Holidays — Page 9

Tie Tech: The Digitwirl Father’s Day Gift Guide

Father’s Day Gift Guide – Need I even say it? Ties are so passé, it’s not even funny. Unless your dad is rooted firmly in the dark ages, chances are he’ll want a little less “tie” and a little more “high tech” this father’s day. A little clueless about what the man wants? No worries— here’s a parade of the latest and greatest dad-friendly gadgets and apps.

Father’s Day Gift Guide for tech lovers

You can view the slideshow over on the Digitwirl site to see ALL of the awesome picks – Father’s Day Gift Guide. But here are a few of my total favorites from their list of super cool gadgets and gear that will be perfectly suited for any dad in your life this Father’s Day. I found great gifts for my brother, my dad, Abby’s daddy, and even grandpa! I call that smart shopping – thanks Digitwirl!

Is it cold in here? Not anymore, thanks to the Nest Learning Thermostat. It’s easy to program, but it’s so much more— it actually learns your habits, and creates your home’s unique thermal profile that helps you save energy. Plus, it’s beautifully designed so that while dad will love it for it’s utter geekiness, full of knobs and buttons that make it intimidating. Is it cold in here? Not anymore, thanks to this sweet gadget.
Grillin’ Guy: If your man has a thing for setting meat on fire, the iGrill Digital Grilling Thermometer will be the way to his heart. This digital probe thermometer tracks the internal temperature of whatever you’ve got cooking and let’s your iPad or iPhone know when it’s cooked to perfection. Now you can mingle with your guests and never worry that you’re dinner’s too raw or charred beyond recognition.
You say Nikki Minaj. He says Nikki Sixx: You say Deadmau5, he says Doobie Brothers. Before you call the whole thing off, get a Spotify Premium Membership. Millions of tracks from all decades, available for streaming on any device. The free version is cool, but premium gets you better sound quality, no ads, and the ability to listen offline.
Capturing Memories: If dad’s idea of a good time involves extreme weather or extreme sports, he’ll want a camera that can keep up with his adventures without getting in the way. He can mount the ContourROAM Hands-free HD Camcorder to his helmet, handlebars or ski tips and then, with the push of a button, capture beautiful HD video from a unique first-person perspective. When he’s done being a daredevil, he can strap it to the stroller and capture your toddler eating ice cream on the way home from the parlor. Priceless.

Check out all ten great gift ideas in the slideshow on the site. And for more of the coolest Father’s Day ideas, check out my Pinterest board. You’ll find loads of “Manly” recipes featuring bacon, cheese, and beer. Super sweet crafts and gifts that kids can create for dad. And cool gift ideas that you can order online to surprise your special mister.

What are YOU getting the special dads in YOUR life this year? Share some fun ideas 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.

Posted by Meagan Paullin on June 13, 2012 Filed Under: Holidays | 4 Comments

Party Time with MAM Baby: Smile Baby, Smile

“A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.” – Dorothy Canfield Fisher… This past Mother’s Day I hosted a big celebration in my home – and was lucky enough to also get to share some amazing products from MAM Baby with the other moms who came to share the afternoon with us. I’m a big fan of all things MAM Baby, so it was great to be able to introduce some new mommas to them too.

“Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother.” – Lin Yutang

When I first saw the amazing MAM Baby party package that Child’s Play Party had put together for us, I was blown away. There were so many really smart products to encourage healthy teeth and gums from babies to toddlers. And they even included great ideas for snacks, games, activities for the kids – and some fun prizes too. I invited over about 15 moms, including one of my very bestest girlfriends – you can see Miss Teia with me in the picture above. Love her. She is always SUCH a big help when I’m trying to get parties set up while managing a bunch of crazy kiddos.

“There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.” – Chinese Proverb

Here is Miss Teia again, showing off some of the great swag bags filled with MAM Baby goodies that each guest got to take home with them. I had sets of products for girls {bags tied with a pink sparkly ribbon} and sets in blue for boys {tied with shiny silver bows} – and each set included oral care supplies to take them from infant to toddler time.

Infants: Many people think that because an infant has no teeth yet, you don’t need to worry about oral care. But it’s very important to keep baby’s gums clean, so that those new teeth pop our strong and healthy when they arrive. This can be challenging, so MAM Baby came up with a SUPER smart solution – MAM Oral Care Rabbit. It’s a little glove/cleaning cloth that makes it really simple and fun to keep babies gummy grin healthy.
6 months: As kids grow, they start developing those cute little baby teeth. And yes – they will lose those teeth eventually. But it’s still incredibly important to keep them healthy – tooth decay in little ones can lead to painful toothaches, and can start them on a path to bad habits. The Learn to Brush Set from MAM Baby is perfectly sized for little hands, and the curved shape of the brush head makes it comfortable to use.

I made tie-dyed rainbow colored cupcakes, put together pretty fruit trays, and created a sparkling Sangria wine mix for the moms to enjoy on the patio. The kids had a blast playing together and trying out their super cool new toothbrushes, and my girlfriends and I enjoyed learning some new tips and tricks on keeping smiles bright while playing some games and enjoying the sunshine. Everyone took home a great bag of goodies – and a couple of ladies won fun prizes. {Thanks Child’s Play Party!} Great times, great weather, and great new products to take home – this party was a big success!

See more great baby products and tips on my All About Baby Pinterest board too!

{Disclaimer: I received a complimentary party package from Child’s Play Party so that I could share the great products with my guests, and share some feedback with you. All photos, opinions, and over-use of the word awesome are entirely my own. If you’d like to host parties like this too, apply at Child’s Play Party today!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on May 29, 2012 Filed Under: Holidays | No Comments

Memorial Day: Support Our Troops at the Virtual Wall of Remembrance

The real meaning of Memorial Day – For so many of us, Memorial Day means a day off of work, the first real kick-off to summer, burgers and BBQ’s, camping and good times with family. And – I don’t think that there is anything wrong with celebrating like this, and enjoying a great day. But I do think that it’s important to take a little time today to remember why we observe this holiday, and show some respect and honor the memories of our soldiers past and present.

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” – Joseph Campbell

Visit the Virtual Wall of Remembrance – If you’d like to take a moment today to honor family or friends who have or are still serving, or even just a general show of support to our military men and women, you can visit the Virtual Wall of Remembrance today, on PBS.org. Just click on one of the conflicts listed on the left to submit a remembrance of your own, or to read moving remembrances submitted by others. For those who request it, they will ceremonially hand-carry your eulogies and remembrances directly to the appropriate memorial site – the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial or Arlington National Cemetery (for Iraq & Afghanistan). What an amazing thing that they’re doing here, right?

Watch Remembering Our Fallen on PBS. See more from National Memorial Day Concert.

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.” – From a headstone in Ireland

My grandpa was in the service, but never spoke of it. And my mother has been a member of the ladies auxillary at the VFW {Veterans of Foreign Wars} local hall for years. I have spent so many hours over the years sitting down there with her, talking with the older vets who come in for a beer and conversation. It’s amazing what some of these guys have been through in their lives – and shocking at how little our government sometimes does to support them, their injuries, and their needs after the war is over. I know that a few kind words, and a thank you for their service, sincerely mean the world to them. So – there is no reason to feel guilty for using a great summer day to celebrate the sunshine with your friends and family – but I do urge you to also take a minute to celebrate the great deeds done by our military members too. Visit the Wall of Remembrance, leave a message of support, and learn more about the real meaning of Memorial Day. If you or someone you know needs additional assistance, there is also a link to some great services for veterans too.

I’m supporting our troops this #MemorialDay by visiting the Virtual Wall of Remembrance … sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/05/memori… via @sunandsipcups

— SunandSipCups (@SunandSipCups) May 28, 2012

Thank you for showing some support – and have a Happy Memorial Day!

{Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated for this post. I read about this Wall of Remembrance yesterday, and knew that there were a lot of you who would probably appreciate it as much as I do.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on May 28, 2012 Filed Under: Holidays, Giving Back | 1 Comment

Plan a Perfect Party: Mother’s Day Free Printable Kit!

Ah, motherhood. There are so many crazy moments, sleepless nights, and never-ending messes. But, there is also immense joy, unconditional love – and great days to celebrate, like Mother’s Day! If you’re planning a party too, then you will just LOVE this great set of amazingly pretty printables that’ll make any party a little more cheery.

“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.” – Unknown

My “first” Mother’s Day was two years ago – I was 7 months pregnant, and the fact that I would soon be a momma was constantly on my mind. {How could it NOT be? I couldn’t see my own feet anymore, and she was kicking my ribs all day long…. } Last year, Abby was just a baby, and I was still in that daze of early motherhood – sleep deprivation and all. So this year, I feel excited to celebrate my new life role as a mother. I’ve got almost 2 years under my belt, and am feeling much more confident in my ability to raise her into a happy and healthy little lady. And she’s old enough now to run into a room, wrap her arms around my neck, and say, “Kisses Momma!!” Mwah. And THAT is what makes being a momma worth it….

Celebrating Mother’s Day

We’re planning a great big BBQ party to celebrate the day – and have invited just about everyone that we know. I’m really excited to see my favorite people and party it up! I went searching for some ideas and inspiration – {Check out my Mother’s Day board on Pinterest to see my finds} – and I just HAD to share this amazing set of free printables that I came across! Here’s how to get them:

Visit her spectacular Facebook page – Amanda’s Parties To Go. Like her page, then click on the little box that says “Mother’s Day Freebie.”
Now click to download, and get your goodies! That’s it, easy peasy!

Want some ideas on how to use them? Check out this amazing Mother’s Day Brunch post on her blog – so pretty!! Love these ideas, and will be using lots of them this weekend. And – if you have more summer party needs, check out her super cool Etsy shop too – I’m LOVIN’ her fun themed sets, like the Monster Truck Birthday Party, Pirates Printables, and the holiday goodies!

Free Mother’s Day Printable Package includes:

“Happy Mother’s Day” banner
Chevron pattern blank food tent cards or placecards
2″ logos for cupcake toppers
2.5″ background designs for cupcake toppers
1″ logos for toothpick embellishments
Drink wraps
Napkin wraps
3 different cupcake wraps
Hershey Kiss circles (to use with a 3/4″ circle punch)
Fill in Mother’s Day Brunch invitation
Fill in Mother’s Day Lunch invitation
Blank Mother’s Day Brunch invitation
Blank Mother’s Day Lunch invitation
Blank Menu card
“Happy” “Mother’s” “Day” yard picks
“Happy Mother’s Day” door sign
Centerpiece picks
“Happy Mother’s Day” tags
3 colored straw or toothpick flags
5 coordinating paper patterns

How are you celebrating Mother’s Day? Leave me some comments!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on May 7, 2012 Filed Under: Holidays | 7 Comments

Easter Fun: Dipped Baby Chick Cookies

Easter Fun – Treat Recipe

Ok – We didn’t make these ones. This is a fun photo from the Free-n-Fun Easter ideas section on Oriental Trading Company. Super cute, right? They looked like they’d be pretty simple – and since I have pretty wild helpers in the kitchen, {my nephews are 8 and 5, and Abby is 20 months. The combination leads to a lot of kitchen craziness!} – I need things that are simple. And, they mostly were, but ours weren’t quite as successful as these ones. But that’s the usual result around here – I’m much more enthusiastic in the kitchen than I am skilled, lol.

Making Easter Baby Chick Cookies

While our version isn’t quite as adorable as the original, they were still a ton of fun – and came out pretty cute. The kids LOVED them!! We did this as a trial run, and will be making more for our big Easter Egg Hunt party on Saturday. For the body of the chick, you can use any type of sandwich cookie – But since the kids at my house LOVE the Newman-O’s, we used those.

The Newman-O’s are a way healthier version of the traditional sandwich cookie, which is great for me – I’m on the Nutrisystem diet, but am going to splurge on a couple of Easter treats this weekend. {I’m so super-duper busy, hopefully I’ll burn off the extra calories quick, lol} – They even have a Wheat-Free, Dairy-Free cookie, for kiddo’s with food allergies. That’s a huge bonus when we’re having a ton of kids over!

Dipped Chick Cookie Recipe

The ingredients are simple, and you can make easy substitutions if needed. The process is pretty easy too – and they’re still pretty fun even when they don’t come out perfect! {Hint: Get some great spring candy and baking coupons right now, printable from Coupons.com – they have a lot of great ones through the weekend!}

Easter Fun: Dipped Chick Cookies

Ingredients

Cream-Filled Sandwich Cookies
Pretzel Sticks, broken in half
Mini Chocolate Chips
Orange Conversation Heart Candies - or icing
White Chocolate Candy Melts or Almond Bark
Yellow Gel Food Coloring

Instructions

Melt your candy melts or almond bark according to the package directions. {Add a bit of Crisco, if you have some, to make the dipping easier!} Stir in a couple drops of the yellow food coloring, until it's the color you want it.
Dip each cookie into the melted chocolate, then place them on a big piece of wax paper.
Add the mini chocolate chip eyes, and the pretzel legs. Also add the candy hearts if you have them - if not, wait until they cool and add frosting instead, like we did.
Display, enjoy, then eat!

https://sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/04/easter-fun-dipped-baby-chick-cookies/

For More Fun Easter Ideas

Check out more Easter Fun Ideas and Inspiration on my Pinterest board – and if you’ve got a favorite Easter craft, recipe, or activity post to share – drop by and post it up on my Facebook wall, so everyone can check it out too! Have a cool idea to share but it’s not in a post? No worries – Post a pic on my wall too! I love seeing your fun creations – Happy Easter!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on April 4, 2012 Filed Under: Holidays | 3 Comments

Easter Basket Ideas + Win Busytown Playsets too!

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” – Pablo Picasso

Playtime is incredibly important for kids. Great toys can help kids in so many ways… They learn to use and stretch their imagination in new ways. They learn to share and cooperate. They learn problem-solving, as they figure out how things work. And they even get some exercise – I mean, heck, even just crawling around to drive a car around a track is much more active than playing another video game, right?

“Easter, so longed for, is gone in a day.” – James Howell

Easter is one of my very favorite holidays, because our celebrations include so many of my favorite things – Play, Joy, Sunshine, Spring, Family, Treats, Flowers… It’s just such a pretty holiday. And I absolutely LOVE making Easter baskets for all of the kids! This year, instead of candy, I’m going to fill the baskets mostly with some of my favorite toys for creative play – The Busytown sets! {You might remember me talking about them before, when we got our first Busytown playsets.} So, to help your family celebrate this season, I thought I’d share these adorable little sets that are a perfect idea for Easter baskets – AND give a couple of you a chance to win some too! A few of these great sets, along with a book like Richard Scarry’s Busy, Busy Town or a Richard Scarry Matching Game would combine to make a perfect playtime gift basket for your favorite kiddo this Easter!

Richard Scarry’s Busytown Toys – Great Easter Basket stuffers!

“Welcome to Richard Scarry’s Busytown! It’s the liveliest, funniest, busiest town around! Based on Richard Scarry’s classic books enjoyed by generations of families, children would love to be surprised by an Easter basket filled with a Richard Scarry’s Busytown vehicle pack, figure pack or mini plush. These vehicle and figure packs are compatible with most wooden railway track play systems. A comprehensive Richard Scarry’s Busytown play system is available, too, so kids can collect them all or build a Busytown all their own! These toys are available at Toys”R”Us stores nationwide or online at ToysRUs.com.”

“It is a happy talent to know how to play” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

We have almost all of the Busytown sets now, and most of the smaller additional character sets too. I seriously love them. These were my favorite books when I was a little girl… I was always so intrigued with them. There were so many details on each page, and just like the title suggests, the characters were all so busy – driving and playing and walking and working… It’s so much fun to set these up with Abby and the boys, and relive those great memories. The sets are all really well made, and while they’re suggested for ages 3+, they’ve stood up wonderfully to the mayhem of a 19 month old just perfectly.

Enter to WIN a Busy Town Easter Basket of Goodies!

One lucky winner will take home an Easter Basket filled with a surprise selection of 3 products from Richard Scarry’s Busytown:

One Busytown Small Vehicle Pack, one Busytown 2-pack Figure Pack, and one super adorable Busytown Mini Plush!

Use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form to enter, and be sure to come back daily to get your bonus entry. And – If you’re feelin’ lucky, enter to win all of the other fun prizes I’ve got available right now, in my sidebar!

Have fun & Good Luck!

{Disclaimer: I was provided a complimentary set of Busytown toys to facilitate this review. All opinions are 100% my own!}

[Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 20, 2012 Filed Under: Holidays, Giveaways | 4 Comments

Valentine’s Day: Chocolate filled Golden-Cherry Cupcakes

Looking for a fun Valentine’s Day Cupcake idea that looks super impressive, but takes only minimal skill? Then these super delish Chocolate filled Golden-Cherry Cupcakes are perfect for you! {They start with a boxed mix. Love that, right?} Keep reading to learn my secret trick to jazzin’ ’em up!

“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.” – Ernestine Ulmer

As I mentioned over on the Click, Color, Capture Photo Challenge post earlier this week – I’m not a fan of Valentine’s Day. But – I am a fan of cupcakes! And these Chocolate-Cherry filled Golden Cupcakes totally brighten up the holiday for me! They’re incredibly easy to make, and super delicious too. They’re like – cute puppy faces and pretty flowers delivered to your door and sparkles and pretty shoes – everything that’s happy and good, all put together, and transformed into a cupcake. They’re also why my jeans are fitting tighter these days… Lol.

“Forget love – I’d rather fall in chocolate!” – Sandra J. Dykes

This cupcake recipe is a kinda-homemade style dessert – Because that’s the only way I do my baking! It starts with the new Fun-da-Middles Yellow Cupcake Mix, with chocolate frosting. But I’m never happy with a plain ol’ boxed mix, I like to get creative – But I admit, I have much more creativity and enthusiasm than I do skill, so there are disasters sometimes. Luckily, this experiment was a total success!

Chocolate filled Golden-Cherry Cupcakes

1. Stir up the Fun-da-Middles mix, following the instructions on the package – but instead of adding regular water, use the Clear American Cherry Flavored Water from Walmart. It fizzes a little bit when you pour it in, which is cool. Now stir up the batter just like you usually would, and move on to step 2!
2. Put adorable cupcake liners into your cupcake pan. I prefer polka-dots.
3. Now, things get a wee bit tricky – You want to use just enough cupcake batter to cover the bottom of each liner, but have enough left over to cover the filling! So, fill each cupcake liner with a small scoop, and make sure it fills the whole bottom of the cup.
4. Now the fun part – Grab the pouch of chocolate filling included in the package, and squeeze it for a minute or two. I listen to my music loud while cooking, so I dance while I squeeze. It’s up to you.
5. Now that the chocolate filling is warmed up, snip off a corner, and start squeezing dollops of it onto each cup of batter. Make them even, and keep it in the middle, not touching the edges of the liner. You don’t want it to ooze out while baking!
6. Now, add one maraschino cherry on top of the chocolate filling! I absolutely love the combination of chocolate and cherry together!
7. Next, use the rest of your batter to cover the cherry and chocolate filling in each cup. Bake ’em up at the temperature recommended on the box. It’s ok to have a glass of wine while you wait….
8. Now, you can take a short cut and use a canister of Betty Crocker red frosting, or tint your own favorite recipe with the Wilton Red Icing Color, and use your own bag and tip to swirl on some fun frosting!
9. Almost done – Grab a pretty sprinkle to top your cupcakes! I used some silver pearls on half, and chocolate sprinkles on the other half. I love sprinkles. A lot.

“I’d give up chocolate, but I’m no quitter!” – Author Unknown

Sounds good, right? These are so super fun, and the kids love the surprise of chocolate and cherry in the middle. They’re also pretty enough for fancier events too. So, while I boycott most things Valentine’s Day related – I do support holiday themed cupcakes, and will be making these again this week! Enjoy…. And – if you’re a cupcake junkie too, check out my Pinterest Cupcake Board!