Soul is an organic, vegan bakery that pops up in booths at Farmer’s Markets around the city. After perusing gawking at the yummy treats their selection, I decided to take the savory route and get  a Farro & Black Bean Chili Turnover.

Since I was eating on the go, I didn’t have a chance to heat it up, but it was delicious nonetheless. It had just the right amount of spice to give a bit of a kick, without setting your mouth on fire. The crust was kind of dense, but I guess that’s expected from a vegan dough.

I also bought a some apple cider to go along with my turnover. Apple Cider is one of my favorite drinks in the world, especially in the fall! Yummy!

Since no good lunch is complete without dessert, I hit up Red Mango on my way back to the office. To my delight, they had a new flavor – none other than my favorite flavor ever – Cake Batter!

I topped off my fro yo with some rainbow sprinkles, cookie dough bites and strawberries.

The perfect end to a great lunch!

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Before I go, it’s time to announce the winner of my Blogaversary giveaway! Lucky #13!

Congrats Natalie! Please email me at frolicthroughlife[@]gmail[.]com ASAP with your shipping information so I can get you your gift card and goodies!

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Have a great Friday!

What’s your favorite on-the-go lunch? What’s you favorite fro yo combo?

The post On The Go Lunch appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

Even though he came as a surprise and I didn’t know if I was ready to be a mommy, he has brought out the best in me, taught me what matters in life and showed me that anything is possible with the help of true friends and family.

Happy Birthday little Munchkin! I love you!

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On Saturday, we celebrated Munchkin’s second birthday with our best friends and family. It was a great time and Munchkin had a blast.

We played silly games.

Had some yummy CAKE!

Blew out the candles like a champ!

And tried to sneak a taste when no one was looking.

We opened our gifts.

And when it was all over, Munchkin was all tuckered out and went straight to sleep. Or maybe he just didn’t want to help with the clean up.

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Since Munchkin’s birthday is one of the most important days of the year, I wanted to include everyone who couldn’t make it to the party in the celebration. I’m sure you remember the Red

Velvet cupcakes I showed the other day.

Turns out, they were a big hit.

Now you can make your own because I am giving away the Cake Mix Doctor’s Cupcake book, and since most of the recipes start with cake mix as the base, I’m throwing in 5 coupons for free cake mix to get you started on the baking.

How To Enter:

1. (Mandatory): Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite cupcake flavor is.
2. (Optional): Follow Frolic Through Life on Twitter! @Frolic_Life_Syl
3. (Optional): Tweet about the giveaway and leave a separate comment telling me that you did – “Get your bake on! I want to win @Frolic_Life_Syl’s Cake Mix Dr. Cookbook Giveaway! http://wp.me/p1Ukf9-iL”
   
4. (Optional): Like Frolic Through Life on Facebook and leave a separate comment telling me that you did.

I will select a winner bright and early Monday (Jan. 23) morning. Fingers crossed!

Have a great Monday!

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