Sunshine and Sippy Cups — Page 175 — Smart Solutions for Busy Moms!

What You Can Do To Help Protect Infants Now

Protect Infants Now from Meningococcal Meningitis

When I was approached by Mom Central about participating in this campaign, I of course gave an enthusiastic YES right away. Any time that I can use my voice her on my site to help spread the word about important causes, I jump at the opportunity to help. I have heard about Meningitis, and knew that it was a dangerous disease for babies – But I had thought that this was something all babies are vaccinated against regularly. I was shocked to learn more about what a devastating disease this is, and that the CDC does not currently require this to be a part of routine care for babies.

Leading Cause of Preventable Infant Death in the US

I had NO idea that, after neonatal complications and accidental injuries, this disease is one of the leading causes of death in infants. Very scary. One out of every 16 babies who contract this disease will die from it, and among the survivors, one in five will suffer seizures, blindness, amputation, paralysis or learning disabilities. I had no idea. The worst part? Over 50% of these deaths could have been prevented if the baby had been vaccinated. Right now, the CDC is trying to decide whether to recommend that all children ages 2 and under be vaccinated against this disease. Keep reading to see how you can help influence this decision.

Are you crying by now too?

This absolutely breaks my heart, and I cannot even imagine how life goes on when such a devastating loss happens in your life. I can’t imagine ever going through something like that, and I will do my part to ensure that no other mother has to endure that either. If you’d like to join us, learn more about how you can help…

Protect Infants Now!

Ask CDC to Recommend Infant Meningococcal Vaccines – Sign this petition to add your name to the growing number of parents who are showing support for this campaign.
Learn more about the Meningitis Angels, and what you do to show support.
Visit Protect Infants Now to learn more about the fight to vaccinate and educate to stop Meningitis.

Has your life been affected by this disease?

Have your friends or family ever been touched by this disease? How do you feel about the fight to vaccinate all babies against this tragic disease? Show your support by signing the petition, and share your stories in the comments below.

{I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central and Meningitis Angels. This campaign was made possible in part through support provided by Novartis Vaccines. A small donation to a charity of my choice was made in my name from Mom Central as a thank-you for participating. All opinions in this posting are 100% my own.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 31, 2012 Filed Under: Mommy Thoughts | 1 Comment

Superbowl Food Idea: The Snack Mahal

Superbowl Party Food Idea

Ok, many of you guys have now seen my recent party food creation just in time for the biggest football party of the year –

Superbowl food idea – The Snackadium

And I’ve loved all of the comments telling me how cool it is. I was rather impressed with myself in putting it together – it was a ton of fun, much easier to figure out than I expected, and it turned out really cool.

Well, I was impressed with myself until today!

THIS video is the coolest darn thing ever. The iPhone is a completely amazing addition. What do you guys think??

Having a Superbowl Party?

Find more great party ideas on my Pinterest Football Party board. And get some great party food safety tips for your Superbowl party too. If you have some favorite Football party ideas – Leave comments! Do you have a Football board on Pinterest too – Leave comments with your link! And – Who do YOU want to win the Superbowl this year – Yep, leave comments!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 31, 2012 Filed Under: Holidays | No Comments

How to Lose Weight with Chocolate Ice Cream

The Challenge: Most of you ladies know that I’m still trying to lose my baby weight. {Can I even still call it that? She’s a toddler now…} But, I’m a busy momma. I struggle with eating a balanced diet – I get up early so I can do some writing before that adorably destructive toddler of mine gets up, and skip breakfast for a few buckets of coffee. I eat really healthy in the afternoon, and then attempt to make something healthy for dinner that the kids will like. But, my biggest weakness is sweets, at night, while I’m up working late.

“I keep trying to lose weight… but it keeps finding me!” – Author Unknown

Busy Mom Solution: Weight Watchers new Ice Cream bars!! Ohmyheck ladies – these are goooood. When I heard that I was going to get a shipment of samples to check out, I thought it would be fun to try them, but honestly – I didn’t have big expectations. Most “diet” sweets have that really artificial taste to them. Since they were Weight Watchers, I knew that they’d be better than most, but I didn’t think they’d be anything that exciting. Um, I could not have been more wrong!

“I’m not overweight. I’m just nine inches too short.” – Shelley Winters

I loved all of the flavors that we tried out, and the whole family actually really liked them too – Even the guys! My very favorite was the Dark Chocolate Raspberry – These taste just like my favorite chocolate truffle from a little candy shop downtown. They are, honestly, my favorite ice cream bar that I’ve ever eaten. And when you top that with the fact that they have only 80 calories, 2 grams of protein, 0 grams saturated fat, and a Points value of 2 – well, let’s just say that I have fallen in love. Heck, I’m calling this the Chocolate Ice Cream diet – join me in adding these sweet snacks to your daily routine too!

“I have gained and lost the same ten pounds so many times over and over again my cellulite must have déjà vu.” – Jane Wagner

Dark Chocolate Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Bars

Learn more about the other flavors of Weight Watchers Ice Cream bars, like Triple Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Dulce de Leche. You can also check out all of their other products, and join the Weight Watchers program yourself.

Social media junkie like me? Follow Weight Watchers on Facebook & Twitter to stay updated on new products and promotions.

{Disclaimer: I was provided with complimentary products from Mom Select and Weight Watchers for this review, so that I could share my honest opinions. As always, all photos and opinions are 100% my own and not influenced by a little bit of swag. Thanks for reading!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 31, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 1 Comment

Guarantee Your Child’s Future – & Enter to Win! {2/8}

Every mom knows the name Gerber – It’s a brand that even our moms trusted. We all know that Gerber cares about making sure babies are healthy and happy – but they also want to ensure that those babies are taken care of as they grow up. That’s why they started the Gerber Life College Plan – A plan that combines the best features a college savings account with the security of a life insurance plan, to build a brighter future for your child.

Building a Better Future for Your Child

The Gerber Life College Plan builds up a guaranteed savings account that your child can use for college, and includes an insurance policy in case something happens to either parent. Read more about all of the amazing benefits you get with this plan:

Coverage options available: $10,000, $25,000, $50,000, $100,000, $150,000.
Maturity terms of 10, 15, 18 years (or other – as requested by customer), so you have great options for every age of child.
Guaranteed lump sum paid at maturity – so you know exactly what the money you invest will get you.
Affordable premiums that work with your budget, no matter how small.
Life insurance benefit – if the insured dies before the endowment matures, GLIC
will fund the remaining premiums so that the endowment still pays the full benefit.
Safe financial alternative in uncertain times – no risk involved. That means peace of mind.
The policy builds cash value over time, which can be borrowed against in an emergency.
You can use the money for any purpose – not just college, giving you flexibility to help your child with any future choices that they make.
Payments can be made monthly, semi-annually, annually.

There is so much flexibility and security built into this plan, making it the perfect fit for any young and growing family. You know that your investment is safe, you know just what you can expect when you access it in the future, and it can be used for other expenses if your child decides on a non-college route in the future.

GERBER LIFE AND READING IS FUNDAMENTAL LAUNCH PROJECT OPEN BOOK

Reading is Fundamental {RIF} is the nation’s largest children’s literacy non-profit, getting books into the hands of needy kids in communities across the country. Since Gerber Life’s goal is to help young families build brighter futures – this is a perfect partnership! This partnership has led to the Project Open Book, read more:

Project Open Book will last from January 19 through February 13, with a goal of donating $10,000 to RIF. To enter, visit the Gerber Life Facebook page, and follow the directions to upload a photo. Participants may enter once and a winner will be selected by random drawing of all eligible entrants. The grand prize winner will receive a $1,000 VISA gift card; two first place winners will receive a $500 VISA gift card. For complete contest rules, please visit the Gerber Life Facebook page to learn more.

Enter to Win!

To help build even MORE excitement about this great partnership, I’m giving away a $25 Snapfish Gift Card to one lucky winner, just for sharing your thoughts on the new Gerber Life College Plan in the comments. Use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form to get your entries in – and if you’re feeling lucky, enter the rest of my fun giveaways over in the sidebar too!

Have fun & Good Luck!

{Disclaimer: This promotional sponsored post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. I was compensated for my time investment and work on this campaign. 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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Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 31, 2012 Filed Under: Giveaways | 25 Comments

Online Shopping with Mommy – #LuvCookies #CBias

Shopping at CookiesKids.com

I had heard of Cookies Kids before – I get their sale emails, and I’ve seen their gift cards in the Swagbucks rewards section before. I kept meaning to check out their selection, but just hadn’t found the time to do so. Then I heard about an awesome deal from Living Social – Get a $40 Gift Certificate for only $20 bucks! – And I figured it was about time for Abby and I to do some shopping. {FYI: Living Social is a great site – check out my other 15 tips to shop online for free.}

Shopping with Mommy

Abby loooves using my computer – so I let her use the mouse and click on pictures. She thought this was the greatest thing ever – you should have heard her giggling it up. She’d say, “Shoes momma!” then “Hat momma!!” She loves shopping, loves accessories, loves pink, loves accessories – she’s just like her momma. After letting her click around a bit, it was my turn to get online and see what kind of deals we could find…

Amazing Deals on Kids Clothes

Ohmyheck – I am blown away by the selection, the organization, and the low prices on all these adorable kids fashions at Cookies Kids! Getting started, it’s super easy to find what you want – As you can see, they have a huge drop down menu that allows you to search by any category and size that you need. We started with size 2T jeans, since my little girl is outgrowing all of hers super fast. Once you get to your category, you can then narrow it down by price range too! I chose the under $9.99, and couldn’t believe how many super cute designer-style jeans we found for only $6.99. This site is so easy to shop – Love it!

“The only rule is don’t be boring and dress cute wherever you go. Life is too short to blend in.” – Paris Hilton

Abby was almost as excited as me when her new clothes came!! Here she is trying on some of her new gear. We ended up getting a TON of stuff – We got everything listed below for about $50 bucks, but then we used our Living Social certificate so it was only $14! Check out their rockin’ prices:

Disney Princess Hat – $4.99
42-piece Hairband and Barrette set – .99
120-piece Clippy and Barrette set – 2.99
Ruffly Pink Swimsuit for summer – $6.99
3-piece Outfit, sweats, sweatshirt, and vest – $6.99
Miss Jeans brand skinny jeans – $6.99
2-piece Outfit, sneaker sweatshirt and jeans – $5.99
Rhinestone trimmed jeans – $6.99
American Hawk brand jeggings – $6.99
Hello Kitty “Shimmer Bow” Headband 2-Pack – $4.99

Total awesomesauce, am I right? The jeans are the thing that impressed me most when they arrived – they look like jeans that I would buy! They’re super high quality, great details, and so stylin’.

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

I am incredibly happy with my experience shopping with Cookies Kids – and another thing that is really cool is that they have a referral program too. If you want to check out the amazing discounts on kids clothes too, using my invite here will get you a free bonus $10 credit on your first order!

Want to see more fun kids fashion?

Join the other 500 ladies following my Little Fashionistas board on Pinterest – You’ll see a ton more of my favorite adorable styles from Cookies Kids, plus other fun ideas that I’ve been collecting for awhile. I am SO in love with Pinterest!!

Learn More:

Follow them on Facebook and Twitter to get updates on new deals and promotions!

See the rest of our shopping trip in my photo album on Google+!

You can also check out the Cookies Kids Blog for more fun stuff!

{Disclaimer: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 31, 2012 Filed Under: Shopping, Deals and Coupon Codes | No Comments

Love Yourself Giveaway: Supporting Domestic Violence Survivors

Love Yourself Giveaway Event

CEO of Me, Inc.com, Sunshine & Sippy Cups & This n That with Olivia are very excited to be teaming up with 40 other amazing Blogs and great Sponsors for the “Love Yourself Event & Giveaway” from Feb 1-14. The mission of this event is to raise awareness about domestic violence and to celebrate the brave women, children (and men) who have made the decision to leave abusive relationships and environments.

This Giveaway is very near to my heart…

Each of the blogs participating paid a fee to participate. 50% of that fee was donated to Brave Woman.org. (The other 50% went towards the grand prize Kindle Touch & Amazon Gift Card). Brave Woman.org is a wonderful charity that supports domestic violence awareness and changing the perception of victims of domestic violence. Many of you may remember me sharing my story, and how the Brave Woman organization helps domestic violence victims, in a post about a month ago – It was the hardest post I’ve ever written, but the feedback from other women was amazing.

Domestic Violence Survivor – My Story

Brave Woman.org is much more than a charity though, it is a movement. It is about brave women, children, (and men) coming together “with messages of overcoming life fears, picking ourselves up and trying again” to support survivors of domestic violence. There is no need to be ashamed if you have been a victim of domestic violence. You can find support, information and assistance through many resources.

We want to encourage you to visit Brave Woman.org and Take the Pledge and support this cause by joining the community of other Brave Women. Please also consider donating or volunteering to Domestic Violence shelters, centers and charities local to you.

If you have been or are currently in an abusive relationship or environment, please reach out and let other Brave Women & men help you. “You are not alone, even when you feel small, unsure and maybe even terrified.” – BraveWoman.org

To enter this giveaway use the Rafflecopter form below!

Thank you so much to the participating blogs and sponsors. Please be sure to visit their sites too!

Frugal Fanatic, Thrifty Jinxy, Coupon Spice, Kat’s Cafe, Rainy Day Pennies, Tracer’s Coupon Affair, I am a Couponer, Food N Service, My Un-entitled Life, Meg’s Moxie, Madame Deals, This n That with Olivia, Suburban Coupon Mom, Coupon Savings in the South, Coping with Frugality, Money Saving Parent, Sunshine & Sippy Cups, Rewards Station, Front Page Freebies, CentsLess Deals, 4 Little Monsters and Me, CEO of Me, Inc., Full Price? Never!, Cori’s Coupon Corner, Debt Free Spending, Sweeties Freebies, The Shopper’s Apprentice, Whole Lotta Mama, MyCouportiera, Growth in God, SAVING with a Working Mom, The Tales of Bubba & Mack, Pharmapack, Fit Moms for Life, Sunshine of Autumn, Scentsy Consultant Jennen Gonzalez, AVON Consultant Sandy Kearns, Zija Weight Management, Mary Kay Consultant Olivia Douglass and The Homestead Company.

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 31, 2012 Filed Under: Giveaways | 25 Comments

Facebook Blast – Win an Amazon Gift Card!

It’s time for another event that is going to be a BLAST!!

A bunch of great bloggy friends and I have joined together again to put together a super fun giveaway event for you guys! It starts today, and runs through February 16th, 2012. Use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form to get your entries in – and if you’re feeling lucky, you can enter the rest of my great giveaways over in the sidebar!