Frosted Flakes Gold

“Did they send you these to review?” asked Callie. “Because these are the best darn thing I’ve eaten in awhile.”

Frosted Flakes Gold is a new Olympics themed cereal that really is that good. Instead of the sugar coating that is on regular Frosted Flakes, Gold has a honey coating that adds a crispy sweetness that is really tasty.  I’m not sure that they give you energy as reported, but I don’t eat breakfast often enough and so when I do, I do feel a kick of energy. I like that the box talks a lot about fitness and things kids can do to be more active. It is a nice change from advertising the newest toy or movie.

I found myself grabbing handfuls of the cereal to snack on during the day. It would be a great cereal to pack in a ziplock bag and take with you in the car. It’s crunchy, not sticky and tastes great with or without milk.

Yummy.

Mamma Mia Contest!!

Mamma Mia! The movie is coming to theaters soon and the folks from Ponds are throwing a contest to celebrate the premiere!

If you are 40 years or older, then gather two of your girlfriends and make a video of you guys singing one of the listed songs from Mamma Mia! (woohoo Abba!!)

If you win, you get a trip to London to attend the world premiere of the movie!

You need to hurry because your videos must be uploaded by April 30th, which is Wednesday. If you are in the New York area, you can also go to a live audition on Monday, April 28th.  There is a number of the website for you to reserve your time slot.

You know I would totally be auditioning if I was a little older, so you guys need to carry the torch for me!

Townhouse Flipsides

As part of a Mom Central blog tour, I was sent a box of Townhouse Flipsides. Flipsides are “pretzel crackers.” They are pretzels on one side and a Ritz-like cracker on the other. They are a little unusual, but I really liked them. I like crunchy snacks, but I also like the taste of crackers, and having the pretzel there gave it the bit of crunch that I prefer.

Unfortunately, I only ate about two Flipsides, before my kids got ahold of the box and ate the whole thing. So apparently they are quite popular with the young ones! Flipsides would work great with dip because having the sturdier pretzel side makes dipping so much easier.

Flipsides are an unusual, interesting snack that combines two of the favorites of crunchy snack foods…I’d give it a try.

Dare to Wear White

Mom Central recently sent me some interesting information about NovaSure, a procedure that can eliminate heavy periods.

Here is the info:

Mom Central recently surveyed more than 1,300 “everyday moms” who indicated they have heavy periods and discovered some astounding insights: 
·    75% of women reported that their heavy periods negatively impact their quality of
     life by disrupting their family and social life, regular activities, and moods. 
·    Almost 60% said that their periods negatively affect their sexual relationships.
·    And what’s worse, more than 50% of women with heavy periods said that they dread
     leaving the house on their worst days.

Does this sound familiar to you or someone you know?

 

Many women think their heavy periods are normal or assume that there’s nothing that can be done about them. Other women worry that the only options are hormones or a hysterectomy which is a major surgical procedure that removes the uterus. So, the majority of women learn to cope by planning their lives around their prolonged and often unpredictable cycles.

As a practicing nurse practitioner, I have been recommending a solution that you need to know about!  For women with heavy periods who have completed childbearing,  there is a non-hormonal, one-time minimally invasive procedure that typically takes less than five minutes to complete and can eliminate heavy periods - the NovaSure® Endometrial Ablation System. The NovaSure procedure has helped more than 650,000 women since it was first introduced in 2002. And, the results are outstanding!

Clinical trial results show that more than 9 out of 10 women who have had the NovaSure procedure returned to normal or lower than normal levels of bleeding, and about 40% had no periods at all. In addition, 93% of women treated with the NovaSure procedure were satisfied with their results, and 97% said they would recommend it to a friend. The NovaSure procedure can be done in the comfort of a doctor’s office or an outpatient setting without general anesthesia, and most women return to their busy lives the next day. As with any procedure, there are risks and side effects that should be discussed with your physician.

While the NovaSure procedure is a safe, simple, and effective solution for heavy bleeding, our survey revealed that only 14% of women know about this treatment option. The NovaSure procedure changes women’s lives!

I know many people who have suffered from very heavy periods. Having a heavy period can really effect your quality of life.

There is a great site that can help you learn more information about how to deal with heavy periods, as well as get support from others who understand. The site is Dare to Wear White. And if you suffer from heavy periods AND you are done having biological children, you can take a survey. The first 250 women who take it will get a $10 Amazon gift card!

Periods are bad enough anyway, so why suffer more than you have to??

Breakfast Breaks

If you are anything like me, you have kids rushing everywhere in the morning. In all that shuffle, breakfast can sometimes get lost. Countless studies have pointed to breakfast as being one of the most important meals of the day, especially for growing kids.

Breakfast BREAKS are a convenient way to provide breakfast for your kids on the go. They come with a bowl of cereal, a juice box of 100% juice, and a snack like a breakfast bar. They also have a spoon, napkin and moist wipe. All you need to do is add milk.

Not only are they convenient, but they can help provide your kids with a healthier breakfast. The individual packages of cereal have the correct portion that your child needs to eat.

Even if your kids reguarly eat breakfast at home or at school, having a few Breakfast BREAKS around is a smart idea. They are perfect for a quick meal before soccer practice or for the drive to school when you forget to set your alarm and are running late. They don’t need to be kept cold, so you can pop one into your diaper bag for a quick snack when your little ones are stuck waiting for your older child to finish gymnastics practice.

And if you have older girls, they will love that the Jonas Brothers are affiliated with Breakfast BREAKS. Head over to the Breakfast BREAKS website to enter to win the Breakfast like a Superstar sweepstakes.

For more information about Breakfast BREAKS, check our their website.

Cranium Bloom

I was sent two great games to check out by Cranium Bloom. The first is called “Let’s Play Count and Cook.” It has a small gameboard which you move pieces around and land on different ingredients. It also has a “recipe” book…if the ingredient you land on is part of the recipe, you get to put the piece on the board. The game is designed for children three and older, but Snowbaby was able to help match up the pieces as we went along. It is a simple game that helps work on the skills of matching, counting, and taking turns.

The other game we got was Let’s Go to the Zoo. This game has a large puzzle to put together. It also has a little flip book with things to locate in the puzzle, such as “Something that starts with an M.” To help out the younger kids, it has a picture of what you are looking for (the monkey and the map.)

Callie played this game with Bubba, and she had fun setting it up and circling what he found with the enclosed dry erase marker. This is the type of toy that you can play many different ways. You can search through the puzzle, or simply put the puzzle together without looking for the items. You could even take the flipbook with you to the real zoo and search for the things there.

The puzzle was hard for Bubba to put together because it has quite a few pieces, but he was really excited about locating the different things. The games are well-constructed and look like they would stand up well to frequent use. I really liked that there were options to the game play. This allows you to tailor the games to your own children’s needs.

You can see all the Cranium Bloom games at the Cranium site.