Strange Daze Indeed

This year has flown by so fast; it’s hard for me to believe that it’s almost November! November 3 is when we “fall back” and change our clocks back from Daylight Saving Time. It’s also the time of year when Energizer, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and fire departments nationwide join forces for the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program. This program is all about raising awareness of the importance of working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to help keep families safe!

This year marks the 26th year for this wonderful program and the message is always relevant and important.

I can remember a kitchen fire we had in our home when I was a child. Mom was making french fries and the oil got out of hand. It was amazing how fast the fire spread and I still remember the terror of trying to make sure everyone was out of the house and safe!

I feel that anything we can do to minimize the risk is a blessing and smoke alarms with working batteries are a large part of helping families get out safely in any emergency.

Fact: 38% of fatal fire injuries occur in homes with no smoke alarms and 24% occur in homes in which at least one smoke alarm is present but fails to operate, often due to missing or dead batteries. 

Energizer would love you to start a new tradition in your home. Change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when you set your clocks back – keep your family safe!

Energizer is also offering one of my readers their own Family Safety Kit which comes in a reusable grocery tote:

Inside you’ll find:

·         One 16-pack Energizer_® MAX_® AA Batteries
·         One 1-pack of Energizer_® MAX_® 9 volt batteries

·         One Energizer_® Weatheready^® LED Safety Light flashlight – Waterproof flashlight powered by AA, AAA or C cell batteries

·         One Kidde Battery-Operated Combination Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Alarm 

Simply enter via Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, from now through November 3, you can visit the Energizer Bunny Facebook page and click on the Fire Safety Info Tab. Here you can enter a sweepstakes to win another Family Safety Kit as one will be given away each day. These kits have a value of over $167.00.

In addition you can find fire safety tips, a home escape plan that you can download and draw your family’s home escape plan, as well as a coloring and activity sheet. 

Often the simplest actions can do the most good. Stay safe!

 Disclosure: I received a kit just like the one that is being given away here, however, all opinions are strictly my own.

Angus MacBain and the Island of Sleeping Kings

Angus MacBain is unaware that his ancestral roots hail from an ancient sect of Scottish kings. When his dying grandfather gives him a dragon pendant, thirteen-year-old Angus learns of a legacy that will take him across an ocean to the island of Iona and thrust him into a heritage he did not know he had. He soon discovers that his mother, whom he had believed dead, is really a seal fairy, in hiding from a dangerous enemy. To save her, Angus must undergo a perilous journey of destiny and power to battle an evil Dacian knight and those who serve him. With only his family shield and the advice of a wizened vampire hunter to protect him, Angus must navigate dangerous terrain and dark enemies, in a land where the past and the present mingle, and sleeping kings wake.

Author Angela Townsend

Angela Townsend was born in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Missoula, Montana. As a child, Angela grew up listening to stories told by her grandparents, ancient tales and legends of faraway places. Influenced by her Irish and Scottish heritage, Angela became an avid research historian, specializing in Celtic mythology. Her gift for storytelling finally led her to a full time writing career. Angela divides her time between writing, playing Celtic music on her fiddle, and Irish dancing.

BookBlast Giveaway $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 11/4/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Go BIG or go EXTINCT!

Directed by the amazing Guillermo del Toro, Pacific Rim is an epic science fiction film set in the 2020s. Earth is at war with Kaijus; colossal monsters from an inter-dimensional gateway on the Pacific Ocean floor.

In retaliation, humanity unites to fight these huge monsters by creating the Jaegers: gigantic humanoid robots that are controlled by two pilots whose minds and memories are linked. The story takes place in the later days of the war, following Raleigh Becket, a former Jaeger pilot called out of retirement who is paired up with newbie pilot Mako Mori in a final effort to defeat the Kaijus!

Pacific Rim is released today on Blu-ray & DVD Oct.15!

 
Win a Blu-Ray copy of Pacific Rim – open to the US and Canada

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I am partnering with Warner Bros. on this giveaway

When you’re a college student, there’s so much to learn and to explore. It’s always great to have some extra funds for concerts, school activities and going out with your friends. But, so often, any extra funds go towards education. While education is primary, you’d still love to find a way to save some money.

When I was in college, I spent a great deal of money on textbooks that I often didn’t even look at after the semester was over. I really wish that CampusBookRentals was around then because I would have really taken advantage of this option!

Let me just add that if you do decide to purchase the book after your semester, you have that choice as well.

Are you or your kids in College this Fall? Here are some of the awesome perks from CampusBookRentals:

You can save a whopping 40-90% off of bookstore prices.

You get free shipping both ways so it really couldn’t be easier or cheaper (You get a prepaid return envelope).

They have flexible renting periods and friendly customer service.

You can highlight in the textbooks! (Yes, you can underline, make notes, whatever you like!)

CampusBookRentals is one of the pioneers of the textbook rental movement which began in the summer of 2007, so they really do know their business. 

Since then, they’ve rented over 1,000,000 textbooks at over 5500 campuses nationwide.

They’ve been mentioned in the New York Times, CNN, the Wall Street Journal and Newsweek and have the largest selection in the nation.

In addition, CampusBookRentals now has a new program, RentBack.

RentBack is a new initiative that lets students rent the textbooks they own – to other students… which is pretty incredible because it makes them 2-4x more money compared to what they’d make through buyback options! (selling their books back at the end of the semester)

You can check it out in this brief video!

And, here is one of my favorite parts: CampusBookRentals  has  teamed up with Operation Smile, a wonderful organization that performs life-changing cleft lip surgeries on children whose families could not otherwise afford it. For every book rented, they donate a portion of those proceeds to Operation Smile.  Saving money and helping others at the same time, what could be more ideal?

Connect with CampusBookRentals:
Website
Facebook
Twitter 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, however all opinions are completely mine.

It seems like the Internet has been around forever, but, it’s a relatively new medium in the grand scope of communications. Yet, it is such a huge factor in how we interact with one another these days.

The first thing I do when I wake up is check my email. So much of our lives these days is about sharing online and there are so many different ways. Twitter and Facebook already seem second-nature.

Social Bookmarking is a great way to find, keep track of and share information that we perceive as interesting or newsworthy with our friends, family and the general world.

Blog This by Cami Checketts

 Will protecting children throughout the world cost Natasha her own family?

Devastated by the loss of her brother, Natasha Senecot works to expose the dangers of Matthew Chrysler’s violent video games, succeeding in bankrupting and humiliating him. Chrysler retaliates and sends a hit man after her. Natasha is forced to fake her own death to protect her children. But after witnessing another tragedy, Natasha must come out of hiding. In a race against time, Natasha must expose Matthew Chrysler before his assassin shatters her world and those she loves.

Praise for Blog This “From the very first chapter, Blog This grabs your gut and your heart with surprising action and touching moments. Cami Checketts blends suspense, humor, and good clean romance into a story that will stick with you.” ~Daniel Coleman, Author of Gifts and Consequences

“LOVED it. LOVED it. LOVED it. Have read all of Cami’s books but Blog This is on the top of my list. Read it twice and enjoyed it just as much as the first time I read it. Just when you think you know what is going to happen you’re led into a different direction. Had a hard time putting the book down and was anxious to see how it was going to end.” ~Elsa Akinason

Author Cami Checketts

Cami Checketts is married and the proud mother of four future WWF champions. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potions, and reading Bernstein Bears, she gets the chance to write fiction. Cami graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Exercise Science.

BookBlast Giveaway $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

 Ends 10/31/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.  a Rafflecopter giveaway

About The Glister Journals series:

The Glister Journals series is told from the perspective of a normal but not average teenage girl. It is not obvious, but Allison has a mild pervasive developmental disorder (autism spectrum). She thinks and experiences things a little differently from most of the other kids. In the past it has caused her to be alienated at best and bullied at worst. After the family moves, she becomes involved with a group of teens that open up new worlds to her.

The four book series follows her through high school but is equally about her friends who have their own problems, fears, and aspects of their lives they’d rather keep quiet. There is action—mostly in the form of equestrian and extreme sports—and though there are only hints of it in Bronze, there is a love story which will play a more prominent part as the series progresses. The main story is about assumptions, acceptance, love, and friendship, though there are other themes running throughout the series.

 

Author B.B. Shepherd

A graduate of Cal Poly with graduate work at Chapman and U C Santa Cruz, B. B. Shepherd has lived most of her life in California and loves the diverse beauty of its many landscapes. Music, horses, literature, and art have been her passions as long as she can remember. She enjoys road trips, almost all horse sports and extreme sports (as a spectator), and is addicted to research. As a writer, Shepherd enjoys exploring emotions and motivations: why do people do what they do?

She also likes trying to find the funny side of things. She admits to being a hopeless romantic and often gets in trouble for her sense of humor. Bronze is her debut novel, the first in a series of four called The Glister Journals. She currently works full time as a music professional and educator, and lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her youngest daughter and a very silly cat.

$100 BookBlast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/18/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you.

The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

blogskinny.com

I would definitely put myself in this category. If I’m asked to post about something that I am opposed to, I turn it down, because I like the idea of blogging with integrity. This is not to say that a blogger cannot make a mistake and find out later down the line that the brand actually is not reputable.

For example, I write about and use natural products whenever I can find them. For that reason, it just doesn’t make sense for me to write about bathroom or rug cleaners that are mostly toxic, or snacks where you have to read through a long list of chemical ingredients just to find something natural hidden in there.

I am in quite a few blogger networks which also makes it easier to find the “rotten apples”, so to speak. If something about a brand is disreputable, whether it be how they market or produce their products, we, as bloggers, will share this with our colleagues. The opposite also holds true with wonderful finds.