Reviews – Family Friendly Frugality

Wireless Charger for Kindle Fire? The Answer to Charging Your Kindle Fire Wirelessly

Wireless Charger for Kindle Fire

$49.99 (REG. $89.94)- Oral-B Pro 3000 Smartseries Electric Toothbrush with Bluetooth Connectivity, Black Edition
$10.49 (REG. $14.99)- ThinkFun Cold Case: A Story to Die for– A Murder Mystery Game in a Box for Ages 14 and Up 2021
$45.00 (REG. $90.00)- IT Cosmetics Makeup Set – Includes Supersize Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer (25.0 Medium) + Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Concealer Brush (1 fl oz) – with Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid & Antioxidants
$24.49 (REG. $34.95)- Easy Playhouse Police and Fire Station – Kids Art & Craft for Indoor & Outdoor Fun – Decorate & Personalize The Cardboard Fort, 32″ X 26. 5″ X 40. 5″ – Made in USA, Age 3+ [AMZN Exclusive], white
$10.00 – Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Salicylic Acid Exfoliant, Gentle Facial Exfoliator for Blackheads, Large Pores, Wrinkles & Fine Lines, Travel Size, 1 Fluid Ounce – PACKAGING MAY VARY

How many devices do you have in your household that need to be charged every day? If you are like us, you have a minimum of 2 cellphones and a Kindle Fire or two in your house!

Recently I have had some readers ask me to find deals on Kindle Fire Wireless Chargers or Powermats. Unfortunately, my research did not end up with good news.

Can a Kindle Fire be Charged Wirelessly?

If you are looking for a wireless kindle fire charger, unfortunately, wirelessly charging Kindle Fires is not actually possible. Kindle Fires are NOT qi compatible which is necessary for wirelessly charging your kindle fire device. However, if your goal is just a neater Kindle Fire charging station, here are some options!

This highly rated 6-Port USB Charger Desktop Charging Station with Smart Identification is a great alternative to wireless kindle fire charging.

You can also grab this charging stand for a great deal that works well (and looks good) with the charging station above!

Or you might be interested in this 4 USB port Fast Charging Dock Multi Charging Station Organizer includes the short charging cables you need to neatly charge all of your devices in one spot.

No Wireless Charger for Kindle Fire…But…

Even though Kindle Fire Wireless charging pads are NOT currently an option, there are wireless charging pads/docks for almost every single cell phone. Click here to check out several options.

Will Kindle Fires ever be qi compatible?

I am not sure. The argument I have seen is that Amazon does not want to open the door to off label usage of their product (Quality control I guess?). Knowing Amazon though, I could see them creating their own wireless charging technology for Kindle Fires if the demand proves to be high enough!

Meanwhile, be sure to check out the nice and neat charging stations I posted above. Amazon does offer some great and stylish alternatives to wireless chargers for Kindle Fires!

On that note, if you are a Kindle Fire user, be sure to check out my review on the Kindle Unlimited program. I LOVE Kindle Unlimited!

JLab Audio Neon Bluetooth On Ear Headphones – Worth The Investment

This is not technically a discount…more of a review! My kids received these JLab Audio Neon Bluetooth On Ear Headphones for Christmas. One of them is about to lose their headphones because I am about to steal them!

These headphones are so comfy, have such good sound quality and work so well! If you are looking for an inexpensive (compared to other more well known/pricier options), you might want to give these JLab Audio Neon Bluetooth On Ear Headphones a shot!

If anything changes, I will be sure to update this post. So far, these are a WIN for us though!

Enjoy!

Are you an Amazon Prime member? If not, you can sign up for a free trial by clicking this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial

You can also GIFT an Amazon Prime membership to a loved one: Shop Amazon – Give the Gift of Amazon Prime

Do you have an Amazon Store Card or Credit card? If so, you’ll get 5% back in store credit when you use your Amazon Card on Amazon Prime Day!

You can also go ahead and sign up for a card and you’ll get a $40 Amazon Gift Card back. This card has no annual fee and you’ll typically earn 5% Amazon Credit on all of your Amazon purchases.

Enjoy!

Find more hot deals here. Most are time sensitive, so don’t delay!

Review of SAS Women’s Marina Stylish & Comfy Sandals!

Here on Family Friendly Frugality, I love posting the BEST deals. Sometimes these are the best deals because they are rock bottom prices! Sometimes they are the best deals because the quality is so high and so worth the purchase.

These Women’s Marina shoes from SAS (San Antonio Shoemakers) are high quality, attractive and comfortable sandals that can take you from the beach to a day of walking around your favorite mall! Available in medium and wide width AND in half sizes so you can always have that perfect fit.

I received these shoes to review a few months ago (thanks SAS!). I messed up my foot and couldn’t wear anything elevated for a few weeks and then Harvey happened and my life turned upside down, so I’ve really only gotten to test these out for a couple of weeks now, but they are already a go to pair of sandals for me! Comfy and stylish which is a BIG deal for me. I deal with Plantar Fasciitis and have to really watch what shoes I wear because even though I have not dealt with pain in about a year, I know wearing the wrong pair of shoes for as short as 30 minutes can wreak havoc on my arches.

Forgive me for not posting a pic of me wearing the sandals, since I hurt my foot and lost a toenail I haven’t wanted to go get a pedicure and honestly don’t really want to share my ugly feet in a picture on the internet right now. Trust me though, they look cute!

Here are some details:

Multi-Layered Tripad® Comfort: Our multi-layered insole provides superior comfort to cushion the three pressure points of your foot: the inside ball, outside ball, and the heel.
Broad, Contoured Comfort Footbed: Our broad contoured footbed with a soft Super Suede™ cover is molded so the natural arches and curves of your foot are cradled in the sandal. This allows you to maximize the shock absorbing qualities of multilayers of comfort.
SAS Foot-Shape® Last: This special last follows the natural shape of your foot, providing all-day comfort while giving plenty of room for your toes.
SAS “EZ Strap™”: Adjustable strap to customize the fit of the sandal to your foot, to adjust as your feet swell during the day and to take off your sandals easily.
All Day Comfort Sole: The wide sole base provides increased stability and maximum shock absorbency. This feature, along with the contoured footbed and multi-layered insole, works to “rebound” every step and provide you with all-day cushioned comfort.

These are definitely not inexpensive, but they are high quality and the SAS name speaks for itself. I used to wear SAS shoes when I worked 12 hour shifts in a restaurant and they were the ONLY shoes I could wear that didn’t make my feet and back ache by the end of the night. Not only that, but they were the only brand that claimed slip resistance and their shoes actually stood up to the claim!

Head on over here to check them out!

10 Things for Kids To Do at The Texas Rennaisance Festival

Disclaimer: We were provided with free admission. All opinions are my own. We love Ren Fest!

We take our children to the Texas Renaissance Festival just about every year. We have since they were tiny! I often get asked what there is at The Texas Renaissance Festival for children and the short answer is…lots!

(Click here to read about how to save money at Texas Ren Fest! )

To expand on that though, here are 10 things that you can do with children at Texas Ren Fest to make it an enjoyable family adventure:

1. Go on Sundays! – Sundays are great for kids at Texas Ren Fest. Why? Kids get in FREE (12 and under)! Everything is more fun when it is free. The adults in your party can either purchase tickets at the gate, or you can purchase discount tickets from local Walgreens stores. (Kids 4 and under are actually free everyday!)

2. Listen to the music – There is music EVERYWHERE! My kids enjoy just sitting down and listening to the bands play. They even have a Dance School.

Numerous music acts have wonderful opportunities for children to hear music of the period. We suggest: Coal Black Rose, Crannog, Faire to Middlin’, Gypsy Rox, Saxon Moon, and Tartanic.

3. Visit the shops – There are stores that are dedicated to children’s toys and clothing, book stores, food stores, etc. The Texas Ren Fest has more shops than some malls!

4. Watch the Shows – There are so many great shows at Texas Ren Fest. In fact, to me…that’s kind of the bread and butter of the entire experience. Now be careful when you choose shows. There are shows that are really only for adults. These shows are labeled as such and in fact, they often have people walking around the perimeter of the crowd with signs stating that the material is for mature audiences only. It is VERY easy to avoid these shows. As far the family friendly shows though, there are so many! You have your pick of circus acts, animal shows, comedy shows, jousts and more! You will most definitely be entertained and so will your kids.

Here are some shows that are rated “G”:

Clan Tynker: A family show that features five siblings who juggle and do old-fashioned stunts.

Arsene: A silent mime and clown in the European style, Arsene is riveting for children.

Birds of Prey: This show features a number of hawks, falcons, vultures, and owls. Audience members learn about the feeding and flying habits of these birds and have a chance to see them flying from close up. A must see.

Deante Fettucine: New to TRF in 2015, Deante juggles pasta and performs a variety of silly acts to keep kids and families entertained.

Hanlon-Lees Action Theatre: These four shows daily at the Joust Arena are the most popular shows at the Faire. Cheer on your favorite knight as he rides and fights.

5. Eat the food – Tell anyone you went to Texas Ren Fest and they’ll immediately want to know what you ate. Texas Ren Fest is a food extravaganza. Everything from your normal fair food, to more exotic cuisine is available. Plus treats for the kids such as funnel cakes, kettle corn, cotton candy, soft pretzels and more!

6. Ride the rides – My son’s very first “ride” was at Texas Ren Fest! It was a self operated swing. There are pony rides, carousel rides and a various array of other human powered rides.

7. Get an education! – In addition to School Days, the Texas Ren Fest is filled with learning opportunities! Here are a few of the demonstrations you might want to check out:

School of Sword: (2:30 and 4:30) Train with TRF fightmaster Oskar Hasselhoff in the Cloister and the Green area of Sherwood Forest (near the elephant ride).

Blacksmithing: booth 523A

Coin Minting: booth 135A

Broom Making: booth 523B

Armoury: booth 506

Candle making: booth 323

Weaving: booths 135C and 506

Glass Blowing: booth 525

Print and Paper Making: shoppe 138

Wax Chandler: shoppe 214

8. Camping – Now, we have never done this, but there are family campgrounds at Texas Ren Fest! Just be sure to choose “Quiet” Camping if you want the family friendly option.

9. Trick or Treat – We’re past All Hallow’s Eve weekend this year, but next year, you can actually take your kids trick or treating at Texas Ren Fest! We did this one year and the kids loved it!

10. Dress Up! – This is an opportunity for your princesses to be princesses and your knights in shining armor (or teenage mutant ninja turtles) to dress up and have fun! Every year my daughter wears a princess costume and the Ren Fest employees treat her like an actual princess! She LOVES it.

Click here to learn more about Texas Ren Fest, to buy tickets and to plan your day!

Walmart Stock Up & Save Event – Win a $25 Walmart Gift Card (Giveaway)

It’s that time of year! Spring cleaning! I have a full spring cleaning series here on FFF if you want to check it out.

Part of my spring cleaning includes re-stocking our essentials in our camping gear. Checking batteries, making sure we have all of our first aid supplies, etc.

Of course, we also need to be sure we have our paper products and cleaning supplies as well.

I hate paying full price for anything though, so I looked around for local sales on these items we were lacking.

Luckily, right now, you can shop at Walmart during their Stock Up and Save Event.

This great event goes on until 4/30/15 and you’ll want to hurry and grab your favorites!

You’ll enjoy limited time rollbacks and guaranteed low prices on your favorite P&G products, such as Tide laundry detergent, Charmin toilet paper, Bounty paper towels and more.

· Tide Liquid Laundry Detergent

· Tide Simply Clean and Fresh Liquid Laundry Detergent

· Charmin Ultra Soft or Ultra Strong Toilet Paper

· Bounty Mega Roll Select-A-Size Paper Towels

· Luvs Super Absorbent Diapers

· Pampers Swaddlers Huge Pack

· Tampax Pearl Plastic, Super Absorbency

· Always Ultra Thin Long Super Unscented Pads

· Always Discreet Maximum Underwear

· Always Discreet Moderate Regular Length Pads

I headed to the Walmart nearest me to stock up on some more laundry detergent and paper towels. These items will be going into our camping gear!

Be sure to head to the Walmart nearest you to stock up and SAVE!

One lucky reader will get a $25 Walmart gift card to help them stock up this spring!

Comment below with your favorite spring cleaning task and you’ll be entered to win.

I will pull the winner randomly from the comments on 4/29/15. Winner will be notified shortly after.

Good luck!

Disclaimer: The Walmart gift cards and information have been provided by P&G. I was compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.

South Padre Island Schlitterbahn Water Park and Resort – Indoor Water Park!

Thanksgiving break is coming up…quickly followed by Christmas break!

Maybe you are already getting started with your spring break or summer vacation plans (if so, bravo to you!)

If you are looking for something to do with the family, be sure to check out the Schlitterbahn Beach Water and Resort on South Padre Island!

We love Schlitterbahn, and have been meaning to make our way down to this new park on South Padre Island since it opened!

This beach paradise features a 221 room resort hotel, indoor waterpark, full service restaurants and more!

I mean, just click here and check out the pictures on the site. I love it!

Nestled along South Padre Island’s beautiful beaches, accommodations feature in room refrigerators, microwaves, safes, free Wi-Fi, large screen HDTV, Denver mattresses, Wolfgang Puck coffee and free onsite parking. We even have a 1950’s era Grand Carousel to enjoy! You will enjoy seeing the use of the Loblolly Pines, reclaimed from the 2011 Bastrop wildfires, which form everything from furniture to paneling on walls.

The best part? They have an INDOOR water park! So this truly can be a holiday vacation for your family!

You can check out their yearly schedule here. Check out how to get hooked up with season passes here.

And the attractions…so many attractions!

From mild to wild, Schlitterbahn Beach features relaxing rivers to tidal wave rivers, FOUR uphill water coasters, swim-up bars, plenty of kid’s play areas, a five-story interactive Sandcastle, the world-famous Boogie Bahn inland surfing ride and coming soon – Cenote, Texas’ first underground water slide!

Check out all of their attractions here.

Be sure to consider Schlitterbahn Waterpark and Resort in South Padre Island, TX for your next family vacation.

Disclaimer – This post is not a sponsored post, but I am hoping to get a trip to South Padre Island Schlitterbahn Waterpark and Resort by posting it! All opinions are my own. I truly truly want to check this place out! I promise, I’ll tell y’all all about it!

Arbor House Gallery in Clear Lake TX Review and Discount! – Local Deal

I’m sure by now, most of you have seen those “group” painting places. You and your girlfriends/spouse/children pick a painting from the website, make a reservation and head off to an instructional painting class!

I’ve done several and they are always so fun! Recently a friend of mine invited me to her painting studio to paint the gorgeous cross pictured above!

The studio is called Arbor House Gallery (Soon to be The Urban Easel) and it’s fantastic! This studio is located in Clear Lake TX on the southeast side of Houston.

We started off in front of a blank canvas.

( The Gallery is BYOB so some ladies there brought refreshments and apps and were gracious enough to allow everyone present to have a bit! )

Jay Ybarra was the instructor on the evening I was there and he was great!

Each technique is explained and the painting is constructed in layers. I promise you can be a complete novice and you will have a good time. Plus you walk away with a gorgeous one of a kind piece of art for your home!

You can follow along on their Facebook page for their calendar and you can also call them ((832) 880-6899) if you have a specific idea in mind for a party/painting!

They do offer birthday parties, children’s parties as well!

You can also do a couples paintings.

Be sure to check out the website for Arbor House here (soon to be The Urban Easel!).

As an aside, this gallery has also begun offering private music (guitar and percussion) and art lessons (age 5+). Your first private lesson is FREE!

Right now, Rachel (the owner and my friend) has graciously offered $10 off two BYOB Paint Parties or $24 off of 4! This is a great deal!

I hope you’ll check out Arbor House Gallery, I enjoyed my time there so much and have plans to go back again very soon!

Here’s my finished painting!

Disclaimer: I was given a free painting session in exchange for promotion. All opinions are my own and genuine!

Quaker Chewy & Nerf Team Up to #FuelBackyardFun + Win a $25 VISA Gift Card!

This is a sponsored campaign with Mums the Word Network and Quaker Chewy. All opinions are my own.

It’s summer! Which means summertime fun. Playing in the pool, playing at the park, playing ’til dark!

Throughout the summer, I find having a good stash of snacks on hand makes the in between meal “I’m hungry!” cries a bit easier to placate.

One of our favorite snacks to have on hand are Quaker Chewy Granola Bars! Quaker Chewy helps gives kids the energy they need to play. That’s why Quaker and NERF are teaming up to fuel backyard fun, helping families get out and get active together, right in their own backyard.

When you buy three specially-marked boxes of Quaker Chewy, you can enter the codes online at fuelfun.quakeroats.com to get a free Nerf sports item.

The available items are:

Nerf N-Sports Weather Blitz All Conditions Football– With a Bash Ball, your backyard’s ready to take on family dodgeball, volleyball, soccer, and plenty of other games to a new level of fun. This flexible all-purpose ball has three hand holds, making it easy to grip. Ages 5 and up.
Nerf N-Sports Pro Grip Football– This durable ball is tough enough to take on mud, being left out in the rain, getting caught in a tree, and everything else your kids want to put it through. Ages 5 and up.
Nerf N-Sports Nerfoop Set– The Pro Grip Football has laces just like a pro football, fueling your kids’ big league fantasies. Have your kids take their game to the next level with the Pro Grip football! Ages 4 and up.
Nerf Sports Bash Ball-You can hang the Nerfoop backboard almost anywhere you want for your kids to shoot threes, practice lay-ups, and even dunk if you hang it low enough. Ages 4 and up.
Nerf Super Soaker Tidal Tube Blaster 2-Pack– Cool off on a hot day with these two water blasters. They let you unleash a giant wave of soakage on your target from up to 23 feet away, which means your kids won’t even see you coming! Ages 6 and up.

I don’t know about your family, but my family would have a blast with ALL of those awesome NERF toys!

Quaker Chewy bars aren’t just for kiddos though!

Here is my personal favorite Quaker Chewy bar…

What is your favorite?

The Giveaway

Guess what? Quaker Chewy and FFF have teamed up to give one lucky FFF reader a FREE box of Quaker Chewy bars AND a $25 VISA card!

As usual, you must be an FFF email subscriber and Facebook fan to enter. In addition you can earn an entry by tweeting daily and by following FFF on other social media channels.

Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter to WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway will end on 6/27/14.

Be sure to follow Quaker on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with product news and potential coupons!

Disclaimer: I received product to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. Giveaway fulfillment will be done by Mums the Word Network and Quaker Chewy.