san diego

2 Upcoming Clothing Swaps in San Diego!

Abby H.

I love clothing swaps- If you have read my blog, you know it’s one of my favorite ways to refresh the kids wardrobes (and my own).

There haven’t been too many clothing swaps since the pandemic started, but I have found two coming up that are going to be GREAT!

Saturday, August 06, 2022, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Foothills Church 365 W Bradley Ave, El Cajon CA

The women’s ministry is hosting a FREE clothing exchange! You can swap gently used women’s & children’s clothing and infant essentials. They have limited space, so please no toys or books. There will be no childcare available, so keep that in mind. If you want to drop off items early, Look for the bins in their lobby. I’m dropping off items tomorrow.

August 27, 2022 Porchlight Community Services, Inc. 8888 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Suite B San Diego, CA
Clothing Swap
From their site “We invite you to be part of our SWAP PARTY! Bring clothing, accessories, personal hygiene, or toiletries, OR you’re welcome to donate a bag of canned/shelf-stable food to participate. *Expired food will not be accepted*”

This is a fundraising event, donate what you can ($5 suggested) or you can bring canned goods to donate on the event date to participate. We will gladly accept them on the day of the event.

Please drop off items to swap in advance: 8/25 Thursday 10 am-5 pm or 8/27 Saturday *Before 9 am.  For more information, check out the event page here. And to learn more about Porchlight Community Services, check out their website.

And if you are looking for more information about clothing swaps, check out my post from earlier this year here.

Dream Dinners: Save Time & Savor Summer with a July Mini Bundle!

Abby H.

It’s that time again! Time for a Dream Dinners Bundle Sale!

Summer is all about making memories, so we’ve put together a bundle of under-30-minute meals to maximize your time in the sun.
Order in the next 72 hours to get eight medium-size meals from our July menu for just $180*. Spend more time by the pool and less time grocery shopping and meal prepping this summer!

The July Mini Bundle includes:

  • Kentucky Pork Chops with Sweet Potato Fries
  • Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwiches with Onion Rings
  • Coconut Shrimp with Tropical Chili Sauce
  • Orange Asian Chicken with Garden Vegetable Rice
  • Turkey Florentine Burgers
  • Charred Honey Lime Grilled Chicken
  • Backyard BBQ Chicken with Corn Medley
  • Creamy Tortellini with Bacon and Peas

A Medium Meal feeds 2-3 adults (honestly, it’s usually 3+ in our house), so you’ll be getting 16-24 restaurant-quality meals for $180!

This offer is only available for a limited time

Contact your store by Friday, July 22nd at 9am to place your order.

Our local store here in East County is La Mesa, run by Marsi and her friendly staff! Store Email: lamesaca@dreamdinners.com  Store Phone Number: 619-460-6800.

Sea World-Free Tickets for U.S. Veterans!

Abby H.

Did you know that veterans can receive up to four free passes to Sea World? It’s true!

Screen Shot 2017-07-06 at 7.19.30 PM.pngThe response to this opportunity earlier this year was so overwhelming that Sea World decided to offer it to you again! To show their appreciation for those who have served our country, they are offering U.S. military veterans FREE SeaWorld San Diego tickets for themselves and up to three friends or family members.

This limited-time offer is only available online through July 31. Get your tickets by verifying your military status through ID.me at the link below and use them by July 31!

This isn’t available at the park, so you’ll have to sign up here and fill out all the forms before you go.

Parking isn’t included in this offer and starts at $17, depending on which level of parking you select.

 

Comic Con 2022 is Coming!

Abby H.

San Diego Comic-Con will be back in town July 21-24 at the convention center downtown. If you haven’t bought or won tickets (most radio stations give away tickets in the weeks leading up to the event) don’t fret, there are tons of free and cheap events and fun to be had outside Comic-Con in the general Gaslamp area.

There is usually an area between the New Children’s Museum and the Trolley Tracks that is chock full of fun events and demos, and behind the convention center there has been movie and cartoon screenings on the grassy area.

Here are a few events that have caught my attention:

Outside Comic Con has great info on offsite events.

If you want to wear a costume, here are my tips for doing it on the cheap.  We’re not going this year, it’s very hard to navigate with inattentive kids, and really, I don’t feel safe being in crowds that size.

Regardless of your costume status, my recommendation is to wear comfy shoes, ’cause you will be walking a lot! And bring a refillable water bottle. And a snack (protein bars are great!). And a camera (or really, just your phone these days!).

7/22-7/23 OOLY Warehouse Sale in Carlsbad, CA!

Abby H.

This sale has been on my calendar for weeks and I has to share it.

I love Ooly. Never heard of them? Ooly, the whimsical and colorful arts, crafts, and school supply brand, will host its annual warehouse sale at OOLY Headquarters in Carlsbad July 22-23, 2022.

The woman-owned, San Diego-based company, will invite the community to its headquarters to take advantage of deeply discounted products ahead of the back-to-school season. With a portion of the profits benefiting ArtReach and Casa de Amparo charities, the annual event will also feature a craft activity area complete with OOLY favorites for visitors to enjoy. 

Where: OOLY Headquarters 5607 Palmer Way Carlsbad, CA 92010

When: Friday, July 22 from 12:00pm-6:00pm & Saturday, July 23 from 9:00am-3:00pm

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the following local charities. Both will be in attendance to highlight their work in the San Diego community.

ArtReach With a commitment to bringing art alive for children and classrooms, ArtReach empowers children with creative play and uniqueness. www.artreachsandiego.org

Casa de Amparo  supports those affected by and at risk of child abuse and neglect, through a range of programs and services that promote healing, growth, and healthy relationships. www.casadeamparo.org

ABOUT OOLY: OOLY is a whimsical and colorful arts, crafts, and school supply brand inclusive of an array of expressive and creative items for kids, adults, and everyone in between. Known for fun and trend-forward products, OOLY sparks imagination and inspires self-expression, inviting you to CREATE YOUR HAPPY. OOLY is a woman-owned, San Diego-based company that launched in 2005. For more information, visit ooly.com.

7/14/2022 Kung Fu Panda Day at the San Diego Zoo!

Abby H.

To Celebrate the new Kung Fu Panda Series coming to Netflix, head on down to check out the fun at the San Diego Zoo on July 14, 2022.

Celebrate with:

  • face painting
  • photo booth
  • giveaways and more!

And once you get home from the fun, check out the new series on Netflix, launching the same day!

Kung Fu Panda: Dragon Knight

SYNOPSIS: Jack Black returns to KUNG FU PANDA in the new series KUNG FU PANDA: THE DRAGON KNIGHT. When a mysterious pair of weasels set their sights on a collection of four powerful weapons, Po must leave his home to embark on a globe-trotting quest for redemption and justice that finds him partnered up with a no-nonsense English knight named Wandering Blade. Together, these two mismatched warriors set out on an epic adventure to find the magical weapons first and save the world from destruction — and they may even learn a thing or two from each other along the way.

Notable Voice Cast:  Jack Black as Po, Rita Ora as Wandering Blade, James Hong as Mr. Ping, Chris Geere as Klaus Dumont, Della Saba as Veruca Dumont, Rahnuma Panthaky as Rukhmini, Ed Weeks as Colin and Amy Hill as Pei Pei

Executive Producer: Peter Hastings (Captain Underpants TV; Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness) and Shaunt Nigoghossian (Blood of Zeus)

Co-Executive Producers: Chris Amick and Ben Mekler (Kipo)

Animation Studio: DreamWorks Animation

Based on: The popular Kung Fu Panda Film Series

Frugal Fun at the Zoo!

Abby H.

We are big zoo go-er’s and have been for decades! We’re always looking to live on the frugal side, and for us having zoo memberships is a great way to support our local zoological society, their conservation efforts, and see the cool animals whenever we want.

Here are a few ways to save money and get the most out of your visit when you visit the San Diego Zoo:

  • If you plan on visiting more than twice in 12 months, consider getting a membership. Memberships for aduts start at just $95/year, whereas a 1 day ticket is $69.00. Membership has it’s perks including discounts on concessions and merch.
  • Don’t forget your snacks and water bottles! There are tons of water fountains to refill your bottles throughout the day. And if you have a refillable Zoo cup, you can get unlimited refills of fountain beverages each day for $5 per day. We have a zoo cup, but usually we just stick to our water bottles. We also bring our Snack backpack with us, stocked and ready to go!
  • Take advantage of all of the perks of buying a ticket or pass. Animal Encounters, Skyfari, free shows, the bus tour, the Kangaroo bus, all of these and so many other cool things come free with your ticket/pass.
  • Seasonal Events. There are a lot of cool events that happen throughout the year- Night time zoo happens all summer, there are fall/halloween/harvest events, and Junglebells in the winter. And these are all included with your ticket/pass.

And with the new Children’s Zoo area, there is a fun water feature for kids to play in- so if you anticipate your kiddos wanting to play, bring extra clothes and/or a towel.

The San Diego Zoo is an awesome zoo full of animals and plants of all kinds! It is definately a must visit for Southern California.

Talk Back- How do you and your family enjoy your favorite places on a budget?

7/15/2022 An All Inclusive Day of Play for Families!

Abby H.

We’ve gone to this event in the past, and it’s always a fun time with great resources.

FREE community event with activities, games, crafts, raffles, shopping, and resource booths for families of all abilities.

Activity Stations for kids including favorites:

  • Light Saber Creation Station
  • Jurassic Photo Op
  • Under-the-Sea Sensory Tent
  • Super Wheelchair Course
  • many more!

Family Resources & Networking  – Resource and service providers will be on-site to speak with parents and offer helpful information. Be sure to pick up a copy of Flourishing Families and San Diego Family at the Special Needs Resource Foundation of San Diego booth.

Sign up for your FREE TICKETS here.

Free Food Resources for July 2022(San Diego County)

Abby H.

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

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.

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 July 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.

Super Pantry Locations can be found here (this listing is countywide). The San Diego Foodbank website also has resources for Diaper banks, free food resources for seniors, and more.

All kids in public school K-12 in the State of California are eligible for free breakfasts and lunches at school. More information can be found here. I’ll have more information on 2022 summer feeding programs as soon as they are available. 

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

2022 Free Parenting Classes (Online)

Abby H.

I got information about this class in my inbox from our local school district. This class is free and is all online.

Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) Classes.

 

I’ve never taken this class, but it looks like a great opportunity. After Finishing this 7-session course, you will:

  • Receive a Completion Certificate
  • Fulfill court and other requirements under the Welfare and Institution Code
  • Have a Better understanding of your child’s behavior and make steps toward building a happy home.

To sign up or if you have questions, contact Luz Alarcon at 619-203-2108. Pre-registration for this class is required.