Sunshine and Sippy Cups

This Will Change How You Take Photos from Your Phone Forever

Big thank you to the Best Buy WOLF Blogging Network and the peeps at Sony for giving me the chance to try out the new lens style camera, the Sony QX10, and share the awesomeness with you! I received a complimentary product, but you know my opinions are my own, as always.

There are a few things that describe me well: Social media junkie. Photo addict. Tech lover. Memory capturer. Which is why I’ve always loved photography. Sure, I’m no pro – although I did take a few years of photography back in high school. Back when we had this weird stuff called film in our SLR cameras. {Notice the lack of a D at the beginning of that?} We developed our own film in darkrooms. Printed our own photos too, testing out different exposure settings. Do I sound old yet? :) But obviously these days photography has changed – drastically – in just the {let’s just say “slightly over”} 10 years I’ve been out of high school. Not only do we have DSLRs, smart phones, awesome point and shoot options, and more – but now, there’s a totally awesome new way to take pics. It’ll blow your mind. Check it out….

I love tech gadgets, but I’m not the most “technical” type of person. I don’t pay as much attention to things like megapixels and stuff, as I do to how the product actually works in my real life. So, for the details, you can check out the Sony QX10 at BestBuy.com. But I want to show you how this will totally change how you take photos – from your phone, or anywhere – forever. [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 5, 2014 Filed Under: Tech Tips, Featured Tech | 25 Comments

Tea Collection KinderCone Giveaway: $4k Grand Prize!

The first day of school can be a bit nerve wracking, and to alleviate some of the anxiety and put a little fun into the day, there is a tradition in Germany where kids are presented with a large, colorful KinderCone or Schultute (“shool-too-teh”) filled with school supplies, sweet treats and small gifts. This large cardboard cone of fun helps kids feel a little better about their big first day. And is just super fun, right?

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 4, 2014 Filed Under: Giveaways | No Comments

Kid’s Academy App Makes Learning Fun!

Kid’s Academy is all about helping children learn verbal, writing and math skills in an easy and fun manner. Which is why I’m such a big fan of theirs. I mean, I do love “unplugged play” – like with our Lilliputiens Sensory Toys. But, I’m also a huge lover of technology, and love the way cool apps and programs can get kids totally engaged in learning – especially on the go! Apps such as 123 Tracing and Bingo ABC have been top-50 educational apps in the App Store, and Kid’s Academy has also brought the well-known stories and nursery rhymes The Three Little Pigs and Five Little Monkeys to life with interactive apps. Keep reading to learn more about Kid’s Academy, and why it rocks….

The simple interfaces of the Kids Academy apps allow children to take the reins and play all on their own, but the sing-a-longs and other activities are perfect for parent or teacher engagement as well. Research has shown that singing along with nursery rhymes has cognitive and physical benefits for children. Not only are children learning new words and the context in which to use them, but strengthening tongue and mouth muscles at an early age will help with pronunciation skills. My nephew who is autistic learns SO much better when things are in a rhyme or song – and my little girl, Abby, who just turned 4, is totally engaged when things are set to music. So this is so perfect for us!
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Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 4, 2014 Filed Under: Giveaways, Family | No Comments

Mega Back to School Giveaway Prize Package!!

It seems like summer just started, doesn’t it? Way too early to start thinking about back to school! But, the first day of school will be here for us in less than a month – so crazy. Which is why I’ve partnered with my group of bloggy besties {The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug, Kids Fun Reviewed, and A Helicopter Mom} to bring you an awesome event – The Mega Back to School Giveaway Prize Package ($50 Value) + $50 Walmart Gift Card!! Woo to the hoo, right? Keep reading to get the details and enter to win it…

Here’s what one lucky winner will receive, to help you out with all the expenses of back to school shopping:

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 4, 2014 Filed Under: Giveaways | 11 Comments

Samsung Galaxy Note Giveaway for Back to School!

Are you a member of Ebates yet? If you do ANY online shopping, you definitely need to be using their site. Seriously. You get access to awesome coupon codes which save you money. You get cash back on your purchases, which gives you even more money in your pocket. And, they give away sweet prizes to reward their members – like this back to school giveaway where one lucky winner gets a Samsung Galaxy Note for free! {There’s sooo much free in this paragraph :)}

Here’s how to win:

Sign up as a new member at Ebates if you haven’t already. You’ll get a free gift card when you sign up too, as a bonus! If you’re already an Ebates user, just skip to the next step :)

Then head over to their Facebook page, enter your email, and you’re entered to win! Easy peasy. [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 4, 2014 Filed Under: Uncategorized | No Comments

Skinny Blueberry Mojito Recipe

Super excited to share my Sweet’N Low Blueberry Mojito Recipe as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars. #SweetNLowStars. Because you know, I love sharing cool stuff with you guys. :)

A few of my favorite things…. Summertime. Drinks with friends. Swimming in the pool. Fresh fruit. Relaxing – which I get waaaay to little of. So, taking some time to create a seriously yumm-tastic new low-cal drink recipe fits perfectly into my summer. {Because, time by the pool involves a swimsuit. So, low-cal, you know? :)}

This Skinny Blueberry Mojito is made with delicious fresh blueberries, Sweet’N Low, my fave rum, fresh mint, is low-calorie like I mentioned, and is even diabetic friendly. Perfect for summer entertaining.

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on July 15, 2014 Filed Under: Food, Featured Drinks | 4 Comments

Kitchen Makeover: Organization Tips on a Budget

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Duck Brand. All opinions are 100% mine.

We’ve lived in this house for about 3 years now. But just finally closed on the sale and made it official a couple months ago. {Yayayayayaya!} So, I’m starting to work on some projects I’d kind of put off for awhile, and get this place whipped into shape. We entertain a lot, so the big projects are the kitchen and living room. The kitchen is right off the patio where the pool is – so it’s the most “seen” room when people visit, since that sliding glass door is our usual entrance – I figured it’s the first place to start.

The kitchen has got good “bones,” if you know what I mean – nice cabinets and appliances, a great kitchen island, and awesome tile. Everything is very neutral colored, so I decided to decorate based on my favorite thing in the kitchen – my red KitchenAid mixer. I’m working on a couple of pieces of wall art, and have some shopping to do – but first job is organizing cupboards and drawers.

First step was emptying out drawers. Next step? This super pretty Duck® Brand shelf liner. It’s not an adhesive liner, so you don’t have to worry about a mess or any damage when you want to remove it or change styles. It’s machine washable, which is really cool. And even though it’s not adhesive – it still “sticks” when you put it down. Like, just stays in place really well.

There are like a million styles and designs – check ’em out here: Duck Brand’s Shelf Liner. You just measure, cut, and place in the drawer or on a shelf. And you know what’s crazy? The patterns match up awesomely – this is two pieces of shelf liner next to each other. You can barely see the difference in the pattern – and I did NOT try at all to match them. Cool, right?

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