Fun With Dr. Seuss: The Shops at Montebello, Saturday 3/17

At The Shops at Montebello

2134 Montebello Town Center Drive, Montebello

Toys R Us Birthday Club: Great freebies!

Toys R Us has a fabulous birthday club for kids aged 1-10!

I have my three kids signed up and I look forward to the freebies and fun things Toys R Us offers for them on their birthday.

• The month before the birthday the family also receives a coupon for $5 off any $25 purchase with a suggested list of party supplies available at Toys R Us.
• During the birthday month your child will receive a card from Geoffrey with a gift card for $3.
• On your child's birthday they will receive a special birthday phone call from Geoffrey.
• If you take your child to Toys R Us on their birthday, stop by the Customer Service desk. The manager will give your child a special birthday balloon, crown, and will make an announcement over the PA system that your child is celebrating their birthday and sometimes customers will say "Happy Birthday" to them as they shop.

Sign up your kids at http://www.birthdaysrus.com/ and watch for Geoffrey mail on their birthday!

Ten Commandment Hike: Whittier, Saturday, March 10

For more information and to obtain the registration form contact David Limon: david@pack890.net. 

Free Pretzel Day at Auntie Anne's! Saturday,March 3

Stop by an Auntie Anne's location from

10am - 3pm on Saturday, March 3

for a free original or cinnamon sugar pretzel!

There are Auntie Anne's locations at:

The Shops at Montbello Mall

The Citadel Outlets

 

For details click here.

How I saved $25 on kids clothes in one hour!

Bins of "Save for Later" clothes.

A couple times a year I run through a routine of cleaning out my kid's closets. I tell the kids we are having a "Fashion Show" and they try on nearly every piece of clothing they own. I make a pile of clothes they've outgrown and put them into five piles: still fits, pass on to friends/family, too big/save for later, yard sale, and throw away.

This round was initiated because my son was complaining that a lot of his school shirts were too tight and he was running out of shirts by the end of the week. I first looked online to see what The Children's Place had in stock and three new shirts with coupons and tax would cost about $25.

The yard sale pile.



Prior to making a trip to the mall, my son and I headed to his closet. After an hour sorting through nearly 100 items while my son was busy making faces in the mirror and inventing new ways to put on a shirt that didn't require the use of hands I realized that my son had outgrown about 1/3 of this clothes. However, he still had seven school shirts that fit perfectly, and we came across about a dozen items that still had tags on them.

So in the end there was no need to spend $25 on new shirts, he has plenty of school shirts and I will probably make about $30 from his old clothes at the next yard sale. Tomorrow, I'll take advantage of the three day weekend and tackle the girl's closet, wish me luck!

That's one organized closet!

Free Scoop Day at Ben & Jerry's! 2/14, 5-8pm!

Get a free scoop of

AmeriCone Dream Ice Cream

at Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops

Tuesday, February 14

5 - 8 pm

The closest Scoop Shop location to Montebello is in Long Beach and there is another shop in Burbank. You can find a participating scoop shop near you by clicking here.

Free Tax Preparation Service with United Way

The United Way has teamed with corporate sponsors to offer free tax preparation to individuals that earned less than $44,000 last year.

To find a free tax preparation service and for more information click here.

El Monte Bike Program: El Monte, Saturdays 2/11 and 3/10

Learn bicycle safety tips, maintenance and simple repairs.  For kids and adults 5 and up.  Some events feature a short bicycle ride (approx. 3 miles) after the program.

Twilight Event @ Target Stores, Friday, 2/10

I have to admit that I know next to nothing about the Twilight series, but I do know that many teens love Twilight. This Sunday's Target ad had an additional wrap around advertisement about this event.

From what I've read, if you head to selected Target locations at 9pm you can get a ticket that guarantees you copy of the Breaking Dawn - Part 1 DVD which they will hand out at midnight. The limited edition 2 DVD set includes a flower that was used as a prop in the wedding scene of the movie. At 11pm, they will show an exclusive preview of the movie, Breaking Dawn - Part 2.

Participating Target stores in our area include: Pasadena, Whittier, Norwalk, and Alhambra.

For more information click here.

Valentine Craft Event: Disney Store, Saturday 2/11

Valentine's Event @ the Disney Store

Saturday, February 11

10:30 - 1:00pm

Kids can join other Disney fans to create Mickey and Minnie Valentine Cards at the Disney Store! Lady & the Tramp valentine cards will also be handed out. Stop by the Disney Store with your children any time during the event.

Kid's Corner Event: Albertsons: Montebello, Saturday, 2/11

On Saturday, 2/11 kids can create special treats and gifts for Valentine's Day!

10:00 - 4:00pm

Decorate a mini-cake $2.99

Decorate a message cookie $5.99

Create a rose vase $5.99

Create your own valentine or color a valentine page for free!

Over the past year Albertsons has hosted various kid-friendly events. The decoration events are usually at a table near the bakery and an Albertson's baker is present to supervise the area. The cakes/cookies are there along with a wide variety of sprinkles, candies, and colored frosting for kids to use. My kids love it!

Albertsons Montebello is located on the southeast corner shopping center at Wilcox and Via Campo.

Lego "Friends" Launch Event w/ Free Giveaway at Toys R Us! Saturday 2/4, Noon-2pm!

Lego has a new series called, "Friends". Sets include a house, cafe, pet shop and more. There are five teen girl Lego girls that are part of the series. An exclusive Stephanie Mini Doll is included with any $20 Friends purchase.

LEGO Friends Launch n' Build

Saturday, February 4

Noon-2pm

Toys R Us Stores

The event details read, "Building is Better with Friends! Build a Lemonade stand and add to your LEGO Friends set!" Event intended for children, ages 5-up. Parental supervision required at all times. All giveaways and event materials available while supplies last and distributed to participating children only. Limit one per child.

Free Valentine's Message and Contest with the PennySaver!

The PennySaver magazine is offering free 15-word Valentine's Day messages that will run the week of February 8. You can designate by zip code which edition you want your message to run.

By sending a Valentine greeting for publishing you will also be entered in a contest to win one of ten $100 Valentine Date Nights!

• Tweet your message to #pennyshout
• Fax your message to  760-599-1505
• Phone in your message at 800-995-3333, option #1
• Mail your message to : Valentine's Day Greetings/Private Party, PO Box 1689, Vista, CA 92085

Help control the pet population: Spay or neuter your cat at no cost!

The local animal control, SEACCA, is offering residents in the 14 cities it services a free spay and neuter program called, The Big Meow. The program also includes free microchip insertions and vaccines. Call 562-803-3301, extension 251 to make an appointment.

SEACCA services the cities of: Bell Gardens, Bellflower, Buena Park, Downey, Lakewood, La Palma, Montebello, Norwalk, Paramount, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, South El Monte, South Gate and Vernon.

It's a new year! Time to get organized!

The Shops at Montebello gave this blogger a mission to "Get Organized!"  So I packed up the family and with a $50 Visa Gift Card courtesy of the Shops at Montebello in hand, I set out on a mission to give my kitchen a mini-makeover!

At Macy's Home I came across the Martha Stewart Kitchen Collection. I was drawn to these sets of kitchen tools by how they perfectly combine usefulness and simplistic beauty.

Martha Stewart towels, spoon rest, and knives.

Our kitchen towels have gotten a little grubby, so a must have for my kitchen was a set of Flour Sack towels. this set of four was $6.47. 

My old ceramic spoon rest broke three years ago and since then we've been using small plates when cooking. I've been looking for a simple stainless steel spoonrest like this one ever since and found this one for $9.99. 

I discovered a small clearance section in the corner of the store where items were marked 40% off or more. That's where I found these pair of knives for $8.09.  The larger one has a serated edge great for cutting tomatoes. 

Macy's Home Clearance

Peelers and sink strainer.

In 2012, one of my family's priorities is to eat more veggies. This set of 3 peelers for $9.99 will make adding bits of vegetables to any dish a cinch! The peelers have magnets in the handles so they nest and take up little space in the drawer.

Our 99-cent sink strainer was starting to rust, so I was happy to find this stainless steel heavy gauge strainer for $3.99.

Bath & Body Works Hand Soap

At Bath & Body Works, foam hand soap is $5.00 a bottle. I picked up a fresh lemon scent and found two Gingerbread scented soaps on clearance for $1.25 each.

Hand Sanitizer Display

 A few mothers in the store were letting their kids pick from a display of hand sanitizers. Priced at 5 for $5, the kids loved the idea of chosing their own.  Even the boys were excited to choose.  There was one called, "I love sports!" and had a picture of sports equipment on the label. During flu season these mini-sanitizers are a must have.

Valentine's Event at Bath & Body Works

At check out the Bath & Body Works associate gave me a flyer promoting an upcoming Valentine's promotion. On Saturday, Februrary 11 from 10am-4pm customers get a free tote bag and body cream with any $11 Signature Collection purchase. She also included a 20% off coupon for my next purchase good now through 2/26.

Wi-Fi Hot Spot at the Play Area

While I was shopping, Mr. Montebello Mom was watching the kids at the Play Area. He brought along his new tablet and took advantage of the Wi-Fi Hot Spot available. The kids had fun, my husband caught up on the news, and I succeeded in getting what I need for my kitchen a mini-makevoer! A special thanks to the Shops at Montebello for sponsoring our afternoon!

Free Admission to LACMA on Monday, 1/16

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Free Admission

Monday, January 16

Noon- 8pm

Click here for details.

Our Lady of Lourdes School Open House: East L.A.

Open House

January 29th, 2012
10:15am - Noon

Our Lady of Lourdes School has been serving the East Los Angeles area since 1914. The school is located on the corner of S. Eastman Ave and 3rd Street. Our  grades include Kindergarten, and Grades One through Eight. In addition  to the challenging academic standards of the Catholic curriculum, the  school offers music, physical education, computers, science lab, art and  an elective period.

Our extracurricular activities include a full  athletic program, student council, youth ministry, liturgical choir,  newspaper, and yearbook. We offer day care from 3:00pm to 6:00pm, and  have a Homework Club for tutoring from 3:00pm-4:00pm. Most of our  graduates go on to private Catholic High Schools. Our friendly office  staff will assist you with any questions and the application process. We  look forward to hearing from you! For more information call Mrs.Quintero at 323-526-3813 or visit: http://www.la-ourladyoflourdes.org/index.html

Disney Princess Craft Event: Disney Store: Montebello, Saturday 1/14

Disney Princess and Friends Craft Event

Saturday, January 14

10:30, 11:30, 12:30

All Disney Stores

Montebello, West Covina, Glendale, more!

Sing along and crafts. Princess attire encouraged. Minimum age for participation is 3 years. Event is limited based on store capacity. No lineups prior to 30 minutes before event begins. Event subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Mega Couponing Event: Free Class

If you've ever wanted to learn how to get started couponing, there is a free class you can attend.

San Gabriel Valley: Mega Couponing Event

Thursday, January 19

11am & 7pm

Raddison Hotel, Covina

Shannon Jones, a couponer who appeared on TLC's Extreme Couponing show, will be a guest speaker at the event. The event is free to attend and is sponsored by the Tribune newpaper group which publishes the Whittier Daily News, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, and other local newspapers.

Register for the coupon class here.

FYI: I don't have any other information about this event, I hope that it's just not a sales pitch to subscribe to the Whittier Daily News. I've been couponing for years and the best paper for coupons is the LA Times. The Whittier Daily News includes coupons but often the inserts are an abbreviated version of what is offered in the LA Times. I do get a lot of other coupons from the Whittier Daily News including Kohl's $10 off of $30 purchase, and JCPenny $10 off of $25 coupons that make up for the lack or grocery store coupons throughout the year. It also includes a great weekly article about couponing. If you want to start couponing I suggest you get several subscriptions to the LA Times and one subscription to the Whittier Daily News.

Montebello Baseball Association: youth baseball signups

Register your child to play Baseball:

 Wednesday Nights 6-8pm & Saturdays 9am-Noon

throughout January at Grant Rea Park.

Practices start in February and the season ends mid-June.

www.montebellobaseballassociation.com