Special Meal Distributions at Grossmont Union High School District Locations!

A few weeks ago two friends told me about the free meal distributions at the Grossmont Union High School district locations. I knew that the schools were offering them, what I didn’t know is that each Friday the schools give out a free pizza for the kids.

It’s roughly the size of a pizzeria medium-sized pizza. They offer cheese or pepperoni, your choice, and in addition to that, you receive veggies, a quart of milk, fruit, and breakfast items for the weekend! This is a great way to treat your kiddos to pizza, especially if it isn’t in your budget.

Like all of the other free kids lunches right now, there is no paperwork or enrollment, just show up at the school during lunch service times. 

They’ll ask you how many kids you have between the ages of 2-18 and give you the appropriate number of lunches. The high schools tend to give out better food in my opinion, and they tend to have more options (which is great if you have picky eaters or vegetarians).

We stopped by West Hills on Friday to check it out (I’m always down to investigate stuff for you guys!), and the lunch ladies handed out this flyer.

On December 21, 2020 all locations are handing out the supplies for a free Pot Roast Dinner: Stew Meat, Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, Flour, Butter. Additionally, fruit and danishes will be included for breakfast!

On January 4, 2021 all locations are handing out the supplies for a free Carne Asada Dinner: Diced Carne Asada, Rice, Beans, Tortillas, Tomatoes, Onions, Cilantro, Jalapenos. Additionally, fruit and Pan Dulces (Conchas) will be included for breakfast!

And if you are looking for other food resources to help you through the holidays and beyond, here is my post about free food locations and organizations (I recently updated it, so there is lots of new info).

Comfy Critters Hooded Blankets- A Warm Gift!

Our family tends to give a few meaningful gifts each holiday. One gift my kids always look forward to is a new, warm, snuggly blanket.

I found a company called My Comfy Critter and it has all of the things that kids want in a blanket: it’s big enough to wrap around them, a hood to cuddle in, and their favorite cartoon characters (Paw Patrol and PJ Masks) or animals (oh hello Speedy the Sloth!).

 

 

Each blanket features:

  • 100% Polyester Chenille fleece
  • Velcro tab with woven label that helps turn him into a pet or pillow
  • Blanket Size:  36″x47″
  • Machine Washable

Not only are these great gifts that kids will cuddle with for years, but they are a great buy at less than $30 each!

FREE Mr. Mummy Pancake this week at IHOP!

I’m a little late to the game- I usually post about this deal a few weeks beforehand, but… Gestures at the state of the world… You know.

Celebrate Halloween With a Freaky Freebie From IHOP®!
Happy Halloween from IHOP®! Treat yourself to some seasonal stacks & treat the kids to a FREE Mr. Mummy Pancake when you visit your local IHOP® from October 26-30.

The kids and I are going to pass this year. They don’t like frosting on their pancakes, and the big one doesn’t like their butter (it’s really hard and it doesn’t melt on the pancakes, it tears the pancakes when you try to spread it).  I don’t like IHOP’s coffee. I know, I know… We are Denny’s snobs.

The Fine Print: For dine-in orders, kids age 12 & under receive one free Mr. Mummy Pancake between 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. from 10/26/2020 – 10/30/2020 at participating IHOP® locations. Limit one per child. For online orders via the IHOP® website or mobile app of $20 or more, receive one free Mr. Mummy pancake per order. Tax, gratuity and price of Mr. Mummy Pancake excluded. Not valid with other offers, coupons or discounts. No cash value. Offer valid from 10/26/20 to 10/30/2020. At participating restaurants. Further restrictions may apply.

Kabrita: BOGO Sale!

My kiddos were all about Kabrita when they were little squishes. I got an email from them this morning with a really great deal!


For the rest of October, Kabrita USA will help families enjoy even MORE gentle Organic Goat Milk Porridge: buy ONE case of Porridge, get a second case of Porridge FREE! 

Prefer to stock up on Formula?? In November, buy ONE case of Goat Milk Formula, receive a case of Porridge FREE!

That’s two great deals! If you haven’t tried Kabrita for your kids yet, check out my post here with a deal on their free sampler package. If your kiddos have sensitive tummies, I recommend Kabrita.

All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. I’ve used Kabrita for both of my kids. This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Giveaway: 30 days Unlimited Art Lessons with Young Art!

One thing that my kids miss is art. Going to art classes, craft meetups, being creative, and learning new techniques.

 

I was so excited when Young Art reached out to me with an incredible offer for my readers! I am able to give away 25 memberships for 30 days of unlimited art classes with Young Art! WOW!

With 25 memberships so many of you will be able to share the love of art and creating with your kiddos!

 

What is Young Art? Young Art is on a mission to serve students, families, and the community by providing meaningful learning experiences through the virtual classroom. You can learn more here.

And the part I like the most is that not only do they do individual lessons, but they also offer family lessons, and even instruction for schools too!

Entering the giveaway is easy peasy! Leave a comment on this post letting me know what your kiddos favorite art or craft is. I’ll choose 25 winners on October 6th, 2020. I’ll contact winners via email.

Exploring Free Play- Fostering Imagination and Growth

As a Gen X parent, I never quite understood why we “had” to fill our kids afternoons and free time with 10,000 activities (sports, club meetings, scouting, etc.). My brother and I didn’t have tons of stuff each day after school. By the time I was in the 5th grade, both my parents worked, and frequently we were left home alone for a few hours after school a couple times a week.

We did our homework, played, read, and did chores. Even before that, there were plenty of times where we were home without structured activities. We still had scouts, soccer (my brother did AYSO for one season and decided it wasn’t for him), Key Club, Choir, JV Football. Many kids in my generation were latchkey kids and filled their afternoons with free and imaginative play.

Free play is an incredible learning tool for kids. It fosters imagination and gives kids opportunities to discover and explore. There are all sorts of toys that encourage free play- dolls, food toys, blocks, legos, to name a few.

My two love Playmobil. Playmobil is a German company that has been around since the 1970’s. They have so many different sets and types of toys- everything from princesses and fairies to knights and safari sets.

A jungle adventure after preschool. Complete with a feast

Recently, my son and daughter started pulling out some of their people as well as some of the animals and created their own adventure. Enter Carl the Mongoose and Mr. Chicken. Carl is a Meerkat, and Mr. Chicken is a Bald Eagle, but the names have stuck.  Other characters include The Birdkeeper and The Man with the Gray Hat, and Cleopatrick (my daughter named her). All of these people are from various sets, Cleo was the only one that sort of resembles her name, as she came from an awesome set of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar.

The animals and their people have all sorts of adventures. They have run a food truck, run a zoo, been on a cruise, gone on safari, hunted for wild animals, opened an iron and gold mine, run an orphanage (we have a lot of little kid Playmobil people), gone to college, gone to preschool, and taken a road trip to the “ocean” in Ohio. We paused the game for a bit to look at the US map to discover there is no ocean in Ohio, but they could go to Lake Erie instead. It was deemed the “Lake Erie ocean beach” adventure.

These adventures give the kids a chance to explore themselves and work on interpersonal relationships, even if it’s as a talking Bald Eagle and his keeper.

Even in these crazy times where nothing is certain, give your kids some time to play and explore. Taking a “brain break” (which is what the big kiddos teacher calls them) throughout the day for some playtime may help your kids more than you think.

Right now we are all home together, trying to scramble into some sort of routine of distance learning, being quiet while we all learn/work, breaks, and trying to play after school is over without making too much noise while grown ups work. It’s tough. It’s crazy. The house is messy, we’re frazzled, and we weren’t “with it” last week to follow our meal plan. But we got through it, and we’re trying again this week.

We’re all learning. And that means we should grant ourselves grace.

Be kind to yourself. Wash your paws, wear a mask, flatten the curve. Have a good week!

 

Tryazon: Apply to Host A CurliGirls Hair Styling Party

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Tryazon has a new party that is accepting applications!

Straight or curly? CurliGirls don’t have to choose! Brand new CurliGirls dolls feature MagiCurl hair that curls instantly when you pull it. The longer you pull, the tighter the curl – it’s so easy! Curl with your fingers, or easy styling tools, then accessorize with hair clips and beads. Ready to change it up? Dip hair in warm water and watch it magically straighten! Then style and restyle over and over again. The styling possibilities are endless.

Get to know each of the CurliGirls! Charli, the Pop Star, is pretty quiet – except when she’s rocking out on stage! She’s a rebel with a heart of gold. Hayli, the Ballerina, is always on pointe – a poised, ladylike ballerina who is all sugarplums…with just the right amount of spice!! Bayli, the Birthday Girl, is the life of the party! This giggly girl is super organized and loves to plan the perfect celebration for her friends. No matter which doll you choose, you can express your CURL power, with CurliGirls!

Tryazon will select 100 hosts for this opportunity. Those chosen will receive a party pack with a variety of CurliGirls products to showcase with friends and family!

To apply or learn more about what each Party Pack includes, click here.

We’ve done several Tryazon parties- it’s a great way to try and share new products!

Summer Reading Programs for Kids!

With the Covid-19 shutdowns, most libraries are not doing a summer reading program.

If your local library isn’t doing a program, here are a few programs that are online. You can of course do as many programs as you (or your kids) would like.

bookitNow Enrolling: Camp BOOK IT!
Parents, join us for our first ever Camp BOOK IT! and keep rewarding your kids all summer long. Track and reward your kids’ reading for June, July, and August in our digital dashboard. When they meet their monthly reading goal, they’ll receive a free one-topping Personal Pan Pizza® from Pizza Hut! We’ll also share fun activities and book recommendations each week to keep the fun going throughout the summer! For more info on the 2020-2021 school year Bookit program, check out this post.

The City of San Diego library system is doing its summer reading program with some modifications. You can learn more and sign up here.

scholasticScholastic has a summer reading challenge in which kids go online to record the minutes they’ve read during the summer. This year, kids can build an avatar, make new friends, earn virtual rewards, and help unlock donations for kids with limited or no access to books. All you need to do is sign up and keep a “reading streak” in Scholastic Home Base over the summer!

RIF

Soar with reading while summer is out with Reading Is Fundamental, the nation’s largest children’s literacy non-profit. From RIF reading lists and a collection of free ebooks to interactive materials on Literacy Central and a brand new Literacy Central app, Reading Is Fundamental has tools for every level to raise reading to new heights this summer and beyond.

Thanks to We Are Teachers for the heads up on some of these summer programs.  The original article has some additional resources that are regional (and not applicable to San Diego/Southern CA).

2 Free Books from I Can Read Book Club!

I love I Can Read! books. I remember reading them when I was a kid, and I think that my parents still have some of them!

I took advantage of this deal- My kids are going through books so quickly right now with the library being closed and all.

Right now receive your first two books in the I Can Read! Book Club absolutely FREE! You pay just $1.00 for shipping and handling.

If you wish to continue receiving shipments from the I Can Read! Book Club, do nothing. Starting in about two weeks, and every month thereafter, you will receive five paperback books from the I Can Read! Book Club at $3.99 each plus $4.99 shipping and handling per shipment, plus sales tax (a total of $24.94), charged to the credit card that you provided. There is never an obligation to purchase additional books, and you may cancel at any time. Simply call  1-888-965-8737.

Our 100% Guarantee. Every shipment in the I Can Read! Book Club is guaranteed to meet your standards for quality. If any shipment doesn’t meet your expectations, you may return it within 30 days from receipt for a full refund of the purchase price less shipping and handling. There are no purchase commitments to meet, and you’re under no obligation to continue in the program. You may cancel at any time by notifying calling 1-888-965-8737 or emailing us at ICanRead@bookclub.harpercollins.com.

Free Baby Snacks and Formula from Kabrita!

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When my littles were wee, they both had delicate tummies. It’s hard to know what kinds of formula to trust, so after lots of research, trying samples, and talking to other moms (really our pediatrician was ZERO help- she’s a nice lady, but formula wasn’t her wheelhouse), I stumbled upon Kabrita.

Our pediatrician is really big on making sure babies get prebiotics and probiotics, especially if they are formula fed. Kabrita has prebiotics, which are a natural digestive aid.

I like Kabrita because it doesn’t have any added white or processed sugar- just lactose, the sweetener from milk! Also, Kabrita formula smells like goats milk and tastes like goats milk. I will confess: after smelling some formulas I wouldn’t want to taste them, but I tried an ounce of Kabrita once just to see. It tastes like goats milk.

I’ve been telling moms about it for a few years now, and one thing I love is that they have a really great sample program.

Sign up here, and you’ll receive:

  • 5.3 oz carton of Goat Milk Toddler Formula
  • 7 oz bag of Organic Goat Milk Porridge
  • 0.53 oz bag of Snack Puffs with Goat Cheese

*$4.99 Shipping & Handling applies at check-out, limited to one offer per household. This is not a subscription. Please note, our Trial Offer may include either the Apple Cinnamon or Multigrain Porridge.

All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. I’ve used Kabrita for both of my kids. This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.