san diego

San Diego, CA-Upcoming Dream Dinners Cooking Class!

Abby H.

This landed in my inbox last night, and I thought I’d share it. With Summer Break coming up, I’ll be leaning on Dream Dinners a few times a week to get us through the summer for those days we are busy.

I don’t get paid when school is out (surprise- teachers and school staff don’t draw a paycheck over the summer months unless they work summer school or opt to spread their paychecks out over 12 months- and some districts don’t offer this), so I really need to be cost-conscious over the summer. Dream Dinners is a great way to have restaurant-quality meals in the comfort of our home for 50% (or more) savings compared to restaurant prices.

And the June Dream Dinners Menu has a bunch of my family’s favorites- Mongolian Beef & Broccoli with White Rice (my fav), and Spinach and Artichoke Ravioli Bake (The kids’ fav) were the top two on my list.

FREE* Dream Dinners Cooking Class

Thursday, June 8th at 5:30

Learn how easy it can be to make Dream Dinners at home. During the class learn how to prepare quick, easy healthy, and delicious meals. In this class, you will learn basic cooking skills you can use to make all types of different meals at home. Save time, save money, and have fun!!

This Month’s Featured Entrée will be the Nashville Chicken served with Summer Grilled Veggies.

Sign up for June 8th Class Here

Call/Text 619-460-6800 for more information. La Mesa Dream Dinners will begin offering a series of cooking classes each month. To stay up to date on our classes, go to lamesadreamdinners.com.

 

* No Fee for class, Minimum Purchase required – 3 meals.

San Diego Area Upcoming Clothing Swaps

Abby H.

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

There are a few upcoming swaps that I recommend. Both are for adult clothes and accessories.

 

April 8, 2023 Porchlight Community Services, Inc. 8888 Clairemont Mesa Blvd From their site “We invite you to be part of our SWAP PARTY! Bring clothing, accessories, personal hygiene, or toiletries.

There is a $5 fee, however, it goes to offset the cost of their programs, which are incredible.

The Second event is my personal favorite: Spring Swap for extended sizes 14 and up on May 7, 2023.

I always find cute clothes at this swap, and I love it because it’s all plus-size clothes. I always fill my Ikea Bag with clothes, accessories (and usually shoes too).

And if you are looking for more information about clothing swaps, check out my post (with other San Diego, CA area resources)  here.

Does Your Child Have an IEP? Upcoming Event in San Diego- IEP Conference

Abby H.

The Involved Exceptional Parents Day Planning Committee is sponsoring a 1-Day Conference & Expo for parents and caregivers of children with special needs and disabilities, educators, and service providers on May 13, 2023 at Town and Country Hotel Mission Valley 500 Hotel Circle North San Diego, CA 92108.

I’ve never been, but I’m looking forward to going. There will be all sorts of Empowerment Workshops and Inspirational Ideas. Plus a free lunch and free parking.

And probably the most important part of this post: SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE

If you would like to apply for a scholarship from Exceptional Family Resource Center, contact Lisa Fisher at llfisher@sdsu.edu or call (619) 594-7416. You will be prompted to enter a code at checkout.

San Diego Regional Center also has scholarships available. Please contact Sonia Griffin at Sonia.Griffin@sdrc.org or call (619) 336-6691 to request Authorization. The conference vendor number is PY2843. Once approved, they will provide you with a code to enter at registration checkout.

For more information, check out their Eventbrite page here.

Dream Dinners: Lower Minimum Order, Lots of Tasty Options!

Abby H.

Dream Dinners is one of my favorite ways to save time and get tasty, healthy meals on the table in 45 minutes or less!

If you haven’t tried Dream Dinners yet, now is the perfect time! They have lowered their minimum orders to three meals. And April has some of my favorite meals:

  • Chicken with Honey, Garlic, and Orange with Oven Roasted Broccoli
  • Chateau Chicken with Almond Butter Sauce
  • Sonoma Grilled Steak
  • Tuscan Chicken Bake
  • Classic French Dip and Au Jus

I am picking up my Dream Dinners order tomorrow afternoon, and it is definitely coming in the clutch over spring break. We’ll be able to have our usual fun adventures and I’ll be able to get dinner on the table.

If you want to learn more, find your local Dream Dinner location, or place an order, click here.

April 3, 2023: Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day!

Abby H.

It’s BAAACCCCK!!!

Tomorrow is the day! Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s locations all across the US from noon until 8pm.

Find your local participating location here.

There is one in San Diego:  Seaport Village.

If you’ve never been, the line at Seaport Village goes pretty fast. It’s a great time, enjoying a tasty treat and watching the boats in the bay!

 

 

3/25/2023 KPBS Be My Neighbor Day!

Abby H.

My kids loved Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood when they were tiny. I watched Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood when I was little. I love the lessons of kindness, sharing, and how Daniel and the whole Land of Make Believe gang live and work together to make their world a better place.

So imagine how excited I was when KPBS reached out to share Be My Neighbor Day.

In celebration of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (DTN) and PNC Grow Up Great® (an initiative of The PNC Financial Services Group), Fred Rogers Productions is working with PBS stations across the country to host Be My Neighbor Day community events. Building on the values and themes of DTN, the events are used as an opportunity for member stations to collaborate with new and existing partners while promoting local volunteerism, family engagement, and community development.

KPBS is excited to join forces with local community partners to host San Diego’s first-ever Be My Neighbor Day on Saturday, March 25 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the KPBS station on the San Diego State University campus. Young children (ages 0-8) and their families will celebrate kindness and learn how their neighbors are working to improve our region’s natural environment (and preserve the planet!) through interactive displays and meaningful activities. Current exhibitors include America’s Finest Charter School, Climate Science Alliance, Girl Scouts San Diego, Japanese Friendship Garden Society of San Diego, Living Coast Discovery Center, Salk Education Outreach, San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum, and the SDSU Office of Energy and Sustainability.

If you and your family want to check out Be My Neighbor Day, click here.

Select Southern California Museums FREE ADMISSION 2/5/2023!

Abby H.

Here in San Diego, February is Museum month, and that means 50% off admission to selected museums. Digital passes good for 50% off of up to four passes can be printed here, or visit your local City of San Diego or County of San Diego Library branch location.

Don’t forget that there is also Free Museum Tuesdays all year long for San Diego Residents and military families.

If you have an EBT/SNAP card, you can access over 1000 museums nationwide for FREE. Check out Museums4All here for more details and search for your local museums.

If you are looking for a fun road trip, or live outside San Diego County, there is a collection of 30+ museums in the LA/OC/Santa Barbara area with free admission offers next Sunday, 2/5/23.

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
American Museum of Ceramic Art (Advance tickets required. Visit www.amoca.org to make a reservation.)
Armory Center for the Arts
Bowers Museum
Catalina Museum for Art & History
Cayton’s Children’s Museum (Advance tickets required. Visit www.caytonmuseum.org to make a reservation.)
Craft Contemporary
Descanso Gardens (Advance tickets required. Visit www.descansogardens.org to make a reservation.)
Fowler Museum at UCLA
Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University
Hammer Museum
The Getty Center
The Getty Villa (Timed tickets are required for the Getty Villa. Visit www.getty.edu to make a reservation.)
Japanese American National Museum
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum (Advance tickets required. Visit www.tarpits.org to make a reservation.)
Laguna Art Museum
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
Lincoln Memorial Shrine
Long Beach Museum of Art
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) (Advance tickets strongly recommended. Visit www.moca.org to make a reservation.)
Muckenthaler Cultural Center
Museum of Latin America Art (MOLAA)
Museum of Tolerance
Museum of Ventura County
Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Santa Monica History Museum
Santa Paula Art Museum
Skirball Cultural Center (Advance tickets strongly recommended. Visit www.skirball.org to make a reservation.)
The Wende Museum
The Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum
USC Asia Pacific Museum

For more information and details, check out the website.

 

 

Give the Gift of the Farm with the Yasukochi Family Farms Black Friday Sale!

Abby H.

On Tuesday I posted about practical gifts for busy families. Little did I know that Yasukochi Family Farms was having a sale this weekend!

This is an amazing sale!

This sale is only good today, FRIDAY, 11/25, and ends on Sunday, 11/27! To learn more or order, check out their website.

One month of CSA Boxes your choice of regular box or Jumbo box. and 1 bottle of olive oil. I love this olive oil, it’s the best I’ve tried.

I get a Regular sized box each week, and it’s good for a family of 4 or smaller. A Jumbo-sized Box is perfect for larger families or for families that are vegetarians or vegans.

 

November: 2 Dream Dinner Bundles!

Abby H.

Looking to simplify your meal planning this month? Dream Dinners has your back! This month Dream Dinners has 2 Special Bundle Deals this Month

8 Medium Meals for $199

  • Mini Chicken Pot Pies
  • Sherry Cream Chicken Over Rice
  • Cattleman’s Pie
  • Thanksgiving Burger w/ Rosemary Shoestring Fries
  • Layered Verde Chicken Enchiladas
  • Honey Pecan Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Applesauce
  • Layered Ravioli Bake
  • Chicken Paella

6 meals for $149 

  • Mini Chicken Pot Pies
  • Sherry Cream Chicken Over Rice
  • Cattleman’s Pie
  • Thanksgiving Burger w/ Rosemary Shoestring Fries
  • Layered Verde Chicken Enchiladas

This offer is not available on-line. To place your order call/text 619-460-6800 or email lamesaca@dreamdinners.com.
*This offer is only available for a limited time. Contact your store by Wednesday, November 16th at 5 pm to place your order. The bundle offer includes 1 of each entree listed. Any changes or substitutions will be subject to the current retail value of the entree.

 

 

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!