Howdy do, gum chews!

While wandering aimlessly in Internet Land (off the clock, of course), I came across the website of the International Chewing Gum Association. This is an association of big-time chewing gum manufacturers and ingredient suppliers to which I, a small fry, do not actually belong.  Indeed, I would go so far as to call them the big guns. Or, in this case, the big gums!

Not being the competitive sort, I set upon their website with Glee and found all sorts of information that was interesting to me!

Naturally, I thought it only fair that I share. So here are some sections I think you will particularly enjoy. Just a little light reading on the subject of gum… Hey, it ain’t Tolstoy!

How Gum Is Made

You’ve probably seen our spiffy slide show about the process from Tree to Glee. The ICGA has a similar chart, novel for featuring drawings of all the machinery!

The Story of Gum

The ICGA offers another fun version of the familiar tale, including mention of the spruce gum that Native Americans once traded with Early American settlers.  

FAQs

Not all of the items on the ICGA’s list of frequently asked questions apply to Glee Gum. But  you’ll find some nifty tidbits in there nonetheless, such as how to get gum off hair (hint: citrus peel solvents) and what really happens when you swallow gum (tip: it doesn’t stay there for seven years!)

The Benefits of Gum

This winter, you may find holiday pounds proving hard to shed, seasonal blues playing tricks with the head, and financial anxiety adding to an overall sense of dread. But it seems that chewing gum can provide a surprising way to reduce stress, shed weight, and bring cheer to an otherwise gloomy time of year! 

And so, in closing, I must implore you to chew Glee Gum galore, you!

All the hedgehogs agree: chew with Glee, naturally!

Good day, gum chums! 

You know how I’m always full of Glee, naturally? Well, more and more research is revealing that’s the best way to be!

I’ve told you how some studies link food additives to hyperactivity and other behavioral problems in kids. Now Maryland may be the first state to take a stand! This week  the state government is considering two bills that propose bans on certain artificial food colorings. 

Both bills are backed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. One calls for a warning label followed by a ban, while the other suggests prohibiting the use of the food colors in school cafeterias.

Which artificial colors are we talking about? Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, and Red 3. Turns out they’re in an awful lot of food products marketed to children!

But they look so cute!

To read more, check out the related articles at Food Navigator-usa.com and Natural Food Network.

To learn more about the issue in general, you may enjoy this Oct. ‘08 piece by Melinda Fulmer in the Los Angeles Times. 

The bills are currently scheduled to be considered tomorrow, Wed. Feb. 18, in Annapolis. While MD will be the first state to vote on the issue in the US, similar legislation has already passed in Europe. So stay tuned!

In closing, I hope you all enjoyed a restful and romantical weekend… Gee whiz! Speaking of romance, I clean forgot to mention that my heart’s all a’ flutter thanks to two lovely recent blog posts!

Thanks oodles to All Green Info’s The Green Blog for including Glee in your V-Day “Sweets for Your Sweetheart” article: what a treat! 

And thanks heaps to Inspiring Mama  for the great pictures and tips involving the Make Your Own Candy Kits! What a rave product review, woo hoo! 

Okay, now I’m really signing off. Over and out, dear fans devout!

Don’t you just love that old MGM musical “Meet Me in St. Louis”? Such a charming picture, and such a catchy theme song! 

Guess what? Next weekend, you can find Glee in St. Louis by attending the 17th Annual Healthy Planet Natural Living Expo. 

Sponsored by The Healthy Planet Magazine, the Natural Living Expo is taking place on Sunday, February 22, from 10 am to 4 pm at the Webster Groves Recreation Complex (Elm Avenue & Glendale Rd just off I-44).

With live music, healthy samples (like Glee Gum!), exciting giveaways, free chair massages (*sigh*), and over 70 exhibitors including Whole Foods, Schlafly Beer, and Sappington Farmers’ Market, it’s sure to be a heck of a good time! 

Admission to the Natural Living Expo is $8.00 for adults and free for kids under 16. Back at Verve HQ, I’ve got five pairs of free tickets up for grabs! So if you live in the St. Louis area and would like a pair, comment on this post with your best tip for living green on a budget. Five best tips win the tickets! 

In other news, I just found a super swell photographic history of chewing gum on the Mint Industry Research Council’s website. Presented by MIRC Executive Director Rocky Lundy, it’s filled with fun facts* and zippy pics of old-fashioned packaging. You can check it out right here! 

* Note that there’s just one fact that appears to be slightly off the mark. The (otherwise perfectly spiffy) presentation lists seventy years as the age a sapodilla tree must reach before it can be tapped for chicle. Actually, sapodilla trees are capable of being tapped for chicle between the ages of eight and ten years old! 

Before I go, I just want to show you a beautiful envelope I received in the mail this week. What was inside? Fan mail for Glee, naturally! Thanks, Jane! You are tops with me!

Valentine’s Day is on its way. And you know what that means for me. Time to cozy up to a nice, big pack of Glee! 

For those of you who prefer chocolate on V-Day (cuckoo! cuckoo!), I suppose I’ll allow it. But only if you consider making your own this year!

It’s the sweetest time to try this treat, since Verve, inc. is offering an exclusive special on the Make Your Own Chocolate Kits this very week! You can get a whopping 30% off the Chocolate Kit when you enter the secret code (well, not so secret anymore!) valentine on our promotions page.

Present the finished product to your sweetie and prepare for compliments, cuddles, and kisses in return. At least, that’s what I give myself when I make my own chocolate!

Speaking of love, I’ve got a few new friends to thank for some recent press.  

Thanks heaps to Gluten-free.tv for a rave review of Glee Gum. What a neat video! 

And I’m all kinds of grateful to Mom Fuse for their in-depth review of Glee Gum and the Make Your Own Candy Kits.

Mom Fuse was even kind enough to include the Candy Kits in their guide to Valentine’s Day gifts for daughters and sons. As a site that’s for moms, by moms, Mom Fuse really does have a lot of great ideas!

It was also nifty to see “Mommy Reviewer” Gina’s great pictures of the Kits in action on her site,  The Clan McLeod. Thanks, Gina!

And speaking of moms, belated thanks are due to The Green Mom Review, a blog about “eco-fabulous living” which featured Glee Gum last month. 

In conclusion, I shall leave you with a wee poem in honor of the holiday.  

Roses are red,

Violets are blue.

I’m full of Glee,

And I hope you are too!