Looking for a new cover-up for the beach, or do you really love kimonos?
Check out this sweet deal from our friends at Cents of Style. Kimonos are only $9.99 with a coupon code this week! There are 8 styles still available.
The coupon code for this deal is CLOSEOUT and it will make them ALL UNDER $20 and starting at $9.99! The code will be active until 8/8 at midnight. FREE shipping over $40!
AO Opinions is another Market Research company that I get information from. Right now they are recruiting for an upcoming research study on the subject of Parenting.
To be considered for this study, complete the pre-screener here.
Not everyone who completes the pre-screener will qualify.
I’ve been a fan of Fetch since 2017, and my love increases each day.
And now that Back to School season is in full swing, Fetch has some great deals and potential freebies!
Not long ago, I posted about the General Mills Good Rewards in the Fetch Rewards App. They are adding more (and better) deals, especially for the back-to-school season. Breakfast, lunch, snacks- Your kiddos are going to be noshing to their hearts’ delight, and you’ll be saving the big bucks.
If you aren’t already using Fetch Rewards, signing up is quick and easy! You learn more when you check out my post here. Find the Fetch Rewards app in your app store, and when you download it and scan any receipt, use my code ND2TB when you sign up and you’ll score 2,000 bonus points. I’ve earned $158 so far in 2022 just by purchasing my regular groceries and scanning all of my receipts (grocery, mass merchandiser, gas receipts, restaurants, you name it).
Q-insights is another company where I do research groups, focus groups, and online surveys to earn extra money.
They have a lot of stuff in South Orange County, and less often San Diego County. This upcoming survey takes place virtually!
Q-Insights is currently recruiting for an online focus group, the study will be from August 15th & 16 and Aug 23 & 24 and you will be compensated $150.00 as a thank you for your time. The topic of this study is Higher Education.
If you are interested in participating, please fill out the survey here. If you pre-qualify someone from Q-Insights will call you to ask some additional qualifying questions.
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 August 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.
It’s back! I posted earlier this year about the credit on your April bill, and now we are getting credits in both August and September!
This August* your utility bill will include an electric credit identified as the “California Climate Credit.” Your household and millions of others throughout the state will receive this credit on your utility bills.
In the past years, the electric credit was applied in April and October, and the gas credit was applied in April. For 2020-2022, the California Public Utilities Commission authorized SDG&E to temporarily shift the electric credit to be applied in August and September.
Changing the distribution months will not change the total value of the climate credits you receive in a year. The shift will provide bill relief for customers – during what are typically the hottest months of the year – and reduce bill volatility.
The gas credit will continue to be applied in April. In 2023, the climate credit will revert back to its original timing of April and October unless the Commission directs otherwise.
The California Climate Credit is part of California’s efforts to fight climate change. This credit is from a state program that requires power plants, natural gas providers, and other large industries that emit greenhouse gases, to buy carbon pollution permits.
The credit on your bill is your share of the payments from the State’s program. The Climate Credit is one of many programs resulting from landmark legislation called the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.
The California Climate Credit is one way Californians are working towards a zero-carbon state. Find other ideas for energy and money-saving upgrades for your home while reducing your carbon footprint at energyupgradeca.org/the-movement.
And if you are looking for more ways to save energy and money, check out Ohm Connect! We’ve been using Ohm Connect for 5+ years and we’ve saved thousands of dollars on our power bill, and earned thousands of dollars in gift cards and cash via PayPal!
I cashed out some of our points for a $10 Amazon Gift card a few weeks ago, and we almost have enough for another Amazon Gift Card!
Q-insights is another company where I do research groups, focus groups, and online surveys to earn extra money.
They have a lot of stuff in South Orange County, and less often San Diego County. This upcoming survey takes place virtually!
Q-Insights is currently recruiting Males and Females ages 20-49 that currently have a Samsung Galaxy or Apple iPhone and currently use the Samsung SmartThings app on their phone and have it connected to devices in your home.
This is a 2-hour Zoom call that would pay $200 for your time.
If you are interested in participating, please fill out the survey here. If you pre-qualify someone from Q-Insights will call you to ask some additional qualifying questions.
Sprouts is hooking us up and helping us stay healthy! Every month on the Sprouts app in the Digital Coupon section, there are between 4-6 free items (they are marked “SAMPLING PROGRAM”).
Quantities are limited on the app, so if you are interested in any of these, I recommend that you add these coupons (by opening the Sprouts app, click on digital coupons, and click on each coupon in the lower corner where the little green circle is) to your app ASAP.
Not all Sprouts locations will have these freebies, so I suggest trying larger Sprouts locations in your area.
These are full-sized freebies- not small sample-sized products. they are located in the store with the other products of the same type.
Not all accounts will receive all the same products.
This weekend was a busy 48 hours. Martial arts, mental health appointment, birthday party, tie dye prep, and I got up early yesterday (thanks to the kids) and spent a few hours prepping and roasting veggies, making sweet rolls, and reorganizing the fridge and freezer.
Summer break is here! We’ve got all sorts of adventures planned, you can check out some of our adventures here.
This week is going to be leaning a lot on the prep I did yesterday and a few casseroles in the freezer. I’m hitting up the grocery store for just a few things we need, and I should be able to stay out of the store the rest of the week.
No CSA boxes until the weather cools down and I can be home when the boxes are delivered. With the heat and the lack of shade on my patio, if we aren’t home when it’s delivered, some of the more delicate foods can spoil.
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. I received a few more coupons over the weekend, so I’ll visit Sprouts sometime this week to pick up the new foods. I’m focusing on snacks and treats from Social Nature.
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. This is really helpful for the summer when for some reason, kids are starving all the time.
Dinner: I’ve got a couple casseroles/freezer meals this week, and other than that we’re eating easy and quick stuff so I can spend time playing, coloring, building legos, and swimming, which is the plan for the week.
Monday: Chicken nuggets, Buttered noodles, fruit, cheese & crackers
Tuesday: Chicken Alfredo bake, roasted veggies, salad
Wednesday: Salad, quesadillas, fruit
Thursday: Chicken Pesto Lasagna, fruit, salad
Earlier this week my friend Sam posted on Facebook, “Neurodivergent Friends what are some tools you use with others that help you with daily life, communication, relationships?”
A few friends posted that they needed help with meal prep, day-to-day stuff, and as y’all know, that’s my bag, baby!
Both my kids are Neurodivergent (ADHD/ASD and ADHD), and their dad has ADHD (combined type/ C) and because of that, we’ve had to make some adjustments to our daily life and how we function. And while our processes and schedules may not work for everyone, hopefully, these tips give you some idea and hope if you need it.
Some of these directly affect/benefit the kids, and some make my life easier, which in turn makes their lives easier.
Having an accurate(ish) pantry, fridge, and freezer inventory. I have made my own sheets in the past (using Canva), but the ones from Organized Home are great.
Meal Prep and meal planning (this includes using Dream Dinners once every few months). This frees up time each night to read, hang out, bathe, and get kids ready for bed.
Meal Prep can be as easy as cut up veggies, fruit, pre-portioned foods, and easy meals or side dishes prepared in advance that only need to be heated up to avoid wasting money eating out because “there is nothing to eat”. Also having one night for take-out. And I have a whiteboard that lists our meal plan for the week- I try and post it weekly on Instagram.
The Snack Box- I also organized our fridge and pantry to be more ND-friendly. Stuff that should be eaten (healthy food like fruit, cheese sticks, yogurt, etc.) is at kid eye level in clear packaging and is labeled (I use expo markers on my Rubbermaid containers), and I have a “Snack box” in the pantry that is available 24/7 for hungry faces. It’s got individually portioned shelf-stable snacks and meal components. And on days when I am too tired/rushed to cook we have “Meal of snacks” where I serve a variety of snacks on old-school sectioned cafeteria trays- fruits, veggies, crackers, cheese, cookies, and a drink (juice or iced tea is a hit).
We have a list of snacks on the fridge so the kids know what there is to snack on. It is a visual list (I drew it), and when we are out of specific items, I cover the picture with a piece of posit note.
Calendars– in the kitchen, and one in each bedroom. I update them weekly, plus the grownups use the calendars on their phones and we have a shared family calendar. Kids get reminders each day in the morning and afternoon of any appointments or events that will take place during the day. The visual and auditory reminders really help cement the appointment in their mind.
Visual reminders– next to the front door at eye level there is a sign that reminds us we need: cellphone, wallet, keys, and garage door opener. It’s laminated.
Visual schedule– this is mainly for the kids. I drew up a daily schedule using words and pictures. I wrote a post about it here.
Lists– Everyone has a “Care tasks” list each week that includes appts, returning borrowed items, and tasks to do throughout the week. You can read about my weekly Care Tasks here.
Larger font digital clock with day of the week, date, and what part of the day (morning, afternoon, evening, night). The kids can read a clock, but it can take time to engage their brains and count by 5’s, but the “old people clock” as it was marketed on Amazon helps them instantly and helps a lot with the “is it time for xxxxx yet?!?!”
Using your phone to stay on top of details- I saw this on Facebook in a group and I’ve started doing this. If you have an iPhone, there is a notes section in each contact. I’ve seen them used to keep track of favorite fast food at various restaurants, favorite foods/drinks, clothing sizes and brands, favorite colors, birthdays, and anniversaries. It’s such a game changer.
The fidget/stim box– we have a plastic box full of fidget/stim toys for everyone to grab when they need to focus. And everyone has some in their room too. This includes headphones to cut down on loud sounds (I buy the landscapers kind from harbor freight). We have 3 pairs in the house and two pairs in the car. For those not familiar- fidget toys can help calm the body so the mind can focus.
Some favorites include pop-its, hand strengthening eggs, fidget cubes, fidget spinners, stretchy tubes, pop tubes, and stress balls (the kind with Orbeez are super satisfying). Amazon sells really great fidget toys mutli-packs.
Medication Boxes- We refill our medication boxes each week (both AM and PM). The three of us take our meds together each morning at breakfast time. Our medication boxes live on the kitchen counter, along with our pill minders: Jon Cena and Skeletor.
Stuff has a place– The kid’s shoes and backpacks are always by the door during the school year, ready to be cleaned out and refilled each night. My car keys and purse live in the same spot, the pool key has a special spot. The extra toilet paper and paper towels are always in the same spot (under the front bathroom sink). These are just a few examples of the ways that we remind ourselves and create routines. Creating routines can give us a sense of normalcy and be calming.
The Family Binder– One last thing that doesn’t directly “help” the kids but helps the family, especially in times of emergency is the family binder. I’ve had one since 2010 in various incarnations. I have a really old post about it here. It’s basically my brain in paper form. It’s got all of our important papers, insurance info, important phone numbers, policy numbers, warranty information, receipts for expensive/valuable stuff, copies of most recent IEPS, copies of diagnosis paperwork, lists of everyone’s meds, doctors info, etc. Think of it as all the info you’d need if you lost power for an extended period, your house burned down, or there was a tornado.
There are a lot of other things that we do in our home to help the kids- keep them safe, regulated, and happy. The stuff listed above is just a small sample. Everyone’s home runs differently. And this was and continues to be a lot of work. The examples above are continually changing, and evolving in our home, and are a combination of 11+ years of hard work, learning, and failing. Some of this stuff I did to try and get organized in my late 20s, even before I was married and had kids.
** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
Hewes Family Fun 