Madagascar Live Hits The Road & Sweepstakes

DreamWorks Theatricals and Broadway Across America’s “Madagascar Live” Hits the Road across North America

National Tour Traveling To 70 Cities in 2011
GLENDALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Theatricals and Broadway Across America launched the national tour of “MADAGASCAR LIVE” in York, PA today. The production is expected to visit over 70 cities across the United States and Canada. The brand new stage show aimed at family audiences stars the cast of popular characters from the beloved “Madagascar” film series, including Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the Hippo and members of the madcap Madagascar crew, King Julien and the crafty Penguins.
 
Widely successful across audiences of all ages, the original story will be brought to new life in the 90-minute stage show that will transport audience members from the Central Park Zoo to the wilds of Madagascar. In addition to featuring everyone’s favorite characters, “MADAGASCAR LIVE” takes the audience on an action packed adventure with imaginative set, costume and puppet design, magnificent singing and dancing and the hit song “Move It, Move It” for an experience the entire family will enjoy.

“MADAGASCAR LIVE” is being directed by Gip Hoppe, director of “Dora the Explorer Live” who has worked with Broadway Across America and Nickelodeon on other family friendly live touring productions including: “Blue’s Clues Live,” “Dora’s Pirate Adventure” and “Go, Diego, Go Live!” Hoppe also wrote and directed the Broadway play “Jackie: An American Life” and is a founding member and co-artistic director of the Wellfleet Harbor Actor’s Theatre. 
The show is being written by Kevin Del Aguila, who received a Drama Desk Award nomination as book writer of the Off-Broadway hit “Alter Boyz” and has also written the musical adaptations of the children’s books “Lilly’s Big Day” and “Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type.”

Tony Award-winner David Gallo, whose Broadway credits include “Memphis,” “Xanadu,” “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” and whose touring show credits include “Dora The Explorer Live” and “Blue’s Clues Live,” serves as the show’s Scenic Designer.

The show will feature costume design by Tony Award-winning Gregg Barnes, whose Broadway credits include “Legally Blonde,” “Flower Drum Song,” “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and whose touring show credits include “Disney On Ice – Princess Classics,” “Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular,” “Winnie The Pooh” and Madison Square Garden’s “The Wizard of Oz.”

Joel Someillan and George Noriega are serving as the show’s composers and lyricists. Joel and George have worked with several popular artists including Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin and Mandy Moore and between them have amassed a collection of gold and platinum records and won multiple Grammys. They have also composed music for Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer” and “Go, Diego, Go” television shows and the “Go, Diego, Go Live!” touring stage show.

For more information and on-sale dates for “MADAGASCAR LIVE,” visit www.madlive.com.
Find “MADAGASCAR LIVE” on Facebook (www.facebook.com) by visiting: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Madagascar-Live/156147897738163.

MADAGASCAR LIVE 2011 Tour Dates (schedule subject to change)

February 3-6   Pittsburgh, PA   Benedum
February 8-9   Norfolk, VA   Chrysler Hall
February 11-13   Houston, TX   Hobby Center
February 15-16   Birmingham, AL   BJCC
February 18-20   Durham, NC   Durham Performing Arts Center
February 22-23   Toledo, OH   Stranahan Theater
February 25-27   Columbus, OH   Palace Theatre
March 1-2   Peoria, IL   Peoria Civic Center
March 4-6   Louisville, KY   Palace Theatre
March 8-9   Kalamazoo, MI   Miller Auditorium
March 11-13   Des Moines, IA   Civic Center of Greater Des Moines
March 16-20   Chicago, IL   Rosemont Theater
March 22-23   Saginaw, MI   Dow Theatre
March 25-27   Memphis, TN   Orpheum Theater
March 29-30   Indianapolis, IN   Murat Theater
April 1-3   Minneapolis, MN   Orpheum Theatre
April 5-6   Ft. Wayne, IN   Embassy Theatre
April 8-10   Providence, RI   Providence Performing Arts Center
April 15-24   New York City, NY   Radio City Music Hall
April 26-27   Knoxville, TN   Tennessee Theatre
April 29 – May 1   Detroit, MI   Fox Theater
May 3-4   Appleton, WI   Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
May 6-8   Wallingford, CT   Oakdale Theatre
May 11-15   Philadelphia, PA   Academy of Music
May 18-22   Washington, DC   Warner Theater
May 25-29   Toronto, ON   Sony Centre

Three lucky grand prize winners will win one of these three packages:

MADAGASCAR LIVE AND ON THE LOOSE IN NEW YORK CITY
- Trip for 4 to New York City
- VIP tickets to see MADAGASCAR LIVE! at Radio City Music Hall from April 15-25, 2011
- A chance to meet Alex and friends backstage
- A goody bag full of fun Madagascar merchandise

SHREK THE MUSICAL IN HOLLYWOOD
- Trip for 4 to Los Angeles
- VIP tickets to see SHREK THE MUSICAL at the Pantages Theatre in July, 2011
- A chance to meet Shrek and the fairytale gang backstage
- A good bag full of great Shrek prizes
- A tour of the DreamWorks Animation campus

THE HOLLYWOOD PREMIER OF KUNG FU PANDA 2
- Trip for 4 to Los Angeles
- Tickets to the KUNG FU PANDA 2 premier this Summer
- A goody bag full of fun DreamWorks merchandise

VISIT: www.dreamworksanimation.com/theatricals to learn more & enter.

About DreamWorks Theatricals

DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (DWA) established DreamWorks Theatricals to produce stage productions based on its films and other original adapted works. Currently planned projects include an arena spectacular based on How To Train Your Dragon produced in association with Global Creatures as well as an arena show based on Kung Fu Panda produced in association with Franco Dragone Entertainment. DreamWorks Theatricals is currently represented by the North American tour of Shrek The Musical as well as the upcoming London production set to open in May of 2011 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. DWA is devoted to producing high quality family entertainment though the use of computer-generated animation. Jeffrey Katzenberg currently serves as DWA’s CEO and is on the Board of Directors and was a co-founder of DreamWorks Studios in 1994. The President of DreamWorks Theatricals is Bill Damaschke.

About Broadway Across America

Broadway Across America (Producer) is owned and operated by British theatre producer John Gore (CEO) and entertainment industry veteran Thomas B. McGrath (Chairman). Broadway Across America presents first-class touring musicals and plays across 40 North American cities. Under the supervision of Beth Williams (COO & Head of Production), Broadway Across America is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse theatre. Current productions include Promises, Promises; Million Dollar Quartet; La Cage Aux Folles; West Side Story; Memphis; The Scottsboro Boys; the West End production of Flashdance and the upcoming revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Current touring productions include Dreamgirls and Nickelodeon's Storytime Live. Please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com

Project 52: Week 8

This has been a rather uneventful week. My son’s basketball season ended on a high note last week with their last game being a WIN! Now it’s Saturday and I’m not sure how to spend the morning, other than enjoying sleeping in. Of course sleeping in means half my day is gone!

Without further ado, here’s my week in photos:

First of all, it snowed…a lot. It’s been snowing all morning today, too.

 

Rugby & Simba just hanging out

I had an Energy Audit done on the house to see where we’re losing heat. Very interesting!

I don’t think we’ve ever had icicles on the house before.

If you get a chance, make sure you head over and check out other participants at Life As A CEO. 

Wordless Wednesday: My Snow Hero

Ok, the snow we had here Sunday-Monday was CRAZY and the drifts were even worse. I tried shoveling when I got home from work Monday evening to no avail. Took me almost an hour to do about 1/4 of my driveway. So, along comes my hero, my neighbor with his Bobcat. I didn’t want him to know I was taking photos of him for today so they didn’t turn out so great! LOL It took him about 3 minutes to do my driveway.

A big shout out to my neighbor who has made my life so much easier this year!! You Rock!

Make sure to check out these other Wordless Wednesday participants: 5 Minutes for Mom, Empowering Mommy, and The Frugal Free Gal.

Project 52: Week 7

I’ve been having problems with my computer being able to read my camera. I’m not sure what’s going on and hope that it fixes itself because I have no idea what to do.
Anyhow, it’s been a long week. I was a bad mom and didn’t take any Valentines Day photos. I worked then Buddy had basketball practice. We did have a fun afternoon of playing Ratuki. My boys are a bit obsessed with the game. It just sits out waiting for them to plop down and play a few rounds.
Here are a few photos from our week:

What is it with cats & boxes?

The snow has been melting so much it’s been super foggy!

Doodle found out I updated Angry Birds Holiday on my Droid2. 

Buddy’s last game of the year. He’s #1. He’s kind of a little dude. They WON!

As the weather gets warmer, people fall thru the thin ice. There’s a contest to see when this truck will fall thru & the sign above it says, “Take A Clue”. 

Make sure to head over to Life As A CEO and check out the other Project 52 participants.

Are You ONLY A ReTweeter?

Is anyone as crazy about Twitter as I am? I actually joined a couple years ago, but didn’t really start using it until last March when I created my Marvelous Mom Reviews site. Then as summer was ending I started seeing Twitter parties! Oh my…

There’s so much I love about Twitter.

• Instantly connecting with thousands of people
• Parties
• Encouraging someone else who’s Tweeting
• Parties
• Sharing my giveaways
• Parties
• Finding other giveaways

I kind of like Twitter parties. That’s where I typically connect with other Tweeters.

From those parties I usually end up following 3-4 people. I check my email after the party and see I have new followers, too. Unfortunately, amongst the followers I met at a Twitter party or just from a chat, I have followers who find me out of the blue or are retweeting my giveaways.

Do you enter giveaways where they ask you to Tweet their giveaways like I ask you to do? Are those the only Tweets that you typically tweet? Are you looking to build your Twitter peeps? If you want to increase your Twitter Followers, I’d really like to encourage you to do more than RT a giveaway or someone else’s Tweet.If you aren’t adding your own Tweets or chatting with other people, I won’t be following you back. Don’t get me wrong. I totally get why you have a Twitter account because it gives you more opportunities to win giveaways and who doesn’t want more chances? RTing someone else’s tweet just isn’t original.

I do the same thing though. If I see a tweet that inspires me, makes me giggle, or makes me think, I’m happy to share it with my followers. If I’m entering a giveaway, you better believe I’m going to use the Twitter option. You’re not alone there!

But, and this is a big BUT, I really love connecting with people on Twitter. Sometimes someone tweets something totally off the wall and I’ll let them know how much I appreciate their weirdness. Other times it’s just a random tweet that catches my eye and I want to respond to it. There are so many reasons to tweet with other people. But if all you do is retweet, then maybe we weren’t meant to be Tweeps.

I really hope you want to find some great people on Twitter to connect with and don’t use it solely to enter giveaways. It’s so much more than that and I think you would get so much more out of it than you already are! I dare you to try it out and see what happens.

Do you follow just anyone or do you check out their tweets first?

First Annual Bloom Music Conference

FIRST ANNUAL BLOOM INDIE MUSIC CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON ON APRIL 8- 9, 2011

Event Is Sponsored By Centricity Music In Conjunction With Northwest University And Will Feature Such Artists As Shaun Groves, Me in Motion and Sixteen Cities

Nashville, TN (February 8, 2011) ----- Budding artists, church worship team members, or anyone wanting to become connected with the music industry is invited to attend the first annual Bloom Indie Music Conference. The event will be held in Seattle, Washington on the campus of Northwest University, April 8-9, 2011. Registration is now available online at www.bloommusicconference.com and the price is $129.00 for the general public, with a special discounted student rate of $89.00. The conference is sponsored by Centricity Music in conjunction with Northwest University.

The two-day event will feature several informative sessions that cover a wide range of topics including; Getting Gigs, Improving Your Presentation, Connecting Your Music To People, and understanding what the industry has to offer today’s indie artist. CCM recording artists, Shaun Groves and Seth Mosley (front man for Me In Motion), will lend their expertise to the songwriting sessions and then will be joined by Sixteen Cities for Saturday night’s Closing Night Concert. Tickets for the show will be ten dollars for the general public, however conference attendees will receive a ticket as part of their registration cost.

“We felt it was a right next step to take this desire to support and equip, and put it into the context of a public conference,” explains John Mays, Vice President of A&R, Centricity Music. “We’re excited about offering the newest and best discoveries from the indie artist community, and combining them with the experience and perspective of music industry professionals. We believe this is a unique opportunity for artists at all levels to grow and develop their gifts to the glory of God.”

Bloom Indie Music Conference will also feature special opportunities for attendees to pursue deeper levels of help and information through a Songwriter Boot Camp extended session, 1 On 1 Coaching and Mentoring sessions, and song and artist demo feedback sessions.

To obtain more information about the event please visit, www.bloommusicconference.com; www.facebook.com/bloommusicconference and via Twitter @bloommusicconf.

*Starting today for the next 3 days people can get 50% off their registration for Bloom Music Conference using the code 3DAY. “SAVE 50% on your registration for the next 3 days using the code: 3DAY”

About Centricity Music

Centricity Music is an independent recording and publishing company based in Bellevue, Washington and Nashville, Tennessee. The company’s mission is to enable our artists to create life-changing experiences for the world. Centricity Music’s artist roster includes Jaime Jamgochian, Downhere, Jason Gray, Andrew Peterson, Aaron Shust, High Valley, Sixteen Cities and Me In Motion. For more information about Centricity Music visit online at www.centricitymusic.com.

Wordless Wednesday: Boys Fishing Tournament

My camera battery died as I was trying to get these photos off of it so had to wait until this morning to get my Wordless Wednesday up! I can’t promise anything, but this should be my last ice fishing post! LOL

Make sure you check out these WW participants: 5 Minutes for Mom, A Nut In A Nutshell, and Musings From A Stay At Home Mom.

Cosmopolitan Cover Uncovered

Occasionally I notice magazine covers as I’m going through the checkout lanes at the grocery store. Most of the time I’m too focused on getting through the checkout to care what’s around me.

On Monday I ran into Walmart to grab a few things on my way home from work and noticed the Cosmopolitan magazine cover. How can you not? The gal on the cover has her “shirt” cut  half way down to her navel. Whatever, she’s Photoshopped.

Now, before we get to the magazine cover I have a bone to pick with society. I’m one of THOSE women/moms. I have an issue with magazine covers that show barely clad women.

1. Women have body image issues and these kinds of covers do NOT help.
2. Women STILL buy these magazines even though they have body image issues.
3. Society has decided this is what’s beautiful.
4. Society then, out of the other side of our mouths, tells us to love ourselves just as we are, not to compare ourselves to the photoshopped women on and in magazines.
5. Men are given these images as a “standard” in which to judge a woman’s beauty.
6. Men are visual and to see these images time and time again sets them up for an expectation few women can attain.
7. Young girls are exposed to this crap at an early age and start comparing themselves against images that aren’t even real, but they don’t realize that. Can anyone say anorexia & bulimia?
8. Young boys see these images and they begin to form in their minds what women “should” look like.

If you think I’m lying, check this out. Do you see how low this is set? My 7yo son’s eye level isn’t much higher than this. Why in the WORLD is this not up higher? Look, right there down where little boys and girls stoop to grab a ring candy.And what’s with those stupid “shields” that are covering absolutely NOTHING. Oh, sure there might be the word “sex”, “naked”, “nude”, but what flipping good does that do when this girl is barely dressed and her breasts are hanging halfway out? Children look over and how can they NOT see this gal and be drawn immediately to her breasts?

I think if this cover was up higher or covered horizontally I wouldn’t have had such a negative reaction. And yes, I’m the lady that complains to the manager that I find this offensive to women and destructive to my sons. I think as a society we need to stop talking out of both sides of our mouths.

Did/do you compare yourself to magazine covers? If so, did it encourage you or did you see all your “flaws” in comparison to the cover model’s mocked up beauty. How many of you knew in your formative years that these covers were airbrushed, digitally enhanced, etc? Does this kind of thing bother anyone else but me?

I’m Niche-less

As you can tell from my “About Me” next to my photo, I’m still trying to figure myself out. Now, I’m 41 and still trying to “get” who I am and my blog is 3 yrs old this month, can you see where I’m going? It may take me a while to figure out what this blog is about.
That being said, bloggers are known to be niche-y. There are Mom bloggers, Photo bloggers, Mom’s of disabled children bloggers, Location specific bloggers, Travel bloggers, Crafting bloggers, etc.

Me? I really got nothin’. Well, I guess that’s not exactly true. I think I have everything! That could be my “problem”?

Photo Courtesy of Renjith Krishnan 

I’m a single mom, who lives an unbelievably unbloggable life. I mean, who’s gonna want to hear “Yah, so I was at home today blogging and watching various tv shows for the day. And I was in my jammies. Could you leave me a comment?”
I live in a rural town of about 3000 people. Many of us live outside the town limits. Not a whole heck of a lot of exciting things happen here. Sure, the plow truck came out twice this week, but I forgot to get photos. The pictures totally would’ve made the Hey The Plow Is Here post R-O-C-K!
The only places I travel to is work, church, and bible study. I guess I could write about local gas prices, but there are only 3 around me and that would get boring kinda quick. We did travel to VA for Christmas, but it’d be a very quiet blog if I only posted once every couple years when we head out there.
My son has hearing loss in his left ear, but for the most part I don’t think about it except when he’s running out to the bus because he’s late and I forgot to give him the hearing aid and I’m yelling at him to come back. Sorry bus driver…again.
I take photos, but mine aren’t like The Pioneer Woman or A Beautiful Mess. Mine are SOOC (how about that lingo) and never have any detail info. I’m lucky to go into Photoscape and add a frame…sometimes. Let me just say how thankful I am when people link up to my Wordless Wednesday and I’m doing Project 52.I have 4 kids. They aren’t little toddlers who do the cutest things and wear the cutest clothes. My oldest is a sophomore in college. When she turns 20 I may do a lot of depressed posts because it means I’m getting old. I have 2 in the middle and my youngest is 7. Just not the most exciting stuff in the world to make a niche out of.
I’m going to be getting a divorce. While that may add some good stuff as posts, I don’t want to be known as the Divorced blogger. No thanks.
I’m a Christian, but I don’t blog about my faith daily with ideas of how to bless your family, serve your neighbors, or how the Lord is working in my life. I have NO problem writing about my faith and if God inspires me to share something, you’ll definitely see it here. It’s just not the only thing that would define my blog. Maybe it should. Sigh…
Woven by Words started off as a Christian Book Review blog. It was that way for over 2 yrs. Then I started seeing what other bloggers were doing. I had been in my own book blogging bubble that whole time and had no idea there was so much happening out there. I kept that rock I’d been living under as a reminder to pop my head out into the world from time to time. My reading tanked when I started Marvelous Mom Reviews because it took over my life. I miss my books and my book blogging buddies.
What does a blogger do when they don’t have a niche? What if you’re just a gobbledy gook of everything, and occasionally nothing? I have no idea. For now I’ll just keep plodding along and dragging you with me, if you stay. I know Woven by Words isn’t what it started out as. If there are people who are disappointed in that, I apologize. My hope is that I’ll begin to figure myself and my blog out, but if I don’t, eh, such is life.

Project 52: Week 6

Well, I’m happy to state that I had a week FULL of photo opps. I had my camera everywhere with me it seems. This could be the most full week I have all year! Let’s enjoy it while we can. Shall we?
Super Bowl Sunday:

Tuesday:


               6th Grade Honor Roll                       2nd grade basketball (far left yellow)

Got my hair cut even though you can’t tell. I know it’s healthier. This photo makes me look like I have cheek implants. What the heck?
Wednesday:

Sammy loves boxes just like every other cat.

 Thursday:

The boys getting more Star Wars Legos. This time during a visit with their dad. Yes, this is ANOTHER Christmas we are celebrating! We’re done for the ‘10 season now!
Doodle didn’t feel well after that meeting and came home and fell asleep. Sammy wanted to snuggle.
Friday: 

Doodle wasn’t feeling well again today. This time Simba is keeping him warm. The next photo will have to be with Pearl. That is if she can get her fat butt up onto the couch!
Check out more Project 52 participants at Life As A CEO.

AVONdreamers Ambassadorship Opportunity: I Need Your Help

If you’ve met me in person, you know I’m not huge in the make-up department. That in and of itself might make you question why I’d want to be part of Avon and their Ambassador Program.

First of all, I like make-up when I have a reason to wear it. I just don’t get the opportunity a lot. Second of all, Avon is so much more than just make-up. Take for example my favorite perfume EVER: Today.I also love their Anew line. I’ve used the Clinical Advanced Wrinkle Corrector for those not so cool wrinkles I have between my eyebrows.

My legs have been happy to have the AVON BASICS Care Deeply with Cocoa Butter Body Lotion with this dry weather. I need some intensive lotion for my hands. I’m thinking MOISTURE THERAPY Intensive Treatment Hand Cream! Now, back to the AVONdreamers Ambassadorship opportunity for me. I’ll be hosting the Ambassadorship over at my other blog Woven by Words!! If I am one of the top 2 with votes I will become an Ambassador and I’ll be able to pass on products I receive to you!! Woo Hoo

Here’s where you come in to play! I need you to nominate me for an AVONdreamers Ambassadorship by asking you to post "I nominate Mimi @ Woven by Words for an AVONdreamers Ambassadorship" on their facebook wall. The two bloggers with the most nominations on March 5 will be named AVONdreamers Ambassadors. To be fair, 1 nomination per person please.

Thank you so much!!

This was originally posted at Marvelous Mom Reviews, my other blog.

Rep. Christopher Lee: What Was He Thinking?

Everything we do is available for all to see if we do it online. No matter what, if you’re using Facebook, Twitter, email, Flikr, or Craigslist, what you do is open to the world.

Rep. Christopher Lee of New York found that out the hard way this week. He’s a father of a little one and a husband. He’s a political figure. He’s an elected official. How is it this man thought that what he was doing wasn’t going to be found out?

Don’t these people in political positions ever pay attention to their constituents who think they can get away with, say, a trip to another country to visit a lover, selling a position, presidents who say things like “I did not have sexual relations…”etc etc etc. Nothing is hidden these days.

And a photo!!

ONE PHOTO

That’s all it took for this man’s life to change forever. The problem here is that it wasn’t just his life that changed. He has affected everyone who is connected to him.

• His wife
• His child
• His parents
• His in-laws
• Co-workers
• Employees
• Friendships
• Voters

What was he thinking? Craigslist of all places? Has this guy lived under a rock to know that Craigslist is ripe with crazy people? No, not everyone, there are tons of honest transactions on Craigslist, but if you’re looking to “meet” someone there you have got to know there’s something shady going on. And connecting with someone there? He’s gotta have a screw loose.

Ok, so maybe not a screw loose, but anyone who does something like this is self centered and self seeking. Obviously he had no concern for the innocent people in his life, just the opportunity to do something absolutely horrendous. He was also not thinking about his job. I mean seriously, to do something that has the opportunity to go so public means they could care less about the position they have.

Can you just imagine the people who voted for this guy? They probably saw something good in him, connected with him on some level, and trusted him to elect him into being a Representative. I guess it won’t be their proudest voting choice.

Now what? Where does he go from here? How does he find redemption? How does he fix what one click of his camera has completely undone. How does he rebuild his entire life?

I know it’s possible. There is redemption. I truly pray that his wife will be able to forgive him. I’m not saying forget so don’t go all berserk on me! Forgiving is so that she won’t have to carry that beast around. He can’t make it up to everyone, but he can try to do better. The road ahead of him won’t be easy and it will be long. There are a lot of casualties from his narcissism and I hope he can pick up the pieces.

Regardless of political affiliation, what is your take on political figures who do this kind of stuff?

@bigguysmama

General Mills Gluten Free Chex Cereal

To be honest with you, I’m particular when it comes to my breakfast cereals. For the LONGEST time, as in years, I only ate Basic4. Then for some reason I started eating Raisin Bran Crunch. I’ve probably eaten that cereal now day after day for about 5 yrs. Happy as a clam. Happy enough that I never even glanced at other cereals as I walked down the aisle.

Then General Mills, via their Pssst… program, sent me a full size box of Corn Chex Gluten Free Cereal. I kinda grimaced when I saw it because I thought it sounded a bit “healthy” to me. I ran out of my Raisin Bran Crunch a couple days later so I figured what could it hurt to try it.

Well, I have to tell you, I ate that cereal every single day until the box was gone. I was surprised at how good the cereal was. I had just never given it a chance before. So now I have a new cereal in my breakfast repertoire. Here’s some great information about General Mills Gluten Free Chex Cereals.From celebrity wedding cakes and bakery delicacies to countless blogs and articles, it’s clear that the number of households looking for gluten free foods is on the rise. In fact, according to one dietary report, 25 percent of consumers expressed interest in gluten free foods and that number continues to grow.

Without sacrificing quality or taste, Chex® has taken the requisite steps to ensure products labeled as “gluten free” do not contain wheat, rye, barley, oats or crossbred hybrid of these grains. They also do not contain ingredients derived from these grains. Production locations assure that no cross-contact can occur during manufacturing and/or packaging. Gluten free products are also routinely analyzed to assure ongoing compliance with the FDA proposed regulation for “gluten free.”

With gluten-free Chex available in Honey Nut, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Corn and Rice varieties, the options are more readily available than ever before. The five gluten free Chex cereals have an approximate retail price of $2.99 to $3.29.

To verify that the cereal is gluten free, consumers are strongly encouraged to look for “GLUTEN FREE” on Chex cereal packaging. This label will appear near the ingredient declaration on the package side panel and on the front panel. It’s also important to note that Wheat Chex and Multi-Bran Chex are NOT gluten free cereals.

Healthy Tips from Keri Glassman and Chex® Gluten Free Cereals

Glassman is a nationally recognized nutrition expert, published author, and has been featured on several television programs including The View, The Today Show, Dr. Oz, and Good Morning America.

Five crunchy Chex cereals with all-family appeal are gluten free: Honey Nut Chex, Chocolate Chex, Cinnamon Chex, Rice Chex and Corn Chex. Two Chex cereals – Wheat Chex and Multi-Bran Chex – are NOT gluten free.

From breakfast staple to midday snack or used in a gluten free recipe, Chex is a versatile pick for families on the go. Glassman and Chex offer healthy tips for anyone following a gluten free diet:

• Start the Day Right—Eating breakfast lays a good foundation for the day. A nutritious breakfast should contain whole grain, low-fat dairy, lean protein such as egg whites or peanut butter and a serving of fruit. Chex cereals offer at least 8 grams of whole grain in every serving and pair perfectly with fruit such as bananas and blueberries, not to mention milk.
• Stock Up—Keep the kitchen stocked with delicious options that are naturally gluten free, such as fruits, vegetables, cheese, and most yogurts.
• Simple Snacking— Nutrient-rich snacks can be part of a complete and healthy diet while helping to keep cravings at bay. Keep single servings of raw or dry-roasted nuts and crunchy cereal, such as Chex gluten free cereals, in your bag for an on-the-go option.
• Keep a Food Journal—Glassman recommends keeping a food journal to track meals and snacks throughout the day to ensure you’re meeting your daily nutritional needs, including recommended servings of grains, fruits, vegetables and protein. Jot down what works well and what doesn’t so you have a point of reference.
• Recipe Round-Up—Mix up your mealtime by testing delicious gluten free recipes the whole family will appreciate. An array of gluten free recipes are available at www.Chex.com/glutenfree and www.LiveGlutenFreely.com.

For more great information on Keri and healthy living, check out www.nutritiouslife.com.

Try All 5 delicious gluten free Chex® varieties:

• Honey Nut Chex – Sweetened with a bit of honey, flavored with a touch of almond and ta-da! Breakfast is served—sans gluten.
• Chocolate Chex – Chocolate lovers, fix your eyes—and taste buds—on a bowl of morning merriment, complete with delicious cocoa.
• Cinnamon Chex – A perfect balance of real cinnamon gives gluten free-seeking early birds another reason to celebrate.
• Rice Chex – Lightly oven toasted with an enthusiastic crunch, Rice Chex is simply delicious on its own or dressed up with berries or sliced bananas for a wholesome breakfast pick.
• Corn Chex – Offers a wholesome crunch at the breakfast table and plays nice with a variety of flavors, working well in many gluten free recipes.

Nutrition profile of 5 gluten free Chex® cereals:

• 100–130 calories per serving
• 0g–2.5g of fat per serving
• 2g–9g of sugar per serving
• 12 essential vitamins & minerals
• A good source of calcium and vitamin D
• At least 8g of whole grains per serving*
  *At least 48g recommended daily

I’d like to thank General Mills for my sample box of Gluten Free Corn Chex. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Looking For Chicago Bloggy Boot Camp Sponsor

This is the year of Blogging Conferences. There are so many scheduled throughout the year and we all have to pick and choose which ones we can attend if any.

Personally I’d love to attend the Bloggy Boot Camp: Chicago put on by the SITS Girls. It will be in August 2011. Early Bird tickets have already gone on sale and they’re $85 until March 1st.

As a single mom I have very limited income, but Chicago is close enough that I’d be able to drive there and take my kids to my sister-in-laws to stay with them.

If you are a company who is looking for a GREAT blogger to sponsor down at Bloggy Boot Camp, I’m your girl!

Choosing to sponsor me at Bloggy Boot Camp will give you primary real estate at the top of my blog for 6 months. On top of that, I’d be happy to post about the company once a month for those 6 months.

If you’re curious as to what Bloggy Boot Camp is, here’s what they say about it on their website:

“Bloggy Boot Camp is a one day blog and social media conference for women hosted in major cities all around the U.S. In a time when blog conferences are growing more popular, Bloggy Boot Camp remains one of the most convenient, inexpensive and co-operative events around. Everyone, from brand new bloggers to experienced social media mavens, can benefit from this experience.”

This is what I’m hoping to add to my blog before the end of the month:

If you’d like to get in touch with me, email me at mnjesusfreak @ gmail . com Thanks!!

HomeAgain Hearts, Share Your Heart & Help Shelter Pets

HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service is offering pet lovers a special way to celebrate Valentine’s Day: the “HomeAgain Hearts, Share Your Heart & Help Shelter Pets” campaign.

Here’s how it works:

(1) Visit the HomeAgain PetRescuers Facebook page (contest is live on February 1), http://www.facebook.com/HomeAgainPetRescuers?v=app_172865006090891

(2) Post a heart on your Facebook page (There are four options! )

(3) $.25 will be donated to the PetFinder.com Foundation (up to $5,000) for each heart posted

(4) The campaign runs Feb. 1-14

This is a simple and fun way to share the love this Valentine’s Day season!