Shopping — Page 27

Super Fun Bake Pops Ideas!! #baking #holidays #recipes

Who Loves Bake Pops?

Heck I know I do! I think that these are one of the funnest baking ideas to come around in a long time. {Is funnest even a word?….} So, if you’re like me, and love Bake Pops, and love fun holiday baking ideas, you’ll love this post! You’ll learn some super creative ideas, and find out why using the Bake Pop pans are WAAAY easier than making pops by hand!

Why I love Bake Pops

We just got our Bake Pop set last Friday – and I am SO excited to start creating some fun goodies! And the set is pretty impressive – it comes with so much stuff. Check it out – the deal is still available:

Get the Bake Pop Double Kit – 150 Pieces of Baking Fun!! Only $19.99!!

This little gadget makes it SO easy to make fun baked goodies that look like you’re a pro – even if you’re not! {I love to bake, but am super likely to run into total catastrophes! Lol.} You whip up any cake mix – from scratch or from a box – pour it into the Bake Pop pans, cook ’em up, pop ’em out, then dip ’em and decorate! It is seriously so easy peasy to make them look really impressive!

Love From the Oven:

The first pic above is from Love from the Oven – she has SO many absolutely adorable ideas! This is a really simple Bake Pop – just dipped and covered in sprinkles – then she simply put it in a cellophane bag, and tied on a printable card with ribbon. How fun would this be for a bake sale, kids birthday party, or gifts? So easy, so pretty!

Another fun idea: This one comes from Bake Me a Wish – and again, shows you how even just super simple decorating can give you a really cool dessert by using the Bake Pop system!! She dipped these Bake Pops into melted Candy Melts, then covered them with fun sprinkles. She’s got some great tips – but she makes her Bake Pops by hand, and shares some of the problems you can run into doing it this way. That’s why I love my Bake Pop maker! I don’t have to worry about rolling ’em up and keeping them held together.

More super fun ideas: If you’re looking for some really fun ideas for your Bake Pop pans, check out this adorable book – Bake Me I’m Yours…Cake Pops: Over 30 designs for fun sweet treats – it’s filled with 30 amazing ideas to make for holidays, birthdays, parties, or just for after-school snacks to impress the kiddo’s! You’ll find a ton of other great books on Amazon too, filled with great recipes for unique cake mixes, fillings, candy coatings, and more.

I LOVE BAKE POPS!!

Have I already said that I love my new Bake Pops kit?? We’ve made brownie pops, dipped in chocolate candy melts, and rolled in one of four toppings – coconut, chopped almonds, oreo cookie crumbs, or chocolate sprinkles. And we made super-yummy French Vanilla Bake Pops, covered with cherry flavored frosting and Edible Pink Glitter – one of my favorite baking “secret weapons” that help make it look like I’m a real master of the kitchen. I’ll share pictures soon! They came out amazingly pretty!

Get your own Bake Pops Double Set today!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 7, 2011 Filed Under: Shopping | 1 Comment

Are Pre-Paid Credit Cards for Kids a Good Idea?

To pre-pay, or not to pre-pay? That is a mom-of-teens question…

I’ve told you guys before that I don’t think enough kids are learning about money management. I remember taking a class in High School called “Single Living”; it taught skills like how to make a budget, how to balance a checkbook, rental agreements, etc. We once did a project where we made our imaginary budgets, and then made a grocery list that we thought would fit our budget – then took a field trip to the grocery store, to write down the actual prices of the foods on our list. 99% of the kids in class were completely shocked by the price of food – and had spent around triple what they thought they would. But, since I’d been helping my mom with grocery shopping for years, I was the only one who actually spent a little less than my budget – and then did a presentation on couponing too!

How I became a frugal momma…

My mom was really honest with us about money. We knew that the reason we couldn’t have everything we wanted was because we couldn’t afford it all. But while we struggled financially while I was growing up, it was never a negative thing – we just worked together as a family to figure out what was most important to each of us, and sacrificed other things to get them. Mom worked 2-3 jobs sometimes – which meant we did more housework, to help her out. We all learned budgeting basics at a pretty young age. But I am SO surprised to see how many people graduate high school with NO understanding of money what-so-ever.

Busy Mom Solution – A tool to help:

I’ve also talked to you before about what a great tool pre-paid credit cards can be. As a young adult, I used them to help me budget. And I really love them as an option to get teenagers used to using credit – once their out on their own, most kids sign up for a ton of cards, rack up a ton of debt, and have no idea exactly how it happened. BUT – giving them a pre-paid card, that you have a lot of control over, can teach them some budgeting basics earlier on. Plus, you take away the temptation to spend their money on drugs, alcohol, or other dangerous activities – you get to see a record of exactly where they’re spending!

Here are some great ways to use them:

School shopping: Load an agreed-upon amount into the card, and let your child to their own shopping. When they don’t have mommy or daddy to spend more, they quickly realize that they don’t need those designer jeans as much, when it means they only get 2 shirts for the year. And if they do splurge on the jeans anyway – they’ll soon learn why it was a mistake. Lessons that are important to learn. Working in retail I saw a HUGE difference in the way kids shop when they’re using moms money, or using their own limited clothing allowance.
Emergency Cash: So many kids might lose cash, or spend it if they’re holding it more than say – 5 minutes. But, they can carry a pre-paid card, and you’ll know that they always have some cash in an emergency situation – peace of mind is worth it.
Allowance: An easy way to give the kids their weekly allowance, without having to run to the bank for cash each week. Or – pay your babysitter each week by loading it onto a pre-paid card. Easy peasy solution.
The most important factor: I remember in school, parents would give their kids lunch money, or spending money, and some would use that for alcohol or drugs. When you’re using a pre-paid card like this to give them cash – you get to see exactly what they spend it on. Much safer.

Cool features:

Lock and Unlock Your Teen’s Card with a Simple Text.
Monitor Purchase Alerts in Real-Time on Your Mobile Phone – so you can quickly catch problems before they get out of control.
Family or Friends Can Reload Funds – which is great for holidays, birthdays, or graduations.
Plus – there is NO risk of overdrafts, and no credit risk for them. It’s a safe way to learn to use a card responsibly.
You can see where they spend it, to ensure they’re being safe.

What do you think?

Have you used pre-paid cards for your kids? Are you for, or against the idea? Are there other ways that you help to teach your kids money management? I’d love to hear your tips! If you’re interested in learning more about pre-paid cards – the one I use is the Bill My Parents card, from MasterCard. You can also use this now at Amazon – which can help the kids learn about safe online shopping too. The rates are totally reasonable, and I’ve used them for a long time with no problems. My boyfriends two other daughters are teenagers now, and budgeting, money, and allowance are topics we’ve been giving a lot of thought too – I’d love for you to share your thoughts, ideas, and tips in the comments….

Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 7, 2011 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution, Shopping | No Comments

Weekly Weekend Holiday Shopping Report! Coupon Codes, Cash Back, Deals, & More!

Ok, it’s time again for the Weekly “Weekend Holiday Shopping Report”!

Here are the best deals I’ve found this morning, to help you start knocking out your holiday shopping early! Start now, and when December hits, you can just relax and enjoy the season. I’ve matched up some great cash back, coupon codes, and deal sites – and remember, many of the deal sites will reward you with FREE bonuses for sharing with YOUR friends too. That can be a great way to get your holiday shopping done for FREE! Plus, cash back dollars really start adding up over the holidays, so make sure to check your favorite sites like zuuzs.com, ShopAtHome, Inbox Dollars, or Ebates whenever you shop, to get your rewards! Then you can go do some fun FREE shopping for you after the holidays!

Weekly Weekend Holiday Shopping Report

Victoria’s Secret: Get a FREE Victoria’s Secret PINK tote with any PINK purchase! Add it to your cart, then use code PINKTOTE11 at check out to get it totally free, until November 17th! Plus, use coupon code SHIP50VS to get FREE shipping on all orders over $50 bucks. Make this an even SWEETER deal by starting your shopping at ShopAtHome.com and get FREE cash back on your purchase too! If you’re not earning with ShopAtHome yet, no prob – it’s super easy peasy to sign up. Make sure to check their WILD DEAL each day to find stuff that’s sometimes almost free with cash back! Love that.

Mini Social: HUGE Toy and Book Warehouse Sale on now, until Wednesday, on Mini Social. There is SO much cute stuff here – Choose from some of the very best kids toys from brands like Melissa and Doug, ImagiPlay, Shure Toys and Random House Books. Hurry – quantities are limited! Plus, invite your friends to Mini Social, and get $10 when they join! They’ve also got some really great sale events on kids clothing too. You will love the selection on this site – stuff goes really fast, but if you get there in time, you’ll find really affordable, really adorable, kids stuff!

NoMoreRack: Get a FREE Clear Black iPhone Cover Case for the iPhone4. Very cool. You pay $2 bucks to ship it – that’s it. Awesome, right? Every day NoMoreRack has eight super deep discount items, in limited quantities. Sign up for their email updates, so you can check first thing in the morning, and grab one if you want it. They do lots of freebies like this too. Plus, get points for each friend you refer – that you can use towards amazing free stuff like baking accessories, or even tech stuff like an iPad!

HomeSav Event: Stupell Kids Wall Art over 50% off! Stupell Industries, Inc. is one of America’s premier suppliers of handcrafted decorative accessories for upscale homes. All of their products are hand-crafted And they use only original art work, which is very cool. They’re now taking their super amazing quality, and creating kids art too! These pieces are each only $19 on sale – over 50% off! Plus, invite a friend – they get $10 bucks off, you get $15 in free credit! Great way to share the savings, right?

Totsy: Check out the super cute Angelina Ballerina Sale Event! Ohmyheck – who doesn’t totally love this stuff, right? And with prices starting as low as $3.90 {wow!} you can buy a TON of great stuff! I bought some books, a little toy set, and a matching outfit for Abby, for Christmas! Plus, with Totsy, you can get $15 in credit when you invite your friends to join you there. Check out the deal for 60% off kids shoes, and 66% off Little Divas Hair Accessories too – great time to start pulling together great holiday outfits for parties.

Zulily: Starts today – Disney Sale Event up to 65% off! So many super cute plush character toys – for only $7.99! I had to snag this adorable Cheshire cat for Abby – and of course the Alice Doll too, to go with the movie I got her for free on Amazon with Swagbucks. That’s less than $16 bucks for 2 big plush dolls and a movie. Sweet gift shopping, right? Plus, invite your friends to Zulily by email or Facebook post, and get $15 in credit each time one of them joins you there! They have great deals that are super easy to share.

Bath & Body Works: It’s back – the super duper Buy 3, Get 3 FREE event! Get any 3 of the classic products, including new holiday scents – and get an additional 3 for free. Plus use code SHIP50 at check out to get free shipping on all purchases over $50! To sweeten up this deal, start at ShopAtHome to get 3.5% cash back on your purchase! There are also a ton of great clearance deals going on now – From 50% off accessory items, to 75% off the Pocket Bac’s {great for diaper bags, by the way!} so get shopping before their gone!

Grand Finale: Save 90% off {WOW!!!!} on this cooking deal from Moolala!! Pay only $10, and get: $20 in Organic, Fair-Trade Spices. PLUS get Preferred Spice Club Membership, AND Gourmet Cookbook {$103 Value!!!!} Here’s what that membership gets you: Preferred Spice Club, offering the tantalizing aromas of monthly deals with 50% discounts, a 30% discount on orders of $25 or more, a 20% discount on all orders, free shipping on select orders, and selected, members-only cooking videos. Holy heck! If you do a lot of cooking – this is a serious savings. You can bet I snatched this up super quick!

Ladies – grab your debit cards!

Make sure to start at a site like like zuuzs.com, ShopAtHome, Inbox Dollars, or Ebates when you shop, so you can get FREE cash back on shopping you’re going to do anyway. Even when the percentages are small, it’s still FREE. And it does add up. Plus – during the holidays, all of these sites start ramping up, and giving BIG cash back deals, like up to 25% on some sites! So you’ll want to subscribe now, so you get updates when these types of deals start. I mean, imagine you’re doing to buy $100 worth of gifts online – and you can get $25 in cash back?? On TOP OF the coupon codes and great deals you’ve already found? That’s what I call smart shopping sister :)

Don’t forget – Sign up for UPS MY CHOICE – so you can schedule your deliveries, sign for packages online, and more!

And if you need holiday cards to go with all of these great gifts, get 20 FREE holiday cards with photos, matching address labels, and a super-cute photo pen too, for less than $5 bucks. Have a great weekend! And if you have deal lovin’ momma friends who would appreciate this list – please share it to your own Facebook and Twitter! Friends don’t let friends pay full price!!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 5, 2011 Filed Under: Deals and Coupon Codes, Shopping | No Comments

Limited Time Event – Melissa & Doug Wooden Toys up to 70% off!

Melissa & Doug Toys and Play Sets – HUGE DISCOUNTS!!

Limited time sale on everyone’s favorite toys from Melissa & Doug, ends on November 8th. You can find these amazing prices until then on HomeSav – one of my favorites for discount shopping on brands you actually want to buy!

Check out the Melissa & Doug event on HomeSave today and get some sweet deals on Christmas gifts!

Melissa & Doug started their company twenty years ago, in the garage of the home where Doug grew up! Now they are one of the leading designers and manufacturers of education toys and children’s products. Their philosophy has remained the same over the years – to make each and every customer a happy and permanent member of the Melissa & Doug family, while offering products with tremendous quality, value and design.

Get these award winners for YOUR children!

They’ve won numerous awards from many noteworthy award givers, like Today’s Parent, Disney Family Fun, and The Wall Street Journal. Buy a toy today and see what all the buzz is about!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 3, 2011 Filed Under: Deals and Coupon Codes, Shopping | 1 Comment

Start Earning Today – Avon Gives You Unlimited Opportunities!

Want to Earn Extra Holiday Cash?

Avon has products for everyone – from the amazing Anew skin-care line, to the trendy cosmetics and accessories from Mark, to the new super-fun baby products in the Tiny Tillia line – even great stuff for guys too! Such an extensive selection, all at really affordable prices, makes it so easy to sell!

Tomorrow Starts Today! Start reaching your goals!

Whether you’re entering the workforce, returning after the kids are grown, or just want to be your own boss, becoming an Avon Independent Sales Representative offers unlimited opportunities. Even if you’ve never sold a product before, you can do it – with Avon. As the world’s leader in anti-aging skincare, fragrances and color cosmetics, we make it easy for you to sell and succeed, right away!

Earn from home, and earn online. Be your own boss! Learn more about the earnings opportunity of becoming an AVON representative and join today! Click Here to get started!

Why Direct Sales?

Direct Sales gives busy moms what they need most – flexibility and freedom! YOU set your hours. YOU decide how much you want to earn. And YOU run your own business, the way YOU want. If you’re interested in checking out some other amazing companies you can join – Check out the Direct Sales Directory! New businesses are being added daily, and you can access it easily whenever you visit Sunshine and Sippy Cups, just by clicking the Directory tab up top in the navigation bar.

Check out the Directory today – and find YOUR perfect fit!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 3, 2011 Filed Under: Shopping | No Comments

75% off Creating Keepsakes Kit – Plus FREE Shipping and Bonus FREE Gift!

Improve your crafting skills TODAY!

Order now and receive 75% off Crafting DVD, free shipping, FREE gifts, and bonus buys!

Are you a crafty type, or doing some holiday shopping for a crafter? Either way, you probably know that Creating Keepsakes is a great company, right? And right now they’ve got some GREAT deals that I found, you can snag both for yourself or use them for amazing gifts – You can get a full years subscription for 46% off, and get 9 FREE gifts! – and check out this super fun gift idea:

Get Inspired: New & Exciting Scrapbook Idea Kit!

Get an instruction packed DVD, with over 1-1/2 hours of inspiration, for ONLY $4.95!! Wow, right? PLUS it has FREE shipping too!
Plus – you’ll get a bonus card-making gift kit valued at $17, yours FREE!
100% Satisfaction Guaranteed – so you can’t miss!
PLUS – get the option to add Adding Artistic Touches to Your Scrapbooking to your order too, at 50% off – only $10 bucks!

If you ordered both DVD’s, you’d be getting a $42 value for less than $15 bucks! Or – just order the Scrapbook Idea DVD for $4.95, and still get the card-making gift kit FREE!

Order the SCRAPBOOK IDEA KIT today!!

For more great Holiday Shopping ideas – make sure to check out the Direct Sales Directory! You can use YOUR shopping power to support moms and other women in business this season – and find some really great products and deals too – use the categories to shop for everyone on your list. The personalized service you’ll get when ordering from these ladies is the best!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 2, 2011 Filed Under: Shopping | No Comments

How I Taught My Baby to Sign – Deal on Kit to Help YOU Learn too!

Baby Signs Potty Training Kit For Half Off!

We’ve been using the Baby Signing Time videos since Abby was about 4 months old – {I was super lucky to find a huge boxed set on Zulily and got them at a great price} – and I am completely amazed at how much she has learned. She’s 15 months now, and knows about 30 signs already. That means she can tell us if she is hungry, thirsty, tired, or wants to play. She tells us when she wants her shoes or coat, knows how to ask for her bear or her dolly, and can sign mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa. It’s really kind of incredible – I didn’t realize it was possible for her to learn such a big signing vocabulary – and to really know what the words mean too! When she runs out of snacks, she can sign “More Crackers Please.” Best investment I ever made was buying the video set.

Great Deal Today –

This set is from a different company than we’ve been using, but I hear great things about them too. Baby Signs put together this full Potty Training Kit, with everything that you need to encourage baby to learn to use the potty, making training easy and fun. I’m so excited to get this for Abby! Even if your little one hasn’t been doing any signing yet, trust me, you will be absolutely amazed at how quickly they pick it up and start using it. And it’s so wonderful for your baby to be able to communicate what they want, and really helps cut down on their frustration and tantrums.

What’s included in the kit:

Parent Guide– This straightforward guide from trusted child development experts will help you confidently lead your baby to potty success.
All Aboard the Potty Train DVD– With its catchy tunes, delightful animation and real kids, this exciting DVD will teach your baby five potty-time signs and reinforce each step of the potty routine.
All Aboard the Potty Train Lift-the-Flap Book– Your baby will love discovering the potty-time signs hidden under each flap in this fun and interactive board book featuring the DiaperDoodles”.
Job Well Done! Stickers– These colorful reward stickers feature fun images and positive messages such as “Good Job” and “I’m on the Potty Train!”
All Aboard the Potty Train Conductor’s Whistle– Whether to signal it’s time to go potty or to “sound the trumpet of success,” this fun-to-blow whistle will put a smile on your baby’s face when it’s potty time. (For adult use only. Whistle poses a choking hazard for very young children.)

Limited Time Deal:

This awesome deal on the DVD Kit is only valid until November 4th!

Buy Baby Signs Potty Training Kit for HALF OFF today!

I’m going to put together a video soon, to show you Abby doing her Baby Signing Time flash cards, so you can see that little one’s really can pick up signs at a really fast pace! Signing helps build vocabulary skills at a super young age, helps baby to communicate better, and can help them start talking earlier. Plus, honestly – I think it’s so much fun! I’ve picked up so many signs, and it’s become a habit to sign things like Please and Thank You. I really think that YOUR family will love it too!