We’ve all heard lots about how cereals are “part of a balanced breakfast.” But let’s be honest… how many kids actually eat the part that’s nutritious. You know… the other stuff pictured around the cereal bowl in all those ads: an egg, a piece of toast, some fruit, and juice. A lot of mornings, most of us are lucky if we get something (anything) into them before they run to catch the school bus.

When my kids were still in diapers, my cousin (who is a nutritionist) gave me a stern talking-to about the health benefits (or lack there of) in cereal. Since then, some of my friends have taken to calling me the “cereal nazi.” I wear that badge of honor with pride, and have trained my children to read the side of the cereal box before ever asking if it can grace our pantry shelves.

Yes, my kids are the ones running down the aisle feverishly trying to find cereals with at least 3 grams each of protein and fiber, but as few grams of sugar as possible (4 grams = 1 tsp. added sugar. Most nutritionists and doctors suggest you look for cereals with less than 5-10 grams.). If you’ve never tried it, you have no idea how difficult this little task actually is. Most cereals have barely 1 gram of protein! In fact, a bag of Doritos will do more to starve off your kids’ hunger than a whole box of some cereals. And with few schools allowing morning snacks, I need to get as much protein as possible into my kids each morning to keep their brains focused on learning (without being distracted by a rumbling tummy). It’s amazing how a bowl of cereal with 10 grams of protein will really keep you satisfied until lunch.

Thankfully, we’ve all grown to love the Kashi cereals, and the few made by Kelloggs and Post that pass the test. And every now and then I buy one of “the other cereals” (such as my guilty pleasure – pictured above). But we don’t eat those for breakfast… instead, we’ve found they make great desserts (after dinner) on those days when an extra special treat is needed. Isn’t that what a product like that is for?

Get the facts… to check out how your favorite cereal fares when it comes to nutrition. And if you’re looking for easy alternatives to cold-cereal in the morning, how about a cheesy breakfast bean dip with chips, or toast with sliced apples and peanut butter (one of my daughter’s favorites)? Need more? Here are 100 more quick and healthy breakfast ideas.

I’m always looking for examples of type treatments that accurately convey meaning. For example, consider how one designer’s treatment of the word Halloween really helps you feel the emotion of that night.

I recently came across another blogger’s a list of 62 “intelligent and integrated logos for type lovers.” View his collection see more inspiring concepts.

Have you seen this pic? It is hilarious… someone has tattooed the closing head tag and opening body tag on the back of his neck. (That’s HTML code for you non-techies out there. It signifies the end of the header of a web page, and starts the body section. Clever.) I don’t care even if it turns out to be a photoshopped image… it’s awesome

Click the photo to see it at full size.

I recently came across some interesting comments about what designers commonly refer to as “the page fold.” In the print world, this concept originated with folded newspapers. The theory is that any content displayed “above the fold” on the top page would be the key to someone buying the paper and continuing to read. Without something to hook readers in that section, you risk them not picking up the paper at all.

That concept has carried over into web design, with designers and content developers pushing the content most likely to hook readers into the area immediately visible without scrolling. Is that unwarranted?

A design agency in the UK thinks so. But I’m not entirely convinced. For example, I just read about Facebook’s new redesign. Based on customer feedback, they are moving the birthday list “above the fold.” In other words, customers don’t like having to scroll to see who’s celebrating a birthday. Or, more likely, they are missing birthdays because the information is not immediately visible when the page loads. (Confession time: I admit to the later.)

So here’s what I think: users will scroll for information they deem scroll-worthy. However, they might get lazy and forget sometimes, so just in case you might want to put the really-good stuff in the top part of the page (you know, the place otherwise referred to as “above the fold”)…

There are just two weeks left for kids in grades 5-12 to enter the Prudential Spirit of Community Award Competition, which honors outstanding community service by young people at the local, state, and national level.

Ten honorees will be given a cash award of $5,000 plus a grant in the same amount to the nonprofit charitable organization of their choice for outstanding work in their communities. That’s $5k for the student and $5k for the charity!

If you know of a student who has contributed to his or her community in an outstanding way, spread the word about this great opportunity. Applications are due November 2, 2009.

> For more information, visit prudential.com.