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What Would You Build on a Free Piece of Land?

“Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for – in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.” – Ellen Goodman… Now, that doesn’t sound much like the American Dream that we all imagine, does it? Definitely not my idea of happiness. After losing my job while I was on maternity leave a couple of years ago, I had to make a lot of changes in life – I had to find ways to cut down my bills, simplify my life, and chart a new path. That led to buying a house with my mom instead of saving to buy one on my own. {Yep, we like each other well enough to live together. Almost all of the time… Lol.} It led to me starting this site, and finding freelance work online instead of going back into retail management. It meant selling some of our unneeded things, cutting back on things like cable and nights out, and cutting more coupons. But – without ever meaning to, these changes are leading me to actually finally get closer to my ideal life. My version of the American Dream – I get to work from home, spend time with Abby, have flexibility when I need it, and am my own boss. Sure, I’d love to make the income that I made running retail stores, but I’m happier here at home.

What would your perfect home be like?

The house that I bought with my mom isn’t my “perfect” home, but it truly is pretty great. It sits on a really big piece of property, with a covered patio, 4-bay shop, fenced yard for Abby to play, and an in-ground pool that quickly became the gathering spot for all of our friends and family each summer. There’s enough space for us all to be comfortable, and I even have a guest bedroom for when friends come into town to visit. The house isn’t huge, but it’s cozy, it’s got what we need, and it makes me happy. And, our untraditional living arrangement really works well for us. It started out with more of my family living with me too – which was a little bit crazy for a couple of years. But I love that Abby has gotten to grow up so close to her grandma, cousins, and uncle James. And I’m lucky that we all get along well enough to have made the situation work, so that I’m able to get by on a smaller income while I build my business. I’m so grateful that when life gets tough, I have a great home filled with amazing family to rely on!

American Dream – How to Build Your Dream Home on a FREE Piece of Land

My dream, ever since I was a little girl, was to build my own house someday. {I also wanted to be an architect, and would draw out my perfect floorplans and stuff all the time…} I love the idea of creating something that’s just exactly what I want – unlike when you are looking at homes, and have to find one that’s “almost” perfect to settle for. We still sometimes dream about this – but honestly, I wasn’t even sure how we’d get started. I recently was introduced to this really cool option by a friend of mine – It’s called LandCentral. They make it easy to buy your own piece of land without a ton of money down, to build on now, or as an investment for your future. And – the coolest thing about it all is that to help introduce their program to more people, they are doing a giveaway where one amazingly lucky winner will get to choose their own TOTALLY FREE piece of land in one of five states! Can you even imagine? To enter, visit LandCentral.com. It only takes a few minutes, and could lead to an amazing opportunity for you and your family!

Click through – then look for the sidebar box that looks like this to click and enter to win!

What would YOU do with a free piece of land? Build a dream home? Build a vacation cabin? Save it to pass down to your kids? Leave me some comments!

{Disclaimer: I did not receive any compensation for this post. I seriously love LandCentral and what they can offer you, and wanted to share this fantastic giveaway with you. I hope one of you win this – Good luck! Photo Credit one: Jeffweese. Photo Credit two: Jeda Villa Bali – both on Flickr Creative Commons.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 8, 2012 Filed Under: Contests, Busy Mom Solution | 6 Comments

Nature’s Sleep Memory Foam Mattress Giveaway! #nsmemoryfoam

The Most Comfortable Mattress… Nature’s Sleep’s mission is to provide everybody the opportunity to enjoy a better night’s sleep at affordable prices, while maintaining a concern for our environment….

Win a Free Nature’s Sleep Visco Memory Foam Mattress!

If you’ve ever tried out a Nature’s Sleep Visco Memory Foam Mattress, then you already know how completely amazing they are. But if you haven’t had the luxury of sleeping on one of these awesome beds yet – Let me tell you a little bit about what makes them so cool:

You’ll be cradled & comforted from head to toe.
Every mattress is covered with a plush velour, removable cover.
Alleviate pain associated with many ailments, such as back pain.
Memory Foam provides pressure relieving comfort.
Help your body and mind to revitalize & rejuvenate.

I can honestly, totally, 100% – tell you that this is the best mattress you will ever sleep in. And, I’m super excited to be able to offer you ladies {and gents, if you’re reading too!} a chance to WIN a free Nature’s Sleep Visco Memory Foam Mattress. How cool is that, right?

Enter to win today!

Use the easy peasy giveaway form below to get your entries in for a chance to win the most comfortable mattress of your life! The more entries you complete, the more chances that you’ll have to win big! A few details: The giveaway starts June 2 at 00:01 EST and ends July 14 at 23:59 EST. Giveaway open to US only.

Love Nature’s Sleep? Visit their site today to save 50% with code: BEARS50!

Have fun & Good luck!

[Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on June 1, 2012 Filed Under: Giveaways | 3 Comments

Busy Mom Solution: Toddler-Friendly Cleaning Products!

The Problem –

We all want a clean house, right? For the last few months we’ve battled grass stains, mud from the yard tracked into the house, and other summertime messes. Now, with the return of school, and the changing of the weather, we face a whole new set of challenges!

You can no longer get away with dressing the kids in the same shirt 3 days in a row, {hey, in the summer they wear what they want! Don’t judge… :)} -plus, they bring home LOTS of germs from school each day. And if you’re like me, and have little ones in your home, you know that it’s important to use safe cleaning products to take care of all of that mess!

The Solution –

Clorox Green Works new line of cleaning products! The amazing team over at Mom Bloggers Club sent me a big package of these new cleaners, so I could test them out, and see if they could keep up with my super-challenging housekeeping routine. We got to try the Compostable Cleaning Wipes, the All Purpose Cleaning Spray, the original scented Laundry Detergent, and a great Bathroom Cleaner. Can I say- LOVE??

Becoming Greener, one step at a time….

Most of you know that I’ve been slowly but surely making small changes towards a cleaner, greener, more frugal lifestyle. It started when I found out that I was expecting – I wanted to be super careful about what I was eating, drinking, and breathing, since it was all getting passed down to this teeny, tiny, little baby. I told you about using products from The Ultimate Green Store to set up a new space for my baby girl. {FYI, enter to WIN a gift certificate from them here.} And now that she’s a toddler, it’s super important to me that I use safe cleaners – if I wouldn’t want her drinking scary chemicals, why would I want to clean the floors that she plays on with them?

Tough on Dirt, Gentle around kids!

Green Works Cleaners still need to be kept out of reach of kids, of course. But they are made from 95% natural ingredients like coconut-based cleaners, citric acid, essential oils, and other plant-based cleaning agents – meaning you don’t have those super scary toxic warning labels on the package, like you see on most cleaners. And they don’t give off those awful fumes, or have harsh residue. But they still pack a lot of cleaning power!

What Other Moms Think….

My little Abby is JUST like the cutie in this video – EVERYTHING she finds makes it’s way into her mouth! And now that she’s a toddler, and fully mobile, she is a busy girl. She has ridiculous daily ideas to do things like:

Lick the refrigerator door, just for fun.
Attempt to eat her blocks, rattles, and toy dinosaurs.
Dump Cheerios on the floor and eat them while mommy’s not looking.

You know, fun toddler stuff. So it’s super important to me to keep things clean, and ensure that I don’t leave icky chemicals behind when I clean up. The Clorox Cleaning Wipes are perfect for wiping down the high-chair, car seat, toys – and everything else she gets sticky, crummy, or dirty during the day.

What do YOU think?

Do you give much thought to the cleaning products that you use in your home? Is using green products a priority for you? If you’re ready to try some of these new Green Works products in your house – sign up for the Green Works Newsletter for some instant savings coupons, and make sure to follow them on Facebook too, to stay updated on cool promotions!

{Disclaimer: As mentioned in the post, I did receive a complimentary set of these products, so that I could try them out, and give an honest opinion of them. When I say I love ’em, I mean it!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 9, 2011 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution, Reviews | 1 Comment

Busy Mom Solution – Keep your home fresh!

Check out the New Febreze Set & Refresh!

I love a clean house. I’m a little bit {ok, maybe a LOT} OCD about organization. I organize the books and dvd’s by color. All canned goods must be in rows by category, all labels facing forward. I could go on, but I’ll stop before you think I have too much time on my hands…

Point is, it’s super important to me to have a clean, organized home. BUT- with 4 adults, 2 kids, a toddler, and 5 dogs- this can be a challenge. No, challenge is too light of a word. It’s near impossible for me to keep my house clean and tidy! But, it doesn’t stop me from trying.

Love this new Set & Refresh!

Since it’s so tough keeping things clean and fresh around here, I’m always looking for new products and gadgets to make it a little easier. When I got this little Febreze freshener, I honestly didn’t think I would be much impressed. I thought it seemed to small to really do much.

Big Surprise

This seldom happens, but…. I was wrong. Wow, right? I know, I was shocked too.

I put this Febreze Set & Refresh in the kitchen, on a little ledge we have in there. With all of the cooking, the constantly overflowing trash can, and the dogs running in and out from the patio- this room can always use a lot of help staying fresh!

When I walked into the kitchen later that afternoon, I was super shocked that it smelled like fresh laundry. The laundry room is near by– but I wasn’t even DOING laundry. Then I realized- the Febreze Set & Refresh had a “Linen & Sky” refill in it. Ohmyheck- it really worked!

Learn what makes it so cool-

There are a ton of home fragrance products out there, and there are tons of them that I really love. One of my favorites is the Febreze Air Effects, in Sunflower & Sunshine- it really does smell like Sunshine, if you can imagine it :) And this little gadget really is new and different- it’s super cool that it doesn’t have to be plugged in- you can set it anywhere. And it isn’t ugly like those cones, it’s totally unnoticeable. Love it.

You can get the Febreze Set & Refresh for about $2.99 at most major retailers. There is a great refill called Apple Spice & Delight that I’m pretty excited to try next – perfect for fall holidays! This is totally a Sunshine approved product – and a great solution for busy moms!

{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Febreze and received a Set & Refresh unit plus refills to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.}