Moms

I’m a Hot Mess Mom, What Are You?

This Fashion Friday post is a partnership with Cents of Style – Join Cents of Style Affiliate Program – I received a complimentary tee, post contains affiliate links.

You guys. I still owe ya’all a post of explanation, of where I was for all of 2016. Life-changing health diagnosis, heart-breaking break up with my daughter’s dad, huge budget-tightening with not working = tough times. I’m a strong cookie though, and am bouncing back, slowly. Mommin’ is a tough gig on the best of days, and in my days now there’s so much adjustment trying to balance new changes and challenges. So, yes, I’m a hot mess. A hot mess mom. And I’m not a bit ashamed about that.

A photo posted by Meagan Paullin (@sunandsipcups) on Jan 23, 2017 at 4:15pm PST

That photo pretty much sums it up, lol. The look on my face, trying, again, to take selfies with this giant iPad because I’m too broke to upgrade to a new phone with internet access. And, that cheap phone? You can see it. In my shirt, tucked into my bra. Because I had leggings on, no pockets, and totally forgot that it was in there. When I said I’m a hot mess I wasn’t kidding you guys. :) Trying to find one.small.space to with a clean background, as we’re working on remodeling, reorganizing, and redecorating the whole house – on an incredibly teensy budget. If you look closely {but please don’t} you’ll see many new silvery streaks trying to invade my brown hair. And my shirt – Hot Mess, Just doing my best. That’s me. [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 21, 2017 Filed Under: Fashion | No Comments

What Real Moms Need in their Diaper Bag or Purse

Thank you to HUGGIES for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to try HUGGIES WIPES AT WALMART! If you’re a blogger interested in working on fun partnerships like this, learn more about Linqia…

Being a mom is the most rewarding job in the world. But it’s also a messy one. Between diapers and potty training and mud and sticky snacks and play dates and colds and allergies and boogers and….Well, you know what I mean. It’s a never-ending job keeping kiddos clean. Not to mention all of the other messes in life – spills at home or in the car, germ-filled shopping carts and play areas, make-up removal, stained shirt on the way to work… and on and on and on. Which is why I’ve always kept a pack or two of Huggies® Wipes somewhere handy, to clean up pretty much any mess that comes my way, with a quickness. Because messes? Ain’t nobody got time for that…. :)

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 16, 2015 Filed Under: Uncategorized, Busy Mom Solution, Parenting | 1 Comment

5 Important Things I wish I’d Done Before My Baby Had Arrived

{Disclaimer: I received compensation to share this post and my thoughts about cord blood banking with you guys. But- this is my story, and all opinions are my own.}

One of these days I’ll get around to writing the full story about my unexpected journey to motherhood. But let’s just say – I’d never planned to become a mom. I didn’t feel comfortable holding a friend’s new baby. I knew nothing about babies. Then, after 5 years of dating, we unexpectedly found out we were expecting. Oh my.

I tried to prepare for Abby’s birth. I bought baby clothes. Set up a crib. Stocked up on supplies like diapers and wipes. But there are a few really important things I really wish I’d done before she arrived. Especially because she surprised me by coming 3 weeks early. {And keep reading until the end to find out how you can WIN $2,000 worth of baby gear!} [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on July 29, 2015 Filed Under: Parenting | No Comments

How to Raise Healthier, Happier Children

One of my favorite quotes about parenting is this one, “Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be.” – David Bly. I was so terrified to become a mom, and had a long, winding road that brought me to motherhood. But this quote was one I clung to – there are a lot of small things that, really, in the long run, don’t matter that much. Whether I cloth diaper or use disposables, whether I buy the coolest new baby gear, whether I know the “best” ways to do every thing… Well, she’s still going to make it through in one piece. The more important thing in the whole world to me is that she grows up to be kind. Someone who treats others with understanding and compassion, who gives back to those around her, who does her small part to make the world a little brighter and better. Oh yeah – and I want her to be funny. :) Which she totally is. So, I try to set the best example that I can, apologize when I’m wrong, and explain when I make mistakes. And along the way, I hope I’m teaching her some important lessons about living healthy and happy…

“The Best Way to Make Children Good is to Make them Happy” – Oscar Wilde [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on December 4, 2013 Filed Under: Parenting | No Comments

5 Tips to Help Moms Get a Better Night’s Sleep

Big thank you’s to Nature’s Sleep – they’ve provided me with memory foam products to try out and share my honest opinion…

I’m a mom. A mom who runs a business from home. A mom who runs a business from home while also running after a 3 year old all day. So – I need my rest. I don’t always have much time to devote to sleep, so the hours I do get, I need to make them worth it. Which is why I am always looking for tips and tricks, products and picks – things that can help me get a better night’s sleep. Most of you know already how much I love, love, love my Nature’s Sleep products – from our new memory foam mattress to the amazing pillows – they really envelop me in a super supportive cocoon of sleep-inducing amazingness. But, there are a few other great tips you can use too, to sleep better. Keep reading to learn more…

How To Get a Better Night’s Sleep – for Moms [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 1, 2013 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 1 Comment

8 Clever Mom Tips that Went Viral

“All mothers are working mothers.” – Unknown… This is one of my favorite mom quotes. Because, no matter how much the media wants to talk about the “mommy wars” – we’re all working moms. We’re all tired. We’re all doing our best to make the best for our families. Right? So – I wanted to share my absolute most popular posts and tips – the things that have gone viral, having over 30k repins on some of these posts. Others are newer – but seem to be helping solve mom-probs already. And others are some of my best freebie tips that people asked for updated codes and info on. So – whether you’re a new mom, a tired mom looking for extra tips, or a friend of a mom looking for cool gifts and info to share – you’ll find it here. Pin it at the end to share it with your other mom friends – we all need a boost, right?

Some of you might remember when I won the StartupNation Home Based Business award in 2012 – when I shared my story of becoming an unexpected work at home mom. I had to use every tool I had – from survey sites to selling on ebay, to make enough money to get by. As I did that, I learned an amazing amount of ways to be an awesome mom on a small budget. Check out some of the most popular tips of the past two years… Pin ’em, share ’em on Facebook, or tweet, google +, or whatever else the kids do these days, lol.

Get a free nursing pillow – pick your choice from 9 different prints. Once you’ve added your favorite to the shopping bag, you’ll enter promo code “ENBABY”, and it’ll automatically take 100% off of your purchase, leaving just the shipping charge for you to pay. These are seriously gorgeous – and Abby still uses hers, even as a big girl :) [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 7, 2013 Filed Under: Frugal Parenting, Busy Mom Solution | 45 Comments

Shaving? Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That!

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Remington. I received a product sample to facilitate my review of this home hair removal system for moms, and as a thank you for participating.

Summer is coming to an end – but that doesn’t mean the end of shaving… Sure, most of us shave our legs a lot more often during the summer months – but even once they’re covered up in leggings and boots this fall, you don’t want to let ’em get crazy-out-of-control furry, right? {The day that my toddler wanted to pet my leg and told me it was furry like a puppy was the day I realized that winter months still require shaving daily, lol.} But, as super-busy super-moms, where do you find the time? Shaving – ain’t nobody got time for that! :)

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