Sunshine and Sippy Cups — Page 226 — Smart Solutions for Busy Moms!

Enter to Win a $175 Visa Gift Card! #Rafflecopter #Giveaway

Enter to Win!

I HAVE TEAMED UP WITH JENNIFERS SAVINGS TO BRING YOU THIS WONDERFUL GIVEAWAY OFFERED BY ZUUZS. ONE LUCKY WINNER IS GOING TO WIN A $175 VISA GIFTCARD!!!

Learn More…

Let me tell you a little about zuuzs, a site where you can Shop great stores, Share deals and opinions, and Earn cash. Not only can you enter for a chance to win this $175 VISA Giftcard-zuuzs also has a $1000 Shopping Spreestakes going on right now that you can earn entries just by joining and inviting your friends.

Why should you join zuuzs?

zuuzs offers you cash back rewards, called zuuzs FUNdzs, on all of the purchases you make through the site. But that’s not all! You will earn FUNdz from friends and family that you have invited to join your zuuzs Circle of Friendzs. When a member of your Circle of Friendzs makes a purchase, she earns cash back on her purchase and zuuzs pays you a bonus (40%), too, for introducing zuuzs to her. Your zuuzs Circle of Friendzs includes members that you have invited directly (Direct Friends), and the people that they have invited (Indirect Friends). You will earn 25% FUNdz from your Indirect Friends!!!

Earn Extra Income!

zuuzs sends out a check every month on the 21st with the FUNdz that you have earned. You don’t have to wait until you have tons of FUNdz in your account, if you have $10 in FUNdz, you will get a check. zuuzs is also working on getting a reloadable debit card so that your FUNdz can be put directly on your card!

I don’t know about you, but I am loving the idea of earning extra money each month just by making my purchases online and sharing this great site with my family and friends. Thank you to zuuzs for offering this $175 VISA Giftcard for us to share with one of our lucky followers. Let us know if you are one of the lucky ones that win the Shopping Spreestakes from zuuzs also!

*Just a note-With the new changes on Facebook, make sure to create a new List for all of the pages that you like. When you do this, all you have to do is click on the list that you make to see the posts from the pages you like. Make sure that you do this several times during the day in order not to miss any new giveaways, freebies, great deals, etc.

Good Luck and Start Shopping, Sharing, and Earning with zuuzs!

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 28, 2011 Filed Under: Deals and Coupon Codes, Shopping, Contests, Giveaways | 2 Comments

Rafflecopter Giveaway List – Enter to #Win!!

Enter to WIN in all of my Rafflecopter Giveaways Going on this week!

The first giveaway is for an adorable little Etsy Shop- Win a Gift Certificate for Gentry’s Closet- Custom Bows and Baby Accessories! These are some of the best quality hair clips that we’ve ever used- LOVE them!

I couldn’t get Abby to hold still for pictures, so I’ll try again later this week. I can’t wait for you to see these little clips being “modeled”– they’re just so darn cute!

If you have a daughter, grandbaby, niece, or heck- wear one yourself! – you have to enter this giveaway!

Another Giveaway-

Next up is your chance to Win a Fall Baking Prize Package from Betty Crocker and Gold Medal Flour!

You’ll get everything that you need to make some super amazing fall treats! {Plus read the post for a recipe to make your own DIY Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte’s! Mmmm…. Those are my FAVORITE coffee drink of all time. I can’t wait to try out this recipe!}

Who Loves Sweets?

Win a FULL CASE of the New Halo Bars Delivered Right to Your Door! These have ridiculously yummy flavors like Smores and Rocky Road- but they’re totally good for you!

A snack you can eat without guilt, and that the kids will gobble up without yucky preservatives and artificial stuff! Awesome, right?

The last- and most AMAZING- giveaway is the Fall Giveaway Festival!

You can enter to Win a Mommy Goodie Bag stuffed full of prizes- including a $50 Visa Gift Card!!

This Goodie Bag is STUFFED full of great prizes for moms, babies, and kids. You’ll LOVE it!

As part of this event, you can also enter to win an iPad2- sponsored by RetailMeNot!! And there are also over 100 other blogs all linked up after my giveaway- making it easy peasy to hop along and enter them all!! The more you enter, the more chances you have to win!

Learn how to build a Complete Coupon Kit!!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 27, 2011 Filed Under: Reviews, Giveaways | No Comments

Win FREE Date Night Tickets to the Capital Theatre!

This is for the local Yakima moms-

Have you heard about a super-fun show that’s coming to the Capital Theatre October 25th? The Magic School Bus – LIVE! will have 2 showings that day- at 10AM and again at Noon, and it’s only $5 per ticket- an amazingly affordable way to take the kids to a really great show. {See more details on the show here, and find a study guide to use along with the show too!}

Seatbelts everyone! The Magic School Bus celebrates its 25th Anniversary with an all-new musical adventure.

More about the Show-

Ms. Frizzle’s students are putting on a play about global warming, and they need some cold, hard facts. The Friz and her reptilian sidekick, Liz, know just where to find them!

This is no ordinary field trip, as a hop on the Magic School Bus takes the class and the audience on a whirlwind tour. From the arctic to the equator, they see telltale signs of climate change and learn how conservation, recycling and alternative energy can make a difference.

Ms Frizzle and her class are up for the climate challenge. Are you?

The Magic School Bus – LIVE! is targeted towards kids from Preschool to 3rd Grade.. But since the show is only an hour long, it’s still totally appropriate for even younger kids- in fact, I plan to take Abby, who’s only 14 months. But I know she’ll just LOVE it!

Take the kids to the show- Get entered to win tickets for YOU too!

One Lucky Winner will get a Pair of Tickets to see the Capitol Steps!

“The Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom (“Don’t quit your day job!”), and although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.”

You don’t want to miss this!

Everyone who orders tickets to The Magic School Bus show can get entered to win a great pair of tickets to see The Capitol Steps show on Friday, October 21st, at 7:30 PM. The winner will be chosen on October 14th, the Friday before the show, to make sure they have time to arrange for a baby sitter, and can enjoy a great “Date Night” out!

How to Win:

Every ticket purchased to see The Magic School Bus – Live show gets you another entry to win the Capitol Steps tickets, but only if you follow these directions-
Call the ticket office at 853-8000 and ask for Christina.
Let her know how many Magic School Bus tickets you’d like to buy- remember, they’re only $5 bucks each!
Make sure to mention you saw this giveaway on Sunshine and Sippy Cups to be entered to win!

That’s it- easy peasy!

Christina at the Capital Theatre will draw a lucky winner on October 14th, and contact them right away to make arrangements to get the FREE Ticket Prize! Good luck!

If you know of other moms who would love to learn about the Magic School Bus – LIVE! show, and this great giveaway, please feel free to use the share buttons to post this to your own favorite social media pages too!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 27, 2011 Filed Under: Contests, Yakima Moms | No Comments

Check it Out- How to Build the Total Couponing Kit

Check out the New Way to Store and Organize Your Coupons

I know that a ton of people swear by the coupon organizing binders- but those just haven’t worked out for me.

Currently, I store my monster pile of coupons in a few big folders in my filing cabinet- and take ’em all out when it’s time to make my shopping list.

But- I TOTALLY think that this would be the PERFECT system for me- My Coupon Closet is a super cool new storage system to help you get organized.

My Coupon Closet is the newest and easiest way to organize your coupons. No need for expensive and bulky binders with this coupon box. Everything you need comes in your coupon box, ready for you to create YOUR Coupon Closet.

Right now for a limited time, you can get FREE shipping when you enter the code freeship11.

See it in action:

Everything you need is included:

Reusable Shopping Bag: Each box comes with a reusable shopping bag (random color). The box fits perfectly in the bag, so now you can easily carry your box anywhere. It is a very lightweight organizer that fits perfectly in your shopping cart. Looking for coupons while shopping is now a breeze.
Plastic Box with Snap on Lid: Because we use a sturdy plastic shoe box, you will never have to worry about your new organizer falling apart. A snap-on lid insures that your coupons will stay in place.
A pen and scissors: Each box comes with a pair of scissors and a pen. You need scissors in your box, so you will always be ready to clip coupons. If you are out shopping, you may find in-store coupons in a flyer that you need to use now. Because you have your scissors ready, you are ready to instantly use that coupon! We include a pen, so you are actively keeping track of your budget and making off your check list. Head on over to the Coupon Closet blog to learn more about shopping lists and budgets.
Sturdy Envelopes: Our envelopes are not your average envelopes. These little files are specially made for this coupon box. They are sturdy and made to last. They have the perfect tabs, for you write your own categories on. You can completely customize your new box!
60 White Envelopes: 60 envelopes are used to create individual categories for your new coupon box. If you are a beginner, we suggest you start with just 30 categories and then build up to 60 the longer you coupon. You can see my category suggestions here.
5 Green Envelopes: The Green envelopes are used to separate your stores. These are perfect for individual store coupons, and to place the coupons you plan to use at each of those stores.
Separator: Added into the coupon box, is a small separator. This divider is a small basket that is placed inside your coupon box. It keeps all your envelopes lined up properly and holds your pen and scissors. I also like to place a calculator and my cell phone in this basket while I am shopping.

Everything you need to get started is included. Go here to purchase your kit today!

Save Money AND Save Time!

You don’t have to be a crazy Extreme Couponer to save your family a ton of money – {read my thoughts, and share your own, about it all on- It’s Time to Get Real About Extreme Couponing}

This is a HUGE time-saving set-up for anyone wanting to maximize their savings, but doesn’t have a ton of time. If you’re already using it, I’d love to hear what you think of it. And if you know of anyone who could totally benefit from this too- use the share buttons to post it to your favorite social media page too!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 27, 2011 Filed Under: Shopping, Reviews, Deals and Coupon Codes | No Comments

Get Ready for a DRAMATIC Change to Facebook

Cha-Cha-Changes are Coming to Facebook…

I first read about the new changes coming to Facebook in a couple of weeks on Six in the Nest’s new article- Holy Smokes… More Facebook Changes. That’s where this picture came from- it’s an example of what your new Facebook page will soon look like.
I wondered if this was a “possible” type of change, something that they were thinking about, just testing- or if this was a sure thing. So, I went to the Facebook blog, and sure enough, in a few weeks we’ll all start seeing ANOTHER new, and dramatically different, Facebook page when we log-in.

It’s called Timeline, and you can see more of how it works here:

This is BIG deal

One of my favorite social media news sites- (the always amazing Mashable.com) states, “I have seen what Facebook is launching on Thursday, and it’s going to change the world of social media. And while I won’t talk about the mind-boggling things Facebook will be launching, I will say this: The Facebook you know and (don’t) love will be forever transformed.” Read more of how to Prepare for the New Facebook, or if you’re brave, How to Enable the New Facebook Timeline Now.

You can also check out a great explanation, including a really helpful set of screenshots from someone who is already using the new Timeline page- What to Expect from the New Timeline Change on Facebook.

What do you think?

Honestly, I don’t like it. I say- slow your roll Facebook. You’re beautiful just the way you are. Please- don’t change, again, just for the sake of change.
Of course Facebook needs to update often, and evolve- all technology has to change constantly to stay relevant. BUT- this seems to be changing Facebook into something totally different than what it is now. If you have a game-changing product, that everyone uses, why would you make it into something else? It might turn out to be an amazing change, but it seems like a huge risk.
This isn’t an “upgrade”, this is like buying your favorite ham sandwich at the deli and finding out it’s now a tuna melt. It’s the same idea, but a totally different product.
That said- I’m totally open-minded about it {even though it sure doesn’t sound that way, lol}- and am really hoping I like it. A few friends I’ve talked to who are developers and have made the switch already are really lovin’ it. *Fingers crossed*

Helping you find what’s Important

On the Facebook blog it says, “The way your profile works today, 99% of the stories you share vanish.” They want to make it easier to ignore all of the “I totally woke up too early today. I hate Mondays” type of posts that clutter your stream. But um, if all of my random daily posts will disappear, and only major events will show up…. correct me if I’m wrong- but THAT’S making 99% of my posts disappear, right? And if I only wanted to know major events in my friends lives, I could take a peek at their photo albums to see weddings, babies, and graduations.

Do you use Facebook for your Business?

No word yet on how these major new changes will affect Pages. I know that for many bloggers like myself, a large majority of our traffic comes from the interaction and community that we’ve built on our Facebook pages- I’ve already seen a dramatic drop in traffic after the last Facebook update a week ago, since many people no longer see my posts.

It’s hard to imagine how a business page would make sense with this new Timeline layout, but I’m hoping that Facebook will really consider the needs of business owners, and ensure that Facebook can still be as useful to us as it is now.

My bet is that Timeline will roll out to personal pages first, and business pages later on- that seems to be how most of the Facebook changes have worked in the past. I’ve heard from many designers who are halting their Facebook projects for small business clients until the changes are completed, to fully understand what this will mean for business pages.

I’d love to hear from you…

Share some comments- Love? Hate? Indifferent? Tell me what you think about the new Timeline, and whether you believe that it will really change Facebook as dramatically as people are saying.

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 27, 2011 Filed Under: Reviews, Blogging Resources | 5 Comments

It’s Time to Get Real About Extreme Couponing…

Extreme Couponing is Popular for a Reason

That reason is- Almost all of us moms out here are trying to tighten our budgets. Raising a family in a tough economy is a challenge, for sure. And a big expense in any family is the monthly grocery budget. So when you see other moms who are able to get hundreds of dollars worth of food for almost FREE, using coupons– Yep, that makes us sit up and take notice!

Great Article on Realistic Expectations

I found a really great article today from A Full Cup- Extremely Unrealistic Expectations- Let’s Get Real About Extreme Couponing, that you should definitely check out. It gives a great break down on how couponing works, and busts some of the myths that the show promotes. After reading it, I thought I’d share my opinions on the show too- and I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments too.

What I Love About Extreme Couponing

I mean, after watching that video- how could you NOT get motivated to start using coupons, right? That’s pretty darn amazing. AND- what I love most is that in this clip, {although I never saw this full episode} she isn’t buying excessive amounts of anything- this looks more like a “real” family shopping trip to me. So, if she can combine her coupons to get savings like that- that totally rocks my socks, and is what using coupons is all about!
I’ve been learning how to maximize my coupon savings for the past few years, and feel pretty proud when I can leave the grocery store and read that I saved 35-40% on my grocery trip. But so many of my friends made fun of me for always having a coupon stash in my purse! So I do love that the popularity of this show has made it more “trendy” to use coupons- and my friends don’t laugh anymore. They’ve seen how those .25 cent coupons can add up to serious savings.
I also appreciate that Extreme Coupoining has gotten more people interested in using coupons, and has taught a lot of other women out there some great new tips to help their families save money- and that’s a great thing.

The Darker Side of Extreme Couponing

We all watch in amazement as the several-hundred dollar totals on the show drop to almost nothing, and while we feel impressed, most of us also feel totally discouraged. It’s obvious that none of us can shop that way on a regular basis!
I also get really angry when I see people on this show breaking the rules– that hurts all of us honest shoppers out here, as companies crack down on their policies, or simply offer less coupons all together. Very frustrating.
Another thing that makes me feel negative towards the store is the way that it shows- well, even promotes– unethical behavior. Women on the show have purposely misused coupons, which is against the law. I wish that if they had shown this, TLC would’ve added a disclaimer that this was not something they approve of.
Also, the hoarding- when one person clears shelves, it has a negative consequence on other families. It’s even worse when it’s a product that they don’t even need- they’re simply buying it to put the overages towards another item’s cost. It is smart to buy in bulk when you can find the lowest price, so you’re always spending the least amount possible. But 40 tubes of toothpaste? 90 bottles of shampoo? 100 containers of ketchup? This is not a realistic, or necessary, stockpile. Especially when it takes over your whole home, children’s closets, etc.
And, like Rasha mentions in the article on A Full Cup, “The people you see on Extreme Couponing spend 30 to 60 hours per week on couponing. Do you have that kind of time to devote to couponing? If you don’t put in the effort you can’t expect the same rewards. It’s called extreme for a reason.”

What do YOU think?

Do you clip just coupons from the Sunday Paper? Do you print them from places like Coupons.com or RedPlum? Do you use technology to make couponing easier, and get digital coupons from new sites like Cellfire? Do you sign up for tons of newsletters and mailing lists for coupons? Or…..? Share in the comments- what works best for you, your best tips, what’s realistic to expect for savings? And make sure to visit A Full Cup to read their Extreme Couponing Myths and Facts too.

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 26, 2011 Filed Under: Deals and Coupon Codes, Shopping | 2 Comments

Mixbook Up to 60% Off- Photo Books Starting at only $6.29!

Big Savings from Mixbook!

Do you remember the review I did awhile back for Mixbook? I LOVED that with Mixbook’s Online Tools you can make some super cool personalized photo books- they give you so many options to customize your products, to get really unique stuff. Seriously, so cool.

And right now you can use coupon code MYSAVE60 at checkout for some BIG savings!

Let them tell ya-

“Mixbook is here to give you a up to 60% discount on their high quality photo books, cards, and calendars. No matter your skill level, Mixbook is there to meet your custom photo book, cards, and calendar needs. Take advantage of this exclusive offer, as it will not last for very long! Click Here to get started!”

Amazing Deals

You can get photo books as low as $6.29- But my favorite book deal is that you can get a HUGE 11×14, Hardcover Coffee Table Photo Book for only $20- it’s normally $49.99!!
Or, customize your own holiday cards, with photos and text, in one of their amazing designs, for as low as .35 cents each! You won’t find THAT at your local card store!

The best holiday gifts!

This is a perfect time to start stocking up on gifts for the holidays- Every year I make a photo book of all the best moments from the past year, and order copies for everyone in the family. These are especially great for that person you never know what to get- who wouldn’t love a personalized photo book, right? Check out their selection, and start your shopping now too, and save big bucks!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 26, 2011 Filed Under: Shopping, Deals and Coupon Codes, Holidays | No Comments