MomCentral Review: Froose

Froose is a new juice beverage that combines organic fruit with whole grains in an attempt to provide a healthier drink for our kids. When MomCentral asked me to be a part of their Froose blog tour, I couldn't wait to see what the kids thought of it. My hope was that all three kids would like the samples and I would finally have something they all liked.
After trying each flavor though, we ended up with mixed reviews. Out of the three flavors available (Cheerful Cherry, Playful Peach, and Perfect Pear), the only thing I did get the kids to agree on was that Cheerful Cherry was the unanimous favorite. Here is what they said...

~My almost 17 year old said the Froose in general was "okay" but that it had a bad aftertaste. Unfortunately, after only one sip of the Playful Peach he wouldn't touch another box of the stuff so I'm pretty sure that means he wasn't too keen on it.

~My 13 year old said the exact same thing about the bad aftertaste but said she would drink the Cheerful Cherry again if I were to buy it. No chance of getting her to drink the other flavors though.

~The last to weigh in was my 5 year old and it was his opinion that I was most interested in. By the time he shared his thoughts, I had realized that Froose was not going to be something I could get all three kids to drink but that's alright. The 5 year old decided his favorite flavor was also Cheerful Cherry but he liked Perfect Pear as well. I asked him about the aftertaste and he said it tasted good to him.

I'm afraid Playful Peach didn't make the cut for any of them though. I eventually had to pawn that flavor off on the little boy across the street. Hey, I refuse to throw away perfectly drinkable juice boxes. *smile* I like knowing that Froose uses whole organic brown rice because it's gluten-free. While my family doesn't have problems with gluten intolerance, I have friends with children who do and know how hard it can make buying things.

To be honest, at this point I almost don't care how Froose tastes because they cover everything that is so important to us as parents when we are looking for portable juice drinks for our kids. Even the box (packaging) is cute and environmentally friendly as well! I also like how Froose explains their reasoning for the 4fl. oz size of their drinks. I quote, "Why 4 fl. oz.? We chose the 4.23 fl. oz., instead of a larger 6.75 or 8 fl. oz., size to help support the healthy growth and development of young children. The larger sizes are just too big – kids will either fill up on too much juice or it will be thrown out". That makes alot of sense and its nice that Froose is thinking about things to that degree.

All in all I would say that if you're just starting a child out on juice, have a younger child, or you usually have organic juices around then your kids will probably like Froose just fine. My kids are use to sugar-free non-organic juice though and noticed the taste of the brown rice water and syrup right off. I'm sorry to say I did too and it kept me from trying more than just a sip or two. I do wish Froose existed when my kids were little though because I have no doubt they would love having it now. Live and learn I guess.

Despite my picky kids, I give Froose the thumbs up and hope to see it become very popular.

Sorry Babe, I've Got A 30 Day Headache.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder but does that also apply to one's sex drive as well? Even a No Libido Jo like me knows the answer to that is more often than not a great big "HELL YES"! What if you took away the boring mechanical sex for 30 days and learned to fill that void with something even better? Something that might change intimacy between you and your partner forever. Would that make you just a big horndog or a better lover because of it?

When I volunteered to review Dr. Ian Kerner's new book, Sex Detox: Recharge Desire. Revitalize Intimacy. Rejuvenate Your Love Life. for Parent Bloggers Network, my hope was that it would help give the hubby and I a little push towards adding more "us" time to our lives. While we definitely love each other, sex and romance are two things that are not in abundance once you take into consideration my constant illnesses, his work schedule, three kids, homeschooling, his classload for his degree, and life in general. I mean, when do we have time for things like conversation much less sex??!! So the thought of a book dedicated to reigniting sparks and renewing interest in each other made me curious and gave me a little bit of hope. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be for us... for now.

While reading Sex Detox I ended up coming down with a sinus infection, bronchitis, and going into adrenal crisis which meant that the only cozy night together the hubby and I got to spend was in the emergency room of our local hospital. *sigh* So I won't be able to give you a review on how well the book may or may not work but I will tell you what interested me about Dr. Kerner's "detox" plan and I do still look forward to putting it to good use in the future.

Sex Detox is based on a 30-day plan outlined by the author to help partners start noticing each other again as something other than just parents. Yes, that means getting you to remember that the person beside you is also an attractive, sexy, and sexual person that has nothing to do with raising babies, spit up, or PTA meetings.

I know, you're probably thinking that sex was something we thought about BEFORE kids and now it's just something you remember having like your pre-baby stomach without stretchmarks... once loved but long gone. This book isn't just about sex though, it's also about digging deeper into yourself and issues surrounding your relationship as well. It's about making it something even more that you crave for a whole new reason.

Sex Detox: Recharge Desire, Revitalize Intimacy, Rejuvenate Your Love Life explores the dynamics of whether or not you are in a positive healthy relationship, how you may feel about your own body and any insecurities you may have lying below the surface about it, gets you thinking about what you put into your body, trusting your partner, and so much more. It seems to me that Dr. Kerner's hope is to not only kickstart a doormant sex life but also get rid of some of the issues that may have led to it in the first place.

Sex Detox is made up of six sections, each with a different focus like; Starting Up, Your Dating Health and Outlook, Influence and Influencers, How You Date, What Do You Want In A Partner? and Ready, Steady, Go! By having each section address a different aspect of our lives, the book also then in turn addresses the factors that can affect how we handle relationships and sex in general. I thought it was cute that Dr. Kerner even has a "diet plan" featuring "menu suggestions" for you each day that include things like quizzes and instructions to get you enjoying yourself again.

To do a sex detox you must first take sex out of the picture for 30 days while you do the things I talked about above. The idea is that by doing this, you will actually start thinking about sex again and then actually even WANTING to HAVE sex again! Can you imagine?! I don't know about you but just thinking the word "sex" tires me out most of the time so to actually get to physically wanting it again... Dr. Kerner has my attention!

As I said, I didn't have a chance to find out if the book actually helps which was kind of a bummer but I still learned alot from it. As to whether or not it will help the hubby and I, well I might have to save the book until there is a time when the thought of no sex for 30 days actually sounds HARD for us to accomplish! At the rate things are going now, we're so damn tired that even a 6 MONTH detox isn't enough to send either of us into a frenzied haze of hormones and worrisome nailbiting!

Now that I think about it, maybe before we try a sex detox we should look into a sex influx right?! *smile*