AO Opinions is another Market Research company that I get information from. Right now they are recruiting for an upcoming research study on the subject of Hair Color!
Recently, I posted our daily schedule for school days on Instagram.
Because the littler kiddo is still learning to read, I do a combination of words and pictures. I find that it also helps as sometimes when kids become disregulated, reading can be a little too much for our brains.
The Afternoon/Night section doesn’t have times because while bedtime is at a fixed time, it is important to grant the kids some freedom in the afternoons to relax and decompress from school. After being “on” all day at school, I like to give them 30 minutes to an hour after school to have a snack and relax without any kind of demands put on them.
There are of course times when that is not possible, for example when we have appointments immediately after school. Having a schedule for them to see really helps them organize and be aware.
Having two neurodivergent kiddos, it’s important to have visual reminders of schedules, family rules, appointments, etc. around the house. Each kid has a calender in room that is updated monthly with upcoming appointments, days off school and holidays. Updating those each month is something I do the first day of each month. I use stickers in addition to writing to help remind the kids of upcoming events on the calenders.
With Neurodivergency sometimes comes what we call “losing time”. The concept of time can be hard for kids to grasp, regardless of their neurodivergency. Another way that we help keep the kids on schedule is to use the old theater trick where we give them a one hour “call”, a 30 minute call, a five minute call, and then a time to go call. Grown ups call out, “One hour until X”, and the kids answer back, “Thank you one hour!” Making them repeat the amount of time they have left until we leave or transition activities puts it in their mind that whatever they are doing/playing/watching will come to an end.
Talk Back: I’d love to hear about the tips and tricks you use to keep your family on schedule!
This is one of my favorite hot drinks when I am not feeling well. Fever, sore throat, generally feeling run down, this drink is where it’s at.
But… I’m cheap and it’s not always convenient to hit up the ‘Bux. So I did a little research and found a frugal way to make this drink at home. I usually get my tea at Target or Walmart.
I use lemon juice in place of steamed lemonade for two reasons: Less sugar, and I like to use lemon juice (I prefer freshly squeezed but I’ll use True Lemon in a pinch).
I make 32 ounces at a time. that’s about two servings, perfect for when you don’t feel well.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Makes two generous servings. Feel free to add more honey if you prefer your tea sweeter, or less lemon.
This coming week is going to be great! A little busy with doctors appointments, but other than that, it’s looking to be a fun week with warmer temps (and that means after school swimming).
I hit up the grocery store on Thursday and did some batch cooking and menu planning for this week. It was the only day last week where I was not busy with appointments.
I kept the grocery shopping at budget. I had to go to three stores however, because my usual stores didn’t have everything I was looking for. The supply chain is starting to get wonky again, so you may notice some items are taking longer to get back in stock on shelves.
And I’ve been getting a lot of really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.
No CSA box this week. We’ll be back on it next week!
For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.
I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I have made my own and you can find them for sale here on my Etsy Store.
I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.
Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. The Ancient Grain bagels from Einstein Bros. are the current family favorite. I pick them up on Mondays when a dozen is only $7. I slice them and freeze them to keep them from going bad too quickly.
Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I’m back to packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year, but so far, there is nothing on the menu that appeals to the kids.
Dinner: We’ve got a pretty good schedule down for dinners. We have nuggets (vegetarian for the boy child, chicken for the rest) on the nights that we have respite. It’s quick prep and clean up, and I can serve it on our cafeteria trays with other fingers foods (we have trays like these) like cut-up fruit, crackers, and cheese. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.
Please stay safe you guys!
AO Opinions is another Market Research company that I get information from. Right now they are recruiting for an upcoming research study on the subject of Beverages.
Chatterbox has partnered up with Stone Brewing to give you the unique experience of trying an absolute Juicy Citrus Bomb of a beer! Stone Hazy IPA has a special hop combination with tons of orange, lemon, melon, mango and pineapple notes. It’s smooth and easy to drink so it’s perfect for craft beer lovers and Hazy IPA connoisseurs.
If you are selected, you will receive:
1 $15 Visa gift card
4 Stone Hazy IPA stickers
You must be 21 or older to be a Chatterbox for this event. This event is only open to residents of the contiguous United States EXCEPT in Louisiana, North Dakota and South Dakota. (Note: Residents of California and Texas will be selected via sweepstakes.)
You must apply by September 21st. To apply for this Chatterbox, apply here.
Q-insights is another company that I do research groups, focus groups, and online surveys to earn extra money.
They have a lot of stuff in South Orange County, and less often San Diego County. These days they are doing most of their studies online via chat or online surveys.
Right now Q-Insights is currently recruiting for an online study on the topic of Education.
Q-Insights is looking for males and females ages 22-45 for an upcoming multi-part survey.
The survey would have the following parts:
September 8 – You will need to complete a short survey and two online assessments that will take up to 2.5 hours. These can be done at your own time but must be completed on September 8th.
September 9 – You will be asked to complete another online survey and assessment that will take up to 2 hours. Again, this can be completed at your own time but must be completed on September 9th.
September 15-20 – Then between September 15th and 20th you will be sent a follow-up email with your results of the assessments and a survey about your experience, which should take no longer than 30 minutes.
If qualified and invited to participate, you will receive $375 for participating in the above 3 parts. Some participants may be asked to participate in an online interview or focus group between September 10th-16th for additional $125-$150 compensation.
To see if you qualify, please fill out the pre-screener survey here.
Y’all know how much I LOVE Grocery Outlet. Tons of great groceries and deals in the store, and they get so many incredible one-time deals. I love shopping at Grocery Outlet because I’ve tried so many new products shopping there.
Right now, Grocery Outlet is sweetening the deal of shopping there. They’ve teamed up with Dosh. Earn $2 in-store cashback on purchases $15 and up when you pay with your Dosh linked card (and remember to run your card as credit).
I shop there once a week and I’ve been earning $2 a pop for the past month or so.
And the nice way to double dip with this deal is to upload your receipt to Fetch Rewards, and a few other apps to earn additional cashback. My complete list of Smartphone savings apps can be found here.
New To Dosh? You can learn all about it here. You can earn cashback shopping in-store or online. I primarily earn cashback on Dosh these days from Office Depot and Round Table Pizza, in addition to Grocery Outlet. We used our Dosh linked card to buy Big Kid a new bed last year and scored 2% cashback, in addition to other sales/deals. Dosh is a great app to double-dip!
(The Dosh Link is my personal link, if you sign up and complete an offer, I may earn a small commission. This money helps me run the site and offer contests and giveaways. You can see my Disclosure info here.)
** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
This week Cents of Style is offering 2 different Grab Bags!
These grab bags are an ADDITIONAL 50% OFF and you can get 2 for $22 – Graphics (may contain tee or sweatshirts) or 2 for $16 on basic tees! That is OVER 70% Off the regular price! The grab bags come with TWO amazing tees or graphics which are carefully selected by the Cent of Style staff in sizes S-3X to take your everyday outfit from basic, to phenomenal! The secret from making a humdrum outfit to something outstanding is a great t-shirt.
Grab Bag 2 Basic Tees for $16
Grab Bag 2 Graphics for $22
The coupon code is GRABFAST and it makes the final prices just $16 or $22!
Who doesn’t love points? Invite friends & everyone earns big.
Now through 9/3/2021 earn 4,000 points when your friends use your code to sign up for Fetch. Even better? They’ll get 2,000 points of their own. Head to the app to start spreading the word!
If you haven’t signed up for Fetch Rewards yet, or want to learn more, check out my post here. Find the Fetch Rewards app in your app store, and when you download it and scan any receipt, use my code ND2TB when you sign up and you’ll score 2,000 bonus points. I’ve earned over $250 in rewards in 2021 alone, just by purchasing my regular groceries and scanning in all of my receipts (grocery, mass merchandiser, gas receipts, restaurants, you name it).
It is simple, takes minutes, and the points really rack up!
Hewes Family Fun 