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Free Lorax Valentine’s Printables!

Valentine's Day Printables, Lorax, Dr. Seuss

Free Valentine’s Day Printables for Kids

Who doesn’t love Dr. Seuss, right? So many of my favorite books as a little girl were Dr. Seuss books…. My very favorite ever was There’s a Wocket in My Pocket! – There’s a line at the very end, “That’s the kind of house I live in, and I hope I never leave it!” – I have a big blended household of extended family living with me right now, and things get pretty crazy living with so many people, so I say this all the time, lol. I’m also really excited to see the brand new movie, The Lorax! Did you catch the cute clip during the Superbowl?

Get Free Lorax Printables for Valentine’s Day!

Head on over to the Lorax Blog to print out bunches of fun Lorax themed printables for Valentine’s Day – The kids can use them to make their own cards to hand out at school, and you can check out more fun clips from the movie too! Even bigger kids are going to get excited about this movie – It stars little mister heart throb Zac Efron, and everyone’s favorite girl-next-door, Taylor Swift. It also features one of my favorite funny ladies – Betty White!

You can find The Lorax on Facebook and Twitter – And learn some great “green” tips for your family on the Lorax website too!

{Disclosure: No compensation of any type was received for this. I am excited to see the movie, and know you’ll love it too! Happy Valentine’s Day!}

 

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Posted by on February 11, 2012 Filed Under: Fun Stuff | No Comments

Save 20% on the Prettiest Products for Valentine’s Day

Bath and Body Gift Box

Valentine’s Day Shopping for YOU!

Every girl deserves something pretty for Valentine’s Day. If there’s no Mister to bring you gifts this year, why not do some shopping for yourself? Buy a few pretty products to pamper yourself, and pick up a few fun gifts for your single girlfriends too. The set above is one of my very favorites – I got one as a Christmas gift for myself last year {yes, I buy myself gifts…. Lol}, and it’s packed full of amazing stuff – The Belleza box is filled with travel sizes of some of the most popular items on their site – And they all smell absolutely delicious! {Just a heads up – The site, EdenFantasys, is an adult themed site, so be careful opening it in front of the kiddos. But they sell my favorite bath and body products, and I know you’ll love them too.}

Luxury Bath ProductsAnother of my favorites…

This is one of the best bath products that you’ll ever find! I’m a big fan of bubble baths – Although, as the momma of a toddler, they’re pretty rare these days. We have a big ol’ spa tub with jets, so when I do get the chance for a little “me time” – That’s where I head. Bubbles, a glass of wine, and a good book? Uh-may-zing, right? And this Bagno Bliss Mineral Bath totally rocks – Almost as good as a trip to the spa.

Save 20% on your order! Use coupon code ROSES to save 20% on your order – Plus FREE Next Day Air on all orders over $100!

{Warning: EdenFantasys is an adult themed site that also sells sex toys, so don’t shop while the kids are in the room! But, they also sell my favorite luxury bath and body products, and the prices are amazing.}

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Posted by on February 11, 2012 Filed Under: Deals and Coupon Codes, Shopping | No Comments

“Oh Internet” – A Love Song #humor

My Drunk Kitchen

Hannah from My Drunk Kitchen is THE. FUNNIEST. PERSON. Seriously – She totally cracks me up. I found her videos of cooking while intoxicated last summer, and have been hooked ever since. {You might remember her from the holiday Gingerbread video I posted around Christmas time} She is just totally charming….

Anti-SOPA Song

She says that this song started as an anti-SOPA song – {remember that totally sleazy bill from a month ago?} – But then turned into a love song devoted to the beauty that is our internet. I figured with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s a perfect time to share this video. I mean heck – I could write a love song to the internets too…. I spend more time there than with my own friends and family, and would be lost with out it.

Oh Internet, how I love thee, let me count the ways…..

Ok, so maybe I can’t write my own song. Not today at least. My creativity level is on low – I’ve got a sick little guy, a crabby as all heck toddler, and a ridiculous messy house. You’ll have to settle for Hannah’s version in the video above – But if you’ve got a great love poem to the internet, leave me a comment below. My favorite will get a $5 Amazon gift card……

Find My Drunk Kitchen on Facebook, and watch more great videos on her YouTube channel.

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Posted by on February 10, 2012 Filed Under: Fun Stuff | No Comments

Weekly Bloggertunities – 2/8

Blogging Opps

“If you want to accomplish anything in life, you can’t sit back and hope it will happen.  You’ve got to make it happen.” –  Chuck Norris

Yes, I really did just start this post with a quote from Chuck Norris, lol. I totally agree with this thinking – Do you ever sit and think, “Why don’t I get more sponsored post opportunities? Why don’t I get more traffic? Why don’t I… {insert whatever complaint you currently have about your blog here}” – Well, no one ever got ahead by sitting still, right? I’ve worked my tush off over the course of this past year to build my site – I’ve done a million free guest posts, I’ve worked for really low pay, and I spend hours reading and learning about social media, blogging tips, technology and coding – There’s always something new to learn. So – If you want to grow your blog, visit successful blogs that you would like your site to be more like – and make a list of what they’re doing right. Don’t copy – But learn. If you don’t have any sponsored posts or reviews – Start writing anyway. Write guest posts. Start an Examiner.com column {see mine here – Yakima Frugal Living Examiner}. Post about your own favorite products, sites, and services – then send a link to that company letting them know. The more you get yourself out there, the more opportunities will start flowing your way!

Weekly Bloggertunities

There aren’t that many paid opps this week, but I linked up to some other resources that I’ve found helpful. And as always – If you have an event coming up that’s open for sign ups, a cool opp or blogging network, or anything you’ve found helpful this week –  share it in the comments!

Sponsored Posts

  • BlogFrog: If you’re a member of Blog Frog, fill out their blogger partner form for a chance to partner with them on fun campaigns! Blogger Partner Sign Up.
  • Social Spark: This is quickly becoming one of my new favorites. I started out with lower paid opportunities – Usually around $15 each. But it’s quickly increased, and once you hit $50 in your account, you can cash out to PayPal, and it’s credited almost instantly! Join Social Spark.

Giving Back

  • Project Earth Day: If you’re a community do-gooder – and if you are, big high-five! – you can apply for a $1,000 grant to help you ramp up the great things you’re doing, or start a super cool new project! Get details and apply – Project Earth Day.
  • Social Good Moms: This is a wonderful new group to join – Help spread the word about amazing campaigns from the best non profits and charitable groups. Learn more here – Mom Bloggers for Social Good.

Facebook Timeline, Business Cards

Free Business Booster Resources

Non-Giveaway Events to Join

  • Photography: Learn a new tip each week to help you improve your photo skills, and then link up your favorite picture in that weeks color. It’s a fun way to learn some new tips and techniques, while showing off your great photos.
  • StumbleUpon: Want to learn how to use StumbleUpon for your blog, and benefit from the {sometimes uh-MAY-zing!} increases in traffic that it can bring? Join our weekly Stumble Tumble Tuesday link up!
  • Pinterest: Link up a favorite “Pin-able” post, and then browse and pin from the other fun posts too! Find pretty new things, meet new bloggy friends, and see more traffic from YOUR pics that get pinned too! Pinterest Blogger Linky.

Giveaway Events to Join

  • Spring Fever Event: This sounds like a very cool giveaway event… Only a limited number of bloggers will be accepted, to ensure a great event. You can find details and sign up here – Spring Fever Blogger Giveaway Event.
  • The Great Swag Swap: This is a really fun idea – If you have a ton of extra “swag” around – Giveaway items you’ve won and never opened, extra promo goodies, whatever – Join The Great Swag Swap Giveaway event! Get the details and sign up info on her post.

Writing & Social Media

She Speaks: They are looking for a Marketing Intern, for their New York office. If you have the skills needed, and are located near them, you can apply here –She Speaks is Hiring!

Product Review Opportunity

We’re looking for some awesome new mom bloggers to join our Mompact team. You’re blog needs to be professional – Pretty layout, good spelling and grammar, and focused on great content for moms. If this describes you, check out the great mom-invented products on Mompact.com to see if they’re a good fit for you and your site. These are not paid reviews – but you’ll get to try out and keep some of the best products invented by other moms. If you’re interested, send me an email letting me know a little bit about your site and why you’d be a good fit – Meagan, at sunshineandsippycups@gmail.com.

Help a Blogger Out!

We’ve all been there – You have a chance at a super-duper amazing opportunity, but it’s based on comments/clicks/votes/etc, and you’re struggling to get your numbers up, since you hate to keep bugging your same friends and fans each day. Well, here’s your chance to get some good blogging-karma by helping out Tiffany over at Sweet Phenomena! She is in a campaign where the blogger with the MOST giveaway entries will WIN a sponsorship to Blissdom! It’s so easy to help – Just enter her great giveaway! You get a chance to win prizes, and you’re helping her have a chance at a great prize too. Enter here – Supplementing Your Way to Great Health Giveaway.

 “There are no secrets to success.  It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell

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Posted by on February 10, 2012 Filed Under: Blogging Resources, Weekly Opp's | 4 Comments

3 Ways Walmart Can Help You Eat Healthy on a Budget

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

At first, that headline feels a little bit surprising, right? I mean – We all love Walmart, but you don’t usually associate it with healthy living. But that’s about to change – Walmart is rolling out a huge campaign to help children have access to better foods, help busy moms learn how to shop for healthier family meals, and have brought in Dr. Ro, one of America’s top nutritionists, to share easy steps that every family can take to eat healthier on a budget!

walmart

3 Ways Walmart is Helping Families Live Healthier

  1. Walmart is giving away $9.5 million in grants to great organizations around the country that work to ensure families get access to healthier and more affordable food choices. This funding will help to support nutrition education programs, provide classes on learning to shop for healthier foods on a budget, and even provide live cooking demonstrations at local stores around the country – How cool is that?
  2. The addition of Dr. Ro will help Walmart share easy to follow tips that can help moms learn which foods in their local Walmart are the best to feed to feed their families, and how to find the best value. I can’t wait to learn some of her great tips on healthy living!
  3. Not every community has a health foods store – But almost everyone lives close enough to a Walmart store to visit and shop regularly! By educating families about healthier choices, and making them easy and accessible to shop for – Walmart can really make an impact on the diets of thousands of American families!

Shopping Matters Tour!

As you can see in the video, Walmart is working to busy moms the basics of how to find the best nutrition at the best prices in their own local stores. They’re also using all of that grant money I mentioned to fund amazing programs across the country – Like Action for Healthy Kids, a group that works to get healthier foods into schools nationwide. The $1.5 million grant from Walmart will bring better foods and nutrition education to 400 schools, which will impact over 160,000 children!

How these changes can help you

In our family, I’m always trying to guide us towards cleaner, greener, healthier lives. I’ve noticed over the past year that our diet and exercise habits have gone down hill quite a bit – The Mister was laid off and has been out of work for almost a year, I’m so busy running this site and all of my other projects I don’t always have time to plan for healthier meals, and I have a toddler now who can keep things running pretty crazy around here. I love that Walmart is using their enormous power as one of the biggest grocery retailers to encourage a movement towards better nutrition! Walmart reaches so many families, that they’re education programs can make a big difference in helping other busy moms like me shop for great foods to serve to their families.

What do you think?

I love hearing what you guys think about things – What do you think about the grants that Walmart will be sharing in communities across the country? Which one of the organizations listed are your favorite? Are you excited to see things like live cooking demonstrations or shopping education tours in your own local store? What else should Walmart do to help encourage and enable moms to prepare great meals for their kids? Share in the comments!

 

Visit Sponsor's Site

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Posted by on February 8, 2012 Filed Under: Deals and Coupon Codes, Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

This Month is All About Motherhood!

Abby, Maternity Pictures, Pregnancy Photos, Baby Bump

“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.” – Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

Becoming a mother is something that completely changed my life. This quote describes it perfectly – Yes, the woman that I was existed, but not the mother. I became a whole different being once I had Abby… She is the best thing that ever  happened to me… I’m sure that most of you are nodding your head right now, in total understanding.

Sunshine Schedule 2012

This site is all about “Busy Mom Solutions” – the best products, the most helpful sites and services, and great tips and info to help you simplify your life, solve those busy mom challenges, and have a little bit more fun along the way. I love sharing new things that I discover with you guys – But sometimes, running everything that goes along with this site, while also trying to run a household, can get super overwhelming! So last month I set up an editorial calendar for the year, with a new theme for each month. Not every single post will relate to the months topic, of course, but it’ll be a fun way for me to stay organized, while providing great related content each month. You can find my whole calendar here – Sunshine Schedule 2012 – and get ready to start seeing some great posts for this months theme: Motherhood!

February is For Mommas!

I have a ton of great products to share with you guys – and I’ll be giving away a few of them too. I found some super cool apps to help moms stay organized on the go. I’ll be sharing {for the first time here} the emotional story of Abby’s birth, and giving you a place to share your stories too. And this month we are finishing up a re-do of the Master Bedroom that Abby shares with me – So look forward to Before & After pics of our new Momma & Playroom Space!

What do you love most about being a mom?

Share some of your favorite things about being a mom in the comments – I would love to feature some of your quotes and stories during the month, so be sure to leave an email that I can contact you at if you’d like to have them shared!

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Posted by on February 8, 2012 Filed Under: Mommy Thoughts | No Comments

Take a Tea Time-Out for a Chance to Win – #LiptonGreenTea

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” – Sydney J. Harris

As busy moms, we’re often so busy taking care of everyone else that we forget to take care of ourselves. We all know we do it, we all know how important it is to carve out a little “me-time” during the week – Yet most of us still don’t find a way to do it.

Take a Tea Time-Out

I was sent an amazing package of the new Lipton Superfruit teas a couple weeks ago. I wanted to share them here with you guys – which meant I had to take a few minutes to sit and really pay attention to what I was tasting. I am so glad that I did, because this is quickly becoming my favorite afternoon ritual – When I get Abby settled in for a nap, I have some time to sit down with a my planner, a cup of Red Goji and Raspberry tea, and one of my favorite goodies – These Cranberry Chip Muffins. It’s the perfect way to kind of break away from my daily stress and craziness, enjoy a really great treat that’s packed full of good stuff, and center myself again. If you’d like to try sneaking in a “mommy break” each day too – Here’s the recipe for Cranberry Chip Muffins:

Print
Cranberry Chip Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons beaten egg
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Grab a big bowl, and combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Then grab another big bowl, and whisk your juice, oil, and the egg.
  2. Next, stir the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ones, but just until they're moistened.
  3. Lightly fold in the cranberries and mini chips.
  4. Either spray cooking spray into your cupcake pan, or use some cute paper lines - then fill each cup about 2/3 full of muffin batter.
  5. Bake 'em up at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan, and cool on a wire rack.
  6. You can also sprinkle sugar crystals on top if desired.
https://sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/02/take-a-tea-time-out-for-a-chance-to-win-liptongreentea/

Join the Conversation

Now that I have shared what I would pair with these refreshing Lipton Green Tea Superfruits, I want to know, how do you enjoy your tea?

Share your tea time must haves for a chance to win a year’s supply of Lipton Tea, a tea kettle, a tea box, a mug/saucer set, a travel tumbler and a $50 gift card to Amazon.com! 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Lipton Green Tea Superfruit. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

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Posted by on February 8, 2012 Filed Under: Giveaways |
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