kids

Deals as low as $1 at Schoola!!

Abby H.

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Schoola is at it again! This weekend they have two great promos!

The first, and my favorite: Four days of deals as low as $1, so keep checking back. There will be new items added daily. No code needed.
Starts: Friday, February 17th, at 12:00 am Pacific Time
Ends: Monday, February 20th, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time

The second deal is pretty great, especially if you need to stock up on new to you clothes!

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60% off $60 or More
Starts: Friday, February 17th, at 12:00 am Pacific Time
Ends: Limited Time, Act Fast
Code: PREZ60

If you are new to Schoola, sign up here and you’ll receive $10 off your first order! That’s a pretty sweet deal!

In addition to offering awesome gently worn kids clothes, Schoola also gives a percentage (40%) of each sale to a school. So you can feel good twice: Once while your saving $$, and again because you are helping support a school in need.

To get started, click here. And I can’t wait to see what you have scored! I got Lil’ Man 3 shirts!

**Fine Print: Offer valid for a limited time. Discounts and credits do not apply toward the free shipping threshold or promotional minimums. Discounts are applied to the post-credit order value. New-with-tags items are not eligible for purchase with discounts or credits.**

Quick Recipe: Easy, Healthy Brownies!

Abby H.

IMGP8542.jpgIn the search for healthier yummy recipes to feed Lil’ Man, I stumbled upon a recipe for black bean brownies. Ok, so stop making that face and read on. Oh, and this one is GLUTEN FREE!!

I read the recipe, and a bunch of comments and did some more investigating online and made a few tweaks to the recipe and got to cooking.

Ingredients:

  • 1 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 T. sugar free applesauce
  • 3/4 c. cocoa powder
  • 1 T. Hazelnut extract (You could use vanilla)
  • 1 1/2 c brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 t. instant coffee crystals (optional)- I used 1 t. of very strong coffee instead.
  • 1 C. chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease a 8×8 baking dish. I used an 8 inch round baking dish.
  3. In a blender, combine all of the ingredients EXCEPT the chocolate chips. This is important.  I didn’t do this!
  4. Pour batter into greased baking dish and top with chocolate chips. Bake for 25-35 minutes.  The brownies are super fudgy. If you want cake-ier brownies, add a pinch of baking powder.

 

If you like your brownies really sweet, add 1/4 c. white sugar. I like my desserts not super sweet, so I opted to use a little less sugar, and I’ll top mine with a scoop of ice cream- Yum!

They are not bean-y.  If I didn’t know they had beans in them. I wouldn’t be able to tell.  They are very moist, fudgy brownie. And if you use a flax egg and vegan chocolate chips, you’ve got a yummy vegan recipe!

 

Saving Money in the New Year on Clothes!

Abby H.2 Comments
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The tote of clothes to grow into!

I’ve written about clothing swaps before, but I wanted to share some additional resources and tips.

Last night I was pulling out the 24 month clothes for Bitty Bird, and making a pile of 18 month clothes that she had outgrown and I thought about how there were probably other moms (and dads) doing the same thing!

I try to keep clothing in the next size up for Bitty, but Lil’ Man hasn’t bee growing very much, just wearing his clothes out, so I only have a few outfits in the next size up for him. Everything lives in a tote in her bedroom. But don’t worry, she can’t get into it. It’s part of her changing table set up.

We rely on clothing swaps and hand-me-downs for the bulk of our kids clothes. There is no reason that you have to spend thousands of dollars on dressing your kids!

Here are some tips to how we save big on kids clothes:

Trade with friends!

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The Pile of outgrown clothes!

We lucked out that a lot of our friends had girls about a year before Bitty was born. We received a bunch of hand me downs prior to her birth, and we continue to as well. This is great because I turn around and share them with friends who have kids after Bitty has grown out of them!

Handing down clothes or trading with friends is a great way to keep costs down and keep unwanted/outgrown clothes out of landfills!

Some of our favorite outfits have been hand me downs!

Check Craigslist Free Section! 

I have found tons of clothes (not just for the kids) in the free section of Craiglist. People move, or don’t have time to sell or donate clothing they no longer want. Instead they post on Craigslist! I’ve scored Jack and Janie, Gymboree, and even Nordstrom brand kids clothes all for free!

And in a similar vein:

Check out Clothing Swaps! 

Here are a few in Eastern San Diego County:

  • Finders Keepers Dates change. Usually quarterly in La Mesa
  • Skyline Church Clothing Plus Swap Takes place twice a year.
  • Pathways Church Clothing Swap Takes place once a year.
  • Foothills Church Shop and Swap Once or twice a year
  • Miss Charity’s Closet Monthly swap at Sonrise Church 8805 N. Magnolia Ave Santee, CA 92071 (2nd Saturday of each month)

And these two, while not specifically clothing swaps, do have clothing available for those in need

  • The Closet on 54th: Open 3 times a month on a Tuesday, Thursday or Friday 11:00am to 2:00pm. Located at Calvary Lutheran Church, 3060 54th Street, San Diego, CA 92105. Men, womens, and childrens clothing.
  • Naomi’s Closet: at Santee United Methodist Church 8964 N. Magnolia St. Santee, CA 92071 Wednesdays 10 AM – 12 PM and every 1st & 3rd Saturday, 9 AM – 1 PM (ladies clothing only, men are not permitted)
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My Helper, making soup for her babies.

Last night after separating and pulling out all of the outgrown clothes, I made two stacks. One was clothes to pass along to friends, and the second was clothes that were in play condition. A little wear, some staining, but still in ok shape (good for playing outside).

The play clothes I posted on our local Buy Nothing Group on Facebook.

I’m really looking forward to some clothing swaps this year! I have a bunch of clothes in my closet that I want to swap out!

Fun in Nature with Baby Wearing!

Abby H.

 

Recently, I was given the opportunity to try out a new baby carrier. I love baby wearing- It’s a great way to stay close to your little one while being active.

We hike, play, and have adventures all while babywearing. I am able to take Lil’ Man out on hikes to places that aren’t quite good for unsteady toddler feet. We can hike Cowles mountain, explore Old Mission Dam, and even pop out to the tide pools!

Screen Shot 2016-12-28 at 8.44.18 AM.pngYou can check out the carrier on Amazon here. 

It’s got a ton of pockets, which is great for stashing keys and snacks.

The kiddo rides pretty high because of a plastic saddle type insert.

Bitty Bird totally loved being up high and snuggled onto my shoulder and fell asleep.

You can also wear this as a backpack to back carry, which I love for long distance wearing, like when we go for hikes.

Pros:

  • It’s cotton, and machine washable.
  • It’s easy to put on and take off by yourself.
  • Tons of pockets

Cons:

  • Because it was made overseas, the waist strap is kinda small. If you wear over a size 20 US ladies dress size or a mens pant size 44, the waist band will not fit you.
  • (this may not be a con for some people) The child rides really high, so they are in your face.

If you like to try out this carrier, I am happy to offer a coupon code! 20% off coupon code UPWX8RBS.  This deal expires on 12/31/16.

 

Crazy8: 30% Off Entire Purchase Plus Free Shipping

Abby H.

I love Crazy8! They always have such great deals on kids clothes, but today, they are taking the cake! Just in time for holiday shopping!

30% off entire purchase, free shipping, plus additional 20% off with code CHEER at Crazy8 This includes $8 jeans, $8 PJs, $4 tees and more! Oh, but wait… Free Shipping all day!

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I’ve already found pants for Lil’ Man and a couple cute dresses for my niece!

10 Great Stocking stuffers for kids under $15

Abby H.

With the Holidays approaching, most of use have either stocking stuffers to purchase of at least one gift exchange to attend. I’ve collected 10 great frugal gifts that would be a great addition to any holiday! Most of these gifts call for creativity and imagination. They won’t need batteries or make horrible sounds (for the most part). These are all gifts I would buy (or have bought) for my kids.

  1. These hair bows for babies and toddlers are perfect for the little girls on your list. Bitty Bird loves hers.
  2. If you’ve got a crafty kiddo, this craft kit is a perfect choice. None of the crafts require scissors, just a little imagination and glue (we use Elmer’s white glue).
  3. Speaking of crafty kiddos, if you’ve got one on your list that likes to make jewelry, this Melissa & Doug bead set has over 200 beads, perfect for hours of creativity.
  5. Is your kiddo a budding scientist? We have this science kit and Lil’ Man LOVES it. There are 11 scientific experiments for kids to conduct (all with grown ups help).
  6. No science experiment is complete without a lab coat. Lil’ Man has this one. He even wore it at Halloween. He was Dr. Doofenschmirtz from Phineas & Ferb. You can see photos on my Instagram feed.
  7. Lil’ Man got this set last year for his birthday. It’s an awesome set. It’s super fun, and you can hatch and raise Triops. Think Sea Monkeys on steroids! And you can actually see the trips grow and live. It’s nifty. I think everyone in the family enjoyed it.
  8. These cool interlocking blocks. They are little man approved.
  9. Magnetic Mini Tile Kit. They would make cool refrigerator magnets!
  10. This super cute (and mess-free) stained glass set. I love anything by Melissa & Doug. They make very well made toys and their craft kits yield great keepsakes!

 

What kinds of stocking stuffers do you buy for your kids?

Help kids play with Ikea’s Let’s Play for Change!

Abby H.

play_for_changeIf you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you saw all of my crazy posts this morning from Ikea San Diego. A group of bloggers (and our kids) enjoyed breakfast in their cafe and learned out Ikea’s winter Good Cause Campaign, Let’s Play for Change, which highlights the benefits of play for all Children.

Honestly, the best part of being a kid is free time to play and learn. Children learn through play: social skills, emotional development, and so much more. Anyone shopping for the holidays at Ikea stores world wide can help the cause! For every children’s book and toy sold through November 20- December 24, 2016, the IKEA Foundation will make a donation of €1 (that’s about $1.10 USD) to projects in some of the poorest communities in the world. And you can help twice- Each store has a drop box where you can drop off purchased toys. If you buy toys at Ikea, that’s a double dip for the cause!

You can learn about the campaign by watching the video:

Ikea has partnered with Handicap International Federation, Room to Read, Save the Children, Special Olympics, UNICEF, and War Child. You can learn more about the Ikea Foundation by visiting their website.

And if you hasn’t visited Ikea lately, check out their awesome Ikea Family savings card! It’s free to sign up and you score all kinds of great deals and perks every day!

screen-shot-2016-11-20-at-3-50-18-pmIn addition to those perks, you score family only prices on tons of items each month. It’s definitely worth signing up. It’s free and easy to do.

Fun and Excitement at Medieval Times!

Abby H.1 Comment

Ok, ever since I was a kid, whenever we’d go up to Orange County to go to Knott’s Berry Farm or Disneyland, I’d beg for my parents to take us to Medieval Times. It always looked like so much fun. Welllllll, guess what? I’m excited to share this awesome promotion with you.

My Readers save at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament.  CLICK HERE and use this exclusive promo code MT3629 through 2/17/17 and receive Adults for just $36.95 and children (12 and under) only $29.95.

I’ll be taking Lil’ Man and a couple friends up to Buena Park to check out the show (and of course, enjoy dinner!), and I’ll reporting back, as well as live tweeting (and snapping pics) when I get a chance during our visit.

Lil’ Man has already informed me that he wants to be a “knight in shiny armor” next year for Halloween, so I’m sure this will solidify it!

Did you know:

* All Knights begin their training as Squires – just as they did in the Middle Ages – learning horse care, sword fighting, and weaponry. It takes a minimum of six months of training to become a Knight.

* Knights perform with real metal weapons and wear authentic armor. During battle scenes, real titanium swords create sparks.

* Every shield must be repainted after every show.

* When jousting, the Knights charge at speeds of approximately 15 to 20 miles per hour and reach an impact velocity speed of about 30 to 40 miles per hour.

* Each year, 25 foals are born at Chapel Creek Ranch, where they spend two years training.

* Our horses enjoy retirement at the ranch after 15 to 20 years of performing.

* 125,000 gallons of soup are served each year.

* Each arena is filled with about 4,455 cubic feet of sand – about the load of 10 dump trucks.

* Medieval Times is the #1 breeder of pure Spanish horses in North America.
(More information about their horses here)

Give the Gift of love each month with GrandBox!

Abby H.

It’s hard to buy gifts for Grandma and Grandpa. What do you buy for someone who has everything or limited space?  You only need so many sweaters, boxes of candy, or books…. right?

GrandBox is the original monthly subscription box customized and curated specifically for seniors 65 and up. It’s the perfect gift to bring a smile to the older loved ones in your life.

GrandBox, the subscription box for the ones who cared about you. Order yours now for the Holiday Season!

My readers get to save!
GrandBox perfect Holiday Gift for your loved ones! Save on your first purchase! Check out their website and save!

I think this would also be a great gift idea for those other older relatives that you may not be able to visit often due to distance. I know my Great-Grandmother would have loved to receive a box with a small snack or gift each month and photos of my brother and I!

I’ll have some feedback (fingers crossed) from a loved one to share soon. Who will receive it… SHHHH!! It’s a secret!

 

 

 

@usfg

Cool Character lights from 3D Light FX!

Abby H.1 Comment

With holiday shopping already in the mind of most, I am totally excited to share these cool lights from 3D Light FX with you. We saw these at Target a few weeks ago, and Lil’ Man was entranced.

His favorite is the Batman Logo. And really, who can blame him? Check out how cool it is! 3DLIGHTFX 3D Deco Lights are the perfect gift this holiday season.

They have a full range of comic book, super hero, Disney Princess, sports and car lights that look as though they are popping right out of the wall!

They are battery operated and cool to the touch so you can place them any where in the room!

Your kids will loves having these in their rooms and they’re also the perfect editions to a den, family room, man’s cave or office! Find all of these amazing products here.

No matter what you kid (or kid at heart) is into, there is a light for them!