Our friend and fellow blogger Heidi recently published a GREAT photo collage and description of the day she took her super cute 3-year-old to visit “The Farm,” operated by The Cobblestone Project. (The video above tells you more about The Farm as well as one of its corporate supporters, Great Day Farms.) We think a trip to The Farm would make a perfect outing for parents and kids this summer. (Be sure to call ahead so you’ll know when it’s a good time to visit. or click HERE to visit their Facebook page.)

Not only is it fun to get outdoors and see a real farm (conveniently located in town), your kids will also learn where food really comes from and how The Farm helps local people in need.

Here’s an excerpt and a few photos from Heidi’s blog post on her blog The Busy Nothings. (Click HERE to see the post in its entirety.)

Cobblestone is an actual working farm that has a sold-out program where locals can buy a basket of seasonal produce and free range eggs for themselves and then donate one to a family in need.

The Farm is located off one of the main roads in what seems to be in the middle of town, down a side road, then further down a dirt road. I was surprised at how “country” it felt being surrounded by trees yet still in town!

One of the coolest things, for me personally, on this trip was the fact I was able to show Bug WHERE vegetables come from, and he ate a strawberry freshly picked from the ground- he seemed in awe and like I must have been joking with him that the food we ate came from the ground.

Find out more about this amazing farm, how to volunteer and get on the waiting list for your own basket of amazing, fresh, all-natural produce! 

Need a good reason to go to the NWA Mom Prom this Saturday, May 4th, at the Springdale Holiday Inn Ballroom. Okay, we’ll give you 10.

But don’t wait too long to get your ticket. Only the first 300 ticket holders will get one of the awesome swag bags which will be given out at the end of the night. Click HERE to buy your ticket online.

10. Because it’s going to be THE girls’ night out of the entire year.

We have been working non-stop to make sure this is an AMAZING  party for women in NWA. It’ll be glamorous but not stuffy. And thanks to incredible business sponsors — like presenting sponsor Great Day Farms — it’s also going to be a beautiful, fun setting where you can relax and feel like you’re 18 years old again — minus all the teenage drama.

9. Because you like to eat.

We mamas do like good food. So we’ve worked with the executive chef of the Holiday Inn in Springdale to make sure there’ll be plenty of delicious things to eat at the Mom Prom.

It will be served buffet style and the spread will include things like this:

• coconut chicken bites
• turkey pinwheels
• miniature twice baked potatoes
• spinach artichoke dip
• cheese and fruit
• chocolate-dipped strawberries (by Dojo’s Designs)
• miniature cupcakes (by Fancy Flours Cupcakery)
• candy from Nestle

8. Because you like to DANCE!

The best part about any prom night is the music. And we’ve got a DJ for Prom Night who will play all your favorites. In fact, we’ve been taking song suggestions for several weeks now. If you haven’t told us your favorite dance songs yet, you can still do that by clicking the “post a comment” link below.

So come ready to shake your money maker because the music is going to be AWESOME. And if you want to join our little flash mob, click HERE to check out the flash mob dance we’ll do sometime during prom night.

7. Because you don’t get that many chances to dress up and party.

How many times a year do you have a chance to get dressed up and go out with your best girlfriends? Sure, you can wear your yoga pants and hoodie to Chick-fil-a anytime you want. But when is the last time you put on something you really love and hit the town for a fun night out?

But don’t stress out about what to wear. There will be a WIDE range of clothes there. We suggest wearing something you feel good in that will also let you dance. Whether it’s a little black dress, a maxi dress or a full-on prom dress with lots of bling, just have fun with it.

6. Because there will be amazing photos of you and your friends that you’ll enjoy all year long.

Lisa Mac Photography will be doing all the prom pictures, and we LOVE her photos. She’s a pro. We have lots of fun photo props like mustaches, lips, hats, sunglasses, crowns, feather boas and lots more.

And ALL of the prom pictures will be available for FREE download after prom night. Print as many as you like and post them on Facebook. They’re all yours!

5. Because it’ll be fun to walk the red carpet and pose with celebrities.

Where else will you get a chance to pose for pictures with People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive,” Channing Tatum? Oh, and did we mention that Ryan Gosling, Robert Pattinson, David Beckham, Adam Levine, Taylor Lautner, Will Smith and George Clooney will be there, too? Yep, they will. (Okay, they’re cardboard, but they’re still REALLY cute.)

4. Because the raffle packages are SO GOOD.

Thanks to some very generous local businesses, our 13 raffle packages are worth THOUSANDS of dollars. Seriously. Each package, which includes multiple items, is worth hundreds of dollars. And raffle tickets are only one dollar each. You can buy as many as you like if you’d like to increase your odds of winning that package. But we love this raffle system because it means we all get a chance to win something great. Here are some of the raffle package themes: Pampering, Razorback, Date Night, Kids Fun, Branson Getaway, Summer Fun, and lots more.

3. Because you might become Prom Queen!

We don’t like those old popularity contests from high school. So we ditched that method, and we’ll be picking our Prom Queen at random among all the ticket holders at the event. The Prom Queen not only gets a great package of gifts, she also gets the tiara, the prom queen sash and a chance to sit in the special Queen’s chair on stage while she does her best “pageant wave” to the crowd.

2. Because it’s even more fun to go to a party with a purpose.

This “prom with a purpose” will help raise money for a local non-profit called Laundry Love, which partners with local laundromats to clean the clothes of those living in poverty in Northwest Arkansas. And you don’t need to feel one bit guilty for having a fun night out with the girls when you know the party is raising money for a great cause.

1. Because you DESERVE a great night out.

We know there are a million other things you could be doing Saturday night. We know you’re busy. And we also know that you probably tend to put yourself last on the list, just like most of us do.  Most of the time, we take care of other people and make sure everybody else in the family is happy and having fun.

But we think moms also deserve a night off to have fun. The responsibilities and chores and busy schedules will all be waiting for you the next day. But for this one night, we hope you’ll join us for a night of fun that will celebrate the special bond we share with other women and mothers.

Click HERE to get your ticket to the Mom Prom. See you Saturday!!

We love it when clothes can multitask as much as the busy women who wear them. These new Prana separates — which arrived recently at Fleet Feet Sports in Fayetteville  – can be worn at the pool, beach AND the gym. They double as swimwear and fitness gear. And we definitely approve of the cuteness factor and the ability to mix and match, as evidenced by the pics above.

If the Prana brand is new to you, it’s a high-quality line that really holds up even after lots of trip through the laundry room. (The pieces featured here cost between $49 and $70.) Their yoga pants and running clothes are awesome, too.

Speaking of awesome, I picked up a really cute JUNK headband at last year’s Northwest Arkansas Boutique Show and I was happy to find out that the company is based right here in Northwest Arkansas. I bought the wide headband and it really does stay in place, even with thick hair. The print is so cute that I even got a compliment on it from a teenage girl — and we all know how hard it is to impress one of them.   The print shown below is called “Fire.” Love the colors. You can now buy JUNK headbands at Fleet Feet (which is also a nwaMotherlode sponsor).

The clothes and accessories are great, but it goes without saying that the shoe-buying experience at Fleet Feet is truly unique. If it’s been a while since a salesperson really tried to help you find exactly what you need and want, then you need to go check them out. Their staff is top-notch and never pushy. Happy shopping!