My Newest Favorite Things

I have stumbled on a few items that I just had to share, freely endorsed as always (but totally willing to accept bribes for any brand managers out there. I'm just sayin).

Alex is doing a 3 week challenge through his gym class where they had to set a smart goal. If you have ever had to do a Personal Development Plan through work, you know (and probably dread) smart goals as much as anyone. His goal was to work on his abs and in doing so he asked me to buy healthier breakfast options (even though our house is filled with them, just not ones he likes). So this past weekend I cruised the cereal isle looking for a healthier cereal, my Cocoa-Krispies lovin boy would eat.

I ended up with Wheaties Fuel (not chocolate but he was on a kick of eating this last year so I know he likes it), Chocolate Mini-Wheats (again, I know he likes it but there are so few servings in a box) and something I had seen commercials for but had never tried: Kellogg's Krave.

Let me just tell you, this is the most amazing cereal ever! I had very little expectations of it and have yet to try it with milk, but I love just munching on a few. These little suckers pack quite a chocolate punch that I really didn't expect. It sort of tastes like a healthier version of Captain Crunch with a chocolate filling. This will be my new afternoon snack/chocolate fix. Now if you are not fond of the grainy aftertaste some healthy cereals can leave, this one may not be for you, but I think with a little glass of milk, you'd be totally fine. And, yes, my Mikey likes it.

Keep in mind I was looking for a healthier substitution for Cocoa Krispies. If you are already a Kashi fan, this won't look all that healthy. Baby steps people.

Click here to go to their website to learn more.

The next of my newest favorite things has to be the Happy Hour at Brios. I guess this has been going on forever, but I just learned of it so I had to share. I love Brios but it had been a while (like years) since I had been but a co-worker (Nancy, I am forever indebted to you) told me about their deals and I had to check it out.

So Girls' Night Out in January was the perfect opportunity and fortunately, my friends were game. Here are the rules:

• You must sit in the bar area
• Hours are between 4:00-7:00 and after 9:00
• Select Martinis are $5.00 each (they offered 10-15 different ones)
• Everything from their Bar Appetizers menu is $2.95. EVERYTHING!
• This image says only weekdays, but I thought it was everyday - I'd call first.

Space was a little tight as we had 7 people squeezed around a standard size bar-top table, but it worked. We got almost everything on the menu and it was all amazing. The burger was to die for. The Ravioli and Spicy Shrimp & Eggplant were probably a close second but everything was pretty good. I believe the Flirtinis and Cosmos were the most popular drinks of the evening. We had good service and it made a super fun ladies' night out.

I've heard that the Cheesecake Factory does something similar, but I have yet to explore. When I do, you'll be the first to know.

Lastly, I think I have mentioned that Anna has started ice skating lessons. I pride myself in being low maintenance so I really don't think it is me, but I have been let down time and time again by some of the classes I have sent my kids to. We tried swim lessons and gymnastics at our local YMCA and occasionally we got good instructors, but often they were teenage kids who didn't teach squat. I could go on and on, but I will save that for another post. We even tried gymnastics at one of the highly esteemed schools in the area. They had such a great reputation, I thought surely they could teach Anna to do a cartwheel. But no. They are great with the talented kids but have no interest in teaching kids who are less gifted. I swear I have spent well over a thousand dollars on gymnastics and Anna still can not do a cartwheel (sorry honey, but you really can't).

I had no idea what to expect with these lessons, but I couldn't be more thrilled. Granted the facility (Northern KY Ice Center) is rather dumpy and it is freezing, but they are actually teaching her things. The kids are divided into groups by skill level (which is obvious within a few seconds on the ice) and then the instructors (which there are several per group) teach them the basics like getting up when you fall, how to move forward, balance, stopping, etc... As an added bonus it is fun to sit and listen to some of the stage moms in the stands. You can just see the Olympic dreams in their eyes.

The session are only 4 weeks each so there is no huge commitment. A session is $50 (but I only paid $45 for some reason) and this included skate rental for the 4 classes, 4 passes to open skate times and the skate rental for the open skate as well. I am hoping she will stick with it for a little while. We stayed for the open skate last weekend and there were some really talented skaters and it would be fun to see Anna learn a few tricks.