The Great Camping Event - July 26 - Aug 6, 2010

I'm pleased to announce a great cross-blog event I'm holding called The Great Camping Event. On BOTH of my blogs Callista's Ramblings and SMS Book Reviews, I'll be featuring product reviews and giveaways (on Callista's Ramblings), book reviews and giveaways (on SMS Book Reviews) and camping posts and guest posts (on Callista's Ramblings and SMS Book Reviews.)

Stop by my two blogs during the two week period for everything camping. Okay well maybe not everything. I won't be camping with bears or wolves, I won't be camping in a handmade teepee or digging my own latrine. (outdoor toilet) So most of what I feature or talk about will be related to tenting or cabins in an area with mostly squirrels, bunnies and birds. We do cook outside, hike, put up tents, build gadgets, light campfires and learn basic tracking, exploring, animal and nature skills.

I would however love some guest posts from people who do a different kind of camping (see below.)

ATTN: Companies, PR and Bloggers
I'm looking for companies, publishers and PR groups who wish to donate products for review and/or giveaways and bloggers who are interested in guest posting about camping or camping books or reading books while camping. I will be testing out any products or book knowledge July 18-25 at Girl Guide Camp. I am a leader and can have the girls and adults help me test everything out. So you'll get many opinions for the "price" of one. I will also be featuring a list of sponsors during the entire event on Callista's Ramblings and SMS Book Reviews. You may want to check out my PR page and Review Policies on each blog for more information.

Spread the Word and Get Extra Giveaway Entries
Please help me get the word out. If you put the following button in your sidebar of your blog and come back and let me know in the comments here, I will add 5 entries into EVERY giveaway you enter during the event on either blog.

You can scoop the code from the sidebar or you can save it and upload it yourself.

Trailing Tuesdays, Follow Me Back Tuesday and Tuesday Tag-Along and Tuesday Following

Trailing Tuesdays is hosted by: Familylicious, Nine More Months , and Sugar Pop Ribbons

Follow Me Back Tuesday is hosted by: Survey Junkie, Little Yaya's, Review Retreat and Boobies, Babies & A Blog

Tuesday Tag-Along is hosted by: Twee Poppets

Tuesday Following was hosted by Jessie-Lynn Smith


These are all weekly events to bring more visitors and followers to your blog. Click each one to find out the rules and how to sign up.

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If you follow me on GFC, Twitter or Facebook, please leave a comment so I can follow back.

The Versatile Blogger Award

Mommycrat gave me The Versatile Blogger award! I recently stumbled upon Mommycrat's blog and I guess she visited me after I left a comment!

For this one I share 7 things about myself and then pass the award on.

1. My favourite animals are dogs and tigers.
2. I love watching the Food Network and getting ideas for cooking.
3. I also love Star Trek. My favourites are TNG (The Next Generation) and Voyager.
4. I love reading and reviewing what I read.
5. I don't play videogames a lot but I love my Wii.
6. I don't take compliments very well. I usually shrug them off or dimiss them. I don't mean to I guess I just don't feel I deserve them usually. I'm working on it.
7. I had my wisdom teeth taken out last monday and my jaw still hurts!

Okay now to pass on the award to some blogs I enjoy and who I think deserve it:

Twelve Crafts Till Christmas -All about crafting!

TS Reviews -Reviews and Giveaways on a variety of subjects

Twee Poppets Review and Giveaway -Reviews and Giveaways and host of Tuesday Tag-Along

Thoughts on Everything and Nothing -A true mommy blog, full of beautiful photos of her darling daughter!

Trendy Treehouse -Recipes, Reviews, Photos and More!

Thrifty Canucks -A Canadian blog with reviews, giveaways and coupons!

Anyone see the pattern?

Shrinking Days of Summer

My name is Callista and I weighed 210lbs as of June 1, 2010. I'm only 5' 3" so I'm WAY overweight. I am sick and tired of it and I'm doing something about it. I've already lost 13 lbs since December 2009. Now I'm ready to try harder and lose faster. I've been trying to eat healthier and get in more exercise.

I'm a month late but I'm joining the Shrinking Days of Summer challenge as the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. I'm also joining the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans for weekly weigh-ins and mini challenges and support.

This blog is not turning into a weight loss blog but I will be mentioning healthy living, healthy eating and my weight loss goals. If you are working on getting healthier too, I'd love to hear about it!

REVIEW/GIVEAWAY: Barrel of Monkeys Keychain

Have you ever wanted to play a game while you were out and about but didn't have what you needed with you?

Well now you can. Wholesale Keychain sells all sorts of key chains including games such as the Bop It Carabiner, Twister, Monopoly, Life, Battleship and more.

I received the Barrel of Monkeys to review. All the game keychains have limited game play which means you can play the game but not exactly as you would the full size game. The Barrel of Monkeys comes with 13 mini monkeys that you can play anywhere. The top pops on and off but is on pretty tight and does not come off if you drop it. The chain itself is pretty durable and the barrel is a little more than 2 inches tall. The monkey's body is about the size of my thumbnail although the little arms hang over the sides of my nail. This makes it hard for smaller children to manipulate but it's listed as 4 and up and my 4 year old can do it.

WARNING: The monkeys are a choking hazard for little children so keep clear of babies and toddlers.

Wholesale Keychains sells all sorts of key chains besides the toy and game ones. Baby, Graduation, Music, Anime, Occupation, Picture Frame, Types of Cars, Sports, Disney, Bottle Openers, Laser Pointers and more.

GIVEAWAY

I have one Barrel of Monkeys key chain to giveaway thanks to Wholesale Keychain.Open to US/Canada till July 3.

You must fill in the FORM to enter. Comments will not be considered as entries. You must complete the mandatory entry first and then you can complete any of the extra for extra entries. Please follow the directions. Only one entry per household please.

Mandatory Entry:
1. Visit Wholesale Keychain and tell me which keychain you would choose if you could choose any one you wanted. (+1)

Extra Entries:
2. Follow me on Google Friend Connect or already follow me (+1)
3. Follow me on Twitter (@callista83) or already follow me (+1)

Good Luck!

Celebrate Canada Blog Party (July 1-4, 2010)

Canadian Mom Blogger is hosting the Celebrate Canada Blog Party in honour of Canada Day.

Here's a bit about it:

"Wouldn’t it be fun to extend the Canada Day celebrations this year to the blogosphere?! I’m calling all Canadian bloggers to spend a few days hopping around the blogosphere getting to know your fellow bloggers in the Great White North. If you are Canadian, but don’t currently reside in Canada, you are welcome to participate too; however, you won’t be eligible for prizes. Speaking of which, I’m in the process of getting some prizes together too . . . updates on that to come!!"

You can tweet about it using the #cdbp hashtag on twitter.

This blog will be participating. On July 1, you can go to the main page and visit participating blogs through a linky. If you are Canadian and visit at least 15 bloggers you will be eligible for prizes.

I'll be hosting a giveaway here too so be sure to check back for that.

Trailing Tuesdays, Follow Me Back Tuesday & Tuesday Tag-Along

Trailing Tuesdays is hosted by: Familylicious, Nine More Months , and Sugar Pop Ribbons

Follow Me Back Tuesday is hosted by: Survey Junkie, Little Yaya's, Review Retreat and Boobies, Babies & A Blog

Tuesday Tag-Along is hosted by: Twee Poppets


These are all weekly events to bring more visitors and followers to your blog. Click each one to find out the rules and how to sign up.


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If you follow me on GFC, Twitter or Facebook, please leave a comment so I can follow back.

I am Woman, Hear me Roar!

I am a member of 4 women blogger groups that I wanted to mention. They have similar names but are quite different kinds of groups.

(in order of how long I've been a member)

She Who Blogs
http://shewhoblogs.typepad.com/she_who_blogs/
She Who Blogs just celebrated it's 3rd anniversary. It's a medium sized group run by Frances at BlogJem. We converse via Yahoo Groups and contribute posts to the She Who Blogs blog. It's a good group if you want to make new blogging friends but don't have time for tons and tons of emails or specific rules.

She Blogs
http://www.sheblogs.org/
She Blogs is a group and forum for women bloggers which connects us with PR and companies as well. There are posts about blogging and topics of interest to women. Sometimes there are offers for blog campaigns. There is a new forum called She Blogs Blogger Network for connecting with other members. It's a good group if you mostly want to connect with PR and get news for women bloggers and only want to socialize when you feel like it.

Lady Blogger's Society
http://www.theladybloggers.com/
Lady Blogger's Society is a larger group. I don't know how many members there are but there must be hundreds. There are daily posts on the blog and if members comment on each one from Monday -Thursday they have a chance to be the featured blogger on Friday. The weekend is the Lady Bloggers Social Tea Party where you link up your blog and visit others. The daily posts are guest posts from members and are usually about blogging. They are very helpful. It's a good group if you are interested in learning more about blogging and want a chance to meet new friends without having daily emails.

LadyBlogs
http://ladyblogs.com/
I just joined Lady Blogs which is quite different from the rest. It's online marketing coaching for lady bloggers. You have to put a small widget on your blog and then there is a forum where you read information and then do exercises. I just started and haven't done any exercises yet but they look good. It would be a good group if you are looking for marketing help and not socialization.

As you can see, it's worthwhile to belong to all of them because they are all different!

Enter to win an ipad at One Savvy Mom!

That's right, One Savvy Mom is giving away an ipad! You only have till June 25th to enter so hurry!

It's open to US/Canada.

 Please note, the giveaway is NOT mine and you can NOT enter by commenting on my post.

*Photo credit: Used with Creative Commons License from John Catral on Flickr

REVIEW/GIVEAWAY: Madeline's Great Adventures

Shout Factory Kids (2010)
132 minutes

I reviewed another Madeline movie last month, Madeline: Lost in Paris.

My daughters (ages 3 and 4) prefer this Madeline to the other one. They've watched Madeline's Great Adventures more than 8 times in the 2 weeks or so we've had it while they haven't touched Madeline: Lost in Paris in a while.

Why do they like it better? Two main reasons:

1. It's 6 shorter episodes instead of one long movie.
2. It's not scary in any way (my one child scares very easy)

There's no scary kidnapper in this one. In this video, the six episodes are:

• Madeline and The Magic Carpet
• Madeline on Safari
• Madeline and The Lost Crown
• Madeline and The Gypsies
• Madeline and The Pirates
• Madeline and The Forty Thieves

The story lines were interesting, full of mystery and intrigue, which is what makes Madeline a great show.

My favourite was Madeline and the Forty Thieves which is not the storyline you may think. It has a great moral in it that is important for all children and adults to remember. Madeline on Safari was cute too. It was interesting to see the school girls out of their uniforms and out of Europe!

I also have a colouring page courtesy of Shout Factory Kids. You can find it HERE. (ZIP)

* I received a copy of this DVD in exchange for a review. All reviews are honest and are not affected by how I acquired the product.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Welcome Visitors

If you're coming here from the Lady Blogger's Society Tea Party (or anywhere else!) thanks for stopping by.

I don't have any current giveaways but I have some coming up. I blog about parenting, women's issues, life, health, and more. If you decide to become a follower on Google Friend Connect, leave a comment and let me know and I'll follow you back. You can also like my blog on facebook if you want. Leave me a comment on my facebook page wall and I'll follow back.

Thanks and hope to see you around again!

Skin MD Natural is hosting a 4th of July Backyard BBQ Giveaway (but open to Canadians too)

Skin MD Natural (who I'll be posting a review for very soon) is hosting this giveaway.

The prize pack is worth $300 and includes:

• 5 Bottles Skin MD Natural SPF+15
• 5 Bottles Skin MD Natural Original
• 6 Red Hotdog & Fry Serving Baskets
• 16 Piece Blue Cutlery Set
• 4 Pack Insulated Fish Tumblers
• 4 Pack Fish Party Spreaders
• 6 Pack Fish Wine Charms
• Ultimate Barbeque Cook Book with over 300 Recipes
• All Natural Caribbean Burger Blend seasoning
• Hickory Wood Smoking Chips
• Non Stick Grill Basket
• Decorative Patriotic Candle Holder

It's open to US/Canada but only till June 25 so hurry!

You can enter here.

REVIEW: Danone Danactive

I received some DanActive yogurt to try through being a BzzAgent. I tried it out and handed out coupons and scratch cards to my friends and family and told them all what I thought of the product.

I decided to write a review on here as well.

DanActive is a probiotic drink you consume every day to keep your digestive system happy. Probiotics are healthy live organism that your body uses. The bottles are small and come
in the following flavours: Vanilla, Cranberry Raspberry, Strawberry, Blueberry, Pomegranate-Berry and Strawberry-banana. They are perfect to have with some oatmeal, piece of toast or healthy cereal. I tried the Blueberry and Pomegranate-Berry, both of which were awesome.

The only problem I had with it was that I can't afford to buy a yogurt every day.

 

The website has a test you can take to see how strained your body's natural defences are.

Here's what I got:

75%: You go to great lengths to boost your natural defenses, and you do pretty well! Nevertheless, keep in mind that a modern lifestyle can sometimes weaken your body’s natural defenses. Keep taking care of yourself by following a healthy lifestyle, getting enough exercise and eating a balanced diet that includes a daily serving of DanActive, which can help improve your body’s defenses.

You can find out more an the Danactive website.

Find us on Facebook

Callista's Ramblings is now on facebook. If you are on facebook and you enjoy this blog, please consider becoming a fan. I'd love to be able to connect with the readers of this blog on facebook.

You'll find the bade in my sidebar or you can click to find Callista's Ramblings on Facebook.

Blogger Appreciation Day - May 2010

It's Blogger Appreciation Day at 3 Boys and a Dog again!

May I just say that I created the logo to the right for Kelli to use. I hope everyone likes it!

Here's what you do:

1. Go into your tracking service and set the time period for May 1st – May 31st.
2. Find the sites that have referred readers to you and put them in order from most sends to lowest. (not counting twitter, facebook, google etc.)
3. Write a post (like this one) listing your top 10 referrers.
4. Link that post up at 3 Boys and a Dog.

So my Top 10 Referrers (actual bloggers or websites/groups created by a blogger)

1. Prizey.net sent me 9 visitors (#3 last month)
2. She Who Blogs sent me 8 visitors (#6 last month)
3. 3 Boys and a Dog sent me 6 visitors (NEW on the list!)
4. Product Review Place sent me 6 visitors (NEW on the list!)
5. Money Saving Mom sent me 5 visitors (#2 last month)
6. The Lady Bloggers sent me 5 visitors (NEW on the list!)
7. Free Blog Giveaways sent me 4 visitors (NEW on the list!)
8. Momnation.ca sent me 4 visitors (#4 last month)
9. Spilt Milk Moms sent me 4 visitors (NEW on the list!)
10. Canadian Giveaways sent me 3 visitors (#7 last month)

However I'd like to point out that while these websites all sent hits my way, some of them were empty hits, meaning that as soon as they got here, they left. They didn't even stick around long enough to look around. The top referrer for length of visits when they come is Mommy Moment, which didn't quite make the top 10 list, but is top of the list in my book!

Thank You!

REVIEW: Prima Princessa presents Swan Lake DVD

Prima Princessa (2010)
40 Minutes
Not Rated

Prima Princessa DVDs offer children the chance to try dancing out for themselves.

In Swan Lake, we watch the Paris Opera Ballet put on the classic Swan Lake. After each of the four acts, the children are taught a simple ballet move by the School of American Ballet. The video also shows the Prima Princessa Ballerinas (girls ages 4-6 I believe) doing the move to. Your child can practice the move along with the kids.

Having a break after each quarter of the show and getting the kids moving is a great way to keep their interest and make it not so much of a passive activity. The first time my girls (ages 3 and 4) watched the video, they didn't participate, they just watched it all the way through. Since then, they do some of the moves, when they feel like moving, and sit and watch it, when they feel like sitting. I watched it too and I've never seen the full Swan Lake story as I'm not into ballet that much myself but it was very nice.

Swan Lake is just the first Prima Princessa video and there will be more. This is actually a re-release of the video. In Spring 2011 Prima Princessa will be releasing a Sleeping Beauty video.

The Prima Princessa website has some extra resources. You can find colouring pages, a teacher's guide, info on their ballet book and more.

* I was given the opportunity to review this product because of my membership at The Product Review Place. All opinions are honest and mine.

Canadian Environment Week - Take the Power Pledge!

This week is Canadian Environment Week and in honour of that I'd like to share what I did this morning.

I took The Power Pledge from the Ontario Power Authority this morning. Here are the steps (Canada Only)

1. Go to http://www.powerpledge.ca/ and click on "Take the Power Pledge."
2. Read and choose at least one action that you pledge to take. They range from wash your clothes in cold water to buy an energy star efficient appliance soon (I wish I could afford that!)
3. Take the pledge, enter your info to make it official. You can choose to opt out of future mailings.
4. They will send you an confirmation email which if you click through, you can possibly get Air Miles points*

*If you got your Air Miles card in Ontario, you can choose either to donate 10 reward miles (to your choice of WWF Canada, Kids Help Phone or Special Olympics Canada) and get 20 reward miles for yourself or donate all 30 points.) If you got your Air Miles card outside of Ontario or if you don't have a air miles card, you can donate 30 points to one of the three charities.

Note: I didn't get any compensation for posting this and I don't get anything if you take the pledge. I just wanted to share this because I'm always for helping the environment.