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Searching for Educational Apps

Posted on September 17, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Raise your hand if app searches within iTunes or Google Play leave you feeling overwhelmed.

I admit that my hands were waving high in the air. While I am comfortable looking for apps, it can be time consuming to research ones for my children. I do not want to put just any item onto their devices. As a teacher and parent, I allow my boys to have fun games, but I also want apps that expand their academic interests and also work on skills in a fun way. I know that using technology can motivate children and have seen it with my own kids and those I have taught in the past.

When I was asked to be a #VZEducation blogger, I was excited to learn more about this often forgotten resource for families that have Verizon Wireless.

What is the Verizon Educational Tools App?

Verizon Education Tools is a resource available to Verizon Wireless customers. The app may be downloaded onto iOS and Android tablets or smartphones. The app costs $2 a month per line. Those who have a MORE Everything Plan will be able to download the app for free. If you install it on devices before the end of September, it will continue to be free to use for the lifetime of your service. We recently upgraded and now have this app on all of our lines so we can research items on the go.

Helping to Organize Your Search

What I really appreciate about the Educational Tools is that it helps me to narrow down my search. Here is an example of a search I tried. My sixth grade son really wants to learn about coding and programming. In Google Play, I searched for 6th Grade Computer Science Apps and it returned 250+ apps. Meanwhile, when I went to Grade 6 –> Apps by Category –> Science –> Computer Science in the Verizon Educational Tools app, it gave me five apps, with scores from Spencer Riley.

This narrowed my search down to a reasonable number to look at more closely. Then, parents are able to click on each of the recommendations to read more about them. Each app receives a score and you can read more about:

Why we love the app
What it teaches and how it works
Why your kid won’t be able to put it down

In addition to this, those that are curious about how the apps measure up to the Common Core Standards may look at that and also look at the report card score and how it was rated. As a new service, the Educational Tools area is growing each month. More content and apps will be added over time to cover even more academic areas.

What I appreciate as a parent is the way the Educational Tools app is organized. When I select the Apps & Videos area, I am able to pick from Kindergarten to 12th Grade, Testing, and Special Education. From here, you may look for apps or videos based on category or Common Core. My preference is definitely the category and I like that it further breaks down Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Creative Expression, and Productivity.

What areas are you looking for apps in for your children? I would love to know as I head off to find some Digital Storytelling items for my second grader. You never know what you may find and how it will inspire and motivate your kids.

Disclosure: I am participating in a paid campaign about Verizon Educational Tools. I will be sharing how I have used this with my family. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

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Back to School Snacks and Savings

Posted on September 1, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

It’s hard to believe that the summer is over and kids all around will be back in school. Over the last month or so, Price Chopper supermarket has been helping parents like me to get ready. In addition to their back to school savings, they have great recipe suggestions to help everyone transition back to the more hectic autumn schedules.

Snack time is important at our house. I want to get something nutritious into the boys to give them energy to head outside to play and get homework done. After a long day at school, it helps to have a variety of options available. To get ready for the first week back, the boys and I went to Price Chopper together. We often go shopping as a family, but this time we were on a #PriceChopperB2S mission for snacks thanks to #CollectiveBias.

NHL and JSL had ideas of their own. They asked us to buy ingredients to make smoothies for warm days after school. They both agreed on vanilla Yoplait Greek yogurt, frozen blueberries, and bananas. In addition to that, I told the boys that I wanted to try to make a trail mix with a twist. My idea was to mix Honey Nut Cheerios into different flavors of Yoplait Greek Yogurt and freeze them. These would then be added to some more traditional trail mix items. The boys had fun going up and down the aisles looking for different choices to put into our trail mix. In the end we picked out roasted edamame (NHL has braces and can not eat nuts), pretzel sticks, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. The next big decision was what flavor of Greek yogurt to select. NHL asked for blueberry and JSL requested strawberry. TechyDad and I also allowed the kids to get a splurge item because we rarely have juice pouches in the house. The new Capri Sun Super V Fruit & Vegetable Juice Drink looked interesting and will help on Hebrew School days when we are rushing.

FYI, did you see that sign in my photo above about winning an iPad mini? Price Chopper customers can enter a first day of school photo contest running from August 17 to September 20. You can vote on your favorite from September 21 to 27. The five winners with the most votes and five random winners will each receive an iPad mini.

Yogurt Covered Cereal Trail Mix

The boys adore Greek yogurt, but they take it in their lunch most days. To switch it up and have something munchy, crunchy, and fun we made a trail mix that included frozen Greek yogurt covered Honey Nut Cheerio clusters. These need to be made ahead of time and added to the mix right when the kids are ready to eat. They will melt, but the cool snack adds a fun twist to a family favorite.

We set up the kitchen into a mini assembly line. A large cookie sheet was covered with wax paper ahead of time. Each of the boys opened up their container of yogurt and we mixed the cereal in. We put half a cup into each 5.3 ounce container. Once they were mixed well, we put small dollops onto the lined sheet. This was placed into the freezer. After about half an hour they were set and ready to go.

If you are using this snack later on, I suggest taking the clusters off of the cookie sheet and storing them in a freezer safe container. The yogurt clusters will melt if it is warm and that defeats the purpose of the snack. Just mix some of each ingredient into a bowl and voila – it’s snack time! Of course, some kiddos many like a bowl of yogurt clusters on their own. The boys enjoyed the twist on this snack and also asked for some left over Yoplait Greek Yogurt with a quarter cup of Honey Nut Cheerios in it for breakfast the next day. Score!

What are some of your favorite snacks for after school? I would love to hear your ideas and whether or not you get the kids involved in the process.

Disclosure: I am a member of Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. I am a frequent Price Chopper customer and have written about them on my blog in the past.

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Sweet Summer Treats and Savings

Posted on June 16, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser.

Summer is here and families all around will be hosting barbecues, picnics, and grilling for their guests. Most years, my extended family has a large gathering at the lake. Since they take care of all of the kosher meats for grilling, we often bring sweet treats to share. The best part of baking is that my kids can get involved and help. When we head to our local Price Chopper, I make sure to check the ads and coupons that they offer for additional savings. This time of year, Price Chopper is filled with the House of BBQ items. You can get recipe suggestions to help with your party planning. While walking around the seasonal section, produce, and dessert aisle with Betty Crocker Brownies, I came up with two fun ideas for parties at home or on the go.

Nothing says summer fun like a soft serve ice cream cone. Of course, ice cream melts and is not always practical when at a celebration. We decided to try a new twist on an old favorite. Kids of all ages love cupcake cones. Rather than fill the cones with cake, my youngest begged to try the Betty Crocker Supreme Triple Chunk mix. We grabbed that and a few others items for our recipe.

Faux Soft Serve Brownie Ice Cream Cones

I followed the directions on the brownie mix which called for an egg, vegetable oil, and water that were not pictured. While my oven preheated to 350, I placed the 12 ice cream cones into a cupcake tray. Then, I filled each of the cones with approximately 2 tablespoons of batter. This fills the cones to the main line inside. These baked for 20-25 minutes until they were clean to a toothpick (if you use the triple chunk just remember there are lots of gooey chip spots). There will be extra brownie batter left. You can make additional cones or use it for the other dessert that I made below.

Once the cones were cooled, it was time to transform them into soft serve ice cream cones. The new Betty Crocker Whipped Butter Cream Frosting was an amazing shopping find. When this frosting is piped onto the top of the brownie cone, it looked just like soft serve vanilla ice cream. Top with sprinkles that match the occasion, and you are all set.

Dessert Kabob with Brownie Dip

Summer time means indulging in a bounty of fresh fruit produce. I still have memories of going to Price Chopper one summer and picking five pounds of cherries with my cousin who was in from California. We then sat outside devouring them while seeing how far we could spit the pits. These days, I still smile when picking up cherries, so I had to get them to garnish my summer plates. Fruit kabobs are a refreshing treat and kids just love anything on a stick. I grabbed strawberries and green grapes. I also bought some kosher marshmallows and Price Chopper lite whipped topping.

With the remaining brownie batter from the Faux Soft Serve Brownie Ice Cream Cones, I made a dozen mini brownies. I spooned one tablespoon into each of the mini-muffin trays. These bakes for about 17 minutes at 350. Once my whipped topping was thawed, it was time to make the Brownie Dip. The small container of Price Chopper whipped topping has about three cups in it. I then mixed in one cup of the Better Crocker Supreme Peanut Butter mix. The peanut butter chips add a fun surprise to the dip. You could also add in mini chocolate chips or sprinkles.

Once this was ready, it was time to construct the Dessert Kabobs. I bought the smaller House of BBQ skewers. Each completed kabob had a marshmallow, two green grapes, a strawberry, and a mini brownie. When everything was ready, I plated them with some of the Brownie Dip and cherries. To make it a bit more festive, I put some sprinkles on top of the dip. The dip is really versatile and would be great with animal crackers or any other fruit that looks great when shopping.

Be sure to check out recipes and ideas from the other bloggers participating in the #PriceChopperBBQ campaign. Lots of recipes for grilling and more for those getting ready for the 4th of July and beyond. You can also head over to the House of BBQ Pinterest Page and follow Price Chopper on Twitter where they share many additional items. If you are on Facebook, be sure to look at their page where additional coupons and money saving offers are often posted.

What is your favorite dessert to make during the summer? I would love to hear your ideas and whether or not you get the kids involved in the process.

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Holiday Baking Ideas to Go with Price Chopper #HolidayAdvantEdge

Posted on December 15, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

While many people host parties during the holiday season, we do not usually have any at our house. Many times I am asked to bake something to bring to another location. This busy time of year often means that I am in a rush and need to make something fun, festive, and delicious in a short amount of time. This time around, I wanted to make some fun wintry snowmen themed items. My plan was to bake something for everyone to have and create a snack activity for the kids to do when we arrived. I went to our local Price Chopper and after I scanned my AdvantEdge card, I made my way to the holiday decorations aisle. There was a wide variety of items, but I immediately focused on an adorable snowman tray that I knew would be perfect for transporting some goodies.

From here, I made my way over to the baking aisle. I immediately was impressed with the huge selection of Betty Crocker items to select from. We enjoy baking with these products because they are quick, easy, you can personalize them, and they are kosher. After looking around for quite a while, I decided to make cupcakes and cookies. The Super Moist White Cake mix reminded me of a white snowman made fresh after a storm. Then the Hershey’s Cookies’n’Crème premium frosting reminded me of snow that gets a little dirty after people walk on it. I knew I wanted to top these cupcakes with a snowman and found some fun Peeps in the holiday area to finish these off.

Next, I knew I wanted a snack for kids to be able to get their hands dirty and keep busy. I could bake the cookies, put them on that cute snowman tray and bring items for them to make faces on top. I selected Snickerdoodle cookie mix first. Then I found the Betty Crocker cookie icing to make it look like a frosty friend. After that, I picked up a few more odds and ends like coconut, candy corn, and decorating gel for the faces.

I made the cupcakes ahead of time. Once they were cool, I put them into my cupcake currier for easy transport to our final destination. I piped the Cookies’n’Crème frosting on top and let my son help me sprinkle the cookie crumble on top. Then I learned a lesson, the Peeps would need to be placed on top at the final destination for the second dozen in the bottom tray. Peeps are too big and thick for my giant case.

The Snickerdoodles were baked just before we had to take them to decorate. Once they were cooled, I placed them on the snowman tray that I purchased and set up the decorating items. Candy corn for the nose, gel for the mouth, chocolate chips for eyes, and coconut to make it look more snow like on top of the white icing.

Here are some of the snowmen that everyone made from the first round of fun.

What is your favorite dessert to make and take to a holiday party? I would love to hear your ideas and whether or not you get the kids involved in the process.

Follow Price Chopper Supermarkets Holiday Recipes & Inspirations on Pinterest

For more information on Price Chopper and to find the store nearest you, visit them online at pricechopper.com, On Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

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Holiday Cards and More from Tiny Prints

Posted on October 7, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

The leaves outside are almost finished turning colors here in New York State and I am already thinking about the holidays. Why? While Christmas is always on December 25, Chanukah is the earliest I can recall. We will be lighting our menorah during Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgivukkah is actually something people are talking about this year and making fun recipes to work on. Thanks to a wonderful sponsored campaign from Tiny Prints, I will be able to work on my 2013 holiday cards and personalized photo gifts before things get too hectic. These are just a few of my most recent purchases from Tiny Prints.

While I will probably stick to sending out New Years cards to family and friends, I love being able to have choices. With Tiny Prints holiday card selection, I can make some for Chanukah, Christmas, or New year 2014 wishes. I literally could and probably will spend hours looking for just the right cards. This year, you can also add trim options that include square, rounded, bracket, ticket, and scallop. Contemporary, Classic, Vintage, Full bleed photos, All That Glitters, Bold Expressions, Simply Chic, Woodland Wonder, and The New Tradition are some of the new design styles included this year. In addition to this, Tiny Prints offers matching address labels and envelope lines.

Some of my favorites designs this year are the Dreidel Frame, Best Hopes, Fun Cut Outs, and Wondrous Season.

Of course, I can also shop for personalized gifts found on the Tiny Prints website. My photo mug, pictured at the top, is a wonderful size and gorgeous. I adore how it shows a magical adventure to Walt Disney World with my family. In addition to this, I adore the custom notebook that I made and think that would be perfect for a special teacher. I know I will be spending more time checking out gifts for family and friends because I can trust the quality of Tiny Prints from previous experience.

Giveaway Time:

Thanks to this Holiday campaign with Tiny Prints, one reader (US or Canada) will receive $50.00 off your total order at Tiny Prints (plus free shipping). Imagine the fun you will have when ordering some new items for the holiday season, whether it is cards to send out to family and friends, or some personalized gift items.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Head over to the Tiny Prints Holiday Cards page and comment below on your favorite card.

The following Bonus Entry may also be done. Please be sure to leave separate comment each time you complete this item.

1 Bonus Entry – Visit Tiny Prints Holiday Cards and pin your favorite card to Pinterest. Tag #TinyPrintsCheer and leave a link to your pin in the comments below.

Please follow the rules above within the comment section. For additional ways to win Tiny Prints items, be sure to check out the #TinyPrintsCheer Pinning Party™ taking place on October 8 at 2:00 PM ET. My giveaway begins October 6, 2013 and ends October 21, 2013 at 10:59 EST. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 24 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected.

Additional Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a Global Influence campaign where I will be receiving credit for a future order at Tiny Prints. As noted, we have already purchased several Tiny Prints products before, and the opinions expressed are 100% my own.