Stranded, Sun Burnt and Starving in Lake Arrowhead

To celebrate my birthday, we went to Lake Arrowhead. My parents have a place up there, so we saved some money by not having to pay to stay somewhere else. We also tried to save some money by packing our own lunch for a picnic at Lake Gregory. All I wanted was some chicken salad to make a chicken salad sandwich. They usually have it at the store I go to; but of course, not today. I ended up going to 3 different stores before I finally got it. We got to the lake and ate our lunch.

Then, we rented a peddle boat for an hour. Half of our time had past and decided to head back. The wind had picked up and the their were some white caps on the water. We were peddling and peddling but we were not moving anywhere. This went on for about 30 min. The kids were getting antsy and wanted to get off. We were just stuck in the lake until who knows how long. Finally, a rescue boat came and asked if we needed help. We gladly took it and they towed us to the calmer parts of the water. I was so tired, I barely made it back the little way to the dock.

Afterwards we went to the house in Arrowhead and took a nap. I discovered I was quite sun burnt and it hurt to move my legs. I had picked a place to eat dinner; but forgot it closed at 7:00pm. We had left at 6:30 hoping to make it within 5 min. But no, our GPS sent us to some house and we never did find the place. So, we decided to see what there is to eat in the village. Everything was closed by 5:30. The only option we had for my birthday dinner was McDonalds or a Mexican restaurant. We chose the restaurant. The food was not the greatest but at least we found food! The day was an adventure as usual; but I had a fun time.

Brentwood Summer Festival

I had noticed that Brentwood was doing a FREE family summer festival; so we decided to check it out. Shops had tables displayed with merchandise, vendor booths were scattered around; but the best part was the free food!
There was an Indian restaraunt (sorry didn't get the name) giving out free food to try. What could be better than a free lunch? Well, let me tell you... there was free cotton candy, which my girls loved! My youngest didn't get the concept of how to eat it though. She treated it like an icecream and licked it to death. After a while of licking, the wet cotton candy looked like it was ready to be tossed. After the cotton candy, my oldest wanted more delicious food. We stumbled onto a popcorn cart which was giving out free bags of popcorn. That kettle corn was the best! It tasted salty, sweet, sugary and buttery as my daughter described it.
They had a petting zoo where my youngest really enjoyed feeding the animals hay. My oldest was way too concerned about getting dirty and worried the animals would poop on her. We walked by to see a magic show, watch a dog on wheels (something was wrong with his back legs, and listen to a band play. They even had free pony rides! My oldest rode on one; but the youngest was too scared to get on. It was a fun day for all. Thanks Brentwood!

Regal Family Film Festival

I am planning to take the kids or atleast the older one to Regal Cinemas for their Free Film Festival. They show a choice of 2 movies every Tues. and Wed. starting June 15th. They show older movies; but it's great to sit in a cool theatre when the sun is blazing outside. They often get crowded, so get there a little early to get a seat. It's something to do in the summer for free with your kids, so why not take advantage.

Free Birthday Meals

Who wouldn't want FREE meals on their birthday! Here's some links to help get breakfast, lunch and dinner for FREE on your special day. Some items are FREE for just signing up!

El Torito - http://news.eltorito.com/clients/eltorito/survey.htm receive coupon for Free guacamole and Free entree on your birthday.

Acapulco - http://news.acapulcorestaurants.com/clients/acapulco/survey.htm -receive coupon for Free guacamole and Free entree on your birthday.

Black Angus - http://www.blackangus.com/PrimeClub.htm - Free dessert and steak dinner

Coldstone Creamery - http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/birthday/birthday_club.aspx - Free Creation

Del Taco - http://www.deltaco.com/page8.html - 2 Free tacos and premium milkshake

Hometown Buffet - http://www.umi-inc.com/buffetsinc/index.html - Free Meal

Krsipy Kreme - http://krispykremenewsletters.interx2.net/FriendsOfKrispyKreme.aspx - Free half dozen glazed donuts and coffee mug filled with coffee or soda.

Marie Calendars - http://echo4.bluehornet.com/clients/marie_callenders/survey.htm - Free offers on birthday and anniversary

Red Robin - http://www.redrobin.com/eclub/default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 -Free burger

Round Table Pizza - http://www.roundtablepizza.com/RTP/Coupon/finder.asp - Free personal pizza

Ruby Tuesday - http://pages.rubytuesdayrestaurants.com/page.aspx?QS=773ed3059447707deabda7bb9014e2bc76683fcf2ec10edcbf62b7dc638cf860 - Free Burger


TGI Fridays - http://www.fridays.com/home/welcome.aspx - Free appetizer and dessert

Screamin Daily Deals

If you want to save some money and get some Screamin deals from local businesses in your area, check out Screamin Coupons at http://www.screamincoupons.com/r/TZAFRZ2NWG

Most deals give at least 50% or more off their regular price! They will even give a percentage of the sale proceeds to a school of your choice. Sign up is free and there are no fees for anything. Just pay for the things you want to buy.

During Spring break, we checked out a local restaurant, La Salsa, while the kids got a lunch treat at McDonalds. My husband and I paid only $4 for each meal using our Screamin Coupons. The chicken taquitos are delish!
After lunch, we used another Screamin Coupon for Fins Glow, a glow in the dark miniature golf place. Their deal was half off unlimited golf. So, for just $5 ( my 2 year old was free), my 2 girls played 5 rounds of golf which lasted 2 hours. That's a Screamin Coupon deal!

Kidspace - FREE Family Night

My daughter is a few days into Spring Break and finding frugal things to do can be a challenge. Kidspace had saved the day with their FREE family night which is on the 1st Tues. of every month from 4-8.
The girls have so much fun there. My youngest daughter was very fascinated with the butterfly exhibit, painting the leaf and getting wet with their water fountains. They had a performance of Alice in Wonderland which the girls also enjoyed. The trick is to get there at 4:00 and leave before dinner time to avoid paying their high prices for food. Or bring snacks to hold the kids over a little longer before going home for a quick fix dinner.

April Fools!

I'm not that great at coming up with good April fool's day jokes; especially for 2 young girls. I did come up with something the whole family would enjoy - Breakfast for Dinner.

My girls LOVE pancakes and eggs; so I knew they would be excited to eat their surprise April Fools dinner. I made a egg and bacon pie/quiche for my husband and I to give breakfast a change from the ordinary. I called everyone for DESSERT. They were confused as to why dessert was being served. Where's dinner? 1 chocolate chip cookie sat on a plate at everyone's place setting. This was a bit odd for everyone; but nobody complained about having a dessert to start. After everyone was finished eating their cookie; I served them their dinner breakfast. The girls were so excited to see pancakes and eggs for dinner! My 5 year old, can't wait to have another April Fool's dinner again!

Breakfast items such as eggs and pancake mix are very low cost and can make for a great change of pace for dinner!