This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of USGA.

If you are like me, when the holidays come around, I am always trying to figure that perfect gift out for each of my loved ones. Lately, my gift choices have been the gift of experiences over “stuff.” I’ve found that it’s the experiences that everyone remembers….not just another shirt or game. If you have a golf lover or someone who loves the beautiful views of California’s Northern Coast on your holiday shopping list, how about getting them 2019 U.S. Open Championship tickets. It’s one of the most coveted golf tournaments, and where the world’s best golfers converge and vie to win the coveted U.S. Open Trophy!

The 2019 U.S. Open Championship will take place June 10-16, 2019 in Pebble Beach, California. It marks the sixth time iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links has hosted the U.S. Open Championship. Just thinking of Pebble Beach makes me want to go…the last time I was up in Carmel and Monterey, we stopped by and had a delightful lunch in Pebble Beach. The golf club is located on the Monterey Penninsula, the entire area is breathtaking, especially the ocean views. Did I mention that it’s just a 6 hour drive to Pebble Beach from Orange County? This makes a great getaway.

Tickets for the U.S. Open Championships are on sale now and start at just $60. All ticket orders placed now through – January 2nd include free shipping and a non-personalized bag tag while supplies last. usga.org/tickets. Check it out!  It’s great quality, nice and heavy too.

And think of this! You can make this two gifts for the price of one! U.S. Open Championship tickets as a Holiday Gift Now and then as Father’s Day Gift for June, a gift the compliments the tickets and that Dad can enjoy on his trip to Pebble Beach! Since the golf tournament lasts all week, there will be plenty of time to enjoy the Monterey and Carmel area. There will be lots of time to walk the course, check out the scenery. The last time the U.S. Open was held at Pebble Beach, the course measured 7,040 yards! That’s 4 miles!

Hopefully, this idea of getting U.S. Open Champion Tickets helps you cross another persons wish off your gift list. I’m already smelling the cool ocean air and thinking of the ocean views. Happy Holidays!

This post is sponsored by ScholarShare.

“What should I get your kids for Christmas?” i am sure many of you have gotten this same question that i have many time from family and friends this holiday season. grandparents have asked me, aunts and uncles have asked me, and even some friends. it’s hard because most of our kids have so much, they really don’t need anything. but let me tell you, there is a gift that every kid will benefit from…..a donation to their very own Scholarshare account.

ScholarShare is a state-sponsored, tax-advantaged 529 college savings plan that’s helping families and individuals plan for the cost of higher education. it’s available to any citizen or tax payer. and just about anyone can help contribute including Grandparents, other family members and friends. exciting news….

Double your Scholarshare Money on Holiday Match Day

on Friday, Decemeber 9, 2016, from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. PST, California families who open a new ScholarShare 529 college savings account with $50 can receive a matching initial deposit of $50 from ScholarShare. To be eligible for the matching promotion, California families will need to open a new ScholarShare College Savings Plan account with at least $50 – to be contributed and invested at the time the new account is opened – and enroll in the automatic contribution plan for the new account with at least a $25 per month contribution. The matching deposit of $50 will be made to the eligible ScholarShare 529 account on or before 11:59 p.m. PST on June 30, 2017. There is a limit of one matching deposit per new ScholarShare account opened for a new beneficiary. Additional details can be found here www.ScholarShare.com/holidaymatch.

besides adding funds to their Scholarshare accounts, my boys do have a few wishes on their Christmas lists this year. i thought i would share some of them in case you are wondering what to get a boy for the holidays.

Jackson, my thirteen year old, is really into technology, drawing, swimming and playing water polo. on his wish list is a web camera, a laptop computer, ear buds (kids go through these like no other), Pokémon Sun/Moon for Nintendo 3DS, clothes and goggles and swim fins for swim team. he has been super good this year getting good grades and being very committed to his swimming by going to swim team and water polo practice five days a week. i hope he gets some of the things that he wants.

Kyle, my eleven year old, loves to hip-hop dance and listen to music, play his iPad, practice the cello, all things cats, and hang out with friends. he is my creative kid, and also a social butterfly who always wants to be on the go doing something fun. he would love iTunes music, clothes, Legos, Nintendo 3DS games, Tech Decks, and

my youngest, Vann, is six. he loves stuffed animals, and if he had it his way, his entire room would be filled with them. he also likes to hip-hop dance, read stories, color, go to Build-a-bear, and snuggling with mom. for Christmas this year, he wants a Jurassic Park Lego set, Beanie Boos, and Tsum Tsums. he pretty much likes anything i get him, so it was fun to shop for him this year.

and then there is our baby girl, who is supposed to arrive just after the New Year. since she is not here yet, there is no need for gifts. but i should start planning for the future.

thats a lot of kids! more reason to get those college savings accounts going now. time is getting shorter and shorter to start saving for my kids’ college. i will now have FOUR kids who will most likely be attending college….that is going to equal A LOT of money. but saving money for college doesn’t have to be painful at all. in fact, by saving in small realistic steps, you can end up saving big in the end. by simply giving up your morning latte once a week or eating in instead of going out once a month…you could put that money away for your kids’ college. we have created ScholarShare…saving plans for each of the kids, which are California’s 529 plans. they are GREAT!!!! and saving has really been easy.

with the help of family and friends during the holidays, on birthdays and special occasions throughout the year, you can work together on getting your kids Scholarshare accounts funded. it’s super easy for others to buy Scholarshare gift cards for your children, they are even sold at Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us. the gift of education is a gift of love !!!!
don’t forgot about the Holiday Match Program this December 9th, 2016!!!!  time is short, soon our kids will be saying goodbye to us and heading into the grown-up world of college and careers. as parents, we love to give our kids the best, an not have them worry about the struggles of funding school and having to pay off huge student debt loans. one day they will look back and thank you for what you have done for them!

{Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.}

This post brought to you by Toys“R“Us . The content and opinions expressed below are that of Sandy Toes & Popsicles.

The Holidays are coming fast! And since we have a baby on the way, I made the boys get their Wish Lists together as soon as the Great Big Toys”R”Us Book of Awesome arrived at our home. I still remember the Big Book arriving in the mail at my home when I was a little girl, the excitement was incredible. I would circle all the toys I hoped Santa would bring. So I’ve made looking through the Big Book a yearly tradition for our kids, too. When it arrives, the boys cuddle up on the couch and go through each page one-by-one, looking at the hottest toys for the holiday season. Then they get some paper and a pencil or crayons and make their “Wish Lists” for Santa so I can pick them up during Cyber Week. The Big Book is over 100 pages of the hottest and most loved toys. From collectibles, to hero haven, to tech town, to big gift central – Toys”R”Us has toys for everyone of any age. You can also have your kids go through the Big Book or head over to the Toys”R”Us website and make an online Wish List. From your phone, kids can take pictures of the toys they love using the 2D Scanner and add them to create your Wish List. Once they have created the lists,  you will have it handy on your phone, plus you can share with friends and relatives. How cool is that? It takes the guessing out of what the kiddies are wishing for this holiday season. For fun, the boys and I picked out some of our favorite toys from the Toys”R”Us Big Book that we thought kids would love to receive for the holidays. 1) Nintendo 3DS XL Game Systems, Pokémon Sun & Moon Games  2) Fisher-price Think and Learn Code-a-pillar  3) Melissa & Doug Wooden Toys 4)  Disney Tsum Tsum Characters 5) Quixels 6) Step 2 Kitchen Paysets  7) Crayola Emoji Marker Maker 8) Razor Crazy Cart

I have been over excited this year for the holidays. I can’t wait to see the joy on my boys faces on Christmas morning when they see some of their Toys”R”Us Big Book wishes under the tree. Now it’s time to get shopping, Toys”R”Us has some great deals to Get Inspired this coming this holiday season, especially on Cyber Week and through the holidays. Happy shopping!

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This post is sponsored by Nintendo. you probably saw my recent Instagram and Facebook posts of the boys and i visiting Nintendo Headquarters in Seattle. ever since our visit, my boys have been obsessed with their new Nintend 3DS game systems.and i must admit, i have fallen in love with Nintendo all over again. it’s such a great family brand. (read all the way to the bottom of the post for a great giveaway!) well, you’re in luck this weekend. there is an AMAZING deal happening on the New Nintendo 3DS Super Mario Edition. for the first time ever, Nintendo is launching cool NEW black and white New Nintendo 3DS Super Mario Edition systems for under a hundred bucks – $99.99, to be exact. you will find them exclusively online at Nintendo.com. the new systems are adorned with instantly recognizable elements from the Mushroom Kingdom and will launch exclusively on Black Friday. regularly priced at just under $150, this is an awesome deal for your Nintendo loving kiddies. the systems include such features as stable 3D technology, fast processing speeds, and built-in entertainment options.  this is one of Nintendo’s best deals of the holiday season! a perfect fit for anyone’s stocking. ALSO, did you know that some of the hottest games of the year are only available on Nintendo’s hand-held Nintendo 3DS systems?!!!  this includes Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, which both recently launched on November 18th, as well as Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS which will be launching on December 2nd.

 GIVEAWAY!!!!!

here is your chance to win a NEW black New Nintendo 3DS Super Mario Edition game system with a charger. just enter via Rafflecopter below. contest ends December 2nd at midnight. winner will be chosen randomly and must be 18 years or older and a resident of the United States. Good luck!!!! a Rafflecopter giveaway