Category: Arkansas Activities

Camp Kaleidoscope {Summer Camp Memories}

Written by Tiffany S. of Life of a Lost Muse, ARWB Blogger of the Month April 2013.

Hello everyone!  I wanted to talk to you today about our local Junior Auxiliary and a little bit about one special project that we do. The entire community of Clark County, including Junior Auxiliary members and family, church members, community leaders, and civil servants came together in July for the 3rd Annual Camp Kaleidoscope.  The Junior Auxiliary (JA) of Arkadelphia is committed to encouraging one another and the children of Clark County.  Toward this goal, many JA members and their families participated in this fun week-long camp.

Camp Kaleidoscope is a joint partnership between JA of Arkadelphia, First Presbyterian Church of Arkadelphia, and the Clark County Sheriff’s Department.  The camp is designed to enrich the lives of children. After several weeks of planning and preparation, the camp turned out to be a huge success. Without the opportunity to come to camp, many of the children would have had nothing to do during the summer.  Around 70 children between the ages of 3 to 15 participated in the camp.  The children enjoyed swimming in the lake, fishing with bamboo poles, making crafts and spending time with friends, both new and old.  A delicious dinner was served every night.  The kids loved gathering around the tables and chatting while they ate.  One night we even roasted hot dogs and made s’mores!  That was a definite hit! The Clark County Sheriff’s Department gave the children the opportunity to ride in a Search and Rescue boat while taking the kids on a scenic tour of the lake.  They were able to use the siren and steer the boat; an experience few people have in their lifetime.  They were so excited they wanted to go again and again!

The children were able to take mementos with them that will remind them of the fantastic time they had at Camp Kaleidoscope.  JA members assisted with many fun crafts, including making beaded key chains, woven place mats, paper plate frisbees, pompom ant clips and “Camp Safety” coloring books.  The children were so proud of their work and were excited to take home a treasure to give to their parents.
Everyone involved had a fun and rewarding experience.  JA members and volunteers felt the experience was “fulfilling” and “worthwhile”.  The children enjoyed themselves everyday and often ask us “When do we get to go to Camp again?”  Several volunteers, participants, and parents have requested to be invited again next year.

Camp Kaleidoscope is an invaluable part of summer enrichment for the community of Clark County.  Children gain lifelong friends and make memories that will last a lifetime.  Volunteers experience the joy of serving their community and seeing their efforts pay off in the smiles of the children they serve.  The community can be proud of it’s members and the role they play in making the world a better place for our children.

Getaways for Arkansas Women Bloggers {Travel Giveaway}

We mentioned to you recently that we have some incredible upcoming opportunities for our registered “members” of Arkansas Women Bloggers – remember that sunny Saturday sneak peak of the new splash park in Rogers that many of our bloggers participated in while half the state was sweltering?

The neat thing is that it doesn’t cost you a dime (just a few minutes of your time) to join our little community. We don’t ask you to sign up so that we can ping you with crazy telemarketing offers… we do it because Arkansas Women Bloggers is a community, and we aim to constantly gather, grow and connect our community. Plus, the more active bloggers we have involved in our little community, the more amazing things we can do for you! Even more important than registering your blog, though, is being an active participant. We want to see you visiting each other’s blogs, commenting on the site, participating in the link-ups and lifting one another up.

Here’s a great example of one of the opportunities we can make available to you: in just a few short weeks, five of our member bloggers will be participating in an amazing #RogersAR Getaway Weekend! These lucky ladies will be pampered and spoiled by the Rogers Convention & Visitors Bureau (www.VisitRogersArkansas.com), a very forward-thinking tourism promotion organization that understands the value of bloggers better than any other government organization we’ve run across in the entire state!

Our participating #RogersGetaway bloggers will attend a private artist gallery reception in historic downtown Rogers, take a sailing trip on Beaver Lake, visit the awesome new Rogers Aquatics Center and the retro Daisy Airgun Museum for ideas for their own family mini-vacations in Rogers, attend a Rogers Little Theater dinner and performance in the 1927 Victory Theater, shop and be treated to special goodies at Pinnacle Hills Promenade and even indulge in a special spa treatment package!

Yes, we are totally sharing this to make all of you insanely jealous so that you will pay attention, here, ladies! This #RogersGetaway is a pilot program, and we have other similar getaways planned in the near future! So, how do you get in on the action? Here are a few ways:

  • Register for #AWBU! We will be telling you more about how bloggers can work with tourism organizations like the Rogers CVB at our upcoming conference on September 6 – 8. So, register now!
  • Make sure your blog is correctly listed in our directory and be active on the site! (Echo, echo, echo…) this is how we choose bloggers for these opportunities!
  • Follow the #RogersGetaway channels! Like Rogers on Facebook, follow @VisitRogersAR and the hashtags above on Twitter and check out the Visit Rogers Arkansas website, blog, Instagram and Pinterest channels!

Between July2 and August 31, you can earn a chance to win your own family getaway package, and we’ll announce the winner at the conference. Plus, our five participating bloggers are going to have some other #RogersAR goodies to give away (hint: how does a giftcard to shop at Pinnacle Hills Promenade sound?), so you’ll want to be in the loop. Simply visit the link below to enter this giveaway via Rafflecopter.

We’re so glad you’re part of the Arkansas Women Bloggers community – THANK YOU and good luck!

A Rafflecopter giveaway

Make A Splash by Getting Involved

One of the phenomenal things about growing the Arkansas Women Bloggers community is the wide variety of special opportunities we’re able to offer our 418 bloggers throughout the state thanks to partnerships with forward thinking companies. (wait until you see who our AWBU 2013 sponsors are!)

These perks have ranged from giveaways to guest posting opportunities, partnerships between brands and bloggers and even some amazing upcoming trips! While the Arkansas Women Bloggers community is deeply focused on our mission to gather, grow and connect women across this state, we certainly LOVE it when you all receive incredible experiences and even a few material things, too! Our bloggers were well-represented at the second annual Bean2Blog event at P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home at Moss Mountain, too.

Another recent example of an exclusive opportunity extended to Arkansas Women Bloggers was the Sneak Peek of the brand new Rogers Aquatics Center. Earlier this month, fifteen of our bloggers were hand-selected to bring their families to check out the splash park for an afternoon before it opened to the general public! This place is fabulous, y’all – not just a few sprinklers and a big slide.

Check out all the posts (and hilarious photos) from the Arkansas Women Bloggers excursion to the Rogers Aquatics Center below, and be sure you and your blog are registered if you’d like to be considered for future perks and opportunities to work with brands.

And remember: while blog readers and social media followers influence our blogger selections for such opportunities, we also pay very close attention to those of you who follow the good ol’ golden rules of the bloggy world: comment regularly, uplift other women by visiting their blogs, promoting their posts and supporting their lives, spreading the love and, of course, frequently sharing your deep affection for Arkansas Women Bloggers!

Arkansas Women Bloggers Make A Splash:

Amy James, Our Everyday Dinners – Family Fun at Rogers Aquatics Center
Beth Stephens, The Little Magpie – Summer Fun at the New Rogers Splash Park
Heidi Clark, The Busy Nothings – Living Locally: Rogers Aquatics Center
Jennifer Haile, Visit Rogers Blog – 100 Things To Do in Rogers #6: Rogers Aquatics Center
Jenny Marrs, Blessings and Raindrops – Summer Bucket List
Lela Davidson, After the Bubbly – Rogers Water Park in My Backyard
Lenette Sparacino, The Sparacino Chronicles – The Brand Spankin’ New Rogers Aquatics Center
Rhonda Brammell, Brammell Party of Five – Water Park Fun
Stephanie McCratic, Evolved Mommy – Splashy Saturday: Rogers Aquatics Center
Whitney Sutherland, Running Whit – We’ve Got A New Swimming Hole!
Angie Albright, A Growing Season – Since Angie’s sweet boy is a teenager, she was the brave one that took some of the little ones down the slides when their bloggity moms were too scared (I am talking about you Amy James, haha).
Photo courtesy of  Heidi @thebusynothings.

Travel Arkansas {“Micro” Blogging Challenge}

Last Saturday I mentioned that this month we would be doing a series of “Micro Challenges” to help inspire your blog writing this summer. Well today’s challenge is pretty simple; Travel Arkansas!

It’s summer and even if you are working all day all summer long, it is still a great time to get out and enjoy our beautiful state.

There is so much to do and so much to see right here in Arkansas. You can get a great vacation, or “stay-cation” without having to travel far. You will save money, support or local economy, likely see something amazing and you will have some great blogging material.

Festivals and Fairs

Arkansas has hundreds of festivals and fairs, many of which happen during the summer months. While it is nearly impossible to find a comprehensive list of all of the local events, here are a few sites you might want to check out.
FestivalTrek

Arkansas Events

State Parks

Arkansas is home to 52 amazing state parks. This means that there is most likely at least one state park located within an hour of where you are right now. Many of the state parks have museums, interpretive programs, and history and heritage programs. There is nature and wildlife to be seen, trails to be hiked and wilderness to be explored. There are beautiful cabins, well-appointed lodges and meticulously managed campgrounds just waiting for you and your family. Check out Arkansas State Parks for more information.

Museums

Arkansas is home to many fabulous museums. I have listed four of my favorites below but you can also check out this website for a great list of museums around the state.

Museum of Discovery (Little Rock)
Clinton Presidential Library (Little Rock)
MidAmerica Science Museum (Hot Springs)
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville)

Outdoor Fun and Amusement Parks

Arkansas is also home to some really great outdoor adventure locations. You may want to check out these places this summer!

Rogers Aquatic Center
Loco Ropes
Magic Springs and Crystal Falls
Rowdy Adventures

So…get out there and Travel Arkansas!

We will not be providing a separate linky for this micro challenge but we highly encourage you to week up during our weekly Sunday Link-up feature!

Wordless Wednesday #Bean2Blog Style ~ The Bloggers

Disclosure: The following post is about the 2013 Bean2Blog event, where P. Allen Smith and the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board  invited bloggers (most ARWB members), fed us a delicious lunch, gave us a cutie-patootie t-shirt and showed us a good ‘ole time that did involve heritage chicken gawking. All opinions are The Park Wife’s, owner of  The Women Bloggers L.L.C.

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To read recaps from the gals, go here.

#Bean2Blog 2013 and Arkansas Women Bloggers

Disclosure: The following post is about the 2013 Bean2Blog event, where P. Allen Smith and the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board  invited bloggers (most ARWB members), fed us a delicious lunch, gave us a cutie-patootie t-shirt and showed us a good ‘ole time that did involve heritage chicken gawking. All opinions are The Park Wife’s, owner of The Women Bloggers L.L.C. 

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by The Park Wife

P. Allen Smith, MiMi San Pedro, Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board and The Communication Group GET IT!

According to P. Allen (as I like to call him, he is a new bff),  “Social media has caused a huge paradigm shift in how business is conducted on our planet. The social web has created a new era of instantaneous business where bloggers are today’s up-to-the-minute voice. Businesses want to tap these bloggers to spread positive word-of-mouth about their products.” Smith continued “Bloggers are very influential because they become product evangelists or influencers giving marketers instantaneous feedback on exclusive previews, product testing, marketing plans, customer services audits, etc. The blogger’s opinions become actionable items that businesses can employ immediately thus better serving consumers. In this scenario, everybody wins.”

AHHHH…MAZING!

 

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I, along with 19 other fabulous women bloggers, most members of the Arkansas Women Bloggers community spent a full day at Moss Mountain Farm. There were tours of the Garden Home (beautiful) and surrounding gardens. There might have been a blogger holding a chicken, you will have to read the posts to find out.

Farmer West Higginbotham shared his experiences as a soybean farmer and how it impacts his town and his family.  Allen taught us how to grow and cook with soybeans products. Fun was had by all.

The gals have promised to link up their post here, so keep coming back and reading about our wonderful day at the farm.

Bean2Blog attendees, please link up your posts from our wonderful day at Moss Mountain Farm below.



MomLife Bootcamp Giveaway!

Have you heard of MomLife Bootcamp? Oh sistah’s, if not, I am so excited that I get to tell you about it.  It is a retreat for moms ~ a place where you will find women that will encourage and equip you in your role as a mom in an honest and transparent way. I get goosebumps just thinking about all the kindness and love that will surround you.

It is a 3-day, 2 night getaway held April 12-14  at Pinecove Camp in Tyler, Texas. It will be a weekend full of teaching, connecting, free time and a lot of fun things like horseback riding, ziplines for you wild and crazy gals, crafts and more.  The cost is $140, yes ma’am, you read that right, only $140 buckaroos baby.

Here is the cool thing, those sweet gals are giving one lucky Arkansas Women Blogger a FREE registration. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

And, we will make entering easy because seriously, we are moms, we have to go to soccer, cook dinner, wipe noses, and play Candyland for the tenth time today.

To enter;

1-Hop over and check out their site, you will get all the pertinent info there.

2-Leave a comment on this post answering the question “why I need a weekend away?”

3- Go “like”  MomLife Bootcamp on Facebook.

Yes, it is that easy. We will randomly draw a winner on Tuesday, March 19 ( next week, so enter now)!

If you have any questions, just email me at theparkwife@gmail.com and if I do not know the answer, I will ask the fabulous Be the Mom gal, Tracy Eyster.

What a wonderful opportunity moms, do not let it pass you by!

Blog Conferences 2013~ Get Connected

awbuBlissDom, BlogHer, Blog Sugar, Bloggy Bootcamp, Haven, dot Mom, of course, Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged, and oh so many more. How do you decide which Blog conference to go to? Well, that depends on so many factors. But, what we at AWB want to do is help you find other bloggers in our state (oh yea, and our sistahs from Oklahoma)  that will be attending conferences in 2013.

When I attended a conference this past Fall with Stephanie McCratic and Amy James, we had a blast! It is so much more fun when you have some girlfriends with you.

So, please post a comment below of the conference/s that you are planning on attending in 2013. We will help you navigate the conference world and could even help you find a bloggity gal that might be wanting to go to a conference but does not want to go alone.

We will be announcing the Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged date and location shortly, so make sure that is on your list!

Comments are messing up on this post, WordPress hates me today. Go leave a comment on Facebook!

Top 10 reasons to attend WordCamp Fayetteville

Top 10 reasons to attend WordCamp Fayetteville

Guess what, ladies? WordCamp Fayetteville is coming in July and we think that members of the Arkansas Women Bloggers should be there. WordCamp Fayetteville is the premier technology event in Arkansas. The 2012 conference is July 27-29 in Fayetteville and tickets are only $30.

WordCamp Fayetteville is planned entirely by a grassroots committee that is dedicated to helping make the blogging and website world a better place through the use of WordPress.

Here’s the cool part. Most of the people involved, from the planners to the participants, are not technology gurus. They are much like ARWB members in that they come from all walks of life and have varying technological skills and knowledge.

There are four tracks this year:

  • WordPress 101 (Beginner)
  • Content Creator (formerly the blogger track)
  • Entrepreneur
  • Developer

The whole idea of WordCamp Fayetteville is to learn how to make one’s blog or website better but we wanted to go into more detail about all the reasons ARWB members should register right now for WordCamp Fayetteville.

 

10. Bragging rights-you can say you went to a techie conference and impress all your friends with your smarts.

9. Food you don’t have to cook-the ticket price pays for a great catered lunch (we heard BBQ?) and access to the after party, which has even more fantastic food. Who wouldn’t want to come just for the food?

8. Iceberg-both the beginner’s track pre-conference session and the after party are being held at the Iceberg CoWorking Space in Fayetteville. This will be the perfect chance to check out the new venture and either join or see ideas for developing coworking space in your own area.

7. Get hired-in the previous two years of WordCamp Fayetteville, people have found new employment in various forms including jobs with sponsor companies, new ideas for businesses to start themselves or simply ways to improve and/or monetize their existing blogs.

6. Learn from others-the best part of WordCamp Fayetteville is all the learning that goes on and we don’t just mean in the sessions! People in the WordPress community love to share ideas, help each other troubleshoot problems and discuss their sites. The sessions themselves will be jam-packed with information that will take your WordPress and blogging skills to a whole new level!

5. Make new friends-folks come from all over Arkansas and the surrounding area for this. It’s a great chance to meet new people and make new buddies!

4. Put a face to the Twitter handle-we all have people we follow on Twitter whom we’ve never met in real life. This is the chance! Get to know people beyond the @ symbol (by the way, did we mention that the @wcfay is on Twitter also?).

3. Free stuff-there’s a growing number of raffles, give aways and other prizes that will be available throughout the day!

2. Make your site look/function better-WordCamp Fayetteville will teach skills that will help make your blog or your website function and look a lot more professional and that will help get more followers.

1. Blog brighter and better-the tagline for WordCamp Fayetteville is Blog Brighter! and we aren’t joking. Learn how to write better and attract a larger audience to your blog or website.

 

You can check out their event webpage to learn more about WordCamp Fayetteville and register online.  The deadline to register and still be guarenteed a t-shirt is July 15th so act fast!

And of course don’t forget about our very own Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged Conference.  Click here to register for AWBU! Early bird registration for #AWBU ends July 31st.