Busy Mom Solution

Glam Up Your Homemaking – & #Giveaway!

Who loves doing laundry?… Ok, not many of you probably raised your hands. But, um, I have a confession to make…. I actually rather like doing the laundry. It’s true! I worked in retail management for years, and could totally just space out while folding clothes. As a matter of fact, I really don’t mind doing housework at all {except taking out the garbage. Bleh.} The only thing that stops me from having a clean home is lack of time due to becoming a work at home mom with crazy hours. Oh yeah and a toddler. Toddlers are messy. One thing that I’ve mentioned before is that I truly think that the products and gear you use make a huge difference in household chores, and make things just a little more fun. Let me share a few of my faves:

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 5, 2012 Filed Under: Giveaways, Busy Mom Solution | 22 Comments

Brusha, Brusha, Brusha – Especially during the holidays! #SweetSmart

Do you guys remember me telling you that we were going to challenge ourselves to build some healthier smiles about a month ago? {What makes you smile?} Well, what more perfect time of year for us to get serious about taking care of our teeth than during the fall Halloween season – you know, candy central? I always stock up on candy waaaaay before the big day – I have coupons, and think I’ll save it until trick or treating. But I never do, lol. So yes, we end up eating quite a bit ourselves before Halloween night even arrives….

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 3, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

See me sing Rock-a-Bye Baby to Abby & a Baby Lizard. I know you’ve been waiting for this day… #SleepytimeSongs

Sing your way to sleepytime…. As an infant, Abby slept really well. I mean, as well as you can ask for from a brand new baby. But I really was pretty lucky. Then, when she was about a year old, her daddy moved in with us, in our new house. Her and I had been on a pretty good schedule before that – but she quickly started trying to adjust to daddy’s weird sleep schedule. She wanted to stay up late, and sleep in late – just like him. Since we’re both work-from-home parents, at first we kind of let it slide… I mean, hey, if she was getting enough sleep, and it worked with our schedules, it should be fine, right? Wrong. Having a weird sleep schedule like that started making her too tired, too often, during the day. So we decided to shake things up, and make some new, healthier bedtime routines as a family.

Toddlers may seem super wild and unpredictable, but really – they do thrive on having a predictable set of daily routines. Not super strict, with every moment scheduled – but a basic outline for the day works wonders. Once Abby learned ours – bathtime, jammies and lotion, story time, and then some songs in the rocker – she knew from the start that it was time to start mellowing out. And – it makes me totally happy too. That time together cuddling and singing is the absolute best part of my entire day. As you can see – we have to sing to her “babies” each night – whether it’s one of my old Cabbage Patch dolls, a stuffed monkey or owl, or even a little plastic lizard, like we had in the video here. She is such a little lover, and it’s so sweet how she talks to her toys – she made me rock the lizard in my hands, and then at the end she tells him, “Close your eyes… Go to sleep…” I love her.

Vote for your favorite Sleepytime song!

Celestial Seasonings – the amazing folks that make the best teas you’ll ever find – are running a very sweet campaign right now, to find the best “Sing your way to sleepytime” video. Families around the country made lullaby videos, to show how their family incorporates singing into their sleepytime routine, and YOU get to help vote for the winner. Check it out…

Who has the best #SleepytimeSongs video? Vote for your favorite today, from October 31st- November 15th!

We drink a lot of Celestial Seasonings teas here in my house – Daddy was a big tea drinker when I met him {7 years ago now, can you believe that??} – and totally converted me. With flavors like Kids Goodnight Grape herbal, Sinus Soother Wellness, and Peach or Vanilla Herbal, there’s a tea for each of us, and they really do help us wind down and relax in the evenings.

Vote for your lullaby video in the Celestial Seasonings® ‘Sing your way to Sleepytime Contest’ – the winner gets a $5,000 Pottery Barn® gift card to transform their bedroom into a cozy, sleep-friendly space!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Celestial Seasonings®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 2, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution |

Tall & Skinny? Hot & Sweet? 50 Shades – Pick Yours….

Ok ladies, I’m guessing that all of you have by now heard of the guilty pleasure on women’s night stands across the country – Fifty Shades of Grey. Just in case you’ve been hiding out in a mountain cave for the past few months, and haven’t heard of it – it’s a trilogy of books, featuring some rather racy content that women have made into a crazy-popular brand. Well, there’s also another set of “shades” to take a look at, that are just as hot and steamy as your favorite books….

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 31, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution, Food | 1 Comment

Do You Know the Secret to Winter Style for Busy Moms?

“What a strange power there is in clothing.” – Isaac Bashevis Singer… I’m a big fan of layered looks, and the cold weather of the winter months brings so many perfect accessories and layering options. As busy moms, we might admire the designer fashions in our favorite magazines, but they aren’t usually very realistic for our hectic lives. We need looks that are stylish & sexy – while still being sensible. I do NOT want to get sucked back into the frump mom look that I had after Abby was born and I transitioned to being a work from home mom, {so many sweat pants….} but I also need to be comfy while I alternate between work and chasing a busy toddler. And I want those comfy fashions to WORK – they should be able to mix and match easily, dress up or down, and take me from my office, to play/coffee dates with friends, and out for those rare date nights too. Did I mention that they also need to be affordable? No, I’m not dreaming – there is a whole line of fashions, available at Target, that can do all of this. Check it out…

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 25, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

What Makes You Smile? #SweetSmart

“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” – Phyllis Diller… I’m what you’d call a “glass half full” kind of girl. I’ve always been great at finding the silver lining, the rainbow after the rain, the sun behind the clouds. There are tons of things that make me smile – sparkles, cupcakes, ridiculously adorable baby animal pictures on Pinterest, and of course, my family.

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 23, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

Bathroom Inspiration & DIY Ideas

A few months back, I told you guys about our plan to do a “Not-So-Extreme” makeover on our Master Bedroom space... It’s a huge room, but we were trying to divide it into a main bedroom, a playroom and sleeping area for Abby, and an office area for both me and Mike. Wow, that’s a lot of different uses for just one room, right? Well, as we got started on things, my brother found a new house – when he moved out last month, it freed up two more bedrooms in the house, meaning a lot more space for us to spread out! So we’ve modified our plans…. And now my home DIY project list is about twice as long, lol. One bedroom is kind of partitioned in two, so that one became Abby’s playroom in the front, and an office in the back. The second free bedroom is going to be a guest room, for when my dad or Mike’s daughters come to visit. All of those rooms are going to need a lot of work – but for now, I’m focusing on making our Master Bedroom and Bath into a really luxurious, calm, relaxing area. {Because with my crazy-busy life, I need at least a small piece of calm…} As I plan the Master Bath redo, I thought I’d share some fun ideas that I’ve come across, to inspire you too….