Donuts. And saving money (or maybe that’s just me dad).
This deal is pretty sweet- Two free donuts for all dads on 6/20/2021 at either Mary’s Donuts location (Santee or Lakeside).
You have to bring your kiddos with you.
Sign up for this deal here.
kid
San Diego Summer Fun on a Budget
It’s time for kids to finish up school, and be let loose on the world.
Now that places are reopening at 100% capacity, there are a lot more options for summer adventures.
Free Music Lessons from Staump Music School.
$1.00 Movies all Summer with Regal Cinemas
Free Summer School Lunches (Gotta keep them fed this summer). Lots of locations have events or activities nearby, so you can have fun and have a free lunch!
The splash ground at Santee Lakes is GREAT! It’s only $2.00 per kid (on weekdays, $3.00 on weekends) 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!
If you are looking to beat the heat and need something free, check out the Waterfront Park downtown. They have a great splash pad area for kids, a really fun playground, and a big grassy area for picnics. Only downside- no shade trees.
Balboa Park still offers Free Tuesdays at various museums in the park. Another free activity in Balboa Park is the Botanical Garden and Lily Pond. Right next door is the Spanish Art Village, which is fun to explore as well. Pack some snacks and make a day of it.
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).
I also find lots of local events and free fun stuff by checking the “Events You May Like” section on Facebook Events.
6/14/2021 Weekly Meal Plan
This week is our first full week of summer vacation! This week both kids are free, meaning no summer school or structured learning. We’ll be playing and swimming all week long. I’ve got a bunch of errands and phone calls to get done.
Yesterday was my big trip to the grocery store. The price of groceries has gone up exponentially over the past few weeks, so I’m leaning more on stores that have good deals like Grocery Outlet, and using my cashback apps like Fetch Rewards.
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.
I didn’t do any meal prep yesterday, so I’ll be doing it after the CSA box arrives this morning. Next week we’ll be taking a hiatus from the CSA box. We eat less when it’s hot out, and I don’t want any food to go to waste. It’s going to be hellaciously hot this week, so the meal plan reflects that with lots of cool/cold food.
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: We pick up free school lunches during the summer for the kids, I also 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.
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: Soup, Salad, and Toast
- Monday: Salad, Protein shakes, and Texas Toast
- Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner (pancakes, bacon, and fruit)
- Wednesday: Meal o’ snacks: Fruits, crackers, cheese, granola bars
- Thursday: Roasted Veg, chicken, potatoes
- Friday: Takeout Night
- Saturday: Leftovers, fruit, salad
Please stay safe you guys!
Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?
Guess in Ten Game Day (Tryazon Party)
Over the weekend while we celebrated Bitty Bird’s birthday. We also checked out the Guess in Ten games thanks to Skillmatics and Tryazon!
Skillmatics is a new age brand that develops innovative educational products and games that help children build core skills, ranging from math and language to science and logic, through the joy of play!
We played Animal Planet, but if animals aren’t your posse’s jam, Skillmatics makes many other Guess in Ten varieties:
- Guess in 10 All Around the Town
- Guess in 10 Things that Go
- Guess in 10 Cities Around the World
- Guess in 10 States of America
These games are available on Amazon, or in stores near you.
I’m not sure if the kids or the adults had more fun.
And if you want to learn more about Tryazon, their website has tons of information about all of the cool campaigns and parties they have coming up!
Kids Bowl Free: It’s Back!
Looking for something fun, air-conditioned, and cheap to do this summer? Yeah, you are!
Kids Bowl Free has been around for years, and it’s a great way to get kids active even when it’s hot outside. I’m so excited it’s back for 2021!
Kids 2-18 can bowl 2 games for free each day the program is running at participating bowling centers all across the US and Canada. All you pay for is shoe rental- or bring your own if you have them!
This program is available all over the US and Canada. The complete list can be found here. Sign up is quick and easy. To get started, register here.
I encourage everyone to take advantage of this deal! It’s one of our favorite summer activities.
6/7/2021 Weekly Meal Plan
This week marks the end of our school year. Woo Hoo? Big kid is doing ESY (extended school year aka summer school) so it’s no big thing for him. Also this week our Bitty Bird turns six! We’ll be having a socially responsible party this coming weekend with friends and family in our bubble.
I went to the grocery store Friday while the kids were at school. 99 Cents Only and Grocery Outlet had tons of great deals, and I was able to stock up for the week (and beyond) and stay on budget.
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 prepared the last of our CSA veggies to roast, and a big salad with all the fixings.
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: Beans, Rice, roasted veggies, fruit salad
- Monday: Chicken with Floretine sauce, roasted veggies, potatoes
- Tuesday: Frozen Entrees, Salad, Texas Toast
- Wednesday: Nugget night (nuggets, fruit, crackers, milk)
- Thursday: Skillet Casserole, Salad
- Friday: Takeout Night
- Saturday: Soup, Roasted Veg, Texas Toast
Please stay safe you guys!
Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?
5/31/2021 Weekly Meal Plan!
Today is Memorial Day in the US, and a lot of people are spending the day hanging out with friends and family, visiting the graves of their family who served in the military.
We are spending the day at home, hanging out with the kids, swimming in the pool.
I went to the grocery store Friday while the kids were at school, knowing that the kids would be home all weekend and on Monday. 99 Cents Only and Grocery Outlet had tons of great deals, and I was able to stock up for the week (and beyond) and stay on budget.
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 prepared the last of our CSA veggies (broccoli) to roast and serve with the orange ginger chicken I cooked Sunday night. I also made some sauces to use throughout the week (orange ginger sauce, stir fry sauce, tzatziki sauce), and I made a batch of hummus. And of course, I made cookies for the week (we’ll see how long they last).
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: Turkey burgers with feta, roasted broccoli, oven baked fries
- Monday: Orange Ginger Chicken, roasted veg
- Tuesday: Beans, Rice, roasted veggies, quesadillas
- Wednesday: Nugget night (nuggets, fruit, crackers, milk)
- Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner ( pancakes, eggs, fruit)
- 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?
Legoland California- THE LEGO® MOVIE™ WORLD is OPEN!!
The kids and I spent the day at Legoland California yesterday and enjoyed all of the fun and frivolity of Lego Movie World.
Lego Movie World has three new rides: Emmet’s Flying Adventure Ride, Unikitty’s Disco Drop, and Queen Watevra’s Carousel. There is also Benny’s Playship for the kids to play and get their wiggles out, or they can create at Build Watevra You Wa’Na Build zone. And there is a Splash pad right in the middle of it all for kids (and grown-ups) to cool down!
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: www.legoland.com/california.
I love that Legoland has hand sanitizer stations all over, they have social distancing set up in lines and on all the rides. All Model Citizens (employees) are masked up.
If you are looking to do Legoland on a budget, check out my post here.
Do you have someone in your party that has a disability? Check out my post about the Assisted Access Pass and how we do Legoland with our kiddo with ASD.
5/28/2021 Friday Freebies and Deals!
Hey Gang! I hope everyone had a great week. I’m moving a little slow this morning. We did Legoland yesterday to cover the opening of The Lego Movie World, and I clocked in about 16k steps wearing a heavy backpack full of snacks. Then we came home and the kids wanted to swim. It’s been 18 months since we hit Legoland, and I’m feeling it today.
I’ll be posting summer reading programs, free summer lunch programs, and more fun free stuff to keep the kiddos entertained in the next week or so, as info becomes available.
If you are looking for birthday freebies, fret not! I put together a list new for 2021- Check it out here.
Most of these freebies and deals are online. I am not encouraging anyone to go into stores or go out into public. Mask up, wash your paws, stay socially distanced, get vaccinated when it’s your turn!
Freebies:
Free Dart Ball Blaster Toy
Free Suave Pink Walmart Chatterbox Kit
Free Sample of La Roche P Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer UV
Free Perricone MD Growth Factor Firming & Lifting Eye Serum
Free Sample of Coach for Men Cologne
Free Clinique Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation Sample
Free Depend Sample Kits for Men & Women
Free V8+ Energy Sparkling Drink
Free Sesame Street Fire Safety Color & Learn Activity Book
Free Shaving Cream + $75 eGift Card
Free Babybel Plus+ Probiotic Dairy Snacks Package
Free New Bright & Adventure Force RC Toys
Free Sample of Estee Lauder Beautiful Magnolia Perfume
Free Sample of L’Oreal Revitalift Glycolic Acid Serum
Free Subscription to Car and Driver Magazine
Free Back to the Roots Organic Potting Mix
Free Sample of Giorgio Armani GIO Cologne
Free Sample of MiN New York Stardust Fragrance
Free Hope Postcard
Free Organicville Pantry Staples
Free SOS Breakup Box – Porkless Rinds, Stickers & More
Deals:
Michael Kors Leather Billfold Wallet ONLY $32 (Reg $118)
Rainbow Print Shorts 2-Pack ONLY $7.99 (Reg $20)
Steve Madden Jackets ONLY $8.99 with Extra 10% Off
Up to 50% Off Toys + Extra 10% Off at Checkout
FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer ONLY $45.99 (Reg $76)
Hanes Women & Men Apparel ONLY $5.99 Today Only
Walgreens Custom Photo Poster $1.99 with Coupon (Reg. $11)
Dash AirCrisp 6-Quart Air Fryer ONLY $49.99 (Reg $104)
Savage x Fenty Women’s Underwear & Lingerie 65% Off
LeapFrog Blue’s Clues & You Blue Learning Watch $5.34 (Reg. $11)
Vera Bradley 70% Off Sale
WikkiStix Traveler Playset ONLY $13.00 (Reg. $20)
Limited Edition NBA Box and FREE NBA Team Jersey with BarkBox
FREE Dog Yacht Float with Your First BarkBox
Burberry Touch Men’s Cologne ONLY $31.99 (reg $75) Father’s Day
Harry Potter Dobby 1000 Piece Puzzle ONLY $8.46 (Reg. $15)
Looking for Swim Lessons this Summer?
Now that things are starting to open back up in California, and it looks like pools may be reopening on June 15th, I’ve been looking into swim lessons for Bitty Bird.
I can’t be the only parent looking for information on swim lessons and getting kids’ water ready.
My usual go-to is the swim lessons held at our local high school, facilitated in part by Heartland Swim. They are NOT offering swim lessons this summer, however, the Grossmont Union High School District pools will be open for swimming. You can find the schedule and prices here.
The City of San Diego has private, semi-private, and group swim lessons at several of its pools. The prices are pretty decent. The prices and more info can be found here.
If you live in El Cajon, you’ve got some really excellent swim lesson options. Visit the Rec Center brochure online (swim is on page 19) here and take a look at all of the classes. Anyone can take classes, but El Cajon residents (of the incorporated city) can get killer discounts.
La Mesa has limited swim lessons. They also currently require a parent to be in the water with each student.
The Kroc Center offers swim lessons. Information can be found here.
The YMCA offers swim lessons at many of its facilities. Currently, they are offering private/semi-private lessons only. You do not need to be a YMCA member to take lessons there, however, the rate is cheaper if you are. The list of San Diego, CA area YMCAs that offer swim lessons can be found here.
I also did some digging for parents of kids on the Autism Spectrum. Aqua Pros offers classes specially designed for kids on the spectrum! More information and class prices can be found on their website.
These are just a few of the options available. There are of course private swim instructors and private companies that offer private or small group lessons. The ones listed above are for more of the price-conscious in mind.
Talk Back: If you or your kids have had great swim lessons, leave a comment and let us know where! The more options, the better!
Hewes Family Fun 