Smart Solutions for Busy Moms!
A few days ago I introduced you to a really fun way to help yourself remember to slow down and enjoy the holiday season. It’s a holiday countdown calendar, on Facebook, from Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery. I was already a fan of Chateau Ste. Michelle, since they’re located here in Washington Wine Country, in Woodinville, about a two-hour drive from where I live. I’ve been on a couple of wine tours here locally, and have Chateau Ste. Michelle on my “to-visit” list for this summer.
What does the holiday season mean to you? For me – and probably most of you – it’s all about friends and family, and celebrating. We love to entertain, and nothing makes me happier than having all of my favorite people together in one place – filling the house with good food, lots of laughter, and creating great memories. I get so excited to shop for presents to make the kid’s faces light up on Christmas morning. I love to make handmade gifts and cards, I have tons of fun decorating the house, and it’s a great excuse to bake too many treats. But on top of all of that joy and celebration – there can also be a big layer of stress. Whether it’s due to tight budgets, overly-busy schedules, or family conflict – it’s so important to slow down, savor the moment, and appreciate the joy of the season. And I’ve got a great way to help you do just that… Let me introduce you to #MyChateau…
What is My Chateau? It’s a place where it’s all about you. And Chateau Ste. Michelle wants to help you take daily breaks to shake off the holiday stress and find a way to enjoy more of the season. Every day leading up to Christmas, you can visit their online virtual Advent calendar to get a fun daily tip – just a small bite-sized action, perfect to fit into any woman’s busy schedule. Want to see my favorite tip so far? [Read more…]
Thank you to Weight Watchers and The Motherhood for sharing Weight Watcher’s new digital magazine – MomFeeds – with me, and allowing me to share it with you guys as part of this sponsored post. I received a 3-month trial subscription to Weight Watchers Online, love it, and know you will too.
You know what I need? A time out. A mommy time out. Where someone sends me to my room – and I have to sit, quietly, and no one can come and “play” with me. But, as a mom we don’t even get to pee alone, right? So I have to try and carve out little bits of me time during the day. And one of my favorite ways to kind of zone out and un-stress {is that even a word? Well, in my world it is..} is to sit down, grab my iPhone, and browse some cool stuff. I’m a total social media junkie, so I love catching up on news and gossip, picking up clever new tips and ideas that make my crazy mom-life more manageable, or finding new recipes for busy weeknights. Which is why I’m crazy excited about a new app that helps me do all of those things in one super cool place. The app is called Flipboard, and then you add MomFeeds to it for the total awesomeness. And it’s all going to rock your socks.
MomFeeds is a brand-new digital magazine from Weight Watchers that features content geared towards moms. It’s all displayed on Flipboard – an app I’ve been hearing about forever, but just haven’t made the time to check out until recently. For moms who don’t always have time to read their favorite magazines cover to cover, Momfeeds has recipes, tips, deals and news, all served up in bite-sized portions – or as I like to say, “mom-style.” Because everything we do all day is bite-sized, right? We cut meals we cook into bite-sized portions, we get to watch only bite-sized portions of our favorite shows as the kids interrupt us 237 times, we get bite-sized minutes to do housework. A mom’s life is hectic – no matter what type of mom she is. So, a bite-sized piece of entertainment is often all I can get :)
Love it, right? It’s like, everything we’re looking for, in one place. Because – you never know when your 5 minutes of peace will come. You don’t have time to run to grab your favorite magazines to browse – but you always have your smartphone at the ready, and can browse cool stuff on MomFeeds instead. In the carpool line, waiting at the doctor’s office, or during the kid’s naps. Cool stuff.
First of all – the techy in me is really in love with the way this app flips with the flick of a finger, almost like a real magazine. Very clever. Second, I love the topics covered. As I literally flipped through the app for the first time, I found SO much good stuff. This is one – Mom Makeover: Fab hair tricks that make a big difference. She has some amazing suggestions that are totally inspiring me for my next salon visit.
I also found really fun kid’s recipes – like this one for funny face burgers. Abby isn’t a picky eater – she loves almost everything. But she’s a stubborn eater – she gets bored having to sit still and finish a meal. So I’m always looking for fun ideas like this!
I also found “mom treat” recipes – just for me :) I love carbs. {You can tell when you see the size jeans I buy… Lol.} And there’s nothing you can do to a potato that I don’t love. {Ok, except scalloped potatoes. I don’t hate them, but I don’t love them. It’s the only potato-ness I don’t love.} Anyway – this delish recipe for Easy Oven Fries looks perfect. Thanks for the great find, MomFeeds!
Speaking of great finds – this is my fave that I came across on MomFeeds today – Make the most of your clothing budget by analyzing your colors. Such a smart idea! It links to an awesome site where you go through a mini-quiz, and it tells you what your “color season” is. Then, if you know that, it’s easy to only pick clothes in that range, which means everything in your closet co-ordinates. Plus, it means you’re only buying shades that are flattering on you too. I’m admit it – I’m now totally addicted to MomFeeds. And I’m not at all surprised that this super smart site comes from Weight Watchers. I’ve seen some fantastic results from friends who’ve followed the Weight Watchers program, I love their products, and I really love the way they’re not just a diet, they truly teach you better lifestyle habits. And they “get” the busy lifestyle that we have as moms, and create their products, programs, and cool features like MomFeeds to fit that lifestyle. LOVE.
And… It’s not just me with the love here, guys. Weight Watchers loves YOU too. They’re so excited to have you guys join us all on this sweet new app, that they want to give a big thank you by giving a couple of you ladies their {seriously amazing, by the way} their cookbook: Weight Watchers Ultimate Chicken Cookbook: More than 250 Fresh, Fabulous Recipes for Every Day
A variety of Celestial Seasonings samples and compensation was received in exchange for this post. But all opinions are mine, like always.
“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” –Â Ralph Waldo Emerson… As moms, we all know that we need more “me time,” right? But in between running our households, running our businesses, running around for a boss, or running around after kids – there’s not a whole lot of time to devote to ourselves. Which is why I totally treasure those small moments of peace I get each day. I try – key word, *try* – to add some small routines into my daily schedule that allow me a little bit of me time every day.
I used to think I had a busy life, back in my “previous life”. I worked management in retail, while also doing displays and fashion merchandising. And of course, selling. I had long, crazy hours. I never stood still, all day – not at work, as I ran non-stop to keep everything running, or after work, as I had a crazy-full social life. Work hard – play hard, that was how I lived. But that was nothing compared to what my life is like now – Homeowner, Mother, Business Owner. Ohmyheck. I’ve never faced so much stress, or had so many things in life depending on me to ensure that they get taken care of. [Read more…]
This past week, magic happened in my bedroom… Something happened that totally knocked my socks off, blew me away, gave me feelings I’d never had before. No – I’m not about talking hanky panky here ladies. I’m talking about my new Nature’s Sleep memory foam mattress arriving. From the crazy way they ship it to you, to the way it magically transforms into the best sleep you’ve ever had in your life – you absolutely must check this out. Since I’ve already made every one of my friends and family come lay on it and check it out at my house, it’s time to virtually share it with my favorite people on the internet – you guys! Watch the video below to get a look at how it works…
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of ZzzQuil for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine…
“The phrase “working mother” is redundant.” – Jane Sellman... This is one of my favorite quotes. {If you look up in the sidebar at my About Me box, you’ll see that I use this quote to kick off that section.} I love it because it’s such a truth when it comes to motherhood – I don’t care if you work from home, work outside the home, or “just” stay home with the kids – we’re all the CEOs of running our homes. We work, all day. And while not all of us are paid for our work, our work still has crazy-high amounts of value. We’re raising our kids to be amazing people as they grow up; teaching life skills, helping them explore the world around them and make sense of it all, imparting our family’s values, helping with homework, listening, cuddling, comforting. Not to downplay the role of daddies – {I am BLESSED beyond belief that Abby has the most amazing dad in the world. And a good dad as your partner makes the job of being a mom so much easier} – but I do have to say that moms kind of rock.
I’ve lost many things over the past year. My patience. My sanity {I’m a work at home mom, with a 2 year old home with me. Eek!} My temper. But one thing that I have NOT lost, is the rest of this baby weight. {Can I still call it baby weight, if she’s now a toddler?} If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you might remember my Nutrisystem diet challenge in early 2012 – I lost over 20 pounds, in just 3 months. I was super excited about that. But over the past few months, with the gloriousness of holiday food, I’ve gained 10 pounds. So, I’ve committed myself to losing it again – My goal is to lose 30 pounds by my birthday in May. We have a pool, and this year I don’t want to hide under a tee shirt all summer! Keep reading to learn about the tools, resources, and motivation I’m using to stay on track….
"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...]
