Our Favorite Things

I use the convenience of the internet to buy toys, party decorations, school supplies, clothes and even groceries. It makes it so much easier for me and my little ones.

When the kids are sick or the weather is terrible, online shopping can be a life saver.
Boba Balls/Tapioca Pearls
You can make your own boba at home with just 3 ingredients. I've bought the pre-made dough before and then just boiled them but I've also made them from scratch! See my video on how I made my boba balls from scratch via my instagram video post.

Boba Supplies:

Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot Soup Base Variety Value Package (Two Packs, Hot + Plain)
When we used to live on the East Coast, Mongolian retaurants were almost non-existent and we'd miss eating hot pot. We learned that you can buy these Little Sheep brand Hot Pot mixes from Amazon and the broth tastes the same. Remember to dilute water according to taste. I only use half of the contents each time per ying yang hot pot side, otherwise it would be too salty. 
 
Hot Pot is great to eat with a lot of people and for entertaining guests.

For Kids

Minecraft Birthday Party
Unique Minecraft Party Table Decorations Dinnerware Bundle - Officially Licensed Dinner and Dessert Paper Plates, Luncheon and Beverage Paper Napkins and Table Cover

 
 
We've done a few DIY for our Minecraft themed Birthday Party but also utilized what's already on the market. We bought napkins from the Party City in Santa Maria but if that is too far, they also have the Minecraft pixelated napkins online, as well as other Minecraft-like decorations like Happy Birthday sign, pencils, tablecloth and more. See our recommended list of places for a kid's birthday party.
Emoji Coloring Egg Kit
Emoji eggs 
We had a great Easter on our 2nd Easter in a pandemic. We made emoji colored eggs on Easter Eve.


We received this Easter emoji coloring egg kit (Easter Happy Paas Egg Decorating Kit Basket Kids Toddlers Gift Children Pre Made Girls Boys Eggs Dying Coloring Cups Color Emoji) in our Easter basket by surprise! We love it and they were a job to make! 
Piglet Puppet
This is similar (or maybe even the exact) to the piglet puppet that SanLuisObispoMom.com played with on the video posted on Instagram and Pinterest.

 

This piglet puppet actually looks very realistic.
Treasure X Alien

You actually dissect the alien and find characters inside of the Treasure x Alien toys! Our boys really enjoyed this toy but I had to do a lot of helping with opening up the alien with the plastic knife they provided. There's a lot of slime inside so it does require some cleaning afterwards.
Gluten-free Food

Bob's Red Mill offers so many different types of flours. Ever since we've found out there's a wheat allergy in the family, we've started looking into baking our own baked goods. I've made pumpkin pies, sugar cookies and pancake mix out of  Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, 22-ounce (Pack of 4).

For Moms

Vintage Grover Beach, CA Palm Trees & Sunset Beach T-Shirt 
 

While Pismo Beach and Oceano Dunes t-shirts are easy to find in San Luis Obispo county stores, a Grover Beach t-shirt is extremely hard to get locally. Your better bet is ordering one online. See all Grover Beach t-shirts here.
Echo Show
I use my Echo Show every day for alarms, playing quiz of the day and music! Mine is white. However, you can buy them in charcoal from Amazon. I use my Echo Show like an Echo Dot but it works better in my opinion because it operates amazingly like a clock and alarm, plus it has a screen. I tell it to play my favorite BTS songs, sing lullabies at night and call my mother-in-law with ease where she can see us and we can see her, hands-free with technology she is comfortable with. I totally recommend this. It has so many other functions like security and even opening your blinds at home if you have the right additional add-ons.

Star Wars Mug, Lightsabers Appear With Heat (12 oz)
This light saber heat-activated mug is great for any Star Wars fan. I have the same one at home. Don't put the mug in your dishwasher or the design will peel!

Acai

I like to blend my own acai bowl or smoothie at home using a frozen packet of acai that I'd find in the freezer section of a grocery store but if you have a hard time finding them frozen in your location, you can actually order the powder acai online. Acai is a superfood and in powder form, you can also pack them for travel. See @sanluisobispomom instagram for inspiration on acai bowls made at home.
Kate Spade
 

If you are a local to San Luis Obispo area or visiting, there is a Kate Spade Outlet Store at Pismo Beach Premium Outlets! Outlets are always significantly less expensive than the official stores because they sell their surplus items from the previous seasons. I really suggest visiting there and seeing the bags and wallets yourself so you can hold them in person, before buying it online. 
Oil-less Turkey Fryer
We use our oil-less turkey fryer to fry our turkeys and also our hams too! You have to use this type of fryer outside though and in an open air space.


It requires propane so you'll also have to get propane and a propane tank, if you don't have one already. You can only fry one turkey or ham at a time. We use it every fall season so special occasion! It makes the crust crispy. 
Read SanLuisObispoMom.com's most recent blog post.