Grandparent's Day is Coming Soon!

Send Some Homemade Love on Grandparent's Day by Sue Johnson, Julie Carlson, and Elizabeth Bower Grandparent's Day is Sunday, September 12, 2010 What better time than Grandparent's Day to teach children the joy that comes from doing something for someone they love? As Grandparent's Day approaches, help your children give or send an especially heartfelt remembrance to their grandparents, and create good feelings for all! With a few easy, inexpensive, and creative ideas from the new 5th edition of Grandloving: Making Memories with Your Grandchildren, your family can start a wonderful new Grandparent's Day tradition.

The trick is to set the stage and let your little ones' imagination take over! · Create a collage of family photographs, laminate it into the shape of a placemat and send it to Gram and Gramps so the smiling faces will bring joy to every meal. · Make a CD of "My favorite times with Nana and Papa are..." statements to send as a reminder of the importance of being together. · Have your child draw a flower and insert their photo in the center, then draw a sun, pasting the grandparent's photo in the center. Caption it with "You are My Sunshine" and if your little one knows the words, have him sing the song on a CD or in person to accompany the gift! · Make a little coupon booklet of things the children can do for their grandparents...everything from posing for a photo to helping rake the yard will be appreciated! · Back your children's photographs with magnetic tape and send for display on the grandparent's fridge. · Create a homemade video for Grandma and Grandpa. How about "Our Family History from the Eyes of Your Grandchild!"  The whole family will treasure the results! · Make a homemade puzzle card. Paste a photo of your child on cardboard, cut it into pieces and send with a note that says, "Put this together and see who loves you!" · Make a list of "I love you because" statements to send to Oma and Opa to let them know how special they are.

These and other suggestions for creating strong bonds between parents, grandparents, and grandchildren are found in Grandloving: Making Memories with Your Grandchildren, 5th edition,  winner of 8 national parenting awards. A collection of over 225 fun and inexpensive activity ideas and insights from more than 350 families worldwide, Grandloving is a guidebook that can be used again and again all year round. Available by calling 804 462-0884 or going to www.grandloving.com.

*Reposted with Permission

Hiatus

Sorry about the lack of posts. Doing that camping event really wiped me out and I've been busy getting ready for the school year and new Guiding year and dealing with morning sickness and excessive tiredness.

I will hopefully get some posts ready soon.

Thanks

Campfire Post Roundup - Great Camping Event - Day 12

Well it's Day 12, the last day. Whew this event was a lot of work, I hope you enjoyed it. I have a giveaway and some links to check out today.

You can expect a few days break before I post anything else on this blog, I need a break.

Here are some posts and articles around the net I found that might be of interest.

FOOD
Campfire Cooking @ Everything Mom
How to Cook in a Dutch Oven @ Family Foodies
Fire Roasted Chicken Pockets Recipe @ Family Foodies
Smores @ Family Foodies
Walking Tacos @ Family Foodies (direct link isn't working, so go to page 4 and scroll to almost bottom)
Marshmallow roasting @ One in 36 Million

STORIES
Back-country hike-in camping (with a 2.5 year old) @ One in 36 Million 
Less-back-country short hike-in @ One in 36 Million

And now the Giveaway!

Yesterday I reviewed Mabel's Labels. Today I have a giveaway.

I've got The Ultimate Back-to-School Combo just like I reviewed to give away in either Classic or Colourful.

Classic Colors are simple colors while Colourful has a fancy font (but completely readable) with swirly backgrounds.

To enter, fill out the form below. Since you have to decide on colours and names, if you win you will receive a congratulations email from me that will be CCed to a contact a Mabels Labels. They will contact you after that to arrange the rest and get your address.

CLOSED

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoyed The Great Camping Event!

Mabel's Labels - The Great Camping Event - Day 11

Yes it's a double dose today since we missed a day this week (remember the technical difficulties?.)

Mabel's Labels is a Canadian company (Yay Canada!) run by women (Yay! Women.) It was started by four family members in Hamilton, Ontario and has since grown to 34 employees. Mabel's Labels has been featured on The View, The Early Show, Canada AM and Breakfast Television.

Mabel's Labels creates labels for clothing, shoes, containers, backpacks and more. Anything you want to label with a name. They've also expanded and make allergy bracelets and My 411 bracelets (contact info on a bracelet.)

I was going to review the Camp Pack but the Ultimate Back-to-School Combo showed up instead. My guess is because it wasn't going to make it here in time for camp. It works anyways because my eldest daughter is going to school for the first time this September.

The Ultimate Back-to-School Combo comes with 50 Tag Mates, 40 Skinny-Minis, 16 Shoe Labels and 2 Teeny Tags.

The Skinny-Minis are dishwasher safe for small school supplies such as pencils and erasers. Tag mates are laundry-safe labels for clothing that stick to the clothing labels.

Shoe Labels are waterproof and extra sticky so they won't get caught on socks and move around.

Teeny Tags are small metal tags for backpacks, pencil cases and lunch bags.

This is just one of the combos available, plus you can order a bunch of one kind of tag.

I must say I was skeptical when they first came. They look just like normal stickers and I didn't see how they would stay stuck to anything, especially while being washed. But they are a lot thicker than they look and were hard to peel off the sheet which shows how strong they are. They feel like they are made of a rubbery plastic and stick really well. They don't come off at ALL.

Would you like to try them out? I'll have a giveaway for you tomorrow!

Sleeping Bag Review - The Great Camping Event - Day 11

It's Day 11 and I have a review of a children's sleeping bag I got from CSN Stores today.

Most of the blogosphere must have heard of CSN Stores by now as there are reviews and giveaways all over the place.

If by chance you are out of the loop, CSN Stores is a group of over 200 stores that sell just about everything from housewares to baby and kids to furniture.

Since this is a camping event, I decided to get a sleeping bag for one of my daughters. Unfortunately, it didn't come in time to try it out at camp but my eldest daughter tried it out a few nights in a row when we came home.

It's very warm and soft and comes with a little matching pillow.  The zipper is pretty easy to open and close and my daughter LOVES it.

The one she picked out has fairies on it but there are other themes too. Specifically we chose the Wildkin Fairies Sleeping Bag but Wildkin also has ballerinas and butterflies plus there are other brands with ponies and princesses and other themes.

It's technically a slumber bag which means it's more for indoor use and not really for camping but would still work for summer camp or spring and fall with an extra blanket. When my daughter is ready for sleeping over a friend's house, she'll be all set.

Camping Security - The Great Campng Event - Day 10

It's Day 10, only two more days left! I've got another guest post for you today about staying safe while camping.

Security Concerns While Camping

Camping in the woods often feels relatively safe. You're away from people, in the peace and quiet of nature. Nothing could disrupt the sense of calm, right? Actually, whether you are camping in an RV or in a tent, you may be subjected to a range of personal security threats, both from people and from animals. Camping is an 'out of the ordinary' experience, but this doesn't mean you can let your guard down. Although a camping trip is definitely not the riskiest vacation option, there are risks presented by the environment, the wildlife, and other people.

When you arrive at the campground, ask the host or ranger about recent animal sightings so that you are aware of any potential threats. You may also want to ask them about other security problems or safety issues that you should be aware of during your vacation.

Many people love to camp because of the chance to spot wildlife. However, you should never approach wild animals for any reason, especially to feed or touch them. No matter how cute they look, approaching them may startle or upset them. Plus, some wild animals may carry diseases such as rabies.

When camping, it's also important to keep your food secured. Don't leave food out on picnic tables; instead, store them in secure plastic containers inside your car or RV. Food attracts a wide range of insects and animals that will make your vacation unpleasant, at best.

If you do come face-to-face with a wild animal during your camping adventure, your first instinct should be to walk slowly away, if you can. If the animal starts to follow you, an excellent option is to use bear repellent spray. With a formulation very similar to that of the pepper spray designed for use against human attackers, this spray will take down almost any animal threat confronting you, not just bears, but without causing permanent harm.

It's also a good idea to equip children and adults alike with a personal alarm. This is particularly true if you plan to go hiking away from your campsite. With a 120db audio alarm, personal alarms will be able to summon help whether you're confronted by an angry animal, have fallen over a tree root, or have gotten lost on the trail. Though it may seem like taking a hike while camping is a safe adventure, it's always best to be prepared to deal with any danger that might arise.

Avoid bringing valuable items, such as jewelry and electronics, with you while you're camping. You could lose or break them, or they could be stolen from your RV or tent. If you must bring them with you, keep them stored in a diversion safe, such as a safe designed to look like a rock or a can of soda, so that anyone walking by won't realize what you have.

Going on a camping trip is a great way to spend time with family and friends away from the distractions of modern life. This relaxing, enjoyable, and economical vacation option does come with its own security concerns, however. Certain precautions must always be taken to ensure that your camping trip goes smoothly.

About the Author:
Resist Attack has a full range of Animal Repellents to keep you and your family safe while camping. Check out our best in class Bear Pepper Spray.

Camp Chairs - The Great Camping Event - Day 9

It's Day 9 and I'd like to talk about camp chairs. Do you have a camp chair? They are good for sitting around the backyard too!

The most common is the basic style. A place to sit with a back rest. Some have arm rests, some with cup holders, some without. Some have little side or back pockets to hold small things and some come with a foot rest.




There is also the double camping chair for two. It's not quite like a couch because there is still a spot for two separate bottoms. You couldn't really move over to cuddle.

The camping stool is much smaller and better for say backpacking where you have to carry light. It's pretty comfortable but not if you need a back rest. There's no leaning back and relaxing on a stool!

The director type chair only folds in half and so is big and bulky but is MUCH more comfortable and better for those who are too big for traditional camping chairs. Camp chairs list maximum weight on them and they usually say 250+  but if you are over 200lbs, I'd recommend this type of chair. If you are car camping or it's for your backyard, being bulky shouldn't matter too much. The one pictured comes with side table and pocket but there are cheaper ones without them and they don't all look exactly the same. The seat is flat and solid, not formed to the bottom like the basic camping chair.

This is called a stadium seat and is really a sit-upon with a backrest. It's not good for the ground as much but great for sitting at a picnic table or on a rock or log with more comfort. When you are sitting on it, you can lean back and you will not fall over. It folds up perfectly flat.

Finally I want to share the camp dog bed! What a cute idea. I've never seen it in real life but it looks good!

Break - The Great Camping Event - Day 8

© Flickr User It's Marie the Bee

Camping Posts will resume tomorrow!

I Interrupt The Great Camping Event for an announcement!

It has to do with me and here's your clue!!

© Flickr User Etolane

I'm sure you can guess... I'm pregnant!

Camp Chef Expedition 3X Review - The Great Camping Event - Day 7

It's Day 7 and I have a great review for you. 

Camp Chef Expedition 3x

My mother owns the Camp Chef - Expedition 3X camp stove which we use for ourselves and for our Girl Guide Camps.


This is the ultimate camp stove. Forget your two burner coleman. I'm going to do my review in point format.

PROS

• Easy to put together
• Cooks food more quickly than others
• very sturdy, will stand in wind
• has hooks on side to hang utensils or pot holders
• has paper towel holder
• runs on large propane tank
• 3 burners - room for dishwater and two cooking burners
• easy to light - has holes to stick in a long matches or barbeque lighter
• legs are adjustable for uneven ground
• 31" height for easier cooking. 
• you can buy accessories for it like dutch ovens, griddles, skillets and barbeque grill box.
•  it comes in a cloth bag which can be put over it when not in use as a cover so you don't have to take it down

CONS

• comes with clip on light - difficult to figure out how to use
• wish grate came off to clean underneath it
• a different version comes with a shelf, ours doesn't

It's a GREAT stove and one I highly recommend, especially for family car camping.