April is National Grilled Cheese Month and I have been trying out some awesome grown up grilled cheese sandwiches! It has been a very cold April here in Wisconsin so we were still eating a lot of soup and we all know about the love affair between soup and grilled cheese!

Grilled cheese is the prefect canvas for food fun. You can add herbs, spices, meat, vegetables, and even some peppers to really liven it up!

No matter what I try and love, I always come back to my favorite…

Multigrain bread, 1 slice of American cheese (the good deli kind), 1 slice of mozzarella, 2 slices of bacon, and 2 slices of tomato.

*Warning – If you put the tomatoes on and cook the sandwich with them inside they turn to molten lava and you can burn your mouth.

I cook the sandwich openface so the tomatoes get a little warm but there is no fear of lava.

As I have gotten older my love affair with grilled cheese has had to be scaled down. I can’t have a lot of dairy now and gluten is not my friend. Thanks to Udi’s I don’t have to worry about the gluten!

I recently received some samples of Udi’s Gluten Free Foods Whole Wheat Bread, Millet Chia, Omega Flax and Fiber, and White Sandwich bread to help me celebrate National Grilled Cheese Month. I love bread with some texture and flavor so it was a real treat. My kids loved the white bread. I rarely ever buy white bread for them so they enjoyed it.

What is your favorite grilled cheese? And what Udi’s bread would you pair with it?

The 3rd annual Neighborhood Toy Store Day is this coming Saturday, November 10th! I really hope everyone makes a point to get out there and check out your local toy store. I don’t know about you but I find something magical about small local toy stores. They always carry the most creative and fun toys! Big box stores are good for large amounts of whatever the hot toy of the season is but my kids were never into those.

My kids liked the out of the ordinary and creative toys. When my girls were little we had a small local toy store near us that specialized in educational toys and it was our favorite place to shop. My girls knew that a trip there meant that we would leave with a huge bag of fun things to do. Some of my kids favorites were kits that taught you how to knit, make soap, make sand art, and create your own perfume. They loved the butterfly garden so much that we had to keep buying more so they could watch butterflies emerge from their cocoons over and over again. You just can’t find the same kinds of toys in a bog box store.

Shopping at locally-owned businesses is so important for our communities. Big box stores send their money back to corporate offices and who knows where else. When you spend money at a local business a large portion of that money stays right there in the community where it belongs. Instead of paying for a new corporate jet you are helping a local family provide for their kids.

If you are unsure about local toy stores that are participating in the Neighborhood Toy Store Day you can check out YourNeighborhoodToyStore.org and find an American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) member near you. Share the love and joy this holiday season by shopping local!

In celebration of National Toy Store Day, I was sent some great toys as an example of the awesome toys that can be found at local specialty toy stores. Being part of Team Mom means that I get some really hot new products to try and this time was no different. My kids LOVED them!

As soon as I opened the box my kids grabbed for the Tenzi game and wanted to play right away. They loved the fun and fast paced game. It is one of those games that puts everyone on a level playing field so even my youngest could have fun and not feel at a disadvantage. It also keeps getting played which is big! I have a closet full of games that the kids stopped liking after a few times.

The second toy I was sent is so much more than a mere toy! My kids have always loved making friendship bracelets and creating different designs. They were very excited to see that the LoopDeDoo would allow them to make friendship bracelets that look like they payed a lot for them at a store. There are so many awesome looking designs and they are super easy to make. The LoopDeDoo comes with a complete instruction book and even a DVD so there is no guess work when you are learning. My favorite parts are that it comes with everything you need to get started right away and it stores it all inside so there is no mess!

Don’t forget that the 3rd annual Neighborhood Toy Store Day is this coming Saturday, November 10th so get out there are find some awesome toys!