Cereal, it's not just for breakfast

Cereal was always a breakfast staple in our house when I was growing up and thanks to my affiliation with MyBlogSpark, I was reminded why.

According to the people at MyBlogSpark, General Mills has reduced the amount of sugar in kids cereals to single digit grams per serving while increasing other nutrients, including calcium and vitamin D.  Also, cereal eaters typically consume less fat and more fiber than non-cereal eaters. 

A study conducted in 1998 showed that children children who ate breakfast performed better at school. They score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.  Given that cereal, including presweetened cereal, account for only 5% of sugar in children’s diets, to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child’s diet, and cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures, I think cereal is truly the "breakfast of champions."

But I don't think cereal should be just for breakfast.  Cereal delivers important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key nutrients in children’s diets.  It is a wonderful source of wholegrain, sometimes the only wholegrains a child may get in their diet.  Along with becoming more nutritious, cereal is also very affordable.  All this combined makes cereal not only a great breakfast choice, but a good snacking choice as well.  It isn't unheard of in our house for someone to have a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch for an afternoon snack or a bowl of Coco Puffs for dessert.

For a limited time, you can print a $1 coupon for one of four General Mills cereals.

The wonderful people at MyBlogSpark graciously sent me four VIP coupons each for a free box of General Mills cereal.  I will be giving away one coupon to a randomly chosen winner on Friday.  To enter, leave a comment about your favorite breakfast cereal by 12:00 pm MST Friday 1/22.

*VIP coupons, $1 coupon link, and information provided by General Mills and MyBlogSpark*

Rental Update

I received the check for my last $10 cash out on Toluna and it's now in the "rental vehicle" fund.  The fund now has $110 in it. 

If you are interested in earning a little extra spending cash, you should try joining online survey companies.  Toluna is one of many that I belong to.  I became a member when Toluna took over Your 2 Cents.  While they are not my favorite survey company, the do have a few things going for them.  Unlike a lot of survey sites, you can earn points by voting in polls, writing opinions, surveys and more.  You earn 500 points just for joining.  They send out a high volume of survey invitations.  The down side is that you never know how much a survey is worth, 99% of their survey invites say "be the instant winner of $? - $?".  3000 points is equal to $1 and there is a minimum cash out; $15 (45000) for a $15 VIP Gift Pass or $20 (60000) for a check.  I have only ever cashed out for checks and they do take the full 8 weeks to arrive.  It may not be the best out there, but they are decent and worth a look.  If you are interested in joining, visit Toluna and tell them Kris sent you.

Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off to Disney we go

Ok, can you tell I have Florida on the brain?!

I heard of a fantastic deal Disney is doing in 2010 that will enable us to visit at least 2 if not 3 theme parks on our trip to Florida next year.  We have rain checks that will get us a day at Busch Gardens.  We were already planning on Sea World since we haven't been there in a long time.  In fact, Chelsea and Nick have never been.  But now, thanks to a special deal Disney is offering, we will be able to add a Disney park as well.  Since this could quite possibly be the last family vacation with Matt and Steven, we want to really make it a big one, so a big thanks to Disney.

Now, if you haven't seen the commercials, visited Disney's website, or read other posts on the web, you probably don't have a clue what I am talking about.  So let me explain.  Disney is offering a free day at one of their parks in exchange for you volunteering for one day.  It's called Give a Day Get a Day.  Starting January 1, 2010, you can visit Disney's site to sign up for a day of volunteering.  Once you complete your day and it's been confirmed, you will receive a pass to get a free day at a Disney park.  The minimum age to participate is 6 years, so Nick's in.  Only one person per family can sign up, but they can sign up 8 additional family members.  Another cool feature is the ability to donate your ticket to certain charities if you don't plan on visiting the park.  Tickets are limited and there are some black out dates.  Visit Disney Parks to learn more.

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

Technically, we aren't leaving until summer of 2010, but I thought that would be a cute title.

Since moving to Idaho in 2001, we have traveled home to Central Florida every other year.  2010 is our year to fly home.  And while we are all very excited, there is one part to the trip I dread.....around town transportation.  We are a large family which always causes a problem with getting around while we are visiting.  We have to rely on our family to taxi us around which always means at least 2 cars.  And if they aren't playing bus driver for us, they are graciously lending us a vehicle or two.  I always feel guilty.  So for our next trip I have decided a rental car, or in our case a rental van, is the way to go.

We usually stay 10 days, and rentals for that amount of time don't come cheap, especially not vans.  Our vacation funds are usually pretty stretched from the airfare, amusement parks, souvenirs, and spending cash so I am setting a goal to pay for the rental from the money I earn taking surveys.  For the next 7 months, I am going to track my earnings and see if I can't pay for that rental with what essentially amounts to my time.

I have a current starting balance of $100.  That's amount left over from survey money I was using to pay for Nick's birthday party.  The surveys I take usually pay in 1 of 3 ways, Paypal (which I use to fund the older kids' lunch accounts), Amazon codes (which fund...well shopping sprees, like Nick's new Adidas that are on the way), and checks.  Now, while I could transfer the Paypal funds to our checking account, I am not going to do that.  I am only going to count cash payments.

Wish me luck!

11/10/09: $100

Household Helper Tip #1

Having 4 kids means having a ton of laundry every week.  I easily do 20 loads in a normal week.  I am always on the look out for easy, effective, and inexpensive ways to remove a variety of stains.  My latest find works better than anything I have ever tried for the removal of blood stains, common household peroxide.  So far it has removed set in blood on clothing that was washed and dried and on a fresh stain that was caught right away.  Simply pour a small amount over the blood spot and watch the peroxide bubble away the stain.  I have used peroxide on denim, whites, cotton, and colors and have not had any bleaching effect or other damage done to the material.  Even though I have not experienced any damage, I still recommend testing your article of clothing before pouring the peroxide over the stain. 

Coupon Tip

Coupons are great, as long as they don't stick to each other, or get lost, or you forget you have them, or...well you get the idea.  While I don't profess to be an expert, I do have a tip to share with you.  Instead of keeping your coupons in one of those little coupon caddies or an envelope, use a three-ring binder.  I use baseball card sleeves but you can use any plastic sheet protector, it just depends on what size works best for you.  I separate food coupons from non-food coupons putting duplicates together. I use the pocket on the back cover for full page coupons and restaurant coupons.  The front pocket is great for holding your shopping list and the coupons you are using for the items in your cart.  You can see your coupons at a glance, none get stuck together, and they stay neat and organized.  Now, on your way out the door, just grab your coupon book and you are all set.  Since I started using this method, I routinely save $30 to $50 when I shop.  While I am proud of being able to save that kind of money, I still have a lot to learn.  For tips on how to get the most out of your now organized coupons, visit either FrugalSuz or SwagGrabber.

Give Away - Fiber One

We Have a Winner!!!!

How fitting that the FiberOne prize pack goes to the number One comment?!

Dawn - I need to Confirm your mailing address

UPDATE:  Due to a scheduling conflict, I am extending the deadline for posting a comment to be eligible for the drawing to 6 pm MST. 

I have been trying to incorporate all the different nutritional advice I encounter into my diet.  One of the big things is getting enough fiber.  FiberOne has been a big help in getting my recommended 25 grams a day.  I love their yogurt.  Thanks to MyBlogSpark, I have a new favorite way to reach my fiber goal, FiberOne toaster pastries.  I love that not only do they contain 5 grams of fiber in one serving, but they have no trans fats and are lower in calories than the leading brand of toaster pastries.

Would you like to try FiberOne's toasters pastries for yourself?  MyBlogSpark also sent me a wonderful gift pack to give to one lucky person.

To enter, post a comment with your favorite way to get more fiber into your diet.  I will randomly draw a winner on Thursday at 2pm mountain time.