Author: Abby H.

Brick or Treat is Coming Back at Legoland!

Abby H.1 Comment

BOT_PumpkinBuild_LLF_secondary.JPGI told the kids this morning that we’ll be going to Brick or Treat at Legoland this year, and they were so excited.

LEGOLAND® California Resort transforms into a monster mash bash for the ultimate family fun during its Brick-or-Treat Party Nights Halloween celebration, presented by Disguise Costumes, every Saturday night (Sept. 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20, & 27) at 5 p.m. with more Park after dark!  LEGOLAND® California‘s Halloween festivities is filled with sweeter treats, exciting entertainment and not-so-spooky thrills.

bot-t2-sea life.jpgAlong with 16 Treat Stations sure to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth, guests can collect specialty items such as LEGO® commemorative brick, LEGO® Life Magazine containing a special gift and enjoy a bonus treat station inside SEA LIFE® aquarium.  In addition to the treat stations, the kids can’t wait to check out:

  • Frankenbrick’s Lab, kids can partake in an interactive show with a chance to act as scientists on stage and create their own slime
  • Model Shop roof will be the home to AstroBash, a space-themed dance party that’s out of this world
  • A new pop-badge challenge in Fun Town
  • A fall festival complete with a LEGO®pumpkin patch building activity, BOOgrass Band (this is my favorite part of the night- Seriously! Everything is awesome done by a bluegrass band… it’s rad!)
  • And Bitty’s Favorite- A special LEGO® Friends meet and greet in Heartlake City, where kids can decorate their own craft

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Brick-or-Treat Party Nights is a special event and admission can be purchased for as low as $54 if purchased online in advance.  Additionally, guests can purchase a full 2nd day Resort Hopper ticket to enjoy LEGOLAND California, SEA LIFE aquarium and LEGOLAND® Water Park.  Special event ticket holders can enjoy costume contests, trick-or-treating at candy stations filled with tasty goodies and other surprises, festive music and live entertainment.

LEGOLAND California and SEA LIFE Aquarium are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on select dates throughout October.  With special event admission to Brick-or-Treat Party Nights on September 29, October 6, 13, 20 and 27, guests can extend their day until 9 p.m. at both LEGOLAND California and SEA LIFE Aquarium to enjoy all the Halloween festivities plus add on a 2nd day Resort Hopper to extend the fun all weekend long.  For exclusive savings and more information, visit www.BRICKORTREAT.com or call 760-918-5346.

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Free Upcoming Positive Parenting Classes in San Diego!

Abby H.

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Parents and caregivers: It’s ok to say that you don’t have all the answers, and it’s ok to look for help.  Jewish Family Services has a Positive Parenting Program and it’s coming to Santee next month! It’s a free class, and all you have to do to attend is call Meredith Riffel at 619-258-2345 to RSVP.

From their website, “The Positive Parenting Program (PPP) provides free parenting workshops throughout San Diego County in Head Start preschools, elementary schools, and other community sites to help parents and professionals learn how to use simple, practical, and powerful strategies to strengthen families.

Throughout our five-year history, we have served more than 5,000 families, helping 10,000 low-income preschool children communicate better, cooperate more, and show greater respect toward their parents, teachers, peers, and themselves. Nearly 97% of parents surveyed report seeing improvements in their children’s behavior!”

The best part is that childcare is provided for those of us with littles that are not in school yet!

It’s Freebie Friday!

Abby H.

8101f95433a1458fa8c2371f3b11b849.jpgIt’s Friday, and that means it’s time to celebrate making it through another week with some cool freebie offers! Here are just a few of my favorites from the past week:

Free Samples:

Free Magazines:

Free Food:

Pinecone Research: Get Paid $3 per survey!

Abby H.1 Comment
Screen Shot 2018-09-07 at 8.13.21 AM.pngPinecone Research is my favorite survey company! Right now they are looking for new panelists! Sign up to take surveys and earn $3 per survey from Pinecone Research. They only send you surveys you qualify for- no wasting time doing lengthy qualifiers.
I’ve earned over $50 this year just from Pinecone Research!
 
Only users who fit into one of the 3 demographics below will qualify: Males (regardless of age), All users aged 18-24, and all users that identify as Hispanic.
 
Pinecone will send you an email notification when you have a survey available. Complete the survey and earn points to be redeemed for either cash or prizes. Occasionally, they will send you a product to test, too.
To get started, sign up here!
If you are looking for other ways to earn cash, here is the list of side hustles I do. 

It’s Back! Earn 300 Points with Fetch Rewards! That’s a $3 Amazon GC!

Abby H.

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Fetch Rewards is hooking us all up this weekend!! Starting today, earn 3,000 bonus points every time a friend enters your code and scans their first receipt! Plus, they’ll get 3,000 points.

3,000 points is enough for its own reward and there’s no limit on the number of referrals you can make! That means every person you refer to Fetch Rewards by Sunday earns YOU a reward and THEM a reward.

Don’t miss out on your chance to earn big this weekend – the referral bonus ends Sunday night!

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So, if this seems like an app you’d enjoy, check this out: Use my code ND2TB when you sign up and you’ll score 3000 points after you scan in your first receipt with Fetch Rewards. That’s a $3 Amazon Gift Card (or whatever $3 Gift Card you choose). You can find Fetch Rewards in your app store.

You can learn more about Fetch Rewards here. I’ve been using it for about a year, and I’ve earned over $100 in Amazon GC, just by doing my regular shopping!

*In order for you and anyone you refer to qualify for the increased referral bonus, they must enter your referral code and complete a valid receipt now through 11:59 PM local time on Sunday, September 9th. After 11:59 PM on Sunday, September 9th, the referral bonus will return to 2,000 bonus points per referral.

 

Moms Meet Wow Summit 2018 60% off All Tickets This Weekend Only!

Abby H.

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Uh, yeah… This is INCREDIBLE NEWS! I love Moms Meet, and the Wow Summit was a blast when I went 3 years ago- which is the last time it was in San Diego.

It’s coming back to So Cal, in Anaheim, November 2-3, 2018. I couldn’t be more excited, and now tickets are 60% off this weekend only!

Friday is bloggers only- There are networking opportunities, workshops, meeting with brands, plus lunch from Table5 Pizza, and an evening cocktail party.

Saturday is for everyone! Get ready for a full day of learning and connecting! Moms in attendance will hear from guest speakers, attend educational workshops, and sample tons of free products in the exhibitor room. At the end of the day, you’ll walk away with an amazing goody bag!

 

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There are some amazing sponsors that I can’t wait to meet and learn more about: Table5, Solgar, CV Science, Lindsay, Don’t go Nuts, and True Made Foods, just to name a few.

If you want to buy tickets, here is the link. at 60% off with code: LABORDAY. Honestly if you live in OC/LA, it is worth the goody bag to go. Tickets for Saturday only are $39 before the 60% off!

And if you aren’t able to come, don’t worry, you can live vicariously through me, as I’ll be posting a ton of photos on Instagram!

$50 off when you join the YMCA!

Abby H.

Ya’ll know how much my family loves the YMCA- when this deal came across my desk, I had to share!

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Spending time with friends at the Y is a great way to stay connected and get healthy at the same time. Please let your friends know that new members in September will receive up to $50* to use toward a class or a program this fall.

Stop by the Welcome Center at any Y to find out how to process your referral.

* Terms and conditions apply. Credit value is based on joiner fee paid. Limit one per household. Must join by September 30, 2018. Click here for details.

And if your family is a military family, or you receive WIC, CalFresh/SNAP, or several other kinds of support, you may be eligible for a scholarship to reduce your monthly membership fee.

unnamed (2).jpgIf you are a local and you want to check out the Y, let me know- I’ve got guest passes I can share! Most of the Y locations in San Diego are offering a free day on 9/3/18 to celebrate Labor Day! 7:00am – 2:00pm, everyone is invited to the Y on Labor Day! Join us for an exercise class, a swim or a workout! Note: Cameron Family, John A. Davis and Peninsula Family YMCAs will be closed.

Let’s Start the Week with FREEBIES!

Abby H.

file000845666076We’re getting down to the end of the month, I’m 90% done with my goal list for August, and I thought it would be fun to start the week off with some awesome freebies!

Free Food:

Free Samples/Items:

 

Events:

Magazines:

Back on Track for Fall! and a $25 Amazon GC Giveaway.

Abby H.27 Comments

For most of our kids, school has either started or will start in about a week. I’ve had a rocking summer with the kids, but it’s time to get settled back into a routine for the family. I am a huge proponent of routines for kids. Having one for our family has really helped calm and allay fears of the unknown, which is huge for kids with ASD.

Not that everything has to be exactly the same every day, but knowing what will happen within a time frame gives kids (and some adults too) a certain sense of calm.

I posted at the beginning of the summer about our schedule, and it really helped. Our school year schedule is a little different, but most of our appointments are the about the same time each week.

A few other things that help us keep on track during the school year:

Screen Shot 2018-08-25 at 8.41.01 AM.pngHaving grab and go lunch items at hand. In the pantry, there is a basket filled with all kinds of lunch/snack items. Crackers, cookies, squeezy pouches, fruit snacks, fruit leathers, cups of PB/other nut/seed butters, pretzels, juice boxes, etc. On the counter we’ve got a trifle bowl (I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve made trifle in the past 11 years-but… it makes a great fruit bowl), that we will with lunchbox sized fruit: apples, tangerines, and occasionally pears. I keep the bananas separate on a little hook/stand.

I also keep a stash of frozen tubes of yogurt in the freezer, and a grip of cheese sticks either pre-packaged or home-made, depending on which is cheaper, in the fridge. What’ a home made cheese stick? Buy a big block of cheese, grab a large, sharp knife and cut the cheese into hunks resembling commercially made cheese sticks. I wrap them in saran wrap and keep them in a large zip top bag in the dairy drawer.

It takes about 15 minutes to organize the lunch stuff once a week, and it saves me a lot of time each morning.

A Pretty Solid Meal Plan. I’ve posted about meal planning so many times, and honestly, it really does help. I get a lot of magazines in the mail (free of course), and most of them are cooking magazines. I try to add a new recipe into the mix weekly.

Exercise. I know this sounds weird, but, for me, exercise is my me time. We go to our local YMCA, and the kids go to child care for up to two hours. I do an hour of cardio (and catch up on email, Facebook, or bring along a book), then do weights for about 20-40 minutes. It’s a chance to focus on my body and health. Sometimes I grab my travel bag, and toss it into my gym bag with a couple towels and go take a shower after my cardio. Taking a shower without little people interrupting you is one of life’s small luxuries. Whatever makes you happy and allows you to escape a little each day, I encourage you to explore it. 

Coffee. I’m one of those people that has to have coffee every day. It’s part of my daily ritual. I drink at least 30 ounces of coffee a day: hot, cold, heck even room temp., I don’t care. It can even be decaf. I set up to coffee maker before bed, and when we get up in the morning, there is a hot, fresh pot of coffee. And we don’t have a fancy coffee maker either… This is the coffee maker we have.

Giveaway: Let’s celebrate back to school! I’d love to hear about how you get back to it after school starts. Leave me a comment below and enter to win a $25 Amazon GC* here (This link may not be mobile friendly)! I’ll choose a winner on September 4th, 2018. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Winner subject to verification of entry tasks. Winner must reside in the USA. $25 Amazon GC will be rewarded as a digital Gift Code, emailed to the winner.

Weekly Menu Plan!

Abby H.

stemarie_1650skitchenI usually post this on Monday mornings, but I just finished organizing the pantry and freezer, so I thought I’d post it while my memory is fresh! School starts on Wednesday..Not that I’m excited or anything, but I can’t wait to get back to a routine for the entire families sake.

Breakfasts are usually the same for us: Protein shakes for grown ups, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. We have plenty of protein shake fixins’- I buy the over ripe bananas, peel and slice them pop them into ziploc bags, and freeze them for smoothies and protein shakes. I also keep sandwich ziploc bags of  other frozen fruit on hand to make the kids smoothies when they request them (a few times per week). Berries, peaches, and mangos are pretty popular.

Lunches are leftovers, salads, or a protein shake for me and the Mister, and The Big kid has a specially packed lunch of whatever he’s into at the time (which changes frequently). Bitty Bird eats whatever I’ll feed her.

For dinner, when we’ve got busy days (like Mondays), I’ll try and put something in the crockpot in the morning, or pull something I’ve already prepped out that can be quickly cooked.

Monday: Homemade frozen pizza with watermelon slices

Tuesday: Lemon Garlic Spaghetti Squash Casserole, fruit salad

Wednesday:  Chicken and veggie stir fry & Rice

Thursday: Sliders with cheese and caramelized onions on a green salad (no buns for us)

Friday: Date night- I’m thinking Ramen!

Saturday:Shakshuka– It’s a one dish meal (and it’s vegetarian!)

Sunday: Leftover night!

What are you having this week for dinner?