Sunshine and Sippy Cups

How to Self Publish a Book

I’m a big supporter of women in business. It can be a tough job balancing business, babies, family commitments, and life in general. But it’s so worth being in business for yourself. A favorite quote of mine sums it up perfectly: “Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.” – Dale Carnegie. Starting or running any type of business is a lot like motherhood – you work too much, but you’re part of building something special, and that hard work is personal, and pays off in so many ways.

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

Win it: Epiphanie Bags Camera Bag Giveaway!! $225 Value!!

I’ve always loved photography. I have a new camera that I love – it’s kind of, like, in between a point and shoot and a DSLR. It’s called the Olympus PEN, and one of the things I love is that it has a Olympus PEN For Dummies book too, to help me learn all of the settings and cool options that it has. I’ve also signed up for a few of the Craftsy Free Classes that teach photography skills – and they have awesome paid courses too, for things like product, food, or portrait photography. But one thing that I am STILL in need of is a gorgeous camera bag to haul my gear. One of my faves brands for stylin’ camera bags is Epiphanie Bags – and one of you ladies has a chance to WIN one. {Color me jealous…. :)}

Epiphanie Bags Giveaway

Welcome to the Epiphanie Bags Camera Bag Giveaway!

One lucky winner will get their choice of absolutely gorgeous camera bag – Up to $225 value! Your camera will be protected in style, plus you’ll even have room for camera accessories, and things like your wallet, phone, and lip gloss.

Sponsored by: Epiphanie Bags
Hosted by: Savory Savings & Gloriously Green Gal
Co-hosted by: Bloggie Away, Contest Patti, Dividing by Zero & Rainy Day Pennies

As any seasoned or budding photographer can tell you, hauling your equipment around is one of the hardest things. You want a bag that will protect your gear, but at the same time isn’t too bulky, too narrow, too ugly – the list could go on and on! Krista from Savory Savings and Gloriously Green Gal recently got to check out a camera bag from Epiphanie Bags. This chic and usable camera bag, turned purse is just what she needed. Check out Krista’s full camera bag review and see just how much stuff she could fit into this fun and functional bag.

If you are looking to replace your camera bag with something more user-friendly in both functionality and looks, check out Ephiphanie Bags. Best part? We’re giving one away! One lucky US, 18+ winner will receive the Epiphanie Bags in-stock bag of their choice! This giveaway will run from February 12, 2014 through February 26, 2014 at 11 PM CST. If you have won an Epiphanie giveaway on any blog in the last six months, you are not eligible to win. All entries will be verified. Winner will be emailed (consider adding gloriouslygreengal@gmail.com to your safe list) and will have 48 hours to respond or prize is forfeited and a new winner will be selected.

Use the easy peasy entry form below to get your entries in – the more you complete, the more chances you’ll have to win! And, if you’re feelin’ lucky, check out the list of other fun giveaways I’ve got going on right now, listed together in the Giveaway section on my sidebar to the right. Have fun – and good luck!

Entry -Form

Krista from Gloriously Green Gal/Savory Savings received products from this sponsor to facilitate her review, no other compensation was received. I received NO compensation for sharing this giveaway. All participating blogs are not responsible for prize fulfillment. This giveaway is in no way associated with social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 12, 2014 Filed Under: Giveaways | 23 Comments

Brighten Up a Dull Day – $10,000+ in Prizes to Win!

I know that most of us are dealing with dreary weather – and probably quite a bit of cabin fever. So, to brighten up your week, I’ve put together a list of some cool prizes you can enter to win… Including one for $10,000!! And as always, be sure to take a peek over in my sidebar, to enter all of the giveaways I have going on. It updates daily, so check back often!

Seriously – this stroller is gorgeous. I’ve seen it in person, and it rocks. And you have a chance to win it – Just head over to the Whole Mom Facebook page, like it, and then get your entries in. [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 10, 2014 Filed Under: Contests | No Comments

Giant KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer + $100 Amazon GC!!

I’ve joined some of my very favorite-ist bloggy buddies for a very special giveaway. One of our lucky readers will win, wait for it… a gorgeous KitchenAid Artisan Design 5-Quart Stand Mixer AND a $100 Amazon gift card!!! How cool is that, right?

ENTER TO WIN THIS AWESOME GIVEAWAY

Prize: KitchenAid Artisan Design 5-Quart Stand Mixer in Raspberry Ice ($399) and $100 Amazon GC [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 3, 2014 Filed Under: Giveaways | No Comments

Seattle Seahawks Deaf Player Derrick Coleman Inspires Family – A Story of Hope

A couple of week’s ago I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, and saw that The Mister had shared someone’s status update. It caught my attention, and I started reading. It was a letter that a mother had written to the Seattle Seahawks, to tell them how much the new Duracell ad featuring Derrick Coleman has inspired their son. The more I read, the more tears I got in my eyes – compassion for all that they’ve been through, memories of my own complicated pregnancy and then the scare when Abby was born, and the beautifully inspiring message she’d written. I had noticed that she was from the same city I live in, but assumed that The Mister had just shared it because he’s a huge Seahawks fan. When I mentioned to him how moving her post was, he told me that he knew her husband. We live in a pretty big city, but it’s always a small world, right? So I reached out to her, to ask if I could share her story, and her message, since it’s amazing. What follows is her family’s story in her own words, pictures, and video. Big thank you to Nicole and Jeff Wilkinson for sharing this. Grab a handful of tissue before you continue reading it, you’ll need it….

My son Samuel, is a true miracle, he is the greatest gift I have ever received. Doctors determined early in my pregnancy with him that something was abnormal. He was not growing at a normal rate and he consistently measured small. We saw many doctors and specialists in our hometown of Yakima, WA and also at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington. After many tests and scans they diagnosed him with a lethal form of skeletal dysplasia. Skeletal dysplasias are a complex group of bone and cartilage disorders that can affect the fetal skeleton as it develops in utero. The most common form of skeletal dysplasia is dwarfism, but there are approximately 300 different forms and a few types are lethal (meaning the child would be stillborn or die shortly after birth). It was explained to us that Sam’s long bones (arms and legs) were not growing, there was fluid around his heart and his chest circumference was below the 1st percentile. With the chest cavity being so small, it meant he would not have enough space to house fully developed lungs and a healthy heart.

Our baby would not be able to breathe on his own in order to sustain his own life.

After months of waiting and knowing that our baby was expected to die, Samuel Ross Wilkinson was born August 27th, 2008 in a scheduled C-section. All of the medical staff were briefed with his diagnosis and circumstances and the doctors estimated he would live anywhere from 5 to 60 minutes. The plan was to surgically remove the baby, clean him off and wrap him in a special blanket that we brought from home. My husband and I were to be able to hold him for however long we wanted. We had people flying into town a few days after the scheduled birth date because we were planning for a funeral.

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 31, 2014 Filed Under: Mommy Thoughts | 15 Comments

Goodbye 2013 – I’m Ready to Rock 2014! #GetMotivated

“A new year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.” – Unknown… I love the start of a new year. I’ve always loved the way it gives me that push to evaluate the previous year, figure out what worked, what didn’t, and what to work on in the coming year. I don’t make resolutions on January 1st though – I take the full month of January to really take a deep look at where I’m at, and what I want to accomplish. By January 31st I have a game plan for the upcoming year, and a new goal to work on each of the next 11 months. One big goal is to finally – finally! – get back into shape. {Well, I guess technically round is a shape. But not the shape I have in mind…} I’ve been making slow but steady progress for awhile, and now that I feel I’ve got a good base to build on, it’s time to ramp things up, and totally rock 2014.

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 29, 2014 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution, Weight Loss | No Comments

Financial Peace University Kit – Get it Free!

If you know me, you know I’m a frugal momma. I use these 10 tips {and many more!} to earn extra money from home, am a coupon-lover, and use every creative idea to save money that I can find. Which is why I’m really excited to bring you guys this awesome giveaway which can help you work towards your own financial goals – use the easy peasy form to get your entries in, then be sure to check out the list of other prizes I’m giving away this month, listed together near my most popular posts over in the sidebar. Have fun, and good luck!