Spring Cleaning and Organization with Dollar Tree

Over Spring Break we had guests. While our house is clean, it was definitely disorganized. I had reorganized the pantry and kitchen drawers not long ago, so it was my mission to organize some of the other areas of our home including the kids’ rooms, the front bathroom, and the living room.

The wallpaper I chose.

I headed over to Dollar Tree to grab some organizational items. If you haven’t checked out Dollar Tree lately, they have a great selection of baskets, totes, and boxes with lids to help with organizing your space.

I also checked out their peel-and-stick wallpaper to do some DIY bathroom decor.

I picked up a few square frames, removed the artwork, covered it with the peel and stick, and placed it back into the frames. It took less than ten minutes and it was super easy. The best part: they look really cute.

To make our bathroom countertop look a little nicer, after scrubbing it, I put down an edged mirror (also from Dollar Tree) and placed 6 battery-powered faux candles in different sizes on the mirror. 

I also bought a small two-drawer container to corral all of my hair ties and for Qtips. I decorated the top with decals meant for a glass jar. I think it turned out great.

I placed a basket on top of the toilet tank and filled it with an extra roll of toilet paper, wipes, and new washcloths. I scrubbed out the shower, placed down a shower mat (from Ross), and restocked the front bathroom shower with shampoo, conditioner, 2 body washes, a new pouf, a new back scrub brush, exfoliating gloves, and my absolute favorite body scrub from Tree Hut: Moroccan Rose (which does not smell like roses). I also spent time organizing the HBA stockpile under the front bathroom sink, condensing boxes, and half-filled bottles, and removing unnecessary packaging to make storage easier. I also went through the first aid kit and discarded all of the old, expired meds, ointments, and bandages that are no longer adhesive.

The kids love to draw and there are pencils and pens all over the house. I picked up a three-pack of small baskets and placed 2 of them on the kitchen tables, filling one with pencils, and the second one with ballpoint pens. Hopefully that will solve the “MOOOOOOM, where are the pencils???” Quandary.

Heading into the kids’ rooms, I reorganized Margaret’s room with a few baskets and plastic boxes with lids. The headband/hairbow situation had gotten out of hand, but it was easily wrangled with a plastic box with a lid. Now everything is all in one place. Same with underwear and socks. Separated into two baskets and stored on top of her dresser, which has been upgraded and moved into her larger closet. Yes, her room has two closets- one is very small, and basically is only used to hold clothes that need to be hung up. 

Back in the living room, I needed better storage options for our fidget/stim basket and masks. I upgraded to black woven baskets. We still have masks at home (for use when we go to crowded places or when we are feeling under the weather and need to leave home- Target Drive up, anyone?). These weren’t from Dollar Tree, but Dollar Tree Plus and Family Dollar both sell them. And yes, that’s a plastic shoe box with a lid from Dollar Tree next to them- Full of crayons.

So that’s how I spent the 1st three days of my Spring Break. Getting my home organized- It has made finding things a lot easier.

Free Sample from Degree!

It’s free sample time!

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Planning a Mermaid/Under the Sea Themed Party? Dollar Tree To The Rescue!

I’m working on planning a mermaid-themed party for a certain little girl in my house. Thankfully, Dollar Tree has some great supplies on the cheap! These are available in-store and online.

First off, check out these cool iridescent shell-shaped eggs. Perfect for hiding candy or tiny gifts like bracelets or rings. In the store, there are a lot of beaded necklaces, like there.

There are mermaid-themed party paper goods too. Plates, cups, and napkins. One thing I love about Dollar Tree is that with the rising costs of everything, I’m able to host cute themed parties and stay on budget.

I’m loving these cute mermaid buckets, they would be great for goodie baskets. If you aren’t sure what to put in them, I’d suggest mermaid facial masks, nail polish in “mermaid” colors- there are tons of colors in stores, mermaid tail shaped hand soaps,  Nail art sets, nail files (there are ocean/mermaid themed ones in the stores, and bath bombs- some stores have mermaid tail-shaped bath bombs. All locations have bath bombs in various scents and sizes.

Don’t forget to hit up the home decor area to look for beach, ocean, and mermaid themed signs.

As for snacks and menu, we’ll be serving:

  • Strawberry lemonade, complete with frozen strawberries (available in the stores) as our beverage.
  • Cold Pasta Salad using shell pasta (recipe is forthcoming)
  • Goldfish crackers
  • Fresh Fruit cut into star shapes- Watermelon, pineapple, apple (with a hole cut in the middle where I remove the apple core)

I love using the plastic “crystal” serving ware from Dollar Tree too. It makes the party look fancy, without worrying about little hands breaking anything special or vintage.

And for those wondering, we only invite 4-6 of Bitty’s good friends to parties. I can’t have a house full of 20+ kiddos. My neighbors would never forgive me. We may have a viewing of The Little Mermaid while we eat.

And of course, I’ll be making invitations on Canva for free, saving the image as a PDF, and either printing them out to hand out or emailing them to friends parents/guardians.

January 2023: New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!

 If you are into Organic/Natural/Healthy products, then Social Nature is right up your alley. Sign up and apply to sample products that you are interested in. I get probably 1-2 products to sample each month. And most of the time it’s full-size products, not just a tiny sample.

Social Nature has rounded up products that are available to try at a local grocery store or mass merchandiser near you.  Apply to Try the products that interest you to see if you’re a match here.

Here are some of the new sampling opportunities:

Parmesan Crisps by Joyfull Bakery
Cruelty-Free Body Wash by The Seaweed Bath Co.
Premium Sparkling Tea by Sparkling Botanicals
Kids Juice Drink by PLEZI
Plant-Based Milk by Koita Foods
Meatless Nuggets by Quorn Foods
Plant-based Chicken Alternative by Sweet Earth Foods

And More!

And one of the things I love about Social Nature is that they don’t leave our friends with food allergies out.

There are sampling offers for Gluten-free, nut-free, and meat-free foods frequently.

Canadian Friends- You are in luck, there are sampling opportunities for you too! So if you love trying new products, check out Social Nature!

Saving Money on your SDG&E Bill

Recently I posted on Facebook that I relented and turned on the heater. Usually, it’s not cold enough, and we are all big fans of cuddly sweaters and socks, and of course piles of soft blankets. The other night I wandered down the hall and the thermostat said 48 degrees- NOPE. I turned on the heater to 68 degrees.

Someone commented that they wish they could do that. I realize that being able to run the AC or Heater is a privilege that not everyone has. I was in that position a few years ago, and then I looked into some of the programs that SDG&E offers (and I’m sure other utility companies offer as well). These programs are on their site, but you really have to dig to find them.

Here are a few programs that might be helpful:

Medical Baseline Allowance Program:  The Medical Baseline Allowance Program provides an additional amount of gas and electricity at the lowest rates for residential customers.  It is not a discount or a rebate.

Anyone who uses certain medical devices or needs space heating or air conditioning because of a medical condition may qualify. CPAP machines are on the list of qualifying medical equipment, as well as about 20 other medical devices. All the information and application can be found here.

CARE and FERA programs: For families that receive various social services or are lower income, these programs can save you 30% or 18%, respectively. To learn more, and apply, click here. 

Energy Savings Assistance program: This is a great program that I took advantage of many years ago. An SDG&E contractor came out and did some work to make our home more energy efficient. They replaced the weather stripping on our front door, gave us energy-efficient floor lamps, and did a few other things. This program is for families that receive various social services or are lower income.

With natural gas prices rising this winter, if you are eligible for any of these programs, or think you might be, it is definitely worth taking a little time to check out these links.

Screen Shot 2016-08-03 at 5.02.27 PMAnd another way I try to save money is to use Ohm Connect.  We’ve been using it for a few years, and they text and/or email you when you should conserve more power due to the demand on the power grid. It’s a win-win situation: You save money on your power bill, and you earn points from Ohm Connect that you can cash out for Paypal, Amazon, or Target Gift Cards, OhmConnect store credit (to buy energy efficient thermostats, smart plugs, etc.) You can learn more about OhmConnect here. It’s for Southern CA, New York, or Texas Residents. We save about $200/year on our power bill and earn roughly $150 in rewards. It’s a nice little extra for minimal work.

December 2022: New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!

 If you are into Organic/Natural/Healthy products, then Social Nature is right up your alley. Sign up and apply to sample products that you are interested in. I get probably 1-2 products to sample each month. And most of the time it’s full-size products, not just a tiny sample.

Social Nature has rounded up products that are available to try at a local grocery store or mass merchandiser near you.  Apply to Try the products that interest you to see if you’re a match here.

Here are some of the new sampling opportunities:

      • Lactose-Free Sour Cream by Green Valley Creamery
      • Specialty Nut Butters by Wild Friends
      • Sustainable Dog Treats by Shameless Pets
      • Veggie Pasta by Veggiecraft Farms
      • Dips & Spreads by Litehouse
      • Fresh Frozen Dog Food by Nom Nom

And More!

And one of the things I love about Social Nature is that they don’t leave our friends with food allergies out.

There are sampling offers for Gluten-free, nut-free, and meat-free foods frequently.

Canadian Friends- You are in luck, there are sampling opportunities for you too! So if you love trying new products, check out Social Nature!

Venmo Users: Check your Accounts For An Amazon Deal!

Venmo users: Check the email linked to your Venmo account for this sweet deal!

Spend $100 on Amazon orders now through 12/31/22 (Max 200k redemptions available under this offer), and you’ll score $10 back in your Venmo Account.

Pretty sweet, right?

If you hadn’t heard by now Amazon and Venmo are now buddies- You can pay for Amazon purchases with Venmo. Learn more here.

And you haven’t signed up for Venmo yet, check it out here.

November 2022: New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!

 If you are into Organic/Natural/Healthy products, then Social Nature is right up your alley. Sign up and apply to sample products that you are interested in. I get probably 1-2 products to sample each month. And most of the time it’s full-size products, not just a tiny sample.

Social Nature has rounded up products that are available to try at a local grocery store or mass merchandiser near you.  Apply to Try the products that interest you to see if you’re a match here.

Here are some of the new sampling opportunities:

      • Miyoko’s Creamery Organic Liquid Vegan Pizza Mozzarella
      • Notco Plant-Based Chicken Patties
      • Megafood Blood Builder Liquid Iron
      • Brainiac Foods Applesauce

And More!

And one of the things I love about Social Nature is that they don’t leave our friends with food allergies out.

There are sampling offers for Gluten-free, nut-free, and meat-free foods frequently.

Canadian Friends- You are in luck, there are sampling opportunities for you too! So if you love trying new products, check out Social Nature!

10/31/2022 Weekly Meal Plan

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I’m hoping this week starts an easy descent into the end of 2022. This year has been rough, and I really need some rest.

We are finishing up with TBS therapy at about the end of the year, and it’s really been helpful for the whole family, especially the big kid. It’s been a big part of our lives over the past few months.

I went to the grocery store on Friday night. I didn’t do much meal prep this week. I was exhausted from all the driving and other work I’d done last week. So this week is going to be a lot of low-effort meals. This would be a great week for Dream Dinners, but I didn’t have time to place an order for October.

We’ll be eating a lot of vegetarian/low-meat meals this week. With the ever-increasing cost of groceries, we’re leaning on pantry staples and what’s in the freezer again for this week.

We’ve been trying a lot of new foods lately, thanks to the really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. Lately, the big kid has been digging protein shakes in the morning. This is his favorite kind. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. The big kid brings his lunch from home every day and the littlest buys her lunch at school about half the time. In California, all public schools provide breakfast and lunch for free.

Dinner: This week is packed as far as appointments, so I’m leaning on stuff that’s easy and tasty. I prepped fruits and veg over the weekend and made up the last Dream Dinner and portioned it into lunch-sized servings.

  • Monday:  Protein shakes, fruit, and toast (and trick or treating)

  • Tuesday: Beans, Rice, and cheese bowls with roasted veggies

  • Wednesday: Nuggets, fruit, crackers, and cheese

  • Thursday:  Pasta with red sauce, spinach salad

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday:    Grilled cheese sandwiches, soup, fruit
  • Sunday:  Leftovers

Cents of Style: No TRICKS just TREATS 31% off the Entire Site!

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

This is a pretty sweet deal from our friends at Cents of Style! Going LIVE at TEN PM on 10/30/2022, they have a SPECIAL Halloween deal of 31% OFF SITEWIDE for ANYTHING AND ENTIRE ORDER (sale & clearance items included) FOR 24 HOURS ONLY as our Halloween Treat.

This deal runs from Sunday at 10pm until Monday at midnight!

In order to take advantage of this deal, use coupon code TRICKORTREAT at checkout.

I’ll be picking up stocking stuffers and holiday gifts!