Saturday, July 31, 2021

Happy 17th Birthday to My Daughter, Haylee!!!

Wow, how the years have flown by!  My one and only daughter (in between 2 sons) turned 17 today!  Earlier in the week, I went ahead and gave her a big birthday basket full of skincare and makeup items that I’d been collecting for many weeks.  She was so excited at all the stuff she got!  It was the perfect gift for her this year, and she was very happy with it.

Haylee took yesterday and today off from work, so we did a little adventuring.  Yesterday, she and I and my upcoming birthday son (Hayden, turning 22 soon) took a road trip to Grapevine, TX to visit The British Emporium.  We loaded up on lots of goodies we haven’t had in a loooooong time.  Then I treated them both to lunch at Saladworks in nearby Irving, TX…a place we used to visit in VA, but this is the only location here in TX, and it’s so far away!  So that was nice, too.  I got her the fancy cupcakes she wanted from Sam’s Club and picked up a bundle of helium birthday balloons to surprise her with while she went out with her brother and his girlfriend to the mall and his girlfriend’s house to hang out for a while.  One of her friends went by there with some gifts, flowers, and a cake, so that was nice.  She also stopped by Sonic where she works, and they had a cake for her there, too!

Today, she slept late after such a long day, and then she said she wanted to go to the Tanger Outlets in far north Fort Worth in the Alliance area.  Another long drive!  We headed out and stopped at Buc-ees for lunch first.  Then we did the outlets, but it was so incredibly hot and humid today that it was nearly unbearable.  The deals were non-existent, too, so she didn’t find anything, and I just used some bonus coupons I had and hardly got anything, either.  Then we went back to Buc-ees to get a big Icee for the drive home and some banana pudding that Hayden requested, and we headed back.  I reminded her that there was a Cold Stone Creamery out there on the way home, so she wanted to stop off and see if they had any of the ice cream cupcakes that she loves so much.  They did!  I’d tried to get some at the Arlington location earlier in the week, but they didn’t have any, so I’m glad it worked out.  When we got home, we sang happy birthday, and she opened some gifts from Hayden’s girlfriend (she got an Instax instant camera she’s wanted for a while with some film and some makeup), so she was really excited about that.  Then they took her out to dinner.  Not a bad weekend at all!  Last year during the pandemic shutdown, she was not in a good place mentally/emotionally, and she never even came out of her room for us to sing or have cake, and it sat out all night.  We ended up throwing it out.  So this was a big improvement, and we enjoyed our day together.  It’s her last birthday as a minor, so I’m glad it was a pleasant memory for both of us.

Happy 17th Birthday, baby girl! <3

Saturday, July 24, 2021

Opening Soon: Quicklotz Liquidation Store in Hurst, TX!!!

Anyone local who knows me, knows that I *love* my weekly trip to Crazy Cazboys in Arlington, TX.  My family shares an annual membership ($15 free), and I make sure to go every week.  My favorite day to go is Tuesday when everything in the bins is $1.  I’ve tried every day of the week now…$8 Friday, $7 Saturday, $4 Sunday, $2 Monday, $1 Tuesday, and 25-cent Wednesday (closed Thursdays for restocking).

There’s another liquidation store in town, though, also in Arlington.  It’s called Quicklotz.  They don’t require an annual membership fee or a one-time shopping pass like Crazy Cazboys, and they are open every day of the week.  They have a similar pricing structure, but the store is teeny tiny…too small even to bother with…and they pull out the good stuff and price it separately.  I didn’t buy anything, and neither did my daughter, and neither of us thought it worthy of a return trip.

However, Quicklotz has announced the grand Screenshot_20210722-120236_Chromeopening of the new massive 140,000 square foot location, coming oat 10 AM on Saturday, July 31st in Hurst, TX (1101 Melbourne Road).  It’s replacing a former anchor store at the North East Mall location there.  Their Facebook page says it’s the world’s largest liquidation outlet!  The size of this location will definitely rival the large Crazy Cazboys site in Arlington.  That’s enough to get me to take a second look at Quicklotz!

Their pricing structure appears to be a bit different from their Arlington location, because they are opening on Saturday at $7, which matches the Saturday price at Crazy Cazboys.  At the Quicklotz Arlington location, the pricing structure is $6 Friday, $5 Saturday and Sunday, $4 Monday and Tuesday, $3 Wednesday, and $2 Thursday.  So the pricing is obviously not the same at both locations of Quicklotz.  They have not yet announced the Hurst Quicklotz pricing structure…only the opening day price on Saturday.

In any case, I’m anxious to check it out and see how it measures up with my lucky Crazy Cazboys.  Saturday is also my daughter’s 17th birthday, though, so I’ll have to make it a quick trip.

If you’re local, maybe I’ll see you there!  I’m sure it will be crowded, so I’ll be sure to bring my mask.

Happy Shopping!!!

Saturday, July 17, 2021

National Ice Cream Day!!!

Chocolate Dipped Cone | Dairy Queen® MenuSunday, July 28th, is National Ice Cream Day for 2021.  The offers aren’t too exciting this year, but the most enticing deal I’ve seen is at Dairy Queen, where you can get $1 off any size dipped cone (except kids’ size) with the DQ App! 

It’s forecasted to be a scorching 97 degrees here in Fort Worth on Sunday, and with the unseasonal humidity we’ve had, that’s mighty uncomfortable.  So I’m personally looking forward to this deal! 

Enjoy your ice cream!

Saturday, July 10, 2021

7-Eleven Day (AKA Slurpee Day) 2021…It’s Not the Same!

7-Eleven is giving out free Slurpee drinks in July – how to get oneAs you may have noticed in 2020, the pandemic put a damper on the traditional annual Slurpee Day.  Last year, instead of being able to stop in at any 7-Eleven store to take advantage of a free Slurpee, employees passed out a coupon voucher to each person in early July for one free Slurpee to be used within a certain period of time.  That worked, since everybody got one voucher.  But this year, it’s even more disappointing.

7-Eleven Mobile Apps - 7-Eleven CorporateJuly 11th (07-11) is the official birthday, but this year, 7-Eleven is offering just one free small Slurpee any time in the month of July using the 7-Eleven Rewards app.  Ugh!  That means my younger kids don’t get one at all this year.  They don’t have phones.  Too bad.  And hubby doesn’t use the app and won’t go get one himself, either.  So I guess I’m the only one in the family getting a free Slurpee this year.  Bummer!

Gone are the days of store-hopping…one of the fondest memories my kids have of growing up, seeing how many empty cups we could rack up in one day.  We would even take our neighbor and her kids around with us!  Who knows if they’ll ever bring back the traditional 7-Eleven Day again. Call it yet another a casualty of the pandemic, much like 20-oz. bottles of Cherry Coke Zero…no more to be found, either. Sigh.

So remember…if you want your one free small Slurpee this month, you’ll need to use your 7-Eleven Rewards app!

Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

REVIEW: CTCMath by CTCMath

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

We’ve been using various levels of CTCMath for several years now, so we were pleased to prepare a review of this wonderful CTCMath program!


WHAT IS IT?:

CTCMath offers online math courses for all levels from Kindergarten through Calculus.  Since the program is entirely online, there’s nothing to download or install, so reliable internet access is required in order to use the program.Lesson Video

The courses include full video instruction for every lesson, showing you step-by-step how to master each concept.  Videos are followed by online practice problems that are graded instantly, or you have the option to allow a printable worksheet with multiple choice answers where the student completes the work on paper and then enters the answer choices online for immediate grading.

After each subtopic has been completed, a diagnostic test can be assigned to check for mastery.  These diagnostic tests can also be used to help with initial placement into the program.

Through this special link, you can take advantage of a special half price offer and get an annual membership for a single student for just $98.50 or $14.97 monthly, or an annual membership for a whole family for just $148.50 or $19.97 monthly. 


OUR EXPERIENCE:

We’ve been using CTCMath for more than 2 years now, and we made that decision after having tried several other programs previously.  The first year, we used the diagnostic tests for a math level we had already covered in another program in order to check for learning gaps, and then we used the necessary lessons to reinforce those holes.  You can read more about how we did that in this first review.

The second year, we moved on to the next math level and used every lesson to learn the new material and used the diagnostic tests to check for mastery.  You can read more about that experience in this second review.

This third year will be our final year of homeschooling, and my goal is to always get my kids through Algebra I in 8th grade before they attend public high school the following year.  So for this new school year, we’ll be digging into Algebra I.  For right now, though, we’re still finishing up the tail end of Basic Math & Pre-Algebra.  It has taken us a little more than a single school year because we only have school 4 days per week, and any time my son did not show mastery, we either backed up and repeated the lessons where he needed more practice, or I assigned him a question bank worksheet for those topics.  Then we’d go over any missed questions together. 

I really like the Question Bank worksheets, because they are fully customizable.  You can choose the topics to include, how many questions you want on the worksheet, and even customize the difficulty level of the questions and how you want the various difficulty levels distributed in the worksheet problems.  It’s really a great tool!  When I chose that option, I’d have him complete the problems on paper and then enter his answers online for immediate grading.  Then he’d be able to view the correct answers and compare that with the answers he gave so we could go over that together.  The only suggestion I could make to improve this feature is to have full solutions available rather than just the answers.  As Holden rises to higher and higher math, sometimes I need a refresher or something to trigger my memory before I can explain the answer.  Without the steps to the solution included, I have to go back and watch the instruction video myself in order to remember myself before I can help him and answer his questions.  Also, I find that sometimes the “challenging” level of questions goes a bit beyond the basics in the instruction video, and occasionally we’re simply stumped!  But that doesn’t happen very often, and sometimes it just requires some deeper thought to apply the concept and reach the answer, thus why it is deemed a “challenging” question!  Since I can control the difficulty level in the Question Bank worksheets, I can simply leave out the challenging questions if I prefer, and sometimes I do that if I just want to see if he has the basics in his grasp.

Example of a Question Bank Worksheet

Because CTCMath is designed to be truly customizable, lessons are not assigned automatically.  You can allow your students to go down the list of lessons themselves, or you can assign specific lessons as tasks, setting date and time parameters for when they can begin and when each lesson is due to be completed.  Holden has ADHD, so there’s no way I would let him click through and figure out what lesson is next on his own.  He’d inevitably lose his place, get distracted, and ending up completing the wrong lesson.  So for him, I schedule his daily tasks for him.  That way, when he logs in each day, he can see his current task waiting for him on his student dashboard, and he can also see if he has overdue or upcoming tasks, as well.  This works well for him, because there’s never any doubt about what he should be working on, and we don’t have to argue about whether or not something is late.  When the task pops over to the overdue tab, he knows his assignment is late. 

Student Dashboard

Lessons are easy to assign.  You select the course, stream, topic, and lesson, which are listed in order for your convenience.  There’s also a shortcut method.  At the beginning of the year, I download and print out the course curriculum, showing me all of the topics for the year in order.  Each lesson has a 4-digit code number assigned to it.  So the shortcut method for assigning a task is to enter that lesson number.  Then you don’t have to do all the clicks for the course, section, and subtopic.  I generally assign things well in advance, so this is the method I use to save myself time.  I also assign the corresponding diagnostic test after each section, and I can decide whether I want to assign a short (16-question), standard (24-question), or comprehensive (32-question) version of the test.  We plan to stay on schedule this year so that he can finish his last course and complete the new course by the end of the school year, so I’ve assigned him math five days per week to accommodate test days, as well, since we only have school four days per week.  If we need to spend extra time on something, we’ll do it on Fridays or on the weekends.

Task Assignment

In addition to the lessons, diagnostic tests, and question bank worksheets, the lower grade levels also have the option to assign weekly revision sets.  These are designed to review so that students stay fresh on previous topics.  Those don’t apply to Holden’s level of math, though, so we have not used those. 

The website also has some extra drills in the form of three games to choose from:

1.  Speed Skills covers addition, subtraction, mixed multiplication and division, and order of operations at a choice of four skill levels.

Speed Skills

2.  Times Tables Shoot-Em-Up is a space-themed, arcade-style game that allows students to practice times tables from 1-12. 

Times Tables

3.  Swap Pieces is a puzzle game that uses logic and planning. 

Swap Pieces

Students can use these games to practice basic math skills at any time on the website.  In fact, these games are free, and you can try them out or yourself by going to the website and scrolling all the way to the bottom of the home page to find them.  These are great skill builders for younger students who are still learning basic math facts or for those who need to improve their speed in recalling basic facts.

If you have a student who prefers to work their math on paper, you can give them the option of printing out a lesson worksheet.  The worksheet gives them an answer bank (kind of like multiple choice) where they can choose the correct answer as they work through the problems.  Then they use those answer codes to enter their responses into the online program for instant grading.  Their score is recorded just as it would be if they worked their lesson online.  This can be handy if you want to take a lesson on the go where you won’t have internet.  The student could take the worksheet with them to work on and then enter their answers online when they return home. 

Worksheet

As students work through their lessons, parents can view reports at any time showing how their students scored on each lesson.  The program helps identify specific topics where the student may need more practice through the use of a color-coding system that is easy to understand at a glance.  For detailed individual results, parents can log in as the student and view detailed feedback on each task.  I also have the website email me a daily report of how many tries Holden took and what his score was for that day’s lesson, as well as a weekly report of how many lessons he completed and his average score.  I can also control what percentage score is required to be “passing” for the lessons.  His passing threshold is set at 80%.  He has to keep repeating the lesson practice until he reaches the passing score threshold I’ve set, and the questions are randomized so that he doesn’t receive the same set of questions more than once.

Detailed Report

Activiy List

Students can also earn reward certificates at the bronze, silver, gold, or platinum level based on their scores for each section they complete.  Each time he earns one, I receive it as an email attachment, but he can also view them from his student dashboard under “results” and the “awards” tab at any time.  They can be a nice incentive for a student who struggles with math and needs the extra encouragement through recognition.  I usually print them out and keep them in Holden’s math drawer in his desk so he can see them stacking up and look back at how he did as he progresses through the course.

Awards Earned Award Certificate

Overall, we find the video instruction to be pretty easy to follow and understand, the tasks are easy to assign, and the lesson questions are very thorough.  The detailed reports from the diagnostic tests really help me identify areas of potential weakness, and it’s easy to customize extra practice when it’s needed.  And best of all, my son really enjoys this math program.  I had several options available to him for this last school year that we’ve just begun, but he wholeheartedly chose to continue with CTCMath.  That says something!  Take a look and see if it’s right for your family.  Take advantage of the special half price offer using the link I provided in the description or at the link that follows in my closing.

Check out what other Crew members have to say about CTCMath by clicking the banner below.

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

REVIEW: Activity-Pak: The New Testament by Home School in the Woods

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

We have always loved hands-on history products by Home School in the Woods, so we were excited to review their Activity-Pak: The New Testament this time around.


WHAT IS IT?:

Activity-Pak: The New Testament is designed to be used as a supplement to your New Testament studies.  While many other hands-on history product from Homeimage School in the Woods include text that make them stand-alone products, this activity-pak does not include additional text for students to read.  It does, however, include scripture references for students to study, which in a sense, could make it a useful primary study guide. 

Students will use the materials to create a keepsake Lap Book™ that can be used for years to come as a reference guide to key highlights of New Testament information.  The activity-pak includes a total of 15 Lap Book™ activities, as well as 2 bonus activities.

This activity-pak is available for digital download for just $18.95 or on CD for $19.95 plus shipping.



OUR EXPERIENCE:

This is our 19th year of homeschooling, and over that time, we’ve used a variety of products from Home School in the Woods.  They are a great tool for hands-on history that make the information interesting and memorable for our students.  This activity-pak for the New Testament is no exception!

If you have used other products from Home School in the Woods in the past and have found that they just take up too much time in your homeschool, then you should really consider trying one of the activity-paks like this one on the New Testament.  It does not include additional text or study pages for students to use.  That makes it an ideal supplement to your existing New Testament studies.  It doesn’t require a huge time commitment.  The assembly instructions for the printable Lap Book™ elements are easy to follow, and the main supplies you’ll need are colored and white paper and cardstock, tape, scissors, and glue.  If your students like to color elements printed on white paper, then you’ll want a variety of colored pencils, as well.

There are 15 primary activities that will be saved for your finished Lap Book™.  The topics include:

  1. The Lineage from David to Jesus

    #1 - The Lineage from David to Jesus


  2. Triptych of the Birth of Jesus Christ

    #2 - Triptych of the Birth of Jesus Christ


  3. Miracles of Jesus

    #3 - Miracles of Jesus


  4. The Beatitudes Pie Book

    #4 - The Beatitudes Pie Book


  5. Fruit of the Spirit

    #5 - Fruit of the Spirit


  6. The Parables of Jesus

    #6 - The Parables of Jesus


  7. The Last Supper
  8. The Crucifixion
  9. The Ascension
  10. Pentacost
  11. The Resurrection
  12. Prophesies Fulfilled
  13. The Twelve Disciples
  14. Paul’s Missionary Journeys
  15. Postcards from Paul

In addition, there are two bonus activities:

  • “The New Testament News”
  • The Armor of God

Once you’ve received your download and uncompressed the files, you simply click on the “start” file to be taken to your main menu.  From that menu, you’ll be able to view and/or print all the necessary instructions for the entire project, print the necessary materials, and view photos of what the completed elements should look like.

Start File

You can print and create each project as you go along, or you can choose as I did to print all the instructions and materials up front and store them in a binder so they’ll be at hand as you need them.  I like to feel organized and ready-to-go, so that’s always my method of choice.  I printed everything before I got started and stored it in a binder with an insertable cover like this.

Product Cover Image

You could follow the instructions on the computer screen as you work on a piece of the project, but I prefer printed instructions, so I stored them in the binder like this.

Instructions

We paced ourselves with one activity per week for the six weeks of the review period, so as we created each element for the Lap Book™, we just stored it in a plastic storage bag in the inside pocket of the binder.  Once we’ve completed creating and discussing each activity, we’ll assemble the completed Lap Book™ project at the end.  Here’s a photo image from Home School in the Woods that shows what your completed project should look like, as well as the two included bonus activities.

Completed Image

If you have students who like to color, they can add color to the elements printed on white paper or cardstock by adding color with colored pencils.  When my older daughter was homeschooled, she used to love adding color to these projects herself.  My youngest son, though, has never really enjoyed coloring, so I either print things on colored paper and cardstock or just leave them printed in black and white.

All in all, we feel the activities are fun and easy to create, and they will create a lovely keepsake Lap Book™ that my son can reference in the future as his thoughts go back to the scriptures and topics we covered using this activity-pak.  And once our project is completed, we also have the option of completing the two bonus activities that are included.  One would have us create a mock newspaper highlighting New Testament events.  My daughter used to enjoy pretending to be an ancient reporter and summarizing events as if she were actively reporting at the time, adding timely advertisements and illustrations in the spaces provided.  My son doesn’t enjoy writing that much, so we will probably skip this activity, but that’s one of the many ways you can customize these projects with your students, using just the parts that suit their learning styles.  The other bonus activity would have us create a letter-sized card that teaches students how to put on the Armor of God every day, and we intend to do this activity, as well.  I’ll probably tuck it inside our finished Lap Book™ for safe keeping.

And if you’ve used the timeline products in the past, you may be interested to know that Home School in the Woods is making some changes.  The timelines have shifted entirely to digital download format.  In the conversion, the sets have been enlarged to include the timeline figures in various formats, allowing customers to use them in various ways such as in a larger size for a wall timeline rather than a smaller size for a notebook timeline.  Take a look at the Timeline Set: Creation to Christ to see what the new format looks like.

Check out what other Crew members have to say about this and many other hands-on history products by Home School in the Woods by clicking the banner below:

Saturday, July 3, 2021

A Spectacular 4th of July Celebration

I suspect that this year’s 4th of July celebrations will be bigger and better than ever.  Even if you don’t plan to attend an organized event (I don’t…I think the turnout will be huge, and I am still avoiding large crowds), I anticipate that individual celebrations will be just as spectacular.  I say this for two reasons.

Fort Worth 4th of July | Fireworks Show & Live Music
One, people have been locked up by the pandemic for far too long.  Folks are ready to get out in the fresh air and have something fun and exciting to celebrate with as many people as possible.  It seems like everything was canceled in 2020…holiday celebrations, in-home gatherings, concerts, and events of all kinds.  It was a lonely and isolated year with not much to look forward to.  With coronavirus numbers significantly lower and over half of Americans age 12+ being vaccinated, I think people will turn out in droves just to be with others and have something fun to do.

Two, I was out shopping today for some simple sparklers and bumblebees to use in my backyard by my pool with the kids (fireworks are illegal in my city), and I went to a place called Fireworks Marketplace in a neighboring city where fireworks are legal.  Wow!  There were SO many people there filling cartloads to overflowing with large fireworks of all kinds.  I couldn’t help but think to myself that these people were planning some hardcore pyrotechnics of their own!

In any case, I hope you are able to have some fun and enjoy some family time while celebrating Independence Day this year.  I know I will!