US Family Guide – Page 4 – Luv Saving Money

Something Fun To Do Over Holiday Break: Snapology

**I”m a blogger for the USFamilyGuide PittsburghKidsGuide.com. I will be able to go experience Snapology with my kids to do a review**

We had the pleasure of attending LEGO Kidsfest in Pittsburgh on a few occasions. One of the vendors that happened to be there was Snapology. They had a cool robotics battle circle set up and the kids loved playing with it. I took info from them about Snapology and my older boys told me how much they’d love to go. They are advertising some of their camps during holiday break and I’m thinking this would be a great time to take them.

Snapology provides a fun environment for children to learn science, technology, engineering and math using Lego® bricks and other similar building tools. Snapology offers creative play, Lego® classes, robotics, birthday parties, summer and winter camps and other special events. Snapology also offers after-school and evening enrichment programs throughout Allegheny and Washington counties. Come play in Snapology new, spacious Discovery Center in Mt. Lebanon. The play center features interactive gaming, robot battling stations, Imagination Playground®, slot car racing, a dedicated toddler area and, of course, lots of Lego® building stations. Note: Kids 5 and older may participate in our drop off program, allowing you extra time to shop this season!

Snapology will be offering numerous camps and workshops this holiday season. Let your child engage in Robot Rumble League on Friday nights, participate in Minecraft® Mania on Saturday mornings or make movies in Snapology’s Lego® Animation Studio on Sunday afternoons. Snapology also offers day camps on November 29th and December 23, 26, 27, 30 and 31. Join Snapology for ‘How the Grinch Stole Legos’ on December 23rd, Minecraft camp on December 30 or 31 and Lego Animation on December 26 and 27.

Limited offer – receive a FREE hour of play at Snapology http://www.pittsburghkidsguide.com/coupon.php?bid=9405&lid=10202&dealid=439®ionid=58

I just told my 9 yr old (soon to be 10) and he’s about to flip his lid that we’re gonna get to go check the place out. I happen to have off of work Dec. 30 and 31 for holiday vaca time. He’s really hoping to catch the Minecraft camp.

Have a LEGO Fan? Keep ‘Em Busy and Save Some Money with Pleygo

**I received a 3 month subscription to Pleygo as a US Family Guide blogger. No other compensation has been received**

UPDATE: as far as I could tell, this product no longer exists

Anyone that has a LEGO fan knows that LEGOs can be a great toy for mechanical reasoning, creativity, fine motor coordination, and problem solving (sorry it’s the COTA part of me coming out). But you probably also know those little bricks can come with a big price tag. I know my 9 yr old son had a few sets on his list last Christmas that he wanted and I don’t think any of them were under $50 and most were around $80. My son can get one of those sets and have it put together in a day or two, no kidding.

Pleygo is a LEGO rental system that works something like netflix. You pay a monthly subscription with 3 different options available. Set up an account and choose 10 sets that you want in your subscription category. Then they start sending the set out. My son got his first set within a few days of setting everything up.

The sets come with the building instructions, all the parts, a small bag of extra parts (just in case) and a postage paid label to send it back when you’re ready. The first kit he received to try was the “Comanche Camp” in the Fan subscription category.

My son had this put together in about 20 minutes. His little brother was interested in watching him. They were able to play with the little set afterward too.

When you get the set you can keep it as long as you like and return it when you’re ready. One worry I had before signing up, because I know eventually it would happen, is that if they lost a part we’d end up buying the whole set. Well that’s just not true. It says right on their homepage, “No charge for lost pieces”. I guess they kind of expect that. I mean I would. I find LEGOs in my house that there just shouldn’t be LEGOs.

Another nice thing is that if you get a set that your child really likes, you can actually buy it. Just go to your account and click “buy set”, pay for it and it’s yours, you don’t have to send it back, and they send the next available set in the list to continue with your subscription.

My son really likes this service. After we sent the first set back he was asking “When do you think my next set will be here?” He came home from school today and asked “Did my Pleygo set come in today?” and I was happy to tell him it did. They send you an email when they received the kit you sent back and when they ship out the next set. It only took about 4 days between sending the other set and receiving the next set.

Here he is happily putting together the Cole’s Earth Driller set. They recommend putting the pieces in a tray while you put it together to avoid losing pieces which is a great idea. He already said “Mom I think I’m going to keep this set a little longer than the last one” and he can. Kids love getting things in the mail too. The set comes to the house with his name on it. This would be a great idea for a holiday gift or birthday gift for the LEGO lover.

You can find Pleygo on these social media sites:

Twitter: @Pleygo1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pleygo
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pleygo/

FPGirl.com is a Little Girl’s Dream Come True

**I received a gc to FPGirl.com as part of the US Family Guide blogger program. No other compensation has been received**

UPDATE: The fp site no longer exists

When I was a young girl I used to love to draw. One of my favorite things to draw was outfits. At one point in my life I wanted to be a fashion designer. Even as now I envision shirts I’d like to have, a dress look I wish I could find, etc.

FPGirl.com let’s a creative girl select articles of clothing choosing the color and designs she wants. Granted it’s not completely free form but I would have loved something like this when I was a girl. Now that I have my own little girl I love looking at the styles and things available for her. She’s only 6 months old, she doesn’t care what she wears at this point but it’s so much fun to dress her up.

I had the chance to review the FPGirl.com site and create an article of clothing. I wanted to find something cute, practical, but still girly. The smallest the size went down to was a size 4 in girls but I figured I could make it and put it away for her. Then when she’s old enough I’ll let her create her own piece.

You can choose to create shirts, dresses, hoodies, and even accessories like jewelry and backpacks. There are different styles of each in each category.

I ended up choosing a light weight long sleeve hooded tshirt with a pocket in the front. I chose the color HollyHock. There are so many different designs to add depending on your little girl’s personality. Everything from sports emblems, to skull and cross bones, and more. You can put thing on the sleeves or only one sleeve, the left chest or right, I chose a rainbow colored crown for the front and put her initial on the left chest.

I was so excited to get her shirt and see that it actually turned out even better than I expected.

I love it, I love the color, I love the style, I love how the accents turned out. I think it’s awesome! Getting your daughter, granddaughter, niece, etc a FPGirl.com gift card for the holidays would be awesome. You can get they’ll get what they want and it will fit. You’ll also give them the gift of creativity and individuality. You can have it sent through snail mail or as an e-certificate.

You can find FPGirl on the following social media sites:

Twitter: @FashionPlaytes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fashionplaytes
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/fashionplaytes/

And hey, for us moms they have a survey site called FPMom. Take surveys, earn reward points to trade in for things like gc to FPgirl.com, Amazon gc, and more! It’s free, sign up here: http://fpmom.fashionplaytes.com?ref=2-1218023

Family Fall Fun Deals: Hay Rides, Corn Mazes, and more! Get your Coupons

It’s that time of year. You’ll see pumpkin patches, hay rides, haunted trails, hay mazes, corn mazes, and just about anything else for fall on a farm. We love going to places like this. One of our favorite places to go is Vale Wood Farms in Loretto, PA. They add things every year and we love to get our pumpkins there. We also enjoy stopping in their dairy store to get fall ice cream flavors like pumpkin pie and apple pie. Yum.

If you enjoy it too, here is a list of Fall activities you can download coupons for a great deal at your local farms.

Arizona
Schnepf Farms – Queen City

California
Forneris Farms – Mission Hills

Colorado
Anderson Farms – Erie
Flat Acres Farm – Parker
Fritzler Maze – La Salle
Sunflower Farm – Longmont
Mile High Farms – Bennett
Wishing Star Farm – Calhan
Harvest Farm – Wellington

Texas
Devine Acres Farm – Devine
Fiesta Farm – San Antonio
Yesterland Farm – Canton
South Texas Maize – Hondo
Dewberry Farm – Brookshire
Brazos Valley Maize- Brenham

Louisiana
CM Farms – Dry Creek

Georgia
Lane Southern Orchards – Fort Valley
Poppell Farms – Odum

Michigan
Farmer Charley’s Corn Maze Adventure – Monroe

Indiana
Amazing Fall Fun – Waterloo
Harvest Tyme Pumpkin Patch – Lowell
Hobson’s Fun Farm – Rockville

Illinois
All Seasons Orchard – Woodstock
Kuipers Family Farm – Maple Park
Odyssey Fun Farm – Tinley Park
Siegel’s Cottonwood Farm – Lockport

Maryland/DC
Summers Farm – Fredrick County

Massachusetts
Sauchuk Farm – Plympton

Missouri/Kansas
KC Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze – Gardner
Shuck’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch – Pleasant Hill

Mississippi
Seward Farms Maze – Lucedale

Minnesota
Afton Apple Orchard – Hastings

Montana
The Maize at Grandpa’s Farm – Billings

Nebraska
Camp Fontanelle – Nickerson

NewJersey
VonThun Farms – Monmouth Junction
Sahl’s Father Son Farm – Egg Harbor City

New York
Wright Family Farm – Warwick
Harbes Family Farm – Mattituck

North Carolina
Patterson Farm Market and Tours – Mount Ulla

Ohio
The Corn Maze at the Sharp Run Market – Millersburg
Meadow View Growers – New Carlisle

Pennsylvania

Hurricane Hill Farm – Coatsville

Triple B Farms – Pittsburgh
Reillys Summer Seat Farm – Pittsburgh

Rhode Island
Confreda Greenhouses & Farms – Hope (Western Cranston)

Virginia
Cows-N-Corn – Midland
Wayside Farm Fun – Berryville
Belvedere Plantation – Fredericksburg

Utah
Cornbelly’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Fest – Spanish Fork

For Daily Updates on these coupons and coupons for other family attractions please visit and bookmark: http://www.usfamilycoupons.com

LEGOs Can Be Expensive, Consider Pleygo instead

**I will be receiving 3 free months of Pleygo service as a US Family Guide blogger. No other compensation has been received**

My 9 year old just LOVES LEGOs. I like them because it sparks his creativity. It always amazes me how fast he can put together a kit that would probably take me a week to put together. The only thing is, LEGOs can be expensive.

Pleygo is a Net-Flix like service for Legos! Subscribe, rent, play, and exchange sets of LEGOs unlimited times per month. Shipping is always free both ways and sets are sanitized when returned. We offer a convenient, quick, and inexpensive solution that relieves clutter and saves space at home while saving money. Co-Founded by influential parenting blogger and creator of A-List mom Elina Furman, Plegyo is the perfect way to supply your child with endless developmental tools and allow for that much needed quiet time at home!

Three levels of subscription starting at just $15 allow you to find the plan that best suits you. We offer credit towards you account for sets and mixed bricks that you donate to us, and we provide the shipping label too! Pleygo is a perfect gift for a family friend, loved one, or birthday party – especially when you don’t know what to get them! Purchase a gift subscription and send it with a special message from you! We are constantly expanding our inventory with more sets!

Receive your First Month FREE at http://www.usfamilycoupons.com/coupon.php?bid=11329&dealid=1389®ionid=75 or directly at www.Pleygo.com to register!

With services like these, I’m definitely one to read the details to answer my “yea but” and “what if” questions. Of course my first thought as an experience mom with a LEGO lover is “yea but what if he loses pieces (which will inevitably happen) I bet I have to pay for the whole set don’t I?” In looking over the site though, right on the homepage it says “no charge for missing pieces”. That just eliminated my biggest concern. I also looked at the “questions” section of the site and it looked like others had the same question but it’s been reassured several times on their site.