Free Chick-Fil-A Sandwich

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Farmer's Markets

If you live in Iowa

(which you do)
you must go here at least once in your life.

And if you go once,
you'll go twice.

West Glen Town Center's Farmer's Market starts on June 5th at 10 am.

Downtown Des Moines also has one that is amazing. It's already going on every Saturday from 7 to noon (right by where the Science Center is).

A Whole Buncha Stuff

I found some fun stuff, so here it is:

#1: A-MAY-zing days is on Saturday, May 29th from 3 to 10 pm at Valley Junction. It includes food, drinks, live music, inflatables, BBQ Contest, and Kids activities. Sounds like fun to me.

#2: I discovered a potentially cool little place called Glazed Expressions. It's paint your own pottery. Kinda pricey, but you can find coupons in the newspaper every now and then.
#3: Tokens Family Fun Center. Lazer tag. Mini golf. Pizza. Arcades. Fun. (Again, it's pretty pricey, but could be fun for a special occasion...)

#4: Sleepy Hollow Sports Park. Bumper Boats. Golfing. Batting Cages. Go Karts. Climbing Wall. And more. (Super pricey (what's new?!), but they do have special combo. offers that knock the price down a little.)

#5: Adventureland Amusement Park. I'm thinking it's adventurous. Children 3 and under are free. It's as close as you'll get to Disneyland. (Oh, and it's a water park too.) There are a lot of height restrictions on the rides though, so make sure you check!
#6: The Heritage Carousel of Des Moines. Cutest darn Carousel ever. 50 cents for kids and free for adults to stand. There's also a punch card - pay for 5 rides, get one free. Woohoo!!! Check website for times and days.
#7: Jumping Jacks. 2 for 1 every Tuesday. (I'll just warn you though - this one is so much more fun with a friend.)

#8: Des Moines Botanical Gardens. May 25th at 10am, they are having Toddler Time. Games, music, and a treasure hunt. $1 for kids 1 to 3. Adults are $5. (I have always wanted to go here - it looks enchanting. If you plan on going - call me!!)

#9: Field of Dreams Movie Site. They have built it, you should go... It's 3 hours away, so use good judgment. Could be cool; could be lame. You decide.

#10: If you're looking for cool "staycations" for the summer, check out this list. It could save you some time.

Now go do something fun!!

A high class version of Maple Grove in the making!

So, as many know, we have had out share of problems with Maple Grove. We tried to find another place to live, I wanted out of here so badly. The only problem was that this was the nicest, biggest, cheapest place to live. Not anymore! We have a neighbor that is moving to Whisper Ridge Apartments. It is on the dirt road off of Ashworth close to the water park. It is opening in June. It is part of the equal housing opportunity, just like Maple Grove. They are brand new. Only problem I can see is that they are two-story apartments. I will say that if we were staying here we would be moving into these nice apartments. Prices almost the same, water is included, they even include a washer and dryer in each apartment. I just thought I would pass the word along, for the students who are thinking of transferring and don't want to pay there ridiculous transfer fee. Also for those of you who know students moving here. Now there is another option for us poor students!
Whisper Ridge Apartment Homes Apartments For Rent in West Des Moines, Iowa - Apartment Rental and Community Amenities - ForRent.com

Garage Sales

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you know of some killer garage sales in a neighborhood in Urbandale. I went yesterday (Thurs) so I don't know if much is left but it is worth checking out!!! If you go to the stoplight by Dahl's on Hickman turn right, then turn left on 152nd (only a few blocks from the stoplight). There are a bunch of signs. I seriously could have bought so much stuff but had to refrain because of our lack of room. They had several outdoor toys for cheap and in excellent shape, tool benches for kids etc! A ton of boy clothes, newborn and up. I did score a little tikes coupe car that looks brand new for 10 bucks. There are about 12 houses participating! Hope this benefits someone!

The Machine Shed restaurant

We first heard about this restaurant from my nieces who claimed that on TV (in WA) they saw a restaurant near Des Moines with gigantic cinnamon rolls. We kind of blew it off at the time but then had heard from a few people that we needed to go and try this place out. The restaurant is called "The Machine Shed" and is located on Hickman Rd. right by the Living History Farms in Urbandale. We went for breakfast since my primary purpose was to try these famous cinnamon rolls I kept hearing about. The breakfast was great. The portions were quite large, but nothing compared to the gigantic cinnamon rolls. We are talking about probably 3 lbs worth of cinnamony ooey gooey goodness! If you go for breakfast go later because their cinnamon rolls are half off after 11am (only $1.50) or you could always just get a cinnamon roll to go after this time. Also while you are ordering your breakfast if you say the phrase, "AND I LOVE EGGS" they will add an extra egg to your meal for free.

(Sorry pic is blurry, taken with my phone, but you can see how big the cinnamon rolls are compared to Hallie)

Overall it was just a fun little place to visit. It kind of had a "Cracker Barrel" country restaurant feel to it, nothing fancy. We thought it was fun. Not sure how their lunch and dinner are but we did get to see a sneak peak of their salad bar and a few entrees as we were leaving that looked delicious! We will definitely be going back!

Click on the BOLDED words above for more information and for their menus.

Take me out to the ball game

"Dollar Days"
For just $1 on select days you can get a General Admission ticket to watch the Iowa Cubs!

The Dollar Days are:
Monday, April 12 - Iowa Cubs vs. Memphis Redbirds 6:35 p.m.
Monday, April 26 - Iowa Cubs vs. Round Rock Express 6:35 p.m.
Monday, May 24 - Iowa Cubs vs. Salt Lake Bees 6:35 p.m.
Monday, June 7 - Iowa Cubs vs. New Orleans Zephyrs 7:05 p.m.
Monday, July 19 - Iowa Cubs vs. Oklahoma City RedHawks 7:05 p.m.
Monday, August 23 - Iowa Cubs vs. Nashville Sounds 7:05 p.m.

On these select dates also enjoy these food and entertainment options for just $1
Small popcorn
Soft Pretzels
Small pop
Inflatable games in the concourse

Woody's Smoke Shack

Have you been here??

Well if you haven't, you must!! It is an AMAZING BBQ restaurant in Des Moines (close to DMU) that we can't get enough of!!

In case you don't believe me, here are a couple facts:

Woody's was awarded Best of the Best Barbecue Restaurants in America

and were in the top four best BBQ Restaurants on Good Morning America- 

Every time we have gone (yes we go there a lot) we get our food within 5 min of ordering- pretty impressive. The workers are ALWAYS so nice and are very flexible with little kids.

Did I mention they have all you can eat corn bread?? I am not the biggest corn bread fan but find myself downing 4 pieces before my meal comes (yeah that would be under 5 min if you remember ) it's so so good. Prices are pretty reasonable as well!

It is located in Des Moines- get directions here

Trust me, you should check this place out... and if you do please call us- we would love to have an excuse to go there!!

here is a recipe I just found if you wanna try to make some ribs on your own!!

Des Moines Water Works

A little birdie (Jamie Mayo) let me know about this.

It sounds amazing and looks even more amazinger.

If you're into taking pictures of your kids in beautiful settings, you'll especially like this.

Click here for the website.

Water Works Park

Located on Fleur Drive directly across from Gray's lake, Water Works Park covers nearly 1,500 acres of open wooded areas. The park stretches from Fleur Drive west of 63rd Street, bounded by the Raccoon River on the north edge and George Flagg Parkway to the south.

Biking, jogging, picnicking, fishing, and hiking are a few of the activities that park patrons enjoy. Picnic areas, complete with tables and grills, are located in several areas of the park. Large, open areas are available for team sports such as softball, tag football, and soccer. For more information on bike trails go to www.ci.des-moines.ia.us/departments/PR/trails.htm

And while we're on the subject, Gray's Lake across from this park has paddle boats that they rent out for (I think) $5 an hour. Such a fun way to spend a Saturday (and get a good leg workout in - wow.)

Thanks Jamie!

Want $10?

This weekend only (Friday through Sunday) Aeropostale is giving away $10 for free.

You're welcome.

(Click here to print your own coupon.)


ALSO...
just when you thought it couldn't get any cooler, Pretzel Maker is giving away free pretzels on Monday, April 26th at the mall.
(No coupon necessary.)

Enjoy. :)