Giveaway: Retro Big G Cereal and Target Gift Card

I am a child a of the 80s. I will fully admit to that. I had the Cabbage Patch Kids and played with Rainbow Brite and wore leg warmers and more. My first video game was my Atari system, and I played Asteroids and tennis for hours on end. It was a little different from the video games the wee ones have today, but I loved them anyway.

I'll always have a soft spot for the 80s, and I strongly suspect - no, I know I'm not the only one. General Mills is getting in on the trend and now has retro Big G cereals at Target through mid-March. Participating cereals include Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (17 oz.), Lucky Charms® (16 oz.), Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Cheerios® (18 oz.) and Cocoa Puffs® (16.5 oz.). Those cereals have special packaging that includes classic 80s Atari games on the back of the boxes. How fun!

(Ok, seriously no idea why my photos keep going sideways here - they are right side up on my computer and when I edit them!)

And yes, Mister Man picked up the box right away and started tracing the maze in Asteroids on the back of the Honey Nut Cheerios® box. He was entranced.

(Don't ask my why this is sideways. It's correct on my computer, and I can't for the life of me get it to go the right way on the blog - sorry!)

Mister Man's first question was if he could play the games I used to play. While I no longer have our Atari system - or the joysticks with just the one red button - part of the package I received included a code to download "Atari 80 Classic Games in 1." So yes, Mister Man was able to explore some of the games I grew up playing. This is a download for my PC only and includes games from Centipede (he loved it) to Haunted House (which I don't remember ever playing). The game is available on the Atari website for $9.99. Looking through their site, it's amazing how much Atari has changed and grown from that game of Asteroids I first played!

Check out all the different activities on the backs of the General Mills cereals. There are five different activities you can find on retro boxes. Tell me you aren't singing the theme to Karate Kid right now. Are you still with me, or have you already headed out the door to Target to pick up a box or two?

Don't head out just yet. I have a package exactly like what I received to give away. So what do you have to do to win the two boxes of cereal, $10 Target gift card, and code to download the Atari games? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count! That means that please please please leave your contact information. If I cannot get ahold of you, you cannot win!

This giveaway is open until Friday March 9 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: What was your favorite thing about the 80s?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Are you a child of the 80s? Enter the retro Big G cereal and $10 Target GC #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/zk3qNZ #myblogspark" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a box of the two retro Big G cereals and a $25 Target gift card courtesy of Target, Atari, and General Mills via MyBlogSpark. I received no compensation, and all opinions remain my own.

Giveaway: General Mills Whole Grain Cereals

I try to eat somewhat healthfully. We'll ignore the s'mores Mister Man, my husband, and I made for dessert out of Trefoil Girl Scout cookies. It's a one time thing. Generally, we try to focus on what we're eating - which is why I make a lot of foods from scratch. I can't always do that for breakfast - much as I'd love to, I love my sleep more.

In the mornings, I want to make sure that we're starting our day off right, and part of that means getting in whole grains. That's is some of why cereal has typically been more of a treat than an everyday item in my house. But did you know that five General Mills cereals have whole grains as the first ingredient?

Why yes... yes, they do. Seven General Mills cereals, including Cheerios®, Lucky Charms®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Honey Nut Cheerios®, and Total® all have whole wheat or whole oats listed as the first ingredient. (Ingredients on packaging are listed in order of prevalence. The first item is the most common and the last has the least of it in the item.) Even better for my family, three of these five cereals use real sugar as the sweetener, too, something that makes Mister Man very happy.

While General Mills has also introduced the white check that shows the amount of whole grain in a serving of the cereal. The General Mills cereals with the white check let you know that there is more whole grain in there than any other ingredient. That said, claims on labels are not regulated, so always read the ingredient list first to see what's really in there.

Personally, I love seeing that more and more food manufacturers are responding to consumers' demands for foods that contain more whole grains and other recommended dietary changes. I've taught the wee ones to read labels, and you should see Mister Man's face light up when he sees a cereal like this that he's able to eat and feel good about.

And the nice thing about these cereals? To me - and to the wee ones - they still taste good. Adding whole grains doesn't mean that they taste like cardboard. Far from it, in fact. I had zero complaints from the wee ones, and to me they tasted exactly the same as they always have. And that's a good thing.

Learn more about whole grains and why they matter at the Whole Grain Nation site. While there, you can also play a Fast Lane for Whole Grain game to win all 50 plus Big G cereals.

Ready to try out the five General Mills cereals made with more whole grain than any other ingredient? You can... I have a prize pack of these cereals to give away. So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count! That means that please please please leave your contact information. If I cannot get ahold of you, you cannot win!

This giveaway is open until Thursday March 8 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: Which of the five General Mills cereals featuring whole grain as the first ingredient would you choose first?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "I entered to win a General Mills prize pack #giveaway from @honestandtruly. Have you? http://bit.ly/xpy3cP" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a box of each of the five cereals as described above courtesy of General Mills via MyBlogSpark. I received no compensation, and all opinions remain my own.

Winners!

First of all, shame on me. I've been delinquent in posting my winners. My apologies. They have all been contacted and received their prizes - or at least they should be on their way.

Now that I'm recovered from Blissdom and hopefully over the deadly malaise I've had for the past week, I am posting some more giveaways quickly.

First, however, winners....

The Dulce de Leche gift pack courtesy General Mills and MyBlogSpark was soccermom1.

The $25 American Express gift card from NutritionPossible.com and Centrum via One2One Network went to Cheryl from the Lucky Ladybug.

And the tickets to the Chicago Girls Night Out benefiting Go Red for Women went to Maria from A Savings Wow!

Congrats again to all the winners!

Review: Costco.com 4X Pro-B Probiotic

Did you know my sister's getting married in May? She is, and I'm in the wedding. Yay me. Why am I mentioning this? Trust me, it has something to do with a short, strapless, yellow satin bridesmaid dress I will be wearing (yes, there's a post coming on that, too). Satin is not my friend, so I'm doing my best to ensure that I look as little like Tweety Bird as possible that night.

I'm doing what I can now to take care of myself, and that includes my inside as well as my outside. When there was a shoppertunity as part of Collective Bias for Costco.com (one of my favorite places ever) to try out a probiotic, I jumped on it. The wee ones take probiotics daily, but - as usual - I'd neglected myself. And yes, my digestive health will absolutely make a different in how I look in that satin yellow dress come May 19.

I talked a bit about my shopping experience for the 4X Pro-B probiotic on Google+ earlier, but let me reiterate that shopping on Costco.com is easy - and fun. I always find something new, and when I'm searching for something in particular, it's easy as pie - especially knowing that shipping is included in the price of the vast majority of items.

The Costco.com site includes all the information about 4X Pro-B that I wanted to know, from what strains are included to what allergens it might contain to why I should take a probiotic. Did you know why you should take a probiotic?

As part of my effort to work on my digestive care, there are some things that I'm doing differently - or at least focusing on more than I was previously. I love projects like this that remind me of the things I should be doing already.

First, I'm taking the 4X Pro-B probiotic daily. It hasn't been that long since I started taking it, so I can't comment on its longer term benefits, but already I'm feeling a little more energized, possibly because there has been some more movement if you know what I mean (and for your sake and mine, I'm saying no more on that topic for the moment). I'm looking forward to the differences I see in my digestive health in the coming weeks.

Part of my changes are the things that I'm not doing. For example, I have a standing weekly meeting for the gala at my son's school (ironically, also on May 19 but we won't discuss that conflict now either). It's right after dropoff, so I usually stop and pick myself up a cup of coffee. Except that I happen to not like the taste of coffee, so I get something that has lots of other ingredients in it making it taste yummy, but unfortunately also adding a ton of empty calories that do nothing good for me. And that's breakfast. This is one of those things that I'm not doing now. Instead, I'm filling up my 40 ounce water bottle and bringing along a bowl of homemade granola or some Greek yogurt with fruit preserves. My barista misses me, I'm sure.

Other things I'm cutting out? Well, I have to admit that I spent last week at Blissdom. Everything I ate wasn't the most healthy. I was pretty good at breakfast eating granola and fruit, and I filled up on veggies when they were offered (loved the Lorax party where all the offerings were either fruit or veggies). But it wasn't all good. We'll pretend like the potato bar incident didn't happen. And every night and party had drinks - but I didn't use all my drink tickets, so that's good. Gorgeous vodka drink? I won't be seeing you very often anymore!

Then there's the plus side. The Costco probiotic isn't - and can't be - the only addition to what I'm putting in my body. Rather than adding supplement after supplement, I'm trying to actually get my daily dose of veggies and fiber via my food. Fruit has never been a problem for me, but much as I love veggies, I don't tend to be good about preparing them. Now? This is a focus. The other night I had a tiny cheeseburger and a massive plate of homemade sweet potato fries that was probably twice as big as the cheeseburger. And the other night? I made roasted brussel sprouts. They're one of my favorite vegetables, but I rarely make them because I can't convince the wee ones that they're yummy. New attitude? That's more for me. The day I got home from Blissdom, I ate an entire bowl of brussel sprouts all by myself. And I was happy.

I'm also focused on getting my exercise. While I'm pretty good about going to the gym two to three times a week, it's what I don't do regularly the other four to five times a week that I'm working on. I have a Kinect and several games that make me sweat. And I'm using them - even if it's only for ten or fifteen minutes. I also have a group of friends who go walking with me. Though it's winter in Chicago and we can't go on our trail right now, we've decided to find an alternative rather than meeting for breakfast instead of our weekly walks. So my new Dr. Scholl's shoes? They're getting use. Can you see that the label inside is already being worn away because I've been putting the miles on them?

I'm also making sure that I'm not being lazy about my cooking. I'm not using the excuse that I'm running here, there, and everywhere with the wee ones to "cheat" with dinner. While we don't eat out or order out often, I will do a quick chicken salad with canned chicken or PB&J sandwiches for dinner. Instead, I'm using my crockpot for the nights when I know I won't be home until the tiny tummies are screaming for food. And I'm making a lot more soups where my base is grated onion, carrots and celery - even when it isn't necessarily called for, knowing that as my soup starts cooking, I can and will puree the veggies, getting all of us lots more fiber and taste.

What kinds of changes are you inspired to make when you start taking your first baby steps?

In the interest of full disclosure, this shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias As always, all opinions are my own.

Giveaway: Dulce de Leche Cheerios Package

When it comes time to get the wee ones up and out the door, I always feel like I'm behind. The start to the day for us frequently portends how the rest of the day will go. If we don't get it started right, we can kiss the day goodbye. That's one of the reasons a good breakfast is something on which I don't compromise. It isn't always the same thing, but I require that it's something that incorporates protein (yay scoops of peanut butter) and whole grains - and is something the wee ones will eat.

The majority of the time, the wee ones eat oatmeal. They love it, but sometimes they want something different. I was recently sent a box of a new Cheerios flavor - dulce de leche. It was perfect for us, as the wee one are fascinated by all things dulce de leche thanks to her Spanish class. She so wanted to try the dulce de leche Girl Scout cookies she was selling but couldn't because they contain dairy. Let's just say there was a little light in her eyes when she realized the Cheerios don't have any dairy and she could eat them. Me? I was happy with the 19 grams of whole grains per serving offered by the Dulce de Leche Cheerios.

The wee ones couldn't wait to try them out. We had to flip for who got to eat them out of the super cute bowl that also came with the cereal package I received from MyBlogSpark. I do wish that the only sweetener used was pure sugar or agave, but this at least doesn't have any high fructose corn syrup - something my family avoids eating. That said, there are 6 grams of sugar per serving, far less than the yogurt the wee ones like. The bowl was happily scarfed up, and the wee ones are begging to see when they can have it again.

Of course, I didn't just leave it as a cereal to be eaten. Nope. I have a bake sale at Little Miss's school on Friday, so I decided to make a treat for it using the Dulce de Leche Cheerios. There are several recipes on the General Mills website using the new Cheerios flavor. I ended up choosing the Dulce de Leche Cheerios Bars, although of course I modified them a bit. I chose them partly because they looked and sounded really good and partly because I already had all the ingredients in my pantry. Or ummm most of them. I'll post my version of the recipe on Honest & Truly! for tomorrow's Tasty Tuesday.

They turned out really, really good. I am currently working to fight my husband off eating them so that we have enough left for the bake sale. Wish me luck!

Want to win a prize pack like I received with a box of Dulce de Leche Cheerios, a beautiful bowl, a spoon, and a dulce de leche scented candle? You can...So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Monday February 20 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: What Dulce de Leche recipe would you try with your box?


Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "I entered to win a Cheerios Dulce de Leche prize pack #giveaway from @honestandtruly. Have you? http://bit.ly/AgBdr1" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a sample prize pack as described above and the recipes described courtesy of Cheerios and General Mills via MyBlogSpark. I received no compensation, and all opinions remain my own.

Giveaway: $25 American Express GC from Nutrition Possible

Every morning after I get the wee ones their breakfast and milk (or rice milk, in the case of Little Miss), I open our vitamin drawer. I hand over the Vitamin D and elderberry to boost their immune systems in the winter, Calcium-Magnesium to Little Miss since she can't have dairy, fish oil to Mister Man to help boost his focus, multi-vitamins to both - and suddenly I feel like I'm going overboard. I want to do the right things for the wee ones and for me, but it's hard to know what to do, especially when there are so many options out there.

With them, I make sure I've figured out at least some of it. For me, well... I gave up on me. It's just too confusing. Proof? This is the vitamin section at my store. I can't even truly call it an "aisle" because it encompasses multiple aisles. Frequently, even if I narrow down what vitamin I'm looking for, there are multiple dosages available, adding to the confusion. As I stood here yesterday, I actually watched two different people stand in the aisles holding vitamin bottles comparing them back and forth, trying to figure out what they should choose.

See what I mean? Seriously, that's a lot of health being sold every day!

I was recently asked to take a nutritional assessment on Nutrition Possible. The assessment was fairly thorough, I thought, asking about everything from how much I exercise to what foods I eat to my biggest concerns and more. In the end, the goods news is that I get high marks for several areas including fruits and veggies. Phew! I was surprised that my seafood intake needs to increase more. I thought I was doing sort of ok there, but apparently that lobster risotto I chose to eat last night was the right move! Whole grains was my other area where I fell short, which is mostly because I eat few grains most days altogether. Oops. It's a good reminder.

In the end, the assessment recommended three Centrum supplements (yes, Nutrition Possible is a Centrum promotion) for me. There was a multi-vitamin, one with phytonutrients, and Omega-3. It was nice to see not just what supplements Nutrition Possible recommended for me based on my assessment but also how much of each I should be taking. That definitely takes out a lot of the confusion and guesswork.

Did I mention that by taking the assessment, I also received a coupon for $10 off any Centrum Pronutrients supplement with purchase of a Centrum Multi-vitamin. The coupon is mailed to me, so I haven't started any new regiments yet!

Beyond just supplements, the assessment's results also recommended other changes. To increase my suggested foods, there was a list provided of foods I could eat more often. And if I'm not into that wheat English muffin? I can simply click the little "x" and it disappears to be replaced by something else - quinoa in this case. Yum, I forgot about how much I love quinoa! There were also suggested activities from dance moves to snacking on nuts instead of chips, with each one showing the benefits I receive from indulging in that activity. It's actually sort of fun, and as I make changes to my diet and activities, I can update my assessment to reflect those changes and get new recommendations.

Are you ready to get un-confused, too? Oh, and while doing so, do you have any interest in winning a $25 American Express gift card? I thought so. So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Monday February 13 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner. Check here for a full list of rules.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: What did the Nutrition Possible assessment show you were lacking that came as a surprise to you?

Note: if you try the link and it doesn't work well, try clicking on "create your plan" near the top under main menu and the page will load. I had the same issue!

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Want to win a $25 AmEx GC from NutritionPossible.com? Enter @honestandtruly's #giveaway http://bit.ly/w565WR" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am participating in a sponsored campaign hosted by One2One Network. I received incentives and am eligible for prizing. While all opinions stated are my own, I make no claims about NutritionPossible.com as a product or its effectiveness.

Giveaway: Chicago Girls Night Out Benefitting Go Red For Women

Did you know that my mom has a leaky heart valve? Did you know that my grandmother suffered from a coronary microvalve disease, much of which led to her decline in health and, ultimately, her death? It's genetic. Like as not, this is an issue I'll face, too. I'm not alone, as heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. That comes as a surprise, doesn't it?

I remember the first year I heard this, and mentally I started reeling off diseases that I thought were more prominent, that I heard about more. Well, I may be hearing about them more, but heart disease is what kills us women. February is now National Go Red month that focuses on raising awareness of this oh so frequently silent killer. The American Heart Association is behind the "Go Red for Women" campaign, and there are local events all over the country in support of it.

In Chicago, we have a Girls Night Out at Alhambra Restaurant where all ticket proceeds benefit the "Go Red for Women" campaign. On February 29, you can join Sassy Moms in the City and many others (yours truly included) at an event along with WBBM Newsradio, K-HITS, and B96 from 7-10pm. The $30 ticket price includes red carpet treatment, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, swag bag filled with goodies, mini spa services, a fashion show, and more. Attendees are also encouraged to bring gently used professional shoes and handbags to donate to Dress for Success. Those donations will be accepted from 6-10pm at Alhambra.

I have to say that I attended the event last year, and it was a blast. I can't wait to go this year. And you can join me and Sassy Moms in the City along with WBBM Newsradio, K-HITS and B96 for this fun and charitable event on Wednesday, February 29th. So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

When entering, please be sure you can attend the event on Wednesday February 29 at Alhambra! I don't want this tickets to to go waste.

This contest is open until Thursday February 16 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner. Winners must be confirmed by February 17.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: who in your life has been touched by heart disease?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Join @SassyMomChicago at the #GoRed #GNO 2/29 in #chicago. Win tix via #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/zmdWBk #spon" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received two complimentary tickets to attend the event courtesy of Sassy Moms in the City. I was not compensated for this campaign. As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.