Big G Whole Grain Cereal: Giveaway

In our house, most breakfasts consist of simple foods. We all like to sleep in until that last possible moment, so breakfast has to be quick, but filling.

For both my husband and little one, cereal is a go-to meal. Even at lunch time, they will occasionally request a bowl of cereal. But, I can't complain when many of the cereals they choose offer a good serving of whole grains.

Every Big G cereal contains at least 8 grams of whole grain per serving, with more than 20 Big G cereals delivering 16 grams or more. (At least 48 grams of whole grain are recommended daily.) A diet high in whole grain has been found to help with diabetes and weight management, and may help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
Big G cereals include:

• Cheerios
• Lucky Charms
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch
• Honey Nut Cheerios
• Fiber One
• Total

Studies have found that frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights. Plus, they consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters.

The Lean Belly Prescription by Dr. Travis Stork, MD and host of The Doctors, states that research has shown that belly fat carries more health risks than fat stored elsewhere. In his book, Dr. Stork offers the "Laws of Leanness," including:

If you love to graze: Nosh all day long on your favorite fruits and vegetables to help keep your belly full
If you love fatty foods: discover which fats can actually strip away pounds
If you love soda: substitute more delicious drinks that can help you lose up to four pounds in four weeks

The book contains other great tips as well, including how to eat out while watching your food intake, how to "eat the rainbow," and how to make skinny swaps. Plus, there are exercises, recipes, and activity guides.Win It: One lucky reader will win a copy of Dr. Storks book, The Lean Belly Prescription, and a coupon for a free box of Multigrain Cheerios

Mandatory entry: Tell me in the comments which Big G cereal you enjoy starting your day off with.

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Giveaway ends 3/31 at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be notified via email. Open to US only.

Thanks to General Mills for providing me with free product, information, and prize packs through MyBlogSpark. However, all opinions are our own.

Wordless Wednesday: Enjoying the Sun

Zippies ID Tag Review

Earlier this week Zippies arrived at our house with a bang. From the second I showed Little Man Zippies, he was in love.

Zippies are round, flexible ID tags with adorable little critters on the front. On the reverse side, there is space to write in your child's name and an emergency phone number. Each Zippies ID tag has a clip, as well as an elastic nylon cord, to allow you to sport a tag on just about anything.Attach them to:

• backpacks
• lunch boxes
• key chains
• belt loops
• luggage
• water bottles
• even necklaces

Zippies allows even the youngest kids to recognize their personal items, but they are fun enough to appeal to older kids (and us grown-ups) as well.

The first series contains 10 different critters. Tazmo, the tiger, was Little Man's favorite and is now attached to his backpack. Permanently--according to him. And as soon as soccer starts, we'll be designating another little critter to keep his water bottle safe too.
Buy It: Zippies sell for $4.98 each or $39.99 for the entire limited-edition first series. They can be ordered online at ZippiesFun.com or found at select retailers.

Product was provided for our review. All opinions are our own.

Fur and Feathers & Good Night, Little Sea Otter: Review

I am constantly on the hunt for new books to share with Little Man. It drives my hubby insane, but with two huge book lovers in the house, he has slowly gotten used to finding books tucked everywhere for easy access.

Recently, we had the chance to read two stories from Janet Halfmann. The first, Fur and Feathers follows a dream of young Sophia. In her dream, she sees a whirlwind of animals, all who have lots their fur, feathers, and scales. After trying to replace their skin coverings with her own clothes, she realizes the animals aren't happy. But with a little imagination and creativity, Sophia is able to create coats for all the critters.The story is a sweet tale of helping others and thinking outside the box. It's also accompanied by wonderful illustrations by Laurie Allen Klein. Little Man adored the story and enjoyed coming up with his own ideas on ways he would cover the animals with things around our house.

The second story, Good Night, Little Sea Otter, tells the tale of a little otter avoiding sleep. I think most parents out there could relate to a little one who "has" to say good night to everything imaginable before falling asleep. In the story, Little Sea Otter has to say good night to all the ocean creatures before he closes his eyes and mama tucks him into their kelp bed.
The adorable illustrations by Wish Williams bring Janet Halfmann's story to life. They are a perfect companion to the story, which is tender and loving. Little Man and I both enjoyed reading the story before bed, and he was sure he said good night to every single one of his stuffed animals afterward.

Buy It: Fur and Feathers and Good Night, Little Otter can both be purchased at Amazon

We were provided copies of the books for review. All opinions are our own.