kids

2022 Holiday Resources

Abby H.

I will be updating this post as more information becomes available.  This year is very light on programs that are open to anyone, so I recommend that you lean on your community resources:

  • If you receive WIC or SNAP benefits, check in with your social worker to see if they have any information on holiday help programs. Events like Toys for Joy are being held on a referral basis only. You have to receive an invitation from the event to attend. These are being given out by social workers and those with connections to the group.
  • If you attend church/synagogue/mosque, check with your religious leader or the secretary/office staff. They may have referrals to programs offering holiday help.
  • Check with your kids’ school. Talk to the school counselor, resource teacher, or school secretary.
  • If you frequent local food charities or co-op’s, they may have some resources on holiday events or toy giveaways.

Here is my monthly list of free food opportunities within San Diego County. Many of the food pantries also have special holiday distributions, so it is worth a call to find out of any additional food or gift distributions will be done.

As of now, I am not aware of any free Christmas tree giveaways, however, as I gather more information, I will update this post.

  • The Salvation Army does an Angel Tree program to gather gifts for children in need. For more information about this program, contact your local Salvation Army location.
  • 211 San Diego has a listing of all sorts of holiday assistance from food to toys, and events- all free. Some programs/events require proof of need, but not all.

santeesantas.pngIf you live in Santee and need help with food and gifts for the holiday, contact Santee Santas. You can download and print forms, check into eligibility (it is income-based and they are very strict from what I’ve been told), and see what forms you need in addition to the application here.

The window to apply for Santee Santas is closing in a few weeks, so if you want to apply, I recommend checking their website TODAY and apply ASAP.

Talk Back: If you know of any CONFIRMED free local holiday events in 2022, please leave a comment. 

 

Holiday Crafts at Dollar Tree!

Abby H.

Y’all know how much I love crafting, and that I am a frugal person too. Dollar Tree has really upped their game in the craft department. They have tons of wooden paintable items, wreath supplies, and kids craft kits (I love their ornament kits for kids).

If you have holiday events coming up where you will be crafting, this is the perfect time to take advantage of their $5.99 flat rate shipping deal!

Order supplies online in bulk for your upcoming crafty events (perfect for classroom or club holiday parties), and have them delivered to your door!

One less “thing” to do- No stores to visit, and less holiday stress!

Free Food Resources for November 2022(San Diego County)

Abby H.1 Comment

A new month means a reminder about all of the free food options there is here in San Diego County.

Because of the upcoming holidays, you may notice that some locations will be advertising additional distributions or special Thanksgiving or Winter Holiday meal giveaway events. As information about these events becomes available, I will be sharing them.

Keep in mind there are still supply chain issues, so there may not be a lot of food at some distributions, especially those that serve a large portion of the community.

I recommend showing up a little early with a bottle of water and a book and waiting in line. Time passes quickly in these lines, and it’s a great time to learn from others about community food options. Remember to socially distance and follow local masking regulations.

You can find resources here for Central and East County, and Here for North County.

The Rock Church, which has many locations all over San Diego County has a food and diaper pantry distribution at many of its locations throughout the month. More info can be found here.

Our friends at Faith Chapel are super ahead of the game and sent out information regarding their 2022 food distributions early on in the year.

If you are located outside San Diego County, call 211. If you are not familiar with 211, here is their website and it can point you in the right direction.

San Diego Food Bank Distributions for November 2022 can be found here. Enter your address (or just your zip code) and the map will show you all of the distributions in your area or closest to you. You can filter by the days of the week to find food when you are available. If there is an income requirement/limit to participate, each location/listing will say such. You can learn more here about the Feeding San Diego Together Tour.

Neighbor distributions are intermixed with the San Diego Food Bank Distributions, however, they have no income requirements, and you come as you are. These Distributions are primarily fruits & veg, however, some locations may also distribute canned goods, dairy, and bread.

If you know of other resources, please leave a comment! And feel free to share this post with anyone you may know in need.

Toys, Books, and Art Supplies Deals At Target This Week!

Abby H.

Target has some really great deals this week on toys and books- perfect for stocking up for the upcoming holidays!

Score a $5.00 Target Gift Cards when you spend $15+ on toys or books.

There are of course exclusions, click on the image and learn more.

And if that’s not enough for you, you can also score 25% off one toy with Target Circle here.

Target has started their Black Friday Sale early, and there are a lot of really great offers this week, as well as more planned throughout November.

If you have an artist in the fam, Target is offering 50% off selected Art & Writing kits this week. I know my littlest would totally dig this Sharpie set. 

If you are a military veteran or active duty member, Target has a thank you discount currently- just in time for Veteran’s Day! Get 10% off two separate purchases (restrictions apply). This discount is redeemable Oct 30 – Nov 12. Click here to learn more and details on how to verify!

And remember that you can save an extra 5% at Target every time you shop with your RedCard. You can learn more and apply here or in store. This 5% stacks with other coupons, discounts, and deals.

Target also gives you a discount of five cents per reusable shopping bag that you use per transaction- just remember to bring the bags in your car into the store!

Ooly: Awesome Gifts for your Little Artist!

Abby H.

Recently our friends over at Ooly sent us a little box full of creativity. The kids and I love to do art, make stuff, and express our creative sides. I was stoked to receive the Rainbow Sparkle Glitter Markers, and Chunkies Paint Sticks.

Margaret and I had a blast! The glitter markers are incredible. The glitter is very fine and sticks onto the artwork, even after the marker ink has dried. We colored and colored, without any loss of color or glitter coming from the markers. Parents, I repeat: There is NO glitter transfer!!

And the Chunkies? Perfection. She loves to paint, but I don’t love the setup and mess. These Chunkies solved my problems and let her express her creativity with paint. She loved that the paint dries quickly, and it didn’t get all over her hands (issues that we’ve had with other brands of paint sticks).

Ooly has art supplies for any level of an artist, in several mediums. If you haven’t embraced your inner artist, but love planners or journaling, Ooly has you covered too. They have a pretty extensive of cool journaling and planner supplies!

They’ve put together a Gifts under $20 section, which is perfect for holiday gift exchanges, as well as 8 Bonus Boxes. OOLY’s Holiday Bonus Boxes offer an array of goods to keep you crafting, drawing, painting, and molding. Find the one that’s just right for you and bring your vision, story, or design to life! I’m picking up a bonus box for each of the kids for the winter holidays. I know the kids will love the freedom and creativity each bonus box brings.

And shopping with Ooly gets even better- Now through November 7th, score a free set of Stampables Scented Double-Ended Stamp Markers with any purchase of $60+. Details can be found here.

Disclosure: Ooly sent us samples to try without an expectation of a review, however, once I received the markers and paint sticks, I was so excited to share them with you, I jumped at the chance to share their deals. I love supporting local companies!

 

Tea Collection: 30% off Dressy Styles!

Abby H.

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

This sale is just in time for planning holiday outfits! Thanksgiving, Christmas, Channukah, Kwanza, and more! Tea Collection has so many cute special occasion outfits for babies and kids! There are coordinating styles for babies and kids, so your kiddos can wear complimentary outfits. I’m loving this Fair Isle Dress and Fair Isle Sweater- Such cute looks for the Toddler and Kiddo in your life!

Remember to use the coupon code at checkout to save!

Coupon Code: DRESS2IMPRESS
Valid Through: Friday, October 28, 2022 through Thursday, November 3, 2022
Link: https://www.teacollection.com/select-styles

Fine Print: Receive 30% off select styles at Teacollection.com. Offer valid from 10/28/2022 through 11/3/2022 at 11:59 PM PT.

Tea Collection: $25 PJs Are Here!

Abby H.

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

It’s BAAACK! Just in time for holiday photo shoots and gift-giving, the Tea Collection family Pajama sale is back for three days only! Separates, Footie PJ’s, and nightgowns, all in matching patterns for the whole family.

This sale is only three days,  Monday, October 24, 2022 through Wednesday, October 26, 2022, so you need to get shopping NOW!

No Coupon Code is required!

Fine Print: Select PJ styles at $25, prices as marked on site. Offer valid from 10/24/2022 through 10/26/2022 at 11:59 PM PT. Discount taken will be pre-tax. Cannot be combined with other promotions. No adjustments on previous purchases. Not redeemable for cash. Cannot be used towards the purchase of gift cards. Limited to stock on hand. Please note: costs have increased due to growing challenges in our supply chain. We have added a 0.95 cent fee to all orders. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to service@teacollection.com.

Low Cost Laptops and Desktops from C2K (San Diego County)

Abby H.

Does your school age kiddo need a laptop or desktop for school work?

Do you live in San Diego County?

If you answered yes to both of these, check out this awesome program from North County Regional Education Center in San Marcos.

Sign up here by October 31, 2022 to take advantage of this event, which takes place on November 5, 2022.

There are two laptops and one desktop to choose from, and the prices start at $100, which is a really great deal.

If you have any questions, please call 858-200-9788 or email programs@c2sdk.org.

Cleaning your Closets: 5 Items That Have To Go!

Abby H.

I’m bringing this up because it’s time to pull out some of my fall/winter clothes and donate some of my older clothes, or clothes that I don’t wear as often.

Here are my Five categories for giving clothes the boot:

Stains: You know that one shirt in your closet that you love, but it has a stain that won’t come out. It’s time for it to go.  Clothing can be donated to be recycled. To find your closest clothing recycling location, click here.

It doesn’t fit: Too small, big, long, or short- it has to go. Time to throw those in the donation pile.  This goes for shoes too!

Needs repair and you lack the time or skills to mend/fix. The pants hanging in your closet are so cute but they are 1/4 inch too short and you can’t sew? One Caveat- Undergarments that are holely or stretched out go directly to the trash. No one is darning mass-produced socks. I mend and repair my clothes as needed weekly. If you are looking to learn about mending clothes, check out my post here. 

Out Of Style: Low-rise jeans? Powder Blue Tuxedo? Your Prom Dress from 1997? Time to throw those in the donation pile.

Cheap Crap:  This encapsulates several categories- Knock off’s (They are mass-produced in horrible conditions), poorly produced “fast fashion” that offers no quality and doesn’t add anything of substance to your wardrobe, and anything you bought and wore once, and it was damaged or you swore you’d never wear again. In my opinion, cheap shoes are the worst and are usually tossed into this pile.

Once you have your donate pile, if you are looking to donate straight away, check for your local non-profits needs. I also like donating my unwanted good clothes to local clothing swaps. For more info about clothing swaps, click here. 

10/10/2022 Today is Mental Health Day!

Abby H.

Every day should be mental health day, but 10/10/2022 is International Mental Health Day. The past few years have been hard on everyone emotionally for various reasons, and it’s time to check in and make sure everyone is getting the love and support they need to get their mental health in check.

I am by no means a doctor, and I do not play one on the internet, but here are a few of my tips to foster better mental health. Most of these come from being the caregiver to two neurodivergent people, who have distinctly different mental health needs.

Check with your health insurance carrier to access mental health services. Call the phone number on the back of your health insurance id card and talk to someone. Looking online on your insurance company’s website can be too overwhelming.

If you don’t have health insurance, google sliding scale mental health services + your city. There are mental health services everywhere in person, online, and even via text or app.

Take your meds. If you are prescribed medication, please take it as prescribed. Regardless of what it’s for. When your body is healthy and cared for, that goes a long way.

Move Your Body. Exercise is not a substitution for medication or talk therapy, but it dovetails nicely. Go for a walk. Find a fitness video on Youtube (I like Yoga with Adriene). Have a family dance party, whatever you need to do to move your meatsack through space!

Drink some water. I know, I know. It’s hard to get in a bunch of water each day. Hydration helps our bodies (and minds) focus. I am a self-proclaimed beverage girl. I have 2-3 beverages at all times. I have two Yeti cups (they were promo cups, I’m too cheap to actually buy real yeti cups), plus a water bottle like this one, an insulated coffee cup  (the yeti makes my coffee stay too hot to drink for too long). If you like the style of Yeti’s tumblers, but are on a budget, I also have one of these Beast cups, and they work just as well. I also have a stash of water bottles in my car, which I am constantly refilling. I bring hte kids fresh cold water after school too- along with a snack. Which leads me to my next tip…

When is the last time you ate? Being Hangry is real. If you are hungry or thirsty your mind can become dysregulated, and that can lead to impaired cognition (or just being an asshole to people around you). Have a snack! Make snacks and food available to you and your family. Y’all know I love a good snack bin. Schedule snack times and meal times throughout your day.

Make time for yourself. I’m not going to tell you that self-care is all face masks and bubble baths. Sometimes It’s mindlessly browsing Target, texting with a friend, or cleaning out your car. Doing an activity that helps you feel better goes a long way. I wrote a post a few years ago with more self-care tips, you can check it out here.

And finally- Ask for Help.  I know this one is the hardest, at least for me. Ask for help when you need it… Before you need it. It’s as simple as delegating tasks around the house, ordering groceries from Target in-app, and doing curbside pick up. Find ways to make tasks simpler. I have a robot vacuum and it helps immensely. If you don’t have a village or closeby family or friends, rely on automation and apps.  There is no shame in asking for or hiring help (if that is available to you). If you find yourself in need of some care or gentle coaching on how to organize and clean while you are feeling stressed, I recommend KC Davis’ Book, How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing.

I’m here! If you need help finding resources, please feel free to drop me an email or leave a comment on my posts.