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Learn a new Skill for Free from Craftsy!!

Abby H.1 Comment

Online Sewing ClassLooking for a good way to spend your weekend? Check out the new free mini classes from Crafsty.

Here are a few of the free mini-classes that are on my to-do list:

And here is another class I’m the MOST excited about taking…  the Perfect Pizza at Home will provide me with some tips and tricks to make our next pizza extra delish!

Want to check out the classes and see what the big deal is? Here’s the full list of Craftsy free mini classes to choose from!

 

Sometimes you can’t Adult…

Abby H.

We’ve all had those days… I’m having one today. Check out the cute shirt that Cents of Style is offering for days just like today..

 

Reg. Price- $29.95
Deal Price- $14.95 & FREE SHIPPING Just use Coupon Code: CANTADULT at checkout 

I already ordered mine…. The deal is good through tomorrow night.

Review: Multi Colored Baltic Amber Teething Necklace

Abby H.

balticamberI love amber jewelry for kids. Not only do the anti- inflammatory qualities of the succinic acid help ease fussing when it’s teething time, but I’ve found that they also help ease the day to day discomfort that little ones suffer (growing pains, etc.).
I was thrilled to receive this Amber teething necklace for my little one. She’s worn it every day for a week and I’ve noticed less fussiness. A few of the other things I like about this necklace:
-The nice drawstring bag that I store it in at night (I don’t let her sleep in the necklace).
-The fastener. It’s a screw together type, rather than a metal or plastic lobster claw.
-The knotting between each bead. I have no fear of it breaking and losing all of the beads. It’s so well constructed and knotted, it would take a lot of force to break the necklace.
The length- It’ the perfect size for a child 10+ lbs. I know my daughter will be able to wear this necklace for at least 2 years, which makes this necklace an incredible value

My older son wore an amber necklace for a few years when he was little and I could def. tell a difference when he wore it and when I forget to put it on him. I was stoked to find this necklace right after my daughter was born to continue more natural care for my daughter.

I received this necklace at no cost thanks to Baltic Wonder and Tomoson to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Helping Others: 1st Annual Cinch Sack for Scarlett’s Kids Fundraiser!

Abby H.

This year I have been fortunate enough to meet two really awesome ladies (Candi and Barbara), both of whom have children suffer at the hands of a horrible disease called Necrotizing Enterocolitis (that is a link to wikipedia- warning there are some kinda graphic photos, so it’s NSFW).

They have banded together to help other kids who are sick, and you can help too! Help sponsor a child through Scarlet’s Kids and buy cinch sacks that can be filled with goodies for children hospitalized at Rady’s Children Hospital – San Diego. Candi is partnering with Scarlet’s Kids on a yearly basis and raise funds for as many Thirty-One cinch sacks as possible. Sponsor a local child and receive a picture and their story in return. Order through Candi or online here.

You can learn more by checking out the fundraising flier below! If you have any questions, please contact Candi at cdemarestr@gmail.com.

Screen Shot 2015-06-24 at 9.19.08 AM
I am not affiliated with Thirty-one, or Scarlett’s Kids. I wanted to share an opportunity to help others with you. If you’d like to help Scarlett’s Kids in any other way, please contact Barbara at ScarletsKIDS@gmail.com. They are always looking for donations to help support their mission!

If you have a Non-Profit Project that is near and dear to you and you’d like to get the word out, shoot me an email at hewesfamilyfun@gmail.com.

Trips and tricks for saving money on your next car purchase…

Abby H.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWe had to replace Mr. C’s 14 year old Pontiac last year.  It was time. Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of friends talking about replacing their older cars that aren’t as fuel efficient or that are starting to need some pretty costly repairs.

We knew the time to replace the old, creaky Pontiac was coming, so to prepare for the new car I did the following step

  • We made a list of cars that met our qualifications: price, specific gas mileage, features (safety & comfort). With a price range in mind, we could make sure that we had enough saved for a down payment.
  • We made sure that we had room in our budget for a car payment. We paid my car off last year (an entire year early!! I rounded up payments each month to the closest $10 and when we had extra money from rebates or bonuses, I sent a few extra hundred dollars to the finance company- those things really do help!).
  • I had been saving money each paycheck for a down payment.  It wasn’t a lot of money each month, but we’ve known for about a year that the Pontiac was on it’s last legs.
  • We filed our tax returns as soon as we were able- We wanted to use the majority of our refund toward the downpayment.
  • We looked online for vehicles that fit our qualifications, we used connections (that would also provide us discounts) through our credit union, insurance carrier, and through sources like UPromise to find vehicles within our price range.
  • We went into the dealerships pre-approved for a loan through our credit union.
  • We knew what was on our credit reports and our scores (Thanks to using CreditSesame), so we knew that we could leverage that if needed to try and get a better APR.
  • I checked with our insurance carrier prior to purchasing the new car to see what the insurance premiums would look like on several cars on our list.  We needed the premiums to stay pretty much the same.

In the end we purchased a 2011 Prius from Toyota of El Cajon. The process was easy, fast (4 hours, but if you’ve bought a car, you know how long it takes), and our sales consultant, Jason Mongold, was awesome. He and his managers helped us find a car that met our criteria and budget, and they gave us a great amount for our trade-in.

Take your time and make sure you review all of your options when buying a car. Whether you buy new or used, from a dealership or private party, do your research!

Carfax Reports– learn all about the car you are about to buy (accidents, title status). Most dealerships that sell pre-owned cars will show you the CarFax report before you purchase.

KBB.com– Find out the value of your trade-in, and the value of the car you are about to purchase.

Little Man sitting in Daddy's Pontiac one last time!
Little Man sitting in Daddy’s Pontiac one last time!

What are your tips and tricks for purchasing a car?

Inexpensive Summer Fun in San Diego County!

Abby H.2 Comments

Summer is on it’s way! The kids will be out of school soon and the choruses of, “I’M BORED!” will being heard across the county.

Here are some cheap and free things that you can do this summer around San Diego County to alleviate the boredom.

Screen Shot 2015-04-24 at 5.12.31 PMThe splash ground at Santee Lakes is GREAT! It’s only $2.00 per kid to play and if you park outside the Santee Lakes, you don’t have to pay to park! Take a picnic and it’s a great frugal outing! We go at least once a week in the summer and it’s always
a GREAT time!

The Santee Lakes hosts free summer movies throughout the summer.  If you park your car outside the gates (there is lots of street parking!), there is no cost of the movies.  If you drive your car into the park, it’s $8.00 per car, regardless of how many ppl are in your car.   Bring a picnic and some blankets and kick back for a fun family movie!
Balboa Park still offers Free Tuesdays at various museums in the park.

The San Diego Reader has a list of events on their website.

San Diego County Libraries have story time and various kid events each week.  I love taking Henry to the Santee library story time, and then we play at Mast Park right next door afterwards!

El Cajon, La Mesa, and Escondido all have classic car shows/rallies each week that are free.  Most have free music too!  Check out some sweet rides, cool tunes, and have a fun frugal night with the fam!
DiscoverSD has a list of free events and classes offered in San Diego (not all are kid friendly)
Speaking of Parks- San Diego County has great parks, as do most of the cities in San Diego County! Our favorite parks include Big Rock Park in Santee, Kennedy Park in El Cajon, La Mesita/Junior Seau Park in La Mesa, Harry Griffin Park in La Mesa (great for little kids).

If you are looking for a fun drive and an adventure, The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo is really fun for kids (and adults!).

What kind of stuff do you do to keep your family entertained for free?

3 Ingredient Chocolate Cake!

Abby H.3 Comments

I love this cake recipe. It’s quick, easy, and it disappears so quickly! And the best part, it’s loaded with pumpkin, so you don’t have to feel bad about serving it to your family. It’s easy enough that you can let even the littlest chef help you prepare it without risking a total cake failure!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake

Screen Shot 2015-04-10 at 10.50.18 AMIngredients:

  • 1 Cake Mix (chocolate or Devil’s Food) I prefer the mix with pudding it it- the cake is moister
  • 1 small (approx 15 oz.) can of pumpkin
  • 1/2-1c chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)

 

Directions:

  1. In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix and pumpkin. I used an electric mixer, but you can always mix it by hand.
  2. Add chocolate chips, stir to combine.
  3. Bake as directed on cake mix packaging. If making cupcakes, do not use cupcake liners, use spray release. Remember, there is no added fat in the recipe, so you’ll need the spray release, or you’ll be picking muffin-y goodness off the cupcake liners!

Screen Shot 2015-04-10 at 10.50.28 AMThis is the yummiest, fudgiest cake you’ll ever have. This is a great cake to take to potlucks!

  • Vegan Option: Use a vegan Cake Mix, and Vegan Chocolate chips
  • GF option: Use a GF cake mix

It was so good that we snuck some cupcakes for breakfast!Screen Shot 2015-04-10 at 10.50.41 AM

We also shared it with our friends at a play date! Even our pickiest eaters gobbled up the cupcakes!