(You can read my review of Blue Bunny’s Lighter Options frozen treats at Celebrate National Diabetes Month with Blue Bunny’s Lighter Options frozen treats.)

Sound yummy? Then maybe you should enter my contest to win a Blue Bunny coupon book with 12 coupons in it, each redeemable for a carton of ice cream!! (That’s almost $70 worth of ice cream, folks!)

Here’s how to enter :

1. Leave your name, email address, and blog address (if you have one) in the comments below for ONE entry.
2. If you have a blog, feel free to post about this contest on it for ONE entry.
3. Sign up for my RSS feed for ONE entry.
4. Sign up for my enewsletter for ONE entry.
5. If you have already signed up for my enewsletter or RSS feed in a previous contest, let me know. I will count those as entries in this and all future contests.
6. If you have signed up for my RSS feed and/or enewsletter and/or posted about my contest on your blog, come back here and leave a comment telling me what you did. I will be checking!
7. Maximum amount of entries at My Readable Feast is FOUR – leaving an email here, posting about it on your blog, signing up for my RSS feed, and signing up for my enewsletter.
8. You must be willing to send me your full name and mailing address. I will forward this information to Blue Bunny, so they can mail out your coupon book. If you do not feel comfortable giving me or Blue Bunny your mailing information, please do not enter this giveaway.
9. If you win, I will contact you on November 27 to get your mailing info. You have until 9 a.m. MT December 2 to email your information to me. (I realize that this is during the Thanksgiving weekend and some of you may be traveling, so I’m extending the time to get back to me.) If I do not hear from you by 9 a.m. December 2, 2008, I will pick another winner.
10. I will announce the winner on December 2, 2008 on this blog. I will not share your mailing info with the public, just your first name and last initial. If you have a blog, I will link back to it when I announce the winner.
11. Only one Blue Bunny coupon book will be given away.
12. You have until midnight MT on November 26, 2008 to enter.

Prize valued at $70 or less. Open to legal residents of the United States 18 years of age and older. No purchase required. Up to FOUR entries per person via My Readable Feast. Void where prohibited by law. By submitting your name and email address, you agree to receive relevant promotional emails and contest follow up communications from My Readable Feast in compliance with our privacy policy and giveaway rules.

When I heard they were looking, I recommended that they buy it online from buycostumes.com. I used buycostumes.com to purchase a Harry Potter costume for an event awhile back. I was very happy with their prices, the quality of the costume, and their shipping costs.

buycostumes.com has over 30 different Santa costumes to choose from including a Sunny Claus Costume if you live in Hawaii or Florida, and an Ultra Velvet Santa Suit, which is satin-lined. They even have suits for Mrs. Claus, and accessories like wigs, Santa bellies, and glasses. buycostumes.com is a one stop shop for all your Santa needs.

Why invest in a Santa suit?

If you’re going to be dressing as Santa year after year for holiday events in your community, at work, or just among friends and family, you need to buy – not rent – a Santa suit. You’ll save money in the long run. For some people, buying a Santa suit is a better investment than purchasing a tux. At least they know they’ll use it once a year.

If  you own a Santa suit, you’re  going to be very popular during the holiday season, too – either people want you to come play Santa at an event or borrow your costume. Sounds like a way to make a little extra holiday cash.

And believe me, there are people out there who are very serious about dressing up year after year, like the older couple we saw shopping at Costco last Christmas dressed up as Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. The kids flipped out when they saw the Clauses in the checkout lane. I told Nathan that Santa was stocking up on iPods – and he believed me! Both he and Lucie were speechless when Santa and Mrs. Claus came over to give them candy canes.

So go out, get that Santa suit, and bring a little holiday spirit into a child’s life. That red suit is magical.

TOON Books are high-quality comic books designed for children four-years-old and older. Each of their books are designed to offer newly-emerging readers comics they can read themselves. Also, each TOON book has been vetted by educators to ensure that the language and the narratives will nurture young minds.

TOON Books also feature original stories and characters created by veteran children’s book authors, renowned cartoonists and new talents, all applying their skills to help children discover the magic of reading.

Many TOON Books to choose from

Jack and the Box is the perfect book for beginning readers. It’s full of simple sight words and wonderful illustrations. It was written and illustrated by Art Spiegelman, who won a Pulizer Prize in 1992 for his book, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale. Spiegelman claims he learned how to read from looking at comics and “trying to figure out if Batman was a Good Guy or a Bad Guy.” He even let his children learn to read from his old, very valuable collection of old comic books. Jack and the Box is recommended for children in grades K-2.

As a parent of a brother and sister, I can relate to Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever. It’s about two siblings who can’t stop fighting. When their favorite super hero pass his costume on to them, the twins fight so much that they rip it in half and only have half the super powers. Will they combine their powers or let the evil forces win? Written by Jay Lynch of Garbage Pail Kids fame and and Dean Haspiel who has drawn superheroes for Marvel and DC comics. For grades K-2.

Then there’s the aptly named Stinky, a monster who loves pickles and possums and is scared of people.  When a new kid, Nick, enters his swamp, Stinky tries to scare him away, but ends up making friends with the boy. A nice blend of a sweet story and gross out humor. Pickled onion, anyone? Written by Eleanor Davis for children in grades K-2.

For more information about TOON Books check out their website and their blog.

Not only does the book feature food recipes, but it has directions on how to make salt dough, play clay and this one:

Giant Bubbles

What you’ll need:

1. 1 large wire coat hanger
2. Liquid measuring cup
3. Large, flat pan, big enough for the coat hanger circle to fit into (a deep tray would work, too)
4. Whisk
5. 1/2 cup dishwashing liquid
6. 4 1/2 cups cold water

What you’ll do:

1. Get an adult to bend the coat hanger into a circle for you, making sure there aren’t any rough ends that could scratch you.
2. Mix the dishwashing liquid and the water in the large flat plan. Whisk the two together.
3. When the rain stops (Paul recommends doing this on a rainy day since the damp air makes the bubbles bigger and last longer before they pop.) go outside with your supplies. Dip the coat hanger into the bubble solution and lift it straight up, then wave it through the air. Giant bubbles should appear.
4. If you have leftovers, keep them in a jar and use them again. They won’t go bad!

Have fun and check out Paula Deen’s My First Cookbook for more terrific recipes and children’s cooking activities.

I’m very glad that Disney tried to make these recipes as healthy as possible by using more healthful and lower fat ingredients. Go Tink!

Very Fairy Carrot Cakes
Makes about 25 small cakes.

Cake ingredients:

1. 2 cups whole wheat flour
2. 3 cups shredded carrots
3. 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
4. 1 1/2 cups raw sugar
5. 2 eggs
6. 2 egg whites
7. 1/2 cup canola oil
8. 1 tsp. cinnamon
9. 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
10. 1 tsp. baking soda
11. 11/2 tsp. vanilla extract
12. 1/2 tsp. salt
13. 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Frosting ingredients:

1. 8 ounces lite cream cheese
2. 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar
3. 1 tsp vanilla extract
4. 2 egg whites

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Using a large mixing bowl, combine: eggs, egg whites, canola oil, sugar, apple sauce and vanilla.
3. Mix in: flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg.
4. Stir in: carrots and nuts
5. Grease 2 muffin pans
6. Fill muffin cups halfway up
7. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until you can insert and toothpick and have it come out clean.

To make frosting:

1. Use an electric mixer to combine cream cheese, egg whites, vanilla and sugar
2. Beat until smooth.

To assemble cakes:

1. Turn cakes upside down and cut in half horizontally
2. Apply frosting to the middle and top (formerly bottom) of your cakes
3. Garnish as you wish.

Perfectly Pixie Nectar
Makes 2 magical servings

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cantaloupe melon - peeled, seeded and cubed
2. 1 lime, juiced
3. 2 tablespoons honey (optional)
4. 1 cup of ice

Directions:

1. With the help of an adult, combine the cantaloupe, lime juice, honey and ice in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour into your favorite cups and serve. Garnish with lime.