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Kellogg’s Apple Jacks and Froot Loops plus Fiber

Posted on November 22, 2009 10:01 pm by TheAngelForever

Growing up, I do not think I ever heard the word fiber. I can not say the same for my six year old son. He is very aware of foods that are high in fiber and why we eat them. Does that mean that he gets enough in his diet? No, he probably does not get enough fiber in his diet. TechyDad and I work very hard to try to offer the boys healthy food options that are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber.

I recently was asked by Mom Central and Kellogg’s to try the new Apple Jacks and Froot Loops with fiber. I agreed to do this with my family since it was something that intrigued me as a parent. We were sent two boxes of the Apple Jacks with fiber and an original box of Froot Loops to taste test with the new Froot Loops with Fiber.

More about Kellogg’s Apple Jack and Froot Loops with fiber from Kellogg’s:

Kellogg’s® Froot Loops® and Apple Jacks® cereals are making fiber fun!

Sometimes it isn’t easy to keep your kids healthy with foods they love to eat. Fiber usually isn’t something that’s a part of a "fun" meal and studies have shown that 9 out of 10 kids don’t get enough fiber in their diets.

Now there’s a cereal that your kids already know and love that also provides 3 grams of fiber in every serving-Kellogg’s® Froot Loops® and Apple Jacks® cereals. So, when your kids are eating the fun breakfast they love, they’re also getting the added benefit of a little fiber in every bite. It’s just the way kids like it!

Fiber is a great way to keep your kids healthy.

Fiber is part of a healthy diet for all kids. It helps aid the digestive system and helps nutrients to be absorbed to turn food into the energy your kids need, keeping them going throughout the day. And starting kids out right with healthful eating habits, like including fiber in their daily diets, is a great practice that’s likely to continue into the future.

Kellogg’s® Froot Loops® and Kellogg’s® Apple Jacks® cereals now provide fiber. Kellogg’s Makes Fiber Fun™.

For more information about the benefits of adding fiber to your kids’ diet, visit kelloggsnutrition.com

Our thoughts:

When the boys saw the package arrive with the bright and colorful boxes of cereal, they were excited. First, we tried the Apple Jacks with Fiber.

NHL (6) enjoyed them and was able to convince JSL (2) to try a bowl along with him. Both of them gobbled up their cereal and asked to open the Froot Loops next. We had to explain that we were going to do a taste test with those boxes over the weekend. Additional Apple Jacks was poured into the bowls and the boys were happy. TechyDad and I also enjoyed the cereal. It was more of a sweet treat for us, but we liked that it included additional fiber that is crucial for all of us.

Last weekend, we did our Froot Loops taste testing. TechyDad poured bowls and asked NHL, JSL and I to try some of the cereal from each. We wanted to see if we could tell a difference in taste or if we liked one over the other.

NHL thought the tastes were pretty similar. In the end, he said he liked one a little more than the other. Which one did he select? It was the Froot Loops with fiber!
JSL liked both of them and being 2 really only wanted one thing – more!
TechyDad and I both thought that they were almost exactly the same. When pressed, we both liked one a little more than the other. One had a texture that we liked a bit more and was not quite as sweet (we’re adults – sad isn’t it?!). Like NHL, we liked the Froot Loops with fiber more.

Here is a close up photo of both of the Froot Loops mixed together.

Be sure to look for Apple Jacks and Froot Loops with fiber in a store near you.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Kellogg’s and received four boxes of cereal. I will also receive a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate. All opinions are my own, no other compensation was received.

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New MADD website – The Power of Parents

Posted on November 1, 2009 7:34 pm by TheAngelForever

My boys are still young right now. Still, I know my oldest (6), is very impressionable. When I fast forward to the future, I can not help but worry some. This is especially true when I think about having my boys out driving and being pressured by their peers to drink alcohol. The reality is that I need to start talking with my elementary age son about these items soon. I want to be the person he trusts and is able to have open communication with. I do not want either of my boys to learn information from a friend that is incorrect.

When I was teaching, one of the subjects that I taught was middle school Health. As we got the students ready for high school we often talked about peer pressure, the dangers of drugs and alcohol. To assist me, I often went to get resources from MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). On October 27, 2009, MADD launched their new website The Power of Parents: It’s Your Influence.

This website has been designed to help provide parents with key tips, information, and tools to help us at home. Right now, there are a lot of great resources for parents of high school aged children. Coming soon, they will be adding more information for elementary, middle school and college parents. I know that I look forward to seeing what they have to offer for my children in the near future. I hope that you will join in and support MADD in their crusade to save more lives each year.

MADD also has a wealth of information on the MADD Blog, along with their presence on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of MADD. A donation was made to MADD in my name to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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Listerine’s October Oral Care Challenge

Posted on October 27, 2009 12:56 pm by TheAngelForever

Growing up, I learned the importance of good dental care. My parents both had a lot of dental work and made sure that my brother and I took care of our teeth. We went to the dentist every six months, used fluoride pills, had fluoride treatments done each visit, and brushed and flossed every day. To say that I was afraid of getting cavities would be an understatement. Just before my 30th birthday, I went to the dentist. The hygienist told me that if I had never had a cavity before this, it was unlikely I ever would.

I should have made her take those words back!

Care to guess what happened next? Yes, I was told I had my first cavity and needed a filling. It was very small, but I was a 29 year old baby who was nervous and crying over this.

TechyDad and I have only had two cavities between us. The boys have been brushing their gums since they were infants with no teeth. Oral hygiene is important in our house and the boys know it.

October is a tough month on teeth. Thanks to Halloween, most of us eat a little (or lot) of extra sugary foods. Thanks to this fact, Listerine and Reach created the "October Oral Care Challenge" for kids 6 and older. NHL (6) and I signed up for the challenge when asked by Mom Central. To complete it, we had to brush, floss, and rinse every day, twice a day for two weeks.

Even before the challenge, we were brushing twice daily and are getting much better at making sure everyone flosses in the evening before bed (our one area of weakness when in a rush). This challenge was not something difficult for us since we often do this and were already using some of the products that were sent to try.

Unfortunately, I have to confess something. The October Oral Care Challenge has been tough for us for an unrelated reason. When the items arrived in the mail, I was just getting sick. I had the flu for a week. The next week, my little guy had the flu. We started the two week challenge just after that point and are finishing it now. Sad to say that now one of the other participants, NHL has the flu. We still make sure to brush our teeth when sick, since the bacteria and germs love the warmer temperatures from the fever. What goes out the window are the extra steps like using the Listerine Agent Cool Blue. On these days, we do the brushing to get it done right and quickly. We will definitely continue with this challenge once NHL is feeling better.

NHL was a big fan of the Listerine Agent Cool Blue. He liked swishing it around in his mouth and then looking in the mirror to see what was on his teeth. The blue tint left on his teeth allowed NHL to gain more independence and brush on his own. We could then look in and see how he did and help to finish the job if needed. We also learned through this challenge that it is time for NHL to do this on his own. Thanks to the advice from not only our dentists, but Dr. Kaneta Lott we know what items he should be doing at certain ages. You can read more about Oral Care Smarts here. We also loved the Reach Flosser’s. They helped us to get into the back teeth easier and even allowed NHL to work on flossing solo.

Teaching oral care with our children is important to us and will always be. Our boys have learned this thanks to lots of modeling (they often go with us to the dentist too). We will continue to head to the dentist every six months, as well as brush twice daily, floss and rinse. Be sure to get your Listerine Total Care Coupon & the Listerine Smart Rinse Coupon.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign for Mom Central on behalf of Listerine and Reach and received Listerine and Reach products for the Oral Care Challenge and a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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Where the Wild Things Are comes alive in IMAX

Posted on October 17, 2009 6:32 pm by TheAngelForever

Imagine being sent to your room because your mother calls you a wild thing. When you get there, you turn your anger into a creative adventure using your imagination. Suddenly, your bedroom is magically changing into another world. You are thrust into a world of wild things where you are crowned king.

This is the premise of Maurice Sendak’s 1964 Caldecott Medal winning book. For over forty years this book has been a classic that generations of parents and grandparents have shared with children. I still remember hearing this book on tape (perhaps record) in the library of my elementary school. Back in those days (early 80’s), we were thrilled that it came with a (*gasp*) film strip of the illustrations. Each time the little beep sounded, the librarian would move to the next exciting picture of Max on his adventure with the Wild Things.

On Friday, October 16th, Where the Wild Things Are: The IMAX Experience opened. Now you can take a special child in your life, or treat the child within to this new version of a 40 year old classic on film. To help and celebrate the release, IMAX is going to be starting a promotion just for their Facebook fans on Monday, October 19th. Each day of that week, two lucky fans who put the Where the Wild Things Are crown on their profile picture and comment on the IMAX Wall will be entered to win an exclusive IMAX Where the Wild Things Are poster, book, and a pair of IMAX movie tickets! The crown image and full intructions will be released on the IMAX Fan Page on Monday.

Thanks to Momfluence, I have an additional opportunity to offer my readers.

Two readers across all participating Momfluence blogs (about 30) will win a Where the Wild Things Are Prize Pack which includes the following:

An adult Where the Wild Things Are t-shirt (L or XL)
A kids Where the Wild Things Are t-shirt (size large)
A Where the Wild Things Are crown
An exclusive Where the Wild Things Are IMAX poster
Where the Wild Things Are book
A pair of IMAX movie tickets

To enter the contest please follow the two steps below:

Become a fan of IMAX on Facebook here: http://facebook.com/IMAX
Fill out the Momfluence secrure document here: http://bit.ly/1kjn8H

Please note: The contest ends Friday, October 23rd at 11:59 p.m. ET and is open to all legal U.S. residents age 18 years or older.

If you are on Twitter, please be aware that there will also be a Twitter party for this event – hashtag #IMAXWildThings – Monday from 9 to 10 p.m. ET. Even more prizes and tickets will be awarded during this time.

I know that I will be reading the book Where the Wild Things Are to both of my boys. With any luck, we will also take my six year old son to see the IMAX movie as a special treat in the next week. As a parent, teacher and kid at heart I look forward to seeing Sendak’s classic up on the big screen. Good luck to all those that enter the two contests!

Disclosure: As a Momfluence member, I was asked to help spread the word about the release of the IMAX Where the Wild Things Are movie and two related contests. I received no compensation for this post. As a bonus, I will be entered to possibly win a Momfluence blogger prize pack like the one being given away.

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Make time for CHANGE campaign

Posted on September 24, 2009 4:29 pm by TheAngelForever

Are you willing to raise your hand in order to help a child? As a teacher and parent, I have done this day in and day out. Still, I am going to pledge to do more. Here is me raising my hand with a pledge:

I pledge to read books to my children. I also will volunteer to go into my son’s school to help other children if they need assistance with reading. Nothing better than to put my expensive Master’s Degree to a good cause.

So, you are probably wondering what I am talking about. Here is more information.

Frigidaire recently announced their new partnership with celebrity mother Jennifer Garner. Jennifer and Frifidaire are kicking off their "Make Time for CHANGE" campaign to support Save the Children’s U.S. Programs.

For more than 75 years, Save the Children has been helping children survive and thrive by focusing on early childhood education, literacy and physical activity and nutrition programs.

Save the Children created the CHANGE program (Creating Healthy, Active, and Nurturing Growing-up Environments) to promote healthier lifestyles for children living in poverty by providing nutritious snacks and regular opportunities for children to be physically active.

Starting today, for everyone who goes to Frigidaire.com and raises their hand with a pledge to make time for a child, Frigidaire will donate $1 to support the CHANGE program and Save the Children’s work to help children in need in the U.S. In addition to that, everyone who pledges their time will be entered for a chance to win a new Frigidaire Professional double wall oven! For those looking for a new professional double wall oven, Frigidaire will donate $100 to Save the Children’s U.S. Programs as part of their commitment.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over now and make your pledge and help to make time for CHANGE.

Disclosure: As a member of Mom Select, I was asked to share the information about this campaign with my readers. Since I feel it is a wonderful cause I am doing this and have received nothing from Mom Select or Frigidaire. As a bonus, I am being entered into a contest to win another Frigidaire Professional Double Wall Oven.

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