2021 Holiday Gift Guide: For Friends, Family & Neighbors

I am going to share a series of posts this month for super easy gifts to help save you time and money this year. The first of the series is a gift guide for your friends, family & neighbors. Who has time to go to the store and hand pick gifts for every single friend, family member or neighbor?! I know I sure don't. I love to drink my coffee on Saturday morning and online shop. I discovered some really awesome websites that have some really affordable but nice quality gifts. I hope these help you with your holiday shopping and save you some time! 

1. https://www.harryanddavid.com/ These are some super nice high quality gift baskets! Just head to their website and click "Christmas" and then on the left side you can choose your price range. They have gift baskets that range in price from $30 up to $200. There is something for everyone. These baskets make wonderful gifts for neighbors, friends & even co-workers. I especially love the Harry & David pears & the Moose Munch is my kids favorite!! 
2. https://www.honolulucookie.com/category/holiday-gifts.asp If you've been to Hawaii then you know that the cookies from Honolulu Cookie Company are simply amazing. You can add the pre-wrapped cookies to presents for your neighbors or family. They offer a variety of flavors but if you love peppermint then I suggest the peppermint macadamia.
   
3. https://www.traderjoes.com/home If you are lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's grocery store near you then stock up their limited edition holiday items and create a budget friendly gift basket. This easy DIY gift is perfect for any budget. You can purchase a basket at a craft store or you could use a gift bag. Here is a super cute YouTube video with lots of awesome tips from a YouTuber that I just love watching named Katie Hespe. 
   
4. Etsy.com has some super cute & affordable personalized gifts but I especially love this simple $10 handmade potpourri kit that includes cranberries, cinnamon and an orange slice which will have your home smelling wonderful. Just boil water and add this little kit. Perfect gift for co-workers and neighbors. Super budget friendly too!
   
5. https://www.shutterfly.com/ is my favorite website for photo ornaments, photo calendars and photo keepsake gifts (blankets, mugs, etc. they have tons to choose from!) They are usually always running some type of promotion around the holidays. I always make my parents a personalized calendar with photos of the grandkids. They love it and look forward to receiving this gift each year. The calendar's range in price but typically cost around $35.

Next week I am going to share with you Holiday Gift Guide: For teenagers! 

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Fun Fall Activities For The Whole Family

Fall is such a great time to try new recipes, go for a new hike together, visit a new pumpkin patch or have a bon fire! The cooler weather makes it the perfect time to spend time outside! I am going to share with you a few family friendly (and budget friendly) activities that the whole family can enjoy together!

• go camping together (if you don't own a tent ask a friend if you can borrow theirs)
• try out some new fall recipes! Check out Pinterest for plenty of yummy inspiration!
• visit a new pumpkin patch 
• go to a local state park for a hike
• paint pumpkins with your kids
• bake some pumpkin spice muffins
• go to an apple orchard 
• let your kids pick out some Halloween decorations from the Dollar Store or Target Dollar Spot for their bedrooms
• do some Halloween crafts with your kids! Michael's craft store sells lots of cute seasonal crafts for children of all ages
• have neighbors over for a bon fire and make smores

Let your kids help you make pumpkin spice muffins!  click here for the recipe

Have a fire pit night and make smores! Invite over some neighbors or friends

Visit a local pumpkin patch

If you love pumpkin you need to try these delicious pumpkin spice goodies from Publix!

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Our Week At North Myrtle Beach's Kingston Plantation

We spent a wonderful week at our favorite place in North Myrtle Beach, https://www.kingstonplantation.com/

We had a yummy dinner one night at Land Shark Bar & Grill at https://www.bflanding.com/

We did some shopping at Barefoot Landing

My delicious cheeseburger at Land Shark Bar & Grill

My husband chose the fish taco's and said they were delicious

We spent many days relaxing at the beach

We just love Kingston Plantation! It is such a beautiful resort. There are many pools, hot tubs, restaurants on site, a shuttle that will take you to highway 17 to various shops/restaurants, a state of the art gym, volleyball courts, sidewalks to walk on all around the resort, a playground, ice cream shop and a spa! Yes you read that correct! The resort has it all! We only had to leave to get groceries really!

We rented a condo at Kingston Plantation. The condo was a gorgeous oceanview two bedroom two bathroom condo. 

Here is the master bedroom with a private balcony and private bathroom attached

Here is the second bedroom for my children with a private balcony and full bathroom across the hallway

We had a gorgeous oceanview from our balcony

here is the family room and dining area    

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Pottery Awesomeness Summer Fun Box #KidFriendly

My kids received their https://www.potteryawesomeness.com/ Summer Fun Box in the mail! 

The Summer Fun Box contains a super cute ceramic ice cream bowl, mini pineapple and a palm tree. Plus paint, paint brushes and sealer. Each box is $34.95 (at checkout I was able to add on a second box for 25% off). Pottery Awesomeness offers monthly subscription boxes or just a one time box option. They also offer party boxes complete with all the supplies you need to host a painting party! https://www.potteryawesomeness.com/pages/party-packages

Time to get creative! 

❤❤❤

My kids really enjoyed their Summer Fun Box & they were so excited for the paint to dry so they could start using their new bowls! 

Here is the link to the Summer Fun Box https://www.potteryawesomeness.com/collections/seasonal-pottery-painting-kits/products/summer-fun-pottery-box

Be sure to follow them: https://www.instagram.com/pottery_awesomeness/

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All About Our Recent Visit To Great Wolf Lodge

We recently visited https://www.greatwolf.com/williamsburg to celebrate my daughter's birthday! We had SO much fun! This was our first time to visit Great Wolf Lodge since Covid-19 began. We have been to Great Wolf Lodge multiple times pre-Covid. Not all of the activities were open such as no mini golf, no ropes course and no 3D simulator rides. However, all of the water park attractions were open (except for the hot tubs). The Magiquest was open and bowling was even open! Due to covid-19 Great Wolf Lodge requires guests to wear a mask in the resort, lobby, hallways, waterpark area. Once you are seated at a restaurant you may take your mask off. Once you are in your private room you may take your mask off. Once you are at the waterpark in your chair you may take your mask off. Masks are not required on the waterslides. 

We arrived at 1 pm and checked in to our kid cabin room. We were so thrilled that our room was available when we arrived (normal check in is 4 pm). We went to our room to check it out and put on our swimsuits. 

 

How cute is the kid cabin room?! The cabin included two sets of bunk beds and a tv

How cute is the mural on the wall inside the kid cabin?! 

Happy birthday Alexis!! 

The kids really loved the kid cabin room and our balcony had a cool view of the outdoor pool which was empty. After putting on our swimsuits we headed to the waterpark!! Woohoo!! 

This is in the main lobby

Here is the huge wave pool

Private cabanas are available to rent for the day. These are super nice and include a mini refrigerator, a table and 2 chairs, a sofa, a TV and a privacy curtain. I am planning to rent one of these on our next visit. 

After playing at the waterpark for about 5 hours we decided to pick up a pizza from Hungry As A Wolf. They have salads, pizzas, two liter sodas, garlic bread, etc. I believe we spent about $30 for a pizza, garlic bread and a soda. We took the food to our room to eat dinner. After dinner we had planned to do mini golf but we discovered it was closed. We turned on the fireplace in our room and watched a Disney movie instead. 

The next morning we went to the lobby and picked up Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and some coffee. Then we put on our swimsuits and packed up our stuff. Check out is 11 am. We headed to the water park and secured chairs. By the way, the chairs are very spaced out at the water park due to covid. This was nice because in the past the chairs had been super close together. We enjoyed the water slides, lazy river and wave pool.

Yummy donuts!! 

We grabbed lunch from inside the water park. They have a quick service restaurant called Buckets. They offer kids meals that include chicken nuggets, fries and a drink. They also serve burgers, chicken sandwiches, fruit cups, icees and sodas. 

Overall we had a great weekend getaway to Great Wolf Lodge! We really enjoyed the time together at the water park!! I'd highly recommend a getaway to Great Wolf Lodge!

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How I Save Money For Our Vacations!

There are a lot of ways to save money for your family vacation. Today I am going to share with you my favorite FREE charts for staying motivated to save money! https://debtfreecharts.com/collections/free-charts offer many cute free printable charts. You can title them however you wish. If you are saving up for a Disney vacation then you could title the chart Disney Vacation. 

I really LOVE these adorable Disney themed savings trackers:

Here is a super cute Disneyland printable (cost $2.00) Disneyland Savings Tracker

Here is a super cute Disney printable (cost $1.50) Disney Savings Tracker

There are some great apps that are made specifically to help you budget money and save for special events such as a vacation. Here are some of my favorite budgeting apps: 

1. https://www.youneedabudget.com/our-app-lineup/

2. https://mint.intuit.com/ Mint is a free app that offers bill reminders, cash flow tracking and tools for budgeting. 

3. https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus This is an app that has a fee but you can start out using a trial run. This is a very detailed app that takes time to set up however once it is set up it is SO convenient. I love this app!

If you are looking for ways to earn extra money to save for a family vacation here are some options:

• Become an https://www.instacart.com/ personal shopper. Hours are flexible-You can literally decide which days of the week and what times you want to work. Perfect for busy parents who are looking for a weekend job or evening job. Great tips. 
• Sign up to be an www.UberEats.com delivery driver. Earn great tips and flexible hours.
• Dog sitting for neighbors and friends is a great way to earn extra cash
• Babysitting is a great way to earn extra money also
• Cleaning houses

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All About Our Condo At Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek #Disney

We love staying at Club Wyndham's Bonnet Creek Resort This beautiful resort is located on Disney's property and it is a quick drive to the parks. We rented a two bedroom condo with a full kitchen. There is a washer and dryer in the condo. We had a gorgeous view of the lake and the pool.

Here is the family room

Here is the kitchen (We were unpacking when I took this photo)

The kids bedroom had 2 queen size beds

The master bedroom had a king size bed with an attached bathroom

master bathroom

Gorgeous balcony view

We were in tower #4 

One of our favorite things about Bonnet Creek Resort is the many beautiful pools, waterslides and lazy river! My kids favorite pool is the "Pirate Ship" pool which has a very fun waterslide, pool bar and beach entry pool.

The "Pirate Ship" pool is also located just beside the restaurant Back Bay Bar & Grill

We brought our own tubes for the lazy river but if you forget to bring yours they do sell them directly at the pool and they have an air pump

Complimentary mini golf located at tower #3 at the resort

We loved the food from Back Bay Bar & Grill. We ordered the kids chicken fingers and fries and the grand nacho's for a snack by the pool. My kids loved the kids meals.

We also treated the kids to the brownie sundae from Back Bay Bar & Grill 

There are pool cabanas available to rent for the day. These include a mini fridge, 2 lounge chairs, 2 regular chairs, a flat screen TV and a privacy screen. The prices range but the week we were there (early March) prices were $110/day. We did not rent a cabana. There are tons of complimentary pool chairs.

Definitely try the mud slide from the pool bar! Perfect for an afternoon snack

We just love how beautiful Wyndham's Bonnet Creek is. This resort is gated and I felt very safe here. There are 6 towers and a beautiful trail around the lake. They have very nice gas grilling stations located at each tower for guests to use. There are also picnic tables. We ordered groceries from Publix and had them delivered directly to our tower by Instacart. We grilled one night and my husband said the grills were very clean and really nice.

We enjoyed the complimentary mini golf. Just make a reservation then head to the main tower to pick up the clubs. On Tuesdays they offer glow golf. They also offer outdoor family movies a few nights a week. 

This is such a great resort and ended up costing us much less than staying in a Disney "Villa". 

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