Busy Mom Solution

Busy Mom Solution: Holiday Card Survival Kit – $4.99!!

Get your kit today!

Get a head start on sending out holiday cards this year! Choose from over a thousand super-fun holiday designs and personalize them with your families names and message. Then, make a set of custom return address labels too, to make sending out cards easy peasy! Writing handwritten messages in your cards? {Of course you are!} So you also get a really sweet engraved and customized pen – and you’ll love using these, they write so smooth! They’re totally my favorite pens now. This is a huge savings – a value of around $30 bucks for only $4.99!!! And – if decide to add more cards, or any of the other great holiday items like photo ornaments or calendars, you’ll get FREE shipping over $25 bucks!

This is what you get:

20 Customized Holiday Cards!
140 Personalized Labels – {if you already have address labels, make these to use as gift tags!}
And 1 Engraved Pen… Get it ALL for only $4.99!

Visit Vistaprint and get your FREE Holiday Card Survival Kit today!!

When you click the link, you’ll see the selection of card styles at the regular and sale prices – but look for this logo:

Get 20 Holiday Cards, 140 Labels and 1 Engraved Pen for $4.99!
Bonus: New Customers Enjoy FREE Shipping on Orders Over $25!

– at the top – that shows you that you’re not even paying sale prices, you’re getting an AMAZING deal!

Check it out today, and start getting ready for the holidays! – and stay tuned for more great frugal Christmas ideas every day!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 3, 2011 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

Busy Mom Solution: FREE Meal Planning Help – Save Time and Money!

Busy Mom Solution: Food on the Table

The Challenge:

You know you should start planning your meals for the week, but you never find the time. You know that meal planning can make dinner time less stressful, since you already know what you’ll be making, and know that you’ve got the ingredients on hand. You know that meal planning can save you tons of money, since you match your weekly meals to the sales at your favorite store. But between kids, work, the house – who has time to keep up, right? And what is the worst thing to hear when you’re already tired…. “Mom, what’s for dinner??!!”

The Solution:

Food on the Table is an online, budget-friendly, meal planning service designed to help families eat better and save money. It combines the weekly sales from your favorite local grocery store with your family’s food preferences to create a family-friendly meal plan that is personalized just for you! You can even get a printable grocery list, or download the app so you can view the list on your smartphone. Amazing, right? And the best part? It’s FREE!

Sign up for Food on the Table’s FREE Meal Planning Service today!!

How it Works:

Head to the Food on the Table website, and all you need to get started is your email address.
Then, type in your zipcode to find the partner stores in your area. They had two of my favorites on there, so you should be able to find at least one of yours too!
Next, set your preferences – do you only eat certain types of meat? Have food allergies or special diets to plan for? Love Italian but hate Chinese food? Click the boxes to personalize your meal plans.
Food on the Table will then bring you some great recipes that fit your family – pick the ones you like best, it’ll match your recipes with the best sales, and print you out an easy to use shopping list. Or, do like I did and get the app, so you have the shopping list right on your phone!

What are you waiting for?

It’s totally free to join – no strings! You’ll save time, save money, and have a much more enjoyable family dinner-time! Check out what other busy moms are saying on the Food on the Table Facebook page – and get started today!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 2, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

How to Keep Kids Toys from Taking Over!

Busy Mom Solution: Toyconomy!

I’ve got a full house around here – My brother and my two nephews are living with me through the summer. That means that Abby will share the Master Bedroom with me for a while longer, until there’s space to put together her “big girl” room. Toddlers get bored with things really quickly, but I just don’t have a room to store a ton of toys. Plus, I hate spending money on new ones, not knowing if they’ll truly engage her and hold her attention, or get tossed back into the toy box and ignored within a week. If you totally know what I mean, then you will LOVE this new Busy Mom Solution – TOYconomy allows you to pick new toys to rent every single month, so that your little ones always have something new and fun to explore – but you don’t have to find space to store a ton of stuff. Perfect, right? So when I got the opportunity to try out this service for a review, I was pretty excited to see how it all works. It sounded like the perfect problem solver for my busy life.

How it Works:

First, decide whether you want to do a one-time shipment, or sign up as a TOYmember, for added benefits. You can learn more here – {How TOYconomy Works} Then, browse their huge selection of super fun toys, and add your favorites to your cart. They’ll deliver the toys right to your door – along with an amazing Scout Storage Tote for all TOYmembers. {I am in LOVE with this tote!} When it’s time to ship the toys back, you simple pack ’em back up in the same box, stick the shipping label on it, and schedule a pick-up! You keep the toys as long as you’d like, and sending them back is totally free – and so easy!

Abby LOVES her new TOYconomy toys!! This little wiggle dance is her stamp of approval….

Questions you might be asking:

Since these toys have been played with already, are they clean? Well, you can see in the picture above, they look like new when they arrive! They use hospital-grade cleaners to ensure that everything is totally safe and ready for your kiddo’s! This company is run by moms – and they understand how important this is. This was the biggest hesitation that I heard when I shared the Toyconomy info with my Mommy Group – but when I showed them the toys, every single mom was impressed by what perfect condition they were in.
What if my child LOVES a toy, and I don’t want to send it back? Simple – you can purchase it and keep it! Find details in the FAQ’s. You can also earn TOYbucks from trading in toys that your kiddo’s don’t play with anymore, and use those bucks towards rentals or purchases, making this an even better value. It’s such a great risk-free way to try new toys on a regular basis – and only buy the ones you know they’ll continue to enjoy.
What if a toys gets damaged, or we lose a piece? Well, this happened to us! The cute {but very bad!} puppy you see here is Abby’s best buddy in the world. She shares her toys with him all of the time – so he thought that running off with a puzzle piece was ok! I caught him with it, all chewed up – looking guilty as can be, lol. But – when you have TOYsurance, there are no worries! It’s only a super small fee to add it to each order, and if you have an accident like we did, you are totally covered. Read more in the FAQ’s.
Do they have a good selection? Um, YES! I didn’t choose our toys, we were just sent a package with an assortment to review. But Abby LOVED them all. I wouldn’t have thought that she was big enough to really enjoy the wooden puzzles, but she spent hours fitting those pieces in and out. I went online to learn more, and sign up for a paid subscription – and I was really impressed with what a wide variety of toys are available. They do a great job of choosing toys that are not just fun, but have value too – lots of cool educational choices. You’ll love it. And it’s easy to search – by type, age group, and more.

Spend Less, Play More!

Check out the amazing selection, and pick some cool new toys for your family – visit TOYconomy.com today!

Have you used Toyconomy?

If you’ve used Toyconomy, let me know what you thought of it – what was your favorite toy? Were you as impressed as I was with the condition of the toys? Did you have any problems? I love to hear from you guys!

{Disclaimer: I received a complimentary shipment from Toyconomy to review and share with you. All opinions, photos, video, and overuse of exclamation marks is totally my own!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 31, 2011 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 14 Comments

Busy Mom Solution: Real Moms Love to Eat – The Best “Not a Diet” Book!

It’s true – Real Moms really DO love to eat

When I first heard the title of this book – I knew I had to learn more about it! I’ve never struggled with my weight…. Until I got pregnant. Ohmyheck – I gained over 60 pounds! I didn’t even know that could happen. I was lucky enough to lose about 30 pounds in the first 2 months, another 10 soon after, but those last 20? Let’s just say, I am still surprised when I see the size of my rear-view in a mirror. But – I think “diets” are silly. The whole idea of a “diet” is something you do for awhile and then stop. I can see how that would help me take the weight off, but how would it help me keep it off? And like the book says – I like food. I like to cook, I love dessert, and I don’t have time for crazy-complicated diet plans.

Beth Aldrich To the Rescue!!

This book is the perfect solution for busy moms – {and you know I’m ALL about Busy Mom Solutions, right?} – This book doesn’t try to deprive you of good stuff – it helps you find GOOD food to fall in love with, gives you step-by-step help and tips to eat better, and will make you laugh along the way! {And laughing is a great way to burn calories!}

Read the Intro:

“I love to eat. I’m not afraid to admit it. My friends love to eat too, and you know what? I say good for us! I’m tired of hearing about all the complicated ways I can deny myself one of life’s great pleasures. Food is beautiful, sensuous, absolutely delicious, and as long as we have to eat it three times or more every day, why do we make it into such a problem? Can’t we just relax and enjoy it?

Of course, the problem is that we also want to look beautiful, sensuous, and delicious. We want to be healthy and have energy. We want to be strong and fit. As moms, we need to be those things, not just to set a good example for our children but to be able to get through the day and do all the million and seven things moms need to do. Our bodies and our brains need to be right on top of things, making them happen and keeping the family moving forward. That takes a lot of energy, and if you are fueling up with sugar and white flour, fake foods and caffeine, you will not be at your best.”

Beth brings you the Happy Medium!

Beth’s approach to healthy eating, losing weight and feeling fabulous, is simple and realistic for busy moms. You’ll learn a lot about the food you eat and how it impacts your body and still have loads of fun experiencing new foods and enjoying life. I am so excited to finish reading my copy, and put some of these tips into action! I’ll share more with you on my experience as I get started.

Want to read more??

Then get the book today! You will love it – and it’s a great way to start the New Year on a healthier path. Instead of “giving up” things you love, or getting discouraged thinking about the weight you’d like to lose – make a resolution to read Beth’s book, and get motivated to live healthier! Eat great foods, feel more energetic, and have FUN with food again.

Real Moms Love to Eat: How to Conduct a Love Affair with Food, Lose Weight and Feel Fabulous

What do you think?

Have you read the book yet? If so – what did you find most helpful? If you haven’t read it yet, what are you most excited to learn about when you get it?

Make sure to check them out on Facebook too – Get some great tips, share your story, and stay updated on her current book tour. She might be stopping by YOUR city soon!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 29, 2011 Filed Under: Contests, Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

Busy Mom Solution: Moonpig.com Saves the {Special} Day!

Introducing another great Busy Mom Solution: Moonpig.com!!

This is the problem –

You’re on your way to work, and suddenly remember that this weekend is {insert important person here – grandmas, husbands, best friends, etc} birthday!!! Ohmyheck – when are you going to have time to go pick up a card? Ugh. This happens to me all the time. Plus, I hate making a last-minute dash to a card store and having to rush and pick out some random over-priced card because I’m in too much of a hurry to pick a good one, and the baby is tearing up the tissue paper display while the boys play sword fighting with wrapping paper rolls. Anyone else have this problem??

The solution –

Set up an account at Moonpig.com!! Moonpig lets you choose your favorite cards, personalize them with names, photos, and messages – then mails REAL paper cards directly to the recipient!! How cool is that??

Watch this super fun video to see it all in action –

So cool, right??

I made a few of these cards last night – and am a big fan now! Here are a few things that I totally love:

Personalizing with photos is super easy – even when you need to make “faces” – you know, where you cut out the shape of your head to add to a character in a funny pic?? Simple and the results come out great.
I love that you can personalize the inside of the card too! You can add messages to both sides of the inner part of the card – with your choice of fonts, colors, and signature. Super fun.
There is a HUGE selection! You can find something for every single person – super funny cards, classic designs, really fun stuff for kids, professional cards for work, and some incredibly cool invitations!
The price is totally reasonable! Each card will run you about $3 – $4 bucks – which is even cheaper than many of the cards you’ll find at Hallmark or the Grocery store, right? And these are way cooler – since you get to totally personalize them.

What are you waiting for??

Head over to Moonpig.com today, set up an account, upload your address book and calendar – and have one less thing to worry about!!! This is a great option to start setting up all of your holiday cards too – you could make a few personalized cards per day, set dates for them to be sent – and know that this year, all of your cards will get to people in time!

Did I just remind you that the holidays are on the way??

Yep, it’s true – the Christmas season is right around the corner. Here are a few posts to help you get ready – Santa’s Coming! 10 tips to help you prepare for the Holidays, an amazing Christmas Giveaway you can enter, and some great ways to stock up on FREE Christmas gifts – Kids Books, Pluto Ornament and Free Disney Movies, and some Cool Personalized Gifts too! Make it a holly jolly time of year by prepping now, so you can just sit back and relax this December!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 26, 2011 Filed Under: Holidays, Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

Stacks and Papers and Piles, Oh My! Get Your Paper Clutter Under Control.

Simple steps to go paperless!

Stacks and papers and piles, oh my! What starts off as a couple bills, some magazines or school notices can very quickly turn into messy mountains of papers all over your house. Well, this week we’re going to show you how easy it is to rid yourself of all that paper and organize your home. First think of junk mail as unwelcome guests and don’t let it in your house, only touch something once (you’ll see what we mean by that), scan important stuff (we love the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300) – so you can save it digitally and shred what’s left.

Check out this week’s twirl and see how getting rid of all that paper feels all kind of good.

What do you think?

I think that this is a tech tip directed right towards me! I am super organized – but paper pile-up is my biggest challenge. I’m already using a few of the amazing organizational sites that she mentions – Like Manilla and Evernote – but I definitely need to get better at scanning in more stuff that I file away. I started using the super awesome site I told you about a couple months ago – AboutOne – and I am lovin’ that. I can snap pic’s of receipts and send them directly to a “Shopping” folder there, and scan the kids artwork and add it to their “School” files. My favorite is that I scanned all of our insurance policies and added to an AboutOne folder – and I can access these from my phone too! BUT – While I’m getting much better about scanning and saving digitally, I do need to start shredding what I toss! Love her product recommendations, as always.

Do you have multiple paper messes in your home? What other great tips can you share for tackling this challenge? Share ’em in the comments!

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.

{Disclaimer: This post is shared with you guys because I’m a Syndicate Partner for Digitwirl.com – but I receive NO compensation, I just partnered with them to share their weekly twirls because they’re awesome! But, this post does contain an affiliate link which requires me to add this note – This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Manilla. But, I only share stuff I think will rock your socks!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 23, 2011 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

Busy Mom Solution: Easy Peasy Birthday Party Planning!

Where a Kid can be a Kid!

What kid doesn’t LOVE Chuck E. Cheese, right? So what better way to throw a birthday party than to celebrate at your local Chuck E. Cheese – You don’t have to set up, clean up, or entertain a bunch of wild kids – it’s all done for you! You’re happy, the kids are happy – Totally a Busy Mom Solution!

Why Kids LOVE Chuck E. Cheese Birthdays….

Special Online Deals!

Set up Birthday Party Reservations online at Chuck E. Cheese and you’ll get some really sweet bonus freebies for a limited time – so even if the party is a few months away, this is a GREAT time to reserve it, so you get the bonus freebies!!

Kids Birthday Parties – Click Here to reserve YOUR Kid’s Special Day before it’s too late!

What you’ll get:

A full TWO HOURS of fun at Chuck E. Cheese!
Ticket Blaster experience – that’s the one shown in the video above!
Book a Chuck E. Cheese Birthday Party online and get 20 Free Tokens!
Get another 100 BONUS tokens at a reserved Birthday party Friday or Sunday!

What are you waiting for?

It’s totally FREE to set up your reservation – no hassle of cleaning the house, setting up decorations and games, cleaning up the mess afterwards – and the kids will have a blast!