My husband has been wearing a yellow ‘LIVESTRONG’ bracelet for years. What does it stand for you ask?
Since the inception of the yellow LIVESTRONG wristband in 2004, awareness bracelets have become ubiquitous.There are silicone and rubber bracelets for every type of cancer, various diseases and ailments, and even political and social causes. They come in different colors and have slogans on them that correspond to the cause they represent. Other bracelets for cancer that have appeared are beaded bracelets. Read more about the LIVESTRONG wristband here.
Here’s a little background on the doping situation. In August, the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced that it had disqualified Lance Armstrong for his use of performance-enhancing drugs. His Tour de France victories were canceled, and he was banned from further competition in all Olympic sports. The agency announced that it would soon release its “reasoned decision,” which it did on October 10.
Photo source : CNN
Before the doping decision, Lance Armstrong said that he would not respond to any decision given by the Anti-Doping Agency as he was putting cycling behind him and moving on with his life promoting the fight against cancer. There is a bit of back story in that itself though, because that is not what appears to have happened.
Yesterday, October 17th, Lance Armstrong stepped down as head of the foundation. That is a response if there ever was one, in my opinion.
While decisions about Lance’s fate are not firm it is clear that all of this doping drama has and will affect his cycling career and even his past medals that he’s received.
I ask myself, how do we explain this to our son’s and daughter’s who look to Lance Armstrong as a hero? Until Lance accepts defeat and denies innocence, it’s hard to explain anything and therefore I believe that judgement should not be made.. yet.
If more evidence is found and if he does in fact deny innocence, then I will talk to my teenage son about what Lance did that was wrong and how it affected his life and career.
It is being said that
Everything that Lance Armstrong has done means nothing now
and that
Cancer survivors conflicted between inspiration he provided and shame of doping scandal
Lance Armstrong LIVESTRONG wristband bracelet
Back to the LIVESTRONG wristband.
My husband told me yesterday that despite Lance Armstrong’s recent unofficial defeat against doping and being dropped by Nike, and stepping down as head of the foundation, he will still wear the LIVESTRONG wristband he’s worn for years. The yellow LIVESTRONG wristband my husband wears is to build awareness about Bladder cancer, sarcoma and bone cancer.
I stand by his decision although I would like to think that if Lance Armstrong is found guilty (with evidence) of doping, that my husband would find a different way to help build awareness of cancer than to wear a wristband that might possibly support financially, someone who has lied and taken drugs to defeat others. If it weren’t for the idea that Lance might be supported in any way by these wristbands, I have NO issue with anyone wearing these wristbands that build cancer awareness.
It’s cooling off outside and the thought of having a picnic is a bit more tolerable than it was a month ago. When you’re getting ready for your visit to the local pumpkin patch or corn maze this Fall, pack up your picnic basket and enjoy lunch while you’re out!
This is my favorite retro style picnic basket on PicnicBaskets.com. It reminds me of the picnic basket we had when I was growing up. I honestly can’t say that I remember actually going on a picnic but I remember having a picnic basket. This basket comes with everything you need to have a fun picnic. Just bring some bug spray and sunscreen.. and food and you’ll be set!
Through December 31st, 2012, you will get 10% OFF + free shipping on Sutherland Baskets products when you use coupon code suth1.
Eating breakfast is especially important for kids. Children need the energy they get from eating breakfast in order to perform well in school. At ‘Meet-n-Greet’ before the school year starts, three of my kids teachers told parents that they are going to ask our children what they had for breakfast every day. Talk about putting parents on the spot! Breakfast should be a meal and cereal is a great starting point for a good, wholesome breakfast.
When I shop for cereal, I look for a cereal that contains mostly natural ingredients and a small amount of sugar and no food coloring. I also look for cereal that will go well with fresh fruit. We have 4 boxes of cereal in our cabinet now in addition to the five listed below and they are Kellogg’s Corn Pops, Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes (my guilty pleasure), and Kellogg’s Fruit Loops (my son’s guilty pleasure). I’m not kidding.. I suppose I could be a Kellogg’s spokesmom. Or we could be a spokes-family. I grew up eating Raisin Bran and Corn Pops and enjoyed Rice Krispies Treats on special occasions. It’s interesting how childhood memories can revolve around cereal, isn’t it?
So what is “Start Simple, Start Right” all about?
Kellogg’s works closely with local farmers and suppliers to understand the way a single grain, Nebraska corn, Louisiana rice, and Michigan wheat, work. This is what Kellogg’s calls their “Start Simple, Start Right” approach. Then Kellogg’s prepares their cereals in a method similar to what you do in your own kitchen — just on a larger scale.
That way from seed to spoon, field to family, you get our best in every bite.
Wouldn’t you love to see that? The making of a cereal with such minimal ingredients and superb flavor.. and yummy snack potential?
Click to enlarge this image
Before I go on to the review aspect of the Kellogg’s cereals, let me tell you that I have been ‘out of commission’ as a parent and practically as a human-being for the last five weeks. I had surgery September 11th and was in my 2nd week of recovery when I had to have emergency surgery September 26th and I am still in recovery from that surgery. Because of this I have not been able to try or photograph my kids eating these cereals as I normally would for a blog post like this. However, my kids were more than happy to try all of the five Kellogg’s cereals we were sent and share their thoughts about them.
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran – This is my son’s favorite cereal and thank goodness for that because two years ago his favorite cereal was anything with mad amounts of chocolate in it. Raisin Bran is also one of my favorite cereals and you can bet I’ll be eating it in the morning again once my recovery is over.
Kellogg’s All Bran – It took the kids a few tries to get used to All Bran. The cereal is not as aesthetically pleasing as children would hope but they were pleasantly surprised by the flavor. Kellogg’s All Bran has 40% of your daily recommended fiber and don’t fret, there are some pretty amazing recipes to be made with All Bran including Chocolate Chip Cookies and if you’re looking for a little crunch with your ice cream, here’s a recipe for that.
Kellogg’s Corn Flakes – The kids are happy with the texture and flavor of Corn Flakes as long as they add some type of berry or other fruit to it. We keep a plethora of fruit in the fridge so they just grabbed some and put it in the Corn Flakes and they were happy!
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Original – Rice Krispies is an all time favorite. A classic. We all know what recipe the kids LOVE that Rice Krispies is the main ingredient in, right? So, not only does Rice Krispies make for a fabulous breakfast cereal but also a fun after-school snack in the form of Rice Krispies treats. If you feel like it, try out my award winning “Very Berry Rice Krispies Treats” recipe! You and your kids will love it!
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Gluten Free – Much like the original Rice Krispies (also Gluten Free), this version is crispy and snap, krackle, and poppy and the kids love the texture and flavor. For those with Gluten issues, this is a great alternative.
The new cereal eliminates barley malt (the source of gluten in the original Rice Krispies® cereal) and is made with whole grain brown rice to differentiate it from the original and for flavor. Each serving of the new gluten-free cereal contains 120 calories, less than 1 gram of sugar, 1 gram each of fat and fiber, 3 grams of protein and 190 milligrams of sodium. The cereal is fortified with several vitamins and minerals.
Learn more about the Kellogg’s cereals we tried here:
Check out this “Seed to Spoon” Kellogg’s video showing how they make their cereals.
Do you have a favorite cereal and/or cereal recipe? We’d love to read about it in the comments below!
Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Kellogg’s. I received sample products to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating. All opinions are 100% my own and honest.
