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Where Are All the Pencils and Textbook? A Visit to My Kids’ School

This post is brought to you by Follett.com for back to school advice and more.

I went to my boys’ middle school “meet the teacher night”. It used to be called “open house” when I was growing up. I didn’t realize that was the only thing that changed when I visited the school. It’s the same school I grew up in. The same buildings, most of the same lockers, etc. I’ve been to the kids open house almost every year but there are so many improvements in the way of technology that will help me help my kids more. If your child has an “Open House” or “Meet the Teacher Night” I highly recommend going. My kids won’t think to tell me about half of this stuff!

1. Digital textbooks – forget hard cover books and writing your name in the cover (remember that?) most of my kids text books are digital now. I can even visit a website and read the same lesson my son is learning online. I guess the “I can’t do my homework I forgot my textbook at school” excuse won’t fly. It took me a minute as I looked around the classroom to realize, “Hey! There’s no textbooks in here” lol

2. Touch-screen projectors – ok I’m sure that’s not what they’re called but it’s the best way I could describe it. You know the projectors with the slides and magnification. Those are no more. Now there’s a projection screen that teachers somehow connect their laptops to and they can move things in the screen and change slides just buy using the screen like a touch screen. I found out not all the teachers have this yet but a few of them do.

3. Hi-tech Tools for Science Classes – Again I remember slides of the constellations or even just text book pictures. My son’s science teacher was very excited to show me his newest tool for teaching. A program that showed the sky right over our town. He could do time lapse and show the sky hours before or hours ahead. He could show nebulas, black holes, and all that cool science stuff. He told me that what I was looking at on the screen would be what I would see if I would go outside the school with a very expensive telescope. They also have a planetarium in their science classroom.

4. Class info online – If I want to know if my son had homework and what it was, If I wanted to know what my kids are learning about in school if my son doesn’t want to tell me, or if I just want to get a hold of my son’s teacher, all I have to do is log in to the school website and I can do any of those things. I can even print homework worksheets out at home if my son forgets his homework.

5. Digital test taking – My one son’s teacher told me they take their tests on laptops, turn it on on the computer, it’s graded on the computer, and they received their test scores back on the computer. She showed me a locked mobile metal cabinet that held lots of slim laptop all hooked up to chargers in the cabinet.

6. Lunch tickets are long gone – I remember my mom having to remember to give me lunch money. We got reduced price meals so I’d have to go in the free and reduced price line to buy a ticket then go through the line to get my food. As a teenager I remember being kind of embarrassed about that. Now no one has to know how much you pay (or don’t pay) for your lunch. I can add money to my kids’ lunch accounts online. When they go through the lunch line they just have to type in their student id number to debit their account for lunch. Wish that was around when I was a kid.

Attending “Meet the Teacher Night” also give me a chance to meet my kids’ teachers face to face. It lets me see what kind of environment my kids are learning in. By talking to my son’s science teacher, I found out he majored in 4 different areas and is capable of teaching 4 different subjects at the school. He continues to learn. He said he’s currently taking a course on black holes. All the tech in the world can’t beat a good teacher.

What has changed since you’ve been in school? What technologies does your or your kids school have? What back to school tips do you have? Share your stories using #FallBackToSchool

How To Discover A Whole New Affordable Way To Vacation

If you’re stuck in the city in the middle of a January snow storm and wishing you could be anywhere else in the world, why don’t you put that impulse to good use? Perhaps the powers that be won’t care much for you using up your saved vacation days to leave them behind for a while, but so what? You expect and deserve to use the vacation time that you’ve earned with your hard work and sweat, so why not take some time to yourself and live a little? There are a million places in the world for you to explore, so get moving and get gone!

Determining How You’re Going To Live When You Get There

Of course, it’s one thing to just decide one day that you’re going to go to a certain place on the map, but a whole other to have a well worked out plan in advance of just how and where you’re going to live when you get to your chosen destination. This is precisely why you need to have an accurate idea of where you want to go, and what kind of place you want to stay in while you enjoy your well earned vacation. Without a plan to work from, you’ll find yourself adrift in a sea of overdrafts that will sour all your plans.

Vacation Time Is Not The Time To Settle For Less

For example, if your present apartment or condo in the city is your favored style of living, it makes no sense to lower your standards by staying in a mud hut or run down motel room. Just because you’re paying for space overlooking the beautiful beaches of a tropical island or Southeast Asia peninsula doesn’t mean that you need to sit still for being gouged for an outrageous fee for a motel room that barely qualifies as being fit for a wild animal. In a word, vacation time is not the time to settle for less.

How To Get The Best Possible Deal For The Best Possible Price

The key to planning and then enjoying the benefits of a successful vacation is to make well sure that you are getting the best possible deal at the best possible price. When it comes to planning for your vacation lodging, there is a wide and comprehensive variety of options to choose from. For many world travelers, the idea of owning a time share property is the best policy. Indeed, time share property firms, such as Bluegreen Resorts and many others, are well known for the convenience and reliability that they offer to their customers. The benefits of going the time share route are many and obvious.

Alternative Solutions To The Vacation Destination Dilemma

Many people have solved their vacation destination issues by deciding to rent or own a time share. Others have simply purchased a small seaside cottage or condominium. While there are plenty of alternative solutions to the vacation destination dilemma, there is no one definitive answer. The solution that is right for you will depend on a variety of factors, including your temperament and the size of your budget. It is an excellent idea to compare and contrast the available solutions until you happen upon the one that is right for you.

This is a sponsored guest post.

Conceive Plus Benefits

If you’re trying to have a baby, you may want to read a little bit about Conceive Plus fertility lubricant.

Conceive Plus fertility lubricant has been available in more than 60 countries since 2008 and is not available in the US. You can find info Conceive Plus website. In short though it’s a special lubricant for any couple trying to conceive a baby naturally. I know in doing my own reading in the past that not all lubricants are sperm friendly so you’re going to use a lubricant you need one like Conceive Plus that won’t hinder your chances. Conceive Plus has is isotonic and has a controlled ph that is safe for sperm, embryos, and the process of fertilization.

I’ve not personally used Conceive Plus but you can read real user reviews. They also created a video to give you more info about Conceive Plus. I do encourage you to read over the info on the product and watch the video to make sure it’s the right product for you.

When you’re ready you can find out where to buy Conceive Plus on their website.

You can find Sasmar, the makers of Conceive Plus on these social media sits:

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If you have just started trying or have been trying for a while, Conceive Plus® fertility lubricant can help increase your chances of getting pregnant naturally! Now available from selected online retailers from just $14.99.

SASMAR Conceive Plus® sponsored this blog post. The opinions and text are all mine.

Blue Bunny Coupons this Sunday!

This post is sponsored by Blue Bunny. Any opinions expressed are my own.

Just because national ice cream month is almost over doesn’t mean we’re going to stop eating ice cream right? I mean I know I won’t. Keep the good times rolling this summer with Blue Bunny. A tasty way to cool off too! This Sunday August 2, look for a special offer on Blue Bunny ice cream cartons, cones, sandwiches and bars redeemable at a retailer near you.

Whether it’s the signature Bunny Tracks, classic Simply Vanilla ice cream sandwiches or irresistibly fun Mini Swirls, ice cream aficionados throughout all 50 states can choose from tantalizingly tasty Blue Bunny ice cream flavors and a delectable collection of cones, sandwiches and bars. What makes Blue Bunny so tasty? Maybe it’s because it’s Made in Le Mars, Iowa, Blue Bunny uses fresh milk sourced from local dairy farms and turns it into delicious ice cream within 24 hours. For more information about Blue Bunny, visit www.bluebunny.com

Do you have a favorite Blue Bunny treat?

Make Going to the Playground a Discovery this Summer

This post is sponsored by the Voice of Play

Local public playgrounds are a great way to get kids moving, encourage socialization and group play, and it’s a free way to have fun with your kids over the summer. We’re lucky enough to have a couple playgrounds within walking distance and a few that are only a couple minutes drive. A few years ago I worked with a company called KaBoom to help map playgrounds in my area for their app. It was this activity that made me realize how many different playgrounds there were in our area and what each one had to offer.

I have 4 kids ranging in age from 2 – 13 and they all love going to the playground. The older boys usually shoot hoops or throw a football around while the younger ones love climbing, sliding, and exploring. One playground is smaller but it’s one of my faves. It’s within walking distance from our house, it has a nice climbing tower with a slide and swings, including a baby swing for my little one.

Another park near us has a bigger playground for the kids, a nature trail, a basketball court, volleyball courts, picnic tables, and even a skate park. This one is of course, a favorite of my older boys. I love the nature trail myself, so peaceful. The boys love it because we can see some of the wildlife like squirrels and chipmunks. They can sometimes discover salamanders under some of the rocks.

Taking my kids to the playground is summer fun that everyone enjoys and it doesn’t cost a thing. I’ll pack us up a picnic lunch and we’ll have lunch sometimes at some of the parks. This is perfect to get my kids (and myself) away from the electronics and have real family time together.

Since discovering a few playgrounds that year, it’s now a annual thing for us. We set out to find new parks, new playgrounds, new free and fun things to do over the summer. We have our sites on a place called Mammoth Park this year that has a big metal slide and a pond where you can feed ducks. I can’t wait to take the kids!

Do you have a favorite playground or park you go to? When was the last time you discovered a new one? Check out VoiceofPlay.org for more ideas!