It’s only October but that why wait until Black Friday to start your holiday shopping? Target Deal Days are back!
From Sun. Oct. 10-Tues. Oct. 12 Target is sharing its lineup of deals at Target.com, on the Target app and in all stores (for the first time ever!). So what kind of deals are we talking about?
photo: Courtesy of Target
Head to Target starting this Sunday to get access to thousands of deals on electronics, apparel, kitchen appliances, TV’s and more. And this year, you don’t have to rush to get that amazing price.
Target has updated their holiday price match guarantee to start even earlier and run from Oct. 10-Dec. 24. Shoppers can request a price adjustment on all items purchased at Target (check the company’s policy for a few exceptions) if the price is lowered during the holiday season. Not only that, Target will continue to price match select competitors pricing within 14 days of purchase.
I always check my phone first thing in the morning. I live multiple time zones away from my hometown, so there are usually a handful of texts and emails from friends and family waiting for me, as well as notifications from my social media accounts. Scrolling through the messages, posts, and memes usually brings a smile to my face, but yesterday morning was different.
My mind went numb, and I couldn’t comprehend a post I was reading. A teenager, my daughter’s age, from her former school, lost their life. I was heartbroken. My heart was heavy for their parents, their friends, and the community. As my head began to clear, I started connecting the dots. I realized the teenager was likely a close friend of my daughter. My heart sank, and I immediately ran to her bedroom. Tears filled her eyes as she confirmed my fears. Her dear friend, who had been at our house multiple times right before we moved and with whom she still regularly communicated, was gone.
I don’t know how long we sat on her bed holding each other, crying. All I know is that sorrow surrounded us like a thick blanket as we sat there in silence. There were no words that could bring comfort at that moment.
Yesterday was the first time in my parenting journey where I was at a complete loss. Nothing had prepared me to walk my daughter through something so devastating. I had never read a book or parenting guide on picking up the pieces of my daughter’s shattered heart, nor had I watched a how-to video on explaining suicide and death to a young teenager. I think when we’re young, we know in the back of our heads that older generations will inevitably pass on and, though difficult, come to accept it as part of life. But not this. This was a wonderful young teenager. Again, I was at a complete loss.
Not knowing what to do, I let the moment and my mama instincts take over. After we let go of our embrace, I decided to let go of our day’s expectations and schedule. I contacted her school counselor, teachers, and mentors. I made her favorite comfort foods. I sat with her when she wanted me to and gave her space when she needed me to. We spent the day grieving, and I wasn’t sure how to move us forward.
I may not have known how to inch forward, but I know I am not the only one that feels this way. The devastating news rocked our home community. Friends and loved ones have been shaken to their core, and each one of us is dealing with this differently. I wanted to make sure I was doing the best thing for my grieving daughter, so I spent the majority of the day researching how to help a teenager grieve properly. I want to share two helpful resources. For the sake of our children’s mental health, I highly recommend reading both.
The first one is by Madelynn Vickers called Teen Grief 101: Helping Teens Deal with Loss. My favorite quote from the article reminds me of how important comforting your teen is. It says,
“You should find out what comforts the teen. If it’s watching the deceased person’s favorite movie over and over again, that movie better be on repeat. There are so many ways to help teenagers cope with a loss; you just have to figure out which one works best.”
The second resource was sent to me by my daughters’ counselor. It’s called Talking to Children about a Suicide Loss. The article talks about the importance of speaking truthfully to your child. It says, “It might be harder to truthfully talk about the death of a loved one following suicide without leaving some information out. But not being honest can mean they may fill in the gaps with their imagination or half-truths they hear from others, which can lead to bigger issues, like anxiety. Clear and honest communication reassures children that someone will take care of them physically and emotionally. It also creates a renewed sense of safety, security and trust.”
I expect my daughter to carry the heaviness of her friend’s death with her for a while, as is the norm when facing loss. In fact, I imagine all of us in this community will be under a blanket of sorrow for a while. I hope these resources help you as they helped me.
Please know I am not an expert; I am an imperfect mom at best. But I am also an advocate for children’s mental health. While we may not know what to do in heartbreaking situations like this, these situations are the opportune time to educate ourselves and connect with our children. In fact, it’s the perfect opportunity to check in on their mental health. Parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers, youth leaders, tutors, and coaches…please check in with the children in your life! They carry more than we realize. They deal with loneliness, academic demands, social pressure, media influence, relationship stress, and much more.
Collectively and individually, these stressors can cause anxiety as well as depression, which can become too heavy of a burden to bear. Our children need us to reassuringly take their hands and allow them to catch their breath. They need us to walk with them through this life and let them know they are not alone. They need to be assured that while life is messy, we can all get through it together.
Jamie is married to her high school sweetheart and has three beautiful daughters. Through years of experience working with children, and raising her own, she knows how difficult parenting can be. She is an advocate for children's mental health and is best known for her creativity, optimism, and kind heart.
As the new school year approaches, parents often make their own resolutions to get and keep their home organized—with a tornado of backpacks, lunchboxes, shoes and the like, a well-thought out plan can quickly turn your home into a disaster zone. We reached out to a couple of professional organizers to see how they recommend to not only keep the clutter at bay but how they personally hack their way to a clean and organized house, once and for all.
Don't: Bring new items in without dealing with your clutter first.
Tidy people don’t constantly bring new things into the home, they exert control over their existing clutter first. To channel a new, organized and tidy person, “Limit volume to begin with, “ says, Shira Gill of Shira Gill Home,noting this is her number one rule. “And this one doesn't cost you a dime. Just press pause on purchases.” Sticking with this crucial rule will not only help with subsequent steps to keeping a tidy home but this tip also ensure your home remains clutter-free.
When it does come to purchases, use the "One item in, one item out" rule. Before anyone in the family is allowed to bring in a new toy, new book or the like into the house, they need to add something that is no longer played with or read, to the donation pile. This will help keep tidying up to a minimum and keep clutter at bay.
Don't: Just put things down in a catch-all spot to deal with it later.
Tidy people tidy up by put their things away, says Gill. This is another crucial “do” in her book, and it begins with having a designated spot for everything. This simple system starts with creating a go-to hook, nook or closet for everything from shoes to backpacks, keys, the dog leash, jackets and mail. Gill says once everyone in the family knows where their belongings are supposed to go, it takes nearly the same amount of time to put the stuff away than it does to toss them mindlessly.
Tracy Spitzer, owner and professional organizer of NYC-based UNSTUFF NYC goes one step further to guaranteeing a tidy home by labeling everything—but to think beyond the label maker. "Have kids write their own labels. For example, they can write their names on stickers above their backpack hooks. For younger kids, use clip art or print logos—you'd be surprised how early kids can recognize brand names like LEGOS—and tape them to the containers. Or if you use a picture of a pencil on a bin or a photo of Barbie, everyone can easily put their things away. No excuses!"
Tidy people keep a clean and organized house with this in-the-know organization hack—by attacking messes in five to 15-minute bursts. Rather than declare Saturday morning as a clean-up session, consider introducing smaller, manageable tidy sessions throughout other key transitional periods of the day, such as before and after dinner and before bedtime.
How does one professional organizer manage to keep a house clean? About five minutes before it’s time for her kids to leave for school each morning, Gill asks everyone to put their dishes, LEGO or art supplies away. This little time investment has a huge overall impact on clutter she says, and this way they never come home to a messy house.
Do: End with a Treat
iStock
Don’t: Threaten reluctant organizers.
The old saying, "You catch more bees with honey" applies to kids when you need them to tackle some not-so-fun chores. So why not entice those little busy bodies with ice cream? Gill suggests the cheerful tone of a preschool teacher to present the news that it’s time to clean up. Try it like this: “Let’s hurry up and get this done so we can go have ice cream.” Kids love ice cream, but the cherry on top for parents is a clean, clutter-free and organized home.
From Fri., Aug. 6 through Sun., Aug. 15, you can shop over 1,000 items on sale including big brands like Willow, Chicco, Graco DockATot and Britax. So what categories can you shop for big savings? Keep scrolling to see them all.
Tons of deals await on big ticket items that include:
Up to 20% off select strollers & travel systems
Up to 20% off select car seats
Up to 50% off select clothing & accessories
Up to 20% off select gear & travel
Up to 20% off select furniture, bedding & decor
Up to 30% off select monitors
Up to 20% off select feeding
Up to 25% off select toys
The sale runs from Aug. 6 through Aug. 15 and is available in-store and online at buybuybaby.com.
With Earth Day on the horizon and swimsuit season around the corner, there’s no better time than now to revamp your family’s eating. Whether you want to try meatless Mondays or you’d like to get everyone on a plant-based diet, these meal delivery services are here to make the transition easy. They offer vegetarian, vegan and plant-based menus that you can have delivered to your house in no time. Go green and leave the cooking to the experts!
Mosaic
Mosaic has you covered whether you are looking to follow a vegan or vegetarian meal plan. Their meals arrive frozen to help preserve freshness/crunch and extend shelf life. They can be heated up in minutes, making it so easy for families who have to juggle different dining schedules due to work and extra-curricular activities. Mosaic removes all of the hard parts for plant-based beginners— learning new recipes, spending a lot of time cooking and at the grocery store, wasting fresh fruits and veggies, etc.
This meal delivery service has been turning out kid-friendly meal kits for years and they recently added vegan options to their menu. Subscribers are able to pick from vegan versions of Classic Burger and Fries; Tacos with Guacamole and Pico de Gallo; and Slaw & Pizza with Greek Salad. Offered every week, the vegan One Potato meals featuring Miyoko’s Creamery products are a great way to introduce Meatless Mondays to your family.
Deal: Use code GET80 for a total of $80 off four boxes
Purple Carrot’s recipes are entirely plant-based, and their team chooses meals for you, eliminating the need for you to log in by a certain date to make your own choices (unless you wish to). Plus, they put an innovative spin on plant-based meals with dishes like Seitan Gyro with Shaved Artichoke Salad and Tahini Yogurt or Kale Caesar with Crispy Butter Beans and Everything Bagel Croutons. You can choose either meal kits that you prepare yourself, or prepared meals that you just heat and eat. Good news: most of their packaging is recyclable.
Deal: Use PURPLE20 to save $20 on your first order.
How about 100% plant-based, organic, non-GMO, chef-prepared entrees, soups, and juices that just show up at your front door whenever you want them to? Then look no further than Veestro.
There are no, zero, zilch animal products of any kind, here, ever! Chick'n Nuggets with chipotle dipping sauce complete with veganaise will do the trick every time for your kiddos and no one will miss the meat. Veestro food is available a la carte and they also carry a surprisingly delicious weight loss menu plan. As with most vegetarian cuisine: most meals have nuts in them so be careful with a nut allergy, but all meals are completely dairy-free and don't contain other allergens.
Deal: 15% off your first order with code WELCOME or 30% orders of $200+ with code POWERPLANTS
This cook-at-home food delivery service partnered with Martha Stewart to help harried families discover their inner Martha. The menu features 29 choices every week and the website tags meals as family-friendly, vegan, vegetarian and other categories. Favorites include: Tortelloni Florintine and Vegetable Enchiladas. The website provides big, colorful step-by-step photos for careless cooks and kids who want to help.
Deal: Total of $80 off your first four boxes when you click the link below
If you are looking to up your family's health quotient this year then Thistle is the meal delivery service for you. They offer fully-prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner meals, as well as juices, snacks, wellness shots and more. Choose what option works best for you with the price per item decreasing the more items you select. Every week there's a new menu and everything that is available is gluten and dairy free. You can choose from vegan and non-vegan options.
Shipping: Thistle delivers locally to the San Francisco Bay Area, North Bay, Sacramento, Davis, Los Angeles, San Diego + Orange County, Las Vegas, Portland and Seattle. They ship across California and parts of Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
Deal: Use code WELCOME100 to save a total of $100 off your first four deliveries.
Healthy eating at home is the name of the game with Green Chef. Choose from three plans: Keto + Paleo, Balanced Living and Plant-Powered. Set up your deliveries to come weekly or less frequently if you prefer. Menus change every week and if you go for the plant-powered menu you'll get vegan and vegetarian options like Green Pea Falafel with Tahini, and Butternut Squash Chili.
Deal: Save a total of $90 off your first 4 orders when you enter your email
Splendid Spoon was founded by Nicole Centeno, a mom who realized how difficult it was to attain a healthy-minded lifestyle with a 9-5 job and demands of family life. With Splendid Spoon, she’s made it her mission to make vegan plant-based meals accessible, nutritious and a daily habit that’ll power your day (no need to reach for that protein bar to get you through the mid-morning hangries). All meals come ready-to-eat, which is ideal for families on-the-go or new moms who may not have the energy to even boil water for pasta. Bonus: All of Splendid Spoon’s packaging is 100% recyclable.
Sunbasket focuses on organic, sustainably-sourced ingredients. All meal kit recipes are approved by in-house dietitians to comply with USDA dietary guidelines, and meals are typically between 500 and 800 calories. You can choose from a number of dietary restrictions including vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.
All you need is salt, pepper and oil—the kit provides the rest, plus step-by-step instructions (and most meals take less than 30 minutes to prepare and cook). You can select 2-4 recipes per week to feed 2-4 people. You can also mix and match across meal categories, ensuring there’s something for everyone at your table.
Deal: Get a total of $90 off and 4 free gifts across your first four shipments.
Long for the microwave dinners of the old days—without the "Guess That Meat" flavor of your high school cafeteria? Freshology—also called Diet To Go—delivers chef-prepared meals, ready to heat and eat. Freshology drops tasty, calorie-controlled, already-prepared dishes (breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snacks) onto your doorstep. They’re all about helping you discover nutritious and affordable meals that’ll help you support your healthy lifestyle. Choose the vegetarian menu if you want to go all plants, or the Balance menu if you want some meat added in.
Now you can celebrate National Avocado Day the way it was meant to be celebrated: with free guacamole from Chipotle!
The burrito biz just announced it will be giving away guac with a digital-only promo code to U.S. and Canadian residents. Keep reading to see how to score your free side of the green stuff.
Come Jul. 31, just use code AVO2021 at digital checkout with an entrée purchase through the Chipotle app or Chipotle websites. You can use the code to snag a free topping or side of guacamole, once per transaction.
Make sure you log on to get the deal––it’s not available inside your local restaurant. Want another deal? You can also get a $0 delivery free when you order through the Chipotle app or website now through Aug. 1.
If your kid is one of the 30 million who subscribes to Ryan’s World on YouTube, they’ll be stoked for this news! Skechers has collaborated with the kid star to release a limited edition shoe collection, out now. It’s the first time a major shoe brand has offered a young YouTube personality a global footwear deal.
Of course, Ryan released one of his signature videos to break the news. You can watch it now and go behind the scenes as the collection comes to life!
With three styles to choose from, your family will be back to school in style. Ryan’s Challenge is a light-up slip-on style with bungee laces, Gamer Ryan is a slip-on with a Magna-Fit toggle closure and the classic Red Titan sneaker is canvas with Ryan’s superhero character design. The shoes range from $57 to $62 and come in sizes from a kid’s 10.5 to 5.
The shoe collection is limited edition and available now online at Skechers. No doubt your kids can’t wait to unbox these!
Finally, we can start traveling again! If you have a baby, you know how much gear you need to make your trip as smooth as possible—if you have a teething baby, you have an extra challenge. Well—challenge accepted because we have the perfect #MomHack for on-the-go families with cranky babies: Camilia Teething Drops! Read on for five reasons why these sore-gum soothing drops are going to be the best thing you’ve discovered all summer.
Camilia comes in pre-measured liquid doses, so you don’t need to stress about mixing or measuring. They’re so tiny they can even fit in your pocket, which makes them ideal on the go (hello, plane travel!). Just twist the plastic top and squeeze Camilia into your baby’s mouth and goodbye cranky pants!
2. Mess-Free (& Hygienic!)
The small amount of liquid in each dose is quickly absorbed so no sticky mess. Unlike other teething products, you don’t need to rub it on their gums using your finger or an applicator—just open the vial, squeeze the clear, tasteless liquid into the baby’s mouth, toss the plastic vial in recycling and done!
Nothing artificial—just what works to relieve painful gums, irritability, and minor digestive upsets sometimes associated with teething.* Camilia Teething Drops are made with plant-based active ingredients like chamomile for teething pain relief. And they’re free of benzocaine, preservatives, flavors and sugars.
Camilia has been soothing babies for 25 years and is a Mom’s Choice Awards winner and recipient of the Moms Meet seal of approval. Camilia Teething Liquid Doses are made by Boiron, world leader in homeopathic medicines, so you can rest assured these are the real deal.
Krispy Kreme is turning 84! To celebrate the donut maker, the company is offering a special day for one day only.
On Fri., Jul. 16, head to your local Krispy Kreme and you can snag a dozen BirthYAY donuts for just $1 when you purchase any dozen. The BirthYAY collection is an assortment of Original Glazed donuts with a special strawberry iced sprinkle donut.
photo: Krispy Kreme
This special deal is available in stores and online with promocode BIRTHYAY. Want to share all your donut deets? Don’t forget to use #KrispyKreme and tag@krispykreme on social media.
The newest Krispy Kreme donut collection is here! Get ready to celebrate Independence Day with some seriously patriotic dough.
The limited edition collection comes in a special star-spangled box and four red, white and blue specially designed donuts! Krispy Kreme is also offering a special sweet deal for the weekend only.
photo: Krispy Kreme
From Jun. 28 through Jul 4, snag the the BOGO Free Dozens deal. For every every any dozen you buy, you’ll get an Original Glazed dozen for free.
The limited edition donuts include a Freedom Ring Doughnut, an original glaze with icing stripes and sprinkles, a Patriotic Sprinkled Ring Doughnut, an original glaze with white icing and patriotic sprinkles, a Strawberry Shortcake Doughnut, a strawberry filled donut dipped in red icing, sprinkled with gold stars and topped with a KREME dollop and shortbread crumbles and finally, the Patriotic Eagle Doughnut, a Cookies & KREME filled donut dipped in blue icing, decorated with red and white stripes and topped with an eagle sugar piece.
Regular donuts too big your littles? You can also pick up a box of mini flag donuts 20 in red, white and blue colors also in a special box.
