Sunshine and Sippy Cups — Page 181 — Smart Solutions for Busy Moms!

Searching for 8 Extraordinary Moms on a Mission

“Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.” – Mother Teresa

Earlier this week I shared my big news with you – I’m incredibly proud to be a founding member of Mom Bloggers for Social Good, and am excited to let you know that their new website is live now too – Check it out. And I’m EXTRA excited today to share one of our first partners with you, since they’re already a favorite of mine – Healthy Child, Healthy World.

Moms on a Mission

Healthy Child, Healthy World is all about helping families reduce the toxins in their lives – Learn more in their 5 Easy Steps to Healthier Living. And they’ve got a very cool contest going on, to help them find some of America’s most amazing moms. Read more –

“Nominations are now open at HealthyChild.org to find eight extraordinary parents—one of whom will become our 2012 “Mom on a Mission.” From January through August, Healthy Child will select and honor one finalist each month; in September and October, the general public will vote to choose the winner, who will honored with a grand prize at a gala event in New York City in November.”

Meet 2011’s Mom on a Mission, Tamara Rubin of Portland, OR

Watching Tamara’s video makes me feel so motivated and energized – and reminds me that ANYONE can make a difference – so EVERYONE should! Every small action you make in your own community has ripple effects, and you never know what great things you can accomplish until you get started. If you know an extraordinary “Mom on a Mission” – take a minute to honor her by nominating her today. And I’d love it if you’d share her story here in the comments too!

Learn More:

Celebrating its 20th anniversary year, Healthy Child Healthy World began in 1992 after five-year-old Colette Chuda died of a rare form of non-hereditary cancer linked to environmental factors. Playing a leadership role in one of the most important public health and environmental movements of the 21st century, today Healthy Child Healthy World ignites the movement that empowers parents to protect children from harmful chemicals. More information can be found at www.healthychild.org.

Support Healthy Child, Healthy World on Facebook & Twitter. And learn more about the work we’re doing at Mom Bloggers for Social Good by following the hashtag #socialgoodmoms on Twitter.

{Disclaimer: No compensation was received for this post – as a member of Mom Bloggers for Social Good, I’m proud to share information about great people doing great things – with easy ways for you to get involved too!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 13, 2012 Filed Under: Contests | No Comments

Worse than the Flu – the “Bieber Fever” is Spreading to Weddings…

The Bieber Fever is Spreading…

You’ve heard of the Bieber Fever, right? You know, Justin Bieber, that little mop-headed doll with the catchy songs on the radio? If you’ve got a teen girl in your house, then you know what I’m talking about. And if you don’t have a teen girl in your house… Well, you still probably know what I’m talking about. This kid’s everywhere these days.

Surprise Wedding Dance

This video is the greatest thing I’ve seen all week. Even better than the Swagger Wagon. Here’s why –

This kid has got moves! Holy heck – did you see him jump over the groomsman’s head during the Ludacris part? Impressive.
The put in some hours of practice! I didn’t see any real mess-up’s. Do you think these dudes choreographed it themselves, or had some help? Either way, rocked it.
LOVE the wigs on the groomsmen. And I love watching these dudes with big beards dancing to Bieber. So great.
Dancing a fool at a party? Funny stuff. Dancing a fool on the biggest day of your life, in front of every single person you care about, while being video taped and shared on the ‘net? Priceless.

Have a favorite funny video?

Share the link in the comments, or post it on my Facebook page! {Family-friendly on Facebook please, no wild surprises, lol}I have piles upon piles of work to do, and I don’t wanna. If you post your links, then I’ll get to watch them and call it work….. Have a great weekend everyone!

Have Funny Old Family Videos?

Bring decades of your favorite family images to digital – Send them your old home movies, films, and photos, and they’ll send them back as DVD’s with amazingly brilliant digital detail. This is so awesome, and I can’t believe we didn’t start doing this sooner – My nephews think I’m extra old when they see me on the old VHS tapes. lol. Creating an account is easy and free – choose the “send them in my own box” option, then you’re logged in and can check out all of the cool editing tools. Love this – Click Here to rock YOUR old videos too!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 13, 2012 Filed Under: Fun Stuff | No Comments

Meal Planning in 4 Easy Steps

Do you need to save money on groceries?

Hahahahaha – That’s like saying, “Do you need a little more sleep?” or, “Would you like the kids to get along a little more often?” For most families, the food budget is one of the only things left to cut, and it’s often one of the biggest places that we over spend. The problem is, we’re often too busy to figure out exactly HOW to save money on groceries.

How to Cut Costs

Meal Planning + Savings Match-Ups = Food on the Table! Seriously, this site is awesomesauce. It is totally simple to use. It’s free to join. It will save you loads of time, and money. And your family might even eat healthier, since you’ll be cooking more ‘real’ meals at home! It makes meal planning very quick and simple – you no longer need to save all of those weekly sale inserts. Food on the Table matches your meals directly to the best savings at your own personal local grocery store!

Open a free Meal Planning account on Food on the Table today!

Here’s how it Works

Set up your meal plan for the week – Food on the Table lets you add the local grocery stores you shop at most. Then, when you log in, it’ll let you see which meats are on sale this week, so you can quickly click your choices.
Get Recipes – Next, input your own recipes, use previous recipes you’ve added, or check out their huge selection. Pick and click to add your favorites – easy peasy!
Savings at your grocery store – Food on the Table will now build you a grocery list, auto-filled with the ingredients that you need, based on your recipes for the week. Scan it quickly – see something you already have? Uncheck it. Have extra basics you want to add? Type ’em in! Then it will show you how much you’re saving when it matches your needed ingredients to sales at your favorite store!
Printable Grocery List – Finally, it loads up a super cool printable grocery list of everything you need for that weeks meals! Even COOLER – you can send that list to your email, or as a text message, so that you have it whenever, or wherever, you need it! You could even email it your husband at work, so he can shop on his way home. Score!

Meal Planning is one of the most helpful tips I can share with you – I’m still working on getting into a groove, and am always looking for great new tips, sites, and apps to help me stay organized and on top of things. This is one of my very favorites that I’ve found – and I know it will help your family too! Plus – It’s free! What do you have to lose – Check it out today!

For more BIG savings at the grocery store – make sure to check out my coupon resource page – How to Get Coupons: 11 Ways to Get Coupons Today. There are also more tips on matching your coupons to store sales, and info about another meal planning service that I use too. Check it out!

Check out more ways to creatively stretch your budget

These are some of my favorite books and tools to save time and money in kitchen – Smart solutions for busy moms like us. If you have a favorite tip to make meal time simpler, cheaper, and more efficient – please share your wisdom in the comments below. I love hearing from you smart ladies!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 12, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 1 Comment

Free Guide: Using Genesis on WordPress for Absolute Beginners

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” – Thomas Huxley

Are you using WordPress, and could use some help figuring it all out? Or maybe you’re just thinking about making the switch from Blogger – and want to learn more to get prepared. WordPress is not difficult, but it can be overwhelming when you first get started.

This new, amazingly helpful – and totally free! – ebook from Copyblogger will make you feel like a total blogging rock star.

This book is targeted towards bloggers who use the Genesis framework on their WordPress site, which is what I use. But – I started out on a basic free WordPress theme, and this book will be helpful to you too if that’s what you’re using – trust me. It works great as a guide to understanding basic WordPress features – since many of them are the same on a basic WordPress site as they are on Genesis.

Learn more and download the FREE guide for Using Genesis on WordPress from Copyblogger today!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 12, 2012 Filed Under: Blogging Tools | No Comments

I’m Supporting Brave Women – #BraveWoman #CBias

Did you know that ONE in FOUR women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime?

A few weeks ago, I told you guys my own story – how I used to be that ONE out of four women. Sitting down at my desk to write about that time of my life, about dealing with domestic violence – that was THE hardest post that I’ve ever written. It was difficult to let myself think about those times, to be honest about how weak I was, and to share all of that incredibly personal information with others. BUT – I was overwhelmed by the amazing feedback I got from all of you. The comments, the messages on Facebook, and the emails sharing your own stories – they were so powerful, so moving, and I shed a ton of tears for you all too! But I love that most of you also had stories of strength to share, with happy endings. Let’s help other women find a better future too, by supporting BraveWoman.org!

“A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.” – Melinda Gates

The Brave Woman campaign is all about helping EVERY woman find her voice. To encourage her to tell her story, to help the next woman realize that she’s not alone. To help others understand that, as the website says, “Leaving a life of domestic violence is a series of moment-by-moment decisions requiring brave choices and bold actions. It can be hard to believe in ourselves when we have been beaten down by circumstance.” I’ve read so many other women’s stories by searching the hashtag on Twitter – #BraveWoman – and this one really stood out to me: Rebecca Parsons, from Cre8tiveCompass.com, describes it like this, “abuse takes away your rational thinking and is replaced by a ‘just let me keep everything perfect so he won’t blow up’ mentality” – and I’m sure that there are hundreds of other women who understand that all too well.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.” – Oprah Winfrey

Will you join us in signing the pledge on BraveWoman.org? By supporting each other, we can begin to bring this issue out of the shadows it hides in, and put an end to it.

“I pledge to honor and respect brave women and children who tackle the difficult journey of change from domestic violence to a new life. I acknowledge my own moment-by-moment bravery, will remain aware of what is happening to others around me, and speak up against violence in any form. I will stand up for human dignity and safety for women and children.”

“No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you.” – Althea Gibson

For more information on the Brave Woman organization, please visit www.BraveWoman.org. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter, watch their totally empowering videos on YouTube, and tell your friends about them too! And I would love for you to join us at our Twitter party on January 17th, 8-9 pm ET to support Brave Woman, use hashtag #BraveWoman to follow along.

{THIS POST HAS BEEN COMPENSATED AS PART OF A SOCIAL SHOPPER INSIGHTS STUDY FOR COLLECTIVEBIAS. ALL OPINIONS, IDEAS, AND PHOTOS ARE 100% MY OWN. #CBIAS, #BRAVEWOMAN}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 12, 2012 Filed Under: Mommy Thoughts | No Comments

Win a $250 Sephora Gift Card!

BelleChic – The Best of Handmade Goods

Sign Up Now- Click Here to join an amazing community of crafters, and find awesome deals on the best handmade home goods, accessories, baby items, and more!

Win a $250 Sephora Gift Card!

Right now, after setting up for a free account at BelleChic, you can enter to WIN a $250 Gift Card to my favorite shop for pretty cosmetics – Sephora! Click here, and enter to Win a Sephora Gift Card on the BelleChic Facebook page today!

Share & Win!

The best part of this giveaway is that you can get rewarded for sharing – If your friend wins, YOU win too! So, this is what you do:

Sign up a free account to check out discounted handmade pretties on BelleChic.
Next, visit them on Facebook and enter to win the Sephora Gift Card.
Then use the share buttons after you enter to post the giveaway to your own Twitter and Facebook.
If a friend clicks your link to enter, and they win – You’ll win too!

Good luck!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 11, 2012 Filed Under: Contests | 1 Comment

Full Kit to Relieve Knee Pain – No Cost to You – Delivered to Your Door!

Hot Healthcare Freebie

If you suffer from knee and joint pain, this could be super helpful to you. I have tons of trouble with this type of pain – and since blogging doesn’t include health insurance, I take advantage of any offer like this that I can. Since I know many of my readers are getting by without insurance too, I thought I’d share…. Just click the pic above, request your kit, and it should arrive within a few weeks!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 11, 2012 Filed Under: Freebies | No Comments