Friday Means FREEBIES! There are all kinds of goodies this week!
There are lots of goodies this week!
For the past few months, Bitty and I have been hosting Craft Morning at our house. We set up a table (or two) get out craft supplies, invite mommies and their littles over, and we create.
Sometimes I have a specific craft in mind (ornaments in December), but sometimes we just look at what is available, and creativity takes over!
Tomorrow, we’re doing it again! I’ve got supplies for tissue paper stained glass and scrapbook paper wreaths, but my craft supply stash is pretty deep, so there will be other supplies out for whatever the mommies and kids want to make.
I’ve started a Pinterest Board with ideas here. If you are a San Diego area parent and you’d like to join us, check out the event page here.
February’s Craft Morning will be held at a park, and we’ll be painting and hiding rocks! All of our Craft Mornings are free to attend. 
I get craft supplies for free from local swaps, Buy Nothing groups, Craigslist, as well as family and friends who are cleaning out their supplies.
I hope to see lots of smiling faces at our upcoming craft events!!
We love getting out of the house to have adventures, but, being frugal means that I have to get creative.
Thanks to local publications like The San Diego Reader and San Diego Family Magazine (both are free and available all over), as well as Facebook, we are never wanting for free fun.
Here are our Top Ten Community Events that are for kids and families for Q1 2018:
I’d love to hear about what your favorite free local events are! Please drop a comment with details and a link!
Henry loves Legos (Duh, you may have gathered that from reading this blog), and they are pretty expensive. There are never coupons and most Target and Toys r us deals/coupons specifically exclude Legos.
However, you can still score some cool freebies and deals from Lego!
First, sign up to be a Lego VIP here. It’s free, and here are just a few of the benefits…
Once you are signed up as a VIP, you’ll be able to register for free Monthly Mini Model Build at the LEGO Store. Registrations start the 15th of the month prior to the event (e.g. sign up in November for December event), and space is limited at each store, so don’t wait. We’ve done a couple and they are always fun!
Don’t forget that Toys R Us also has fun, free lego events a few times a year as well. It’s important to RSVP to TRU events, so you definitely get a kit.
Lastly, did you know there is a free Lego Magazine for kids age 5-11? You can sign your kids up for a free subscription 
. The latest issue arrived yesterday and Henry poured over it for hours. The magazine is packed full of comics, activities, LEGO® fan creations and building tips (Henry’s fav part), and kids receive the magazine 5 times a year!
And here is a tip on how to keep your feet Lego-free…. When the kids play Legos, I spread out a huge table cloth and pour the Legos onto it. Once play time is over, I pick up the cloth and pour the Legos back into their big tote.
This set up provides hours of fun, and just a few minutes of clean up. And the best part… No stepping on tiny pieces of Lego in the dark, unleashing a torrent of swear words and threats of bodily harm to those under the employ of Lego.
We have a lot of Legos- Hand me downs from friends who have outgrown them, some from when Tyler was a kid, and some sets and kits that Henry has been given. Even though we save all the directions, there is nothing more satisfying to me as a parent than to see Henry and Bitty express their creativity through building.
This is a combine. Henry built it all by himself. Not bad for a 6-year old who has never seen one in real-life. The big wheels in the front moved. 
Talk Back: What are your money saving tips for Lego Lovers?
San Diego County is expecting a heat wave this week. Tomorrow it’s forecasted to be 104. UGH. A heat wave this late in the year is different from a summer one because so many of our go to activities to beat the heat either aren’t available because venues are closed (local splash pads are shut down October 1st-regardless of the weather) or are not not appropriate for the fall (the ocean temp is in the mid-60’s, too cold for most kiddos to play in conformably) .
So what CAN you do to beat the heat and keep a handle on spending?
Check out your local library for events! Our local Library has Lego club, various storytimes, teen activities like chess and robotics building, yoga, even creative play on Saturday mornings. San Diego County Libraries have tons of great activities- each branch has different schedules.
Check out your local mall! Did you know that Lego stores have free build/Make and Take events each month. Some malls also have free monthly kids events in their courtyard/common area. Our local mall updates their local events through their Facebook page and their website. Past events have included free crafting events, storytimes, and visits from Santa. In fact, many malls have Halloween/trick or treating events.
Toys R Us locations frequently have free events too! Like free Lego building events, Geoffry’s Birthday Club, and other fun toy related events!
If you’ve got a 4th grader, check out this free pass for National Parks. Here in San Diego, we’ve only got one, but it’s at the ocean, so it’s at least a littler cooler than our house (only 85 instead of 100!). National Parks have free days several times a year! The next one is for Veteran’s Day!
There are always Kids Eat Free (Denny’s does it Tuesday and Saturday) if you want to keep the oven off too. You can also score free ice cream at Baskin-Robbins!
We use Ohm Connect to save energy (and money) and earn cash. They text and/or email you to let you know when you can save energy to help the grid load (and help avoid brown/black outs).
I’d love to hear how you beat the heat! Leave a comment.
There are a bunch of really great free offer for samples or other goodies and free events coming up!
Freebies:
Free Sample of EAS Hydration & Recovery
Free Gel Facial Cleanser Product
Free Just Add Herb Blends
Free Coke Zero Sugar at 7-Eleven
Free Subscription to Hola! USA Magazine
Free Subscription to Redbook Magazine
Free Baby Delight Bottle, Sippy Cup, Brush Set & More
Free Tub of Better Bean Co. Beans
New PINCHme Free Samples on Tuesday
Free Idahoan Potato Soup at Kroger & Affiliates
Free Events:
Free Glow-In-The-Dark Slime MAKEbreak Event at Michaels
Free L.O.L. Surprise! & Num Noms Event at Toys R Us
Free Petsmart Halloween Spooktacular Event
If you are in the San Diego, CA area and you have a fun, free event coming up, please leave a comment!
It’s that time of year again! Time for Brick or Treat at Legoland, and Henry is so excited!
Brick-or-Treat Party Nights is every Saturday night until Halloween (Sept. 30, Oct. 7, 14, 21, & 28). Besides yummy treats at Trick or Treat Stations (with more than one million pieces of candy), there are tons of other fun to be had!
We’ll be going up on the 14th to check it out. I’ll be posting photos on Instagram throughout the day, so make sure to follow me!
Brick-or-Treat Party Nights is a special event and admission can be purchased for as low as $49 if purchased online in advance. New this year, guests can purchase a full second day Resort Hopper ticket to enjoy LEGOLAND California, SEA LIFE aquarium and LEGOLAND® Water Park. Special event ticket holders can enjoy costume contests, trick-or-treating at candy stations filled with tasty goodies and other surprises, festive music and live entertainment. LEGOLAND California and SEA LIFE aquarium are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on select dates throughout October and LEGOLAND Water Park is open weekends 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. through October 29. With special event admission to Brick-or-Treat Party Nights on September 30, October 7, 14, 21 and 28, guests can extend their day until 9 p.m. at both LEGOLAND California and SEA LIFE aquarium to enjoy all of the Halloween festivities-plus- add on a second day Resort Hopper ticket to extend the fun all weekend long. For exclusive savings and more information, visit www.BRICKORTREAT.com or call 760-918-5346.
It’s back, Baby!! I love October for so many reasons (and Pumpkin Spice isn’t one), but mostly I love October because that means it’s Kids go Free Month here in San Diego.
This is the seventh year that the program has been helping kids and families explore our awesome city and county!
For those of us with curious kids, this is perfect! Kids can get into 43 museums in the San Diego area free with paying adults (all the info can be found here).
Participating organizations include:
1. Barona Cultural Center & Museum
2. Birch Aquarium at Scripps
3. Cabrillo National Monument
4. California Center for the Arts Museum
5. California Surf Museum
6. Coronado Museum of History & Art
7. Fleet Science Center (Galleries only)
8. Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum
9. Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House
10. Heritage of the Americas Museum
11. Japanese Friendship Garden
12. La Jolla Historical Society
13. Living Coast Discovery Center
14. Lux Art Institute
15. Maritime Museum of San Diego
16. Marston House Museum & Gardens
17. Mingei International Museum
18. Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum
19. Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
20. Museum of Making Music
21. Museum of Photographic Arts
22. New Americans Museum
23. Oceanside Museum of Art
24. San Diego Air & Space Museum
25. San Diego Archaeological Center
26. San Diego Art Institute
27. San Diego Automotive Museum
28. San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum
29. San Diego Chinese Historical Museum
30. San Diego History Center
31. San Diego Model Railroad Museum
32. San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat)
33. Serra Museum
34. The New Children’s Museum
35. The San Diego Museum of Art
36. The Water Conservation Garden
37. Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center
38. Timken Museum of Art (it’s always free for everyone FYI)
39. USS Midway Museum
40. Veterans Museum at Balboa Park
41. Visions Art Museum
42. Warner-Carrillo Ranch House
43. Women’s Museum of California
Oh, and as part of free October, Kids can get into the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park free when accompanied by a paying adult! WOO HOO!
More info can be found here, and other fun, free stuff for kids can be found here and here.
Henry and I went to Legoland yesterday to experience all the fun of Ninjago weekend!
Like any event at Legoland, there are tons of things to keep any little ninja busy!
We started off the morning by checking out the new LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE Video Game at the WB Family GameSpace. It’s available on all the popular platforms. Henry played by himself and with a few other kids and had a great time exploring Ninjago City as his favorite character (The Red Ninja). You can check out the game too from 10am-5pm today.
Next up, it was time for the LEGO® NINJAGO® MOVIE™ Character Meet & Greet with Lloyd, the Green Ninja! Henry was so excited to take to Lloyd all about his adventures with the Ninjago gang (and Master Wu too). There will be many times available today to meet many different Ninjago character! 10 a.m., 1 1a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m.
After riding a few rides, we checked out the Mystery Mosaic LEGO® Build (available from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.). We each got to build a square for the mosaic! It’s very easy, so even the youngest builder can help!
We finished up our day with a quick lunch and the Miniland U.S.A Scavenger Hunt! It was a little difficult, but we did it! It takes and eagle eye to find the ninjas in Miniland U.S.A. and complete your entry form for a chance to win a LEGO NINJAGO prize pack! Available 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
And of course, no trip to Legoland is complete without a goofy photo…
If you are looking for some family fun, check out Lego Ninjago Day today at Legoland California!
Or if you are looking for something else to do, the Lego Ninjago movie is out in theatres now! Henry and I saw a sneak preview of it on Tuesday night, and it’s a great movie for your little ninjas.
Henry and I both enjoyed it. It’s full of family fun, discovery and friendship, and of course, a cat laser!
Hewes Family Fun 