The air is starting to cool and fall is in the air! for us that means baking and enjoying some of the seasons yummiest produce.
Here are my family’s top ten fall recipes!
Talk Back: What is your favorite fall food?
I posted on Sunday about MommyCon and that it’s coming to town in less than a month! I’m stoked about all the cool classes and vendors.
One super awesome thing that MommyCon does is that they have a printer that prints photos posted to Social Media with a specific hashtag or tag during the event. Staff hang them up and you can grab them to take home at the end of the day!- I’m guessing it’ll be #mommycon.
Another thing about MommyCon that is cool is that babies and kids are welcome to come along. In fact kids don’t need tickets. For age restrictions on this, please check out the MommyCon website. A lot of photos of past events show parents with littles in ring slings and various types of carriers.
And now for the best part- MommyCon is giving me the opportunity to give away TWO General Admission tickets to the fun here in San Diego, CA on Saturday, November 10th! That means two of my readers will get their chance to win!
Entering is easy-peasy. Just leave a comment below letting me know why you’d love to attend. Wanna check out the latest goodies for your child? Excited to meet other local moms in a supportive environment? Want to have a few hours alone to socialize? Whatever your reason, I want to hear it!
I’ll choose two winners on October 26th. Winners will be notified by email and provided with a one time use code for 1 free General Admission Ticket.
Good Luck!
It’s back!! I can’t wait to take the kids. The San Diego Kids Expo and Fair is a two day event catering to kids and families, on October 20th and 21st ant the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
This event contains two parts. There is an Indoor expo portion housing a large variety of businesses showcasing products and services that cater to kids, babies and families. You can expect many FREE activities, specials appearances and performances.
The second portion is the Outdoor fair with a Rock n’ Roll stage and rides like a zip-line, pedal kart race cars, zorbing balls, euro bungees and more! There is also an Inflatable Playland for children 8 and younger that features bounce houses and jumpies. Outdoor fair attractions can be accessed with either an All Access Wristband or Playland Wristband purchase. If you are looking for an affordable fun weekend with something for the whole family, the San Diego Kids Expo & Fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds is the place to be!
And you can enter to win 5 tickets to the event! Entering is easy:
Tickets are good for either day.
*Kids 12 and under admission is FREE. Most indoor activities are FREE. An All Access Wristband or Playland Wristband purchase is required for participation in outdoor fair activities. All vendors, activities and attractions subject to change.
Parking is $14 cash per vehicle at the Fairgrounds entrance.
For more information please visit www.sandiegokidsexpo.com
Thankfully our diaper days are almost behind us, but if you have a little one or are expecting, this is a great deal for you!
Right now, when you sign up for the Pampers Rewards Program, you can score $30 off ErgoBaby. I love Ergo- they have great baby carriers, and they also make a super cute carrier for kids to wear their dollies.
Pampers Club is a great way to earn rewards for buying diapers and wipes. You’ll also receive money saving coupons for future purchases.
Prior to being a blogger, I made costumes. All kinds of costumes from Jedi Robes to A Prince Charming Costume for someone’s wedding. One skill that I am adamant about everyone having is the skill of sewing. You don’t need to be able to stitch a wedding dress, but sewing on a button, fixing a fallen hem, and repairing a seam rip are all simple and good, money-saving skills that everyone should be able to learn.
Now that your kit is assembled, You’ll need to learn how to actually sew. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I searched on YouTube and watched a bunch of videos trying to find one that is the easiest. I really thought that this video from Nifty teaches 4 simple ways to mend most things.
Recently I had to fix a pair of jeans that had a worn out pocket. The back pocket had worn thin because of where my husband keeps his leather wallet.
I set up the ironing board and iron and set to work.
1-Find the hole, and make sure that the patch(es) are cut to the right size. You want to cover the hole completely, and the surrounding area, so the patch has some stable fabric to fuse to.
I like the iron on patches- they have fusible adhesive attached to the back, which is basically a heat activated fabric glue that bonds the patch to the garment.
Once fused to the garment, it takes a lot of get the patch(es) off. For this project, I used two patches: one on the interior of the garment, and one on the exterior. Basically making a hole sandwich.
2- Place the patch(es) over the hole/rip, and fuse into place with the steam iron.
3-Once the clothing/patch has cooled, you can stitch around the edge to make it extra secure, however, in this case I did not. I would do that for the knees of kiddo pants or other high wear areas.
Overall, this is a very simple project that anyone can do.
Our culture tends to discard garments as soon as they are not longer shiny or new. If you take care and mend clothing and other household goods, they will last longer and you will not have to spend money constantly replacing clothes and household items.
I spend about an hour a month mending clothing. I do it while watching TV at night. It is worth the time to fix a pair of pants for $2.14 instead of spending $30 to buy a new pair of jeans.
Talk Back: Can you do a few simple stitches to maintain your clothing? How do you take care to keep your clothes looking great?
Disclosure: Some of the links contained within this post are affiliate links. Meaning, if you click on the links above and make a purchase, I may be compensated with a small commission. for more information, check out my disclosure page.
Times are tough for a lot of us right now. Coupons and deals are drying up left and right. Here are some ways that you can stretch your grocery budget without wasting time or energy.
The eternal question at Costco: Is Bigger Better? Learn about Price Per Unit here.
In addition to price per unit, you might consider starting a price book as well.
If you live in San Diego County, check out this list of Neighborhood Distributions all over the county. You can pick up 15-30 lbs of free produce each week. No proof of need is required. Just show up with your reusable grocery bags!
If you are low-income, have kids under 5, are a senior citizen, or a college student struggling with food insecurity, there are programs out there that can help you! Don’t be afraid or ashamed to admit that you need help!
There are also food share programs in almost every community in the US. They provide low cost food boxes to families and individuals. A quick google search can help you find one near you!
In San Diego County, there are monthly distributions through the San Diego food bank at various locations. Colloquially called “commodities”, it’s officially called The Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP). Locations throughout the county distributes USDA food each month. If you live outside San Diego County, check with your local county or municipalities food bank network for more info on this service.
Don’t forget there are tons of money saving and rebate apps. My list is here.
Bartering: Most of us know someone with a backyard garden. Trade your skills (housecleaning, organizing, babysitting, car washing, you get the idea) for some home grown produce, or eggs (some of us live in areas where backyard livestock is ok). This may not be available to everyone.
Menu Planning is another great way to cut down on food waste- It’s a lot easier than you think once you get started.
Talk Back: I’d love to hear your tips for stretching your grocery budget!
I’m so stoked for all of my mommy friends! MommyCon is coming to San Diego, CA next Month, Saturday, November 9-10, 2018 9:00am-4:00pm at the San Diego Marriott Mission Valley (8757 Rio San Diego Drive San Diego, CA 92108).
MommyCon is the largest natural parenting convention and we are headed to San Diego! While attending MommyCon, you’ll experience the feeling of community while learning about birth, baby-wearing, cloth diapering, breastfeeding, and feel confident in your parenting
decisions.
This two day convention has a lot of great, informative classes about all aspects of parenting- feeding, sleep, diapering, child-wearing, and of course, connecting with your spouse!
If you purchase a VIP or Premium admission, you score a sweet swag bag full of goodies, in addition to access to all the great classes and the vendor floor. If you’d like to attend, use code “FAMILYFUN18” for 10% off of tickets. To view the complete schedule, buy tickets and get more info go to their website.
I hope to see you there!
It’s Friday and that means it’s time for freebies! This week there is a pretty good selection and variety!
Free Samples:
Free Sample of Avon Anew Hydra Fusion
Free Sample of Olay Regenerist Whips – Still Available
Free Comic Books During Halloween ComicFest
Free Sample Pack of Sephora Collection Clay Masks
Free Sample of Monat Haircare
Free Seventh Generation Tampon & Pad Sample Kit
Free Mineral Sunscreen
Text for $10 Off at Lane Bryant = Free Item
Free Food:
Free Sample of RX Nut Butter
Free Pouch of Bumble Bee Tuna at Ralphs today!
Free Sample of Q Drinks Carbonated Mixer Beverage
Free Box of Sandwich Bros on Your Birthday
Free Magazines:
Complimentary Subscription to ESPN Magazine – HURRY
Complimentary Subscription to GolfWeek Magazine
Complimentary Subscription to O, The Oprah Magazine
Free Events:
Free Rituals Gift of Relaxation Party
Free Michaels Kids Party
Target – Free PAW Patrol Trick-o-Treat Event
October is Kids Free Month in San Diego!
This week’s Friday Freebie is actually something somewhat healthy… ONE (1) FREE Bumble Bee Tuna Pouch (2.5 oz). Available in most stores.
Limit of one coupon per household. Digital Coupons and paper coupons may not be combined on the purchase of a single item. Specially marked items, such as Clearance or Manager’s Specials may not be eligible for Digital Coupons.
If you are new to Free Friday Downloads from Ralph’s, here is more info about how it works:
WHAT IS FREE FRIDAY DOWNLOAD? An exclusive benefit to having an account online at ralphs.com is FREE products (yes, we said FREE!). When you download the free product coupon, it will be loaded directly to your Shopper’s Card and applied at checkout in-store.
HOW DOES IT WORK? Visit this page on Fridays
DOWNLOAD the digital coupon for the free product (make sure to download between 12:01 am and 11:59pm PT). View the coupon under ‘My Coupons’ in your account online or in the mobile app.
You have two weeks to redeem this coupon in store! Pick up the product at your local Ralphs store and digital coupon will automatically apply at checkout.
Don’t forget to check out the Kroger affiliate in your area, if you don’t have a Ralphs. There are usually freebies for all of the stores!
We love Ice Cream! But, it can be expensive, a carton that’s not a half gallon can run upwards of $5.00 around these parts. Most cartons of ice cream are 1.5 to 1.75 quarts, that’s a decrease from 2 quarts or a half gallon just 10 years ago. Same price (or more) and less product. No thanks.
And honestly, there are a lot of weird ingredients in store bought ice cream. Food stabilizers, thickeners (like seaweed), and artificial flavors/colors. No thanks!
After meeting with a nutritionist recently regarding my big kids food issues stemming from sensory issues related to ASD, she recommended more full fat dairy products to help make sure he was getting enough fats in his diet. A kid can only drink so much milk, so I decided to make some ice cream from scratch.
After looking through that cook book, as well as looking through several of my own, and a quick internet search, I came up with several ideas on how to concoct some tasty ice cream. I asked the kids for flavor suggestions. Two choices were the big winners:
Making Ice Cream is easy. If you’ve got an ice cream maker, you just mix up your ingredients, pour into the drum of the maker, put the lid on, flip the switch and 15-20 minutes, you’ll have a pretty soft ice cream. Scoop it into an airtight container with a lid (like Tupperware), and freeze it for about 2 hours. Then it’ll be hard enough to eat.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, don’t fret, you can use two coffee cans (cleaned out of course), some ice, salt, and duct tape and make it at home- This is the method we used when I was a kid. You can read all about it here along with a true and funny story about making ice cream with kids. This is also a fun thing to do while camping- You can pre-mix the ingredients and take it in your cooler.
Here is the basic recipe I use. Please note that the ingredients used are chosen specifically for their fat content so the ice cream will be creamy. If you alter the ingredients at all, the ice cream will be gritty, grainy, or have ice crystals in it.
Ice Cream Base (makes about 1.5 quarts)
Directions:
Variations:
If you want to make my PB Fit ice cream, add 3/4 c PB Fit and 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips in step two.
Chocolate Malt ice cream is the base recipe with 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 c malt powder, and an additional 1/2 c brown sugar.
Now onto the economics: Is making your own ice cream cheaper? Usually, yes. We used flavorings that we already have on hand, and I recommend that you do the same- You know what flavors you like, and you probably already have some flavorings on hand.
That’s enough cream to make 2 2-quart batches of ice cream.
You can watch a video of the ice cream maker going here, and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram too! I post all kinds of fun stuff there!
Disclaimer: I have linked to items on Amazon. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. Monies earned through commissions are used to offset the costs associated with running the blog (and the occasional cup of coffee).
Talk Back: What is your favorite flavor of Ice Cream? Have you ever made Ice Cream at home before?
Hewes Family Fun 