Ocean Spray Cranergy: A Gather Review

At Gather the other day I saw someone post about being one choosen to receive Cranergy product samples to review and I got all sorts of jealous because this was one that I really really wanted to try. An all-natural energy booster? Sign me up!! I have so much trouble getting through my day, even with lots of coffee or tea. I then checked my Gather mail to discover that I had been choosen as well! I had to do a little happy dance when I read the e-mail:

Alex,
Thank you for volunteering to take part in the Cranergy® Challenge. Congratulations! You've been selected to receive seven samples of Cranergy® Energy Juice Drink from Ocean Spray® for the challenge.
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Cranergy Ocean Spray drinks are supposed to give you a boost of energy from natural ingredients like green tea extract. I am unsure of what it in them right now, but I'll find out soon!

I am still doing a happy dance. I really can't wait to try these out!! I am not expecting a miracle cure for my tiredness. But maybe it will help just enough for me to feel a little better. I have three kids, plus I babysit one during the week. My son Zachary goes to school (he is in 2nd grade) and the girls have pre-school for two hours, twice a week but when they are all together it is craziness!
Zachary was diagnosed with ADHD recently, which explains a lot of his behavior. We tried all sorts of alternatives to medication until this week, when we finally decided that he needed more than what we could do for him and we got a prescription for Concerta XR (this decision was NOT made lightly). But the change was immediate- he is GOOD!
Unfortunately we cannot enjoy this change because it wears off when he gets home from school. When he gets home he is his normal crazy self. I then have 4 kids running around fighting, screaming (sometimes in play, sometimes in anger) and messes everywhere. I just can't keep up with it all and by 5 I am ready to lock myself in a room by myself. Jason sleeps all day long, goes to school in the evenings and stays up all night playing games. So he is practically no help whatsoever.

When it comes to getting more energy, I am all for caffeinated drinks like soda, coffee or tea to help pick me up. But I don't want to drink or take any energy "cures" that have serious questionable side-effects. I know soda isn't the safest thing, but they don't have any warnings on the bottle like some things do! So it is very exciting for me to be able to have the opportunity to try out something natural. I am going to be hounding down the mail lady every day until these come!!!

Trying to "go green" but it's more like going broke

For quite some time I have been interested in the green movement. Everytime I learn about something new I try to do some research, mainly looking at cost. I get to a site and the first thing I note is their mention of how "it will save you in the long run". As I read that statement my hope abandons me. That says to me: "it's gonna cost you a fortune!" And of course I am always right. I know how they can justify it- you are doing so much for the future and the earth. But how am I supposed to pull hundreds or thousands of dollars out of an empty bank account? Especially when I need to feed my family NOW- not in five years.
But I do do what I can. I buy those cool light bulbs. They don't last as long as they promise but they do last much longer. Savings on my electric bill? No clue. A plus: you don't need to constantly change your light bulbs! Good for us since our "ladder" is usually a wobbly chair. Who needs a stinkin' ladder?
I turn off lights when I am not using a room. Unfortunately everyone else in the house compensates for my savings by making sure you can see our house from space no matter what time it is.

Green gifts: