Family * Travel * Food

Haribo Pink Ribbon Bags for Breast Cancer Awareness Month #PinkBears

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Haribo and helps to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation. I was compensated for this post, but chose to donate a portion of my compensation to the NBCF to provide hope and inspiration to those affected by breast cancer through early detection. Find out how you can help raise awareness at the bottom of this post! 

As everyone should know by now, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. You can see pink ribbons everywhere you go and even on your favorite athletes. I believe that almost every person has some sort of connection with a breast cancer patient, survivor and those who lost the fight against the vicious disease. Now that I’m 40, my doctor told me it is very important that I start getting an annual mammogram. Although breast cancer does not run in my family, I can’t take any chances. I have it on my calendar to call my local radiology center to get one set up. My husband has a coworker who won the fight against breast cancer and her check-ups have been excellent. We continue to pull for her and pray the cancer never comes back.

Haribo is the world’s largest gummi, licorice and marshmallow candy manufacturer, and the maker of the original Gold-Bear gummi bears you find sold in the gold bags. They have proudly partnered with the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) and you can find their a pink ribbon emblazoned on the gold bags of the Original Haribo gummi bears. My family can't resist the classic taste and chew of a Haribo gummi bear.

NBCF provides hope and inspiration to those affected by breast cancer  through early detection, education and support services; and will receive  a portion of Haribo pink-ribbon bag sales during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

NBCF provides free mammograms to women in all 50 states through our network of hospitals, and is one of the most recognized and respected breast cancer charities in the world. Since 2003, NBCF has received the highest 4-star rating by Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator. For more information on NBCF, please visit nbcf.org

Haribo Gold-Bears pink ribbon bags will be sold in select Target, Kroger and retailers across the nation at a suggested retail price of $1.09 - $1.69.
For more information on Haribo, please visit www.facebook.com/HariboUSA

I was provided with 2 bags of yummy Haribo gummi bears to give away to one sweet reader. Enter below:a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on October 31, 2014. One winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Mom Files is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes.
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Fruit Vines Bites - Perfect for road trips

Although the summer is almost over, there is still time to fit in some day trips before back-to-school. We traditionally sneak away right before school starts just to refresh our minds for the non-stop weekdays ahead. We always pack snacks, drinks and food to take with us. One of our new favorite is Fruit Vines Bites by the makers of Red Vines. 

They come in 2 flavors- Strawberry and Cherry. I received a box filled with both varieties in 3 sizes-- resealable 10 oz. stand-up bag allows for portion control,  2 oz. single-servings for quick trips and 5 oz. bags for sharing. 

Honestly, I don't know about sharing. These bite-size candies are irresistibly soft, chewy and fruity. I think the 10 ounce stand-up bags are good for portion control. We can easily eat more than our share! Fruit Vines are also low-fat and preservative-free for guilt-free snacking. They would be perfect in school lunch boxes too. 
These are going with us when we take a little road trip later this week. You can find Fruit Vines Bites at many retailers including Target, Walmart, Walgreens and more. I saw them at Target today and think they would make a nice "just because" treat for my little one's teacher. Check out Fruit Vines Bites on the web, Facebook and Twitter for product promotions and updates. 

I received complimentary samples in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own as always. 
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A fun Halloween surprise for little Spider-man

We headed out yesterday to the annual Trick-or-Trunk event at Brie's high school for some Halloween fun. We didn't let William know that we were going until about a half hour before. He was so excited! He has been really into Superheros and chose to be Spider-man this year. We think he made a great choice!
 Check out those big muscles!
 Oh and that face!
The surprise element of his Halloween fun is that he was going to see a big Spider-man. Little did he know, big sister Brie was behind that Spidey mask. Brie was there already because she was helping out at one of the cars for the HOPE organization. They collect non-perishable food to donate to the community each year. She walked up to him when we got there and called out his name. William squealed when he saw Spider-man. He stood still when Spider-man knew his name and kept talking to him. After a while he said, "Brie Brie?!?" It was the cutest thing. She pulled up her mask and revealed herself. William was so excited! 
Brie wanted to take William for a stroll. Those two were so cute. William had a blast getting goodies and playing on the inflatables. This is always such a fun and safe way to participate in Halloween.
 William got quite an outstanding haul of candy!

I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween :)
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#UNJUNK and Have an UNREAL Halloween!

I received some fabulous UNREAL candy to share with friends and family at a house party I was asked to throw. It turned out that only one person could show up because it was a super busy weekend for those I invited. There were so many activities going on in my city ( fall break for college students, The State Fair, fall-related festivals and some had to work) so I decided to take my party to the streets. The streets? Yes, I packed up my candy bags and took them up to my daughters' high school for their annual "Trick or Trunk" event that helps raise funds and collect food to donate to the community.

I figured it was a great way to share the UNREAL candy and talk about it with a lot more people. What is UNREAL candy you ask? It is candy made with only REAL ingredients. Nothing artificial. Check out this video with some famous faces and see for yourself...


The taste? YUM. I. Am. Hooked. I can't believe that UNREAL candies were better than the leading brands. You can taste the ingredients and they were less sugary. My family agreed and prefer them too. I was shocked. Not my sweet candy loving children!!


I went to the high school armed with loads of UNREAL candy bags to hand out. I was a but nervous and was unsure of how well it would go over. Telling a bunch of teenagers and their parents that they should UNJUNK and GETREAL was going to raise some eyebrows. It's Halloween after all!


I chatted with so many people in small groups and they were stunned that candy that is made without fake ingredients can possibly taste good. As I walked around throughout the grounds I kept getting stopped by smiling faces. They were so pleased with how delicious the candy was and wanted to know where to find them. I told them CVS, Staples, Kroger and so many more retailers carry them for the same cost as a traditional candy bar.


My oldest daughter even said that one of the student activities leaders (a teacher) was inquiring about possibly selling UNREAL candy for fundraising! How cool is that? Not a bad idea to swap out the fake, sugary stuff with the real deal at the SAME cost! I am so happy that everyone enjoyed the candy and got to learn about the UNREAL movement. It made me think, shouldn't all candy be real? I sure hope they start making treat sizes for my kids' lunch boxes. They would love that!

Check out UNREAL on the web, Facebook and Twitter. Have you tried UNREAL candy yet? What did you think?

I received free products to share and was compensated for my time. All thoughts/opinions are completely my own.
Shelly, Mom Files
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Why does a baby or toddler need candy?

I have been noticing that a lot of people like to offer my son candy. He is not quite 2 and even if he was, I just don't allow him to have it. I get called mean and get accused of not letting him be a kid. Um, I am his parent thank you. If I say he can't have candy then that is final. I did not let the girls have candy until they were maybe 4 or so and even then, it was very limited. If a child is started off very young eating sugary nothing then they will grow to eat a lot of it. I feel it is so important to teach your children from babies healthy eating habits. I am not saying never give them a Krispy Kreme doughnut or an Oreo but just be careful!

Shelly, Mom Files
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Candy is good for your health

I was at the store this morning and decided to cruise down the Valentine's candy aisle to see what might make it into my cart. I know Brie mentioned she wanted to give some candy to a few friends so I decided to grab a big bag of Skittles and Starburst. They are favorites in my house so I figured there would not be any left over for long. I also got a bag of chocolate hearts for the house.


I was unpacking the bags from the grocery store when something on the bag caught my eye.

I had to do a double take when I saw that it said that the candy was an "excellent source of Vitamin C". Huh??? So then the girls got home from school and immediately asked if they can have some. I said no. They had the audacity to say "But it's healthy and we can never get enough Vitamin C!" All I could do was laugh. Darn kids.

Shelly, Mom Files
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