Smart Solutions for Busy Moms!
Welcome to the Melissa & Doug ‘Deluxe Floor Standing Wood Easel’ Flash Giveaway! It’ll run from November 2nd- 4th, 2012, and this amazing giveaway was made possible by . I’ve partnered with some other awesome blogs that I think you’ll love too – check it out…
Sing your way to sleepytime…. As an infant, Abby slept really well. I mean, as well as you can ask for from a brand new baby. But I really was pretty lucky. Then, when she was about a year old, her daddy moved in with us, in our new house. Her and I had been on a pretty good schedule before that – but she quickly started trying to adjust to daddy’s weird sleep schedule. She wanted to stay up late, and sleep in late – just like him. Since we’re both work-from-home parents, at first we kind of let it slide… I mean, hey, if she was getting enough sleep, and it worked with our schedules, it should be fine, right? Wrong. Having a weird sleep schedule like that started making her too tired, too often, during the day. So we decided to shake things up, and make some new, healthier bedtime routines as a family.
Toddlers may seem super wild and unpredictable, but really – they do thrive on having a predictable set of daily routines. Not super strict, with every moment scheduled – but a basic outline for the day works wonders. Once Abby learned ours – bathtime, jammies and lotion, story time, and then some songs in the rocker – she knew from the start that it was time to start mellowing out. And – it makes me totally happy too. That time together cuddling and singing is the absolute best part of my entire day. As you can see – we have to sing to her “babies” each night – whether it’s one of my old Cabbage Patch dolls, a stuffed monkey or owl, or even a little plastic lizard, like we had in the video here. She is such a little lover, and it’s so sweet how she talks to her toys – she made me rock the lizard in my hands, and then at the end she tells him, “Close your eyes… Go to sleep…” I love her.
Celestial Seasonings – the amazing folks that make the best teas you’ll ever find – are running a very sweet campaign right now, to find the best “Sing your way to sleepytime” video. Families around the country made lullaby videos, to show how their family incorporates singing into their sleepytime routine, and YOU get to help vote for the winner. Check it out…
Who has the best #SleepytimeSongs video? Vote for your favorite today, from October 31st- November 15th!
Vote for your lullaby video in the Celestial Seasonings® ‘Sing your way to Sleepytime Contest’ – the winner gets a $5,000 Pottery Barn® gift card to transform their bedroom into a cozy, sleep-friendly space!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Celestial Seasonings®. The opinions and text are all mine.
Who wants a Kindle??… Well, I’m raising MY hand, that’s for sure. I’ve been debating buying one for a year now – but every time I have a few extra bucks saved up, there’s something that someone else in the family truly needs, like a new coat, boots, or another darn fix for the car. So I’m still waiting…. But – one of YOU lucky readers won’t have to wait much longer – You’ve got the chance to win a new Kindle, plus 5 super sweet ebooks to add to it right away! Saaaah-weeeet, right?
Grow your blog – Monetize, find new leads and blogging opportunities, and get the best tips too… Hi all! Welcome to another weekly Bloggertunities post, a round-up of the best blogging tips, tools, leads, opps, and events of the week. I hope you’ll find some helpful stuff – and if you do, be sure to share it with your networks too!
“Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friend.” – Walt DisneyLove this week’s quote. This totally relates to blogging – what we each hope for is that our posts are so entertaining, educating, and enlightening that not only do people want to come back again to read more – but they want to share it with their friends too. That’s the whole point of good marketing – and as bloggers, that’s what we are: Marketers. Whether it’s for a brand or sponsor, or just for our OWN brands – we’re in the business of marketing our words, our sites, ourselves. And who else is more inspirational for people like us than Mr. Disney himself, right? :) I hope you find some helpful info here this week – and that’s it’s helpful enough for you to want to share it too! And for all of my much-loved bloggy buddies on the East Coast – I hope you’re all recovering from the storm as best as you can. Definitely thinking of you guys!
I’m hosting my first Blog Hop Giveaway – Join me, and some of my best-est bloggy buddies for a free event –Jingle Jubilee! Get details and join the fun today!
{Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. But all opps and leads listed are things that I trust, and have used myself. I only share what I love with ya’all! Photo Credit.}
Welcome to this Thankful for Fluff Giveaway hosted by Mama Papa Barn and sponsored by Thirsties… I’ve partnered with some favorite bloggy buddies to give you busy mommas a chance to win some fabulous cloth diapers! It’s been quite awhile since I did a cloth diaper giveaway, so I figured it was about time to do another, right?
‘Tis the season for giving back… We all know that it’s the little acts of kindess that count the most, right? Paying for the coffee order in line behind you, holding the door for a mom who’s arms are overloaded with packages, or just offering a compliment on the great service to an overwhelmed retail clerk. Here’s a random good deed I saw earlier today on Facebook, that I just love…
I’m not sure who to give credit to for this photo – It was one that I came across on Facebook, with no credit given. But it’s just such an awesome example of doing something nice for others, with no expectations in return. Totally makes me smile. And it’s exactly the way I try to live my life – to do my best not to focus on what I don’t have, appreciate what I do have, and share as much as I can.
This is my favorite face in the whole entire world – my little girl, Abby. Like most women, becoming a mother totally changed my life. And not just because I suddenly knew more about poop than I ever imagined, know the lyrics to every nursery rhyme song in existence, and have learned that yes, it IS possible for a human being to survive on only a few hours sleep for months at a time. No, she also made me want to be a better person. I want to be as amazing as she thinks I am. I want to work hard, so that I’m able to give her a great life full of awesome experiences. And I want to set a good example for her, and help her grow up to be a kind, compassionate, caring person who gives back to the world around her. Lofty goals, yes. But it’s what I work towards every day.
Since this is also cold and flu season, I want to share a very simple, totally free, but incredibly sweet way that you can give back to others – By joining the Softness Worth Sharing initiative. Here’s how it works:
Upon purchasing a Kleenex Brand Care Pack, you may redeem the code on the package at this site in order to send a care pack to someone special: http://www.kleenex.com/softness/.
So, after stocking up on Kleenex tissues for your family {or your kiddo’s school, if you donate supplies like we do} – you simply enter those promo codes online, and you can send this super helpful little care kit to someone in need of a smile. It comes with everything you see – a small box of Kleenex tissues, the adorably decorated travel pouch of tissues, a bottle of hand sanitizer, a little tin of Balsam soothing nose & lip balm, a free song download code, and a sweet note with coupons, that reads “Someone who cares about you has sent you this gift from Kleenex Brand, the softest tissue.” Wouldn’t that just make someone’s day?
During the fall season, as the weather changes quickly to much colder days and nights – there are a LOT of times you’ll need Kleenex. We brought a mini pack with us last night while trick or treating, since Abby and I both tend to get runny noses when it’s cold out. {That’s her, walking her crab along with us last night to the neighbors house, lol.} And there are a lot of other things we love to do during the fall – from visiting the U-Pick farms to get the last of the local fall produce, to playing in the leaves at the park. So having tissue in our diaper day-bag is a must. Plus, with cold and flu season here, hand sanitizer is pretty important too! That means that these little Kleenex care packs are such a great gift to send – to your best friend, the kids’ favorite teachers, a neighbor – or that coworker who always seems to catch every office bug! We got an extra couple Care Kits, and I let the kids – Abby, and my nephews – help me choose who to give them to. The boys both wanted to bring one to their teachers, so that they won’t get sick, and if they do they’ll get well quicker. {They don’t like substitute teachers, lol.} Both teachers sent home notes in their backpacks, thanking us for such a thoughtful gesture! Love it, and it’s a nice lesson for the boys too.
{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in an ambassador program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the Kleenex brand and received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.}
Shop Your Way, and Win Your Way… You guys know that I’m a big fan of “Strategic Shopping,” right? {Got that perfect description for it from my buddy over at November Sunflower. She’s a rockstar when it comes to smart shopping.} Using cash back sites before shopping online, clipping coupons, and maximizing rewards programs are all things that totally save me a ton of money when I’m picking up things that my family needs. One super simple program that I’ve been using more and more is the Shop Your Way Rewards program, from Sears and Kmart. Just by using my rewards card when shopping online or in-store, I earn points that I can redeem for cool bonuses. Well – now there’s another super sweet program that’s partnered with them -WinYourWay.com.
"The phrase "working mother" is redundant." I'm Meagan - a Momma, a Blogger, a Freelance Writer, and a total Social Media Junkie. I love sparkles and … [Read More...]
