Family — Page 28

Win FREE Date Night Tickets to the Capital Theatre!

This is for the local Yakima moms-

Have you heard about a super-fun show that’s coming to the Capital Theatre October 25th? The Magic School Bus – LIVE! will have 2 showings that day- at 10AM and again at Noon, and it’s only $5 per ticket- an amazingly affordable way to take the kids to a really great show. {See more details on the show here, and find a study guide to use along with the show too!}

Seatbelts everyone! The Magic School Bus celebrates its 25th Anniversary with an all-new musical adventure.

More about the Show-

Ms. Frizzle’s students are putting on a play about global warming, and they need some cold, hard facts. The Friz and her reptilian sidekick, Liz, know just where to find them!

This is no ordinary field trip, as a hop on the Magic School Bus takes the class and the audience on a whirlwind tour. From the arctic to the equator, they see telltale signs of climate change and learn how conservation, recycling and alternative energy can make a difference.

Ms Frizzle and her class are up for the climate challenge. Are you?

The Magic School Bus – LIVE! is targeted towards kids from Preschool to 3rd Grade.. But since the show is only an hour long, it’s still totally appropriate for even younger kids- in fact, I plan to take Abby, who’s only 14 months. But I know she’ll just LOVE it!

Take the kids to the show- Get entered to win tickets for YOU too!

One Lucky Winner will get a Pair of Tickets to see the Capitol Steps!

“The Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom (“Don’t quit your day job!”), and although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.”

You don’t want to miss this!

Everyone who orders tickets to The Magic School Bus show can get entered to win a great pair of tickets to see The Capitol Steps show on Friday, October 21st, at 7:30 PM. The winner will be chosen on October 14th, the Friday before the show, to make sure they have time to arrange for a baby sitter, and can enjoy a great “Date Night” out!

How to Win:

Every ticket purchased to see The Magic School Bus – Live show gets you another entry to win the Capitol Steps tickets, but only if you follow these directions-
Call the ticket office at 853-8000 and ask for Christina.
Let her know how many Magic School Bus tickets you’d like to buy- remember, they’re only $5 bucks each!
Make sure to mention you saw this giveaway on Sunshine and Sippy Cups to be entered to win!

That’s it- easy peasy!

Christina at the Capital Theatre will draw a lucky winner on October 14th, and contact them right away to make arrangements to get the FREE Ticket Prize! Good luck!

If you know of other moms who would love to learn about the Magic School Bus – LIVE! show, and this great giveaway, please feel free to use the share buttons to post this to your own favorite social media pages too!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 27, 2011 Filed Under: Contests, Yakima Moms | No Comments

It’s Time to Get Real About Extreme Couponing…

Extreme Couponing is Popular for a Reason

That reason is- Almost all of us moms out here are trying to tighten our budgets. Raising a family in a tough economy is a challenge, for sure. And a big expense in any family is the monthly grocery budget. So when you see other moms who are able to get hundreds of dollars worth of food for almost FREE, using coupons– Yep, that makes us sit up and take notice!

Great Article on Realistic Expectations

I found a really great article today from A Full Cup- Extremely Unrealistic Expectations- Let’s Get Real About Extreme Couponing, that you should definitely check out. It gives a great break down on how couponing works, and busts some of the myths that the show promotes. After reading it, I thought I’d share my opinions on the show too- and I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments too.

What I Love About Extreme Couponing

I mean, after watching that video- how could you NOT get motivated to start using coupons, right? That’s pretty darn amazing. AND- what I love most is that in this clip, {although I never saw this full episode} she isn’t buying excessive amounts of anything- this looks more like a “real” family shopping trip to me. So, if she can combine her coupons to get savings like that- that totally rocks my socks, and is what using coupons is all about!
I’ve been learning how to maximize my coupon savings for the past few years, and feel pretty proud when I can leave the grocery store and read that I saved 35-40% on my grocery trip. But so many of my friends made fun of me for always having a coupon stash in my purse! So I do love that the popularity of this show has made it more “trendy” to use coupons- and my friends don’t laugh anymore. They’ve seen how those .25 cent coupons can add up to serious savings.
I also appreciate that Extreme Coupoining has gotten more people interested in using coupons, and has taught a lot of other women out there some great new tips to help their families save money- and that’s a great thing.

The Darker Side of Extreme Couponing

We all watch in amazement as the several-hundred dollar totals on the show drop to almost nothing, and while we feel impressed, most of us also feel totally discouraged. It’s obvious that none of us can shop that way on a regular basis!
I also get really angry when I see people on this show breaking the rules– that hurts all of us honest shoppers out here, as companies crack down on their policies, or simply offer less coupons all together. Very frustrating.
Another thing that makes me feel negative towards the store is the way that it shows- well, even promotes– unethical behavior. Women on the show have purposely misused coupons, which is against the law. I wish that if they had shown this, TLC would’ve added a disclaimer that this was not something they approve of.
Also, the hoarding- when one person clears shelves, it has a negative consequence on other families. It’s even worse when it’s a product that they don’t even need- they’re simply buying it to put the overages towards another item’s cost. It is smart to buy in bulk when you can find the lowest price, so you’re always spending the least amount possible. But 40 tubes of toothpaste? 90 bottles of shampoo? 100 containers of ketchup? This is not a realistic, or necessary, stockpile. Especially when it takes over your whole home, children’s closets, etc.
And, like Rasha mentions in the article on A Full Cup, “The people you see on Extreme Couponing spend 30 to 60 hours per week on couponing. Do you have that kind of time to devote to couponing? If you don’t put in the effort you can’t expect the same rewards. It’s called extreme for a reason.”

What do YOU think?

Do you clip just coupons from the Sunday Paper? Do you print them from places like Coupons.com or RedPlum? Do you use technology to make couponing easier, and get digital coupons from new sites like Cellfire? Do you sign up for tons of newsletters and mailing lists for coupons? Or…..? Share in the comments- what works best for you, your best tips, what’s realistic to expect for savings? And make sure to visit A Full Cup to read their Extreme Couponing Myths and Facts too.

Mixbook Up to 60% Off- Photo Books Starting at only $6.29!

Big Savings from Mixbook!

Do you remember the review I did awhile back for Mixbook? I LOVED that with Mixbook’s Online Tools you can make some super cool personalized photo books- they give you so many options to customize your products, to get really unique stuff. Seriously, so cool.

And right now you can use coupon code MYSAVE60 at checkout for some BIG savings!

Let them tell ya-

“Mixbook is here to give you a up to 60% discount on their high quality photo books, cards, and calendars. No matter your skill level, Mixbook is there to meet your custom photo book, cards, and calendar needs. Take advantage of this exclusive offer, as it will not last for very long! Click Here to get started!”

Amazing Deals

You can get photo books as low as $6.29- But my favorite book deal is that you can get a HUGE 11×14, Hardcover Coffee Table Photo Book for only $20- it’s normally $49.99!!
Or, customize your own holiday cards, with photos and text, in one of their amazing designs, for as low as .35 cents each! You won’t find THAT at your local card store!

The best holiday gifts!

This is a perfect time to start stocking up on gifts for the holidays- Every year I make a photo book of all the best moments from the past year, and order copies for everyone in the family. These are especially great for that person you never know what to get- who wouldn’t love a personalized photo book, right? Check out their selection, and start your shopping now too, and save big bucks!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 26, 2011 Filed Under: Holidays, Shopping, Deals and Coupon Codes | No Comments

Why T.J.Maxx is NOT Your Regular Discount Store!

Back-to-School shopping doesn’t stop just because the kids are actually back in school.

In our family we do the majority of the shopping AFTER school starts! Here’s why…

While there are loads of great sales before school starts, there are still TONS of great deals to be found AFTER the rush of back-to-school is over. Plus, so many kids- especially teens- will totally change their mind about what they want to wear this year after they see what everyone else is wearing. If you wait until they’ve been at school for a couple of weeks, they’ll end up making choices that reflect what’s “cool” – which you know is what matters, right? Oh, the teenage years…

Get the most bang from your buck at T.J.Maxx!

There’s a difference between discount stores and off-price retailers, like T.J.Maxx. At a discount store, a backpack might sell for $19.99, but it was made at a lower quality to sell at that lower price. At a retailer like T.J.Maxx, their buyers are constantly getting new designer merchandise to sell- so if you find a $19.99 backpack at T.J.Maxx store, it is a higher quality bag that was probably built to sell at a MUCH higher price! This means, not only are you getting great savings, but you’re saving more in the long run too, since you’re getting higher quality!

Every single week, every T.J.Maxx and Marshalls store get more than 10,000 new items – meaning you’ll always find the newest fashions for your home and your family!

Back-to-School Shopping Challenge

As part of my partnership with Mom Central, I received a $50 T.J.Maxx Gift Card, and the challenge to see what kind of great back-to-school deals I could find for our family. I hadn’t shopped at T.J.Maxx in a while, so I was super excited to go check it out!

As you can see, we found the boys some great stuff! I was able to get backpacks for both of them, and most of their first day outfits- for less than $50 bucks- which was amazing. And, the boys actually had FUN shopping- which doesn’t happen often. I was SO impressed with the deals that we went back again last week to check out the selection of new winter coats and boots too!

Do you have more fall shopping to do?

In a Mom Central survey of moms shopping habits, 81% said that they’ve had to change their back-to-school shopping habits due to the rising prices of things like gas and groceries. Did you put off any of your purchases due to a tighter budget? If so, I totally recommend checking out the deals at YOUR local T.J.Maxx, to get everything else you need for fall at an affordable price.

My Verdict

The fashions were deemed “cool” by the kids, the selection and cleanliness of the store were awesome, and the prices rocked my socks. What more can you ask for, right?

As a deal-savvy momma, I entered the Cheap Sally “Bring Home the Bacon” competition. I’d love for you to check out my profile, and give me a vote to help me get to Round 2 if you think I deserve to make it there! Thank you!

{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of T.J.Maxx and Marshalls and received a gift card to facilitate my review and thank me for taking the time to participate.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 26, 2011 Filed Under: Shopping, Reviews, Deals and Coupon Codes | No Comments

Rafflecopter Giveaway: Fall Baking Prize Package!

Fall is the best time for baking!

There are so many things that I love about fall- the changing leaves, crisp mornings with sweaters and mugs of coffee, thick cozy socks and blankets -But the best thing about fall is the baking!

I live in Yakima, in Central Washington, which is the Apple Capital of the World– and that means I’m lucky enough to get loads of free apples during this time of year. So many people have extra, and I’m always more than willing to take ’em off their hands.

One of my favorite things to make with all those apples is a crisp- and I’m always looking for new versions to try. When I got this great package from My Blog Spark, and saw that it included some yummy recipe cards, I was SO excited to see that one of the recipes included was Caramel Apple Crisp! I’m so excited to make up a batch of this later in the week, and share it here with you guys! {No licking the screen, ok guys?}

Interesting stuff about Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour:

Perfect for family favorite recipes like breads, pizza dough, cookies, muffins and brownies, Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour bakes up golden and has a milder flavor than baked goods made with regular whole wheat flour.
Start by simply substituting whole wheat white flour for 25 to 50 percent of the recipe’s flour content.
You may wish to add an extra tablespoon or two of the liquid used in the recipe when substituting Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour or decrease the amount of flour by one to two tablespoon for recipes that call for all-purpose flour.

Healthy Meals + No Complaints = Happy Momma!

It can be hard sometimes, making sure that your family is eating the healthiest foods. Making small changes like baking with Whole Wheat flour can make a big difference- and this new White Whole Wheat flour from Gold Medal is whole grain, but with a taste and texture more like an all-purpose white flour- meaning no one will notice the switch to a healthier ingredient! This is a brand new product, and just became available this month- but it should be easy to find, I got mine at the local Walmart.

More Yummtastic Fall Recipes!

Another reason I get excited for fall is for pumpkin-flavored goodies! I wait in anticipation all year for the Pumpkin Spice Latte’s at Starbucks- {PS, if you love them too, check out this amazing DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte- just like Starbucks!}, I’m a pumpkin bread junkie, and I totally adore just about any baked good with pumpkin in the title. So, here are a couple other Gold Medal recipes I’ll be trying out soon too- Dutch Apple Pumpkin Crisp– which sounds like a really cool combination of flavors, these adorable Spider Web Pumpkin Pancakes, and these Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars. Mmmmmm…..

Win Your Own Baking Package Too!

One lucky fan will win a set just like I got:

A VIP coupon to get a FREE Full Size Package of Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour.
Instructions for conversion when baking.
The lovely classic Gold Medal logo Cookie Jar.
A full set of cooking and baking recipe cards!

Enter to Win!

Use the easy peasy Rafflecopter Entry form below to enter to win this great fall baking set, and remember to come back to get your daily BONUS entries each day too! And, stay tuned… Later this week I’ll share my experience baking the Caramel Apple Crisp with the new Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour.

{Disclosure: The Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour product, information, and giveaway have been provided by Gold Medal through MyBlogSpark.}

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 25, 2011 Filed Under: Giveaways | 27 Comments

Rafflecopter- Halo Bars Delivered to YOUR Door! #giveaway

How to know if you’ll LOVE the new Halo Snack Bars:

Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer, “Um, heck yeah!?” to most of them, then you, my friend, will LOVE the new Halo Snack Bars from PROBAR. {Disclaimer: this quiz is a bit less than scientific. In fact, I just now made it up. But it will still determine whether you’ll love ’em.}

Do you have a sweet tooth? Does it make demands for things like chocolate, marshmallows, nuts, or graham-crackery treats?
Are you trying to ignore that sweet tooth, but it’s not working?
Do you wish you could get yourself to eat snacks that were organic, vegan, or just plain better for you than the vending machine junk you eat now?

If you answered YES, then keep reading!

PROBAR has launched a SUPER yummy new snack, the Halo Snack Bar! This snack bar isn’t just GOOD, it’s also good FOR you. How often does that happen, right? This new snack bar bridges the gap between your current options of high calorie nutrition/energy bars and sugary granola or candy bars.

Here are a few amazing facts about the Halo Bars:

All Halo Bars are certified organic, meaning no yucky chemicals, and no weird ingredients that you can’t pronounce.
Each bar has Omega 3 & 6, is low-in-sugar and is dairy-free/Vegan- but they come in dessert-style flavors like S’mores, Nutty Marshmallow, Rocky Road, and Honey Graham.
Even with the dessert flavors – {and these babies are GOOD!!} – they are each only 150 calories! Rockin.
Like all of the other great PROBAR products, these are delicious, convenient, healthy plant based food products. How much better can you get?

Fun reactions from tasting HALO at Expo West 2011:

Now hear the reactions to the new HALO bars in my house…

Me: I’m always in a rush, and hardly have time to eat some days. I love, love, LOVE a snack that is easy to grab, fills me up for a long time, and isn’t junk. This is amazingly perfect. Plus- I crave sweets. A lot. So this is just what I’ve been looking for.
Kiddo’s: Both of the boys got SUPER excited when they heard I was getting Halo bars- they thought that it had something to do with Halo the video game, lol. They were quite disappointed when I opened the box to some snacks…. Until they got to try them. 5 year old: these taste like camping!! {this was while eating the smores bar…}
Boyfriend: He HATES anything healthy. I have to lie, so he doesn’t know, or he won’t eat it. Here is the conversation- Him: “Why didn’t you tell me these were all organic-y stuff?” Me: “I don’t know….” Him: “I’ve eaten like 5 of these already!!” Me: “That means they were good right?” Him: “Whatever. Yes, they were really good. But you tricked me.” :)

Want some too?

Does all this talk of chocolate and marshmallows make you hungry? Then head over to Probar.com, and pick out some new goodies to try out. Use code BLOGGERS at check out, and they’ll give you 40% off your ENTIRE order! Amazing, right? Not only do they take care of your health by developing a great new snack, they care about your wallet too.

Now- Enter to WIN some too!

One lucky reader will win a whole case of great Halo Bars to try out in THEIR house too! Use the Rafflecopter form to enter- Just follow the directions on each tab, then click “I did it!” to put your entry in. Easy peasy!

{Disclosure: This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. But as always, all of the opinions here are 100% my own!}

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 23, 2011 Filed Under: Shopping, Reviews, Giveaways | 3 Comments

65 Fun Fall Ideas for Kids!

I love Fall…

I live in Central Washington State, and one of my very favorite things about living here is the weather. We have four distinct seasons- gorgeously rainy springs, incredibly hot summers, tons of snow in the winter, and the most beautiful fall leaves! I can’t imagine living somewhere that didn’t have that change of the seasons.

To celebrate the coming of fall, one of my favorite local publications has an article in this months issue with 64 Fun Fall Crafts to do as a family. They’re all really simple, and include great fall stuff like pinecones, leaves, turkeys and pumpkins! You’ll find snack recipes, crafts, games, and more.

I helped contribute to this article {you can see the credits at the bottom- Meagan Paullin, local mom and owner and creative director of Sunshine and Sippy Cups!} If you’re curious, these are the dates that are my ideas:

September 25th- Toddler Exploring Set.
October 11th- Creative Crayon Recycling.
October 20th- Fall Tree Arm Print.
October 26th- Make Your Own Fall Magnets.
November 9th- Yakima Apple Pie Snack Mix.
November 14th- Craft a Homework Helper.
November 15th- Chore Money Jar.
November 16th- Magnetic Locker Organizer.
November 19- Make your own Sidewalk Chalk.

Sound like fun?

To read more about these, and the other great ideas in this new issue of Playdate Magazine….

Check out 65 Fun Fall Crafts!!! (And they’re easy, too!) on the Playdate Magazine site!

What is YOUR favorite?

Do you have a new favorite after reading the list? What other fun fall ideas do you have? Share in the comments! Links to your own posts with fun ideas are always welcome.