Category Archives: Earn Income

MyOatmeal.com: 22 Billion Combos of Healthy Oatmeal

This is going to take a while, I thought to myself after seeing there are 22 billion combinations of 100% Natural, Non-GMO, and Gluten Free oatmeal just waiting for me to create and have made to order on MyOatmeal.com.

myoatmeal.com, oatmeal, healthy, breakfast, non-gmo

The founders of MyOatmeal.com, Anthony and Kathy Collova, are health-minded, family focused, and down to earth people. Through their growing business, they donate bags of healthy oatmeal to non-profit organizations and seek out ways to enrich communities everywhere. Obviously, they care, a lot, and I was excited when given the opportunity to create my own custom mix of oatmeal as well as PB Lean (peanut butter powder) to review.

There are 10 steps in creating your custom oatmeal blend:

  1. The size of the bag (1lb, 2.25lbs, or 4lbs)
  2. Type of oats (Naturally gluten free, Non-GMO oats)
  3. Flavors (100% Natural, Vegan, Gluten Free & Non-GMO)
  4. Fruits (Low Moisture, Gluten Free & Perfect for Oatmeal)
  5. Nuts, seeds, and more
  6. Protein
  7. Sweetener
  8. Spices and exotic powders
  9. Shipping frequency
  10. Name your oatmeal

Creating the PB Lean blend is the same except that the step where you pick nuts, seeds, and more is left out.

The first step where you choose from 6 different oat blends proved tasking enough, but the next step was easily hardest.

oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast

I have difficulty deciding whether to use a fork or spoon and if I should eat from a plate or bowl, so the option to pick up to 3 of these flavors was pure torture! Torture that’s totally worth the struggle! By the way, I now use a spork at every meal (seriously) and have decided bowls are always the way to go for me.

Besides my analysis paralysis, the complete ordering process is rather simple and kind of fun. After naming your blend, employees will create your order and ship it right to you to quickly hide from your family and keep for yourself open and enjoy with your friends and family. I created several small bags of oatmeal and PB Lean blends in an effort to try as many flavors as I could.

oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast

One of my favorite parts of the process is that the nutrition facts and ingredients for your order are shown. For anyone keeping track of their macros or simply want to know the breakdown of their food, this is an awesome feature! Here’s what my bag of oatmeal I named “The S’mores is Yours” looks like.

oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast

If you don’t want to spend forever trying to think of a name, I think this name would work for every blend you create…

Here are screenshots of the oatmeal and pb lean blends I created:

oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast, peanut butter, peanut flour oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast, peanut butter, peanut flour oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast, peanut butter, peanut flour

I used monk fruit to sweeten all of my blends as everything else was some form of sugar. I really wish they would offer stevia as a sweetener as that is my favorite all natural zero calorie sweetener. Hopefully it will be offered in the future.

As a fan of overnight oatmeal, that’s how I prepared all of my blends. I used a mostly empty Greek yogurt container to let my oatmeal blends soak over night.

Cool tip:  the beneficial bacteria in yogurt work to breakdown the oats and makes for easier digestion. Try it, your insides will thank you. 🙂

overnight oatmeal

All of the flavor combos I created were tasty and definitely better than plain oats. My favorite was the cookie dough and vanilla ice cream blend; my least favorite was the chocolate brownie and mocha blend.

None of my blends were overly sweet, which I prefer, but the chocolate-mocha oatmeal left a slight chemically aftertaste. I had no problem finishing the bag as it was still good, but I’d probably opt not to pick that flavor combo again.

S’mores didn’t give that awesome fire-roasted marshmallow flavor I was hoping for, but it was darn close. I think it would be better as a PB Lean flavor, which I might do next time. Speaking of, here are my PB Lean blends:

oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast, peanut butter, peanut flour oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast, peanut butter, peanut flour

Bar none, the peanut butter banana bread was absolutely amazing! I just added some water to make a low fat peanut butter like consistency to spread on my homemade NuttZo Banana Bread or  just eat with a spoon and instant smiles followed.

The salted caramel was pretty close to the actual thing and gave a pleasing taste that makes it a definite repeat flavor. Same for the snickerdoodle flavor; I love cinnamon, and the combo with peanut flour was tastebud bliss.

Overall, the experience with MyOatmeal.com, from ordering to eating, has been a fun, healthy, and delicious one. If my daughter was older, letting her create her own custom blend would be a great experience she’d enjoy. If your kids are old enough, empowering them to make their own choices like this is a great way to get them eating healthy and having fun with food.

Actually, this would be a perfect gift idea for your kids or for any of their friends’ birthdays. How cool would it be to give a custom blend of awesomeness with their name or some other cool name on it? Maybe use it as an incentive to earn their creation by doing chores, making good grades, or just being a good kid. This is something all kids can totally get into and have just as much fun making as they do eating their very own oatmeal.

Trust me, you’ll have fun too. While the price may seem higher than the standard price at your local store, you’re getting high quality ingredients with an almost endless amount of delicious flavor options. Pretend you’re a kid picking out your favorite ice cream flavor on a hot summer day, only it’s healthy oatmeal with zero guilt!

To help in the price department, MyOatmeal.com is giving all Going Dad readers 15% off their entire order. Just enter coupon code GoingDad15 when checking out and you’ll be on your way to saving on all of your healthy and tasty creations!

MyOatmeal_Healthy_Oatmeal_Logo

Click Here to Order Now!

Remember to use code GoingDad15 at checkout

Be sure to follow MyOatmeal on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for tasty recipes and current promotions. Plus, they’re all good people and deserve our love!

Disclaimer: I provided credit to create blends on MyOatmeal.com and was not compensated any other way. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own. So trust me when I say, you want this and must try ASAP!

6 Bedtime Books Your Kid Will Love

As a bonus, parents will love these bedtime books too. When it comes to books, it’s absolutely paramount for the parent to enjoy the book as well. Otherwise, we might not put enough into the story and therefore shortchange those eager little ears.

How we tell a story can be the difference from hearing a story, to hearing A STORY!!! Putting emphasis into the words of each character, changing the tone of your voice depending on the situation, and getting your kids involved by saying certain lines or finding something on each page.

You get the point, find something you like to read, and everyone will enjoy the book so much better. That is, until you’ve read it for the 87th time, and you will read it 87+ times! Here are 6 bedtime books I think you’ll enjoy reading just as much as they’ll enjoy hearing over and over again.

1. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

bedtime book, story, books, kids, parenting, reading

Most of us should remember this story from our own childhood, so why not share it with the next generation? Avery loves the crazy monkeys, and it makes for a good way to explain why she shouldn’t jump on the…..well, she jumps on everything.

2. Pajama Time!

bedtime book, story, books, kids, parenting, reading

We love all of Sandra Boynton’s books, so it’s only right to include this one. Our whole family cites the words from this book throughout the day, it’s definitely fun and catchy. Another favorite is The Going To Bed Book, our favorite page is when the exercise on top of the boat deck.

3. The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

bedtime book, story, books, kids, parenting, reading

I grew up with my mom (g-ma) reading this to me all the time. Then, as I grew older, I read it all the time. Such a fun story and kids will love seeing the ways the little mouse tries to keep his cherished strawberry away from that hungry bear.

4. Bear Snores On

bedtime book, story, books, kids, parenting, reading

Nana gave this to Avery before she was one and we’ve grown to love this book so much. I even made a YouTube video of my wife and I reading it to Avery. Yes, I act it out.

5. 10 Minutes till Bedtime

bedtime book, story, books, kids, parenting, reading

We’ve owned this book for a while, but only recently has our toddler shown interest. Now that she’s counting and “reading” herself, we sit and try to find the hamsters (there’s 10 with numbers on each page) together. It’s a longer book and is fun to read during the day too.

6. Llama Llama Red Pajama

bedtime book, story, books, kids, parenting, reading

This is a fun rhyming book and it’s the most recent in our collection thanks to G-Ma. Ours came with a cute baby llama plush that Avery has added to her 6 other animals that go to bed with her. She loves the story, and there’s a great message about being patient in there. Maybe she’ll catch on soon…..

Going Mom and I switch off on who reads and who holds our precious Toddler for bedtime, and I’m sure these 6 bedtime books have been read well over 87 times. And it’s not all at night or nap time, no, a really good bedtime book is good any time of day!

Hope one or all of these books find their way into your home for you and your little ones to enjoy as much as our family.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking through one of my links, I earn a whopping few cents each time. It won’t change a thing for you, but I’d appreciate buying a cup of coffee without asking my wife at least one time. 🙂

Merax 36″ Foldable Mini Trampoline Review

With our daughter seriously upping her energy levels as she neared the 2 year mark, Going Mom and I decided an indoor trampoline would be a perfect birthday gift. The search, as with most kid things nowadays, took a while to decide which would be the best quality/value. I use Amazon for almost everything, and after reading a novel’s worth of mini trampoline reviews, we finally decided on a trampoline worthy enough for us Avery; the Merax 36″ Mini Trampoline.

mini trampoline, amazon

She turned freakin’ 2 back in November, and took right to her new trampoline when we brought it out.

mini trampoline, birthday

I assembled it the day of her birthday and found it rather easy to setup. Took me longer than expected because of the vague instructions that came along with it, but in retrospect, the entire process was hardly an issue. Just unfold, fit the cover over the elastic bands, screw on the legs and foam-covered handlebar (optional) and you’re good to go. Getting the cover to fit properly was probably the biggest “challenge”, but that didn’t take too long.

Having thick elastic bands instead of springs is a major plus, and I feel the trampoline doesn’t even need the cover as a result. But, to prevent any little feet from falling through, it’s probably a good idea to just put it on. The handlebar is optional too and can easily be removed, but Avery seems to like it right now, so it stays. Other than a great stabilizer, it works as a perfect mini-blankie rack too.

jumping, trampoline, toddler

With a max capacity of 220 lbs, the Merax 36″ Mini Trampoline is great for adults too looking for a fun fitness option. Kids or no kids, the current price of $79.99 makes it a viable and affordable option for any adult looking for a way to keep active. My wife and I can never get on to jump without Avery quickly joining in, but with the high weight capacity, we can bounce with our kid without the fear of breaking the trampoline.

So far, we have both bounced with Avery and have had zero issues with stability. The only thing we find ourselves saying is how we wish it were bigger. When there’s two people jumping, you’re basically limited to your exact foot placement, and if you shift around, you run the risk of jumping on the other person. Sorry, Avery. No worries though, she never seems phased when she’s stepped on and would rather have us keep bouncing her.

Since she’s had it, this trampoline has been in our living room and is used every day. It’s the perfect addition to any toddler obstacle course creation which helps an easier transition to naptime….usually.

Our little obstacle dominator! #playing #fun #toddler #exercise #loveher

A video posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on

I love having the ability to quickly and easily fold the trampoline up for storage or to take along when travelling. Really the only major complaint is the small size, but that’s more of a nitpick since the price alone makes it well worth it to me. A trampoline with the word “fitness” in front can easily go for twice as much, but I would find the Merax can do the job just as well.

Avery has found her trampoline useful for doing yoga…

trampoline, yoga
Upward dog, toddler style!

…..playing “hide-and-seek”….

Avery on Trampoline with Mini Blankie

…..and just relaxing after an intense jumping session.

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The Merax Mini Trampoline is not the top-notch rebounder you might find for well over double the price, but for a quality kid’s item that adults can use too, it’s well worth it to me. It’s also a great way to gauge interest on a full-sized trampoline for the backyard, which, after using this, has moved to the must have list in our family. Come summer time, we’ll be flying high in the sky!

Buy the Merax Mini Indoor Trampoline on Amazon!

Do you have or are you currently looking for an indoor trampoline?

Do you have any other products you find useful to keep your kids busy inside?

I purchased the Merax 36″ Mini Trampoline myself and all opinions are strictly my own, but there are affiliate links within this post. If you use the links to make your own purchase, I will earn a small commission which helps keep Going Dad going.