I just tried doing a google search on this awesome water and I can’t find anything about it which is crazy. I decided that the world definitely needs to know about this water.

We originally bought the Clear Excellence® Sparkling Flavored water, because we were having a hard time getting Madison to drink water. The plan was to buy flavored water and see what happens. Actually, this turned out better than we expected. This water is carbonated, so Madison thinks it is soda. (Yes, I am a bad mom and didn’t correct her.) She thinks it is awesome that we buy her soda every time we go shopping. Granted, this isn’t as exciting as say getting a new pair of sexy shoes, but exciting in our house nonetheless).

Madison now drinks water and loves it.  I have tried a few of the flavors (and there are a lot of them), and they aren’t too bad.  Mommy might have to start drinking water now too.  When on sale, I can get a 1L bottle for $.69.  Not on sale they are usually a dollar a piece.  However, if it gets Madison drinking water it is well worth it.

Frosted Flakes Gold is a new cereal we tried at my house over the last week or so. Instead of the flakes being covered in sugar (and who needs more sugar in their lives), the flakes are covered in honey and made from whole grains.  I’ll be honest though — unless you are real honey lover, you probably are not going to like these. That being said, my daughter loves these. Not only has she been eating a bowl of this every morning (by her request), she also requests these as a snack almost daily! This has been an instant hit in my house! I have never had Madison devour a box of cereal so quickly. If you have kids in your house, this is a must get cereal for you!

I have always been a fan of Pizza Hut’s breadsticks. They are some of the best breadsticks ever. However, at my local Pizza Hut, they haven’t been as good. I never pinpointed why though. Last night since Bill was at a Blackhawks game, I ordered Pizza Hut again. However, this time, I decided to get the cheesy breadsticks instead. They were divine. I never knew what I missing. I can never see going back to just ordering plain breadsticks again. That’s how good they were.

If you live in the Chicagoland area, this is a restaurant that you have try.  Bill and I order from here a couple times a month.  It is located on the corner of 87th St and Cicero Avenue.  I think it is in Oak Lawn.  (However, that corner could be Burbank.)  They have everything you could want to order there.  They have hamburgers, hot dogs, gyros, french fries, subs, shakes, etc.  They have something for everyone.  This is a great place when everybody wants something different.  Their hamburgers come with 2 patties.  They also have three size subs.  The quality of their food is great.  We have never had anything not taste fresh.  They only have a few tables in there, so we always take our food home.  They also cater subs if you are having a party.  You can also call in your order ahead of time, so it is ready when you get there.  If you are looking for a great place to get some food in the south suburbs, you need to stop at Uncle Sam’s.

I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in Nabisco’s labeling of its products. Madison had to bring in a treat for her birthday, and one of the children in her class has a peanut allergy. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine how difficult it was going to be to find a snack (I swear I would have had better luck finding nimh batteries at my local grocery store). Most of the companies out there do label their products clearly. For example, one of the companies had the allergy products listed in bold.  Other companies listed that their product had wheat, soy, or peanuts (or possible trace of peanut product) separately below the ingredient list.  The store’s bakery products even had a separate listing to make it easier on the consumer!  Nabisco did not.  I was afraid to buy any of the Nabisco products due to me taking the chance that I was missing peanuts being listed.  They lost a sale from me and who knows how many other people due to not being able to tell what products may effect those who have an allergies.

We are a snacking house, so when I saw that Cheerios was coming out with a new snack mix, I knew we wanted to try it.  Bill and Madison actually eat Cheerios on their own as a snack, so a mix that incorporates them is even better.

For some reason, the bag turned blue when I uploaded the picture.  When you actually go to buy them, they are in a yellow bag (same yellow color as a Cheerios box).  We tried the Cheddar ones here.  Now, I personally would have liked the original ones better.  I don’t like cheddar seasoning on my food.  However, everyone else in my house couldn’t get enough of these.  They ate the entire bag last weekend.  Bill wants to get some more for Madison’s birthday party (in January).  It is the perfect snack for that.  (I also make a killer dip that this would work well with also.)  It is also a perfect snack to just sit around and eat when you don’t want chips.  There are Cheerios, crackers, chex cereal, and pretzels in it.  Everything is whole grain, and it is baked not deep fried.  The mom in me loves that.  I think it retails in the $3 range, so it is right there with other snack foods out there in price.

I would recommend this snack for eating just around the house or a party.  It was a big hit here!

If you want a tasty snack for your kids, Sun Maid Vanilla Yogurt Raisins are the way to go. Madison does not care for raisins all that much. However, she loves these. She tells me that they taste yummy and often asks for them. They are not messy. I don’t feel guilty handing her a box of these verses a bag of chips. The size of the box is a perfect size snack. If you are looking for a healthy snack, look no further.