Glee Gum Review and Giveaway

My husband and I love chewing gum in fact we enjoy it so much my friends and family are always asking me what kind I think they should try next! Now I don’t call myself a gum gurue here but I do think a know a little bit about gum and I’m trying to cut down on my sugar intake since I’m on a diet and trying to loose weight but most of the “sugar free” gum on the market is chocked full of chemicals and not-so good for you ingredients. I recently ran across a gum called Glee Gum and I was lucky enough to get a chance to sample and review a few of their flavors, but before I get to that let me share a little bit about Glee Gum:

Glee Gum is all natural chewing gum made with sustainably harvested rainforest chicle. It comes in SIX great flavors: cinnamon, peppermint, tangerine, bubblegum, spearmint, and triple berry. Glee Gum is the #1 healthy alternative to synthetic chewing gum and bubble gum! With no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners (no aspartame), or preservatives, it's easy to chew Glee-fully!

Glee Gum is made with all natural ingredients including: pure cane sugar, rice syrup, natural flavorings and colorings. Our gum base has super chewy natural chicle harvested from Sapodilla trees in the rain forests of Central America.

Glee Gum is: Vegetarian, Additive Free, Lactose Free, Dairy Free, Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Casein Free, Egg Free, Yeast Free, Nut Free, and Peanut Free.
* All Glee Gum is soy free. Please note, however, that other products containing soy lecithin are processed in the same facility as Glee Gum.

Glee Gum has: all natural ingredients, rice syrup instead of corn syrup, natural chicle, delicious, long-lasting, and popular flavors: tangerine, peppermint, cinnamon, spearmint, bubblegum and triple berry.

Glee Gum does NOT have: artificial preservatives, artificial flavors, artificial colors, artificial sweeteners (e.g. aspartame, saccharin or cyclamate).

Here is the story of Glee Gum (from the website)

When you pop a piece of gum into your mouth, you're more likely to be concerned with its taste and bubble capabilities than with its history. But if you were to wonder about the origins of your gum, you'd have a lot more to chew on. The story behind chewing gum is a flavorful one, complete with an unlikely partnership between a famous Mexican general and an American inventor, wild get-rich-quick schemes, and the mastication habits of a lost civilization.

Chewing for pleasure goes back to the Ancient Greeks, who chewed on the resin of the mastic tree. The Maya, too, developed the custom well over a thousand years ago, chewing the coagulated sap of the Sapodilla tree, a treat known today as chicle. The Maya abandoned their cities for mysterious reasons around the year 800, but fortunately for us, they retained their custom of chewing chicle.
1869 marks the year that modern day gum products were born. The famous Mexican General, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (remember the Alamo?) was looking for a way to commercially exploit the properties of chicle. Unaware of its chewable virtues, Santa Anna originally hoped chicle could be exported as a rubber substitute, and passed it along to American inventor Thomas Adams. Adams found chicle unsuitable as a base for rubber, but realized its potential as a chewing gum after boiling it and rolling it in sugar. His boiled chicle vastly outsold all other varieties of gum available at the time, and thus revolutionized the industry.

The market for chewing gum has grown remarkably through the years, from a yearly consumption in the United States of 39 sticks per person in 1914 to 200 sticks per person today. However, almost all gum is now made completely from synthetic materials. Only Glee chewing gum, and some sold in the Far East contain chicle.

In Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize, chicle still represents an important part of the economy for the chicleros who harvest it. From September to January, a time of torrential rains, the chicleros hike out to remote parts of the rainforest, seeking either virgin chicle trees or those that were tapped several years before. They climb into the tree and make a series of cuts with their machete, taking care that they cut only deep enough to allow the white sap to bleed out, but not deep enough to expose the tree to insects or infection. Each tapping only yields about 2.5 pounds of gum over a six-hour period, and a chiclero will tap 6-12 trees a day in order to make his quota.

The movement for rainforest sustainability depends, in part, on non-timber forest products, advocating for renewable resources that can be made economically viable. Verve hopes that the forest can be more profitable standing than cut down.

Now there's something to chew on, along with your next piece of chicle-based gum!

My thoughts of the flavors I reviewed:



Cinnamon- This was by far my favorite of all the flavors I tried! It had a very pleasant cinnamon taste not to strong and not to little!



Spearmint- I also really liked the spearmint it had just the right amount of flavor and lasted a fairly long while!



Bubblegum- Ok so I think the name Bubblegum says it all! This flavor really reminded me of the old fashioned bubble gum that you can only find around Halloween!

So what’s my overall opinion of Glee Gums? Well I have to say they are great! I would defiantly recommend Glee Gum to my friends and family as well as all my readers! The have an awesomely old school gum vibe and that make it that much more awesome!

Want to buy it: You can get your very own packages of Glee Gum online HERE

Giveaway:

Glee Gum has offered to give 3 of my very lucky readers 3 packs of Glee Gum each.


Mandatory Entry: Go to the Glee Gum website and tell me something you learned that I have not mentioned here. Please remember to leave your e-mail address if it’s not visible in your profile.

Want or need extra entries? Check out how to grab em’ below! (Mandatory Entry must be complete for these to count)

1. Become a public follower of my blog (current follower cout too)

2. Follow me on twitter @sgrant2005 and tweet this giveaway (can be done daily)

3. Subscribe to my feed via a reader

4. Blog about this giveaway with a link to Glee Gum and this post and be sure to leave me a link(5 extra)

5. Become a fan of Glee Gum on Facebook (Leave Username)

6. Follow Glee Gum on Twitter

7. Become a friend of Glee Gum on Myspace

8. Become a follow of the Glee Gum Blog

Giveaway ends Jan. 27, 2010 @ midnight CST. Winner will be chosen at random, using random.org and contacted by e-mail and has 48 hrs to respond before a new winner is chosen.

This review is based strictly my opinion. Others may have a different opinion with the product listed above. I was sent a few samples of Glee Gum flavors for free for review purposes!

Zevia All Natural Soda Review and Giveaway

I am a huge soda lover but I’m also trying to be healthier this year so regular full calorie and sugar soda is way out of the question all they are is truly empty calories! So I have switched to diet soda and I know they still aren’t the best for you either since they are full of chemicals, dyes and artificial sweeteners! So what’s our choice to still have the fizzy flavorful taste during the day or late at night! Well I’ve found my new diet drink it’s Zevia an ALL NATURAL, ZERO CALORIE, soda! Zevia has no artificial colors, dyes or sweeteners, and has no calories, carbohydrates and little or no sodium. It comes in 6 great flavors, Natural Cola, Natural Orange, Natural Twist, Natural Root Beer, Natural Black Cherry, and Natural Ginger Ale. It’s sweetened naturally, with Stevia, which is a natural herb found in South and Central America, and Erythritol, a natural sugar alcohol found in fruits and veggies!!! Each can has 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 carbohydrates, 0 fiber and 0 protein.The ingredients in each can only consist of Stevia, Erythritol, Natural Caramel, Natural Tartaric Acid, Citric Acid, Kola Nut Extract,Natural Caffeine,Annatto, and Ginger Root.

Zevia soda is wonderful I have no com plants at all about drinking them other than the fact I’m about to have to reorder because I’m down to my last few! I was super lucky enough to receive a mixed case one of each flavor in a six pack for review! So I’m sure you all want to know what I thought of each of the flavors well here is my thoughts:


Natural Root Beer- This has to be my absolute favorite flavor out of all six that I tried! I think if you didn’t know what brand you were drinking you would think it was a very popular brand of Root Beer such as A&W!


Natural Cola- I tried this one next and boy it’s great it really does replace the need for a Dt. Coke because all the taste is there only much healthier for you!


Natural Ginger Ale- I loved this Ginger Ale it tasted just like the regular old fashioned Ginger Ale and you could definitely taste a hint of ginger in each taste! Very crisp and refreshing I would really recommend this soda if you were sick with a stomach bug to help settle your tummy!



Natural Orange- This had a very nice mild orange flavor not to much and not to little! Very nice for a change.


Natural Twist- Boy this one was good and refreshing it had a nice cooling sensation and a fresh cool lime flavor!


Natural Black Cherry- Very nice black cherry flavor and had a great amount of carbonation! This was the one my husband choose over the others I maybe got one can out of the six pack to drank and he scarfed the rest!

Overall, I have to say these are the best all natural diet soda I have ever tried and I will definitely be keeping some on hand and still be getting my “sweet fix” but this time it’s going to be healthy!

Want to buy it: You can visit the Store Locator to see where you can buy Zevia locally or you can buy Online

Giveaway:

Zevia has offered to give 1 of my very lucky readers the “Grand Prize” A mixed case of all 6 flavors and 2 “Runners-Up” a mixed six pack.



Mandatory Entry: Go to the Zevia website and tell me something you learned that I have not mentioned here. Please remember to leave your e-mail address if it’s not visible in your profile.

Want or need extra entries? Check out how to grab em’ below! (Mandatory Entry must be complete for these to count)

1. Become a public follower of my blog (current follower cout too)

2. Follow me on twitter @sgrant2005 and tweet this giveaway (can be done daily)

3. Subscribe to my feed via a reader

4. Blog about this giveaway with a link to Zevia and this post and be sure to leave me a link(5 extra)

5. Become a fan of Zevia on Facebook (Leave Username)

6. Follow Zevia on Twitter

Giveaway ends Jan. 27, 2010 @ midnight CST. Winner will be chosen at random, using random.org and contacted by e-mail and has 48 hrs to respond before a new winner is chosen.

This review is based strictly my opinion. Others may have a different opinion with the product listed above. I was sent a mixed case of Zevia flavors for free for review purposes!

CelebrateExpress.com Review and Giveaway

As many of you may know Zane is celebrating his 2nd Birthday February 7th of this year and it so doesn’t seem like it has been that long since we brought him home from the hospital! I don’t know about many of you but I’m get super excited when I get to plan a kiddo’s birthday party you know a Birthday is always a big day for the kiddo that you just have to make is kinda special! I know the perfect place to go anytime I need special party supplies for a special person in my life I just head on over to CelebrateExpress.com and they have the best selection of any kind of supplies you may need! I ordered my son’s 1st party supplies from them last year it was the Wonder Pets Deluxe Party Pack it was a really huge hit! So this year of course I had to go back for his party supplies I was really impressed with the customer service and delivery last year so of course I was more than happy to reorder this year!



Zane is a huge Disney’s Cars fan so we are going with the http://www.birthdayexpress.com/Disneys-World-of-Cars-Party-Supplies/58067/PartyKitDetail.aspx I was kindly sent the Deluxe Party Pack and the Disney's Cars Personalized Birthday Banner!




I am happy to report I love everything!!!! I can’t wait to get the decorations out so that Zane can see them he is going to be so happy!!!! I really recommend CelebrateExpress.com to anyone who is looking for affordable and adorable party supplies they have any and everything for everyone’s taste!

You can get your own party packs on the website: http://www.celebrateexpress.com/

Giveaway:

CelebrateExpress.com has offered to give 1 of my readers a “Deluxe Party Pack for 8 up to a $38.99 Value from BirthdayExpress.com or 1stWishes.com”




Mandatory Entry: Go to the CelebrateExpress.com website and tell me the party pack that you would pick if you were the lucky winner. Please remember to leave your e-mail address if it’s not visible in your profile.

Want or need extra entries? Check out how to grab em’ below! (Mandatory Entry must be complete for these to count)

1. Become a public follower of my blog (current follower cout too)

2. Follow me on twitter @sgrant2005 and tweet this giveaway (can be done daily)

3. Subscribe to my feed via a reader

4. Blog about this giveaway with a link to CelebrateExpress.com and this post and be sure to leave me a link(5 extra)

5. Become a fan of CelebrateExpress.com on Facebook (Leave Username)

Giveaway ends Jan. 23, 2010 @ midnight CST. Winner will be chosen at random, using random.org and contacted by e-mail and has 48 hrs to respond before a new winner is chosen.

This review is based strictly my opinion. Others may have a different opinion with the product listed above. I was sent the Disney's World of Cars Deluxe Party Pack and Disney's Cars Personalized Birthday Banner for free for review purposes!

SafetyTat Review and Giveaway W/Discount Code

So I’ve been told that I am way to over protective about my son but dog gone it I want to make sure he is safe!! Who wouldn’t want to do all they could to protect and make sure their kiddos are safe? I recently discovered SafetyTat and I have to tell you that I think this is on the top of my most wanted list! I will tell you all why in just a few moments!!! What is SafetyTat you may be asking they are these very cool easy to apply and easy to remove tattoo for kiddos that you can customize with a phone number if lost and they also come in others too such as allergy alert, special needs and medical alerts. Here is a bit of information about what SafetyTat is from the company:

It can happen anywhere—at an amusement park, zoo, school field trip, or even your local shopping mall. Your attention shifts for a moment, and suddenly your child or loved one has wandered out of sight.

So put the odds in your favor for a safe return, with SafetyTat. Invented by a Baltimore Mom of three kids, SafetyTat is a fun and colorful temporary safety child ID tattoo that’s uniquely offered either customized with your mobile phone number or blank so you can write in your cell phone number on them. When applied to the arm of your child or loved one, SafetyTat provides an immediate, highly visible form of child identification that stays in place even when wet!

SafetyTat—it’s the perfect way to show how much you care,
just in case. It's The Tat That Brings Kids Back!®

SafetyTat safety tattoos are great child id for: Theme Parks, Amusement Parks, Shopping Malls, Airports, Fairs, Festivals, Traveling, Museums, Zoos, Stadiums, Playgrounds, Site Seeing, Field Trips, Drop-off Birthday Parties and Play Dates, First Day of School, Scout Trips, Medical, Health and Allergy Alerts...anywhere you have kids in crowds.


My Thoughts:I was sent a sample of the Quick Stick Write-On SafetyTats and let me tell you these things are really cool and my son really enjoys wearing them!! I have 3 real tattoos and he thinks that he is just like mommy when he gets to wear one and he wants it on his wrist so that’s an even bigger plus because I’ve seen many kids wanting to put the fake tattoos on their bellies and such so I was really pleased that he would want them where they can be easily seen! I also love that it is a peel and stick so if I forget to put one on him before we leave the house I can easily do it before we get out of the car! I really do recommend these for any trips to the zoo, park or any other big event! I used one of mine when we took Zane to the Christmas Parade this year and thankfully we didn’t need it but it gave me some peace of mind just knowing that I had it on him!

You can get your own SafetyTats on their website: http://store.safetytat.com/store/ and be sure to use the coupon code CartoonLovinMomma (Must be typed as seen, case sensitive.) good for 10% off of an order of $15.00 or more!


Giveaway:

SafetyTat has offered to give 2 of my readers each a sample pack of the Quick Stick Write-On! In their choice of boy, girl or the multi pack!



Mandatory Entry: Go to the SafetyTat website and tell me the SafetyTat that you think you'd use the most. Please remember to leave your e-mail address if it’s not visible in your profile.

Want or need extra entries? Check out how to grab em’ below! (Mandatory Entry must be complete for these to count)

1. Become a public follower of my blog (current follower cout too)

2. Follow me on twitter @sgrant2005 and tweet this giveaway (can be done daily)

3. Subscribe to my feed via a reader

4. Blog about this giveaway with a link to SafetyTat and this post and be sure to leave me a link(5 extra)

5. Become a fan of SafetyTat on Facebook (Leave Username)

6. Follow SafetyTat on Twitter



Giveaway ends Jan. 23, 2010 @ midnight CST. Winner will be chosen at random, using random.org and contacted by e-mail and has 48 hrs to respond before a new winner is chosen.

This review is based strictly my opinion. Others may have a different opinion with the product listed above. I was sent samples of SafetyTat Quick Stick Write-On! for free for review purposes!

Importance Of A Healthy Breakfast!!!

We’re excited to share some great news for cereal lovers. This week General Mills announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain.


Did you know that ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters? Cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key nutrients in children’s diets.

Other cereal benefits:
Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children’s diets.

Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child’s diet today.

More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.
Studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast 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.

For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness.

Right now if you visit HERE you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals to help your family come together at the breakfast table every morning.

(General Mills provided the free products and information through MyBlogSpark for this post no other compinsations was provided)

Zola Review and Giveaway

Zola is Brazilian Super fruit beverages with extraordinary health benefits. They are maker of the first bottled Açaí juice and one of the fastest growing brands of Açaí juice on the market today. They currently offer 3 juices: Zola Original Açaí, Zola Pineapple Açaí, Zola Blueberry Açaí and four functional smoothies (all containing a unique and delicious blend of all-natural Brazilian Super fruits): Energy, Immunity, Antioxidant and Super food. They have also recently introduced a Daily Wellness shot. If you want to learn more about each of the products be sure to visit: www.drinkzola.com

I was sent the Zola Immunity Smoothie, Zola Daily Wellness Shot, an Original Zola Acai for review and I must say the taste is amazing! I’m not much of one for health foods because of the yucky taste that accompanies most of them but these were very different and I love the fresh fruity taste! I am a big juice drinker but I’m particular about the juice I drink but with the Zola Açaí Original Juice I could easy drink it everyday and with all the antioxidants it really is much better for me than the other juices I usually choose to drink! I want to share a bit about the products I tried that I think is very interesting!

Each bottle of Zola Açaí Original Juice offers:
1. More antioxidants than 1 cup of fresh blueberries
2. Approximately 1,200 mg Omega 3, 6, & 9 Fatty Acids
3. Naturally energizing
4. USDA Organic & Kosher certified
5. Sustainably harvested
6. Gluten free

Each bottle of Zola Immunity Smoothie offers:
• 415% Daily Value of Vitamin C
• Brazilian Super fruits Acerola Cherries, Camu Camu, and Açaí
• Organic certified ingredients
• Kosher certified
• Gluten-free

I must say I am very impressed with all of the Zola products I reviewed and will defiantly be ordering more and I recommend it to all of my readers!

Want to try Zola for yourself?




You can purchase Zola through Amazon and www.drinkzola.com.

Giveaway:

Zola wants to give one of my readers their Zola Immunity Pack since its cold/flu season! The pack will include: a Zola Immunity Smoothie, Zola Daily Wellness Shot, an Original Zola Acai, and a Project Zola bracelet.

Mandatory Entry: Visit Zola and tell me tell me something you learned. Please remember to leave your e-mail address if it’s not visible in your profile.

Want or need extra entries? Check out how to grab em’ below! (Mandatory Entry must be complete for these to count)

1. Become a public follower of my blog (current follower cout too)

2. Follow me on twitter @sgrant2005 and tweet this giveaway (can be done daily)

3. Subscribe to my feed via a reader

4. Blog about this giveaway with a link to Zola and this post and be sure to leave me a link(5 extra)

5. Become a fan of Zola’s Facebook Page

6. Follow Zola on Twitter



Giveaway ends Jan. 19, 2010 @ midnight CST. Winner will be chosen at random, using random.org and contacted by e-mail and has 48 hrs to respond before a new winner is chosen.

This review is based strictly my opinion. Others may have a different opinion with the product listed above. I was sent samples of the products above for free for review purposes!

Kidorable Review & Giveaway

Here is the 2nd review and giveaway to help celebrate Zane’s 2nd Birthday! I want to give a huge THANK YOU to Kidorable for beign a sponsor of his 2nd Birthday Bash!

With all the rain we had here in Arkansas in 2009 I’m hoping that 2010 will be a much dryer year! But if we get flooded with rain again this year my little man Zane will be prepared with his new Pirate Rain Coat and rain boots from Kidorable!

Kidorable is a leading designer of children's products and functional kid's apparel and accessories. Designed to excite imaginations and enrich play, Kidorable's line of Rain Coats, Rain Boots, and Umbrellas are loaded with colors and fun. With collections ranging from Butterfly's to Dinosaurs and Firemen to Mermaids, they have a unique collection for every child. Kidorable is also loved in Hollywood. Suri Cruise has been photographed with Kidorable products not once, but twice!



Kidorable sent Zane the Pirate rain coat with the matching hanger and the Pirate rain boots to review. When they arrived Zane was so excited to get them out of the packages which were very nice to try them on pj’s and all!



The Rain Coat is made from PVC and includes a polyester lining! I just love the Pirate design it is so cute but yet boyish enough for my little man! The Rain Boots are as equally cute and feature the same wonderful details as the rain coat. The boots are made of natural rubber and feature coordinating colors to match the rain coat. They are very easy to slide even Zane can put them on all by himself. I also love the fact that if it’s raining at our hometown football game not only can Zane go and be protected from the wind and rain but can also support our team The Dover Pirates so it’s a win win!!!.

Be sure to sign up for the Kidorable Birthday Club that they offer on their website! By joining the Kidorable Birthday Club, you are about to make a child you love very, very happy. Signing up is free and easy. Just answer these 5 simple questions. Thirty days before the birthday of the children you sign up below, we'll send you a free gift, plus a special offer only available to Kidorable Birthday Club members.


I would recommend Kidorable to anyone that needs high quality rain gear for their kiddos at reasonable prices! These would make a unique birthday gift for the little ones in your life! You can purchase the wide variety of Kidorable products at their website or you can locate a retailer near you.

Giveaway:

Kidorable has offer one very lucky winner an Umbrella of their choice!




Mandatory Entry: Visit Kidorable and tell me the umbrella you would choose if you were the super lucky winner. Please remember to leave your e-mail address if it’s not visible in your profile.

Want or need extra entries? Check out how to grab em’ below! (Mandatory Entry must be complete for these to count)

1. Become a public follower of my blog (current follower cout too)

2. Follow me on twitter @sgrant2005 and tweet this giveaway (can be done daily)

3. Subscribe to my feed via a reader

4. Blog about this giveaway with a link to Kidorable and this post and be sure to leave me a link(5 extra)

5. Become a fan of Kidorable’s Facebook Page (2 extra entry)

5. Follow Kidorable on Twitter


Giveaway ends Jan. 19, 2010 @ midnight CST. Winner will be chosen at random, using random.org and contacted by e-mail and has 48 hrs to respond before a new winner is chosen.

This review is based strictly my opinion. Others may have a different opinion with the product listed above. I was sent the Pirate rain coat and boots for free for review purposes!