3/25/2023 KPBS Be My Neighbor Day!

My kids loved Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood when they were tiny. I watched Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood when I was little. I love the lessons of kindness, sharing, and how Daniel and the whole Land of Make Believe gang live and work together to make their world a better place.

So imagine how excited I was when KPBS reached out to share Be My Neighbor Day.

In celebration of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (DTN) and PNC Grow Up Great® (an initiative of The PNC Financial Services Group), Fred Rogers Productions is working with PBS stations across the country to host Be My Neighbor Day community events. Building on the values and themes of DTN, the events are used as an opportunity for member stations to collaborate with new and existing partners while promoting local volunteerism, family engagement, and community development.

KPBS is excited to join forces with local community partners to host San Diego’s first-ever Be My Neighbor Day on Saturday, March 25 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the KPBS station on the San Diego State University campus. Young children (ages 0-8) and their families will celebrate kindness and learn how their neighbors are working to improve our region’s natural environment (and preserve the planet!) through interactive displays and meaningful activities. Current exhibitors include America’s Finest Charter School, Climate Science Alliance, Girl Scouts San Diego, Japanese Friendship Garden Society of San Diego, Living Coast Discovery Center, Salk Education Outreach, San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum, and the SDSU Office of Energy and Sustainability.

If you and your family want to check out Be My Neighbor Day, click here.

Low Cost Laptops and Desktops from C2K (San Diego County)

Does your school age kiddo need a laptop or desktop for school work?

Do you live in San Diego County?

If you answered yes to both of these, check out this awesome program from North County Regional Education Center in San Marcos.

Sign up here by October 31, 2022 to take advantage of this event, which takes place on November 5, 2022.

There are two laptops and one desktop to choose from, and the prices start at $100, which is a really great deal.

If you have any questions, please call 858-200-9788 or email programs@c2sdk.org.

Grossmont Healthcare District Open House!

This was in my email this morning, and in the past, the Grossmont Healthcare District has had some really fun events, including an open house last year where I won a set of pots and pans!

The open house is on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, 10 AM – 1 PM. At 10:30 AM, a brief program in the auditorium will feature highlights of the hospital, library, and district history. Then stay for:

  • Enjoy free food and beverages
  • Live music from Paul Nichols, Intentional Healing Music
  • A community painting project with Linda Bounds, new stARTs therapeutic arts program
  • A walking art tour with Carol Lockwood, La Mesa Historical Society
  • Crafts in the Library
  • A drumming fitness class
  • A scavenger hunt and more

 

The Library address is 9001 WAKARUSA ST. LA MESA, CA 91942. More info and RSVP information can be found here.

2022 San Diego Halloween Events!

It’s that time of year: Spooky Season! We’ve got our Halloween decor up, and I’ve started the kid’s costumes. They love wearing their costumes as much as possible, so we’re always looking for fun Halloween events.

Here are just a few that are big hits with my little ghouls:

As more events pop up I will add to this post, and post on Social Media as well.

Talk Back- If you know of any free Halloween events in San Diego, please leave a comment!

 

 

 

Dream Dinners: 8 Meals in The September Mini Bundle

It’s that time again! La Mesa Dream Dinners mini order is perfect if 12 is too many meals this month. By Friday, September 16th at 9am, you can order this mini bundle for just $189 for 8 medium-size meals. You can cross grocery shopping and meal prep off your to-do list, giving you more time to savor time with your family and friends!

The September Dinner Bundle includes:

  1. Arroz con Pollo
  2. Outlaw Chicken Burgers with Crispy Shoestring Fries
  3. Chateau Chicken with Almond Butter Sauce
  4. Meatball Marinara Stuffed French Bread
  5. Creamy Pesto Tortellini
  6. New Orleans Jambalaya
  7. Central Park Garlic Chicken with Creamy Herbed Peas
  8. Lucky Dragon Pork Tenderloin with Jasmine Rice

This limited-time offer ends on Friday, September 16th at 9am! Call or Text 619-460-6800 or email lamesaca@dreamdinners.com to reserve yours.

Free Food Resources for September 2022 (San Diego County)

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

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.

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 September 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.

Comic Con 2022 is Coming!

San Diego Comic-Con will be back in town July 21-24 at the convention center downtown. If you haven’t bought or won tickets (most radio stations give away tickets in the weeks leading up to the event) don’t fret, there are tons of free and cheap events and fun to be had outside Comic-Con in the general Gaslamp area.

There is usually an area between the New Children’s Museum and the Trolley Tracks that is chock full of fun events and demos, and behind the convention center there has been movie and cartoon screenings on the grassy area.

Here are a few events that have caught my attention:

Outside Comic Con has great info on offsite events.

If you want to wear a costume, here are my tips for doing it on the cheap.  We’re not going this year, it’s very hard to navigate with inattentive kids, and really, I don’t feel safe being in crowds that size.

Regardless of your costume status, my recommendation is to wear comfy shoes, ’cause you will be walking a lot! And bring a refillable water bottle. And a snack (protein bars are great!). And a camera (or really, just your phone these days!).

7/14/2022 Kung Fu Panda Day at the San Diego Zoo!

To Celebrate the new Kung Fu Panda Series coming to Netflix, head on down to check out the fun at the San Diego Zoo on July 14, 2022.

Celebrate with:

  • face painting
  • photo booth
  • giveaways and more!

And once you get home from the fun, check out the new series on Netflix, launching the same day!

Kung Fu Panda: Dragon Knight

SYNOPSIS: Jack Black returns to KUNG FU PANDA in the new series KUNG FU PANDA: THE DRAGON KNIGHT. When a mysterious pair of weasels set their sights on a collection of four powerful weapons, Po must leave his home to embark on a globe-trotting quest for redemption and justice that finds him partnered up with a no-nonsense English knight named Wandering Blade. Together, these two mismatched warriors set out on an epic adventure to find the magical weapons first and save the world from destruction — and they may even learn a thing or two from each other along the way.

Notable Voice Cast:  Jack Black as Po, Rita Ora as Wandering Blade, James Hong as Mr. Ping, Chris Geere as Klaus Dumont, Della Saba as Veruca Dumont, Rahnuma Panthaky as Rukhmini, Ed Weeks as Colin and Amy Hill as Pei Pei

Executive Producer: Peter Hastings (Captain Underpants TV; Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness) and Shaunt Nigoghossian (Blood of Zeus)

Co-Executive Producers: Chris Amick and Ben Mekler (Kipo)

Animation Studio: DreamWorks Animation

Based on: The popular Kung Fu Panda Film Series

7/15/2022 An All Inclusive Day of Play for Families!

We’ve gone to this event in the past, and it’s always a fun time with great resources.

FREE community event with activities, games, crafts, raffles, shopping, and resource booths for families of all abilities.

Activity Stations for kids including favorites:

  • Light Saber Creation Station
  • Jurassic Photo Op
  • Under-the-Sea Sensory Tent
  • Super Wheelchair Course
  • many more!

Family Resources & Networking  – Resource and service providers will be on-site to speak with parents and offer helpful information. Be sure to pick up a copy of Flourishing Families and San Diego Family at the Special Needs Resource Foundation of San Diego booth.

Sign up for your FREE TICKETS here.

6/25/2022 Zero Waste Fair!

Thanks to our friends at I Love A Clean San Diego, there is a super fun and green event tomorrow.

In partnership with the City of Encinitas, I Love a Clean San Diego will be hosting the seventh annual Zero Waste Fair on Saturday, June 25, 2022, from 10 AM-1 PM.

Our Zero Waste Fair is back in person this year at the EUSD Farm Lab in Encinitas! Come ready to experience a wide array of zero-waste activities, including informative presentations, booths from sustainable companies, and hands-on low-waste DIYs.

This one-of-a-kind event will highlight tips on low-waste living, composting, recycling, sustainable swaps for everyday products, and more. Attendees will also have the opportunity to discover local zero-waste businesses, and win eco-conscious prizes!

To learn more or RSVP, check out the event site here.