Sunshine and Sippy Cups — Page 124 — Smart Solutions for Busy Moms!

4 Healthier Summer Cocktail Recipes

Healthier Summer Cocktails – Yep, it’s possible!… You know how much I love to entertain in the summer, right? We love having a house with a pool and big patio, since it’s the perfect gathering spot for all of our fave friends and family. I live in Central Washington state, and it gets HOT here. Like, upper 90’s all summer, with plenty of 100+ days. I think the hottest we’ve had so far was 110 a couple of weeks ago. That means that we spend a ton of time in the pool, and cold beverages are a must. So, since I finally lost a bunch of my baby weight on Nutrisystem, I am always creating new healthier alternatives to my favorite summer dishes and drinks. Keep reading to see my best new drink ideas that won’t pack on the calories…

How to Make 4 Healthier Summer Cocktails

All of these drinks are healthier for you because they use the new C&H Light: Sugar & Stevia Blend. Less sugar = skinnier drinks for summer entertaining, without losing the flavor, or getting that artificial taste. Half the calories of sugar, and only 5 calories per serving. Rockin’, right? I use it to make a simple syrup that I use to mix my drinks with. I mix 5 big ol’ teaspoons of the C&H Light with 2 cups of warm water. Shake it up, let it dissolve, then flavor it if desired. This makes a great mixer for any drink! Here are a few faves that I use it in:

Pomosa: Flavor your syrup with just a bit of pureed fruit – any type will work great. Then mix it with 4 oz. sparkling wine. 1 oz. Van Gogh Pomegranate vodka. Pour the vodka into a flute, add a bit of the syrup, then top it with the sparkling wine and a strawberry if you’d like to get fancy. So good!
Skinny Colada: For this drink, make a citrus syrup. Use orange, lemon or lime peel. The oils make a lovely syrup but be care not to add any pith or your syrup will just chunky. Mix 2 oz. SKYY Infusions Coconut, ¼ oz. SKYY Infusions Pineapple, 2 oz. Club soda, and a couple teaspoons of the citrus syrup. Mix over ice in a highball glass. Mmmm.
Caramel Appletini: Mix 2 oz of Vodka, 1 oz. Butterscotch Schnapps, and mix in just a bit of syrup made with 1/4 cup of cocoa powder. Shake it up, and add a green apple slice for garnish. Very fun.
Slender Mint Margarita: For this syrup, we’ll do a mint syrup, using 6 to 10 large fresh leaves. Then mix 3 parts Tequila, 1 part Triple Sec, 4 parts lime juice (roughly two limes per serving), 1 part mint syrup, and 12 parts diet lemon-lime soda. You can blend it with ice if desired, or just pour over ice.

For more ideas on how to make flavored syrups using C&H Light, check out my fave resource, How To Flavored Simple Syrup, on Mix n’ Sip. So many awesome ideas, and I always think of a new drink to try when I’m looking at that list! {Yes, I create a new themed drink for every party I host. I’m that type of girl…. Lol.} Making your own syrup saves you a ton of money when you don’t have to buy a bunch of mixers, and it’s way healthier for you too, since you’re avoiding lots of weird, unnatural ingredients, and getting way less sugar.

The light way to do sugar!

C&H® Light is an all natural pure cane sugar and stevia blend with half the calories of sugar. That’s over a 350-calorie savings in each cup! By blending pure cane C&H® Sugar with a naturally sweet extract from the stevia plant, we have created a delicious sweetener with no artificial ingredients. C&H® Light is the ideal sweetener — a perfect sweet taste and half the calories of sugar! You’ll also find it packaged as Domino Light – and it’s great for baking too. Baking is as easy as cutting it in half – if the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, all you need to do is use 1/2 cup of Domino® Light OR C&H® Light. Easy peasy!

Join the fun at the Twitter party on 8/8/12 – RSVP here. Or follow them on Facebook and Twitter to learn about fun new products and promotions!

How to make 4 skinnier summer cocktails – including the Caramel Appletini! sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/08/5-heal… #recipes

— SunandSipCups (@SunandSipCups) August 9, 2012

{Disclaimer: I received compensation for creating this content for you – this is sponsored project from Global Influence. All recipes, ideas, and opinions are 100% my own.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 8, 2012 Filed Under: Food | No Comments

The Busy Moms Guide to Potty Training a Toddler

Potty training toddler tips…. So, if you’ve been reading for awhile, you know that we’ve been working on potty training with Abby for a while now. She just turned two a few weeks ago, and we started potty training a few months before that. If you want to see where we started with potty training, and how to kep potty training fun, read the previous post full of our tips. And now, 3 months into potty training, I’ll share what we’ve learned along the way so far – what works, the tools and resources we found helpful, and the products that rock the most. We’re all busy moms, right? So hopefully you can learn from me, and save yourself the time and hassle of figuring it all out on your own….

Tips and tools for successful potty training

Potty training is a challenge – that’s for sure! And I think that the best tip I can offer for anyone who is just getting started is to make sure you wait until your child tells you it’s time… Abby started telling us when she was wet, or had, as she calls it, “Stinky pants.” She’d even bring us a diaper and say, “Change it?” I figured that meant she was ready to get her own big girl potty chair, right? Lol. We use the Arm & Hammer 3-In-1 Potty Seat, and I couldn’t be more happy with it – I love that it comes with baking soda freshener pouches, and can be used as a step stool when she transitions to the real potty. We’re also big fans of Tidy Tots to make cleaning the potty chair super simple. None of us have time to clean the potty chair all day, so these will help you a ton! Once you’ve got the right gear, here are a few more resources and tips to help you get started:

Potty Break: I absolutely LOVE the tools and tips on the Pull-Ups website – things like the Potty Break app, where you can schedule in your potty breaks for the day, and a little alarm will go off to remind you it’s time to take your toddler to the bathroom to sit on their seat. As busy moms, it can be tough to remember on your own sometimes on crazy days! Once we used this to get into a routine, Abby started being much more comfortable, and started to actually “go” when we went in there. Awesome.
Character Call: Another super fun idea on Pull-Ups.com is the character call – schedule your kiddo’s favorite Disney character to give them a call on your cell phone, and either Cinderella or Mater will call them with a message of encouragement! Super fun, and we’ve done these several times, whenever Abby hits a new milestone.
Stickers: We made a big chart for Abby to chart her progress – if she uses the potty successfully, she gets to put a sticker on her chart. This girl LOVES her stickers, so this is super exciting for her, and really works great at motivating her, and making her feel like she’s doing a good job at this new adventure in potty training.
Clothing: As kids learn to use the potty chair on their own, make sure they have clothes that are easy to get undone by themselves, so they can undo buttons or buckles quickly when it’s time to go. Find more tips like this on the Potty Training Checklist too.

And another big thing to remember – Be Patient! Every kiddo learns at their own pace. There is no right or wrong, so don’t let any other “judgy” moms get you down. As long as your child is making progress, and you’re both still smiling, then you’re doing it right. Pinky promise!

Where are we at now?

Right now, we’re doing pretty darn good. Abby knows when it’s time to go potty. She’ll tell me “Potty time momma!” and run into the bathroom. Sometimes I think that she just wants to go for fun, but most of the time she’s successful and gets that big ol’ grin when we get to put a sticker on her chart. We’re using the Pull-Ups diapers for her, the Pull-Up Training Pants most of the time. We just stated trying the Pull-Ups Training Pants with Cool Alert, and those seem like they’re really helping Abby learn when she’s gone in her diaper. And the Night-time Training Pants rock for bedtime. What I like most about Pull-Ups is that they’re kind of a hybrid – they can pull up and down just like big girl pants, but they still have tabs on the sides if I need them for big messes, or when she’s being super squirmy. Love ’em.

Tell me – what are YOUR best potty training tips? Share ’em in the comments! And be sure to check out my Potty Training Tips board on Pinterest too!

{Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Pull-Ups. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating. Photo Credit.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 8, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

4 Creative Tips for Managing Your Busy Household During the Busy School Year

“If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers.” – Edgar W. Howe… Aren’t we all looking for new tips and tricks for managing your household during the busy school year? The transitions are always really tough for me – I get used to the school year routine, then suddenly it’s summer break, which throws me all off kilter. And now, as I’m just getting used to our summer groove – it’s time to gear back up for school days again. I’m a little {ok, my family might say a lot!} OCD – and thrive on organization and routines. So, as I create my new back to school daily schedule, I thought I’d share some of my own favorite tips with you guys, to help inspire your new fall planning too.

Organizing School Supplies and Building a Homework Station

Right now is the perfect time to stock up on any type of office, kids craft, and other paper supplies you’ll need for the year. I just took advantage of the super cheap school supplies available to fill my craft box with tons of .50 cent boxes of crayons and markers, my desk drawers with paper clips, pens, and notebooks, and the big kids homework stations with new binders, pencils, and notebook paper. Once you stock up – build a great homework station for the kids to help get them excited about studying. Let them decorate bulletin boards by gluing cool little trinkets to push pins, use scrapbook supplies to spruce up some tin cans for pencil holders, and get a comfy chair to sit in. Then kids have their own space to do their work each day.

Create a Household Binder

While you’re out shopping for those great discount school supplies, check out the super cool designs they have for binders, notebooks, and divider folders too. Use these to put together a super helpful household binder to keep track of everything during the hectic school year. I use free printable calendars, and make a tab for each month. Then I add in my meal planning sheets and grocery lists, a zipped pouch for coupons, weekly to-do lists, and this time of year I just LOVE the printable School Days Kit too. It includes things like cute lunchbox notes, great schedule sheets for your whole family, and Important School Year Dates to Remember, as well as the important school and parent phone numbers you’ll need all year too. For more great free printables to build your household binder with, check out my Pinterest board filled with all of my faves.

Displaying Kids School Artwork Collections

Kids create a LOT of great artwork and school projects all year long – and it can be awfully hard to decide what to do with it all! I have a few tips on controlling paper clutter you can read – but you also want to make sure you save some great pieces to display in your home too, since it makes kids feel really proud to see their own work hanging up. You can laminate drawings to use as kids placemats, make a little clothesline type display on the wall where you can rotate out new pieces, save some in clear plastic dividers in a binder, or even frame them to decorate the playroom. And as kids get older, the binder method works great for saving favorite book reports that get high marks, funny stories they write in English classes, or awards they receive during the years. You can use dividers to mark off each year, and it’s a great scrapbook to share with them when they graduate. {Photo credit.}

Make a Lunch Station

So many moms say that packing lunches is one of the more hectic parts of their morning routine. This is also related to the dreaded, “Mom, I’m sooooo hungry!” whine that you hear as soon as they get home each afternoon. To make packing lunches and grabbing snacks much easier, create stations – We have 2 pantry baskets filled with pre-packaged snacks like goldfish, teddy grahams, granola bars, or fruit snacks. I also have 2 kitchen baskets in the fridge filled with healthy goodies like string cheese, yogurt, veggies or fruits in baggies, and ranch divided into little tupperware dipping bowls. There are tons of healthy, easy to grab snacks you can keep on hand, and just prep it all on Sunday to be ready for your week ahead. Then you can just grab a few pieces each morning to fill your lunch bags, and be out the door in a flash. Awesome, right?

“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” – Sydney J. Harris

Use these tips to help you plan better routines for your own upcoming school year days now, so you can get off to a great start. If you’re looking for more fun ideas, check out my Back to School idea board on Pinterest. And share with me – what are your best tips for being organized and managing your household during the busy school year?

{Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Kraft Foods via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Kraft Foods.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 7, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 12 Comments

Good First: What will YOU do today to make a difference?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tom’s of Maine for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Good First with Tom's of Maine… Are you passionate about doing good? You know – for the environment, for people in your community, for animals, or even just doing good for yourself by eating and living healthy? If so, you're going to love this new Facebook app from an awesome company that's always doing good – Tom's of Maine.

good deeds with Tom's of Maine

Share your good doing's and get rewarded

Here's how it works – head to the Tom’s of Maine Good First application on Facebook. Pledge which one of the good deeds you'll do that day, see which of your friends are also committing to that deed, then share to your Facebook wall. Once you do that good deed for the day – you'll get rewarded with access to a special page where you can request a free Tom's of Maine Antipersperant for Women. Sweet, right? {And if you've ever used Tom's of Maine products, you know that they rock! Totally natural, and totally work.} This is the first deodorant made completely from natural ingredients – and it's clinically proven to work too. Cool, right?

Learn More

Visit Tom's of Maine on Pinterest and be sure to follow Tom's of Maine on Twitter too – to stay updated on new products and promotions. If you're not familiar with Tom's of Main already – They are a great green company dedicated to making products that are good for you – and good for your world. I've been using them for years. And I love this new app that encourages people to try to do their own bit of good in their daily lives too. No good act is too small – those little things seriously add up when we all do our part to make a more positive environment!

What will you do today to make a difference?

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 1, 2012 Filed Under: Uncategorized | No Comments

Do You Know How Easy it is to Give Back to Kids in Need this Year with #BagitForward?

Pay it forward with the #BagitForward campaign

I’m not a teacher. And my little girl isn’t in school yet. But my mom was a teacher when I was a little girl, and I remember how much of a struggle it was for her to keep up with the expenses. And how unfair is that? You go into an occupation that’s all about helping others, knowing that you won’t make a huge income. But then to find out that you’ll also have to shell out a bunch of your own money each year to help out your students who’s parents can’t afford them, or the extra things that you need for projects that the school doesn’t supply. {Are you a teacher? Learn more about how Elmers supports teachers with their Teachers Club.} That’s why I am a huge fan of the Bag it Forward campaign – a super easy way to give back. Keep reading to learn a little more….

Bag it Forward with Elmers 1st Day App

The 1st Day App is available to be downloaded on Android and Apple smartphones using the posted QR codes located on the big in-store displays at Walmart, or by visiting www.the1stDay.com. It’s quick and easy to download. So – why should you take a minute to do even do it? Lemme tell ya …

For every photo uploaded, Elmers will donate one product to the Kids in Need Foundation {KINF} – up to 200,000 products. Awesome.

So what is it, exactly? It’s a super sweet app for parents and teachers, where you can easily store all of your favorite school year memories. Yes, you can use an app like Instagram for pics. A site like Facebook to share stories. But this is a fun app that lets you combine it all – teachers can look back at their fave memories from each year’s classes. And parents can capture those sweet photos of walking their kids to their first day of school, along with class pics, report cards, and funny stories. Fun, right? And it’s fun that gives back too. So now the question becomes – why would you NOT get this app? {Want more info? Check out this great video here – Elmer’s – The Official Sponsor of the 1st Day of School.}

Walmart School Supply lists make back to school shopping simple

Watch for these in your own local Walmart – they’re a big display filled with all of the local school supply lists. Because heck, admit it moms – we’re not always on top of everything, am I right? So to help keep you from letting back to school shopping wait until the very last minute, you can just grab one of these next time you’re already shopping – instead of waiting for the school list to come in the mail. Love that. Because while I don’t have kids of my own in school, I do have a couple of live-in nephews that I shop for, so this was amazingly helpful for me this past week! {Want to see my Top 10 Back to School Must Haves?}

Walmart has quality school supplies for back to school

So – my goal while I was shopping was to stock up on a few of my own basics that I need all the time at the SUPER low prices Walmart has this time of year, and then to find a bunch of really fun and affordable goodies to make a donation for one of the kid’s teachers when school starts. I absolutely LOVED that there were super cheap basics – but there were also super sweet deals on “fun” type stuff, like fun stickers to decorate binders, fun pen and pencil sets, post-it’s, and more. Very cool selection this year. So I had a blast shopping for this project – and definitely filled up my cart! {Want to see my huge selection of goodies? See the whole shopping trip on Google+.} And check out Elmers.com for cool special offers to save even more.

Back to School is easier with Walmart

Another super sweet set of deals is on “colors” – crayons, markers, and colored pencils, and watercolor’s are all .25 to .50 cents each. It’s been awhile since I shopped for this stuff, and I was just blown away by what great deals there were on this stuff. So cool. But – as I stock up on notebooks and pens for myself, crayons for Abby, and supplies for this #BagitForward donation, and think about what a great deal I’m getting…. It just drives it home even more how sad it is that some familes can’t afford to get those same types of supplies for their kiddos. It just makes me even more glad that even on our tight budget, I have the ability to at least do this small part to help out with a donation basket for our local fave teacher. {Want cool ideas on how to use all of these great Elmers products? Check out this site filled with tips for busy parents.}

Paying it forward makes me smile

I hope that this post and info inspires you to pick up some extra supplies next time your shopping too. Seriously – at .15 cents to a couple bucks for bigger supplies, anyone can pick up a few extras to pay it forward to someone who needs it. Whether you share them with a local agency that helps low-income families, your fave school or teacher, or even a kiddo in your life who would appreciate a few extra things to make the school year a little easier – I can guarantee you that your gift is appreciated, and that it’s one of the most meaningful ways you can spend a few bucks.

Learn More:

Want to get involved? Of course you do – my readers rock! First – read more stories and find more info about this campaign by following the #BagitForward hashtag on Twitter. Then make sure to connect with Elmers on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

{Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and and Elmer’s. #BagItForward #CBias #SocialFabric.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on July 30, 2012 Filed Under: Giving Back | No Comments

Tips for Shopping for Kids Fashions – #CookiesKids

Kids fashion should be two things – Classy, and fabulous. Affordable is a big bonus too… I love shopping for Abby. I love that she likes shopping for pretty dresses, sparkly shoes, and pretty accessories just as much as I do. It’s so much fun for me to put together pretty outfits for my little girl. I’ve always been a super girly type of girl, so having a daughter that likes to dress up is a big blessing for me. Love it. And one of our fave places to shop is Cookies Kids online. If you’ve never shopped there, I’m going to show you what you’ve been missing, and share a few tips to finding the sweetest discounts too.

“I base most of my fashion sense on what doesn’t itch.” – Gilda Radner

Everyone loves popping onto a website and seeing something like this, right? The big ol’ red clearance notice rocks. And unlike a lot of sites that advertise prices up to 90% off, but only have two items at that type of discount that are probably already sold out – Cookies Kids has seriously sweet deals, and a huge selection. Like my fave recent find – check out this absolutely gorgeous summer dress in a beautiful fabric and print – that I got for $3.99. Seriously. {See my whole shopping trip on Google+.}

“Just around the corner in every woman’s mind – is a lovely dress, a wonderful suit, or entire costume which will make an enchanting new creature of her.” – Wilhela Cushman

Is this super pretty or what? This sweet summer sundress from Penelope Mack was already at an amazing price through Cookies Kids – only $17.99. But now it’s on clearance, bringing it down to $3.99. Wow. And it’s really nice quality – the fabric feels really lush, and the details are awesome – I love the little ruffled neckline, so pretty. And, since Cookies Kids makes it super easy to find what you’re looking for with their great search tools, it’s easy to find all the other super discounted dresses like this too! You can use the tools to narrow down your search to boys or girls, then dresses, then by price, and get a full FIVE pages of gorgeous little girl dresses for less than $5 bucks!

“Funny that a pair of really nice shoes make us feel good in our heads – at the extreme opposite end of our bodies.” – Levende Waters

Not only does Cookies Kids have pretty awesome deals on kids clothes – they carry all of the accessories you need too. Again, it’s super easy to search for what you need – whether it’s socks, hair bands, purses, sunglasses, backpacks, or adorable sparkly Laura Ashley toddler sandals. So pretty. {Ignore Abby’s badly painted toenails…. Lol.} They also have great rainboots, super fun sneakers, and a great selection of infant shoes too. I always use the search buttons to narrow down the shoes by size and price too, to find the best deals available.

“People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile.” – Lee Mildon

To show you how easy it is to put together a whole look with great pieces from Cookies Kids, to dress your kids adorable while still being affordable – I put together this outfit on my Polyvore page, with my fave fashions for little girls this summer. I love, love, love this look. And I’m amazed that you can get such a great bunch of pieces for SO cheap. {We bought all of these pieces except for the jacket that was out of stock in Abby’s size. I’m hoping they get more…} Here’s what we got if you want to check them out too: Another Penelope Mack dress, $6.99. The Laura Ashley sandals I showed you above, $9.99. The super adorable Hello Kitty headband set, $4.99 for a two pack. Adorably trendy toddler sunglasses from Eye Candy for $4.99. That’s $26.96 for a full outfit that’s sure to please any little princess in your life. If you’re in the mood for a little splurge, add this amazing Guess jacket inspired by Rizzo from Grease, for $39.99. SO fun. I would wear this whole outfit. For reals.

“Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important. So smile.” – Janet Lane

I know you’re so super excited to see what deals Cookies Kids has on fashions in your kid’s sizes – but keep reading just a minute longer for a few more tips to get the best deals when shopping online with them:

Use the tools: As I mentioned, it’s super easy to shop by category and size, and then use the price search to find the lowest priced deals in that category. This makes shopping with them SUCH a time saver.
Refer a Friend: This is a fun way to share your new fave shopping site with your friends. You get a personalized link that you can share with friends and family, that gives them a bonus on their first shopping trip. Then, you get $10 in store credit when they make their first purchase! {Trust me, after you shop here once, you’ll be super excited to share the sweet deals.}
Clearance tab: If you’re not quite sure which category you want to shop, just use the Clearance tab up top to go straight to a big selection of the lowest priced deals available.
Social Media: Follow them on Facebook and Twitter, to be the first to be updated on new products and promotions. It’s also smart to sign up for the email newsletter on their site – to get great coupon codes sent directly to you. Love it.

By now, you’re starting to understand why I’m so excited over shopping at Cookies Kids, and why I wanted to share it with you – right? Super cute fashions, great quality pieces, and amazingly low prices. This is one of my go-to sites when we need to update Abby’s wardrobe, every time. And with Back-to-School season coming quick, I wanted to make sure you guys knew about this great resource for stocking up without breaking the budget. And – if you need ’em, they have a whole Uniform Store section too.

About Cookies Kids

In 1972, a young man named Cookie and his brother Marvin went into business together. They rented a 1600 square foot store in Jamaica, Queens, fixed it up, bought inventory and Summer and Fall, and opened a day after Thanksgiving with a full stock of holiday toys. The toys were a success and they put the extra money toward buying children’s clothing for the next season. When that did well, they bought more clothing. The business was on it’s way. As the brothers Cookie, Marvin and Sonny, who had come in as a third partner in the business, began to open new stores in new locations, inventory expanded. Besides the latest fashions, our customers wanted shoes, toys, backpacks and accessories and we were prepared to deliver. By the late 1990’s there were six superstores throughout the NYC area, and though they previously had different names, by that time they were all named Cookie’s Kids. Also in the late ’90s came an important addition to Cookie’s Kids’ inventory: school uniforms. It was the steady success in uniform sales that paved the way for founding CookiesKids.com in 2007, which originally sold uniforms and soon after the entire Cookie’s Kids Inventory.

See more by following the #CookiesKids tag on Twitter!

{Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and CookiesKids.com #CBias #SocialFabric. All photos and graphics used in this post are my own creation, and all opinions expressed here are my own.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on July 30, 2012 Filed Under: Shopping | 3 Comments

Bloggertunities: Blogging Opportunities for Mom Bloggers

“Thinking too long about doing something is often the reason it never gets done.” – Everyday Life Lessons

Love this quote. I do tend to have a tendency to procrastinate… I over-analyze things, I doubt myself, I question my decisions. It’s a terrible habit. But, my goal this year was to dream big. Get gutsy. Grow some lady balls, if you will. And so far – I am pretty amazed with myself. Big example – BlogHer. Last year I felt like I was too small, too unknown, it would be silly to go to a big conference full of blogging rock stars, right? But at the last minute, I committed to splitting a room in New York City with a couple of girls I’d never even met. I bought a ticket for the conference. I had NO idea how I’d accomplish it all, or afford it, or heck – how I’d manage navigating NYC all on my own!!?? But – I got to meet one of my roomies during the Nike trip, and again at Reviewer’s Retreat, and she freakin’ rocks. My other roomie was uh-MAY-zing in scoring us some great sponsors that covered our whole hotel room bill. At the last minute, I was invited to be a part of the new Best Buy Blogging Board, and get to meet them at BlogHer. So, my best advice this week is to stop dreaming, planning, wondering – and start DOING! Just jump into things, even if they scare you. You will ALWAYS have more regrets about things you didn’t try, then things you tried that didn’t work out. Promise :) So – use these tips and links to help you learn & try some new things, and let me know if you’re going to BlogHer too, so I can connect with you there! {There is a whole section of BlogHer links this week too!}

Events and Linkys

Contest: Love this – Link up a post you love before the 28th, for the Bloggers Favorite Post Contest. This is a fun way to find some great new blogs to follow, get a little attention to your fave posts, and maybe be one of the winning posts that gets featured!
Back-to-School Bash: This is a great event from a great blogger – Sign up to join the Back-to-School Bash giveaway event with MomVantage!!

BlogHer Parties, Tips, and Apps

McDonalds: Leave a comment for a chance to join the Listening Tour Breakfast session with the Family Arches team from McDonalds during BlogHer.
Highlights: Missed the invitation to the Highlights Hello Release Party? Here’s your chance to join the fun! Send out a tweet with the #HighlightsHello hashtag, nominating a fave blogging buddy to get an invite. If Highlights chooses them, then YOU get an invite too! Fun, right?
Guide: This is a GREAT guide to help you plan and prepare for BlogHer – especially if you’re like me, and this is your first time! {And, I always love seeing pics of what everyone wore last year! That’s the big part of planning for an event, right? Lol.}
Room Key: Fill out the form for a possible invite to a sweet cocktail party with Room Key at BlogHer. This is at Dream Hotel’s rooftop Ava Lounge on Friday (8/3) from 6:00 p.m. — 9:00 p.m. Sounds good to me!
Portable Charger: Are you ready for the crazed frenzy of texting, tweeting, and Instagraming you’ll be doing at BlogHer? Get this Incredicharge I-11000 External Battery Pack and Charger and you’ll be fully charged all day!
Conference Promotions: Check the BlogHer sponsor promotion page often for updates on new brands to connect with and cool events to attend. {I’m SO hoping for an invite to meet with Harley Davidson!!!}
Mobile App: The BlogHer app is here, with TONS of cool tools and info. Make sure to get this onto your phone asap, to help you stay organized, find your way around the event, and keep updated.

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Blogvertise: Apply to be a part of this network, and get paid for posting. You can choose to accept or decline each offer they give you, and there are also grab bag offers you can do each day for more cash. They pay out in full once a month, no minimum.
Escalate Media: Easy offers to promote, great payouts, and they pay quickly at the beginning of each month. Learn more and sign up for Escalate Media today.
Monetize Your Blog: Get some of my best tips on earning an income with your blog in this post: How to Monetize Your Blog in 5 Simple Steps.
Paper Coterie: This is my fave affiliate ever. Beautiful paper products, and awesome promotions = Super easy content to promote and share. It’s simple to use and get started – learn more here: Paper Coterie sign up.
Social Spark: I’ve told you guys before – this is one of my fave super easy peasy income earners. The posts are very quick to complete, the payout is great and pretty quick. Love it.
MySavings Media: Promote brand name coupons and free product samples on your web site or blog. Click Here
Logical Media: I admit, this used to be one of my lesser favorite affiliates to work with. But, lately they have had the best banners, great service, and just really good quality offers that I feel comfortable sharing with my readers.

Good Reads & Resources

Paper.li: Sign up for a free account – or upgrade very cheaply – and Paper.li will send out a cool newsletter daily to promote your content. You can see an example by checking out mine here – The Daily Sunshine. I use the free version, but am thinking about trying out the paid version so I can add ads to it. If anyone’s doing that, I’d love to hear what type of results your getting!
Prize Confidential: This is a totally free way to get your giveaways promoted – simply fill out the form with your giveaway details, and get your best giveaways shared with a bigger audience – Prize Confidential.
Social Media: Get a free copy of the Social Media Tactical Plan Template. This is super helpful in helping you put together a comprehensive plan to organize and manage your social media efforts.
Headlines: Love these tips – Great ideas on how to create more clickable headlines for your blog posts. This is something that I often struggle with – so this was a BIG help!
Rafflecopter: If you use Rafflecopter to run your blog giveaways, check out this sweet post on Life with Levi on how to add an image to your entry form. Very cool.

Reviews and Opps

Question Moms: If you’re a business owner, you can get great feedback on your products or services. If you’re a blogger – you can earn incentives for sharing your feedback with the brands, and connect with them for product reviews too.
SheSpeaks: If you’re a member of SheSpeaks, fill out this form to review a sweet new handbag. You get to choose your top 3 choices, and if you qualify for the campaign you’ll be sent out one of your favorites. Cool, right?
Social Moms: This is a fun site that I just recently started getting into. You get reward points for doing things like sharing posts, leaving comments, or writing content – and you redeem them for PayPal cash or fun gift cards. Easy peasy, and it’s actually good stuff too. Join Social Moms today.
Auto Campaign: If you’re an African American blogger who is interested in working with a major auto manufacturer in the future, fill out this form to be contacted for new opportunties.
Gorton’s: Join the Gorton’s Blogging Crew to share cool product info, try yummy new products, and host fun giveaways for your fans. Just fill out the form here to be considered for upcoming opportunities.
OXO: Sign up to be a part of their blogger outreach program! OXO Blogger Resource Sign Up.

Bloggertunities: Blogging Opportunities for #MomBloggers sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/07/blogge… #BloggingTips

— SunandSipCups (@SunandSipCups) July 27, 2012