Leap Out of Your Box Challenge Starts Today!

• Today is the start day of the beginning of the rest of your life!

• Today is the day you step outside of your comfort zone, make big changes, and realize your dreams!

To join the challenge, grab the button and add your blog to the Linky. In addition, please leave a comment with your email  and twitter so we can stay in touch for support and maybe some surprise twitter parties.

• For the details and rules of the contest go here.
• For the awesome prize package worth over $3000 go here.

Every Friday we will ask you to check in with us and let us know how you are doing.

• Friday Sept 10th…check in with Simply Stacie
• Friday Sept 17th check in with Family Sanity Reviews
• Friday Sept 24th check in with Little Yayas

Good luck and if you need support or help with some ideas feel free to email me at dina at familysanityreviews dot com

Technorati Tags: Leap Out of Your Box Challenge,Self Renewal,Spiritual Growth

Inner Mean Girl Cleanse Week 1:Gossip

If you don’t know what the Inner Mean Girl Cleanse is, I suggest you go check it out at Inner Mean Girl Reform School. Currently, I think the program is up to 7,000 women, all trying to rid themselves of that Inner Mean Girl that lives in her head….you know the shadow side of you, the evil twin, the dark night, the one I call Cassandra.

This week’s cleansing topic is about gossip, and how it hurts both the gossiper and gossipee. I have to say this challenge was not all the difficult for me. I managed to rid myself of gossiping several years ago while going through yoga teacher’s training. Where I learned that to reach an enlightened state it does not serve anyone, especially you, to think, say or act hurtfully towards anyone, I have always believed the energy you put out the the Universe comes back to you, and that to spend time in other people’s business or talking about them in a negative way just serves to take your focus off your own happiness, or unhappiness for that matter.

That is not to say, it was not difficult at the time, I was an awful gossiper until my mid-twenties. I daresay, working in the corporate world was even more toxic than high school..which is of course why I eventually left. I really don’t have the time or energy for talking about other people, and I have very little patience for drama. Which to me is the key to ridding yourself of gossip.

I made a conscious choice to surround myself with people whom I love and would do anything for. I got rid of energy vampires, gossips, and mean spirited people. Let me say it again I HAVE NO TIME OR PATIENCE FOR IT! My support structure may be smaller than it was at the time, but the quality of friendship offers so many rewards.

This is not to say gossip never comes up in my life, but it is rare. When it does I respectfully excuse myself from the conversation, or I attempt to turn it into a loving conversation about the person in question.

Of course, there is a shadow side to me in that I am brutally honest. The biggest reason I have no need for gossip is that if something is bothering me about someone, I will confront them privately and have no fears of a conflict, mostly because my words come from love…although there may be a healthy dose of snark and humor mixed in. It’s not always appreciated, and I have no doubt that I may become the gossipee. But make no mistake, my friends know I can be intense and they know my faults because I am the first to warn them when I am ready to unleash.

How do you deal with gossip, are you guilty, or like me do you protect yourself from it at all costs? Do you stop yourself and become aware when you are doing it, and shift the focus? I would like to hear your stories.

Disclosure: I am participating in the Inner Mean Girl 40-day Cleanse as a Self-Love Ambassador. To thank me for my participation, I will receive a self-love gift from the founders of the Inner Mean Girl Reform School.

Technorati Tags: Inner Mean Girl Cleanse,Self Love Ambassador

How I Leapt Out of My Box!

There is a reason I came up with the Leap Out of Your Box Challenge; I would not be where I am today, without stepping outside of my comfort zone. I feel as though this challenge will change the lives of everyone who enters.

I believe that if you are not as content as you can be, that often making a huge change is the answer. For me there are a few moments in my life where the biggest changes reaped the biggest rewards.

Moving from New Jersey to Colorado might be the hugest one. I was a Jersey girl through and through, I refused to go away to college, but then in my mid-twenties I had the opportunity to move, and while I was afraid, it was the best thing I ever did in my life. I got to leave the past and the judgments behind. Putting distance between myself and my mother has made our relationship so strong. I also met my husband, the most kind and supportive man any woman could hope for.

The next leap was from corporate America to a career in the healing arts; specifically yoga and massage. I was so tired of working in a toxic environment I knew I needed a change; so I took the leap. I learned more about myself, and my spirituality during my training than I could ever have done staying in the corporate world. My personality softened, I gained a spiritual practice, and I now know how to listen to my body and my intuition. It also prepared me for becoming a mother.

So are you willing to take a leap and join the challenge? Do you want the opportunity to win prizes that will help you continue down your path for years to come?

Do you want support while making a huge change? If you are struggling with ideas for the challenge please feel free to email me at dina at familysanityreviews dot com.

Lastly, if you sign up before the 31st you will have the chance realize your dreams and be entered to win a spot in SARK’s Dream Boogie course, and have your button displayed on our blogs during the challenge.

Technorati Tags: Leap Out of Your Box Challenge,SARK

Leap Out of Your Box Challenge Early Entry Prize!

We are so excited to be hosting the Leap Out of Your Box Challenge, that we have a prize for one lucky winner that signs up between August 25th and August 31st!
Have you had a dream for what seems like ever but have not realized it? Does it continue to speak to you, nag you, but you don’t know what the next steps are?

World famous teacher and author SARK is teaching an online course called Dream Boogie and has graciously offered one of our contestants a spot in this fantastic 8 week course. Please go to her website to see everything that is included.

To be entered into the random drawing you must sign up to be a Leap Out of Your Box Challenge contestant between August 25th- August 31st. Please go here to learn about the challenge and leave a comment with your name, email, and blog URL. In addition, you must do the following and leave a comment for each:

• Grab the Leap Out of Your Box Button and put it on your sidebar.
• Follow Family Sanity Reviews, Simply Stacie, and Little Yayas.
• Tweet the following: Step out of your comfort zone and join me in the #leapchallenge to win $3000 in prizes http://www.familysanityreviews.com/2010/08/announcing-leap-out-of-your-box.html

Book Review:Bonobo Handshake

I love Indiebound because that is where I search for books  to add to my reading list; books that I would not otherwise know about. Much to my delight I had the pleasure of reading Bonobo Handshake by Vanessa Woods. I love memoirs that keep me engaged and teach me something I did not know before.

Do you know what a Bonobo is? I did not; but they are closely related to chimps and share 99% of our DNA; however their emotional behavior is that of a loving and compassion creature. They also only live in Congo; one of the most dangerous places on Earth.

Vanessa Woods tells a story of travelling to  Congo with her new husband to research the behavior of Bonobos at the Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary in the Congo. However, this is not just a story of scientific research; it’s a story of love….both human and primate, war and destruction in Congo, and the comparison of Chimp, Bonobo, and Human behavior.

Personally, I have a history with chimps; I have always loved them. My great-grandmother had one as a pet. I had a famous Chimp named Mr.. Jiggs at my fourth birthday party. He (or I should say she which is something I just recently found out while researching for this review) was trained to roller-skate, ride a motorcycle and do all sorts of other antics. I had no idea until I read this book that chimps are not those cute creatures we view as pets or entertainment. In fact, I found out Mr. Jiggs and other chimps you see in movies generally have their teeth pulled out to avoid seriously hurting anyone.

Chimps live in a male dominated society; that use rape, infanticide and war to resolve conflict (usually over food) in the wild. Woods and her husband discovered that Bonobos are peaceful, female dominated and use sex to dispel emotions and resolve issues.
When we look deeply and read this book it really makes you wonder which animal more closely exhibits human behavior.

Bonobos are the world’s most endangered ape with around 10,000 in the wild, and are only found in Congo where they are often killed for bushmeat, or mutilated for black magic rituals. I highly encourage my readers to buy Bonobo Handshake; because its a wonderful story of the people willing to risk their lives to provide sanctuary for the creatures most closely related to us. In addition, you can support Lola Ya Bonobo through a donation, or adopting one of these wonderful apes.

Technorati Tags: Bonobo Handshake Book Review,Bonobos,Lola Ya Bonobo,friendsofbonobos.org,Vanessa Woods,Brian Hare PhD

Announcing the Leap Out of Your Box Challenge!

<a href="http://www.familysanityreviews.com/"><img alt="Family Sanity Reviews" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CNm-VrsCORg/THCiojHFKAI/AAAAAAAAAjc/WWFZRx89jzs/s1600/Dina+-+Button+SMALL.png"/></a>

I am pleased to announce along with my partners Stacie from Simply Stacie , and Cindi from Little Yaya’s The Leap Out of Your Box Challenge!! This challenge is designed to bring you out of your comfort zone and make a huge change in your life. If you are feeling “stuck or stagnant” in any area of your life, now is the time to take 30 days to make a really big change. It will be worth it when you see the prizes, because they are designed to help you continue the process of renewal and change in your life.

The challenge will run from September 1^st-30^th and is open to anyone in the U.S and Canada. You will choose an area in your life; for example; weight loss/shaping up, meeting a large goal or dream you have had for a long time, facing a major fear…..you get the idea. The bigger the change and the more you step outside of your comfort zone the better chance you have of winning.

On September 30^th you will post your story through the written word or VLOG…..be creative. We are announcing it today so you have a week to think about what major change you will make in your life. At the end, my partners and I will narrow it down to 10 submissions; then we will open it up to you and the public for voting, so it will be to your advantage to promote the challenge. We be narrowing it down based on things like the biggest change, the most difficult change, of course originality of your story and/or video…..we want this to be life changing for you!
Now on to the fun part; prizes and rules!

First thank you to our sponsors; they have been so generous!!! We have over $3000.00 in the prize package. There is so much we had to put it in a separate Prize Package Post!!!!

The Rules!

1. Grab the Leap Out of Your Box Button and put in on your sidebar. Come back to any one of the blogs on September 1^st and enter your blog on the McLinky. The first 50 contestants will get entered into a random drawing for a special prize that will help you along the way. (See Prize Package Post)

2. Follow Family Sanity Reviews, Simply Stacie, and Little Yayas

3. Check in with us every Friday to let us know how you are doing (schedule will be on the September 1^st post)

4. Write and/or video your experiences and submit the link to the post on our McLinky by 11PM September 30^th.

5. When we have narrowed it down to 10 submissions we will send a button for your readers to vote, the more you promote this, the better chance you have.

6. Write a blog post about joining the challenge. (We would love if you tweet it as well).

7. Visit all of our sponsor websites, if they have Facebook and twitter pages follow them.

Good Luck! We are very excited to see how you leap out of your box!!!

Leap Out of Your Box Prize Package

Thank you to our sponsors for offering their products and services for this challenge!!! Everything is designed to help you on your path to renewal and change! The prize package is valued at more than $3000!


1. Anyone who signs up for the challenge between August 25th-31st will be entered into a drawing for a seat in SARK’s Dream Boogie 8 week Teleclass beginning September 22nd. We would love for you to share your experiences at the end of the 8 week course. If you don’t know SARK she is a bestselling author and one of the coolest ladies I have ever had the pleasure of taking a course from. – Value $180

2. Our Top Sponsor is Nicole Lanning from Healing Art Forms; Nicole is an intuitive healer, energy worker, and teacher with an accredited degree program in Energetic Spiritual Healing. She has so graciously offered the following valued at $1500:




· A copy of her book Practical Crystal Healing
· An Intuitive Healing with Nicole
· Entry into her Online Degree Program in Energetic Spiritual Healing, go to http://www.healingartforms.com/ to view the curriculum


3. Discover Your Sweet Spot Weight Loss Coaching Program with Amber O’Neal valued at $695



· -Three 60-minute coaching sessions via phone with unlimited e-mail support between sessions
· -       E-report: 10 Myths About Weight Loss and Food You’ll Be Glad to Hear
· -       E-report: Top 10 Weight Loss Gimmicks
· -       Audio download: The Eating Path to Lasting Weight Loss
· -       Audio download: 21 Recipes for Diet Disasters


4. The Mother’s Guide to Self Renewal Book and Personal Renewal Group Training with Renee Trudeau valued at $550



Are you ready to enhance your emotional well-being, be a part of an international women’s initiative and receive:

• monthly resources for creating balance in your life
• strategies and insights for self-renewal
• ideas on reconnecting with “who you are”
• community and meaningful connection with like-minded mothers?

The Self-Renewal Package for Moms includes a copy of nationally-recognized author/speaker/life balance coach Renee Trudeau’s award-winning The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life, a Personal Renewal Group Training Membership ($499 value) and the opportunity to impact the lives of women in your community by facilitating self-renewal circles. Featured in Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, Mothering  & more.

5. Bed of Nails Acupressure Mat valued at $49




6. $20 Gift Certificate to Aventine Hill Bath Emporium

7. Youngevity Shea Body Balm valued at $20

8. Handmade Sugar Scrub and Handmade Lotion Bar from Haven’s Sweet Scents- valued at $22.50

9. Bath and Body Gift Basket from Bodycology valued at $50

10. Heavenly Soles Footcare Set from Watkins valued at $17.99

11. Copy of the book “Thinking Your Way to Happy “ by Robin H-C valued at $17.99
12. Two health supplements provided by Mannatech -
· Ambrotose AO – a new product that studies have revealed as the most promising antioxidant supplement investigated to date. Antioxidants help slow cell destruction caused by free radicals and can reduce oxidative stress caused by exercise. – Value $157.49
· PhytoBurst™ nutritional chews – designed to boost energy, support the immune system and promote longevity and vitality. These food-sourced vitamin, mineral and phytonutrient chews can help revitalize anyone after an exhausting day.- Value $38.49