Free Organizing Printables

Finding balance right now is something I've been struggling with. Between family, church and work I feel like I'm always behind. For the last four years I've worked a few hours during the day and then from about 7:00-1:00 am I would work work work. Then I would get woken up bright and early by starving children and run around like crazy all day trying to change diapers, clean the house and attempt to wash the endless pile of laundry. I do not recommend this lifestyle as I kind of felt like death every day. I knew with a new baby and busy kid schedules that I would have to find balance and make some major changes.

The one thing that works for me is to schedule, schedule, schedule! I'm not the best at keeping schedules a lot of the time, but if I have one it totally inspires me to stay on task. 

Before I started working again last week, I sat down and made a plan. I work better one month at a time so I made a planner to help with daily, weekly and then the entire months tasks.  At the top there is a weekly calendar with things typed in that I consistently do every week and then space to add extra appointments and events in. I have a section for daily, weekly and monthly home/family tasks and then at the bottom I have a section for daily, weekly and monthly blog tasks.

I also have to keep my status as favorite aunt, so I made a chart to keep track of birthdays and other important dates so I can remember to send out cards and make phone calls.

I knew I needed to schedule meals too. If I don't have a menu, I pretty much don't cook. Anyone else like that? Without a plan, I open the pantry, debate for 20 minutes on what to make, and then convince my husband to grab a pizza on the way home from work. I'm horrible. I know. 

So I've also made a weekly meal planner with grocery list. This has helped a ton! 

I'm going to make this a free printable for any of you to grab. Print it off and laminate this bad boy to help you schedule out the things that are most important to you and create better balance and happiness in your lives.  

-Don't know how to use the printables? Click here for some tips!

-All Leelou Printables are for personal printed use only. No commercial use or redistribution.  Please contact me if you have any other questions about their use. Thanks!

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What's your favorite kid movie?

I love Redbox. Like A LOT. A lot, a lot.  We've been on summer break for almost 2 weeks and I've already rented 7 movies. You can't beat a dollar!!

This summer Redbox is asking moms, "What movie meant for kids do you secretly love to watch?" Plus, they are rewarding 2 lucky people with a chance to win $10,000 as part of the Redbox Summer of Fun & Games Sweepstakes. Yes please!


So this was super hard for me. I pretty much have 2 hobbies and they are graphic design and watching movies. So if I had to confess to just one kids movie that I could watch over and over again...it would have to be Mary Poppins. I can't get enough of that movie. I credit it to the fact that I love the songs, I might have a secret crush on Bert and I desperately wish I could snap my fingers to clean the house.

How can you not love that?

Redbox is celebrating summer family time with a great line up of family-friendly titles, awesome savings and two chances to win $10,000 as part of the Redbox Summer of Fun & Games Sweepstakes.*

4 Easy Ways to Enter:
1.  Enter your email address at www.redbox.com/summer
2.  Rent a movie or game at a redbox kiosk (and provide a valid email address at checkout)
3.  Reserve a rental online at redbox.com
4.  Text 'SUMMER' to 727272
Enter to win today!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Redbox. The opinions and text are all mine. 
*Each item rented earns one entry, regardless of how long it is rented, up to three entries per day. Limit 3 entries per day, regardless of entry method. The sweepstakes begins May 27, 2011 at 12:00 a.m. CT and ends on August 1, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. CT. No purchase necessary. See official rules at www.redbox.com/summer.

Fourth of July blog layouts and templates

Fourth of July is sneakin' up on us. Have you grabbed a free blog layout? If not you should! Click the image below to see our Americana templates and backgrounds. We also have lots of summer layouts to choose from too. I'm working on some new ones and hope to have them up soon as well!

Cutes Baby Photo Contest Winners

Thank you all so much for participating in the baby shower. I love being able to giveaway fun things that I've loved for a long time and new fun finds as well. Remember that the games and quizzes below aren't over until next week. All winners will be posted July 1, 2011.


And now for the Cutest Baby Photo Contest winners! The 2 winners of the Leelou Cutest Photo contest are

and the winner of the Peekaboo Photo Contest is

Congrats you cute babies!


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I also wanted to share one more company with you today since babies and kiddos are on the brain. Take Your Pix Board Book sells these decorative photo albums. They can be used for pretty much any occasion, but since this is Baby Shower week, I made mine baby themed. These board books come plain and then you get to decorate them any way you'd like. You can scrapbook on them, add stickers, use them for weddings, school projects...pretty much anything you can think of. 

I decided to use the Silhouette and decorate my book with vinyl. 

I just put my pictures in to show you what it will look like, but I plan on giving this cute thing away as a gift. As babies, my kids LOVED looking at pictures of themselves and these pages are really sturdy so I know they'll hold up forever. I also really like how each page has a little notch to help little fingers turn the pages easily. 

So I know I have lots of crafty ladies who read my blog and thought I'd let you know that Board Book Albums  is on the look out for designers.  This is an opportunity for you to turn your creativity into a lucrative career. The winner will also have their designs featured on the Board Book Albums website and this will include links to the winner's blog or Etsy shop. Here are the rules:

• Contest is open for entries until Monday, July 11th.
• To enter, purchase a Board Book Album at a 10% discount using code: Blogger10
• When you get your album create, create, create, and design away!
• Email pictures of your finished product to laura@boardbookalbums.com by Monday, July 27th at Midnight MST
• Board Book Albums has the right to use any or all of the design photos that are submitted for consideration on their website for marketing purposes, etc.  
• Top 3 winning designers will be chosen to be on the Design Team and have an opportunity to create a lucrative design business! 

I'd love to see your designs if create your own board books! Even if you aren't interested in joining their design team, you are more than welcome to use the 10% off code above.


Thanks again to my amazing sponsors this week...especially Peekaboo Photography and The Barrel for such an amazing giveaway!!
I am now going to go kick up my swollen feet and eat a bag of popsicles. 

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The information in this post about Board Books is part of a Broadcast Bloggers campaign and is sponsored by Board Book Albums. They gave you a coupon code, in case you forgot, to get 10% off using Blogger10 at checkout.

Leelou Baby Shower Day 5

Welcome to the last day of the baby shower! The previous giveaways will be running through next week. Scroll down to take a look at the prizes and enter to win. The Cutest Baby photo contests end tonight, so be sure to click on your favorites! The photo contest winners will be announced tomorrow, but all other giveaways will be announced July 1, 2011. 
Today we have another trivia game for ya. I'm a big celebrity gossip fan. There. I said it. I grew up reading People magazine and dreaming of hosting E! News. So today you get to endure my semi-embarrassing hobby by matching celebrity babies with their parents. Below is a quiz with 10 celebrity kids. Tell me who their parents are and you could win big time. We have 4 giveaways today so there will be 4 winners. 

This one is for all you pro-crafters or wanna-be crafters out there. Lifestyle Crafts is giving away an entire Letterpress machine epic combo pack! It comes with everything you need to die cut, emboss and letterpress. My favorite feature is the ink base and brayer. You can get an idea of what it does here. The letterpress machine itself is amazing, but there are also a TON of extras that come with this combo pack. The Lifestyle Crafts blog has some fabulous ideas that you can check out as well. One lucky winner will get this letterpress machine epic combo pack. A value of $169.99!

Baby Showers by Mail is a company with lots of gift options that are practical for new mommies. You can go online and simply pick which gift works well for you and ship it straight to the expecting or new parents. Baby Showers by Mail is giving away one of 4 different gift packs!

Bumbleride is giving away one more Jam Pack bag! I LOVE that this bag can convert into a backpack for your toddler to carry. We've been going to lots of parks this summer and this bag would come in so handy to have my kids help haul all the food and gear. Apparently the big grocery sacks I usually take to the park are too hard for them to hold and carry, but if they had a backpack like this it would be so easy for them to help out! Bumbleride's Jam Pack comes in lots of fun colors. Any of which the winner can choose from. 

This is an Etsy shop package with 6 different items for one winner! You could win:-a custom little boy tie onesie (anyone can also use the coupon code leelou for 10% off your order)-Plush mushroom rattles (anyone can use coupon code Jello for free continental shipping)-Custom Boppy cover-Set of organic breast pads-Baby washcloths -Finger puppet patterns






Trivia game runs until June 30, 2011 at 12:00 EST. Please enter only once. 

Leelou Baby Shower Day 4

Welcome to day 4 of the baby shower. Be sure to scroll down to the other days for more prizes and games. Today we're going to make things easy peasy for you. Because that's my favorite kind of giveaway :)

We have 3 great prizes today and all you have to do is sign up for our newsletter. That's it! Just add your email address below. If you're already signed up then you are already entered.

Enter your email here to get our newsletter:

Our newsletter generally goes out weekly and has updates and occasional deals that you won't find anywhere else. You have until July 30, 2011 to sign up for the newsletter for a chance to win one of the following prizes.

Green Jello with Carrots is a site dedicated to religious clipart, games, coloring pages, activities...you name it, they make it. It's a mother daughter team who draws everything themselves and I envy them desperately! Melissa is one of the funny girls there and she is the one that drew the pregnant Leelou image I so love. They have made skills! Green Jello with Carrots is giving away a $20 gift card, which will get you a TON of stuff because their prices are crazy low.  Also, they are giving all proceeds this week to an amazing fundraiser to help a little boy. You can read about it here.

Thanks Green Jello with Carrots! And thank you for making pregnant Leelou look so cuter than real Leelou :)

Alright folks, this cool bassinet is from Bumbleride and is called the Carrycot. It can stand alone, so if you don't have much room, are going camping, traveling or just need to be portable, this would be perfect! It also clicks into Bumbleride strollers making it super easy to haul baby around without having to wake them up move them every time you get them in and out of the stroller. Today Bumbleride is giving away a Carrycot and the winner gets to choose any adorable color they want. Check out their Facebook to get updates on sweet deals and new products!

If you are a girl, you need this. Badly. Halftees are the new way to layer! There have been so many times when I just needed some sleeves but didn't want to deal with the bulk of a shirt. For some reason I do this with pretty much every dress I own. Who wants to wear a whole shirt under a dress? Halftees has you covered! And what am I loving most about them right now? How perfect are these for pregnant mamas? I want as little layering as possible right now...especially as it heats up outside! So these are perfect. And you could win your own Halftee if you sign up for our newsletter!

    

Leelou Baby Shower Day 3

Welcome to day 3 of the party. Today we are playing a riveting game of

See those 6 baby related images above? Each one is hidden on one of my sponsors websites. If you find them all you could win one of the following...

Bumbleride is giving away the Jam Pack bag. This bad boy is a great bag with waterproof lining and lots of storage. It's great to put on your stroller or carry on the go. The unique thing about this bag is that it can convert into a backpack so a toddler can carry it. I kind of LOVE this idea. I'm all about anything that frees up my hands. The Jam Pack bag comes in 5 different colors that the winner can choose from.

I just discovered bforevercharmed and stared at their catalog for far too long trying to pick out just the right necklace. They have some adorable jewelry and lots of different varieties. This is great because everyone can find something that is their style. This is also bad because it's so dang hard to choose! bforevercharmed is giving away a $30 gift card. Check out their catalog because $30 can get you a lot of stuff!

I don't know if you're aware, but I kind of like to customize things. All things. My carseats for example NEED to be customized. Baby Bella Maya has some really super cute covers and I'd like to believe that everyone needs one. Not only does it make it easy to wash those dang car seats, but you can have different styles depending if you have a girl or boy. I also can't seem to find many car seats that are actually cute. Now you can buy an ugly one, cover it with one of these adorable car seat covers and wallah! Baby Bella Maya is giving away a toddler car seat cover of the winners choice!

So you want to enter to win one of these great prizes? Click here to get all the rules and start playing Hide and Seek!

Leelou Baby Shower Day 2

Well hello you little party hoppers you. Today we have a random trivia quiz for ya! The top 4 highest scores will win one of the following...

Shabby Apple is giving away the adorable Spanish Steps dress to one lucky lady. They are also offering all Leelou fans a 10% off code for anything in their store. Just use leelou10off  at checkout! It expires on July 11, 2011 so you'll want to hurry.  Check out all the adorable women's dresses (and maternity dresses) at www.Shabbyapple.com. You can also check out their Facebook page for more exclusive promotions.

Several years ago I got a Hip-T and ware it pretty much every day of my life. To the store, to the gym, to church...you name it. This band covers you up so your stomach and/or back and/ or fanny is never hanging out. Which is appreciated by all I think. They can also be pulled up around your bust to add an extra layer under lower T-shirts. My favorite though is that it covers up all that fantastic skin that having babies leaves behind. So when you're nursing you don't have to flash it all to the world. I've tried other brands since getting my Hip-T and I prefer this one over any other. Hands down. One of you will be receiving your very own Hip-T of your choice!

This, my friends, is genius! This is the Kemby Sidekick. A stylish bag that actually fits and organizes everything you need. But that's not all! It can also turn into a sling! I LOVE this feature. There are so many times when I just don't have enough hands. This is so perfect. What I would have done to have this at the airport! Would have saved me the headache of taking a stroller with all the extra luggage. The Kemby Sidekick even comes with a matching snack pouch and changing pad. What a great new product. And it could be all yours!

Shutterfly.com has SO many things you could use through out the year. Whether you want to get some photobooks, invitations, calendars or even just prints, Shutterfly has you covered. They are giving away a $20 gift card to their website!

So what do you have to do to win one of these prizes? We've created a baby shower quiz below and all you have to do is take it! Test your baby knowledge and you're entered. This giveaway will run for one week until June 28, 2011. All winners will be posted here at Leelou Blogs on July 1st. Good luck!

Joovy Room Giveaway

I wanted to start off my first giveaway with something I LOVE and think every mother needs. My first thought was to give every expecting mother a giant container of Zofran (anti-nausia medicine) because it is seriously the most miraculous drug in the world and gave me the ability to function the first 5 months of my pregnancy. I'm assuming there are some sort of laws that prevent me from giving that out as a prize though, so we'll go to the next best thing...Joovy!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I seriously love Joovy products. I got the Caboose stroller when I had my second kiddo, and it rocked my world.

I now have the Nook high chair and it's amazing. I can't tell you how compact this thing folds up. That's my favorite feature. It's also lightweight, easy to clean and looks good.



So my latest Joovy love is the Room. This thing is the rock star of all pack and plays! As with everything Joovy related, the Room is super easy to set up and looks great. One of my two favorite features are the 9 compartments in the side. They are lifesavers!

As I'm busy nesting like a crazy person, the pockets put me and my OCD tendencies to rest. The other thing I think is super cool is the ipod jack and speakers. This gives me big fat technological tears of joy. I stinking love gadgets like this.

There are lots of other super cool features too. I'm really excited about it having a changing table (I've never had one of those!) and the fact that it's a bassinet and then converts into playard. This child of mine needs to hurry and get here so I can really put it to use!

And the great people at Joovy are giving you the chance to win the Room. Just click here to test your Room knowledge and enter! I promise you will LOVE using this Playard, and if you don't need one you should still enter. You will have the greatest gift to give a new mom! Or an old mom...like me :)
Joovy will be contacting the winner when the giveaway is over. Good luck!

...and while you're browsing Joovy's site, take a look at this new tricycle. It's called the Tricycoo and it's brand spanking new. And amazing. And I want it. Badly. I heart Joovy.






The Leelou Baby Shower is brought to you by: