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Month: November 2015
Enjoy your Thanksgiving!
I know it’s only Tuesday, but I wanted to let you all know that I’m working overtime today and and tomorrow to schedule Black Friday posts to go live Thursday and Friday!
I’m taking those two days off, but I don’t want you to miss anything good! All the deals I post will be online, no need to rush to the mall. You can shop in your PJ’s!
Great gifts for kids that won’t break the bank (or your sanity)
It’s that time of year, when friends and relatives start asking you and your kids the dreaded question.. The Holiday gift question.
First of all, if you don’t have kids, please do your friends WITH kids a favor: Skip the toys that make noise/require batteries. Many a night I was woken by a phantom toy mysteriously going off. This Stupid Fisher Price Dog was the main culprit.
This year, we’re skipping all the “hot” toys. Why? Well, we don’t have cable, so Lil’ Man doesn’t really know about what toys everyone else has or wants. We mostly watch PBS and Netflix. I’m trying to get away from “stuff”. We have so many toys and stuffed animals. We don’t need a lot more stuff. I’m asking for more “experience” type gifts. Here are a few things that are always welcome in any household:
- Groupon/living social/Amazon Local discounted vouchers or gift cards to places that kids love to go, but can be a little pricey. For us, that’s Urban Jungle, Kid Ventures, Boomers, bowling. Zoo tickets, movie tickets, and museum passes are great options as well!
- If you have a vacation planned, ask for gift cards. We have a friend who takes their family to Disney World each year, and she asks her family to buy the kids Disney gift cards to help offset the cost of their vacation (bonus- Disney GC can be used almost anywhere in the park- food, gift shop, even admission!).
- Accessories for toys or games the kids already have. We always need more train tracks for our Thomas the Tank Engine trains. Most kids could always use more pretend food (we like these and these from Melissa and Doug).
- Gift baskets that include experiences: I know I keep going back to experiences, but kids and families love to do stuff together. Movie baskets that contain popcorn, candy, redbox codes or GC for redbox is always a big hit here. We’ve given pizza night baskets that contain the fixins for a pizza (boboli crust, toppings, sauce) and a board game. Use your imagination!
- IOU’s/GC for dates or time with the kids: Lil’ Man and I have a special date every week. We go out to eat and do an activity together. Maybe you have a little in your life that you’d like to spend more time with? Give them the gift a a date! Ice cream feeding the ducks, exploring nature- all of these things are inexpensive for you and mean a lot to a kid.
- Craft supplies. The most popular gifts we’ve both give and received have been treasure boxes (usually a decorative cardboard box from Michael’s) full of craft supplies. Dollar Tree has a great selection of craft kits, glitter glue, stickers, feathers, pom poms, construction paper, water color paint, acrylic paints. Add in some wooden cut outs from Michaels (.50 or less EACH), and a few paint brushes and the kids will have fun for hours. The best part: for less than $20, they’ve got a cool box and tons of stuff to keep them busy and unplugged!
- Monthly Subscription Boxes: Kids love to get mail. Monthly subscription boxes like Kiwi Crate, Little Passports, Green Kid Crafts are a great option for kids to get a little something fun in the mail each month- and monthly subscription boxes aren’t that expensive! Adults love them too! BirchBox (makeup), UrthBox (snacks), and Dollar Shave Club (razors and shaving accessories for men and women) are all popular options!
Review: The BuluBox!
I posted a couple weeks ago about BuluBox, a monthly subscription box chock full of healthy samples and goodies.
Here is a photo I posted on Instagram when it arrived:
It contained seven samples. Most of the samples I gave away or put into the box of stuff to be added to blessing bags. The Hemp Protein Powder was great (I love that brand!), and the soap will make a great addition to my toiletry bag for travel.
Overall I don’t think I’d buy a subscription to BuluBox, it just doesn’t seem like a good value to me, however, if you think it’s something you’d like my readers get a special deal, thanks to our friends at Bulu Box and Us Family Guide! Get a 3 Month Subscription for just $15 (regularly $30)! at Bulu Box – Use code WOWZA at checkout!
Save Money on Gift Cards with Raise! ($15 free for you!!)
I love buying discount gift cards- It’ a great way to stretch our money further. Right now Raise (a company that sells gift cards at a discount) is offering $5 when you sign up here (make sure referral code ahewes shows up in the referral box to get your $5 free!).
When you use coupon code SAVE10 at checkout, you will save another $10!
I purchased a $25 Sears Gift Card (I chose a digital gift card, so I could use it online right away) and paid only $8.72 Out of Pocket! I paid with my paypal account, using money I earned doing surveys!
Raise has tons of great stores: Kohl’s. Staples, Macy’s, Walmart, and tons more!
To get started, click here!
Rocking out with #MusicTogether & #MomsMeet! (Review and Giveaway)
Recently Moms Meet (the awesome sampling company I’ve mentioned here) gave me the opportunity to take the kids to a free Music Together class. Lil’ Man loves music. He loves to dance and sing and play instruments (We have a box of small instruments like a xylophone, maracas, and other percussion instruments), so I was excited to take the kids to experience all that Music Together has to offer.
We visited Music Together in North Park (but there are other classes in San Diego, including some in Eastern San Diego County) with Miss Gina. Kids and parents participate together, so everyone signs, plays instruments, and dances. It’s so awesome to see everyone playing and learning together.
Everyone sits in a big circle, and follows the class leader. There was a mix of sing-along, dance (with scarves, a family favorite), and towards the end of the class, there was a jam session where everyone got to pick an instrument from a large box and play and dance to their hearts content.
If your little has the wiggles or is too small to sit still for 45 minutes, don’t fret! Kids are encouraged to get up and dance around while they sing! 
Music Together classes are aimed at those aged 0-5 years, but don’t worry, Moms and dads will have fun too!
Lil’ Man and Bitty Bird both had an incredible time! They enjoyed the music, instruments, even the scarves (Birdie just crinkled hers up and rubbed it on her face- it was very soft). We’ll definitely being going back soon!
Each semester of Music Together tuition comes access to your classes, along with a CD and a songbook! Some Music Together locations offer additional perks.
Th
ey both really enjoyed the song Hello Everybody. Your kids can enjoy it too. Download the “Hello Everybody” app (free) to get eight Music Together songs that you can listen and sing along to, whether you’re at home or on the go. Our sing-along feature lets you show or hide on-screen lyrics, plus you can control the volume of the vocals—or turn them off to hear an instrumental-only track and make up your own words. Use your device’s camera to make your own family music videos and share them with your friends. The app also includes a digital version of one of our award-winning Singalong Storybooks, Hello, Everybody, based on the beloved “Hello Song.”
I’m so excited that Music Together has offered a free class for newcomers to their program. To sign up for your free class, click here.
And I’ve got an awesome giveaway too! Enter to win a Hey, Diddle, Diddle Singalong Storybook Gift Set!
This adorable gift set includes: the Hey, Diddle, Diddle Singalong Storybook in your choice hardcover or board book, an ultra-soft 9” black-and-white Mary Meyer cow named Sweet Constance (age-rating: 0+), two egg shakers, and a digital download of the song “Hey, Diddle, Diddle.”
To enter to win, just leave a comment with your kids favorite song to sing! I’ll choose a winner on November 30th. This gift set would make a great holiday gift!
Thanks to Moms Meet and Music Together for giving us the opportunity to attend a class to facilitate this review. I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of this product.
Lovely Candy Co. Non-GMO, HFCS Free Treats!
The Lovely Candy Company makes premium, consciously crafted candies for consumers looking for indulgent treats which offer the best ingredients available.
Lovely candies are all natural, certified gluten free, tested non-GMO, certified kosher and contain no high fructose corn syrup or artificial ingredients. They have Chewy Caramels, Fudgee Rolls(think a better Tootsie Roll), Fruit Chews with real fruit pieces, and Gluten-Free Licorice. A great treat for you and a fantastic treat for the whole family.
Live Life Lovely! Get your Lovely Candy for the Holidays TODAY! www.lovelycandyco.com
I’ll be posting a review in the next few weeks! I can’t wait to share these yummy candies with my friends and family!
Samples and Coupons from Club Olay!
Who doesn’t love free samples!!J oin Club Olay and they’ll help you take care of your skin through expert beauty advice, award winning products and money-saving offers!
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Schoola: Two Deals- Two Ways to Save!
Right now Schoola has two ways for you to save big!
Now through 11/22/15, save30% off sitewide with code COZY30.
This code can be used as many times as you’d like up until 11/22. You can combine it with referral credit, but not with other coupon codes!
Looking for another way to save? Sign up for their email newsletter to hear about Black Friday deals and holiday steals. You’ll get a $5 coupon code to use right away. Already get our newsletter? No worries, you can still sign up to get the deal.
Wanna spread the love of Schoola? The Give $20, Get $20 deal is back!
When you share your unique Schoola referral link with a friend, they get $20 to spend on their first order. As soon as they make their first purchase, you get $20 in credit.
We’re doing our next batch of tie dying on Thursday morning, and thanks to Schoola’s amazing sales and prices, I’ve been able to amass 16 shirts and onsies in various sizes and styles to tie dye!
I’d love to see what you’ve scored from Schoola!
Organizing your home on the cheap….
We have a lot of craft supplies. Henry and I do a craft 3-4 times a week. Plus we also paint, color, and draw.
Our Craft supplies were getting out of control.. I mean, check this out:
Yeah, It was sorta contained by two crates that weren’t the same size. They didn’t stack up and that bugged me. Plus we had a mish mash of family binder plus small craft totes on the desk. It was just cluttered and insane.
I’ve been wanted to get it a little more organized for a while, but organizational stuff can be expensive. Have you ever been to the Container Store? OY VEY!
I had organizing in the back of my mind when I got an email from Shop Your Way Rewards letting me know I had $5 in points for K-Mart. When I logged on to Shop Your Way Rewards, there was a pop up for a new sweepstakes where you can win up to $50,000 in points. I decided to play and I won $10 in points (usable at Sears and K-Mart).
Armed with my $15 in points, I started shopping. I found this great storage chest from Bintopia, and coordinating baskets. I checked my Shop Your Way Coupons and found 15% off anything in the home coupon!
I picked up three of the bins and two of the chests, and my mess became corralled:
The best part is that one of the chests is only half full, so if we come in to more craft supplies, we can stash them safely. Right now I have Christmas gifts for family stowed away in there.
I saved money by picking up at the store. After coupons and point redemption, I only paid $8.00. And I shopped through TopCashBack, so I earned 4% cashback!
The original mismatched crates have been relegated to Henry’s room, where they will hold misc. toys.
Hewes Family Fun 