Have you all heard of The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod? I first learned about this book when I began Bullet Journaling last year, but it took me this long to get on board, read the book and actually implement what I’ve learned.

About The Miracle Morning Based on the premise that how you start your day largely determines the quality of your day, your work, and your life, The Miracle Morning gives you the ultimate morning ritual and teaches night owls how to beat the snooze button, even if you’ve never been a morning person.

I’ve only been practicing The Miracle Morning for a few weeks now, so I’m no expert, but it really has been transformative for me. I’ve always been somewhat of a morning person, and have known for years that when I wake up before my kids, get ready and have some time to myself, my day is considerably better than when our morning routines coincide.

Over the past few weeks I’ve discovered some tools that have really helped me to succeed with my Miracle Mornings. I thought I’d share those tools with you, so if you try it, you’ll have an upper hand from the get go. But first, let me tell you what my personal Miracle Morning looks like:

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Friends, I know what you’re thinking… no my teenager hasn’t taken over my blog. It’s me, Kristen (dineanddish on Snapchat), the 42 year old mom of 4 here professing my love for Snapchat. Yes, that snapchat… the app that we have been banning from our kids phones and questioning why anyone would want to use an app where the images and chats disappear into thin air after viewed.

Let me start by asking you to just give me a chance to explain. Trust me, I was just like you not too many months ago. I assumed that Snapchat was simply for kids to send inappropriate pictures to each other – which may have been the case back then. But Snapchat has changed for the better with the introduction of Snapchat Stories. Snapchat Stories has opened up a whole new world to would be snapchat users. If you are into memory keeping through photos and videos in an incredibly simple format, you will love Snapchat.

If you will just bear with me, I’ll tell you 5 Things I love about Snapchat and why I think you’ll love it too!…

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Happy Friday to you all! It’s time to share things that are making me happy lately… such a great way to start the weekend!…

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The post The Happiness Report #21 appeared first on Dine and Dish.

In a house with 4 kids, you can imagine that my phone is constantly being taken by people other than me, to do things other than make calls. It has become a form of entertainment for my kids, filled with apps and games that keep them entertained.

I’ve considered getting them their own devices, but all of the alternatives seemed too expensive, until now. Enter the MG Mobile Gaming Device, a handheld Android system made specifically with young people in mind. With more than 60,000 app games available; a 4-inch touch screen; cool and slim handheld design; and a super easy way to responsibly make app purchases, this is the gaming device that has given me my phone back.

My friends at MG have offered to give one lucky Dine & Dish reader the chance to win an MG Gaming System. But first, let me tell you about some of the features we like so far…

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This giveaway is now closed. The winner, chosen by Random.org, is Tammy Northrup. Congrats, Tammy, and thanks to all who entered!

Over the past few weeks you’ve read about my experiences with the Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone. Now, you get the opportunity to enter to win one as well!

You may be wondering what some of the top things I liked most about this phone now that I’ve been able to use it regularly for the past few weeks. Well, let me tell you!

• You can pin the most important apps or functions to you to the start screen. This makes it simple so that when you turn on your phone, what you need most is right there, easy to access and use. In addition, if you have something like the facebook app pinned to your start, updates from your friends will prominently show and change as more updates come in. These dynamic tiles make it easy to keep up with the most important friends and family in your life.
• I love that the Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone comes in a variety of fun colors! Blue, white, black and the newest color to join the family…pink.
• I love to listen to music, but I am horrible when it comes to knowing the names and artists. This Windows phone has Bing search built into it, which has a nifty music identification tool. If you are listening to a song on the radio and want to know who sings it or what it’s called, you can simply go to Bing and allow this smart phone to amaze you with it’s brains. Hold the phone up to the speakers and after a few chords, the phone will come back with details on the song. Very cool, right?
• The Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone is slim, yet still manages to have a nice sized surface area for the screen. The screen is big, the colors are vibrant, and the touch screen keyboard is large enough that even a typo Queen’s like me on similar screens doesn’t make constant errors. It’s very easy to type on.
• Apps, apps and more apps. I have discovered some really great apps thanks to this phone. My 2 current favorite that I keep pinned to my start screen right now are Map My Run and My Fitness Pal. With these two apps I am easily able to access info I want to keep track of for my progress with my Red Faced Runner 5K goals as well as monitor my calorie intake and exercise output. I love these two apps for keeping me on track!

You can head over to the Windows Phone Facebook page for a quick, personalized demo that will show you all the great features of this phone. Are you ready to win one for yourself?

Giveaway Details for a Pink Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone

I have a Pink Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone (pictured above) to give away to one lucky Dine & Dish reader! To enter the giveaway, simply visit the Windows Phone Facebook Page and take the short demo for yourself. Then, come back here and tell me in the comments section of this post “Which live tile from the demo is your favorite?”

For additional entries:

• Share the link to this post or details of this giveaway on your favorite social media outlets, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Return to this post and leave a separate comment for each individual time you shared.

This phone must be used with service from AT&T (not included). All entries must be received by midnight, CST on Friday, August 24th, 2012. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and will be notified via valid email address. Thanks and good luck!

Disclosure: Microsoft gave me the the new Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone to test drive as well as are providing a phone for the giveaway. I am being compensated for this review, however all opinions are my own!

The post 5 Things I Like About the Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone & A Giveaway! CLOSED appeared first on Dine and Dish.

This week, our first full week of school being out and all four kids home with me, I’ve been relying a lot on those things that save me time and effort. I want to spend as much time with my family as possible while they are home, so I want other things in my life to be simple and stress free.

I thought it might be fun to share some of the things that make my little life tick in better order. Some of these things have to do with blogging, some of them don’t, but either way I hope in someway I am able to help you find a few tools or gadgets to help simplify your life some! In return, I’d love to hear what resources, gadgets, etc. you use to simplify your life!…

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