Sunshine and Sippy Cups

How to You Listen to Music? #AudioFest

The reviewer {that means me :)} has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. But as always – these are my real opinions, 100%. #AudioFest @BestBuy

I’m a music lover. An eclectic music lover. Where some people need silence to concentrate when working – I need music in the background. I need music playing all day – when I get ready for the day in the morning, when I clean the house – and let’s not forget dance parties in the kitchen while we cook dinner :) And, because I have a really wide range of music that I love, it’s been totally amazing the past few years to get an iPhone, to discover Pandora, and learn that there are awesome speakers that can play my choice of streaming music wherever I am in the house – bathroom, kitchen, or even by the pool when we entertain in the summer. Love-love. I also come from a big family filled with musicians….

This is my younger brother James, who’s been in a band for about 10 years now. {And, this rad, totally randomly snapped pic, came from my point and shoot I got from Best Buy too.} So, since I’m a music lover, it explains why I’m super excited that my absolute fave store for gadgets and tech gear is celebrating the love of music this month with their Audio Fest event. A little more about what it is, and why it rocks my socks: [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 19, 2014 Filed Under: Tech Tips | No Comments

Are You Throwing Money Away When Shopping Online?

You know that I’m a frugal momma, right? That was one of the reasons that I started this site – to share some of the cool tips and tricks I had learned. Long story short – a month after becoming a new mom, I lost my job, including the other two months of paid maternity leave I was expecting. There was a glitch with unemployment, and it took months before they figured it out and accepted my claim. I was a full-time student, overwhelmed mom of an infant, in a really bad economy. First was panic – then I got resourceful! I started looking at all of the ways I could cut expenses, and took out things like restaurant meals, coffee shop drinks, and vacations. Little by little I learned to coupon, build a frugal pantry, and started to live by the phrase, “Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without.” But cutting expenses isn’t always enough, right?

I also needed to find ways to earn more income, while staying at home with Abby. I shared a lot of my tips here: 10 Ways to Earn Money from Home, which is my most popular post on this site, of all time, ever. And since that post has been so popular, I’m guessing that there are a lot of moms out there like me, trying to bring in extra money to boost a slim budget. Even now that I’ve built my business well, I still follow all of my frugal habits – there’s no reason to throw money away! So, today is the first in a series, showing you some new ways to earn more money right from your own home too. [Read more…]

Zelenshoes.com #WinConverse Giveaway | 2 Winners

Another fun giveaway for you guys! I’ve partnered with some awesomesauce bloggers to bring you a chance to win a pair of Converse shoes – your choice of style, for anyone in the family – and there will be TWO winners. Great way to kick off spring, with some comfy new shoes, right? Keep reading to learn more and get your entries in!

It’s hard to believe that spring is around the corner, making it a perfect time to sport some classic Converse shoes as the weather warms up. Popular with kids, teenagers, and adults alike, Converse originally designed the sneakers for basketball players and other athletes and have existed for over a century. As popularity grew, these stylish sneakers showed up on the feet of musicians, artists, skaters, and discerning individuals worldwide. [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 19, 2014 Filed Under: Giveaways | 19 Comments

11 Ways to Enjoy Disney’s Frozen Movie

Unless you’re living under a rock, I’m sure you know that today was the official DVD release of Disney’s amazingly popular hit film, Frozen. Frozen has been crazy-popular with both moms and kiddos – it has a wonderful message, a heart-warming story, and features a seriously spectacular soundtrack.

So, as we prepare to watch it – again, but for the first time at home – tonight, I thought I’d share some of my absolute favorite Frozen moments from around the web. Funny videos, fantastic party ideas, and more. Even though most of us are ready to shake off the frozen weather of winter in anticipation of spring and sunshine, let’s all take a little more time to relish in the frozen-ness of the season, shall we? :) [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 18, 2014 Filed Under: Entertainment | No Comments

How Do You Potty Train When On-The-Go?

I’m a Pull-Ups Potty Training Ambassador. Big thank you to them for trusting me to offer potty training tips and advice as part of a compensated relationship.

“The trouble with being a parent is that by the time you are experienced, you are unemployed.” – I became a mother very unexpectedly. I was 30 years old, thought that I was on a set career path, and was set in my routines. Then BAM! Life throws you a curve ball. And those two little pink lines were just the start of the curve balls I’d start to face on a regular basis… Every time you think you’re getting the hang of the whole mom thing, your kiddo changes again. They say babies are hard. But you know what? Babies stay in one spot. It’s once they learn to move that things really start to get tricky. Do you remember the first time you laid your baby on a blanket for tummy time, and came to find that they had moved? All by themselves?? Sometimes I feel like motherhood is just a big race to stay ahead of the game, lol.

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 13, 2014 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

How to Keep Your Car Smelling Fresh

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

I’m a big fan of scents. I love candles and plug-ins and fresh flowers and open windows and pretty sprays. I use perfumes and light body spays for myself, and tons of great products inside my house. Which led me recently to wanting to find a good option for the times I’m not in my house – scented products for my car.

I didn’t want anything that smelled too artificial. Or overpowering. But something that could kind of cover up that, “My toddler left a chicken nugget under the seat and wiped a booger or two on the wall” type of smell that you get when you have a 3 year old, you know? [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 12, 2014 Filed Under: Giveaways | No Comments

How to Look Trendy in the Kitchen

I love aprons. I have way too big of a collection of pretty aprons, especially considering that The Mister does most of the cooking around here. But, I’m just a sucker for a good lookin’ apron. I feel all clever and domestic and in-control of my kitchen when I’m baking and wearing one of my favorite aprons – even though I’m not a kitchen pro. And we entertain a ton, especially in the summer, and a pretty apron makes me look more put-together when guests show up early than when I’m wearing sweatpants covered in flour-y hand prints :) And my very favorites come from Flirty Aprons. Check out this new one that I am dying over right now:

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