Review ~ Step2 Soccer Ball Toy Chest & Little Helper's Wagon #ChristmasGiftGuide @thestep2company



About Step2:

The concept of Step2 Direct began in 1999 as an online website for the fulfillment of daycare orders. We’ve realized that everyday Moms and Dads are tech savvy, ahead of the curve, and interested in ordering Step2 products and having them delivered directly to their home. Because of this realization, Step2 Direct has now morphed into a direct to consumer ecommerce website.

Step2 Soccer Ball Toy Chest:



This realistic and spacious storage chest is perfect for any sports fan both large and small. Made in the USA.

This unique toy chest is the perfect piece to compliment any bedroom or playroom set

It’s easy-open lid allows for child access

This soccer chest is durable and easy to clean

Offers 5 ft3 (0.14 m3) of storage capacity

Recommended Age: 2 and up
Product Number: 824100
Dimensions: 26.00 H 26.00 W 26.00 D
Weight: 7.00 lbs

I wish you could have seen Little M’s eyes when the soccer boy toy chest was dropped off at our front door. He was so excited and had to wait a couple of hours for Dad to get home to put it together (RambleSAHM doesn’t put anything together!)  It took Dad about 15 minutes to assemble since it was only four screws and the longest part was making sure the black stickers went on without any wrinkles or bubbles.

Little M LOVES this toy box. I think mostly because it is a huge soccer ball and he can open and close the lid by himself. I love how much the soccer ball toy chest holds. It can almost hold all of Little M’s toys.

I would highly recommend this soccer ball toy chest for a kid’s room this Christmas. Little M loves it and it also has made picking up toys more fun. I also think it’s a great price since the toy chest is going to last.


Step2 Little Helper’s Wagon:


Little Helper's Wagon allows your child to take their toys or best friend from room to room! Perfect for transporting stuffed animals or dolls. Perfect for your little one and their make believe fun. 4 large rolling wheels, and handle, plenty of space inside for toys.

When the Little Helper’s Wagon arrived Little M was very excited to try it out. We first had dad assemble it and that took about 15 minutes. I do have to first admit that little M tried to sit in it and we had to explain that it was only for toys. At first he was mad about this but then grew to love having a wagon for just his toys. He also loves to take it out side and put rocks, dirt, sand, etc. in it.

The Little Helper’s Wagon is easy to clean making it great for indoor and outdoor play. It is very durable and when left outside overnight in the cold it did not warp. The handle is the perfect size for small hands making it easy to push and pull.

I think the Little Helper’s Wagon is a great price and perfect for the hard to buy for toddler this Christmas. They even make a pink and purple one for girls!

Check out our video review to see these products in action!!!



Connect with Step2:




“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or
Services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
With the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
 

Sealy Crib Mattress ~ Giveaway @Kolcraft #ChristmasGiftGuide





I am thrilled to have Kolcraft participating in our Christmas Gift Guide! I am even more excited to offer my readers a Sealy ® BabyPosturepedic ® Crown Jewel ™Crib Mattress (ARV $ 159.99) This is a high quality, USA made, crib mattress that can be used from newborn to the toddler years! Good luck!!!



Description:

The Sealy Baby Posturepedic Crown Jewel crib mattress offers posture support with an adult-grade and twice-tempered PostureTech® coil system that is incredibly firm and resilient. Over 130 years of dependable Sealy durability with a 60 year history of Posturepedic support that your infants and toddlers can appreciate for years of use. Comes with the EverEdge™ support system and a waterproof pearl-embossed cover.


Features:

  • Exclusive POSTURETECH® coil system offers 220 POSTURETECH® coils for long-lasting support
  • Everedge® Pylons at each corner of the mattress create ultimate corner support
  • STAPH-GARD® reinforced cover effectively inhibits bacterial growth and provides an anti-static surface
  • All-around heavy gauge steel border rods maximize side, corner and edge firmness
  • Steel bars distribute baby's weight evenly over the entire surface of the mattress
  • GREENGUARD® Children & Schools Certified: This entire mattress is GREENGUARD® Children & Schools certified for indoor air quality and low chemical emissions to help create a healthier sleeping environment for your baby.
  • Two non-allergenic layers insulate the mattress for lasting durability
  • Third non-allergenic layer provides additional support
  • Fourth non-allergenic layer offers a plush, gentle sleeping surface for your baby
  • Tear-resistant cover with vinyl binding resists stains, odors, and mildew. Mattress wipes clean with a damp cloth
  • Mattress also fits toddler bed frames
  • Lifetime warranty on workmanship and materials
  • Meets or exceed all flammability, lead, phthalate and CPSIA testing and does not contain toxic fire retardants
  • Proudly Made in the USA


Giveaway:

Kolcraft is giving one of my readers a Sealy Baby Posturepedic Crown Jewel crib mattress! Open to US only 18+. Giveaway will end on 12/11/2012 at 12:01 am EST. Fill out the Rafflecopter form to be entered!


 “Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or
Services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
With the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Unexpected Christmas Hero ~ Review & Giveaway @alandkathi #ChristmasGiftGuide




Christian Fiction/Christmas



Back of the book:

Josie Meyers thinks she is living the American dream when she marries a nice, handsome man with a promising future. The dream quickly becomes a nightmare when Josie becomes a widow and must deal with the fallout of her husband’s decisions. She soon finds that she and her two small children are forced to live on the streets and in homeless shelters.

While the scenes surrounding Josie are filled with Christmas decorations and carols, Josie finds herself struggling with the demands of caring for her two small children. She is forced to lean on the experience and lives of other homeless people she meets. What she doesn’t know is that the influence of one homeless man in particular is about to change the course of her life and lead her home to the One who waits for her. He becomes her unexpected Christmas hero.



About the author:


Twitter @alandkathi 
Website kathimacias.com


Though I'm a wife, mother, grandmother, and yes, great grandmother, I also ride on the back of my hubby's Harley and am known as "Easy Writer." (Update: Hubby sold Harley and bought a 2005 sunburst orange Corvette, so I'm still "Easy Writer" but in comfort now!)






My thoughts:

I have once again been profoundly affected by a Kathi Macias novel. This time she delves into the world of homelessness. I’ve never experienced this personally so there were aspects of the situation that I had never thought about.

Josie is busy living the good life when out of the blue her world begins to shift. First she loses her mother then her husband becomes ill and she loses him as well. The breaking point comes when her home is foreclosed upon. She and her two young children are forced to learn to navigate the system in order to survive.

Because of her limited funds there are times when she and her children sleep in an alley behind a dry cleaner’s shop. As a mother, how could you ever sleep? You would constantly be jerking yourself awake to make sure your children were okay. Sleeping in a homeless shelter probably wouldn’t be much better. Of course you are warmer and relatively safer, but being surrounded by desperate people that you don’t know would be very unsettling.

The story delves into so many areas, such as obtaining nourishment and lodging. Have you ever thought about how you would spend your daytime hours, especially with two little children in tow? How do you go about getting out of these circumstances? The situation seems dire.

Just when I was totally overwhelmed with grief for this family, a ray of sunshine began to peak through. God began to weave people into their lives that would change them and ultimately draw them unto Himself. The most profound pairing was that of Rick and this family. Rick is a homeless Vietnam veteran that suffers from some mental disabilities. Rick chooses the streets rather than a veteran’s home where he would most likely spend his days on mind numbing medication.

Through Rick we are able to glimpse what total dependence upon God looks like. It seems like an oxymoron to be jealous of what a homeless man has, but that is exactly how I felt. Rick embodied the Christ-like character of laying down his life so that others may obtain life.

As I sit here writing this I am completely overwhelmed with feelings. This story will of course make me view the homeless and their situation differently. It will also make me take a look at my reliance upon God to provide my every need. I urge you to get this book and let it speak to you.


“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or
Services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
With the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Giveaway:

One reader will win their own copy of Unexpected Christmas Hero!  Open to US only 18+. Giveaway will end on 12/03/2012 at 12:01am EST. Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to be entered.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

A THANKSGIVING TALE: THE HUNGERCLOTH via @RogerThurow #Thanksgiving

A THANKSGIVING TALE: THE HUNGERCLOTH
By Roger Thurow

I often write and speak about the awful oxymoron, “Hungry Farmers.”  How can the smallholder farmers of Africa suffer through an annual hunger season when every morning they rise with one task: grow food for their families?

That these farmers should battle chronic hunger and malnutrition is absurd, obscene and shameful.

But there’s another awful oxymoron that deserves our attention, particularly as we near Thanksgiving and our season of feasts.  Hungry Americans.

How can anyone in this richest country on the planet, home of the mightiest farmers, breadbasket of the world, be hungry?




That millions of households here are deemed “food insecure” – unable, at some point in the year, to afford the next meal – is equally absurd, obscene and shameful.

Hunger at home and abroad are of the same cloth.  Yes, the depth of the hunger and malnutrition that I have seen in parts of Africa and elsewhere in the developing world is profoundly deeper than I have seen here.  Thanks to a sturdy social safety net, no one starves to death here, as far too many people do every day in the poorer precincts of the world.

But whether in Africa or America, I see the same pain, desperation, guilt and humiliation in the eyes of mothers and fathers.  How will I feed my family?  Where will the next meal come from?  And the same longing and despair in the eyes of the children.

I think back to one of my first conversations with Leonida Wanyama, who is among the smallholder farmers in western Kenya profiled in my new book, The Last Hunger Season.  With head bowed and voice low, Leonida told me of the bleak Christmas holiday that had just passed; all she was able to offer her family was a pot of boiled bananas.

Now, in the U.S., I’m reminded of the many food pantries preparing to distribute turkeys and all the fixings to families who otherwise wouldn’t share in our great Thanksgiving tradition, and I think of the many soup kitchens readying meals for those who have no place to eat such a feast.

In both Africa and America, I have seen hunger narrow the choices of daily living.

For the smallholder farmers with their meager crop yields: feed my family or sell some of my harvest to pay school fees for my children; feed my family or buy malaria medication; feed my family or repair the hole in my thatched roof.

For those who rely on American food banks and soup kitchens: buy food or pay the rent; buy food or keep my health insurance; buy food or pay the electricity and gas bills.

Hunger, no matter where it is, is an abomination.  It tears at families, communities, societies.  It cheats economic development.  It haunts the conscience.  Or at least it should.

Scenes from my reporting on hunger, be it at home or abroad, are seared in my mind:
In Africa, severely malnourished children clinging to life in emergency feeding tents.  Families struggling to make it through the day on a mere cup of tea.

In America, astonished teachers watching students stuffing their pockets with food at Friday lunch, even when that food was spaghetti, because they didn’t know if there would be much to eat at home over the weekend.  Children so eager to get to school they hopped off the buses on Monday morning and raced through the hallways; they were heading to the cafeteria, for school breakfast, because they hadn’t eaten much since school lunch on Friday.

A common source of hunger, of course, is poverty.  For Africa’s smallholder farmers, it is an absence of essential resources: better quality seeds, micro-doses of fertilizer, financing and agriculture extension advice – the vital ingredients to grow enough food to feed a family for a year.  For families in America, it is an absence of a living wage, a lack of decent paying jobs to afford food security throughout the year.

The solutions are also similar.  They must be long-term, beyond the immediate aid, and include more community input, individual empowerment and innovative education.  The goal is for the farmers of Africa to grow as much nutritionally rich food as they possibly can and for the food insecure in America to be as productive as possible and earn enough to buy their own food.

One more common thread: Efforts to end hunger are under siege by the global financial mess.  In the U.S., both short-term safety nets and long-term solutions are threatened by budget cuts, be they food stamps or women and infant care programs or the White House’s Feed the Future initiative which focuses on improving harvests of smallholder farmers in the developing world.  The mandatory spending cuts that loom at the fiscal cliff will have a disproportionate heavy impact on poverty and hunger programs, which have already been hit in previous budget slashing moves.  Hungry farmers?  Hungry Americans?  The awful oxymoron would be extended, not ended, by such cuts.

At Thanksgiving, we know we can do better.  It is the time to commit to the last hunger season.

____________________________________


 
Roger Thurow was a reporter at the Wall Street Journal for 30 years, 20 of those as a foreign correspondent based in Europe and Africa. In 2003 while covering the famine in Ethiopia he experienced an epiphany that would completely change his life.

While in Ethiopian headquarters before going into the hunger fields, Thurow received a warning from one of the aides who said,   “Looking into the eyes of the hungry becomes a disease of the soul.”   The next day, while looking into the eyes of those who were starving, Thurow immediately understood what the aide had meant.  No one should ever have to die from hunger. 

Before the year was out, Thurow and colleague Scott Kilman, theJournal’s chief agricultural correspondent, collaborated on a series of articles on the African famine. The series was later chosen as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize on International Reporting.  The two journalists teamed up again to write Enough: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty. It released in 2009. In 2010, he resigned from the Wall Street Journal and accepted a post as Senior Fellow for Global Agriculture and Food Policy with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs where he remains today, writing and speaking about global hunger and food security issues for a number of outlets and platforms.

Thurow graduated from the University of Iowa in 1979. He and his wife Anne live in the Chicago area and are the parents of two children, Brian and Aishling, both now in college. When not working, Thurow is a baseball fan and particularly enjoys watching the Chicago Cubs to, as he jokes, “put things in perspective.”



To learn more about The Last Hunger Season
and the documentary film it inspired, please





Book Review ~ The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury @KarenKingsbury #ChristmasGiftGuide



Fiction/ Religious/Christmas

Inside book cover:

Number one New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury delivers an instant classic with this heartwarming Christmas story about a hundred-year flood, lost love, and the beauty of enduring friendships.

Molly Allen lives alone in Portland, but she left her heart back in Tennessee with a man she walked away from five years ago. They had a rare sort of love she hasn’t found since.

Ryan Kelly lives in Nashville after a broken engagement and several years on the road touring with a country music duo. He can still hear Molly’s voice encouraging him to follow his dreams; Molly, whose memory stays with him. At least he can visit The Bridge—the oldest bookstore in historic downtown Franklin—and remember the hours he and Molly once spent there.

For thirty years, Charlie and Donna Barton have run The Bridge, providing the people of middle Tennessee with coffee, conversation, and shelves of good books—even through dismal book sales and the rise of digital books. Then in May, the hundred-year flood swept through Franklin and destroyed nearly every book in the store.

Now the bank is pulling the lease on The Bridge. Despondent and without answers, Charlie considers the unthinkable. Then tragedy strikes, and suddenly, everything changes. In the face of desperate brokenness and lost opportunities, could the miracle of a second chance actually unfold?

The Bridge is a love story set against the struggle of the American bookstore, a love story you will never forget.



About the author:





Twitter: @KarenKingsbury









No. 1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America's favorite inspirational novelist. There are nearly 20 million copies of her award-winning books in print, including several million copies sold in the past year. Karen has written more than 50 novels, ten of which have hit #1 on national lists.

Karen's newest novel, COMING HOME - The Baxter Family - releases June 26 and is the subject of much buzz on Karen's active Facebook page, where she had more than 250,000 friends. There is also great anticipation over THE BRIDGE, Karen's much-anticipated first hardback release with her new publisher - Simon & Schuster's Howard Books. THE BRIDGE is a love story set against the demise of the American bookstore.


My thoughts:

Here’s another great Christmas book for making our season merry and bright! It is great for a couple of different reasons. Number one; it is written by Karen Kingsbury . . . enough said! Number two; it is centered around a bookstore. Not just any bookstore, this is a special bookstore. It is one of those quaint shops that draw you back time and time again.

There are two different love stories going on here. The first is that of Charlie and Donna. Theirs is made up of years together and all the heartache and joy that comes with that span of time. The other storyline is Ryan and Molly. Theirs is a young love that has hit a major bump in the road.

I completely enjoyed how Karen wove the two tales together. The Bridge is a perfect title. It reminds us to always look for that span between the two situations. That is where our hope lies.

To make this little novella even better check out Karen’s prequel to The Bridge.

(It is the backstory of Charlie and Donna and will make the whole account come to life.)





“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or
Services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
With the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”



Review and Giveaway ~ Josh Wilson Noel @joshwilson #ChristmasGiftGuide






1 - The First Noel (instrumental)
2 - Jesus Is Alive
3 - Go Tell It on the Mountain (feat Mandisa)
4 - Do You Hear What I Hear?
5 - Christmas Changes Everything
6 - Almost Christmas
7 - O Come, O Come Emmanuel
8 - Carol of the Bells (instrumental)
9 - Angels We Have Heard On High
10 - Once A Year (feat Andrew Peterson)



My thoughts:

I first came across Josh Wilson when I heard his song Before the Morning.  It’s a great song and reminds me to keep the faith.  I was thrilled when I was given this opportunity to review Noel.

I have to say that Noel shows how talented Josh Wilson is as an artist. I love all the instrumental pieces and how they have been arranged.  I love how this record reminds me of the peace found in Christ and the true miracle of Christmas.

I would add this CD to your list to pick up this Christmas. It’s a must have for the Christian family. You can also try to win a copy here!

Giveaway:

One reader will win their own copy of Josh Wilson Noel! Open to US & CA 18+ Giveaway will end on 11/26/2012 at 12:01 am EST. Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to be entered.


“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or
Services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
With the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review ~ Travelers Rest by Ann Tatlock





Contemporary Fiction

Back of the book:

A young woman determined to honor her commitment . . .

An injured soldier convinced life is no longer worth living . . .

A retired doctor certain it’s too late to be forgiven . . .

Jane Morrow has a dilemma, and love alone may not solve it. Her faith has never been strong, yet somehow she hopes God will answer her prayers and tell her what to do. The answer she finds may not be at all what she expected . . .

About the Author:




When asked, “What are you trying to do through your writing?” Ann’s reply is:
Tell the truth. I’m trying to tell the truth not as I might happen to perceive it, but as the Bible reveals it. Fiction—telling a story that isn't true—is an excellent vehicle for talking about what IS true. And yes, Virginia, in this age of relativism, there is an Absolute. His name is Jesus.





My thoughts:

True confession time . . . When I first received this book I was not inspired to read it. The cover is a dull sepia toned picture of a front porch. The title isn't catchy. The description on the back of the book did not pull me in. In fact the only thing that sparked my interest at all was the author’s name on the cover.

The book just sat in my to be read pile gathering dust until the guilt of not reading it got the best of me. Once I picked it up and began reading, I knew I had fallen into that old saying of judging a book by its cover. I should have known better. I've read other work by Ann Tatlock and enjoyed it immensely. Travelers Rest is every bit as good as her other novels.

Ann writes in such an insightful way. She has brought us the stories of three different people and woven them together to form a tapestry of their lives. The solutions seem unachievable at times, but her writing always allows hope to peak through. Jane, Seth and Truman are the main characters, but like real life there are many others that fit in and flesh out this story.

Once again I’m left thinking about the unexpected turns in life and how those twists seem to straighten out in the end and make us the people we were meant to be. Let me leave you with two of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Surely Beethoven had loved beauty too, but he knew it wasn't enough, knew it wasn't the final thing. It was only a witness. Beauty sang of the One who created it, the One who pulled splendor out of His own breast and sowed it with open palms across the earth.”

“History, she saw, was simply people’s lives, the large events the sum total of individual stories, and much of it rode on a man’s or a woman’s response to heartache.”

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or
Services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
With the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review ~ The Ghost of Christmas Present #ChristmasGiftGuide



Scott Abbott and Amy Maude Swinton
Fiction/Religious/Christmas

Back of the book:

The train stopped at a station where the signs read Thirty-fourth Street. The doors opened and Patrick waited for the commuters to disembark before he got off.

He walked to the stairs as the morning light from the street shone and the sounds of Broadway bounced down into the station in echoing waves. He caught sight of himself in the plastic window of the token booth, where the transit workers shook their heads at his appearance.

Perhaps he had gone too far with the costume. Perhaps he had gone too far thinking he should even attempt this madness. Perhaps what was worst of all was thinking he could save the semblance of a life that he could carve for himself with Braden.

Maybe Braden would be better off without him in his daily life. Maybe . . .

Patrick shook off the thought as the noise of Broadway waited for him above. He drew in a breath and exhaled. “Into the breach, dear friends.”

He began to climb the stairs.

About the authors:

Scott Abbott is a screenwriter whose first script, My Father’s Keeper, earned him a place in the American Film Institute Screenwriting program, as well as semifinalist recognition in the prestigious Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His credits include the feature adaptation of Anne Rice’s The Queen of the Damned as well as HBO movies Winchell and Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, which earned both Stanley Tucci and Halle Berry and Emmy and a Golden Globe.

Amy Maude Swinton is a native of New Mexico. She has a theater background and is a certified sommelier. This is her first novel.



My thoughts:

The weather has turned a bit chilly here so I’ve begun the pursuit of my favorite hobby. Curling up with a good book (especially a Christmas one), a cup of my favorite tea and a cozy afghan in front of the fire make for the perfect evening.

The Ghost of Christmas Present is my first Christmas book of the season. It is a story of two fathers. One is embittered by the loss of his daughter. He will do anything it takes to destroy the one he believes is at fault. The other father is desperate to save his ailing son. He will do anything to make their lives better. Caught between the two are a torn woman and a wise beyond his years boy.

It is a relatively short novel, but it is filled with emotion. You will find yourself pulled from compassion to irritation with the flip of a page. The wording is fabulous. If you are a fan of Dickens and Shakespeare this is going to be a keeper for you.  Or if you have a book lover on your Christmas list this is the perfect size for a stocking stuffer!

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or
Services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
With the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”




Chuck E. Cheese ~ Gluten-Free Menu via @chuckecheese






Chuck E. Cheese’s wants every child to experience the unleashed joy of a fun day at one of its stores – unfortunately gluten and wheat sensitivities had some kids and families missing out on a classic experience with their friends due to special dietary needs. With increased demand from guests and a desire to offer safe food options moms and dads could trust, Chuck E. Cheese’s began researching and developing a gluten-free menu that would uphold its promise to parents. As a result, today Chuck E. Cheese’s introduces two breakthrough food products to its menu – an individual size gluten-free cheese pizza and a chocolate fudge cupcake – addressing the cross contamination concerns of parents with children who have special dietary considerations.

“When we began this process, it was important that we focused on doing gluten-free the right way and making our product accessible even for guests with strict gluten intolerance,” said Joe Elliot, Chuck E. Cheese’s vice president of Research and Development. “With the gluten-free menu we’re launching nationally today, we believe we have dramatically reduced the chances for cross contamination in our gluten-free products.”

Chuck E. Cheese’s worked with two respected partners to develop an innovative and unique pizza and dessert process. The gluten-free pizza arrives at Chuck E. Cheese’s locations in pre-sealed packaging from Conte’s Pasta’s dedicated, certified gluten-free facility in New Jersey. The Bake-in-Bag® Pizza remains sealed while cooked and delivered, until it is opened and served with a sealed personal pizza cutter at families’ tables by the adult in charge.

Under the same gluten-free procedure, chocolate fudge cupcakes from Fabe’s All Natural Bakery remain in pre-sealed, single-serve packaging until opened and served at the table.

“Given that gluten-free products are something we’ve wanted to offer for the last few years, it feels very gratifying to deliver a product that reflects our commitment to providing even our guests with strict gluten intolerance with a product that still tastes great and expands the Chuck E. Cheese’s experience from games to food and fun for so many families,” Elliot said. “It’s a great example of how we’re working towards consistent quality across the board to make all facets of guests’ visits more enjoyable.”

In addition to the new gluten-free menu, Chuck E. Cheese’s recently upgraded its traditional pizza recipe with dough made in-store as well as freshly shredded mozzarella and vegetables. In consideration of other food allergies, Chuck E. Cheese's provides a comprehensive online listing of each ingredient for all menu items to help parents determine the most appropriate foods for their unique family’s dining experience.

The gluten-free cheese pizza can be purchased at more than 500 Chuck E. Cheese’s locations in the U.S. and Canada for $5.99, the same price as its individual size pizza with traditional crust. The gluten-free chocolate fudge cupcake is sold for $2.99 in the U.S. and $3.49 in Canada. Chuck E. Cheese’s encourages families to participate in Gluten-free Diet Awareness Month this November by tasting its new offerings and sharing their thoughts about dining out safely with food allergies on the company’s Official Facebook Page.

Guests can find more information about Conte’s Pasta at http://www.contespasta.com/ and Fabe’s All-Natural Bakery at http://www.fabesnatural.com/.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or
Services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
With the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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