kids – Page 27 – Hewes Family Fun

20 Years Of Tea Collection= $20 Styles

November 4, 2022November 4, 2022Abby H.

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Tea Collection is celebrating their 20th Anniversary with a great sale. Select items (found here) are just $20 each! Dresses, rompers, shirts, and more. There are so many cute styles to choose from. Here are a few of my favorites:

This sale is the perfect chance to start holiday shopping, or pick up some clothes for the next season!

Most items included in this sale are over 50% off of their original prices!

Recipe: Smashed Potatoes

November 2, 2022November 2, 2022Abby H.

This recipe is slightly more involved than previous recipes I’ve posted, but I guarantee you excellent results, and there will be no leftovers.

It’s perfect for a family dinner or dinner party where there are a lot of people with diverse tastes.

Ingredients:

10 to 12 small yellow-skinned potatoes- I like Yukon Gold
One stick of butter
Herbs of your choice (I like this Penzeys mix. Or use any of the following together: rosemary, tarragon, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and thyme)
Spray release
1 cup of grated cheese, your choice (I prefer sharp cheddar, but I’ve also tried it with an Italian blend also and it’s quite delicious).

Directions:

Clean the potatoes thoroughly. DO NOT PEEL.
Place potatoes in a large pot with water, cook on the stove for about 15 to 20 minutes until they are fork-tender.
While the potatoes are cooking, in a separate dish combine spices of your choice, and the stick of butter. Microwave for 15 to 20 seconds until butter is melted.
Drain potatoes, do not rinse.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Either line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and coat with spray release, or use a nonstick cookie sheet, your choice.
Place potatoes approximately 1 inch apart.
Gently press down on the potatoes with the backside of a fork (or the bottom of a coffee mug if your potatoes are bigger) until they are slightly smashed.
Pour a little of the butter/herb mixture over the slightly smashed potatoes (less than a tablespoon).
Bake potatoes in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they appear to have crisp/browned.
Top each potato with a small amount of cheese (1 to 2 tablespoons).
Serve potatoes with sour cream, real bacon bits (I like the ones from Costco), or whatever toppings you and your family prefer.

As a side dish that serves 4 to 6 as a main dish serves 2 to 3. These smashed potatoes are also great with chili or a hearty salad.

2022 Holiday Resources

November 2, 2022Abby H.

I will be updating this post as more information becomes available. This year is very light on programs that are open to anyone, so I recommend that you lean on your community resources:

If you receive WIC or SNAP benefits, check in with your social worker to see if they have any information on holiday help programs. Events like Toys for Joy are being held on a referral basis only. You have to receive an invitation from the event to attend. These are being given out by social workers and those with connections to the group.
If you attend church/synagogue/mosque, check with your religious leader or the secretary/office staff. They may have referrals to programs offering holiday help.
Check with your kids’ school. Talk to the school counselor, resource teacher, or school secretary.
If you frequent local food charities or co-op’s, they may have some resources on holiday events or toy giveaways.

Here is my monthly list of free food opportunities within San Diego County. Many of the food pantries also have special holiday distributions, so it is worth a call to find out of any additional food or gift distributions will be done.

As of now, I am not aware of any free Christmas tree giveaways, however, as I gather more information, I will update this post.

The Salvation Army does an Angel Tree program to gather gifts for children in need. For more information about this program, contact your local Salvation Army location.
211 San Diego has a listing of all sorts of holiday assistance from food to toys, and events- all free. Some programs/events require proof of need, but not all.

If you live in Santee and need help with food and gifts for the holiday, contact Santee Santas. You can download and print forms, check into eligibility (it is income-based and they are very strict from what I’ve been told), and see what forms you need in addition to the application here.

The window to apply for Santee Santas is closing in a few weeks, so if you want to apply, I recommend checking their website TODAY and apply ASAP.

Talk Back: If you know of any CONFIRMED free local holiday events in 2022, please leave a comment.

Holiday Crafts at Dollar Tree!

November 1, 2022November 1, 2022Abby H.

Y’all know how much I love crafting, and that I am a frugal person too. Dollar Tree has really upped their game in the craft department. They have tons of wooden paintable items, wreath supplies, and kids craft kits (I love their ornament kits for kids).

If you have holiday events coming up where you will be crafting, this is the perfect time to take advantage of their $5.99 flat rate shipping deal!

Order supplies online in bulk for your upcoming crafty events (perfect for classroom or club holiday parties), and have them delivered to your door!

One less “thing” to do- No stores to visit, and less holiday stress!

Free Food Resources for November 2022(San Diego County)

November 1, 2022October 29, 2022Abby H.1 Comment

A new month means a reminder about all of the free food options there is here in San Diego County.

Because of the upcoming holidays, you may notice that some locations will be advertising additional distributions or special Thanksgiving or Winter Holiday meal giveaway events. As information about these events becomes available, I will be sharing them.

Keep in mind there are still supply chain issues, so there may not be a lot of food at some distributions, especially those that serve a large portion of the community.

I recommend showing up a little early with a bottle of water and a book and waiting in line. Time passes quickly in these lines, and it’s a great time to learn from others about community food options. Remember to socially distance and follow local masking regulations.

You can find resources here for Central and East County, and Here for North County.

The Rock Church, which has many locations all over San Diego County has a food and diaper pantry distribution at many of its locations throughout the month. More info can be found here.

Our friends at Faith Chapel are super ahead of the game and sent out information regarding their 2022 food distributions early on in the year.

If you are located outside San Diego County, call 211. If you are not familiar with 211, here is their website and it can point you in the right direction.

San Diego Food Bank Distributions for November 2022 can be found here. Enter your address (or just your zip code) and the map will show you all of the distributions in your area or closest to you. You can filter by the days of the week to find food when you are available. If there is an income requirement/limit to participate, each location/listing will say such. You can learn more here about the Feeding San Diego Together Tour.

Neighbor distributions are intermixed with the San Diego Food Bank Distributions, however, they have no income requirements, and you come as you are. These Distributions are primarily fruits & veg, however, some locations may also distribute canned goods, dairy, and bread.

If you know of other resources, please leave a comment! And feel free to share this post with anyone you may know in need.

10/31/2022 Weekly Meal Plan

October 31, 2022Abby H.

I’m hoping this week starts an easy descent into the end of 2022. This year has been rough, and I really need some rest.

We are finishing up with TBS therapy at about the end of the year, and it’s really been helpful for the whole family, especially the big kid. It’s been a big part of our lives over the past few months.

I went to the grocery store on Friday night. I didn’t do much meal prep this week. I was exhausted from all the driving and other work I’d done last week. So this week is going to be a lot of low-effort meals. This would be a great week for Dream Dinners, but I didn’t have time to place an order for October.

We’ll be eating a lot of vegetarian/low-meat meals this week. With the ever-increasing cost of groceries, we’re leaning on pantry staples and what’s in the freezer again for this week.

We’ve been trying a lot of new foods lately, thanks to the really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

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.

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. Lately, the big kid has been digging protein shakes in the morning. This is his favorite kind.

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. The big kid brings his lunch from home every day and the littlest buys her lunch at school about half the time. In California, all public schools provide breakfast and lunch for free.

Dinner: This week is packed as far as appointments, so I’m leaning on stuff that’s easy and tasty. I prepped fruits and veg over the weekend and made up the last Dream Dinner and portioned it into lunch-sized servings.

Monday: Protein shakes, fruit, and toast (and trick or treating)
Tuesday: Beans, Rice, and cheese bowls with roasted veggies
Wednesday: Nuggets, fruit, crackers, and cheese
Thursday: Pasta with red sauce, spinach salad
Friday: Takeout night!
Saturday: Grilled cheese sandwiches, soup, fruit
Sunday: Leftovers

Toys, Books, and Art Supplies Deals At Target This Week!

October 30, 2022October 30, 2022Abby H.

Target has some really great deals this week on toys and books- perfect for stocking up for the upcoming holidays!

Score a $5.00 Target Gift Cards when you spend $15+ on toys or books.

There are of course exclusions, click on the image and learn more.

And if that’s not enough for you, you can also score 25% off one toy with Target Circle here.

Target has started their Black Friday Sale early, and there are a lot of really great offers this week, as well as more planned throughout November.

If you have an artist in the fam, Target is offering 50% off selected Art & Writing kits this week. I know my littlest would totally dig this Sharpie set.

If you are a military veteran or active duty member, Target has a thank you discount currently- just in time for Veteran’s Day! Get 10% off two separate purchases (restrictions apply). This discount is redeemable Oct 30 – Nov 12. Click here to learn more and details on how to verify!

And remember that you can save an extra 5% at Target every time you shop with your RedCard. You can learn more and apply here or in store. This 5% stacks with other coupons, discounts, and deals.

Target also gives you a discount of five cents per reusable shopping bag that you use per transaction- just remember to bring the bags in your car into the store!

Ooly: Awesome Gifts for your Little Artist!

October 28, 2022October 28, 2022Abby H.

Recently our friends over at Ooly sent us a little box full of creativity. The kids and I love to do art, make stuff, and express our creative sides. I was stoked to receive the Rainbow Sparkle Glitter Markers, and Chunkies Paint Sticks.

Margaret and I had a blast! The glitter markers are incredible. The glitter is very fine and sticks onto the artwork, even after the marker ink has dried. We colored and colored, without any loss of color or glitter coming from the markers. Parents, I repeat: There is NO glitter transfer!!

And the Chunkies? Perfection. She loves to paint, but I don’t love the setup and mess. These Chunkies solved my problems and let her express her creativity with paint. She loved that the paint dries quickly, and it didn’t get all over her hands (issues that we’ve had with other brands of paint sticks).

Ooly has art supplies for any level of an artist, in several mediums. If you haven’t embraced your inner artist, but love planners or journaling, Ooly has you covered too. They have a pretty extensive of cool journaling and planner supplies!

They’ve put together a Gifts under $20 section, which is perfect for holiday gift exchanges, as well as 8 Bonus Boxes. OOLY’s Holiday Bonus Boxes offer an array of goods to keep you crafting, drawing, painting, and molding. Find the one that’s just right for you and bring your vision, story, or design to life! I’m picking up a bonus box for each of the kids for the winter holidays. I know the kids will love the freedom and creativity each bonus box brings.

And shopping with Ooly gets even better- Now through November 7th, score a free set of Stampables Scented Double-Ended Stamp Markers with any purchase of $60+. Details can be found here.

Disclosure: Ooly sent us samples to try without an expectation of a review, however, once I received the markers and paint sticks, I was so excited to share them with you, I jumped at the chance to share their deals. I love supporting local companies!

Tea Collection: 30% off Dressy Styles!

October 28, 2022October 28, 2022Abby H.

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

This sale is just in time for planning holiday outfits! Thanksgiving, Christmas, Channukah, Kwanza, and more! Tea Collection has so many cute special occasion outfits for babies and kids! There are coordinating styles for babies and kids, so your kiddos can wear complimentary outfits. I’m loving this Fair Isle Dress and Fair Isle Sweater- Such cute looks for the Toddler and Kiddo in your life!

Remember to use the coupon code at checkout to save!

Coupon Code: DRESS2IMPRESS
Valid Through: Friday, October 28, 2022 through Thursday, November 3, 2022
Link: https://www.teacollection.com/select-styles

Fine Print: Receive 30% off select styles at Teacollection.com. Offer valid from 10/28/2022 through 11/3/2022 at 11:59 PM PT.

10/28/2022 Friday Freebies and Deals

October 28, 2022Abby H.

This week has been a doozy friends. I’ve been driving the big kid up to and home from camp all week, in addition to working and momming. It’s about a 45 minute drive each way in the morning, and in the afternoon there is traffic, so it’s up to an hour each way. Ah, the things we do for our kiddos.

I’ve got some great freebies and deals for you this week, and today should be chock full of posts too!

Don’t forget all of the 2022 Birthday Freebies! Make sure to check this article out and sign up for birthday freebies at least 2-3 weeks before your birthday.

Freebies:

Free Perfect Bar After Rebte
Free RIND Snacks Product at Select Stores
Free Hallmark Card Every Month
Free Bulgari Le Gemme Tygar Fragrance Sample
Cotton Patch Cafe -Dress Like a Chicken & Get a Free Dessert
25 Free Disney Movie Insiders Points
Free Sample of Creed Aventus for Her
Free Bloomingdale’s Dior Little Beauty Box
Free Box of Cappello’s Ravioli at Select Stores
Free Prada Paradoxe Fragrance Sample
Free Haircut for Vets & Military at Great Clips
Free Josh Cellars Reserve Personalized Wine Bottle Labels
Free Clusterbucks Superfood Snack
Free Member’s Mark Coffee Pods at Sam’s
Free Sesame Street Fire Safety Color & Learn Activity Book
Free Subscription to Harper’s Bazaar Magazine
Free MA Novelty Treats Boutique Stickers
Free Sadler’s Smokehouse Brisket Burnt Ends
Free La Roche-Posay Anthelios UV Correct Sunscreen Sample
Free Yogi Tea Samples
Free Michele’s Granola
Free Books, Journals, Stickers & More
Free ELF Primer or Serum
Free Walmart Welcome Baby Registry Box
Free Lupii Plant-Based Protein Bar
Free Copy of the Jiffy Mix Recipe Booklet
Free Meal & Drink for Military at BJ’s on Nov. 11th
Free 4-Pack BioSteel Sports Drink at Select Stores
Free 4pk of Chick-n-Minis at Chick-fil-A
Free Doughnut & Coffee for 1st Responders at Krispy Kreme
Free Bag of Chubby Snacks After Rebate
Free BrightFarms Crunch Kit Salad After Rebate
Free Pantene Daily Moisture Renewa at Select Stores
Free La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-In Milk Sunscreen Sample