Smart Solutions for Busy Moms!
Learn how easy it is to get some totally free Kleenex Care Kits, so that you can share the softness – and some kindness – this holiday season… Since we’re smack dab in the middle of what’s expected to be a pretty nasty cold & flu season, it’s the perfect time to stock up on supplies like cold medicine and Kleenex. Because moms don’t have time to get sick, right?
These are definitely the days for deals, right? The big day is quickly approaching, and it’s time to wrap up all of that holiday shopping before it’s too late! {And of course, make sure to grab a few gifts for yourself too. I wrap ’em up and put ’em under the tree, with a note to me from Santa… Lol.} And, to help you find some of the sweetest savings this week, from now until Thursday, I’ll be sharing the newest Deal of the Day from Sears with you!
Sears’ Deal of the Day offers exclusive one day promotions on different products at amazing prices. Check back daily for the best deals on products. Sears is your online destination for last-minute gift ideas at super affordable price-points. And, these deals will be pulled from every category Sears carries – like jewelry, electronics, tools, clothing, toys, furniture, and more. That means there’s something for everyone! Get ready for today’s rockin’ deal –
“Approach love and cooking with equal abandon.” – The Dalai Lama… Ok, it’s confession time – I’m not an awesome cook. Yep, I said it. As a mom, I feel like I should be more talented at this dinnertime stuff. But, while I may not have mad-kitchen skills, I do have enthusiasm and creativity. And those do count for something, right? Well, since I’m not a super chef – just a real mom, with a real busy life, who needs to get meals done real quick – I need a few secret weapons to help me out. I’m going to share a couple of them with you guys today, since I’m all about helping other moms get through the day a little bit easier too….
So, while I may not be whipping up gourmet meals {but I do get some super awesome simple kitchen tips each week from Whisked Foodie} – Baking is still kind of my thing. I love finding new inspiration on Pinterest to create super fun goodies, especially at the holidays. {Watch this week for a BOATLOAD of cool stuff to be posted on the site. Super excited. And, get this recipe for the Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Bread here.} Here are a couple of other things that I totally love – year ’round, but even more so at the holidays… I love giving homemade gifts to friends and family. And I love a fun way to present those gifts. {Have you seen my Homemade Gifts Rock board?} And, a trick that I rely on to help me along with both of those, as well as ensure that I have very little to clean up, is to use super sweet tools like Handi-Foil pans.
Have you ever had that as a motto in your house – “You cook it, you clean it?” In my house I think it’s extremely fair – yet it also discourages me from wanting to cook sometimes, lol. Well, remember how I told you about my secret weapons in the kitchen? Well – let me give you a few awesome reasons to use the new Handi-Foil Holiday Baking Pans this season…
These pans work just as well making a regular dinner at home as they do for baking up special holiday treats. See them in action, and get some dinnertime inspiration too…
So, maybe I’m not the best cook out there. But I can make some pretty awesome basic meals for my family, on my frugal grocery budget, that look and taste delicious. And when I combine that with some awesome pans from Handi-Foil so that I don’t even have to clean up – I’m mom of the year, right? No more of that, “Sorry guys, after I clean up the kitchen I’ll come play.” No. Now I just throw the baking pans into the trash, and get on with my busy mom life. What’s better than that? And, if you want my super yummy Homemade Shake & Bake with Bacon and Parmesan Recipe, start with the basic mix from Kitchen Simplicity, then follow these easy peasy steps – and if you want the recipe for the yummy bread at the beginning, remember that it’s here: Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Bread.
Ingredients
Instructions
“We take pictures to record our personal vision of the world.” – Nikon slogan… I’m such a photo junkie. I’ve always been known as the photographer in the family – I create new family “Year in Review” photo books for Christmas each year, I love photo gifts, and I’m always the one snapping a million pics at every outing, occasion, holiday, and event. But – as obnoxious as I might be at times, you know that everyone appreciates that someone captures all of those special memories, right? Well, to get the photos that I need, the photos that I want, the photos that everyone will cherish as the years pass on – I need more than one camera. Yes, there is a HUGE difference in all of those models that you see for sale at your local Best Buy, or online. Let me tell ya why, and give you a little guidance on choosing the right camera.
Ok ladies – I’m a frugal momma. I do my best to make sure that the limited budget that we have stretches as far as possible. I use survey sites, clip coupons, and other ways of earning income from home – even outside of my online work. So, when I throw down my hard-earned dollars on a major purchase {and for me, major is anything over $75-$100 bucks} – I want to make sure that I’m getting the best quality for my dollars. Well, expensive doesn’t always mean better – but quality doesn’t always come cheap. Here are a few things to keep in mind, for why some cameras perform better than others:
With a basic point-and-shoot camera, there’s just one lens built into the camera. And it’s usually a smaller lens, which doesn’t always allow a lot of light through to hit the image sensor. This is why the biggest complaint about most point-and-shoots is that they don’t perform as well as in low-light conditions. And since most point-and-shoots don’t have the option of adding more lenses, you’re limited by what that one point-and-shoot lens can do.
So, if you’re a pretty beginner photographer, this is NOT an issue for you. If you’re just a snapshot kind of gal, no biggie at all. The main reason that these lenses matter is when you get into more professional levels of photography – whether as a hobby to take serious family photos, or for your business – whether it’s blogging, an Etsy shop, cooking and baking, whatever. If you are a pro, then a more expensive camera is going to have those additional lenses, and have some additional functionality. But here’s the thing – even the most serious photographer still needs some smaller cameras – the kind to tote around in a back pocket or a purse, to catch those fun moments at times when lugging around a giant DSLR type camera is going to be hassle. If you’re looking for something like that – I have an amazingly cool new recommendation for you!
Ok, the coolest thing – the thing that sets this camera apart from every other camera on the market – is it’s super tiny size. The
Nikon – Coolpix S01 101-Megapixel Digital Camera is smaller than my salt shaker! But, super surprisingly, it’s tiny frame is still packed with serious power. Here are a few of my fave features:
There is a ton more cool stuff going on with this tiny camera too – To learn more, visit the Nikon – Coolpix page on BestBuy.com, or visit Grinning Cheek to Cheek for another really smart review of this camera. {She’s clearly more tech-savvy than I am, and offers some seriously great input on this.} Or, if you really just want to see the goods – see what type of photos this camera takes – check them out below…
I love, love, love this photo. This is a shot of my amazingly cool rockstar little brother during one of his recent shows. {Shameless promotion: See them here on Reverb Nation: Desert Valley Stranglehold.} The way the camera was able to perform in low light – even though it’s a smaller camera, and doesn’t have the big lenses to maximize the light available – was super cool.
Do you love the way this camera takes really vibrant pictures? And – this is such a cool example of how great this teeny tiny camera can capture action shots without getting super blurry. {And yes, this is the rockstar brother again. He’s just epic levels of coolness all of the time, so he had to be my model for this review…
Like I said earlier – the biggest challenge with a point-and-shoot is the single lens, and it’s trouble taking great photos in low light, or capturing good action shots. That’s a big reason why people invest in more pricey cameras, like a DSLR {which can cost you $500+ and is a pretty major investment.} But – when you’re looking for a camera that’s small enough to be super portable, and ready to grab cool shots at a moment’s notice – this camera is a fantastic option! It’s small enough to fit into a front pocket, while still having the features you need. One word to some it up? Awesomesauce.
{Disclaimer: As a member of the Best Buy WOLF Blogging Ambassador team, I get access to cool products like this to try out, and share my super honest opinion with you guys. I love being able to offer you a real mom view, to help you determine whether this is right for you or not. All opinions are 100% my own.}
If there’s somethin’ strange in your neighborhood – Who ya gonna call? If it’s somethin’ weird and it won’t look good – Who ya gonna call?… Nope, I’m not talkin’ Ghostbusters here ladies. I’m talking Geek Squad!! Just like the Ghostbusters are a quick phone call away when you need help – your friendly Geek Squad team will come to your rescue any time your gadgets start acting suspiciously. Get help the instant you need it – in store, online or on the phone.
You would think that I was pretty tech-savvy, right? I’m a social media junkie, I completed my entire college degree online, and now I make a living online – which means for the past 4+ years I’ve pretty much LIVED online. But still, when it comes to trouble shooting when my computer crashes, I am totally clueless. And since working online is my job, I can’t afford for things to go down. Usually, when I would run into a problem, I would just fall back on my usual plan – Panic, smack the keyboard a few times, turn it off, turn it back on, then cry when the problem was still there. Not super effective. But just like when you see something weird in the neighborhood and the Ghostbusters show up and quickly clean things up – Geek Squad is just as fast at saving you from equally scary viruses and crashes. After purchasing your Geek Squad Tech Support Plan {Get Geek Squad plans and rates here.} – you simply log-in on the main screen, and wait a minute while you get connnected.
Now, Geek Squad reps don’t use ghost-blasting plasma guns, but they are just as effective at making your life stress-free again. After logging in, you’ll be connected with an agent. They’re super friendly, and lucky for me – totally not intimidating. It seems like most of the time you deal with any type of tech support stuff, you get either people who totally talk in that secret-geek-computer code that I don’t understand, or they talk to me like I’m a child, and overly dumb it down for me. Either way makes me feel totally stupid, you know? But with Geek Squad, these peeps are totally awesome – they explain things in a way that’s easy to understand – enough info that you get what they’re doing, without overwhelming you. If you can read the pic – you’ll see that after introducing himself, my rep tells me he’ll need me to do just a few simple steps. I had to digitally sign a form giving them permission to get to work, make sure my laptop was plugged into the wall so it stayed powered up, and put my password into a little box, so he could restart when needed. After that – I was free to grab a glass {or three} of wine while he remotely worked on my computer. Easy peasy – and totally NOT stressful like I’d worried it might be!
Now, this is where the magic happens. It might LOOK like a ghost has taken over your computer – you’ll see the curser moving around the screen, opening and closing programs, running scans, and more stuff that I was clueless about. But you still don’t need to call those Ghostbusters – it’s just the Geek Squad support rep working on your system from their office in some magical land of tech-savviness. I would peek in once in a while, and after about an hour and a half, I saw that he was done, and had left me a friendly message letting me know that there was an email in my inbox waiting for me, letting me know what he’d found during my laptop clean up and repair. Awesome. That email detailed any little changes or repairs made, let me know he’d added a really great antivirus program for me, and included this form to give feedback on how I felt about my experience. I love that they really stand behind their work like that!
This is a perfect last minute gift for ANYONE that you know this year. You can purchase it online – Geek Squad – Tech Support Membership (1 Year), and it’s super simple to set up. A couple cool other reasons why this rocks –
This makes it perfect for so many people – Can you imagine how much Grandma and Grandpa would love having someone that can help them remotely, so you don’t have to try – over and over – to walk them through things over the phone. {Geek Squad can even help them reset passwords, and help with things like hooking up their printer.} You could get this for a kid away at college, to make sure they can always study when needed. Any family would love it – and you definitely need it for your own house too!
{Disclaimer: As a Best Buy Blogging Ambassador, I received a complimentary Geek Squad Membership to try out in my house for a year. But, as always, I share only my honest opinions and experience with you guys, to help you figure out which products and services are right for you. But I LOVE this, and totally know you will too!}
You guys know I loooove bringing you awesome giveaway events, right? I remember before I had a blog, I was a little bit of a giveaway junkie myself, and it was so much fun to be able to win cool stuff that I wouldn’t normally be able to afford – so it’s awesome being on the other side of that, and bringing you guys the cool prizes. And this event is pretty full of serious awesomeness – check it out…
I’ve partnered with a big group of awesome ladies to put this event together, and you will not believe the PRIZES we have for you!! We’re giving away multiple prizes including Gift Cards, KitchenAid Mixer, a Keurig Mini, a Dyson, and a believe it or not…a 3 month paid internship!
This is a full 3 week event with prizes all throughout! Make sure to keep coming back to not only do daily entries but to check the winners list!
What’s the Roo found for you? ™ Blue Kangaroo is a personal search engine for deals. Tell it what brands and products you’re looking for, and the Roo will start scouring the deal universe for the best offers to match. Through Web and mobile applications, Blue Kangaroo’s mission in life is to make sure you always get the right offer at the right time.
“The Roo” is already monitoring deals from most major brands, flash sales, daily deals, loyalty programs, and even lots of local offers, too. It displays offers in a colorful format that’s fun to browse, kind of like Pinterest. With the Roo, you can…
Helping others this holiday – The Roo is new startup designed by a small community of deal-lovers, many of them formerly from Yahoo. They have a strong commitment to helping others. During December, for example, Blue Kangaroo’s commission from all purchases by new members who elect to do so will be 100% donated to their choice of charity, including American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, and the United Way. A great time to get acquainted with Blue Kangaroo!
To participate in the contest activities by Madame Deals, ALWAYS link to Blue Kangaroo through this special tracking url: http://chzn.me/rc5. Otherwise, your activities may not be credited properly toward the contests.
You can find Blue Kangaroo on their Website, Facebook and Twitter. I definitely recommend checking them out, and following their pages!
Prizes shown in images are just a representation and may not be exact prizes awarded. We will update the winner’s list as they are drawn from the Rafflecopter so make sure you keep checking back and checking your emails for notification.
Gift Cards
Dec. 30 Keurig –
(Keurig B31 Mini Brewer or $100 in Amazon credit)
Jan. 3 KitchenAid –
(KitchenAid KSM75WH Classic Plus Tilt-Head 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer or $270 Amazon Credit)
Drawn on Jan. 6 Dyson –
(Dyson DC24 Multi-Floor Compact Upright Vacuum Cleaner or $400 Amazon Credit)
You can choose whether or not you’d like to compete for the internship. Each week the Top Deal Finder will be listed based on effort put forth. Final 3 candidates will be interviewed and one will be chosen for the paid internship at $200/mo for a 3 month term. Prize can not be exchanged for cash value. If forfeited, internship will go to next candidate if qualified. Watch for the winners info to be updated here…
Week 1 Top Deal Finder –
Week 2 Top Deal Finder –
Week 3 Top Deal Finder –
Paid Internship Spot –
($200/mo salary (paid in hourly wage) for 3 mo.)
1st Runner Up –
(1 hour consult with Madame Deals)
2nd Runner Up –
(1/2 hour consult with Madame Deals)
You will enter via the Rafflecopter below and will be able to come back and do daily entries. Entries will be as follows:
1. Register and “Get Started” with Blue Kangaroo. (See here if you need help and for “how to.“)
2. Create a Board on Blue Kangaroo and add 3 Deals to your board.
3. Share your board to Facebook, Twitter or Email (Must share to anyone other than yourself.)
4. New Daily Deal – you can earn additional entries for adding new deals to your board daily.
5. Internship – Sign me up! I’d like to compete for the job! (Find out more about the Internship from Madame Deals. If you’d like to compete for this 3 month job, you’ll be doing all of the above and then instead of adding 3 deals to your board, you’ll add 8 deals. We’re looking for the Top Deal Finder. Someone who has great social media interaction, who shares their board and deals on their social media, who finds the best deals, etc. It will be a little bit based on chance when we draw from the list of participants but then we’ll be looking over your boards so it will also be based on your skill of deal finding. You can watch Blue Kangaroo’s Twitter feed and Facebook status’s for helpful deal finding tips too! And may the best deal finder win!!)
{Blogs are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Sponsor will be sending the prizes. Winning entrant will be emailed and be given 48 hours to respond before another reader is chosen. Giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only. Complete giveaway. See terms and conditions here.}
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” – Arthur C. Clarke… Ok ladies, get ready for me to totally rock your socks off. Ready? Ok – Recently, my awesome family over at Best Buy sent each of us Blogging Ambassadors a new laptop to test out for awhile, and each one was loaded with the new Windows 8. I’m usually a little hesitant to try anything new – I’m so crazy-busy that I just don’t have time to get used to a new system, I like using what I know. But at the same time, I’m always searching for new technology that can help simplify my life, and organize the chaos in my life. Windows 8 has kind of changed my life, no lie. Check it out….
Windows 8 is available on a ton of different devices – {watch a super sweet video here that shows off new Windows 8 gadgets like tablets, smartphones, and computers} – which is super cool. I switched from the iPhone to a Windows phone right about the same time that I got the HP – ENVY Touch-Screen Ultrabook Laptop from Best Buy, and was seriously impressed with the awesomeness of using the operating system across both devices. I love, love, LOVED my iPhone, and didn’t think I’d be happy switching to something new… But within the first DAY I was in love. For real. Like, I will never switch back.
Ok, now that you’ve seen the basics – the devices that Windows 8 is available on, and a bit about the amazingly crazy-cool features, let me tell you why it will help you in your own busy life. First off, you customize your Start screen to be exactly what you want to see when you log in. You can change the location and size of all of the tiles, and the “Live Tiles” flip through updates, so you can see a TON of info at a glance. So every time you log in, you get a screen totally and perfectly customized to show you a quick snapshot of EVERYTHING important that you need to know that day – from calendars, to-do lists, appointments, urgent emails, or Facebook events and birthdays. Totally helps plan my day. It’s amazing how that big overview of things really helps get your started each morning – and it’s so cool how EVERY Windows 8 device is going to be totally different – you make it what YOU want it to be, and make it work for YOU.
In the video – did you notice how you can have two apps side-by-side? Which means you can watch YouTube videos while also checking your email, party it up in a Twitter party while checking Facebook, and so much more. Awesomesauce for busy ladies like us, right? A few other cool things – I love the ability to sync my phone and my laptop together. Incredibly helpful for helping me stay organized and productive. I love the way I can use the screen of my laptop the same way that I can use my smartphone – by quickly scrolling, flipping, and tapping with one finger. You can also add a TON of apps to your Windows 8 laptop – and on your App screen, you can organize them by category. You could make categories like Family, Blogging, Work, Kids, Homemaking, etc. This makes it super easy to be in the right “mode” and grab what you need quickly. And – I love the way it’s so family friendly too!
The boys loooooved Windows 8! One, the touchscreen feels to much more intuitive for them, having pretty much grown up with that kind of thing. And even Abby {at only 2 1/2} can figure out how to use the touchscreen, and get to what she wants! But by far their favorite thing was the way that this works with the XBox, and the fact that so many awesome games are available to download into your apps. Playing games on the computer with the touchscreen is like, seriously cool. Even for old people like me… Lol.
So – if you’re thinking about upgrading to Windows 8, I cannot recommend enough that you also make the switch to a new tablet, phone, laptop or desk top that has a touchscreen. Windows 8 is awesome on it’s own, but it really needs that touchscreen to shine. Trust me – just go into your local Best Buy, and try one out. Once you do – You’ll be hooked, and wonder how you’ll live without it! This bad boy above is the HP – ENVY Touch-Screen Ultrabook 14″ Laptop that I’ve been using to try out Windows 8 for the past few weeks. {Handsome, isn’t he? I hate to have to give him back soon…} When I bought my current laptop {my FIRST laptop, only a few months ago, can you believe it?} I had thought that bigger meant better. But the slightly slimmer, smaller, and lighter frame of this one from HP is SO much better. And the colors are the screen are crazy-vibrant, it’s fast as can be, and just pretty much complaint-free on my end. And did you know that when you buy a new laptop at Best Buy, the amazingly smart folks at Geek Squad will walk you through how to use your new laptop? You don’t even have to have the {totally worth it, I swear!} Geek Squad service, they offer this to everyone.
You’re not going to get THAT kind of experience, expertise, or customer service on Amazon, at Walmart, or anywhere else.
Yep, I’m serious ladies. This momma is a total Windows 8 convert – which is a HUGE surprise to me! I can’t recommend it, or the super sweet laptop I’ve been using – with its awesome touch screen, enough. So – visit your local Best Buy, check ’em out, try ’em out – and fall in love.
As a Best Buy Blogging Board Member and Brand Ambassador, I get to try out super cool new products from Best Buy. But that doesn’t mean I lose my ability to “tell it like it is.” Lol. Everything I share with you ladies is my honest opinion – and I hope you love this stuff as much as I do!
"The phrase "working mother" is redundant." I'm Meagan - a Momma, a Blogger, a Freelance Writer, and a total Social Media Junkie. I love sparkles and … [Read More...]
