Sunshine and Sippy Cups

Win a $2000 Karina Dresses Shopping Spree!

How would you like to own your very own Karina dresses wardrobe? {Um, have you seen how amazing their dresses are? LOVE.} This year, we’re celebrating the YearOfYou™ – Because, as busy moms, we all deserve a chance to reward ourselves, right? So – What have you done to reward yourself lately? If you haven’t had a chance to give yourself a little something special, well – you’re in luck! Whirlwind of Surprises is celebrating women by hosting a massive giveaway that includes $2000 worth of Karina Dresses of your choice! Karina Dresses offer unique limited edition patterns, machine washable, easy-wear, easy-care dresses that fit women of all shapes and sizes. They make fashion easy and comfortable. Each dress is made with love in Brooklyn, New York.

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 21, 2013 Filed Under: Giveaways | 3 Comments

Back to School Money Management Tips: #SchoolCents Twitter Party!

This post is brought to you by Capital One and The Motherhood and I’ve been compensated for my time. All opinions are my own.

The #SchoolCents Twitter party with Capital One kicks off on Wednesday – August 21st at 12 pm ET (11 am CT/9 am PT). It’s all about back-to-school shopping tips and money management, to help you get your new year started off on the right foot. We’ll have amazing tips from The Money Coach – {personal finance expert Lynnette Khalfani-Cox} – how cool is that, right?! So RSVP today, mark your calendar, and come party it up with The Money Coach, The Motherhood, and some of my awesome bloggy friends….

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 19, 2013 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

The 6 Best Frozen Treats You Can Buy at the Grocery Store

This post brought to you by Unilever Ice Cream. All opinions are 100% mine.

Frozen treats aren’t just for summer. But because it IS summer, and I just got done trying a big ol’ pile of amazing frozen goodies, I wanted to share a list of our favorites. Because when you’re shopping for summer treats, it can be hard to decide which are the best to spend your grocery budget on when you’re staring down a half-aisle of delicious looking choices, right?

Summer is so hot right now…

For us here in Washington state, the summer has been as hot as I can remember! Thank heck for central air and a pool – I tell ya. But still – on hot summer evenings, I have little appetite. I like some simple soup, a crunchy wrap, or a nice cold salad. But something I’m always in the mood for no matter how hot it gets is a frozen dessert – whether it’s fruity, chocolatey, or ice creamy – it hits the spot on a super hot evening around here. {I know, I know… Most people picture Washington and think of rainy, cold, cloudy weather. That’s Seattle, on the coast. We’re in Centra Washington. It’s dessert, hot, dry, and totally different!} Watch the video below to see a little bit of our summer fun – and how we cool off with our favorite frozen treats. Then keep reading below to learn about all six of what I think are THE best goodies you can buy in the freezer section of your local grocery store….

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 19, 2013 Filed Under: Food | 15 Comments

Back to School Tips: Fun Lunches, Fall Fashion, & More!

“When you know better you do better.” – Maya Angelou… This quote applies just as much to us moms as it does to kids gearing up for a new school year – There’s always something new to learn and discover, whether it’s a new word or skill at school, or a great tip to help calm the chaos of motherhood. So, while you’re helping your kiddos prepare to go back to school, I’m here to help you prepare too – with some super helpful ideas: Shopping, lunch prep, fashion, and more. Keep reading to check them out – and be sure to pin your favorites to refer to again later.

Back to school tips: Packing fun lunches

This will be the first year that we’ll be packing lunches. My nephews were here all summer with me – and once school starts, they’re here every morning to catch the bus, as well as each afternoon after school. Little Guy is seriously crazy-excited about getting to bring his lunch to school – he has been asking me every.single.day if I can put his lunch in his new back to school lunchbag from Marshalls! He’s so funny :) So, I’ve been looking for new ideas to make lunches fun, check out some of my favorites:

To see more cool ideas – follow my Bento Box lunch board on Pinterest. And – a couple more tips: Make lunches based on your kids favorite books, favorite movies, subjects they’re learning in school, or favorite colors. Freeze a Capri Sun or juice box to put in their lunch in the morning – it’ll keep it cold all day, and will be drinkable by afternoon. And be sure to check out your local Marshalls or T.J.Maxx for awesome lunch bags and gear at the best prices!

Back to School Tip: Have fun!

In between all of the craziness of back to school prep, it’s important to remember that it’s not just about the serious stuff like school supplies, making sure kids are at the right skill level, or ensuring you’ve bought the best supplies – it’s also about having fun! Kids can’t learn without a little bit of whimsy, right? They need some fun to balance things during their increasingly intensive school days – so brings some sunshine into their days:

Pair some fun crafty projects, cool printables, and awesome games and adventures – and have a rockin’ back to school season that’s sure to get any kiddo ready for a new year of learning.

Back to School Fashion Tips: Layering

I love fashion. You might not know it if you see me in my usual “work from home mom of a toddler” uniform of yoga pants, off the shoulder tees, and messy bun – But in a former life, I was actually quite trendy :) I worked in merchandising and fashion merchandising for over 10 years, and loved it. I’m so drawn to anything creative – design, texture, color – and fashion has always been fun for me. So I love helping to pick out new school clothes for the kids – and love being able to find pieces that mix and match easily, to create a ton of outfits from just a few great items. And one way to really stretch your wardrobe is to use layering to make the “same old” from last year look new again!

Layer unexpectedly: Most people would layer a button up shirt over a tee – but how great does this look with it layered underneath instead? You can also layer polo shirts under tees too – very fun for little guys.
Best pieces for girls: For girls, light cardigan sweaters are my FAVORITE layering piece! You can put them over a tank and cinch at the waist with a belt. Toss them over summer dresses to bring them into fall. And short sleeve cardis look great over a long sleeve top – very on trend, but still comfy for the playground.
Extend summer faves: Use basic long-sleeve t-shirts to take favorite tees from summer into fall – just layer them underneath. You can usually find basic long sleeve tees super cheap – or, buy whatever you find on the clearance rack. Even if the kids don’t like the brand/character/design, it doesn’t matter, since you’ll be covering it up with another shirt anyway. They also work great under short sleeve polos or plaid shirts too.
Accessories: Ok, this mostly applies to girls, I know. But a few fun accessories can seriously make last year’s pieces more fun. You can do it DIY style – adding patches, using fabric to extend the length of jeans – no sewing required!, or taking the kids to a fabric store to pick out ribbons, new buttons, or trimmings to add to old clothes. Or, use inexpensive pieces purchased at places like Marshalls or T.J.Maxx – things like scarves, gloves, hats, shoes, jewelry, belts, ties, hair clips and bands – they all add up to a fresh new style!

Once you start thinking about it – you’ll find all types of things to jazz up your kids wardrobe. Layering old with new, finding cool new pieces to update what you already have, or adding a cute accessory or two to make something feel new – they all save you big bucks versus buying a whole new wardrobe.

Back to school tips Saving big on school shopping

Ok – now that we’ve talked about all of the things you need to do and buy before school starts – let’s talk about how to SAVE on all of that gear! I did a HUGE shopping trip for the kiddos – My nephews – Little Guy, andBig Guy – and then my own Abby, who’ll start pre-school this winter. {See her over-the-top adorable big-girl outfit here} And, you can see our whole back to school shopping trip online, and see what sweet deals we found, and learn about my secret deal-scoring tricks. We shopped at my fave retailers – T.J.Maxx, and Marshalls, and here’s the breakdown of the deals:

Total shopping trip:
Regular retail price: 345.99
My price at T.J.Maxx and Marshalls: $161.88
Total savings: $184.11 – more than half!!!

Super cool, right? Check them out online to find where your own closest sweet-deal stores are located: Marshalls, and T.J.Maxx. If you’re ready to save big for back to school – and the rest of the year too! – Be sure to pin this post to Pinterest: Pin me here. Share it to Twitter and Facebook.

Thank you to Marshalls and T.J.Maxx for giving the opportunity to check out their new fall selection for back to school and share it with you guys. I received a complimentary gift card to help with my post. All opinions and photos are 100% my own – as always!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 18, 2013 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution, Fashion | 2 Comments

Sneak Peek at the Hottest New Toys for the Holidays

“The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.” – Unknown… I might technically, age-wise, be considered what you call an “adult” – but I definitely don’t consider myself a grown up. No way. Becoming a mom was the best thing that ever happened to me in so many ways – especially because it gave me an excuse to play with toys again :) I seriously love picking out new toys for the playroom – and I’m not sure who has more fun playing with them – me or the kids! So, I was crazy-excited to get an invite last month to visit Sweet Suite ’13 while in Chicago for BlogHer, and get an inside look at all of the coolest new toys arriving on store shelves this holiday season. And of course, I’m here to share that inside peek with you guys too – Keep reading to see some of my favorites…

Skylanders SWAP Force

Ok, you might already know what a big fan I am of Activision… I loved being a part of the Activision Family Game Summit a while back, and love that they create so many great games that are perfect for families to play together. So when I stopped by their booth at Sweet Suite and they showed me their new Skylanders SWAP Force gear coming out soon, I just HAD to try them out on their big screen TV! The boys in my house are huge Skylanders fans – and these are definitely going to be a big hit this fall. I love that they’re a budget-friendly way to buy game characters – just a few of them can mix and match into a ton of cool characters for super cool game play!

My Girl’s Doll house [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 15, 2013 Filed Under: Shopping, Reviews | 5 Comments

7 Clever Ways to Use Apple Cider Vinegar in the Kitchen

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Heinz Vinegar, to share clever ways to use vinegar in the kitchen. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and as a thank you for participating.

“Housework is something you do that nobody notices until you don’t do it.” – Unknown… The kitchen is usually the center of the home, so it makes sense that it’s often the messiest part of the home too. 3 meals a day are created there, mail is sorted there, kids rummage through cupboards for snacks, the dog’s dish might be there, and in our house – it’s the main entrance we use when coming and going every day. So between dishes, the garbage, the pets, and the clutter – I feel like it’s a constant battle to keep things clean and germ-free! And, to add another bonus layer of challenge, I’m really trying to cut back on using store-bought cleaners that contain a lot of toxic chemicals and additives. I mean, if I wouldn’t want it to go into the kid’s mouths, why would I rub it all over the counters that their food touches, right? Let me share one amazing product that can help solve the majority of your kitchen-cleaning dilemmas – Apple Cider Vinegar.

Kitchen Tips: How to Use Vinegar in the Kitchen [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 14, 2013 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 2 Comments

How to Find the Best Management Careers for Women

“Don’t confuse having a career with having a life.” – Hillary Clinton… This is one of my favorite quotes. When I was younger, I was a total go-getter. I worked my way up from my first job – a cashier at McDonalds at 16 – to working as a merchandising manager, and doing fashion marketing and displays in some awesome retail stores. I loved it for awhile… I thrived on working hard, beating sales goals, and moving up to new, higher positions. But after awhile, I realized that while I was seeing traditional success – moving up the ladder, earning more money, etc – I wasn’t really satisfied. Why? Because while I had a career – I didn’t have a life.