Busy Mom Solution

Celebrate Motherhood with the Forever Moments….

“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.” – Rajneesh

That is my favorite quote of all time. It describes how I feel about becoming a mother – so simple, and so perfectly. My life changed dramatically the day Abby was born, and she is the total sunshine of my life. I had never planned to have children, and was overwhelmed by what a beautiful experience it was when I unexpectedly became a mother a year and a half ago. I’ve cherished every single moment since then – Through the sleepless nights and endless diapers, to the new toddler tantrums and catastrophes. It’s a hard job, but the benefits package kind of rocks.

“I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine – she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights.” – Terri Guillemets

Want to celebrate YOUR favorite mom moments? The Forever Moments has an amazing way to help you do so – They get your favorite photos out of a box, and into premade scrapbook pages that are as unique and beautiful as your family! Each piece is handmade just for you, with perfectly detailed embellishments, and your own personalized names and dates. You can purchase them with or without a frame, and there are so many layouts, colors, and designs that you are guaranteed to find the perfect fit for your favorite moment.

“Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had, and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed.” – Linda Wooten

This is my favorite photo of my little family… It was taken very late in the fall, and there was actually some snow on the ground already! But the totally amazing Amber Miller found one spot that was still bright with colorful fall leaves, and was able to capture the three of us sharing a fun moment. A super special picture needs an equally special presentation – and I just love the design of this Family Portrait design. {Tip: This design is able to fully customized with your family name. Long story, but Mike, Abby, and I all have different last names right now – we’re in the process of changing his. So I just had it printed with a basic message of “Our Family” instead.} It’s surprising how hard it is to get a really great picture, of a picture – But trust me, this looks even more beautiful in person. The details are all made from such high-quality paper, with gorgeous texture. It’s the perfect addition to our family photo wall, there is a perfect design choice just waiting to be created for your own photo wall – and this would make a perfect gift for a special mom in your life for Mother’s Day!

“Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, comrades and friends – but only one mother in the whole world.” – Kate Douglas Wiggin

Celebrate the special mother in your life this year with a gorgeous, handmade, and totally unique piece of art from The Forever Moments! Check out the amazing selection of Mommy Moment design choices, or browse any of the other great categories too – like family, celebrations, sports, baby & more! And since it’ll be super hard to choose just one – I’ve got a special coupon code just for my readers!

Use code SUNSHINE to save 25% off your whole purchase, until March 30th, so that you can stock up on additional gifts, and create the perfect piece for yourself, too!

The Forever Moments doesn’t just make products that look good, they DO good too – Instead of more candy or gift wrap, why not encourage your school to offer these pre-made, personalized scrapbook pages for their next school fundraiser? They can help you set up a great fundraising campaign, and your school earns 30% of purchases! Another way that The Forever Moments does good is by recognizing how difficult life is for the families of America’s military. For every Military layout purchased, they donate a $1 to BlueStarFam.org, a wonderful group doing awesome things to support military families!

Love it? Then enter for a chance to WIN your favorite design – The Forever Moments Giveaway!! – Good luck!

{Disclaimer: I received a complimentary design from The Forever Moments, so that I could go through the selection and order process, and check out the quality of their work. All opinions, photos, and overuse of exclamation points are 100% my own :)}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 16, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution, Shopping, Deals and Coupon Codes | 25 Comments

Nutrisystem Week 2: Challenges & Successes

“It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.” – James Gordon

I told you guys about my big news the other day – I am officially a member of the Nutrisystem Nation! I could not be more excited about this – I know that this is the solution that I’ve been needing for quite awhile now. I shared the basics of the program with you last time, and now I’ll catch you up on my progress so far, since I’ve gotten just a bit behind on posting the past 2 weeks.

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.” – Maya Angelou

I have never had much trouble with my weight. Yes, it’s crept over the years after turning 21, but was still in a healthy range. Then it happened – I found out I was having a baby! I had dealt with 3 previous miscarriages over the previous 3 years, so I was – as you can imagine – very nervous. I wanted to make sure I was making choices to be as healthy as I possibly could! I started a prenatal yoga program, and was eating the healthiest foods I’d ever eaten. I even – GASP!! – stopped drinking coffee, cold turkey, the day I found out. But even with all of my new changes to my life – at about 6 months I had a checkup, and learned that I had already gained over FIFTY pounds. Ohmyheck. They had me tested for gestational diabetes and a few other lovely things, but all was negative. I was just going to be a big ol’ momma!! My own mom gained over 60 pounds during all 4 pregnancies, and she’s a tiny little thing. So I guess it’s just in our genes. But now – that baby weight is still filling out my JEANS!! Abby is 19 months old, and I still have 40 pounds of baby weight to lose. Yikes.

“Little by little does the trick.” – Aesop

During my first week of Nutrisystem, I’ll admit – I was pretty hungry. Mostly it was because it was a big change for me to eat smaller meals much more often – and it took awhile for me to really find a pattern of when to eat those meals, so that I’d feel full. You get a great little book to help you track everything that you eat – so I also marked down each day which times I was feeling super hungry. By week 2, I was into a good rhythm, and finding it much easier to stick to the plan. These are the pieces of the program that are easiest for me:

Drinking enough water. I don’t drink soda, and am used to chugging down tons of water. Nutrisystem provides you with a big 32 oz. water bottle, and you’re encouraged to drink at least two of those a day. I drink 4 :)
Eating the mini-meals. I have IBS, so I often suffer from tummy troubles. Switching to the smaller meals, spaced throughout the day, has done wonders to help me manage this. I feel SO much better.
Dessert is included. Without this, I’d probably end up cheating! But, with a perfectly portioned dessert choice each night, I don’t feel deprived. Love it!

There are also a few areas of the plan that challenge me a bit. I can tell that it’s going to get easier to follow the longer I stick with it, and build better habits. But these are my current trouble spots:

Portion Control. I had NO idea that I was eating such oversize portions! No wonder I have taken off more weight. It’s been kind of tough to get used to the smaller portion sizes, but I love that it’s teaching me what a realistic meal should look like.
Dinner time. I do fine on the plan all day – But dinner does get a little tough. I live in a big household filled with people – And when my brother is cooking a big taco night dinner, or my Mister is grilling up his amazing steaks, it is SO tough to not have a bite!

I admit it, I did fall off track, just a little bit, a couple nights. But – I was honest with myself, wrote it down in my tracking notebook, and tried to make up with it the next day by having one less snack. I know next week will be even better!

“Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” – Emilie Coue

Here’s that moment of truth I talked about…. Yep, I got brave enough to post my starting weight on the internet. Wow. {No mean comments!!} But, I feel like sharing this super embarrassing weight will help keep me motivated to stay on track! Our scale isn’t exactly the most accurate, so I’m going to buy a new one this weekend – {suggestions welcome in the comments!.} But I did take full measurements, and am tracking those in the totally amazing online support system from Nutrisystem, so I’ll be able to see if there are big changes. Wait – Not “If”, “WHEN” I see big changes!! I can do this.

Want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem? Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visitingNutrisystem.com!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 14, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 1 Comment

Get Glam Quick: Tips & Products to Help Busy Moms Get Fab Fast!

Get Glam Quick Prep Kit

It’s that time of year – we’re transitioning from summer into fall. From casual summer BBQ’s to more formal winter parties and events. You’re seeing SO much amazing fashion inspiration for fall already. But – if you’re anything like me, you don’t have a ton of time to get glam for events, right? I mean heck – I’m lucky to get 5 minutes to take a shower, let alone find enough time for getting done up. But with all the fun events that the holidays bring, you definitely need a few “secret weapons” to help you get fabulous fast. So keep reading for some pretty awesome new products that will totally make your life easier!

Mary Alice Stephenson to the Rescue!

One of my favorite fashionistas – the amazing Mary Alice Stephenson – has put together this rockin’ Get Glam Quick Prep Kit, to share some of her favorite products that she’s discovered during her years in the fashion and beauty industry. She even pairs these awesome products and tools with some helpful tips and tricks to help any busy mom look red carpet ready in a snap too!

Rembrandt Deeply White 2-Hour Whitening Kit: If you haven’t used this kit for easy teeth whitening, and the totally great Deeply White Whitening Paste – You’re missing out! This is a much cheaper option that seriously works! You can definitely see a noticeable difference – I’m in love.
Reach Total Care + Whitening Floss: To keep that new smile as bright as can be, use the new Reach floss to keep stains away!
Visine Maximum Redbess Relief Formula: If you’ve been up all night with a baby – you don’t want everyone to know it! Grab a bottle of to sooth and protect your tired, irritated eyes in seconds. Bam! You look rested and refreshed.
Neutrogena Makeup Remover Towelettes: This is the quickest solution to prepping for cosmetics – they remove stubborn makeup in one fast swipe! Then you have a perfect canvas for your favorite foundation or powder.
Band-Aid Brand by Cynthia Rowley: Ok, these rock my socks. Seriously. Not only are they absolutely adorable with their sequined, runway, or other fashion prints – but they stay on like crazy! I have a toddler, so I wash my hands A LOT. These are the best that I’ve ever used, and totally stayed on all day.
Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs Spray: Mary Alice Stephenson uses this on all of her clients before they hit the red carpet, to hide any imperfections – and gives legs a beautiful, toned sheen. If it’s good enough for celebs, it’s good enough for me!
Fashion Saverz Stain Removers: These little sponges are SUCH a great solution for busy moms! They work quickly and easily to erase stains off of fine fabrics – even deodorant! You don’t have to get them wet, so you can do a quick clean and go. And they’re small enough to fit one right in your clutch to catch any accidents during the night!
Hollywood Tape: Oh.My.Heck. If you’ve never used this stuff – it is a MUST-HAVE! No more slipping straps, gaping necklines or buttons, no more twisted seams or hems. This is one of my favorite products ever.
Living Proof Full Thickening Mousse: Getting glam means big, sexy hair with tons of volume. My hair is really fine, and tends to fall flat really easily. But this did make a big difference in helping my blowout stay bouncy all night long!
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer: This is another goodie included in this big prize package that is already on my must-have list. A little goes a LONG way, and I swear, you will be surprised by the compliments on how good your skin looks.

Look for these great products at your favorite local store, or grab most of them on Amazon – and use Mary Alice’s great tips to help you get glam quick too!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 14, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 137 Comments

Mom Entrepreneurs Rock: Get the Best Guide to Being Your Own Boss

“The only thing that ever sat its way to success was a hen.” – Sarah Brown

Love that quote. And I love this book. If you’ve never heard of Carrie Wilkerson before, let me tell you – she is not a hen. This woman is a total firecracker. And it’s amazing how well she puts her personality and high energy into written words on the pages of this book. It’s so easy to read – and you feel totally motivated every time you get through another chapter. This is rockstar stuff here, ladies.

“None of us can change our yesterdays but all of us can change our tomorrows.” – Colin Powell

I would have loved to have come across Carrie’s book a year ago, when I was making my big life changes. Most of you know my story of how I went from a high-paid position in Retail Management to an unemployed new mom – It was pretty stressful stuff. I had no job, it was a totally crummy economy, I was a totally unprepared new momma, and still a full-time online student. Those factors all combined to make finding a new job really difficult. Plus – I had unexpectedly lost a great job that I loved just a few years before that too. It was a new branch of a fast-growing online sales company, and I was one of the companies top sales people. Then one day they said – “Grab your purses and coats, and you can come back in two days to get a box with the things from your desk. We’re closing the site immediately.” And just like that, I was unemployed. Total shock. So now that this was my second unexpected job loss in less than 5 years, I realized that having a “safe” job just wasn’t really all that safe anymore. It was time for me to find a new plan….

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen R. Covey

I realized that just like Carrie talks about in her book – now that I was a mom, my priorities had shifted dramatically. It no longer seemed so important to be putting in those long hours, hoping for that next advancement – store manager, then regional, and more… No, what mattered most to me now – more than money, or titles, or recognition – was flexibility. I wanted the ability to raise my baby myself, and stop worrying about finding a safe and reliable daycare facility. I wanted to be a part of family functions again. I didn’t want to miss the birthdays, and holidays, and school events that I’d been missing due to always having to work. I had no tech knowledge, but was studying for a Marketing Degree – so I decided to jump into the world of blogging, freelance writing, and social media, and see what I could do. If you’re in that same early stage, this book will save you countless hours – The Barefoot Executive is packed with amazing steps to help you figure it all out. If you’ve already started your journey, and are in the process of building a business of any type for yourself, this book will help YOU too!

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that. The really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.” – Mark Twain

Carrie’s spark and enthusiasm for helping others achieve their dreams comes though loud and clear in her book. One of my favorite sayings in business has always been – “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” – and it’s so true! Over 30% of new businesses fail before they reach their second year, and most of that is not because they didn’t have a great idea, or because they didn’t work hard enough – it’s because they didn’t have a plan! It’s the whole, “Work Smarter, Not Harder” idea – and Carrie is going to walk you through the steps on how to do that as you read through this book. She covers the basics in a really powerful way –

Who: Are you? What are you good at? What skills, education, and experience do you have? {Never worked? Doesn’t matter. As a best friend, a sister, a daughter, a mother, or a wife – you’ve gained skills. This book helps you figure out what YOU can do better than anyone else.}
What: Best suits you? What types of work are you most successful with? Detail or number oriented? People person? She’ll help you figure out what you do best.
Why: Do are you doing it? Why is this important to you? Why is this your passion? You’ll need to hang on tight to that when your working so many hours, to remember what your building towards.
Where: Do you want to go? What goals do you want to reach? What does your ideal future look like?

How are you going to get to your dreams if you don’t have a clear picture of what they are and why you want them, right?

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann von Goethe

This is more than just a motivating book – although it will leave you feelin’ pumped. This is more than a self-help book – although it will help you realize so many new things about yourself. Where this book really gets set apart from all the other books I’ve read to help me build my business, is that it includes action. Once Carrie does more than just help you figure out who you are and what you want – She also helps you get there. She gives you tips on how to stay focused and ignore distractions. How to find support. She breaks it into actionable steps for you – Why to start a business. How to start it. And how to make it work for YOU.

“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.” – Spanish Proverb

Don’t put it off until you “have time” – We’re all incredibly busy women, and none of us is ever going to get “more time”, lol. Get this book today. Order it right now, and when it arrives on your doorstep, take it out and get started. You will be so glad that you did. Get Carrie’s book on Amazon.com – The Barefoot Executive: The Ultimate Guide for Being Your Own Boss and Achieving Financial Freedom. It is going to knock your socks off ladies. Guaranteed.

Want More: Connect with Carrie on Facebook and Twitter, or check out some video clips of her speaking events on her site too!

{Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from LivingMyMoment.com – so that I could share an honest opinion of it with you great ladies. All opinions, & overuse of exclamation points, are 100% my own – this book rocks.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 8, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution, Blogging Tools | 8 Comments

Chef Boyardeelicious Party – & HUGE Contest Too!

For men, the phrase that sends their stress level rising is – “Honey, we need to talk…” – For many women, it’s, “Mom, what’s for dinner? I’m staaaaaarving!” Followed by whines of, “But I don’t like that!” in response to any dinnertime suggestion you come up with. Ah, motherhood. One food that will put a smile on just about any kids face is Chef Boyardee. So, Chef Boyardee came up with some fun new recipes to help you put a great meal on the table that will please everyone by featuring some of their products that are already family favorites. Save time, money, and stress – Make it Chef Boyardeelicious!

Family Dinnertime Favorites

You know I’m a big fan of sorta-homemade cooking. I love to cook and bake and create in the kitchen – But I have way more enthusiasm than I do cooking skills, lol. So recipes that feature simple ingredients, that are easy to prepare – but still let me look and feel like I made a home-cooked meal are totally my style! That’s why I love the new recipes from Chef Boyardee – they totally fit my style of cooking, and so far, my family has loved them all. And don’t think that because these recipes start with a canned pasta that they can’t be healthy – With the addition of some veggies, and using the whole grain versions of these great pastas, they make a great balanced meal. Our very favorite is the Taco-Roni!

Chef Boyardee Taco-Roni – Love it!

We made a few changes to the original recipe – used Doritos instead of tortilla chips, since that’s what I had on hand, used diced tomatos with green chilies instead of regular, and added a few more veggies {chopped onions, peppers, and olives}. The kids asked for seconds – which is pretty rare around here!

“Chef Boyardee Beefaroni combined with tomatoes, black beans and corn, topped with cheese and crunchy tortilla chips for a taco-inspired dish, try Chef Boyardee Taco-Roni tonight!”

You can find the rest of the great recipe ideas on their site too – Cheeseburger-Roni, Chili-Roni, Pepperoni Spaghetti Bake {another kid favorite!}, and Ravioli Lasagna {a sneaky way to get the kids to eat spinach!}.

Chef Boyardeelicious Party Time!

We received a super fun package of supplies, so that we could try out a bunch of the new Chef Boyardee recipes at a rockin’ in-home party. I love any excuse for a party, and love to share great new products with my friends – so this was very cool. We got some awesome baking dishes that I used to make a couple of the recipes I found on the Chef Boyardee site, and coupons so we could stock up on a TON of different varieties. {I have a super adorable photo of Abby and I in our Chef Boyardee aprons too, that I’ll post this weekend, along with a couple more recipes we came up with! Stay tuned…} I already have a house full, with me, my Mister, and Abby – Plus my brother and my nephews, and Grandma! But we invited over one of my best girlfriends and her family too – to see what recipes were favorites. I tried to get creative with the products, and come up with recipes not on the site. We made deep fried raviolis as appetizers, Beef-a-Roni on a Bun {think sloppy joe}, and mac ‘n cheese biscuit cups. I’ll get the recipes written up to show you soon!

Enter to WIN!!!!

Ready to put your kitchen creativity to the test, and see what Chef Boyardee recipes you can come up with? They’re running a super cool contest on Facebook – and you can win big!

Enter the Make it Boyardeelicious Recipe Contest on the Chef Boyardee Facebook page for a chance to win a grand prize of free groceries for a year!
Now through March 11, 2012, you can submit an original recipe that uses Chef Boyardee as an ingredient. Simply upload a photo of the recipe, and share why your family loves it.
Each week, a winner will be chosen based on creativity, all-family appeal, ease of preparation, and palatable appeal by an expert panel of judges. {One of the earlier week winners is a new favorite of mine too – Braided Spaghetti Loaf!}
The weekly winner receives a $500 prize as well as $75 in Chef coupons. If you don’t win in one week, you can re-enter again the next week!
Each of the top ten finalists from all the accumulated weeks will have the chance to win the grand prize of free groceries for a year. The winner will be chosen based on a combined score of taste points and voting.
The voting period lasts March 26-April 8, 2012. Voters get entered into a daily sweepstakes for the chance to win $100. Share it on Facebook and get an extra sweepstakes entry.

So even if your not a creative cooking genius – you still have some awesome chances to win! Make sure to check out the other winning recipes {mmmm, they look goooood!}, enter your own, and then come back and vote to be entered for more prizes. Love it, right?

{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a In Home Party campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Chef Boyardee and received product samples to facilitate my party and review, and a promotional item to thank me for participating.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 7, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 4 Comments

How to Get Background Checks & References for Child Care Providers

One of the first things that I worried about, when I found out that I was going to become a mom, was childcare. In my city, like many others – it’s tough to find quality childcare that’s affordable. It’s scary enough leaving your new baby with a stranger – when you add in all the other worries like, “Is the facility safe? What are their qualifications? How do I know if there have been problems there??” – it can be really stressful.

Smart Solution: Care.com

I ended up losing my job while on Maternity leave, so I avoided the final decision of where to take Abby while I was at work. But before that – I had spent months visiting everything from small in-home daycares, to giant facilities. There were so many choices – but there were so many things to consider! I was honestly overwhelmed, and terrified of putting her in the wrong hands. So when I heard about Care.com this week, I knew it was a Smart Mom Solution that I had to share with you guys.

A little more about Care.com:

Find and select the best care possible, including child care, special needs care, tutoring, senior care, pet care, housekeeping and more. Detailed profiles, background checks, and references for hundreds of thousands of mom-reviewed providers who are seeking to share their services. Click Here to learn more.

What do you think?

How did you decide on childcare the first time? Did you find a great option on the first try, or was it more trial and error? Have you used a site like Care.org to find reputable helpers for your own busy mom life? It’s totally worth checking out – it takes less than one minute to sign up, then you get access to the site, and can browse around and check it out. We’re thinking of having Abby in daycare one or two days a week soon, so she has a chance to play with other kids more often – So I am totally loving the help that this site provides!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 7, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 5 Comments

Learn what surprising household object can give you super-pretty no-heat curls!

As busy moms, we’re all pretty short on time. I share a lot of tips on how to organize your schedule, your household, and the stay centered in your busy-mom life. Well, it’s about time for some tips on how to quickly and easily bust out of that “frump-mom” mess too, right?

Use a Sock to get Super-Pretty No-Heat Curls!

Her easy peasy technique takes 5 minutes or less, you do it the night before, and wake up in the morning with super bouncy curls that last all day. How many times have you wished you could just roll out of bed with your hair already done? Yep, that day is here….

If you’ve tried this – Let me know how it worked for you!

Do you have any tips to add? You can bet yer buttons that I’m going to be trying this out tonight – so I’ll let you know tomorrow what kind of results I had. If you try it too, or are already using this cool idea, come share a picture on my Facebook wall so we can see your simple-to-do style too!

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