Barnyard Bash: The Shops at Montebello, Saturday, April 14

The Shops at Montebello, 2134 Montebello Town Center Drive, Montebello

Members of the US Olympic Water Polo Team will also be on hand for a meet & greet!

Bring a camera!

Crocs Store Grand Opening: The Citadel Outlets, Saturday 3/31

Crocs are hands down, bar none, the most versatile shoes around today; not to mention extremely comfy.  Chefs, nurses, surgeons, dentists and other professionals who spend a considerable amount of time on their feet wear them everyday.  Their style and materials also make them great for the beach, the pool or a stroll around the park.  Got them dirty?  Toss them in the washing machine.  Stepped on something nasty?  Hose them down and toss them in a bucket with warm water and bleach.  Try that with your fancy Italian leather loafers and see how that works out!  The fact that some styles cost as low as $30 make them easy on the wallet as well, and you can outfit the entire family with matching Crocs without breaking the bank.

We are happy to report that a new Crocs store is now open at The Citadel Outlets, 100 Citadel Drive in Los Angeles!  The store is huge, and features a generous inventory of their popular models in all sizes and colors.  Bring your old used Crocs in still wearable condition and donate them to charity to receive a 15% discount off your purchase!

The store will host its Grand Opening event on Saturday, March 31^st starting at 10 am.  The first 50 customers will receive a free pair of Crocs, and they will have discount coupons and other freebies throughout the day.

Hop Into Spring Event: Shops at Montebello, Saturday 3/24

Hop Into Spring Event

The Shops at Montebello

Centre Court

Saturday, March 24, 2012

12-2 pm

There will be coloring, crafts, face painting, prizes and entertainment!

East L.A. Arts Festival: East L.A., Saturday, March 24

For more information click here.

Spring Break Stock-Up at the Shops at Montebello

Free Pretzel Day!

Spring Break is almost here! The Shops at Montebello gave me a $50 Shops at Montebello Visa Gift Card to stock up on Spring Break essentials and have some fun!

Our visit to the mall coincided with Auntie Anne's "Free Pretzel Day"! Every customer received a complementary pretzel, no purchase necessary! We picked up 5 pretzels and Strawberry Lemonade Mixer all for under $3!

Men's Swim Trunks $15: JCPenny

JCPenney recently launched a new advertising campaign where there are no more sales; which as a super-saver I can't quite understand.  We needed to stock up on some essentials for the girls so a visit to JCPenney was our second stop.

So the first thing I find is that there are no more "SALE" signs. Only small plain signs that say "Everyday" "March" or "Best Price". Signs are outlined in a white/gray coloring, some purple, orange, and blue.

On our way to the children's section my husband saw a display of swimming trunks that reminded him that he needed a new bathing suit. He chose the green and white suit in the front for everyday price of $15.

Everyday Low Prices are in Red

At the girls' section I found exactly what they needed. These socks came in a 6-pk for $8 and the underwear was $3. At the register I found that since the brands are the same I got an additional $2 off the socks too!
 

JCPenney's Clearance Section Renamed: Best Price

I asked the cashier to point out the location of the clearance section since it wasn't obvious. She said there is no longer a clearance section, only a "Best Price" section, where everything is marked down significantly. The tags in the Best Price section are labeled with a small blue sticker.

Our total at JCPenney was $33, men's swimsuit $15, 6 pairs of girl socks $6, and 4 pairs of girl underwear $12.



 Leaving JCPenney behind us, the next item on our stock-up list was hair clips for my daughter. I recently cut her hair really short, so I figured that with a couple of cute clips she could be a trend setter on the playground.

We visited the labyrinth of girl-dom that is Claire's. Inside girls can find everything from knick-knacks to hair accessories all covered with enough glitter, feathers, and fake jewels to make adults want to run and sit in a void of beige. So, of course, my girls love Claire's.

8 Clips for $9.75: Claire's

At Claire's, hair accessories are buy one get one for 50%. My daughter fell in love with these hair clips, $6.50 for a set of four or both sets for $9.75.

Our next stop was to turn in coupons from a recent lunch purchase for shirts for mini-Build-A-Bears that were included in McDonald Happy Meals. At Build-A-Bear Workshop my girls were able to each pick out a t-shirt for their bear and each shirt came with a code for the online Bear-ville game.

It must have been our lucky day, because walking by the Disney Store we saw a sign that said it was "Perry the Platypus Day!" We stopped in just in time for my kids to make a paper fedora and partake in The Platypus Dance.

The Disney Store is also holding a pre-sale for the Muppet Movie. For just about the same price as other retailers, guests can buy the movie pre-sale, get a coupon for $10 off any $10 purchase, and take home an exclusive set of 4 lithographs from the movie.

Children's Place Coupon

While Mr. Montebello Mom and the kids were dancing, I went to The Children's Place and picked up a scarf for my son. All winter accessories were on sale and the scarf was only 91 cents!  At checkout the cashier gave me a coupon for 15% off my next purchase.

Hair Clips: Twin

We found more cute hair accessories at the "TWIN" kiosk in the upper level near Macy's Home. My daughter with the new short cropped hair was eyeing the hair extentions but I convinced her that the clips would suit her better. Total for all three clips $7.98.

Hair Accessories and Jewerly at Twin

Kidgits Prize Wheel: Only $5 to join!

On our way out we made one last stop at the Shops at Montebello Customer Service Desk to try our luck at the Kidgits Prize Wheel.

The kids all came home with a fun toy, the girl's drawers are now stocked with underwear and socks, they have enough hair clips to lose under the couch for at least 2 months, and my husband will sport a new swimsuit at the YMCA this spring break! Watch out ladies!

A special thanks to the Shops at Montebello for sponsoring our afternoon of fun!

Now it's your turn! Grab the family, take a few hours and make your own fun at the Shops at Montebello!

Win Tickets to the Teen Party Expo!

Teen Party Expo has donated a 4 pack of VIP tickets to give away to a MontebelloMom.com reader!

WIN A  4 PACK OF TICKETS to TEEN PARTY EXPO:

To enter: Send an email to montebellomom@gmail.com. Please put "Teen Party Expo Giveaway" in the subject line. Please include a sentence describing the teen party you are planning. Entry deadline is Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 11:59pm PST.

One entry per email address. All entries will be assigned a number by order received and the winner will be chosen by random drawing. Winners will be notified via email on 3/21/2012 and will have 48 hours to respond accepting the prize. The winner's name will be placed on the VIP All-Access List at Teen Party Expo. Winner will need to provide a valid ID to obtain 4 VIP tickets, retail value $40, at will-call the day of the event. If the winners do not contact MontebelloMom.com after 48 hours another winner will be chosen. The names of the winners will be publicly announced on MontebelloMom.com by 3/25/12.

Teen Party Expo: L.A. Convention Center, 3/25

Get great ideas for and meet with professional teen party planners at the Teen Party Expo!

Fashion Shows, Dance Performances, Demonstrations, DJs, & more!

Tickets are $10.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit: http://teenpartyexpo.com/

Disney Store Events: March

These events are available at all Disney Store locations including Montebello, Glendale, & West Covina.

Career & College Fair: Santa Fe High School, 3/22

St. Patricks Day Event: Albertsons Montebello, Saturday, 3/17

Albertsons, Montebello: Via Campo and Wilcox

Saturday, March 17

10am-2pm

Stop by the store to pick up a flyer, have the kids color the leprechaun on the back for a Kids Club Card that you use every time you shop at Albertsons!

• Irish themed food samples
• Green Beer Recipes
• Activities for Kids

Montebello Bus Lines Art Contest

Job Fair: Irwindale, Wednesday, March 14 2012

Job Fair

Wednesday, March 14

10am - 2pm

4920 Rivergrade Road, Irwindale

• Dress to impress.
• Bring copies of your resume.
• For more information, click here.

Job Fair: San Fernando Valley, Wednesday April 18

Meet dozens of prospective employers at the

Los Angeles Valley College Job Fair

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

10am - 1pm

LAVC Monarch Hall

5800 Fulton Ave, Valley Glen

Although the job fair is in the San Fernando Valley, employers from all over Southern California usually participate.  Bring copies of an updated resume and dress to impress! 

LAVC also has a jobs posting bulletin board available here.

Teen Tech Week: L.A. County Libraries, March 4-10

The Los Angeles County Library is celebrating Teen Tech Week from March 4-10.  Below are some of the activities at local branches.

3D Madness

El Camino Real Library (East L.A.)

Tuesday 3/6, 3:30 pm

(Must be in 5th grade or higher)

Make Your Own Photo Keychain

Anthony Quinn Library (East L.A.)

Tuesday 3/6, 4 pm

Make Your Own Photo Keychain

Chet Holifield Library (Montebello)

Wednesday 3/7, 4pm

Teen Tech Week Events

East L.A. Library

Wednesday 3/7, 4pm

Make Your Own LED Robot

South Whittier Library

Wednesday 3/7, 5pm

Juggler David Cousin

Bell Gardens Library

Saturday 3/10, 2pm

For more information and additional activites in other branches click here.

"It Starts at Home" Parenting Conference, Saturday, 3/3

Free Parenting Conference

 Saturday, March 3, 8:00-3:00pm

For more information visit: http://dayoneparentconference.eventbrite.com/

Registration is only open until Friday, at 3pm. All events are free.