Review: Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Gold

I remember the Tony the Tiger commercials from when I was a kid, but didn't realize he was still the spokes-tiger for Frosted Flakes until we received a box from Kellogg's recently.

Frosted Flakes Gold are very crunchy and have a definite honey-taste to the flakes. They were a big hit with my kids -- the box was empty in just a couple days.

I found it a little amusing that the boys were both impressed with the verbiage on the box stating that it would give them "long-lasting energy." One word that I often use to describe N is "energetic," and he was all about a cereal that would give him even more energy. We took some time to talk about how foods give us energy and were able to create a nice little lesson around it.

Kellogg's has created a site with lots of information about healthy eating, exercise and ideas to stay active. They've partnered with ESPN for a contest and also have freebies and fun downloads on their site www.frostedflakes.com.

Thanks again to Kellogg's and Mom Central for the opportunity to try this new cereal!

sweet boy

My boys have been feeling under the weather the last few days. I don't think it's anything serious -- a fever, body aches and lethargy. We've been encouraging plenty of liquids, plenty of rest and doses of Motrin.

It's 8PM and N crawled into bed a few minutes ago and fell asleep almost immediately. C went into N's room and came back out saying "N can't be tucked in already! We haven't said prayers!" And, then, he went back in and said our evening prayers over his brother so he could be properly tucked in.

$62.67

That's how much it cost me this morning to fill our minivan with gasoline. I haven't filled the tank in a long time (instead I put in 7-10 gallons at a time), but with the prices continuing to rise, I decided I may as well fill it when the gas was only $3.35/gallon.

ONLY $3.35/gallon.

Ouch! I realize it costs more in other places, and I realize that as Americans we've been "spoiled" with inexpensive gasoline for a long time. But, it still hurts. Living where we live, there isn't public transportation and we're not within walking distance to stores. I am fortunate that we do have grocery stores within 5 miles, but I have cut our driving so much in the last couple years that I can't cut it any more. I remember feeling the pinch when gas was $2.25/gallon and curtailing many of our playdates with friends who lived more than 15 miles away!

I combine our errands as much as possible, and try to stay home as many days as possible to avoid driving. I really don't know how else to cut our gasoline needs at this point!

birthday celebrations

L turns one on Tuesday. We're not having an extravagant party -- just a simple celebration with us and my sister. Which is actually happening tomorrow, since we never know if DH will be home for dinner during the week.

On Tuesday, we're meeting her godmother & her son for lunch. And, then we'll celebrate again when my parents are in town in early May.

I picked up a sweet little pink birthday crown -- which I'm hoping she'll wear long enough for at least one picture! LOL! My sister bought her an adorable pink dress with cupcakes along the border. I need to get busy and make some cupcakes for tomorrow's dessert!

It's hard to believe that a year ago today I was on bedrest and worried about her (and my) health. In many ways, it seems the year has flown by and I haven't accomplished much -- but then I look at her little sturdy self, getting ready to take her first step any day now, and I realize I've accomplished a great deal in just caring for her and her brothers.

Review: Special K Bliss Bars

L turns one next week and I haven't lost any weight in months. In fact, I've gained a few pounds back, which is frustrating. Well, I guess it would be frustrating if I was actually working towards losing weight! BUT, I am working towards losing more weight and I was thrilled when Kelloggs sent me 2 boxes of their new Special K Bliss Bars.

These bars are only 90 calories, and they have a chocolate coating on the bottom! They are made of puffed rice cereal and fruit bits, and are lighter than a granola or protein bar. There are 2 flavors -- orange and raspberry.

I tried the orange bars first and was pleased with the orange flavor. It wasn't too strong, but it was clearly orange (which I love.) Later the same day, I tried a raspberry one and liked that, too! If I had to pick one over the other, I would choose orange -- but I will happily eat both flavors.

These are perfect for me to throw in my diaper bag or purse so I can have a quick snack while we're out. I have a sweet tooth, and tend to want chocolate or other sweets when I'm stressed. This bar is a great alternative to a full-size candy bar!

messy eating

I try to enjoy all the different stages kids go through. On my third, though, I have to admit that this early self-feeding stage is one of my least favorite stages.

L prefers to feed herself. She doesn't want to be spoon-fed, and will spit out anything I try to put in her mouth via a spoon. If it's on her tray, and she can pick it up and feed it to herself, however, she loves it.

This means that every mealtime is a big mess. These are the days when I really miss nursing 42 times a day. It was much simpler when all I had to do is latch her on and wait for her to finish. Nowadays, I have to figure out what she can safely eat, prepare it, try to keep a bib on her, watch her make a mess of herself and 5 feet around her, then clean her up.

She still nurses, too. So, if I'm not preparing, feeding or cleaning up after a meal -- I'm nursing her. Honestly, it feels that way lately. Between her and the boys (who really are just fine -- and good at helping and getting food for themselves and picking up after themselves -- but they can't do it ALL by themselves) I don't know how I manage to eat.

I talked to a friend today who was shocked that someone gave her almost two year old a french fry. He's her first child (she's currently pregnant) and she has made sure he has never had any fried foods, and very few sweets. He had his first cookie just a month ago (and that was only 1/2 a cookie.) The thought of being that vigilant exhausts me. I'm glad L eats a few french fries and 1/2 a hamburger when we stop at Wendy's after the boys' enrichment program. That's one less meal I have to prepare and clean up after!

Review: Wild Animal Crunch Cereal

Kelloggs (through MomCentral) sent us a free box of their new cereal, Wild Animal Crunch. They have teamed up with Animal Planet and have created this yummy cereal with tons of information about animals on the box.

My boys loved the box. We received a box with polar bears on the front, and my boys spent some time remembering the polar bears we saw at the Milwaukee Zoo last summer. C immediately turned the box around and began reading the animal facts and wanted to complete the crossword puzzle.

The cereal has a slightly sweet flavor and has a soft feel. The cereal is shaped like dolphins, elephants and turtles -- but I only know that because I read it on the inside of the box. L liked the cereal the best, and the boys said they would eat it, but preferred more crunch to their cereal. C almost didn't try it because the cereal is vanilla-chocolate flavored and he's on an anti-chocolate kick at the moment. He did try it, however, and said he couldn't really taste any chocolate, so it was okay. The flavor of the cereal is very mild.

I like Kelloggs "Nutrition at a Glance" labeling on their boxes. It is nice and large print giving the basic information about each serving, including the percentages of "guideline daily amounts." A 3/4 cup serving of this cereal has 100 calories, 1g fat, 130mg of sodium, 8g sugar, 3g fiber and 15mg of Vitamin C. You can still find all the detailed nutritional information on the side panel -- but these days I need a magnifying glass to read that fine print! I really appreciate being able to quickly see how much fiber and sugar is in each serving!

You can see that L enjoyed it!

Another Novena to St. Joseph

I'm starting a novena to St. Joseph today and thought I'd share the prayers for anyone interested.

I will include in my prayers all those with employment intentions, as well as my dear husband and our family!

The novena I'm saying can be found here.

A few travel tips

I thought I'd post a few of the things I learned (or was reminded of) during our recent travel.

• Wear clothing with pockets for going through airport security! This is something I didn't do, and almost lost my photo ID as I was trying to keep track of my kids, our carry-ons, the baby, the boarding passes and the stroller. Thankfully, a kind TSA agent found it and caught up with me so I didn't end up stranded in NC. If I had been wearing something with pockets, I could have slipped it into my pocket.
• Buy diapers when you arrive. Carry only enough diapers for your travel (plus 3 more) and buy diapers at your destination.
  
• Let your older children (ages 4 and up) carry their own carry-on. My boys carry a backpack and do a great job of keeping track of it.
  
• Pay careful attention to what is packed in the carry-ons. While my boys carry their carry-ons, I pack them. Each boy had their favorite stuffed animal, blanket, travel pillow, snacks, colored pencils, sketchpad, empty water bottle, book, MP3 player and DS. Everything they could possibly need for a 14 hour trip! (time it took between leaving our house, flying on 2 airplanes and then making a 2 hour drive to our destination.) I fill the water bottles once we get through security, and I carry those packets of powdered flavoring for my picky kids (okay, and me!)
• Take a stroller AND a sling if you're traveling with a small child. While L did sit in the stroller part of the time, we used it more often to carry our bags. I did have to put my maya wrap through the x-ray machine, though -- the ring wouldn't go through the security machine while I was wearing it. We gate-checked our stroller with no problems.
  
• Check your boarding passes so you understand where you're sitting. I did this before we got to the airport, but a man traveling with his 2 young sons obviously never even looked at his until they got on the plane. They had split them into 3 separate rows, which obviously wouldn't work! People were kind enough to move around so they sat together, but it could have been handled before they got on the plane.

I know I'll think of more, but that'll do it for now!

amazing video

I rarely post links to videos, but this one really touched me.

I owe my life to my courageous mother, who was encouraged (by her parents, her doctor, her priest) to choose an abortion instead of give birth to me. I am very grateful that she chose to give me life.