fun

Summer Fun and Learning with Green Kid Crafts!

Abby H.

Yesterday I posted about all the fun toys from Dollar Tree, today we are turning to some fun educational toys.

My kids love doing science experiments, playing, and learning. We’ve got Green Kid Crafts boxes in the past and they are a huge hit.

Green Kid Crafts has recently restocked some of their best-selling kits. I’ll be picking up a few and stashing them in the hall closet to keep us entertained during the “I’M BORED!!!!” moments that will be coming up over the summer.

A broad range of box themes, all STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) focused.  Explore Ecosystems like Rainforests, Oceans, and Desert Science. Learn about Endangered Animals, Volcanoes, and Rocket Science. And teach your kids to be environmentalists with Alternative Energy, Save the Oceans, and Climate Change! 

One of the things I like about Green Kid Crafts is that you can opt into a subscription where the boxes come each month, or you can purchase specific kits. Here are a few of the kits that I know my kids would LOVE.


Backyard Science Box

Backyard Science Kit

 

 

Color Science Box

 

 

 

Mad Science Box

 

 

 

Nocturnal Animals Activities Box

 

 

 

Down on the Farm Box

 

 

 

Reptiles Box

 

 

 

 

Rainbow Science Box

 

 

 

Endangered Animals Box

 

 

 

And if you have littler kids, there are options for them too! Ultimate STEAM 5-Pack Junior Ages 2-5

With a mission to raise the next generation of environmental leaders, Green Kid Crafts leads by example.

  • Through a partnership with One Tree Planted, Green Kid Crafts plants one tree for every order placed.
  • As a member of 1% for the Planet, we donate up to 1% of sales to environmental nonprofits.
  • Together with the Carbon Fund, we offset 100% of carbon dioxide emissions produced by our business.
  • Eco-friendly practices are used as much possible to produce Green Kid Crafts boxes.

Tryazon Opportunity: Turn Drawings into Playable Video Games with Pixicade!

Abby H.

My big kid loves making board games. He has recently started talking about coding and making his own video/app based games.

When this email from Tryazon and Pixicade landed in my inbox yesterday afternoon, I had to sign up, and of course, share the opportunity with y’all.

Pixicade Video Game Maker Party – Jun 25-26, 2021

Let the kids creativity come to life with this  Tryazon Featured Party opportunity, sponsored by Pixicade.  Pixicade is a digital game maker kit that teaches game design for kids 6 and up! It’s as simple as draw a game design, snap a picture on Pixicade app, and play the video game! Its educational STEAM components have made Pixicade a favorite among both parents and teachers!

Tryazon has 250 hosting spots open for this opportunity!  Those chosen will receive a party pack with two Pixicade game sets to showcase and sample with friends and family!  Learn more and apply here.
We’ve been participating in Tryazon events for three+ years. We’ve gotten to try all sorts of fun toys, games, and food. You can learn more about Tryazon here.

 

Summer Fun on a Budget with Dollar Tree!

Abby H.

**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you click on links or make purchases

Summer is coming! Here in CA, starting in Mid-June more places will re-open. I’m planning on taking the kids swimming, go to the beach, going on hikes, picnics, and lots of outdoor fun. As more activities open, I will be posting about frugal adventures in San Diego.

One of my favorite places for summer goodies is Dollar Tree. Water guns, bubbles, bubble accessories, sand toys, pool/water toys– all of these are great deals at Dollar Tree. Even though they are just a dollar, we’ve had the same water guns/squirters and pool toys from Dollar Tree for over 3 years!

One of the hot toys in our house is sidewalk chalk. Regardless of the time of year, it’s fun to draw outside!

If you are looking for some fun craft ideas, Dollar Tree has tons of fun craft supplies in-store and online. And they have some great craft project ideas as well:

 

 

 

 

Cents of Style Let’s ROOT FOR EACH OTHER Graphic Tee’s ONLY $17

Abby H.

Favorite Tops

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Favorite TopsThis week’s Cents of Style has an awesome deal on these cool t-shirts. These NEW graphics have a message you’re gonna want to share with the WORLD…If we want to make a difference in this world, we start by building up the people in it! When we focus on our own success, the impact is individual…but when we focus on everyone’s success, the impact is immeasurable! These graphics are designed by your friends at Cents of Style with you.

Favorite TopsYou are going to love these ROOT FOR EACH OTHER graphic tees! These cotton-blend t-shirts are so comfortable, they will be an everyday staple. The 3 different comfy tees with sizes ranging from S-3XL.

  • To take advantage of this deal, use coupon code is BESTRONG and it will make these graphics ONLY $17
  • FREE Shipping over $35
  • This deal is valid NOW-5/11 midnight!

5/3/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

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The CSA emails us in advance to give us a heads up as to what may be in our boxes each week, and that really gives me an upper hand when it comes to meal planning for the week.

Veggies and fruit are delivered each Monday by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $25, it’s a great deal. I don’t have to pick anything, go to the store, or carry it upstairs. I can’t go to the store and get the same amount we get weekly for $25. Seriously. It’s a deal. I spend about an hour on Monday afternoon cleaning and prepping veggies for the rest of the week.

Over the weekend, I did some meal prep: I made a batch of Copycat Zuppa Toscana, caramelized onions and peppers, Roasted veggies, made a crumble-top coffee cake, and refilled the snack/school lunch box to make morning lunch prep even easier.

The grocery trip for the week was fairly small- Milk, coffee creamer, a few snacks for the kids lunches, meat-free nuggets, and a few other misc. items. We’re still working through our Dream Dinners order, and I’ve been making bigger batches of soups and entrees and stashing them in the freezer for busy nights.

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. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

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.  The kids are nuts about pancakes. The Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Lunch: Kids take lunch to school. I eat leftovers. Everyone rejoices.

Dinner: Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday: Dream Dinner (Honey Mustard Chicken), Spinach Salad, Roasted Veg
  • Monday:  Fritatta, Salad/Fruit
  • Tuesday:   Soup & Biscuits
  • Wednesday:  Nugget night (nuggets, fruit, crackers, milk)
  • Thursday: Dream Dinners and Roasted Veg
  • Friday:  Pizza/Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Meal o’ Snacks and /or leftovers

Please stay safe you guys!

Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?

Everything is Awesome! The LEGO® MOVIE™ WORLD Opening on May 27, 2021

Abby H.

My kids are going to lose their MINDS when I tell them about this! One of the places they have been missing over the past 13 months is Legoland.

THE LEGO® MOVIE™ WORLD is opening on May 27, 2021. It brings the streets of Bricksburg and experience the Park’s newest and biggest adventure which brings the blockbuster films THE LEGO® MOVIE™ and THE LEGO® MOVIE™ 2: The Second Part, to life.

This new land features six interactive attractions for all to enjoy.

  • Emmet’s Flying Adventure
  • Unikitty’s Disco Drop
  • Benny’s Play Ship
  • Queen Watevra’s Carousel
  • Build Watevra You Wa’Na Build zone,
  • Meet Emmet and all his friends in Emmet’s Super Suite
  • Enjoy tasty themed treats such as Cloud Cuckoo Crepes throughout the land.

I’m excited to take the kids to Legoland this summer! They are both itching to visit the new LEGO MOVIE WORLD and of course, the Legoland water park!

The LEGO MOVIE WORLD will be included in the price of admission to LEGOLAND California Resort. Guests can purchase tickets and reserve their spot through LEGOLAND California’s reservation system for their desired Park visit. For more Resort information, operating schedule and to make reservations, visit the Legoland Website here.

And if you are looking for some money savings hacks for Legoland, check out my post here.

New PinchMe Samples Drop 5/4/2021

Abby H.

Sample Tuesday is Coming 5/4/2021- Mark your calendars, set an alarm on your phone!

Don’t have any idea what I am talking about? PinchMe! Join PINCHme and receive free samples that you can provide feedback on.

PinchMe is awesome! Once you are signed up, they will email you reminders when new samples are about to drop, and remind you when it’s time to leave feedback.

May’s Samples include:

Moroccanoil, ONE MINIS™ Bars, Nature Nate’s, Eva NYC, Organic Valley, Hartz, John Frieda, Bella, Compeed®, Lumify, Sebastian, Bahlsen, Biotrue®, Living Proof, SSkeeter Hawk, and MORE!

Answer a series of questions about your household and shopping habits in the Member Profile. PinchMe learns what you like and offer samples just for you.

Once you’ve had a chance to try the samples, complete a short feedback survey to tell PinchMe what you think of the samples.

What are you waiting for? Sign up here and get on the free sample bandwagon! I’ve gotten all kinds of awesome sample/trial size items, as well as full-sized items to try out from PinchMe!

$20 Referral bonuses from BitmoPerks!

Abby H.

Bitmo is an app that I don’t use too often, but when I do, I save money and it makes me feel good!

It’s an app that you can use to send and receive gift cards.

You can also earn rewards when you shop through the app at specific retailers, like a lot of other apps (Dosh and Ibotta to name a few).

And one other thing that Bitmo does is it donates 2% of your gifting spend (that’s how much you spend on gift cards for others) to a charity- there are currently eight, including the San Diego Zoo, Rady’s Children’s Hospital, Feeding America, and The Salvation Army.

Right now they are offering bonus points when you refer new friends. 20,000 bonus points (that’s a $20 gift card) for everyone that joins, connects a card, and does a transaction. THey run referral bonuses a few times a year, but it’s usually for a $2-$5 Dunkin’ gift card or something small- Never a $20 bonus! And as far as I can tell, there is no limit on how many bonuses you can earn!

They are a San Diego, CA area business too. It’s cool to support local businesses, especially right now when a lot of small, local businesses could use the help.

 

Earn Gift Cards with Digsite Crew!

Abby H.

I’ve been doing surveys and research studies with Digsite for a little over a year. Right now, they are looking for new members!

Join the Digsite Crew today to earn rewards for sharing your valuable opinions with today’s leading brands! You’ll earn points for completing short surveys, even if you don’t end up qualifying for the research study.

A typical Digsite survey is 5 minutes long and worth 100 points. Every time you earn 1,000 points, you’ll be able to choose the $10 reward you’d like to receive.

You’ll earn additional gift card rewards for participating in research communities, typically ranging from $10-$50. You’ll also have opportunities to participate in video interviews where you can earn $50 or more!

Sign up here and start earning points today!

I do 1-2 research studies per month, most of them are at home, either testing products or online.

If you are looking to get hooked up with companies that do research studies, I recommend the following, in addition to Digsite above:

In San Diego there are the following research companies:

I try to post opportunities for Research Studies when I run across them, either here on the blog, or on my Facebook Page.

2021- It’s Earth Day, Y’all!

Abby H.1 Comment

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Once again, there are not too many freebies for Earth Day. Between the pandemic and stores not being open or making a lot of money, there are barely any freebies. I’m not posting deals for Earth Day, because really, do we need to go out and shop?

While the free day to visit the National Parks has passed for earth Day/National Parks Week, don’t fret. There are several other days as well. You can find the complete list here. The only National Park in San Diego is Cabrillo Monument on Point Loma. If you have a 4th grader in your home (We do!!), Check out Every Kid Outdoors. It’s a free program for 4th graders and their families to visit National Parks for free through August 2021!

The next Freebie isn’t super fun, but it might be needed. We’ve been doing a lot of deep purging and cleaning the past year, and I’ve got a bunch of papers that need to be shredded (oh hi 20-year-old tax paperwork!). Check out your local Office Max/Office Depot- Armed with this coupon (Scroll to the bottom of the page)  you can score up to 5 lbs of shredding for FREE!! This deal is valid through 4/24/2021.

And perhaps my favorite freebie this April: if you live in Southern California and have utilities with SDG&E, PG&E, or SoCal Edison, you can join OhmConnect for free and start conserving electricity and earning money (as well as saving on your utility bills). And through the end of April, when you sign up and connect your utility account (it literally takes 5 minutes), You’ll earn $25 straightaway! You can learn all about OhmConnect here. We’ve been using it for 5+ years, and have saved hundreds on our SDG&E bill, and earned almost $1000 from OhmConnect.

And once again, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…

Despite what you read online there are NO Origin Freebies, Disney Store Freebies, Free milkshakes on the west coast, Mac Freebies, Sephora Freebies, Ice Cream Freebies, or free coffee from Starbucks. 

So, that’s it. I know, it’s kinda depressing, but I’ll be on the hunt for freebies for you this week, and I’ll report back on Friday morning.