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Baby Deals and Freebies

Abby H.

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I know so many people who are either expecting or adopting in the next few months. I thought I’d share some really great deals and freebies, since we all know kids are super expensive!

Free Walmart Baby Box! Includes samples and coupons

Regardless of any personal beliefs, a fed baby is best. I always recommend having a stash of formula samples and different types of bottles on hand. Thankfully, there area few formula companies that send samples and coupons! Similac and Enfamil are the two that send goodies most often.

If you are an Amazon Prime member, check out this free baby box of goodies!

And don’t forget that there are always great printable coupons for much-needed baby supplies! Save $1.00 on any (1) JOHNSON’S® (Excluding 1oz to 4oz, trial sizes and gift sets) or any (1) DESITIN® product (Excluding 1oz size)

Looking for more tips on how parents can save money? Check out this post.

Healthy, Frozen Fruit Pops!

Abby H.

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It’s summer and my kids would eat popsicles 24/7 if I let them. Most commercial popsicles (or as they are sometimes called, frozen dessert confections) are full of sugar and artificial ick. A few months ago my dad bought me a package of Zipzicles on Amazon. Zipzicles are long, skinny zip top freezer bags that can be filled with whatever you’d like and frozen. Think DIY Otter Pops.

What I really like is that you can be creative, use what you have on hand, and create healthy and fun treats with your kids.

Here are two recipes that the kids and I came up with. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen this pictures recently.

Screen Shot 2017-06-23 at 7.46.47 AMMixed Berry Pops

Makes about 12 pops

  • 2 cups mixed berries (use whatever you have, I used 1.5 cups of strawberries and 1/2 cup blackberries)
  • 1/2 c water
  • 2 t. honey

Place all ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. Use a small funnel to fill the zipzicle pouches. Place all Zipzicle pouches into a cup or larger zip top bag and place in freezer. Ready to serve in approx 4-6 hours, or as soon as frozen solid.

Screen Shot 2017-06-23 at 7.46.35 AMTropical Pops

Makes about 20

2c frozen bananas
2c frozen Strawberries
1 pkg frozen mangoes
2c Orange Juice
Blend together, pour into Zipzicle pouches ( I use a funnel). Store in freezer until it’s time to consume.

They are so good, and no extra sugar is needed, because the bananas are so sweet.

Next, I think we’ll be making Bachelor Mousse treats. I think it will freeze well, and everyone loves fudgsicles!

For your convenance, Zipzicles can be purchased here (affiliate link), but you can also find them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

What would you put into your Zipzicles?

Incredible Deal on Visa Gift Cards at Staples! #StaplesEZ20

Abby H.

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You know I love a good Gift Card Deal! Right now through March 18, 2017 when you purchase $300 or more in Visa gift cards at Staples you will receive a $20 EZ Rebate. See store for more details, find your local Staples here. What is great about this deal is you can choose different denominations of Visa Gift card to reach the $300. 

There are so many great ways to work this deal!

  • Use your points or cash back credit card to purchase the gift cards for a double dip! Our American Express Card gives us 5% cash back when we shop at office supply stores.
  • Pick up gift cards in smaller amounts ($25) and give to your child’s teacher to help with supplies a few times before the school year ends.
  • Great for sending to college students!
  • Use the gift cards to stay on budget for gifts and online shopping! Because you can shop in store or online with gift cards, it’s a great way to triple dip (use a cashback online shopping website like ebates or Topcashback to redeem your gift cards. You will earn even more cash back!).

Right now, you can enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card! Stock up on essentials for upcoming spring break, or buy yourself something nice! Click here to enter (the Rafflecopter may not be mobile friendly).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored post, thanks to Tatu Digital Media for including me on this awesome offer and giveaway! All opinions are my own!

Enter to Win a $50 Amazon GC!

Abby H.14 Comments

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I am so glad that I’ve been able to grow my social media presence organically, meaning, just by word of mouth. And now I want to thank my followers, however they discovered me!

To celebrate 500+ Instagram followers, I am giving one lucky follower a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Entering is easy!

  1. Follow me on Instagram.
  2. Leave a comment on this post with your Instagram handle.
  3. For a bonus entry, share this blog post. Leave a comment as to how/where you shared it.

You must be an Instagram follower to win (and yes, I will check).

 

I will choose a winner on 1/31/17. Winner will be notified via Instagram and/or email.

How to get stuff for free…

Abby H.1 Comment

bright boxesEveryone loves free stuff, right?

There are all kinds of sites on the web that tout tons of free samples and full size products, but once you read the fine print, you discover that you have to sign up for monthly subscription services, pay a crazy shipping/handling free, or some other crazy thing.

Here are some sites that I like that have hooked me up with free samples and free full sized stuff in the past that I recommend.

Sample Sized Products

Pinchme– They put samples out about once a month. Answer a bunch of demographic questions and they’ll email you when they have samples available. In exchange, they ask you questions about how you liked the samples.

MySavings Free Samples– MySavings has a great database of free sample offers that changes daily. I check it at least once a week!

Full Size Products

Tomoson– Tomoson helps brands get their products out into he hands of social media influencers. If you have a large social media following, check out Tomoson! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen some of the amazing stuff I’ve gotten!

Discounts and sometimes free full size stuff– These next website I am signed up with, but I have yet to find anything I am excited about signing up for. They offer deep discounts and sometimes free stuff in exchange for Amazon reviews.

Amazon Review Club

This website has a great list of review sites and how they suss out.

Talk Back: I’d love to hear about how you get free stuff in the mail! Leave me your top tips and favorite freebie websites!

New Year’s Resolution #8: Learn Something New

Abby H.3 Comments

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#8 is a resolution that I thought would be closer to the top of the list: Learn something new!

There are lots of ways that you can learn and grow without breaking the bank!

      1. Borrow books from the library- most libraries have their card catalogs online, so you can check and see if your local library branch has the book(s) you are looking for before you step foot in the library.  AND- some libraries have the ability to hold the books for you until you can get down there (usually 24 hours).
      2. Can’t find the books in print near you? Check out Google Books.  There are tons of free books that you can read online.If you head over to Amazon you’ll find thousands of Free E-books on Amazon in all reader formats.
      3. Check out community learning opportunities. Grossmont Adult Education has tons of great classes, including some great Mommy and Me style pre-school classes for kids!
      4. Check YouTube for tutorials or seminars that are of interest to you.
      5. Harvard (yeah, *THAT HARVARD*) has free, no credit open courses here. Other Colleges including MIT, Yale and Stanford offer free online no credit classes for the public to take/sit in on.
      6. Check your local museums for free days for locals.  San Diego Locals- here is a list of free museum days in Balboa Park.
      7. Craftsy has a ton of free classes and patterns! Check out this post with just a few of my favorite classes!
      8. There are tons of free opportunities for kids to learn here. Most public libraries have story time or other free activities and workshops for kids. Check out Red Tricycle’s website for all kinds of free and cheap learning opportunities for your littles!
      9. Love documentaries? Love to read? If you haven’t tried Amazon Prime yet, there is an awesome promotion right now- sign up and get your first 30 days free. Prime gives you access to more than JUST free shipping. You can stream movies, documentaries, enjoy the free Kindle lending library, and more! Start Your Prime Video 30-Day Free Trial Now!

Review: Moringa Oleifera

Abby H.


I’ve tried everything to increase my breastmilk supply. Drinking tons of water, eating oatmeal until I look (and feel) like the Quaker Oats Guy, supplements galore.

600638b72f86e2f3fcaf08498417e4ec771f5856I have IGT, so there isn’t much I can so, but I’ve heard great things about Moringa Oleifera. Moringa comes from Asia where it is eaten as the whole leaf in soups. Pure Moringa Oleifera is one of the richest sources of nutrients available today. Moringa leaves have been shown to contain 9 times the iron of spinach, 4 times the calcium of milk, and 3 times the potassium of bananas.

After just a few days I noticed my supply increase just little, but in my case I’ll take whatever extra drips and dobbles I can get.  In addition, my horrible charlie horses have subsided!

I plan on continuing taking Moringa Oleifera as long as I can. It’s nice to see an increase in my supply and know that I am getting essential nutrients that I may otherwise be missing! I try to eat healthy, but sometimes I can’t always get in my 5 servings of fruit and veg a day!

Thanks to the nice folks over at Tomoson and Fresh Healthcare for the complimentary bottle of Moringa Oleifera to facilitate my review. I received no monetary compensation and all opinions are my own.

 

Babywearing: Getting stuff done with the Mamaway Ring Sling Baby Carrier!

Abby H.

I’m a baby wearing mama. Why? Well first off, both my kiddos did really well being close to me. They slept well, and were less fussy when I was wearing them, in contrast to the times when they were in their stroller or carseat. There is something to be said for the comfort of being close to Mommy.

IMG_0880Secondly, you can get more stuff done when you are baby wearing. You aren’t trapped in the room with the baby swing or whatever contrivance the kiddo is chilling in. Washing dishes, folding laundry, doing crafts with Lil’ Man. All of these things are possible while baby wearing.

Recently I got the chance to try out a new ring sling from the cool folks at Mamaway. Their ring sling is made fron 100% Pima Cotton, so it’s super comfy, breathable and machine washable!

Mamaway Ring Sling is an all-around baby carrier perfect for your newborn. The right fit and customizable shape gives your baby the perfect comfort, snugness and love they deserve. Position your baby any way you want; upright or lying down, in front, on your hip or behind your back. Ideal for hands-free cuddles- as you can see from my photos in this post.

IMG_0878You can also nurse your kidlet in this sling too, which is a plus in my book! While this ring sling can hold up to 100 pounds, I don’t think I’ll still be toting around Birdy when she’s that big!

Screen Shot 2015-09-05 at 7.21.23 PMI chose the striped “Cesar Salad” Color because I’m trying to keep everything gender neutral. I’m just not into pink. The rings are STRONG, and there is a little pocket in the sling too- perfect for stowing a few things (like my sunglasses!). This is a must have, and would make a great Baby shower gift!

I was given a free Mamaway Ring Sling to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own and I received no financial compensation for this review.

Save Big with Amazon Prime Day!

Abby H.

TOMORROW is Amazon Prime Day– That means Amazon Prime members will find Amazon deals hotter than Black Friday. Prime members can shop exclusive deals from electronics, toys, video games, movies, clothing, patio, lawn and garden, sports and outdoor items and more.

Screen Shot 2015-07-14 at 8.00.26 AMAnd there are all kinds of contests and giveaways! I know I’d love to win $10000 in Amazon GC, how about you?

What’s so special about Amazon Prime? For just $100/year, you have access to the following perks:

  • Unlimited FREE Two-Day Shipping on millions of items.
  • Unlimited instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with Prime Instant Video.
  • A Kindle book to borrow for free each month from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (You don’t have to own a kindle either, any e-reader works! I use my iPad).
  • Plus- There are tons of Free Kindle Books available each day!

We def. get our money’s worth with Prime! Between the great TV shows and movies and free shipping, it is a very valuable service for our family!