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Finding Balance in the Mom Life #InspireGaiamTV

 

“Problems arise in that one has to find a balance between what people need from you and what you need for yourself.” – Jessye Norman

This quote describes motherhood perfectly. When we become moms, suddenly there is out own heart out there, walking around in the world. Infants are so tiny and need so much care, there really isn’t much choice whether we put off our own needs for awhile, to give them the 24 hour care that they need. It seems like we have a hard time realizing that we can let go a little bit as they get bigger. You seldom hear men talk about not getting enough “me” time, right? So why do we have such a tough time realizing that while ensuring that our kids are safe, healthy, and happy is indeed our goals as moms – we still need to remember that we’re a person too! You’re not just a mom, your a chick who needs a life too.

Motivational quotes

“Balance your thoughts with action. If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” – Bruce Lee

You’re tired. You’re grumpy. You’re just totally lacking motivation. You feel like you’re always running a little behind – but don’t know how to catch up. You’re not enjoying yourself each day – but you’re too busy to slow down and figure out how to enjoy things. Any of that sound familiar? If so – You, my friend, are unbalanced. But as always, I’ve found another “Busy Mom Solution” to help! Let me introduce Gaiam TV!

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” – Thomas Merton

Gaiam is a company that totally understand this challenge – and is focused on helping you become balanced again. From their amazing work out videos {their maternity yoga videos were my very favorite, even after Abby was born} – to their inspirational documentaries, they are all about motivating you to think positively, finding easy solutions for healthy living, and sharing ways to renew your spirit. Pretty much, they’re like that one totally amazing girlfriend who always knows the right thing to say to keep you moving on a positive path in life.

What Inspires Me: No matter what they say, you can’t ever really do it all. But you can do it better. So my motivational motto is “Do your best, and forget the rest!”

They’ve always offered amazing videos and tools for wellness – and now they’ve put together a whole online television channel, devoted to YOU!

Gaiam TV, online television

What Will You Find on Gaiam TV?

You’ll find so many things to get you rockin’ a balanced life again  – from Inspirational Movies to booty-shakin’ workout videos, there’s something for every mom, every lifestyle, and every need.

Try Gaiam TV for FREE! Sign up for a 10-day, totally free trial today!

Gaiam TV streams to you anywhere – on your laptop, iPad, or smartphone. No more buying new workout videos all the time – just try a new one whenever your in the mood, at the touch of a button. There are no commercials, you can watch as much as you want with no limits, and there is no way you won’t see a difference in your life after bringing Gaiam TV into it!

Want to WIN your own awesome subscription? I’m giving one of you lucky readers a full 3-month free subsciption – Enter here today! {Until 3/9/2012}

{Disclosure: This promotional sponsored post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. All prizing for MSM giveaways is handled by a third party unless otherwise noted. For this reason, prize fulfillment can take up to 90 days after the winners information is received.}

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Click, Color, Capture Weekly Photography Challenge: Blue

THIS WEEK’S COLOR IS Blue

Welcome to Week 3 of the Color, Click, Capture photography challenge hosted by East9thStreet, A Helicopter Mom, Nap Time Is My Time and Sunshine and Sippy Cups. Each week we have a new color theme – and this week’s color is blue.


Source: weheartit.com via Dominga on Pinterest

“Use the talents you possess – for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except for the best.” – Henry Van Dyke

This week, my post to share the photography challenge is a couple of days late. And, I don’t have a photo to share, so I used a favorite photo from Pinterest. Now, this isn’t all because I’m lazy. And it’s not because I forgot. It’s because I had a major crisis this week – Sunday morning, my hard drive failed. Yep. I restarted it, and got a message saying, “Hard-disk drive failure” on a big, mean-looking black screen. That’s all it would do – nothing more. The repair guy I use was out of the shop Monday. Tuesday afternoon I brought it in. Wednesday night he called with the bad news – there was no way to retrieve the 6 years of family photos, my files, or any of the information that I had on my computer – which I did NOT have backed up. Heartbreaking, seriously.

Movin’ On…

I am incredibly behind on all of my work, due to not having a computer for most of the week. I’m overwhelmed trying to figure out how to get things together, after losing the drafts of my ebooks I’ve been working on, and all my projects, graphics, media kit, everything. And I’m still devastated over the loss of all of my precious photos. Ugh. So – I definitely didn’t have a favorite photo to share this week. And I just didn’t have time to take any new ones either. But I LOVE this weekly photo link up, and have so much fun checking out your posts each week! So – Link up if you haven’t already. And if you don’t have a good backup system in place for YOUR photos, do it today.

This week’s Photo Tip

This week’s tips come from Jen Villa, photographer, collage artist and owner of The Little Beach Gallery in Hyannis, Massachusetts. She is a trained photographer and alumni of world-renowed photography school, Brooks Institute of Photography. She has been studying art for over fifteen years and worked as a food and editorial photographer for award winning publication, The Santa Barbara Independent. Her photography and artwork have a very unique style and combine her love for the ocean and passion for travel.

  1. Light is EVERYTHING! Lighting really makes or breaks a photograph. A lack of light will leave the subject looking flat and produce a usually boring image. I love using natural light whenever possible. It’s best if you can set your scene or subject (not always easy!) near a window and use warm light coming in from outside if you’re shooting inside. The highlights and details reflected are usually wonderful! The best time of day to shoot is early morning and late afternoon. High noon sun is very harsh and creates shadows that usually create difficulties, especially when human subjects are involved. This isn’t always an option so if your shooting your subject outside at the peak of sunlight try and get them in “open shade” and you will have a more neutrally lit image.
  2. Learn to operate your camera. If you’re new to manual options on a digital camera, memorize your manual and EXPERIMENT! Try out all the menu options. Always remember to concentrate on getting the main subject matter in FOCUS. Without a sharp focus, you don’t have a good image.
Use these great tips to help you improve your photo skills over the few days, and be sure to come back to link up again next week, so you can learn more tips from Jen Villa.  I can’t wait to see what photos you share here this time.

Link Up Your Favorite Blue Photos!

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Britax Car Seat Giveaway!

How adorable is this, right?

I love polk-dots! My little girls crib bedding was trimmed in a pink and black polka-dot pattern, which matched perfectly with the trim in my own bedding set. Since we are sharing a room for another year – it’s fun that I was able to find coordinating gear! {We’re working on a big bedroom re-do, if you want to check out the planning, and share opinions on some pieces I’m trying to choose – check it out here – Master Bedroom/Playroom Makeover. I totally need help deciding on a rug…} But – back to the awesome prize up for grabs!

One winner receives a Britax Marathon 70 Convertible Car Seat in the color of their choice!

It’s an easy entry – just enter your info onto the giveaway form. You’ll then be taken through a couple of pages of free offers for moms and babies – just click skip if you’re not interested. Then you’ll get to the main Lullaby Lane page, and can check out their site.  What is Lullaby Lane? Read more…

LullabyLane.tv and the Lullaby Lane online community are here to make your life easier and adding to your joy of parenting.

Is there a catch?

I read through the rules to make sure that this was legit – and it looks great. You are giving permission for them to send you their newsletter, but that’s it. Make sure to watch for that confirmation email after you enter, and click to confirm your entry into the big sweepstakes. And if you don’t like the email – {it has good stuff, so I think you will} you can just click unsubscribe on it. But you’ll still be entered to WIN!

Have fun & Good Luck!

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Celebrating One Year of Blogging – It’s Almost Here!

LeapPad Giveaway

Time to Celebrate!!

It’s almost here – at the end of March, it will have been one fantastic full year since I started this site. It seems like it wasn’t that long ago – but it also seems like it’s been forever! {Funny how time works when you get old…. } I had set some pretty ambitious goals for myself when I started – and said that if I could make my 6 month goals, then I could continue to stay home with my new baby, and keep working at this project. I blew them out of the water! So I set even bigger goals for my one-year mark, and decided that if I could make most of those, then this was going to be my new career path – freelance writing, running this site, my Examiner.com Frugal Living column, and the rest of my million projects. I would really start taking things seriously, invest a bit more money, and ROCK this.

Almost there…

One of my goals was to reach 10,000 fans on Facebook this first year. Well sistahs – I’m currently at 9,000! So close, right? It will be tough to ramp things up enough to grow as much as I’ll need to, but I’m always up for a challenge! And to celebrate the one year mark of my blog – I’ll be joining a TON of super cool giveaway events, so that I can shower my readers with loads of fun prizes!

Want to Join the Fun?

Here is the info for a super cool event that I am especially excited about – Sign ups are now open for the Leap into Spring LeapPad Giveaway hosted by Karma Media to boost your social media links! Sign up fee for two links is $5. You can receive a free link for advertising on your blog or you can buy extra links at $2.50 each or $2.50 for a daily entry!

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Unique Yoga-Inspired Handmade Accessories

I found a great company today on BelleChic.com, and was so excited about them that I had to share with you! The company is called Flow Yoga Mats, and what first drew my attention – {besides the bee-utiful photographs!} was that they’re located right here in my neck of the woods – in Spokane Valley, Washington. And then… I saw that the woman who creates these pretty pieces was named Megan too! {Yes, I spell mine Meagan, but that’s ok. When I was born, my mom didn’t know how to spell it. It was a last minute choice. So this crafty lady actually spells hers the right way, lol.} I knew I had to check her out and learn more about her great designs.

Special Deal on Handmade Jewelry

Every Day Inspiration — “the Beautiful Style”

If you’ve never visited BelleChic before – I totally recommend signing up for an account. It’s free, and super easy. Then you’ll get an email each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday – featuring a great new handmade designer offering a selection of their work at prices up to 70% off. This is a great way to support other women in business, while getting some beautiful creations at sweet discounts. I mean, what more can you ask for, right?

About Flow Yoga Mats

Megan got started with selling her crafts when she searched out the perfect materials to hand-paint her own yoga mat. Soon, friends wanted one too! She started an Etsy Shop, and then branched out to her own website too, www.FlowYogaMats.com. Soon she was creating jewelry and other accessories too, all inspired by Yoga. Read more…

“It’s been great selling my mats and paintings. I have somehow found myself. I always felt like before I was just a Mom and Wife, which is a huge job in itself. But now I am also a successful business owner and it feels really good to be able to do something for myself.”

You know how much I love to Support Women in Business. As women, and as moms, life can get pretty hectic. And it can be really difficult to get past the nay-sayers – the people who tell you that you can’t do it, who feel threatened when you want to make changes to your life, the people who tell you to play it safe. It can be hard to jump in, grab your dreams, and follow them. So I love to see women who are doing great things, and following their passion! I think it’s so important that we as women stick together, and support each other when we can. And shopping handmade is a great way to do that!

Shop Flow Yoga Mats Jewelry Sale on BelleChic Today!

Prices start as low as $4.50! See her full collection, including the hand-painted Yoga mats, on Etsy. You can also find her on Facebook & Twitter. She has no idea that she’s featured here today – so give her some surprise shout-outs and support today! I’m sure she’d love a couple of comments on her Facebook page, letting her know how awesome her work is!

You can shop & support more women in business by visiting my Directory too!

  • Love crafty stuff? Get great deals on indie patterns and other craft supplies.
  • Love accessories? Take a cool style quiz, and get deals on your perfect pieces.
  • Love deals? Get totally awesome discounts on kids gear & fashions for mom.
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Princess Leia is my Hero – Win a Star Wars 3D Prize Pack! 3/8

Do you have Star Wars junkies in your house? It could be the kids… Or your husband… Or even you. I know that when I was a little girl, Princess Leia was my hero – She was a pretty princess, but she could also take charge and kick butt. Loved it. I was also a huge fan of Lego’s, and spent hours alone in my room building cities and stuff. {You’ve clearly figured out now that I was a geek…} So, I guess that explains why I absolutely love the Lego-Star Wars videos on YouTube. If they’d had these when I was a kid, I would’ve been in heaven.

Watch The Phantom Menace in 3D!

In theaters February 10, 2012, the first episode, full of awesome action and adventure, arrived in theaters in super exciting 3D! {Wanna check it out? See the trailer for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.} While I admit, I’d much rather it be one of the older Star Wars movies in 3D, this is still very cool. I can’t wait to take the kids. And, to celebrate the 3D launch, General Mills Big G cereals is featuring collectable Star Wars pens inside of participating cereals. I remember as a kid, there was always totally amazing stuff inside cereal boxes – but not so much these days. So not only does Star Wars make me nostalgic for my childhood – so does finding a rad new collectible inside my cereal. {Am I old? I used “rad”, and “nostalgic” in the same sentence…. Uh oh.}

  • Collect all eight exclusive Star Wars pens that feature iconic Episode I characters including: Anakin Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi, Queen Amidala, Yoda, R2D2, C3PO, Jar Jar Binks and Darth Maul
  • Participating Big G cereals include Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (12.8 oz.), Lucky Charms®(11.5 oz.), Reese’s® Puffs (13 oz.), Cheerios® (14 oz.), and Cookie Crisp® (11.25 oz)

So, look for these boxes next time you’re at the grocery – and surprise the kids with some cool goodies at breakfast this week. Good times.

Big G, Star Wars, Star Wars collectibles

You won’t have to go to a galaxy far, far away to bring the force to your breakfast table

You can WIN a prize package filled with these awesome Star Wars collectible pens, featured cereals with more pens inside, stickers, and magnets. Fun, right? Just use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form to enter. I’ve teamed up with some other blogging buddies to share this giveaway – but you only need to enter on one form! And if you’re feelin’ lucky – check out the rest of the giveaways over in the sidebar – the more you enter, the more chances that you have to win!

{Disclosure: Disclosure:  Prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.}

[Read more…]

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Weekly Bloggertunities – 2/29

Blogging Opportunities, Sponsored Posts,

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordon 

What obstacles have you faced lately? Is it a lack of motivation? If so, that could be because you’ve lost the excitement about what you’re doing. Think back to why you started your blog – then make a list of 5 things you LOVED back then. Then take a couple of days to work those things in again. Or think about your long-term goals…. And dream big. Write down those giant ideas, and smack ’em up on the wall where you’ll see them every day! Is it a lack of time? Maybe you just need more help getting organized. I have a great list of free printable planning sheets, and some sweet tips on setting up a schedule system that goes everywhere you do. What other challenges do you deal with? Share your trouble spots – and any solutions you’ve found! – in the comments. I’m sure someone else will benefit from what you have to say too.

Sponsored Posts

One of the major ways that I earn an income with my blog is through sponsored posts. I’m careful about what I accept – it’s not worth any money to post junk. Your readers will hate it, you’ll hate it, and it’ll make your blog spammy. But – when a brand wants to compensate you for sharing great information that will entertain or educate your readers, that’s a total win-win, right?

  1. Post Genius: I just signed up with them, so I don’t have a ton of feedback to give – but it looks interesting. You sign up your blog, and set a price per post. Then, if brands would like to work with you, they’ll make an offer. If you’re using them, I’d love to hear what you think… Leave a comment with some tips.
  2. Social Fabric: My. Favorite. Network. Seriously – they rock. They’re open to very limited new members right now – Gulf State Bloggers (from these states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi). They’re are also recruiting bloggers in Mexico, specifically Guadalajara and Mexico City. If you fit any of these categories, shoot me an email {Meagan at sunshineandsippcups@gmail.com} with your blog and a little about you, and I’ll send your info to their recruiting team!
  3. Social Spark: Get fun paid posts, and get paid quickly with PayPal! This is one of my favorites – and I totally recommend it. I make a few hundred dollars a month her on a good month – Love it.
  4. Blogvertise: I’ve been having more luck here lately – The payouts are usually kind of low, but they’re very simple posts. I don’t get a ton of offers emailed to me, so I pop in each day and get the grab bag tasks that are a good fit for me. Doing that daily earns me a couple hundred bucks a month, and isn’t too time consuming. Check it out – Earn Money Blogging.

If you have any other great networks that you use – feel free to share them in the comments. {Yes, it’s ok to post a referral link, as long as no one else has posted it yet. If I’m going to join something, I love to be able to benefit another blogger with my sign up!}

Reviews & Giveaways

Here are some great places to find new products and services to review, as well as opportunities for sponsored giveaways. Giveaways can be a ton of work – but they also are a great way to say Thank You to your readers for being such loyal fans!

  1. Giveaway Blogs: This is a great network – You can meet great bloggers and connect with new brands. I’ve found some very cool opportunities with them – The forums are filled with fun companies looking to connect with new bloggers. Sign up here – Join Giveaway Blogs.
  2. Doc Milo: Click the link to see their totally gorgeous products – then up in the right corner, you’ll see a big yellow link for Blogger Sign Ups. Click there to be taken to the blogger partner application.
  3. MyBlogSpark: Sign up for a free membership with this site to do fun product reviews and giveaways – See an example here – I’ve been a member for a year, and have had some fun opps. Nothing huge, but very fun. Blogger Program Sign-Up.
What other networks do you use for review and giveaway sponsors? Share in the comments! And, if you’re a review blogger – You do NOT want to miss the biggest event targeted towards us this year – Reviewer’s Retreat 2012! Will I see you there?

Events and Fun Stuff

Here’s an assortment of cool happenings around the web, for moms and bloggers. If you’ve found something cool going on – I’d love to hear about it!

  1. Mompreneur’s Challenge: Join this 30-day challenge from Business Among Moms – Small Steps to a Big Business. Each day you’ll get a new tip or trick emailed to you. Then challenge yourself to do that task, and watch as your business improves day by day!
  2. MamaCon: This is a SUPER fun event coming up – and it’s not just for bloggers, so plan to attend with some of your best girlfriends too. You can learn more, and enter to WIN tickets and a stay at the totally gorgeous Hilton Bellevue too, from The Maven of Social Media.
  3. LeapPad Explorer Giveaway: This sounds like a totally amazing event – $10 bucks gets you any two links you want. The giveaway is HUGE – full LeapPad Explorer set, games, accessories – the works! Learn more here – LeapPad Giveaway.
  4. The Mommy Club: Each week Crystal & Co does my favorite link up of the week – Share Your Mommy Solutions! Totally me, right? Check it out, find some amazingly cool info, and link up your own favorite posts too!
  5. Furst:Access: Sign up for an account here to get notification of new movie screening events. Very cool, right? Furst:Access Sign Up.

Who loves to party? This girl! Are you hosting a Twitter party? Share the info with us in the comments. Excited about a cool conference or event coming up? Let me know about it!

Networks

Here are a few of the cool networks that I’m in, that I thought you guys might want to check out too. They’ll give you new ways to network, find cool partnerships, and more.

  1. Zurker: This is a really cool idea – they want to let users be more in control of this social network, and give you ownership in it. So – for inviting friends and helping to build up the site, you are actually given stock in the company! How cool might that be, right? Check it out and sign up here – Zurker, new social network sign up.
  2. SheSpeaks: Join their Blogger Society – You get to share opinions, try new products and give feedback, and participate in cool events.
  3. Blogaholic: I’ve been featured here a few times, and realized lately that I’ve kind of been a stranger over there! It’s a really great place to connect with other bloggers, and learn a ton. Everyone interacts so much – You’ll love it. Join Blogaholic Social Network. Already a member? Connect with me too!

What are your favorite networks, and what do you love most? Are you a part of other networks, outside of the blogging world? I’m looking for some new places to join, for moms – something fun, where I can meet some new faces. Any suggestions?

Cool Tools

Are you ready for the big Facebook change? Here’s a tool to help you prepare. And another great tool that can help you build your Twitter presence too.

  1. Facebook: Are you ready for the new change? Yep – On March 30th all Facebook pages will switch over to the Timeline format. Are you ready? If you want to get started now, so you can optimize your layout before it goes live, this might help – Free Facebook Timeline Cover Templates.
  2. Paper.li: You’ve probably seen these on Twitter – and they’re a great way to share posts of people you follow, meet some new faces, and share your own best posts.  People can subscribe too.  Want to see an example, and get your own? Here’s mine –The Daily Sunshine. {Tip, when you set it up, make sure to click the settings button that has it go out automatically. I missed that the first time I did mine.}

Share your favorite tools too. I am ALWAYS looking for the newest ways to rock my social media. So…. Yep, you guessed it – share your tips in the comments!

Love it? Share it!

I love to be able to help out my blogging buddies – which is why I put together this resource each week. So, if you found something helpful – pass it on! Use this easy button to retweet it out to your buddies too, or share the link to Facebook, StumbleUpon, Pin it, or whatevah! You’re welcome to post it wherever you think it’ll help out more peeps! Thanks for reading – and I look forward to reading YOUR comments and tips too.

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