who doesn't love dippin' dots?

disclaimer:  i received free samples from doc popcorn/dippin dots for the purpose of this review/post.

a couple of weeks ago, i received an email from a PR firm inviting me to try a new snack kiosk at the west covina mall.  when i saw the words "doc popcorn" and "dippin dots," i was in like flynn (a phrase which doesn't really have anything to do with anything, but it rhymes so there).  even better, i already had plans to head to that mall that day to run an errand anyway.  it's like it was just meant to be.

the girls and i don't actually frequent west covina mall on the regular, so we had to check the directory to see where it was.  it wasn't hard to find, and since it was kind of an odd time of day there wasn't anyone else there.

we were greeted by arlene, who was super friendly and helpful.  once we told her why we were there, she got to work on putting together little cups of each popcorn flavor for us to sample.  there were lots to try:

 when she was done, she went back and wrote all of the flavors on the lids of the cups.

the better butter, triple white cheddar and cheesy cheddar are just that - plain and simple, but really tasty.  neither the bean nor i really like spicy foods, so the old lady tried the hoppin' jalapeño and said that it wasn't too spicy.  still, we let her have that one and she was perfectly happy to munch on it as arlene got started on scooping out little cups of the dippin' dots for us.  the bean was super stoked for this part.

her favorite was the chocolate chip cookie dough, while her sister was rather partial to the cookies & cream.  we also got to try chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, banana split, cotton candy and rainbow ice.  i was surprised to find that my favorite (besides chocolate, because duh) was the rainbow ice...it tasted like nerds, which are high on my list of favorite candy.

and because we didn't want to leave without buying something, we opted for a small take-home bag of the sweet butter popcorn and a small cup of the cookie dough dippin' dots for the bean.

i'm pretty sure we'll stop here again the next time we shop at this mall.  the bean actually remembered how we would grab a bag of that sweet butter popcorn every time we went to the disney store when she was a wee bit younger.  the kiosk used to be right outside, and i used to use it as a bribe to get her to actually leave the disney store back in those days.  i was pretty amused that she remembered that.

thank you to doc popcorn and dippin' dots for all the tasty treats!

fit made fun day

this weekend, i was lucky enough to have been selected to participate in "fit made fun" day.  sponsored by CLIF kid and leapfrog, it was a day dedicated to getting kids (and adults!) motivated to get active and celebrate the fun of living a healthy lifestyle.

as a party host, i was provided with a super fun party pack from the sponsors that contained this:

there were three flavors of clif kid protein bars - peanut butter chocolate, chocolate mint, and chocolate chip.  plus we received two leap bands - basically an activity tracker for kids plus fun games to play and virtual pets to play with and take care of.  so almost like a fitbit and a furby all in one.  the bean was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

she really had fun with the challenges, which were fun little physical activities to do like froggy jumps, "popping" like popcorn, jumping jacks...you get the gist.  and as you complete more and more games and activities, you unlock more options for other fun stuff to do.

the teen helped me get snacks ready for the party.  we opted to serve a few of the recipes that came with our party guide, like the fruit-infused water that looked and smelled really pretty:

and i followed the instructions for the healthy-but-still-tasty-sounding zucchini tots.

we threw together bags of snack mix that included some kettle corn and candied pecans from trader joe's, plus little pieces of clif kid fruit ropes.  i put out a veggie tray, some salami and cheese, and some pita chips with spinach dip, and then we were all ready.

it was such a blast to have our friends come over and help us celebrate fit made fun day.  while the bean and her friends took turns wearing the leap bands and doing the challenges, i got to have some bonding time with all of their mothers.  our group was just the right size - not too big, not too small.  and from what i could tell, everyone had a great time.

we even managed to get them together for a group picture before everyone went home.  i tell you, it was a lot like herding cats.  but they're all just so stinking cute:

the bean is still obsessed with her leap band.  

in fact, she wore it to school - which is totally okay, because parental controls through the app i downloaded onto my desktop allowed me to set start and end times for "quiet mode."  during those hours, the band is still tracking all of her activity but access to the games is locked.  the band is silent, and when you push any of the buttons, the screen lights up with a clock...just like a watch.  cool, right?

this thing is really fun, and i'm willing to bet that a few of her friends both from the party and from school will be putting a leap band on their wish list for christmas this year.  

are you listening, santa?

i received free products in order to host the LeapFrog and CLIF kid sponsored MommyParty.  the opinions expressed here are my own.