Welcome to the cute and cuddly world of Calico Critters! These Critters are designed with remarkable attention to detail. The adorable miniature animals live in precious homes decorated with life-like furniture and accessories. Each family plays a different role in the community and they all reside in Cloverleaf Corners – a happy and peaceful place, surrounded by beautiful nature. Calico Critters are wholesome and realistic. Built around the traditional values of family, friends and community, they encourage little girls to use imagination and share their own experiences as they play. What’s more, they are a great collectible for fans of all ages!

My daughter has loved Calico Critters since the first day she saw them. A whole world populated by adorable Mom, Dad, siblings, and baby twins animals was just the thing for her imagination! For her birthday last year, one of her gifts was the Calico Critters Carry Case, which brilliantly opens up to reveal not only storage drawers, but a two-level playhouse as well. At last count, I think she owns at least 6 sets of the animals.

I knew she’d be thrilled when I was offered the chance to review Camryn’s Country Boutique. It comes with Camryn the Caramel Cat dressed in a red dress, plus 3 additional dresses on tiny hangers hung on a clothing rack. There’s also a purse, a tilting mirror, and even magazines for visiting Critters to peruse while they wait their turn at the mirror!  Kaitlyn has changed Camryn’s dresses countless times, plus brought in other Critters to shop as well.  I love listening to the stories she makes up as she plays!

Every Calico Critter animal has it’s own unique personality and is part of a family. Each family has a Mom, a Dad, boy and girl siblings, and boy and girl baby twins (twins are sold separately from the family of four).  For example, in the Ellwood Elephant Family, Mother Ella is a famous children’s book author and Father Edwin is a doctor specializing in children’s medicine. He likes to spend a lot of his time with his family. Brother Elliot enjoys playing football and soccer and is a great athlete. Sister Eliza loves to compete in beauty pageants and wants to be a super famous model.  The twins are Ellie and Evan. Ellie is very sweet, caring and loving. She always wants to be around her family, especially her brothers and sister. Evan is just a little ball of energy. He jumps out of his crib in the morning and is crawling around the house and outside all day.

Camryn’s Country Boutique is available on Amazon for $18.95. It would be a terrific gift for a little girl over the age of 3 who loves playing with little animals! (disclosure: Amazon Associate link used)

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Triad Retail Media for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Remember last winter when you were piling on the sweaters and eating lots of comfort food? And you promised yourself that after the New Year, you would lose weight in time for summer? Well, summer is here, do you still have a few pounds to go?  The Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plan can get you over that swimsuit anxiety in no time!

The plan is so easy, and you even get to eat six times a day! Just like the name says, you choose 3-2-1:

* 3 snacks a day, like fruits, veggies, nuts, and/or nourishing 100-calorie Slim-Fast snack bars. The snack bars come in flavors like Chocolate Nougat Gone Nuts and Peanut Butter Crunch Time (my two personal favorites!), so you’ll feel like you are eating treats, not diet food!

* 2 Slim-Fast shakes or meal bars. When I was in my 20s, I kept Slim-Fast Chocolate Royal shakes in my fridge at all times so that on days when I overslept and had to fly out the door to work, I could just grab one and drink it in the car. The shakes give you about a third of the recommended daily amount of most vitamins and minerals!  I’ve also tried the Sweet & Salty Chocolate Almond Meal Bar and let me tell you, it is SO GOOD. 

* 1 Balanced meal of around 500 calories. If you sign up at slim-fast.com for a personalized plan, you’ll get all your meals and snacks planned out a week at a time. I signed up for a plan, my 500 calorie dinners include meals like Balsamic Pork Medallions with Roasted Garlic Red Skin Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus – YUM!

I’m 100% a fan of Slim-Fast, so I was thrilled to get this offer through SocialSpark. It’s great for dropping a few pounds (the plan is designed to help you lose 1 to 2 pounds a week) or just for meals on the go. Especially if you love chocolate!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Just wanted to remind those of you who love entering giveaways that 20 bloggers are giving away $50 Walgreens Brand gift cards! Click that giveaways link to see the Walgreens Brand Sweeps Contest Official Rules  and a list of all the participating bloggers.    

I’m a huge fan of Walgreens, there’s one just a few blocks from my house and I’m always running over there for GoodNites or body wash or a 2 liter of Diet Coke. I also, whenever possible, buy Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products – and I SWEAR I’m not just saying that because this post is sponsored!

In my medicine cabinet right now I have Walgreens Brand Wal-itin (their version of Claritin), plus Walgreens aceteminophen and ibuprofen. It’s a no-brainer for me: the prices are lower, are Walgreens pharmacist recommended, most contain the same active ingredients as other national brands, and they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Plus, every purchase of Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products supports bringing preventive wellness services to local communities through the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™

To learn more about the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™, visit walgreens.com/waytowell. And good luck if you enter any of the giveaways!