Kellogg’s FiberPlus™ Antioxidants Cereals

We all live busy lives and trying to keep up with the latest nutritional advice is pretty tough…especially if what we should eat doesn’t taste all that great. But the folks at Kellogg’s has done it again and come up with a very tasty way for us to get our fiber. Recently I was asked if I might like to try FiberPlus cereals. Since Darly has been consuming huge quantities of cereal lately, I jumped on the chance to get free samples. (anything to help with the food budget, right?)

The day the samples arrived Darly's bff was visiting and they decided it was time for a snack (this was at about 5pm…almost dinner time!) so they each poured themselves a full bowl, and chowed down. I reached into each of their bowls and got my hand back with all my fingers! The girls continued scarfing down the Kellogg’s FiberPlus™ Antioxidants Cereals in Berry Yogurt Crunch and Cinnamon Oat Crunch. Needless to say both flavors were a huge hit. I sent home a zip lock bag of each flavor with Darly’s friend.

Here’s what Kellogg’s has to say…
Berry Yogurt Crunch
With 40% of your daily fiber and antioxidant vitamins C and E, this healthy high-fiber cereal also tastes great. Kellogg's FiberPlus™ Berry Yogurt Crunch cereal mixes whole-grain wheat and rice flakes with crunchy berry- and yogurt-flavored clusters. Many Americans don't get the fiber, whole grains, vitamins and minerals1 important to a healthy diet, but delicious Kellogg's FiberPlus™ cereal helps supply 25 grams of whole grains per serving.

Cinnamon Oat Crunch
With 3X more fiber than Honey Nut Cheerios®*
and more than 2X the fiber of MultiGrain Cheerios®1
Delightful cinnamon flavor and crunchy oats make this healthy high-fiber cereal sweetly satisfying. While many Americans don't get enough fiber and antioxidant vitamin E daily2, Kellogg's FiberPlus™ cereals deliver nutrition and great taste. With 35% of your daily fiber and antioxidant vitamins C and E, this delicious cereal is a great way to jump-start the day

Me again…
We received the full sized boxes of both flavors on the 25th. Last night when I went to get myself a bowl both boxes were almost empty! Someone (Darly) has been scarfing down this stuff for dessert and breakfast and afternoon snacks! I think I’m going to have to go stock up on this.

I wrote this review on behalf of Kellogg’s FiberPlus Cereal. Kellogg’s sent me a box of each cereal to try.

I was going to put some lovely clip art of the logo and cereal boxes but I couldn't figure out how to make them post here. Sorry! :(

Craptacular update

well like I mentioned before Darly decided that she would like to try out for a play instead of doing gymnastics.

So that meant that last night was her last night at the gym for a while. I decided that I would send an email to the gym's owner letting him know that Darly wouldn't be in gymnastics for a while. (they ask that you do this so they can fill the spot from the wait list)

So I emailed the following:
I just wanted to let you know that Darly won’t be able to come to gymnastics for the next session. Since we were expecting that she would make Eagles she signed up to do another activity on Tuesdays & Thursday nights. It’s an awesome educational opportunity for her.

Luckily this is a short engagement and we’ll be back at the gym soon

I was really torn about what I should send in the email because I really wanted to tell them all my grievances about the situation. However in the end I felt it best to not burn that bridge until I was sure we were coming back. So I'll let them "have it!" when we go back or if we decide to quit.

Here's the email I got back:
Hi Renee....
Thank You for the heads up ....and when you return, we'll have a place for Darly......

HAPPY HANDSTANDS!!!

So I'm guessing that the owner wasn't really given a head's up on the situation. LOL But since he says she'll have a place we're going with it.

Now for the audition for the play. :D

May I sit at the Grown up's table please?

UGH this is so upsetting.

When we go out to dinner as a family of course we have Darly with us. But Darly is no ordinary child... she behaves in restaurants. But unfortunately every time we go out and ask for a table for 3 we get seated in the "families with kids" section of the restaurants.

I should have asked for a different table tonight. It was our Anniversary dinner. @@ I don't know why I didn't ask if we could move...I think it was partly because I really needed to use the restroom and didn't pay attention to the table right next to us and partly because I assumed that due to the mess on the table that they were about finished and ready to leave...ummm nope, they had just ordered.

I didn't want to stare and give you a better idea of the other party... they were in a booth with an extra two top table pulled over. Seated at the two top were two toddlers in booster chairs. Thankfully there were adults seated next to them, but a lot of good that did as the toddlers have the parents trained to give in to their demands.

The one child went right into the whiney cry and the mother yells "WHAT?" The child doesn't ever tell her what he wants, but the mother is trying every trick in the book to get him to be quiet. lovely

sigh!

Well if this place was looking to turn the table quickly, they did that very well. We were out of there before the table next to us...even after I had to run to the car and get my purse so we could leave a cash tip and dash!

I am desperate to find a nice quite place to go for dinner that doesn't cost $30 or more per plate. But alas it seems that I need to just eat at home instead.

Oh Craptacular! @@

Some may call me paranoid, but they are usually wrong more frequently than I am.

So here's what has me feeling that something is going on now...

Darly has been taking gymnastics at the new gym for over a year now. Since we joined she has been evaluated 3 times to see if she might be competition material. They gym offers USAG and EAGLES programs. USAG is what you see on the olympics...well one day these girls might grow up to be in the olympics. EAGLES is closer to a recreational program...not quite so strict.

All 3 times that Darly has been evaluated it was determined that she could be on a team. The first two times we turned the gym down due to other commitments. The third time the teams had no room for Darly (they were both full).

Now it is after season for the EAGLES team and time for the level 4 girls to move up...making room for new level 4 girls. So the gym offered a try out for girls. It looked as if Darly was finally going to be able to get on a team because the teams had room and Darly had the time.

So she tried out. She did very well. Not as well as some of the girls but better than others. However this time she was not chosen for the team.

The reason we were given was that she didn't have the strength and form required for the team. (what about before???) The coach said he would rather have girls who had strength and form over "tricks" because he could teach the tricks. He did not mention the other 3 times she was deemed team material.

I really feel that she was not chosen for team because she turned it down before. I think that because I chose to not put gymnastics above our other commitments that they are punishing us (or believe that if something else came up we would dump the gym).

and unfortunately the latter might be the case. Darly really wants to get into acting and that takes place on the same night as her current gymnastics class. If she had made it on the EAGLES team she could have done both acting and gymnastics. However, she didn't make the team...so she is going to try out for the play. I really hope that she gets a part in the play.

Killing me softly?

I recently decided that enough is enough and joined a gym to try and get rid of my "baby fat" that I've been carrying around about 13 years now. ugh!

So my friend and I have been frequenting the gym on a semi regular basis. I came up with what I thought was a pretty good routine of working out.

Normally I would do 45-60 min in the treadmill to get things going. I was doing random or hill, which would change the incline at random times...but then I just switched to doing the entire walk at a 4.5 incline and my speed ranges between 3.5 to 3.8 (I think that's mph but I don't know).

Then it was time to hit the machines for 30-45 min. I rarely keep track of how many reps I do...usually it is just as many as I can at my highest weight then I knock the weight back and do as many as I can, and then knock it down again. My philosophy is it is better to do as many reps as I can than to lift a ton of weight.

And finally if I'm up to it I finish off with 15-30 min on the elliptical trainer. I set it for one of the glute settings, but I don't think there's really any difference.

However, when I signed up for this gym they offered me two 30 min sessions with a trainer. And this week I finally got my work outs with her.

Let me tell ya folks...this lady is BRUTAL!!!

After she takes a look at me and learns that my back is crooked (I knew this!), my hips aren't even (caused by the crooked spine) AND that my left knee turns inward...also caused by the spine. sigh! She starts with the torture.

First she had me leaning against an exercise ball and doing squats with 10 lbs of weight. (I'm not sure if that's 5lbs or 10lbs in each hand) By about 7 reps of this my left leg is begging for mercy and I think she let me quit at only 10 reps instead of doing the full 12...my brain is foggy with pain.

Then she had me lifting only 7.5 lbs of weight as if I were on my back on a weight bench...only I was balancing on the exercise ball. It was really tough to lift the weight, not smash myself in the head and remember to keep my back straight while doing this.

Finally she had me on the floor with my legs straight up in the air and using just my abs trying to lift my legs straight up.

My thighs were KILLING ME!!! (honestly they still are!)

For my second session she seemed overly pleased that I was still in pain. (folks told me that she would be! Trainers are mean!)

She started off showing me how to stretch my muscles out with foam rollers. While this was very painful she assured me that eventually my muscles knots would release...I still haven't seen that happen yet. I'm looking to get a foam roller for home use to see if it ever happens.

then she had me work on my triceps and finally some squat lunge walking (oops I nearly forgot the part that hurt the worst! the touch squat thing!) I could only feel this in my thighs yesterday, but a friend warned me I would feel it in my glutes today...and she was right.

I'm a mess. I'm trying to get myself to a hot tub today. I sure hope that I can!

The HPV Test

We’ve all heard all the news about the HPV vaccine for our girls. I’m not going to debate this here. However, there is something that all women can do for the early detection and fight against Cervical Cancer. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women worldwide, yet is easily preventable because we know its cause, HPV.

There is a test for HPV. HPV testing can identify if you have one of the "high-risk" infections on your cervix that can cause cervical cancer. The HPV test can be performed at the same time as the Pap test to help doctors identify which women are at greatest risk. However not all doctors automatically use both tests.

That is why it is essential that women act as their own health advocates.

Learn about what you can do to protect yourself against cervical cancer:

• THE PAP TEST looks at a sample of cells taken from a woman's cervix for any cell changes or abnormalities. Pap testing should begin at age 21.
• THE HPV TEST is conducted from the same sample as the Pap and identifies women with high-risk HPV infections that can cause cervical cancer. When used with a Pap in women 30 and older, the HPV test increases the ability to identify who is at risk of developing cervical cancer.
• If you are age 30 or older, ask your doctor for the digene HPV Test together with your Pap test.
• If both tests come back normal, then the tests don’t need to be repeated for 3 years. But remember to return each year for your annual health exam.
• If one or both tests come back abnormal, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have cervical cancer. It simply enables your health care provider to monitor you more closely or treat pre-cancerous cells before cervical cancer develops.
• HPV testing isn’t necessary for women younger than 30, because HPV infections in young women usually go away on their own without causing problems. Women under 30 will only have HPV testing if their Pap test is inconclusive.

Please check out http://www.thehpvtest.com for more info about the HPV test and remember to ask your doctor at your next yearly exam to run the test.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of the QIAGEN digene HPV test. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Nature Made SAM-e

I think we’ve all had times in our life where we didn’t feel quite ourselves. There just doesn’t seem to be any reason for us feeling down…we just do. What I was surprised to learn was that this is normal.

As we get older our bodies start making less SAM-e, a naturally occurring compound, which ultimately works to maintain a balanced mood.

You know, I hadn’t even heard of SAM-e before. So I checked out www.sam-e.com to see what I was missing out on.

Nature Made SAM-e Complete helps replenish your body's natural levels of SAM-e and when taken daily it can begin to help naturally restore a healthy mood in as little as 7 to 14 days. For more information, please visit www.sam-e.com.

On the website you can see all the benefits of SAM-e and decide for yourself if taking SAM-e is right for you.

Nature Made SAM-e Complete recently launched called “Give a Smile,” http://www.sam-e.com/give-a-smile. They are working with Dream Factory, the second largest children’s wish-granting organization in the U.S., to grant the wishes of three children suffering from a critical or chronic illness. Through this campaign SAM-e will donate to a child’s wish for every social action you or your readers complete (like uploading an image to their mosaic). The more actions, the more SAM-e will donate. You can find out more about the program using the link above and learn how your actions lead to SAM-e donations!

One of my readers will get the chance to try Nature Made SAM-e with a 3-month supply as well as a reusable water bottle and journal.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Nature Made and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review.”

ARGGH!

To top things off from my last post...I discovered on Monday that someone keyed my car!

It was no accident...they went from the back fender panel all the way to the front fender panel...and into the fiberglass trim.

UGH! Now I have to find someplace to fix this before the damage gets worse.

GEEZE! Learn how to shop already!

I know better...really I do, but sometimes life just gets in the way and doesn't allow me time to go to the grocery store until the weekend comes. And every time that I am forced to go to the grocery store on the weekend I am a frustrated as ever at the lack of common sense and pure stupidity of the others in the store!

First the parking lot: Folks they have these very nice things called cart corrals for holding the shopping carts. The reason they have these is to prevent shopping carts from hitting, scratching or otherwise being the the way of the cars. Please use the cart corral to return your cart or push the cart all the way back up to the store. Do not park your cart anywhere you want. Especially NOT BEHIND MY CAR!

Second: If you are going to have a reunion with someone you haven't seen in a while in the store and catch up on old times...believe it or not they provide a location for this too! It's called the coffee shop up front and it even has tables and chairs for you to take a load off your feet while you catch up on old times with your friend. This of course means that the middle of a shopping aisle is NOT the place for this reunion. Blocking of the aisles is frowned upon by everyone and is also a fire hazard.

Third: Parking your cart in front of a shelf full of food for you to go and decide what you would like over on the other side of the aisle is Not allowed (shoot, I'm writing the rules here!) Unless you don't mind someone moving your cart to say the loading dock of the store...don't leave your cart unattended.

Fourth: Speaking of carts... underage driving of carts is not allowed either. Children have NO business driving the shopping carts...especially on a busy weekend day. And while we're at it...Is is really necessary for you to bring the entire family with you on the weekend??? Having extra people with you crowds the store more, and just frustrates everyone. Make your list at home and go solo...trust me, it is much easier!

Fifth: Please do not talk on your cell phone and drive (your cart). Trust me...you can't really do it no matter who you think you are. And your conversations with those not in the store really bugs those of us who are in the store.

Sixth: Look around you before you rush up to that open register. There might be a line for it behind you that you just cut into...especially on a busy weekend.

And finally, please know how you intend to pay for your purchase before entering the store. Trying to figure that out after all your items rung up is really annoying to those of us who are waiting behind you...not to mention embarrassing!

(believe it or not I had 4 out of the six infractions listed above happen to me today. I've got to plan my week better!)