Meagan Paullin — Page 167

Smart Solution: Seriously Simple Shared Schedules

Is the Mister going to be home for dinner? Does that business meeting conflict with basketball practice? Game night, girl’s night, date night… keeping everyone’s schedules straight in my work and family life is a herculean effort. To manage everyone’s coming and going, I need something more than just a place to jot things down (sorry, paper calendar). What I need is a system that truly supports me and helps me get through my day, one commitment at a time.

That’s why I can’t live without Google Calendar. Let me count the ways I love it: I can use it anywhere (so every device I have gets me where I’m going), it’s easy to share schedules, so I can coordinate efforts with co-workers and significant others, aaaand it’s free.

Watch this week’s Twirl to learn to see why gCal and I have a standing appointment….

Um, can you say life changing??

Ok, maybe that sounds dramatic. But for me – it’s true. Let me tell you a little story about how I found out about Google Calendar…. I have an incredibly packed full calendar. Between my family, freelance work, my Examiner column, and work for this site – there are a lot of deadlines, appointments, and commitments to keep track of. I was struggling to keep it all straight – and had asked around for suggestions. Google Calendar sounded like the best fit for me, so one night I open it up, and add a couple of things to it to see how it worked. Seemed cool, figured I’d mess around with it later the next day, when I had some free time.

Technology is Freaky Smart

The next morning, an alarm went off on my iPhone, reminding me of a conference call I had in an hour. Whaaaat the? I did NOT add an alarm for that??!! Then I realized, I had put that on the gCal. How the heck did it sync itself to my phone? I have no idea. Seriously, I’m tech challenged like that. {Which is why the tips from Digitwirl are so perfect for me} – but now, I’ve been sloooowly learning how it all works, and I can’t believe how much more organized I am!

Are you a gCal girl?

I can’t wait until Digitwirl shares some user tips about gCal, to help me learn all of the cool tools better. Do you use it too? If you’ve got questions – Head over to their Facebook wall to post ’em up! They are SO great at helping me whenever I need a great product suggestion, or when I need help figuring something out. These ladies are total genius rockstars, no lie. Check them out – Digitwirl on Facebook.

Find more Smart Solutions for Busy Moms, and Tech Tips Made Simple on Pinterest!

Digitwirl is the weekly web show that offers simple solutions to modern day problems. In 3 minutes, Digitwirl brings busy women the very best time, money, and sanity-saving technology, and then teaches them how to use it, step-by-step. Digitwirl was created by technology lifestyle expert Carley Knobloch, who uses lots of technology to manage her busy life as mom of two and entrepreneur. Become a subscriber to get weekly show alerts and exclusive deals at Digitwirl.com, or follow Digitwirl on Twitter at @digitwirl.

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 29, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 12 Comments

Baby & Kids Shoes Event: As Low as $5 Bucks!

ShooShoos USA – Giant Clearance Sales on Baby & Kids Shoes

Ok – this is a site that I just found today – My little girl has outgrown all but ONE pair of shoes, so I was looking for some sweet deals. {Plus, we seem to lose shoes non-stop, so I really need more than one pair…} ShooShoos USA has some super adorable styles for babies and kids – and check out this awesome deal:

Buy one regular price pair of soft sole or Smiley sole shoes – and then get up to THREE pairs of clearance shoes at prices up to 50% off!

Here’s How it Works:

If you need to stock up on some kids shoes for spring and summer, this is an awesome time to do so! Learn how the deal works, and how to get some sweet savings –

Head over to the huge baby and kids shoes clearance sale
Buy one $19.95 soft sole or one $27.95 Smiley sole shoes – there are tons of great styles to choose from.
That one regular price purchase allows you to choose up to 3 clearance shoes (at bottom of page) that are all priced at up to 50% off – starting at just $5 bucks!!

Make sure to read the details: If you put ONLY clearance items in your cart, you will pay the original price, NOT the red half off prices. BUT – Buying 2 regular priced items qualifies you to buy SIX clearance items. That’s pretty awesome. The clearance shoes start as low as $5 bucks for little cupcake slip-ons for girls or adorable sneakers for boys. The totally versatile white sneakers up top are only $8 bucks!

What will YOU buy today?

I’m ordering this super cute pair of sandals for Abby for spring – they’re my regular price purchase, at $27. Then I am picking up the cupcake shoes for $5, the yellow and beige giraffe shoes for $8, and some super cute polka-dot boots lined in fleece for only $11 – that’s 4 pairs of high-quality, super stylin’ kids shoes for a little over $10 bucks each – and you just can’t do much better than that! If you order too – I’d love to know what you get!

This sale ends very soon – and styles are selling out quickly at these prices – So don’t miss out!

Sunshine is on the Way: 3 Spring Looks for Busy Moms

I looooove warm weather fashions. As I told you before – I live in flip flops and sandals year round. Love ’em. And no, I don’t live somewhere sunny and warm like California… I’m actually a couple of states higher, up here in the Pacific Northwest. The part of Washington that I live in sees big snow all winter – but that still doesn’t stop me from wearing open-toed shoes even when everyone else has their toes bundled up in 3 pairs of socks and chunky boots. So, I’m excited for the sunshine to come back again and warm my poor frozen toes…. {So I’m a little quirky – aren’t we all?} I recently received a new pair of totally amazing sandals from Earth Footwear, and wanted to put together a few great looks to feature the shoes for spring….

Pretty Beachy by megsp22 featuring bohemian tops

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” – Coco Chanel

In my “old life”, pre-baby and blog, I used to work in Fashion Merchandising and Retail Management. While I don’t miss the long, unpredictable hours, or the high stress levels – I really do miss the creativity. Which is why Polyvore is one of my favorite new sites – It reminds me of putting together new fashions for display windows in the boutiques I used to work in. I used to LOVE dressing up each day – but as a busy work-at-home mom, that’s not exactly practical, right? {When will a designer make fashions that looks good with peanut butter and dried cheerios stuck on it?….} So I’m all about looks that are pretty, but still super easy to wear. This picture above perfectly captures how I feel about the warmer months – and features the super comfy Jacaranda sandals from Earth Footwear that I told you about! These shoes are a total shocker – they look like they’d be tough to wear, right? With the straps and heel and cut-outs? But they are one of THE most comfortable shoes I have ever worn, no joke. I love the way that they’re just dressy enough to work with the pretty accessory pieces to boost this casual denim short look up a notch. Love this.

Weekend Date Night by megsp22 featuring a 24 karat gold ring

“While clothes may not make the woman, they certainly have a strong effect on her self-confidence — which, I believe, does make the woman.” – Mary Kay Ashe

I love how The Jacaranda works just as well with a dress as they do with cut-off denim shorts! The laser-cut design is so delicate that it makes it more of a dressy sandal – but it’s got awesome features like a cushioned footbed, padded heel area, and reinforced arch support which make them feel as good as your favorite sneaker. Seriously. This shoes comes in 3 other color choices too – Black, White, and Regal Red. But I’m lovin’ how this neutral color works SO well with everything for spring! A dress like this would be so simple to throw on for a night out – the ruffled neckline brings attention to your face and away from trouble spots, and the tie-waist will define your middle. The bright accessories add a pop of color, and make sure you don’t feel like a boring mom. And the shoes give you the comfort to dance all night – {Or, as long as the baby sitter is available. But you know what I mean.}

Spring Flowers by megsp22 featuring an oval ring

“A girl should be two things, classy and fabulous.” – Coco Chanel

Another perfect spring look that anyone can pull off – Can you believe how these great sandals from Earth’s Spring Collection work perfectly with this look too? Shorts, dresses, and now capris – these shoes work great with any spring length. They’d even work well with some skinny jeans or a long summer dress too. And – the best part about these sandals? The Spring/Summer 2012 Earth Collection is all under $100! Prices range from $79-$99, and you can check out the full collection here: Earth – Step into Wellness! A well-made pair of shoes that is this comfortable and versatile is well worth it – you can wear these all spring AND summer.

Perfect Way to Celebrate Springs Arrival – Spa Sweepstakes!

Earth Footwear would love to have you register as part of their Inner Circle – and you’ll be eligible to win various contests and prizes that they offer to their most loyal fans throughout the year. Don’t want to miss anything? Follow Earth Footwear on Facebook to learn about their latest contests and winners – and be the first to learn about new products and promotions. {Check out all of the comments from amazingly happy fans on their wall too – If I haven’t convinced you to get a pair of these shoes for spring, they will!}

Spa Sweepstakes – Enter to win a Trip to a Special Place on Earth!

What is YOUR favorite spring fashion?

Are you a sunshine girl like me – or do you prefer cozy sweaters and warm boots? Are there any other crazy ladies out there who wear flip flops in the snow too? What fashions are you most excited about this spring – Neutrals? Bright colors? Dresses and skirts – or cut-offs and swim-suits? Share in the comments – I love to hear from you guys! And to see more of my favorite Busy Mom Inspired Fashions, check out my board on Pinterest!

{Disclaimer: I was compensated by Global Influence as part of a Bookieboo LLC campaign w/ Earth Footwear. All opinions are 100% mine, and the spring looks created here are my own design. I really do love the heck out of these shoes, and I know you will too!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 28, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 6 Comments

Win a Gevalia Luxury Prize Package {3/5}

My name is Meagan, and I’m addicted to coffee….

If you’ve read even a couple of posts on this blog, then you know I am a total coffee junkie. I drink a full pot in the morning by myself. I like an iced coffee in the afternoon. Sometimes, when my darling toddler is in full-on adventure mode and I have more piles of work to do than usual – I’ll just keep that pot brewing me new cups of dark & delicious liquid-energy all darn day. And, being such a serious coffee lover, I can tell the difference between different cups of coffee. I’m always looking for new brands to brew, but as a budget momma, I just can’t justify the high-cost on some of the premium varieties, you know?

Tall, Dark, Rich, & Smooth – What more can you ask for in a cup of coffee?

I used to order Gevalia coffees by mail – back in my early 20’s. I loved the flavor of the coffee, and loved the convenience of having it shipped right to my door each month. I had kind of forgotten about that experience until I got this fun package from MyBlogSpark a few weeks ago… As soon as I opened it I remembered how fun it was to get a monthly delivery of amazing new varieties of coffee, and hoped that the products were as good as they used to be. They had sent me over a couple of types to try out –

House Blend: A Gevalia favorite, House Blend is a robust yet never bitter coffee. This roast has a captivating aroma that is only matched by its exceptional flavor. (Medium/Dark Roast).
French Roast: Gevalia French Roast is a coffee of impressive richness and dimension, expertly crafted from prized Arabica beans grown in Colombia and Brazil. Hints of aromatic smoke give this dark-roasted French Roast blend an intense, yet uniquely satisfying flavor. (Dark Roast).

Let me tell ya ladies – these totally did not disappoint me. I’m not sure if it’s just that I appreciate things more now in my old age, {lol, but seriously – I’m over 30 now. With gray hairs and frown lines. I’m creeping up over that hill…} or if they’ve made changes to their coffee, but it was even better than I remembered it. The French Roast was especially impressive – I love a dark coffee, but hate spending a ton on the couple of expensive brands that I liked best. And so many affordable dark coffees have a burnt or bitter taste to them. But this was perfect – a totally smooth French Roast. A dash of vanilla creamer, 10 minutes of quiet “me” time with my newspaper = total heaven.

Gevalia brings Swedish-style luxury to the Supermarket

Now, coffee of any type is a Busy Mom Solution. It helps you get things done – it gives you the energy for 204 more rounds of peek-a-boo, the strength to not smack your husband when asks why you’re wearing two different shoes {we all have those days}, and the courage to grab the cleaning spray and tackle that horrible odor coming from under the kids beds. But what makes Gevalia extra special is that it’s a seriously good, total luxury product – but you can now find it right at your local Safeway or other supermarket, at an affordable price. Most of us don’t have the money for a ton of premium brands in our lives, and cut a lot of corners to make ends meet. I love that this new selection of Gevalia Kaffe is a perfect solution for every mom – fabulous living on a frugal budget. {Still not convinced? Check out the comments on their Facebook page too – there are some great ones from fans!}

Win Your Own Gevalia Package Too!

One lucky winner will get a sweet shipment of the exact same goodies that I got –

(1) sample of the House Blend from Gevalia Kaffe
(1) sample of the French Roast Blend from Gevalia Kaffe
A Gevalia Kaffe branded coffee mug

Sounds good, right? Use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below to get your entries in. I’ve partnered with a few other of my favorite blogging buddies for this giveaway too – if you see this on their pages, don’t worry – you only need to fill out the form on one site, and it enters you on all of them! And if you’re feelin’ lucky, check out the rest of the giveaways in my sidebar – the more you enter, the more chances you have to win!

{Disclaimer: Kraft Foods through MyBlogSpark has provided sample product to me and is providing the prizes for this program at no cost to me. This program is not administered or sponsored by Kraft Foods or its affiliates, but
solely by me.}

[Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 28, 2012 Filed Under: Giveaways | 4 Comments

Tell a Friend that She Rocks…

“I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.” – Emma Goldman

Valentine’s Day has come and gone… and every girl wanted to get a great big bouquet of pretty Valentine flowers, right? Candy is great, but fattening. Jewelry is beautiful, but hard to shop for. A giant stuffed teddy bear is only a good choice if you’re incredibly handsome and you just started dating someone – and have the charm to pull off a cheesy gift. But every girl loves getting flowers, and they’re always even more special when they are a surprise delivery. I’ve only had flowers delivered less than a handful of times – but every one made me feel amazingly happy. It’s like a little delivery of sunshine into your day.

“Flowers don’t worry about how they’re going to bloom. They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful.” – Jim Carrey

So if you have any special ladies in your life that you forgot to get a gift for on Valentine’s Day, or if you know of a totally awesome gal friend who didn’t have a sweetheart, and had a bummed out day – why not send a better-late-than-never flower delivery her way? You’ll brighter her whole afternoon, put a big smile on her face, and guarantee your best-friend status for life. So, whether you’re sending out some belated flowers for a missed gift, or just to tell your bestie that you think she totally rocks – flowers are always the perfect gift, and they always fit. Love it, right?

{Disclaimer: This promotional sponsored post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. I was compensated for my time investment and work on this campaign. Thoughts are my own, as always.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 27, 2012 Filed Under: Fun Stuff | No Comments

Moms & Money: Top 5 Free Tools to Make Finances Fabulous!

Moms & Money

Moms are responsible for most of the household spending – from groceries, to school clothes, to new curtains, most of the family shopping is up to us. So why is that so many women don’t know much about financial tools and planning? Sure – we may be great at clipping coupons and sticking to a budget, but there are way too many women who don’t know enough about their personal finances, or have a plan for their future. After talking with some girl friends this weekend, I found that this is often because so many finance articles, books, and websites are written to target guys – making the info not relevant to us, or just plain boring. That led me to put together this list just for you ladies – I’ve rounded up some great tools and resources focused on moms and money that are all fun and simple to get started with.

My Top 5 Free Financial Tools for Moms

Whether you’re a busy stay-at-home mom, a mompreneur, a mom who commutes to the office each day, or even a single gal in need of some finance tips – I think you’ll find a few great tips here to help. And if you have some favorites that aren’t on this list, I’d love for you to share them in the comments, so everyone can benefit from your genius money tips too!

Free Financial Bootcamp: Get a daily email for 10 days, with new daily to-do’s that will help you reach your financial goals. You’ll figure out where you’re overspending, create a budget you can actually stick to, and learn to dream big and plan for a fabulous future. This is one of my favorite sites, and is filled with info that makes finance fun and fashionable. I know you’ll love it too. Learn more and sign up here – Free Financial Bootcamp for Women.
Free Book and Worksheets: Visit a totally fabulous site – Mainstream Mom – to get access to a huge resource of great $mart Mom Printables, from meal planning to paying off debt. And make sure to grab her free ebook too, 7 Simple Strategies to Take the Stress Out of Money Management. Between the website and the book, there is loads of amazingly helpful info here.
TurboTax Free Tax Assistance: This is how I’ve done my taxes every year since I was 20 years old. It worked great for my simple returns then, and has worked just as great as I’ve gotten older, and had more complicated returns. This year, since it is my first year earning a business income from my blog and freelance work, I’ll have to get some help from a local accountant. But after that, I’m confident that I can go back to TurboTax – It’s such a great tool, and the perfect solution for people who want to do their taxes themselves.
Free Workshop: This is only 30 minutes long, but it sounds like it’ll be packed full of great info! This webinar is a partnership between Daily Worth and Mint – both are a couple more awesome sites that I totally love. This event happens on a Thursday, March 8th, at 8pm EST. You can register here – Take Control of Your Finances– and learn how to better understand your money and make smarter choices every day. Daily Worth is a cool community of women who talk money advice – sign up for their daily updates for awesome info.
Mint.com: Speaking of Mint… This is my FAVORITE tool for managing my money. It’s super simple {and free!} to get started, and very intuitive and easy to figure out. You can organize all of your spending – see all of your accounts in one place, set budgets, track your expenses, and more. This is a total must-have for busy moms, seriously.
Mompreneur’s Challenge: Join the 30-day Mompreneur’s Challenge, and get a new challenge emailed to you each day. Business Among Moms describes it, “Our Challenge is a series of 30 tasks in the areas of marketing, budgeting, social networking, organization and networking that will allow you to re-focus, learn new things and move forward as a professional mompreneur!” I signed up today, and am excited to see how it goes. I’m always on a mission to learn new tips!

What do YOU think?

Do you have a favorite online tool that you use to track your spending, grow your business, or plan for the future? Do you have any great money tips for moms? I’d love for you to share in the comments! And if this post helped you out, make sure to give it a retweet, and share it with your own networks of busy moms too. I look forward to reading the tips that you guys have to share here – You have such great ideas!

I just learned the top 5 free online tools that help busy moms make their finances fabulous – #Moms & #Money sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/02/moms-m…

— SunandSipCups (@SunandSipCups) February 28, 2012

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 27, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 3 Comments

Working Together to Support Busy Moms

“I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow.” – Woodrow Wilson

I love this quote… And I think that it applies perfectly to the idea of being a Mompreneur. Being a mom is a busy job in itself. When you add in the housework, running kids around, meals, and time with your Mister – it starts to get a little stressful. When you add a full-time job on top of that – Whew! Life can get a little bit overwhelming, right? So, as busy moms, we need to support each other in every way that we can. Moms are smart, and when we work together, we can do some pretty great things! That’s my passion here with this site – finding and sharing the best Busy Mom Solutions – to help solve some of those challenges we all face. And as a mompreneur myself, I understand how tough it can be to run a business while also running a household, so I love to support other women in business. Which is why I am excited to introduce you to a couple of great sites today – Seed Mommy and The Mommy Shops!

Why these sites rock

The Mommy Shops is a unique marketplace featuring products made by, sold by and invented by Moms. As a Mompact consultant, I’ve seen how very hard mom business owners work to build their brands, market their companies, and balance it all while taking care of their family too. It is so very important that whenever we can, we moms shop other Mom Businesses. We are helping them make ends meet for their family, keeping them home with their kids instead of working outside the home and helping them grow their business one sale at a time. Target and Walmart won’t miss you. It can be so tough for smaller, mom-owned businesses to get their products marketed to a large audience, since they just can’t compete with the huge resources that the big brands have. So The Mommy Shops is a great solution that helps us all work together to support each other:

If you’re a mom with a business: It’s only $3.99 a month to feature your products with them in your own Mommy Shop, which is an amazing way to work together with other business-minded moms and boost your brand!
If you’re a mom who shops: And of course you are, right? We moms do the majority of the family shopping. You can visit one of the great shops on their site, and use your purchasing power to support other moms!

I love sites that make it easy for me to do something good – And using my dollars to support great women making great products is perfect. You know that when moms invent a product, it’s because they saw a challenge in their busy life, and wanted to solve it. And moms put so much heart into what they do – ensuring that get not only an awesome product, but also a wonderful experience too.

Seed Mommy – Your Mompreneur Resource

The Mommy Shops has a partner site too – SeedMommy.com is their advice site. There you’ll find resource info on how and where to market your Mom Owned Business, and tools to help it grow. They even have a great giveaway going on now – one lucky winner will receive a prize package that includes lots of free advertising, a brand makeover including new logo, SEO Services, PR services, and so much more. They’ll also share information on the fabulous services SeedMommy has used over the years to help them grow. This could be a great boost to your business – and you can enter until March 30th, 2012.

Enter The Mommy Business Makeover Contest!

While your there, check out the other great services that they offer, too. You can add your blog or business to their directory – it’s only $10 to join the SeedMommy Business Directory for a full year. That’s less than a $1 per month! And make sure to sign up for their newsletter, to stay updated on great new updates. Whether you’re a blogger, in direct sales, run an Etsy shop or sell your own invented products – SeedMommy can be a great resource for you.

Social Media Junkie?

I’m a total social media junkie – so I love to find great new companies to follow. It’s the easiest way for me to stay updated on things, since I’m always checking my profiles throughout the day! And you’re in luck – both SeedMommy and The Mommy Shops can be followed…