Kashi Review

For more than 25 years, Kashi has stood up for real food, offering a variety of naturally nutritious foods and education resources for everyone to enjoy. Kashi products are natural, minimally processed, and free of highly refined sugars, artificial additives, and unnatural preservatives. Kashi offers a variety of all natural foods--cereal bars, waffles, frozen entrees, and crackers--that are nourishing and satisfyingly delicious. You can find them on Facebook where they frequently offer coupons and new product information.

I was recently given the opportunity to sample Kashi's new TLC Peanutty Dark Chocolate Layered granola bars through the Moms Meet program. They're made with a signature blend of seven whole grains and feature the smooth taste of peanuts with rich, dark chocolate for a sweet and savory flavor combination the whole family can enjoy. Each Kashi TLC Peanutty Dark Chocolate Layered Granola Bar has 7 grams of fiber and 4 grams for protein, making it a delicious indulgence you can feel good about. Kashi also sent a box of their Cinnamon Harvest cereal that wakes up sleepy taste buds with bite-sized organic whole-wheat biscuits, lightly sweetened and baked with real organic cinnamon. It has the goodness of over 20 percent of your daily fiber requirements and over 2/3 of your daily recommended whole grain intake. And finally, I also sampled Kashi TLC Soft-Baked Ripe Strawberry cereal bars that are made with real fruit and wildflower honey for natural goodness you can see and taste. The strawberry bars contain 3 grams of fiber and 11 grams of whole grain in each serving - making it an ideal morning or midday snack.

My son loves cereal bars, and he was a big fan of the TLC Soft-Baked Ripe Strawberry bars. I usually like to make him breakfast, but the cereal bars are nice to have on hand for when we're running late and need a quick breakfast. They're also good for a light snack. And I like that they're not too sweet and that they contain whole grains and real fruit. And a huge plus is that they don't contain high fructose corn syrup, like similar bars. I would have preferred the whole grains to be from an organic source, but other than that, they were the perfect bar. Needless to say, these bars disappeared quickly.

The Peanutty Dark Chocolate Layered Granola bars are the perfect combination of salty and sweet. I don't know that I would have been a fan of the bars without the chocolate, but they really helped out the flavor and made it easier for me to eat something that I knew was healthy. The packaging is convenient and would also make for an easy, on-the-go snack or breakfast.

The cereal was delicious with just the right amount of cinnamon flavor. My husband LOVED the cereal and said that it was the best shredded wheat type of cereal that he's ever had. He loved the cereal with milk, and I liked it dry as a snack. It was delicious with simple ingredients. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to locate the cereal in my local stores, but I already put in a request at the grocery store for them to carry it. In the meantime, I'm buying it off Amazon.

Kashi TLC Peanutty Dark Chocolate Layered Granola Bars retail for $3.89 and can be found at most major grocery stores nationwide.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturers of the product.

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I guess this week's What I'm Loving Wednesday should really be called "Who" I'm Loving Wednesday, because I'm really loving Tim Hawkins! If you've never heard of him, you're in for a real treat. He's a Christian comedian, and he is hilarious! He pokes fun at church, prayer, homeschooling, parenting, and just about everything. Joshua and I have had the pleasure of seeing him live several times now, and he never disappoints. We recently sponsored an event through my husband's business and he was the featured guest. And because he lived here for several years, he even threw in a few local jokes.

Here are some of my favorite videos:

Chick-fil-A! This was recorded at a corporate event, and he called out the CFO - LOL!

Tim explains his favorite Bible verse:

Hand sanitizer in the church:

And one of my favorites that I couldn't find a video of is him describing the different types of prayers such as the thesaurus prayer: "Lord, we beseech thee, lead us, guide us, direct us..."

Have you heard of Tim Hawkins? Do you have a favorite song/skit/video/quote?

Baby Blessings Event: Bamboobies

When I was nursing my first son, I went through several boxes of disposable nursing pads. Even though I was using cloth diapers at the time, I never gave nursing pads much of a thought. When I started to really think about it, though, I realized that all those nursing pads were going straight to a landfill. I was determined to find something better this time around. Many of the reviews that I read complained that cotton reusable pads were bulky and not very absorbent. I was determined to find something more eco-friendly that worked, so I was excited when Bamboobies sent me some pads to review.

I couldn't wait to try out the Bamboobies when they first arrived. Right out of the package, they are so incredibly soft, which is a great feature for those first few weeks when your nipples can be sore and cracked. The pads are made out of organic bamboo and bamboo fleece. It's like having a pillow for your boobs. Much better than some crinkly, stiff paper.

Bamboobies are the most unique pad that I've ever seen. I had assumed that the heart shape was just a gimmick and were designed to make the pads look cute. It turns out that the shape is very practical. Instead of a conventional round or contoured pad that wrinkles underneath clothing, the heart shape contours to the breast and prevents those annoying lines. They're prefect for wearing with my running tanks.

They're super thin, too, which was surprising since I was expecting something bulky considering it was made from cloth. The hemp core is very absorbent, and a special milk proof backing prevents leaks. The bamboo fabric wicks moisture away from the skin so that you're not stuck with cold, wet fabric next to your skin.

And if you do need something more absorbent, they make overnight pads which are super thick (and made from super soft bamboo fleece). I thought these were great for the first few weeks of nursing, but they're a bit too bulky for me now.

Buy It:

Bamboobies are available on their website. Family of the Cloth readers can use the coupon code FOTC20 for 20% off!

Win It!

Bamboobies is giving one lucky Family of the Cloth reader a gift certificate for $16.99! You can use the code for a free two pack of pads, or apply it towards any of the other larger sets.

To enter, simply visit buybamboobies.com and let me know how you would spend your credit. *This entry is mandatory and must be completed before any of the additional entries will be counted.*

For additional entries, you can do any of the following:

- Follow my blog publicly through Google Friend Connect

- Subscribe to my blog through email or a reader

- "Like" Bamboobies on Facebook (be sure to tell them that Family of the Cloth sent you!)

- Follow @Bamboobies and @Family of the Cloth on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can tweet once daily of the extra entries. Just leave the permalink of your tweet in a comment.

- Add my button to your blog. Just leave me a comment letting me know where I can find it!

Good luck!

This giveaway will end 7-19 at 8 p.m. CST. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to a notification email or a new winner will be chosen. I received a set of regular pads and a set of overnight pads for the purposes of review. The reviews expressed in this post are my own and were not influenced by any outside source.

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

My friend Ashley participates in the weekly "What I'm Loving Wednesday" series over at This Kind of Love blog, and I always enjoy reading her posts. I thought I'd give it a go and post some of the things we're loving around here. For this week, I thought I'd post some of Shepard's favorite things.

Shepard LOVES to read (which makes his reading specialist mama super proud!). His favorite books right now (that we read at every day at nap time and bedtime) are:

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: Anniversary Edition

by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault and Illustrated by Lois Elhert. Cute story about the lowercase alphabet racing to climb the coconut tree. We love the bright colors and the cute rhymes. Shepard loves to point out the letters that he knows, and then we work on the letters he doesn't know yet.

The Pout-Pout Fish

by Deborah Diesen

Adorable story about a sad fish who spreads "dreary wearies all over the place" because he doesn't think he can be happy. With the help of his friends, he discovers his true destiny. We love the rhymes, and Shepard cracks up each time the fish goes "Blub, Bluuub, Bluuuuuub"

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? My First Reader by Bill Martin, Jr.

Shepard loves identifying all the animals and making the sounds. Love Eric Carle's illustrations!

Baby Blessings Event: Organically Grown

I've had the privilege of working with Organically Grown several times now. I'm proud to support a company that plays an active role in the organic revolution. There is a direct connection between what we wear and the effect it has on the earth.

Why chose organic clothing?

The Organic Exchange estimates that 170 million pounds of pesticides, and 25% of the world's insecticides are used in the production of conventional, non-organic cotton. And 7 out of 10 of these pesticides used are on the EPA's list of "known" list of "likely" or "probable" carcinogens. These chemicals result in work-force illnesses, water contamination, and devastation of farmland.

Organically Grown believes in your right to affordable, safe, stylish, high-quality organic products from apparel and home decor to personal care items. With Organically Grown there is no need to compromise between your budget and your conscience.

GOTS Certified

Organically Grown's newest line of clothing is certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) which helps to ensure organic integrity: from harvesting of the raw materials to environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing and labeling, in order to provide credible assurance to the consumer. And best of all, it's softer than ever!

There are so many adorable pieces in the new line for both boys and girls. I love the Pink Ladybug coverall (pictured on right) and the Little Lion bodysuit set (left).

Buy It:

You can purchase the new GOTS certified line at Organically Grown.

Win It:

One lucky Family of the Cloth reader will win an item from Organically Grown (Organically Grown will select the item).

To enter, simply visit Organically Grown, browse their collection, then come back here and leave me a comment letting me know your favorite item. This entry is mandatory and is required before any additional entries can be counted.

*Please make sure to leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win*

Extra Entries:

- Become a public follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect

- Subscribe to my blog through email or via a reader

- Follow @FamilyofCloth and @OrganicallyGrwn on twitter and tweet about the giveaway. You may tweet daily for extra entries. Just leave the permalink from your tweet.

- Like Organically Grown on Facebook. Be sure to tell them that Family of the Cloth sent you!

- Add my button to your blog (leave me a comment letting me know where I can find it)

This giveaway is open to US residents 18 and older. Giveaway will end 6.23 at 8 p.m. CST. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to a notification email, or a new winner will be chosen. I did not receive compensation for this giveaway. All information expressed in this post is the opinion of the author.