kids – Page 67 – Hewes Family Fun

Frugal ways to help your Child’s School!

August 12, 2015Abby H.

For most of us, school starts soon, if it hasn’t already started… That means the fundraising will start. Wrapping paper, candy, candles, you name it, you’ve probably seen a catalog and a doe-eyed child selling something to raise money for their school.

We’ve got a pretty tight budget around out house, and $12/roll wrapping paper is not in my budget, but I do want to help Lil’ Man’s school. Here are a few ways that you can help your kiddo’s school. If your kid isn’t in school yet, ask the parent of your favorite mini-fundraiser if their school participates in any of these programs!

Box Tops for Education (BTFE): This Program has been around for a while, and it’s probably one of the easiest ways that you can help the school of your choice. Look for these little box top doodads on hundreds of products that you probably already buy (here is a list), clip them, and drop them by your school’s office. LIl’ Man’s class sends home a cute themed Sheet for us to attach up to ten each month. If I have more, I just staple a ziploc bag full to the worksheet. Any parent would be thrilled to receive an envelope of bag of BTFE from family or friends!

Labels for Education: Similar to BTFE, but this program is run by Campbell’s. To find products that are a part of the Labels fro Education Program, click here.

Target’s Take Charge of Education®:
Choose your kids’ elementary school, the neighborhood middle school or any other eligible K–12 school. We’ll donate up to 1% of your REDcard purchases at Target stores in the U.S and at Target.com.

You can learn more here.

Escrip: Now this one has been around since I was in High School. It’s super easy. Once your school is registered, all you do is sign your various loyalty cards (like your Vons Card), and shop like you usually do. You school gets a percentage of your total purchase!

The best part about these four programs is that you just do what you already do: Shop and save money! Clipping Box Tops for Education and Labels for Education are not that much different than clipping coupons off of packages.

Vacations of the Cheap, Part 3: Saving Money at the Park

July 26, 2015July 22, 2015Abby H.

Today we’re going to talk about saving money inside the park. Specifically FOOD, but also souvenirs and other goodies.

I like most of the food choices at Disneyland (OMGoodness Gibson Girl Ice Cream), but it can get a little expensive. So here is what we do: Rent a locker and bring a picnic.

I pack a soft side cooler (like this one from Thirty-One) with a few frozen water bottles, lunch meat, fruit, frozen yogurts, and a small re-usable grocery bag with bread, individual packets of condiments (you can buy them at Smart and Final), and Ziploc bags with snacks, and we put all this stuff, plus our jackets and a few other misc. things into a locker.

We like the lockers on Main Street, but if you have a larger group going with you, there are bigger lockers immediately outside of the park. More info about Lockers, including prices, and locations can be found here. Reviews of the lockers can be found here (I love Yelp!)

There are various picnic areas inside the park (there is one up by Big Thunder Mountain, and various tables and benches scattered throughout the park), as well as one right outside the main gate by the large lockers.

For snacking during the day, I pack snacks that fit in our pockets (we both usually wear cargo shorts) like bags of pretzels, hard candy in Ziploc bags, and a 16oz. or so size bottle of water that we refill at the various water fountains throughout the park. We’ll stop back at the lockers for fruit or a larger nosh if we’re nearby and hungry.

That doesn’t mean I’ll go without my beloved Ice Cream. We usually pick one treat a day and share it. Ice cream, frozen banana on a stick, Dole Whip…. Whatever we both can agree on.

We also save money by buying our Disneyland shirts before we go on vacation. The Disney Store usually has an end of summer sale, and I can stock up of D-land shirts for 50-75% off retail prices. The mall closest to our house has a Disney Store, so we cruise in frequently (Lil’ Man is obsessed with Mickey Mouse). Other Disney Souvenirs like sippy cups I’ll buy in advance and sneak in our bags so he doesn’t see them until we arrive. In the past, I have scored a sweet new Disney shirt for $2.00!

99 Cents Only has a great selection of Disney Branded and Licensed items like crayons, coloring books, sippy cups, sandwich boxes, and other lunch/food storage containers. I’ve been sneaking 1 or 2 items into the cart each week when Lil’ Man isn’t looking!

We also set a budget when we go on a trip and stick to it. Bring cash with us each day of the trip, and when it’s gone we’re done spending. It’s just that simple.

Review: ThinkFun Maker Studio Building Kits

July 24, 2015July 29, 2015Abby H.

Recently, ThinkFun sent me three Maker Studio building kits to test out. Last Saturday, amid the torrential downpour and retched humidity, Lil’ Man and I built two of the kits successfully, and one, well, not so successfully.

We started with the gear set. In this set featuring gears, we built a race
car (you can build a cable car, a 3-wheeler and a motorcycle). For each build you’re given Engineering Challenges – experiment with friction, torque and propulsion as you engineer your solutions.

We used a Star Wars Mac and Cheese box (It’s what we had handy).

These kits are a great idea, however…. The directions are picotgrams and are pretty small, so we had to bust out the magnifying glass (which was a fun experiment all by itself).

Next we tackled the Winches set. This set featuring winches, you can build a tow truck, a jeep, a well and a crane. The tow truck we built completely fell apart before I even got a photo of it, and that made Lil’ Man lose his mind.

Finally, the Propeller Kit! With this kit you can build a chopper, a biplane, a windmill and a plane. We attempted to build the windmill, however, it proved too difficult for Lil’ Man to master, and I was engineered out at that point (going on 3 hours of making these sets).

The only problem I had with the kits is that it requires you to use a box or can. Most cardboard boxes are recycled so many times that they don’t stand up well to the poking and prodding to build the kit in addition to all of the torture and abuse toys endure. My son played with the car we built (mostly me- he grew frustrated after about 20 minutes) for a few hours before it started to come apart and we had to reinforce it with gorilla tape.

These kits are for ages 6+, but if your kiddo is interested in building stuff and fairly dexterous (which Lil’ Man is), and patient (which he isn’t) I think a younger kid could handle these (with parents nearby of course).

I received these kits free of charge to facilitate the review, courtesy of ThinkFun and Tomoson. All opinions are my own.

Vacations on the Cheap: Part 2 (The Tickets)

July 23, 2015July 22, 2015Abby H.

I am really bothered by all of the mis-information that is available online surrounding the discounts available for Disneyland passes.

So, today’s installment in the vacationing as a cheapster is going to cover discounted Disneyland tickets.

I’m going to break it down this way: first the myth, then the truth.

1- Just have your dad/mom/friend/uncle’s cousin’s brother who is/was in the military buy you tickets at the discounted ticket office on base and use those.

Waa waa waa- That’s the sound of the saddest trombone. Our local ITT (information tickets and travel) office at MCAS Miramar says that’s no dice. From their website: “Name of sponsor or spouse will be printed on all tickets & that person must be present all days.” So, unless your dad/mom/friend/uncle’s cousin’s brother is coming with you on your family vaca, think again. If you are a military family, ITT is a great way to go when buying tickets.

2-I’ll just join AAA and get discounted tickets through them! I’ll be saving big bucks in NO TIME!!!

If you are joining AAA just for the Disneyland discount, think again, my friend, you may not be saving any money. Annual membership in AAA is $48.00 plus there is a New Member Admission Fee of $20 (for the first year only). Depending on which type of ticket (number of days and which parks) and number of tickets you are purchasing, you will save approximately $4.25-$7.75 per ticket. So if you are purchasing multiple multi-day passes OR multiple annual passes, it might be worth it.

Bottom line- If you are already a member of AAA, this is a good deal!

3-I’ll just buy a ticket from someone on Craigslist. There is always someone selling the remainder days on the their multi-day pass on Craigslist.

Please don’t. Here is why. The pass has the sellers name on it. The nice cast members working at the gate have the right to check your ID against the pass. The names don’t match? Guess what? They’ll confiscate your ticket. This was confirmed by a friend who is a cast member after reading some horror stories I read online about this. This may NOT happen, but do you really want to chance your family vacation to save a few bucks?

So how DO you get discounted passes? Well, many unions, fraternal organizations, student unions, and businesses offer discounted passes for sale. Ask someone in the organization’s office. You can buy legit discounted passes online from aRes Travel (I found them through Mousesavers.com). They offer tickets to a lot of Orange County and Los Angeles area attractions for a discount, however, they do charge a $4.00 convenience fee. So it may only be worth it to you if you are buying multiple passes.

Family Recipe: Yummy Banana Nutty Bread

July 22, 2015Abby H.1 Comment

We love bananas, but sometimes they get over ripe before we can eat them all. That usually only happens when the weather is so hot and muggy- or if I buy too many. In that case, I peel, slice and bag them in snack sized zip top bags and toss them in the freezer. They are now perfectly portioned for smoothies or baking recipes! This week, I’m posting my favorite Banana bread recipe. It’s quick, easy, and it uses no white sugar, so it’s ideal for those watching their sugar intake.

I’ve included variations for various diets below.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Stevia or brown sugar splenda (or 1/4 c honey)
1/3 cup applesauce
4 egg whites
1/2 cup of ripe banana (about 3-4 ripe bananas)
3/4 cup almond meal or flax meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large mixing bowl with electric mixer until fluffy and creamy.
Add in the remaining ingredients until smooth.
Pour batter into 1 greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.
Slice and serve hot or allow to cool, wrap in aluminum foil and store in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.

Variations:

Gluten Free variation: Substitute coconut flour or GF baking flour blend.
Nut Free Variation: Use Flax meal in place of Almond Meal.
Vegan Variation: Substitute egg whites for flax egg.

Legoland: Kids go free with purchase of Adult Ticket!

July 18, 2015July 18, 2015Abby H.

LEGOLAND_California_main_entrance We’re heading to Legoland for the first time this summer and I am stoked. Ok, not as much as Lil’ Man who is currently spending this rainy afternoon building animals and a zoo with his Duplos.

If you’ve got kiddos that are Jonesing for a trip to Legoland, but your budget is a bit tight, check out this sweet promotion from McDonald’s. Visit any SoCal area McDonald’s restaurants (L.A. and San Diego) from June 29 to July 31 and you’ll receive a Kids Go Free offer with any purchase!

PirateShores22 Kids Go Free with paid adult ticket to LEGOLAND® California Resort and your choice of LEGOLAND Water Park or SEA LIFE® Aquarium. It is a $104 value!

Hubs is excited because of the sweet new Star Wars stuff at Legoland! The 8 feet wide LEGO® Star Wars™ Death Star Model Display has been added to LEGO Star Wars™ Miniland.

In addition to Duplos and Regular Legos, we were gifted with some Friends sets not long ago and Lil’ Man loves building with those as well- There are so many cool pieces in the sets (like animals, perfect for when he wants to build a “delicate” zoo – which is how he refers to regular Legos and the Friends pieces: Delicate Legos), they are great for girls or boys. Lil Man can hardly wait to visit LEGO® Friends Heartlake City.

Heartlake City has all kinds of great things to do and see: Ride the beautiful new carousel in Mia’s family ranch. Stroll through the LEGO horse stables. Sing along with Andrea at her stage. Or cool off with new friends in the Heartlake Fountain. The adventures are endless in Heartlake City. Visit LEGOLAND.com for details.

I can’t wait to see the big smiles when we go on the rides, and of course when Lil’ Man splashes Daddy at the water park!

I’ll be sure to post tons of photos and tips to save money at the park after our trip! And if you have tips that will make our adventure more fun (or frugal!), please leave a comment!

Cow Appreciation Day- Free lunch at Chick-Fil-A tomorrow!

July 13, 2015Abby H.

It’s baaack! Once a year, Chick-Fil-A celebrates Cow Appreciation Day. You can celebrate too and score free food when you dress like a cow.

Need some inspiration or more info? Check out their Tumblr Page.

July 11th means….

July 10, 2015July 10, 2015Abby H.

FREE SLURPIES!!!

Next to his birthday and Christmas, this is Lil’ Man’s favorite day of the year!
7-Eleven Day is this Saturday, July 11. Come in to your local 7-Eleven® store and celebrate with a FREE Slurpee drink from 11 AM–7 PM. Be sure to scan the 7-Eleven app to get a punch for your FREE Slurpee and get even closer to your free 7th cup.

Want to keep the party going? Come back for 7Rewards Week, July 12–18 and receive a FREE 7-Select™ food or drink under $2 with the purchase of any cup of7-Eleven Coffee, Iced Coffee, Big Gulp® or Slurpee drink!

All East County YMCA locations are FREE and OPEN to the community every Friday in July!

July 10, 2015July 10, 2015Abby H.2 Comments

Great news for my East County peeps!!
All East County YMCA locations are FREE and OPEN to the community every Friday in July!

With activities and programs for all ages, Freebie Fridays at the Y are a perfect opportunity to connect with family and friends this summer. Spend some quality time working out alongside your child, taking a spin class with a neighbor, or grab your bathing suit and beat the heat at one of our beautiful pools! At the Y, the doors are open to everyone because all families count!

I am super excited to hear this! I’ll def. be taking advantage of this with both Lil’ Man and Lil’ Miss. I see some open swim time in our future!! We LOVE the interactive rec pool and water slide at the Cameron YMCA in Santee!!

Summer Fun with Kids at Oggi’s Liberty Station!

July 8, 2015Abby H.

Got littles? Trying a fun way to keep them entertained this summer without breaking the banks? Check out these awesome deals from Oggi’s in Liberty Station.

1: Kids eat free all day Wednesday with the purchase of any adult entree.

2: Kids can make their own personal pizza starting at 11:00am. That’s what we did today, and Lil’ Man had a blast. I wish I had gotten photos of the pizza once it was baked, however, he inhaled it.

1 kidszza

The pizza dough is rolled out in the kitchen and brought out with sauce and cheese for the kids to add as much as they want. Then there is a table of toppings for the kids to choose from (By the time I got over there to take photos, most of the little bowls were empty because all of the kids were having a blast topping their pizzas!). Lil’ Man is a strictly cheese only pizza guy, so we just asked for a little extra cheese.

I sampled some really tasty grown up noms today too. Here were my top three favorites:

Marathon Flatbread
Brushed with garlic olive oil, topped with Mozzarella, zucchini, tomato, red onion, artichoke hearts, roasted garlic and drizzled with sweet balsamic glaze.

Mediterranean Delight Salad

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