kids

At Home Educational Opportunities for Kids!

Abby H.

Most of us are burned the heck out from distance learning, hybrid learning, or jumping feet first into homeschooling. This last year has put us through the wringer.

I’ve been doing some research on apps, online programs, and ways for my kids to learn without them feeling like the weight of school is pressing down on them. I’m tired of Zoom Meetings, regardless of what they are for (the least useful for me at least was the telehealth appointment for physical therapy for one of the kids).

Here are some of the cool stuff I’ve found:

I’m sure most of you have heard of ABC Mouse. Right now when you sign up and receive a 30 Day FREE Trial of ABCmouse.
When I discovered this deal, I signed up for it. Bitty Bird needs a little help with phonics and reading, and I figured with a deal like this, we should give ABC Mouse a shot.

Membership includes: 8,500+ Learning Activities, Access on All Devices, Comprehensive Online Learning, and Advanced Progress Tracking.

Add up to 3 children for the price of one.

If your kiddo is older than 2nd grade, ABCMouse isn’t for you, but there is still a great program for your big kiddos!

Adventure Academy is a great way for older kids to learn, and you can try the first 30 days free.

Membership includes: 8,500+ Learning Activities, Access on All Devices, Comprehensive Online Learning and Advanced Progress Tracking

Add up to 3 children for the price of one.

 

And did you know that Hooked on Phonics is still around? Your first month is $1!

Here ‘s What You’ll Get Monthly:

  • Unlimited access to the Learn to Read app
  • Get a FREE Disney Bookbag with your welcome package. Your FREE gift will be automatically added to your cart. Offer valid for new members only.
  • Workbooks that direct you through each step of the program
  • 2 or 3 books specifically written to reinforce the lessons learned
  • Discussion questions about each book designed to strengthen reading comprehension.
  • Celebration stickers to reward reading milestones
  • Tips & ideas on how to extend the learning at home and on the go
And one of my favorite freebies is the amazing varieties of free Kindle e-books available on Amazon when you have a subscription to Amazon Prime!

Legoland California Update! Build and Play and More!

Abby H.

My kids miss Legoland California like whoah. I won’t lie, I miss Grannie’s Apple Fries. I got an email from Legoland California this morning about some upcoming openings in the park and at the hotel.

LEGOLAND® California Resort’s “Build ‘N Play” Days starting March 5, 2021.  This new experience offers guests a chance to explore play structures within the Park such as Kai’s Spinners and Cole’s Rock Climb in LEGO® NINJAGO® World and DUPLO® Playtown, building activities, a scavenger hunt in Miniland U.S.A., live entertainment, character meet and greets, shopping at The Big Shop and more!

With ticket prices starting at $19.99, Build ‘N Play activities include a Miniland dance party where guests can do the LEGO limbo, design their own Minifigure on the roof of the Model Shop, rock out to live musical appearances in Fun Town, and taste crazy food concoctions such as deconstructed S’mores and colorful churros. Two building activities have been designed to stretch children’s imaginations with separate sanitized brick packs and space for children’s creations to stay on display each weekend.

And this is the part that is super exciting to me (and I know the kids will dig it too)…

LEGOLAND® Castle Hotel guests can double their splashing fun by having exclusive access to LEGO® CHIMA™ Water Park! From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on visits between March 12 and May 2, Cragger’s Swamp, Lion Temple Wave Pool, Build-a-Boat, and Wolves’ Den Grill is open exclusively to Hotel guests.

Guests at LEGOLAND Castle Hotel can see movies outdoors at night, enjoy an outdoor play structure, listen to bedtime stories and meet their favorite LEGOLAND costume characters! Reservations for LEGOLAND Castle Hotel can be made online and guests can choose from three different room themes: Knights and Dragons, Royal Princess, or Magic Wizard rooms. Breakfast take out plus lunch and dinner take out and dine-outside options are available plus an in-room treasure hunt for the kids.

I’m going to start saving our pennies and see if we can make this happen over Spring Break! We’ve been to Legoland so many times, but we’ve never been to the water park. Both kids love Legoland, especially Chima and Ninjago-themed activities and rides.

Hit Your Fundraising Goals with Dream Dinners!

Abby H.

Fundraising is usually not fun. Having kids sell wrapping paper, candy bars, Entertainment Books..ugh. It’s hard because it’s usually something that not everyone needs.

Dream Dinners wants to help you with a fun, successful fundraiser! Everyone eats, and this fundraiser not only supports your local nonprofit but gives caregivers extra time (most Dream Dinners take about 30 minutes to prepare and serve) around dinner time. The menu options for March are super yummy, and there are lots of kid friendly options!

March Matchness VR Email Header 2Host a fundraising event for you during our March Matchness campaign! In past years, Dream Dinners has raised more than $20,000 each March for non-profits around the country. This year, Dream Dinners will provide a match of up to $500 to the top ten fundraisers in March!

Due to COVID-19, they’ve adjusted their in-store fundraising events to take place as a socially safe, curbside pickup at our store. Here’s how it works:

Calendar IconChoose a date and time for your curbside fundraiser. Do you plan on having a lot of people attend? Dream Dinners can book multiple dates and times!
Chat Bubble IconInvite guests to your fundraiser event. Dream Dinners provides PDF invitations and content for you to share on social media!
Piggy Bank IconYour guests will pay $50 to attend and each attendee* will receive three medium-size meals (nine total servings) to take home and enjoy with their family. Your organization will earn a portion of the sales from each order!
Heart Plate IconRaise an extra $20 for each guest that places a follow-up order at Dream Dinners!
The Dream Dinners fundraisers are perfect for local nonprofits, including school groups, sports teams, animal rescues, food banks, churches, and other causes. Contact Dream Dinners today for more information and to book your curbside fundraiser event at Dream Dinners!

The La Mesa Dream Dinners Team can be contacted via phone at 619-460-6800

*One fundraiser order per household.

Talk Back: I’d love to hear about your favorite fundraising techniques for your local nonprofit!

Virtual Moms Meet Wow Summit is Next Month!

Abby H.

In less than a month I’m attending the Moms Meet Virtual WOW Summit!

I’m so excited to be attending the Moms Meet Virtual WOW Summit! This three-day online event is focused on raising happy and healthy families, and you can do it all from the comfort of your own home! Join Moms Meet and me for Virtual WOW Summit from March 9–11.

From attending educational workshops and hearing from compelling speakers to networking with like-minded moms, you’ll walk away equipped with the knowledge you need to raise a happy and healthy family. The best part—it’s totally free to attend if you are a member of Moms Meet (and joining Moms Meet is free)! There’s even a unique Track just for bloggers and influencers. Learn more here.

I’ve been to two Wow Summits in the past- It’s an amazing experience, definitely an event worth your time!

New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!

Abby H.

 If you are into Organic/Natural/Healthy products, then Social Nature is up your alley. Sign up and apply to sample products that you are interested in. I get probably 1-2 products to sample each month. And most of the time it’s full-size products, not just a tiny sample.

Most of the time, Social Nature will mail me a coupon for a free product and I go to my local Target, Sprouts, or other retailer and pick up the item. I’ve gotten products valued at $20+ too. I recently sampled and reviewed skincare products, kombucha, frozen entrees, and veggie burgers to name a few.

Right now there about a dozen new products that you can apply to try from Social Nature!

And one of the things I love about Social nature is that they don’t leave our friends with food allergies out. There are sampling offers for Gluten-free, nut-free, meat-free foods frequently.

Canadian Friends- You are in luck, there are sampling opportunities for you too!

 

Fun Hair Colors from Sally Beauty!

Abby H.

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

One of the ways that we’ve combated boredom through the stay at home orders over the past 11 months is by coloring our hair bright, fun colors! Little Bit has had various shades of pink, and I even did “mermaid” hair for her. I wasn’t sure exactly what she meant, so we did pink, purple, and teal. Pink was the all-over color and she had highlights of purple and teal. It was a hit!

We rely a lot on Sally Beauty for bright colored dye. For the Kids, I use Color Jamz Semi-Permanent Color. They have a lot of great colors (19), and they last about 2-3 weeks.

One bottle is usually good for 2-3 all over colorings, but you may get more or less usage depending on the length, thickness, and texture of your hair.

For myself, I prefer Inspired By Nature from Ion (Also available at Sally). It’s a permanent color, so you will need a developer too. I’ve been using Medium Plum, and it’s unlike any other purple hair color I’ve ever used. It has minimal fade, and leaves my hair so soft and manageable!

If you are looking for more short term color, Check out color sprays or hair chalk.

If you are new to coloring your hair, Sally beauty has step by step tutorials to achieve salon-quality results at home.

 

 

Simple, Frugal Recipe: Coffee Cake!

Abby H.

I love coffee cake. I always have. It’s a quick, easy, frugal food to make for potlucks, or when you have company over for breakfast or brunch. Or because it’s Tuesday.

A few weeks back, Social Nature and Bob’s Red Mill sent us a Blueberry muffin grain-free mix. I don’t have a muffin tin (RIP muffin tin, it served us well for 10+ years), and the kit came with a recipe to use the mix for a coffee cake. HELLS YES.

The kids gobbled the cake up and the big kid asked if there was a way to make a coffee cake without a mix.

A quick glance at my handy dandy 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook and here is my version of the recipe. I have made found the perfect recipe. I’ve made some changes that are a little healthier, a little more modern, but don’t mess with the flavors at all.

Betty’s Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping

 

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 cups AP Flour (You can use whole wheat flour if you prefer)
  • 2 tsp. baking POWDER
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 2 Tbsp. AP flour
  • 2 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp. melted butter
  • (optional, but tasty) 1/2 C. chopped pecans

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine white sugar, softened butter. Mix together until fluffy.
  3. Add egg and blend thoroughly.
  4. Stir in milk, and the dry ingredients. Mix until the batter is smooth.
  5. Pour and spread batter in greased (use spray release) 9×9 glass baking dish.
  6. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, remaining AP flour, cinnamon, melted butter, and pecans (optional). Spread this crumbly mixture over top of the baking dish.
  7. Bake cake for 25-32 minutes.

Serve with coffee (DUH), or a glass of cold milk.

2/8/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgThankfully, this week is going to be a lot slower than last, but still, we’ve got at least one appointment or function each day.

I did a little shopping yesterday (we were out of tin foil and baggies for school lunches and leftovers), but I may hold off on shopping until mid-week. we’ve got a lot of stuff in the fridge and pantry, and if we could skip a week of shopping and just eat what’s on hand… That would be great! Everything on the meal plan below is from what we have onhand.

I received a couple Amazon GC for my birthday, and I picked up some teas to replenish my stash, and I traded in the empty cartridge for our Soda Stream for 50% off a new one a few weeks back, so we are good on beverages too.

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 like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

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.  The kids are nuts about pancakes. The Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Lunch: The little kiddo and I usually have something quick and filling (I’ve been prepping bean and rice bowls on Sundays for us to have during week) so we can get back to our adventures.  Big kid takes his lunch to school. He’s been digging on Bear naked protein granola in his lunch lately. It’s his new favorite.

Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday:  Leftovers (Pizza, Pasta, Chicken and veggies)
  • Monday: Chicken Alfredo & Brocolli
  • Tuesday:  BBQ Chicken (in the slowcooker), baked sweet potatoes, Rice (or maybe a salad)
  • Wednesday: Meatloaf, Salad, mashed potatoes
  • Thursday: Protein shakes, Meal of Snacks
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Fiesta

Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.

Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?

Food Resources for February 2021 (San Diego County)

Abby H.

I’ve decided to put together a monthly round-up of food resources for San Diego County.

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

Neighborhood Distributions for February 2021:

These Distributions are primarily produce/fruits & veg, however, some locations may also distribute canned goods, dairy, and bread.

Super Pantry Locations can be found here (this listing is countywide).

If you have a child attending public school in San Diego County, check to see if your school distributes free lunches daily.

In Eastern San Diego County, Grossmont Union High School District schools are distributing lunches to kids ages 2-18, Monday through Friday at various times (Check your closest school to find out exact times and locations within each school). They also do Pizza Fridays, where each kid receives a pizza, drink, salad, plus food to be eaten over the weekend. It is definitely more than enough food to keep kids fed over the weekend.

 

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

 

 

 

 

February Fundraising Program at Mabel’s Labels – Earn 30% off Sitewide

Abby H.

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

Is your school or scouting organization looking for a contactless fundraiser? Schools and other organizations still need to fundraise and keep kids safe during the pandemic.

Mabel’s Labels fundraising program is an easy and practical way to raise funds for your school, daycare, team, camp or organization while ensuring kids’ belongings stay out of the lost-and-found.

• No sales pressure and no set end date. Just sign up and make 20% commission on all sales!
• No distribution or sorting! Supporters order online and Mabel’s Labels sends their labels directly to them.
• Quick online ordering for your supporters, plus FREE shipping.
• Free digital and hard copy flyers to help promote your campaign.

*30% off coupon valid through July 31, 2021*

View more about the fundraising program here!