RL Review: Custom Choice Gluten Free Cereal

I've been learning a lot about the gluten-free diet these days. Several of my friends or their children follow the gluten-free diet for a variety of reasons. So I was intrigued when I was contacted by Hajo, from Custom Choice Cereal to try their custom made cereal!

The concept of this North Carolina company is really neat! You create your own custom cereal, consisting of a gluten free base, then add dried fruit, seeds or nuts of your choice. Do you have a child that doesn't like nuts? Leave them out of your mix? Love dried apples? Put some in! You can choose your cereal components right on the website, order and pay right there. It is created for you, and shipped out right away.


You can even name your own mix! I named mine "(Real) Life" Cereal. Get it? {snort snort} So if you have a gluten-free child who always misses out on what the other kids get, she can have her own cereal, named after her! Isn't that cool? Mine had these components:

I chose Cinnamon Granola for the base, then I added pumpkin seeds and dried apples.



We got the cereal as we were leaving the house, and happened to check the mail. I opened it right away and my first impression was the freshest smell of cinnamon and dried fruit! The taste was so vivid and the only word I can really use to describe it is fresh! I loved this cereal.

I have to be honest, at first the price point kind of threw me. The bases are $4.49 to $4.99 for a 12-oz bag. So I called some friends who buy gluten free, and they shared that it is a comparable price for gluten-free and organic cereals. For example, Nature's Path Organic cereal is $4.79 for a 10.6 oz box. Pretty comparable, I'd say.

If you want to find out more about Custom Choice Cereal, visit the blog, or become a Facebook Fan, or visit their website and create your own!

COUPON CODE: Real Life readers can get 10% off your order by using the coupon code "glutenfreelife" during checkout until November 30, 2009.

Are you or your child gluten free? Do you know someone who is? Do you think you would try Custom Choice?


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Product Provided by Custom Choice Cereal.

Wordless Wednesday: Look What We Built!

See more Wordless Wednesday at 5Minutes for Mom, and Momspective.


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Your Life, Your Blog: Guest Host, Adoption, and Five For Fighting

Hello fantasic bloggers! Another week has flown by, and it's time for Your Life, Your Blog again!

I have a few random thoughts and then we'll Link, Read, Tweet and Stumble!

• Jen, from One Mom's World joined me last week on my live MomTV show, and she's coming back! This week, we'll be cooking up holiday recipes, and she's going to make some Weight Watcher's desserts. I'm so excited!
• November is National Adoption Month and I'll be posting about it. If you're an adoptive mom, and you'd like to submit a guest post, you can send it to sarah@reallifeblog.net
• Does anyone want an autographed CD from Five for Fighting? You can enter here through the 13th.

• The only guideline is that it must be reated PG! This is a family blog, folks! You can share your life with your kids, a funny commentary, a contest you're hosting, reviews, an informative post, video, anything, really!

• Read, comment and stumble! Please link back to this post, so others can join in! (You can just put a small phrase at the bottom of the post, like "This post included in Real Life's Your Life Your Blog" or include the button). Please spread the word, because this carnival will be more effective if lots of people are linking and reading. And each Monday, the links from the previous "Your Life, Your Blog" will be converted to "real" links. It's all about the love, right?

Here's the code for the button if you'd like to display it on your blog:

<a href="http://www.reallifeblog.net/search/label/Your%20Life%20Your%20Blog"><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk253/RealLifeDesign/Real%20Life/YourLifeYourBlog.gif" alt="your life your blog" /></a>

For some reason, MckLinky didn't like Amy's post url! So be sure to read it here:
Amy's Finer Things/ 30-Day Give




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Get Real on MomTV! Operation Christmas Child Packing Party Thursday!

I am SO excited about this Thursday's Mom TV show! We are hosting a Virtual Packing Party for Operation Christmas Child! We are most likely going to broadcast directly from the National Headquarters here in Boone NC, and Jen from One Mom's World will be co-hosting with me!

CLICK HERE to see the show live Thursday at 1PM est!

In order to win these prizes, be sure to link your OCC post to the carnival on this page today.

Grand Prize: Veggie Tales DVD Prize Pack

• Stuffed Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato
• Veggie Tales 25 Favorite Christmas songs CD
• Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving DVD
• A Little Golden Book - Saint Nicholas: A Veggie Christmas Story
• Veggie Tales family devotional (one day sample)
  
• 2 activity booklets for kids w/ VT coupon

Runners Up: OCC Hoodie, and an OCC tumbler!

I will have SURPRISE prizes just for coming to the MomTV Show. One of the prizes might just have something to do with little white things you put in your ears... Just a hint. For these prizes, you don't have to post, just attend the show Thursday at 1PM!

Are you coming? Go ahead and set up an email reminder at MomTV by clicking here.

Here is the replay of Get Real: PETS! Meet Napoleon, featuring Michele, Kelly, and Niki and their pets!







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Real Cool Music: Five For Fighting "Slice," Review and Giveaway

The simple, but haunting, piano melody begins. The pure, exquisite voice pierces the room, making me smile. Enter: the gentle drum beat, prompting a head bob, opening up to a full rhythm. Dancing with the dishes, is that such a good idea?

This is the scene as I first listen to Five for Fighting's song, "Slice" from the so-titled new CD release! I don't know why, but I always first listen to new music while I'm cleaning the kitchen! If it makes me dance a little while I scrub, wishing I knew the words - or stop in amazement, listening to the melodic and harmonic intricacies, then I know it's good! And Slice made me do both!

John Ondrasik has such a huge vocal range, and a signature sound that is immediately recognizable! When he seemlessly and beautifully goes into the falsetto range, or throws in a blue note, it really makes me stop and smile, and sometimes gives me chills! And I always say that if an artist can hold his/her own with just a piano and a mic, there is no denying that talent! But don't take my word for it, listen yourself!

My favorite thing about John Ondrasik and Five for Fighting is the work he does for charity and the US Military troops

• In Feb 2007 John launched a charity driven website – whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com that raises money for various charities when users view video clips provided by visitors to the site. Current views are over 3 million with approx. $300,000 donated!
  
• John is a dedicated supporter of US Troops, performing for US Forces at Guantanamo Bay, Hawaii, Guam & Japan on USO tours John created & produced “For the Troops”, a CD compilation of superstar recordings that is available for free to every active service person in US Armed Forces

If you're on the West Coast, you can catch Five For Fighting LIVE at these locations:

6-Nov Portland, OR
10-Nov San Francisco, CA
11-Nov Los Angeles, CA

NOW, here's how you can win a copy of "Slice" by John Ondrasik! (Can't wait? Order it here at Amazon!)

• Leave a comment here telling us your favorite Five for Fighting song! You can listen to some on the widget above, or tell another on from his repertoire. (REQUIRED) I'm trying out the new MckLinky Contest Entry widget, so if you have any problems, ping me.
  

Leave another comment for these optional extra entries

• Subscribe to Real Life's RSS Feed
• Follow @RealLifeSarah on Twitter
• Tweet or Blog this contest (leave link) Example: "Win the new CD from @johnondrasik Five for Fighting from @reallifesarah "
• Follow @JohnOndrasik on Twitter
• Become a Five For Fighting Facebook Fan
  

Special thanks to One2One Network for providing a digital download of the album, and providing the product for giveaway!




This giveaway listed here:
http://dkmommyspot.com/more-giveaways/
http://www.eightymphmom.com/2009/06/giveaway-linky-and-other-blog-giveaways.html?
http://www.thecontesthub.com/
http://www.morethancents.info/
http://www.ithodeyouso.com/



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When a Friend Expects Your Secrecy.. But You Think Someone Else Needs to Know

I've been writing about my experience with a trusted friend, whom I felt had betrayed my trust. Read the first post, "The Kindred Spirit Friend," and the second, "The Trust Factor: Broken"

Please forgive me if this posts starts like one of those personality quizzes in Seventeen Magazine!

So here's the scenario:

• Your very close friend shares something that she's been feeling. She admits it is not necessarily right-thinking, but it spills out of her heart in a low moment.
• She really needs to talk directly to another party about this issue, and she admits as much, but either doesn't have the courage yet, or is confused in some way.
• You feel conflicted, because you really believe the right thing would be for your friend to converse with the parties involved.
  

What are your options?

1. Keep it to yourself completely, ignoring your strong feelings about what your friend should do. Just pray for her, and all parties.
   
2. Go tell the person yourself. After all, it's clear your friend doesn't have the guts yet.
3. Tell your friend how you feel, and that if she doesn't communicate with the right people, you will be compelled to do it.
   

Which one would you choose? Which one have you chosen?

I believe the appropriate response would be number 3. I just feel that someone's trust is such an intimate and delicate thing, you have to do everything to protect it. People are sometimes wrong. Sometimes people will vent to you and share something they shouldn't. Have you ever done it? If you're a woman, chances are you have!

This type of thing happens with my children, as well. I want them to trust me explicitly, but I let them know that I do not keep secrets from their daddy. Last week, Princess came home with a behavior issue, and she whispered it in my ear. She said she didn't want daddy to know. I gently told her that I would not keep her secret, but that I would stand with her as she told her daddy. That meant so much more to her than if I'd have walked away and told him behind her back.

There is a time to listen, support, and pray. There is a time to talk to your friend about hard truths, even when she's wrong. But in my opinion, there is never a time to go behind her back when there is an expectation of privacy.

What do you think?

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