6 Fun Ways to Help Your Kids Excel in School

Happy Sunday! I hope your weekend has been superb. Beth, who is a Life According to Steph reader that teaches second grade and moms for a living, sent me this article she whipped up to share as everyone with kids turns their attention towards back to school at some point in August, later or now depending on where you live in the country. Thank you Beth! 

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Helping your child to excel in school can be attributed to a variety of practices. It can mean making sure they get a good night’s sleep so they are ready to take on the day. It can also mean making sure they eat a nutritious, filling breakfast so that they can concentrate when they arrive at school.
Outside of the physical care of a child though, it’s also a good idea to incorporate learning methods your child will find fun. Below, you’ll find six fun suggestions that could potentially help your kids to excel in school. Take a look:

1. Read To and With Them
Helping your child to develop a love of reading can be a lot of fun for both of you. Get into the habit of reading with them every day, even if just for a short while. If they can read to you, take it in turns. Ideally, you should start as early on as possible, as this can help them to appreciate good writing and be able to pick up context clues. Reading helps with all kinds of skills, from writing their own stuff to communicating in general.

Via

2. Set An Example With Your Own Learning
If you can concentrate on your own learning and set an example for your kids, then that’s a great way to encourage them to excel. Monkey see monkey do really does have some truth in it, so show them that you also care about your learning and self development by learning new skills in front of them and talking about learning.

3. Allow Your Child To Follow Their Passion
If your child seems to have a love for something, whether that’s art, English, or maths, let them follow it. Let them talk about it, do Cazoom maths quizzes at home, and really help them to nurture the passion. You might think that other studies and subjects will be neglected, but this won’t be the case. Having passions from such an early age and getting kids excited about subjects is amazing!

4. Play As Many Games As Possible
Various games can teach kids all kinds of lessons: Clue for their process of elimination skills, Monopoly for skills with numbers and decision making, and so on, so break out those board games and have fun playing..

5. Make Sure Your Child Knows How To Switch Off And Relax
Teaching your child to shut down can be vital in improving their ability to switch on at the right times. Simple breathing exercises or even basic meditation can have a powerful impact on the ability to learn. It’s much better to teach them the skill of calming their minds rather than letting them sit in front of the TV. Look into Yoga and meditation for young people and you’ll be teaching them valuable skills for life.

6. Let Their Imaginations Run Wild 

Let your child write poems and stories. Let them make things and draw pictures. Allow them to use their imaginations as often as possible. Don’t correct them if they draw the sky green or the sea pink, simply ask them why they made that decision. You want to encourage them to let imagination flow, rather than force them to stick to reality.

Thanks for the opportunity to share six easy and fun things to do at home to help kids excel in school!

Luxury Travel on a Budget

South Africa

Traveling on a budget doesn’t mean you have to settling for basic. There are may be many ways to get a taste of luxury travel without spending big. Here are just a few ways to spend less on luxury travel.

Be an early bird
Booking hotels and flights early (more than nine months in advance) can often allow you access to exclusive discounts. However, this isn’t the only perk of booking early – early bird customers are also some of the most likely to get free upgrades to first class on flights providing there are seats, as well as free upgrades to premium suites in hotels providing there’s an empty room. There’s certainly no guarantee you’ll be upgraded, but early booking can increase your chances.

Split the cost among a group
Going away with lots of friends and family could also allow you to experience certain aspects of luxury travel for less. The biggest example of this is accommodation – if you’ve always wanted to stay in a large luxury villa or a chateaux, being able to split the cost between lots of people could make it more affordable. You can find such accommodation at sites like luxuryretreats.com. This tactic of splitting the costs may also work when hiring vehicles abroad or even chartering a luxury yacht.

Go luxury in a cheap destination
Certain destinations such as Paris, Venice, and New York can be very expensive. But if you’re willing to try a more unconventional city break to somewhere like Lisbon, Krakow, or Tallinn, you could find that the costs are a lot cheaper. This could allow you more value for money when it comes to aspects like accommodation and eating out. In fact, what might get you a two star hotel and a cheap fast food meal in some cities could get you a five star hotel and fine dining in other cities. Expand your net and go a little off of your pre-selected beaten path.

Treat yo'self on the small things
You may be able to add small touches of luxury to your travels without spending too much. For instance, rather than hiring a regular transfer vehicle to take you from the airport to your hotel, you could consider traveling in style with a luxury limo from goluxe.limo. Maybe make your big meal of the day breakfast or lunch vs. dinner. If you have the ability to eat most of your meals where you're staying, do that and spend a little more on an experience or must-do/see.

Go all out for one day
There’s also the option of having a basic vacation with one day of luxury. On this one day, you could splash out on a premium hotel suite or expensive restaurant meal, giving you a taste of luxury without having to go luxury for the entire trip. This might be a good idea for a day near the end to finish your vacation on a bang out note.

Where are my more budget travelers? How do you inject a little luxury without breaking the bank? 

Grillin & Chillin

Coming in hot from the dog days of summer here on the East Coast - perfect weather for busting out the tongs and grilling for framily. The summer barbecue is the perfect way to spend some quality time with your nearest and dearest. The dinner party is too formal and the picnic in the park can be a pain with lugging everything there and back. The barbecue at home in the back garden is the ideal food oriented event to bring the people closest to you together in one spot.

Barbecues have surge in popularity in the summers - everyone wants to be outside and people have a penchant for grilled cuisine rather than the fatty fried equivalents. If you have friends eating healthier, you can cater for them with some lean grilled meat. If you have vegetarian pals, you can  rustle up some grilled halloumi skewers marinated with your very own barbecue sauce or my favorite Sweet Baby Ray's. Grilling is so versatile and a great way to eat collectively. Let's talk grilling and recipes, shall we?

Hot Dogs

The humble hot dog has been around for decades. From the street carts in the cities to the catering boxes at the ball parks, people can't help their love for the hot dog. I mean, I certainly can't. There is no scenario on earth in which I turn down a hot dog which is why this is first. People are into the high quality, fancy hot dogs in 2019: they have taken on a more gourmet appeal. The hot dog you use needs to have a high meat content and needs to have the perfect blend of pork and beef to maintain its juiciness. The real gourmet element comes in the buns and toppings you serve your hot dog with. You could go wholemeal and spelt for those health conscious guests, but for those throwing caution to the wind, there’s nothing better than a potato roll or brioche style bun. Soft, luxurious and rich, these hot dog buns complement the salty nature of the hot dog perfectly.

Toppings wise, you could opt for pickled red cabbage and slaw, or perhaps a simple grilled red pepper and artichokes will suffice, or perhaps something hot and spicy like jalapenos and sour cream floats your boat. For the more sedate diner in your midst, the classic mustard with onions and a dab of relish always goes down like a tasty treat. The possibilities of hot dog personalization are endless, so experiment at your next barbecue and maybe do a hot dog bar.

Beef

If you're a meat eater, the king of all barbecues is the beef that you serve. You could choose a succulent filet to serve up to the fine folks at your table, or perhaps you fancy something a little more sophisticated and want to experiment with a sous vide corned beef recipe. With your smoky marinated meat on the grill and your veggies on top, this is the perfect meal.

You can always go traditional and whip up some fantastic hamburgers.Go for the simple sesame seed bun or if you're like me, no bun, and load your burgers with your choice of toppings - never any cheese for me, but I do love ketchup/mustard/pickles/onions/tomatoes/lettuce slopped all over a lovely medium rare burger. These traditional burgers are perfect for kids who don’t fancy experimenting with their flavors too much. You could do a hamburger topping bar too. 

Skillet Time

To really see what your barbecue can do, why not get yourself a skillet and throw some beans or veggies in there? Cast iron pots direct the heat from your barbecue directly into whatever food is currently in the skillet. This could be anything from a homemade smoky baked beans with brown sugar and bacon recipe to a unique grilled broccoli or cauliflower cheese side. Don’t think that you always need an oven for these types of dishes. Your grill is versatile enough to cook it all.

Cast iron skillets help you do your main meal and side on the grill also - place some chicken on the grill, put some refried beans into your skillet, heat up some tortillas on your little top rack and you have chicken and black bean enchiladas ready to be constructed and eaten. Delicious! 

You can also melt some honey butter (I like Downey's) in your skillet and dip in some big wedges of cornbread. Place these on the grill and you have the perfect accompaniment to salads, hot dogs, burgers, and larger meat dishes. Your skillet can cook everything, including marinades and butters, or it can keep your bread warm if you cover it and place it out of direct heat.

Barbecues are the perfect way to spend time with your framily this summer. I swear the best gatherings are the ones that we have at home in the comfort of our own yard. 

When's your next barbecue and what's on your menu? We'll be grillin and chillin with friends tomorrow at Frank & Amanda's - see Frank's annual birthday blog here. Happy birthday to our BFF Evan today!

Friday Five: Top Five 40s List According to Frank

Happy Friday all! It came quickly for me this week. Today is an annual treat for me and you - every year, Frank is gracious enough to do a birthday guest blog for me (see 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013), and every year I love it a little more. I completely identify with this year's and hope you do too.

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Thanks again to Steph for letting me do this. It’s one of my favorite birthday traditions. Now that I am 42 I am officially “in” my 40s. I love being in my 40s and here are 5 reasons why.

I have a ton of confidence.  

In my younger years I was full of self doubt and I am happy to say that those days are far behind me. I know who I am and I love it. 

I feel young.  

I’m sure that I am not alone in feeling like people who were over 40 when I was young seemed so OLD. While I have some aches and pains that weren’t there before I feel way younger than those people seemed. 

I have my crew. 

Me, Amanda, and Eva are such a great team. Now that Eva is five we are a perfect triangle going on adventures and experiencing things together. We are tight, unified and awesome. 

I’m fine with doing nothing. 

Anyone who knows me will tell you I love to be around my people at parties, mummers events, or a nice dinner. What I really love is that if those things aren’t going on I am not in a panic or sad like in my younger days. I am so happy to just watch Netflix with Amanda and do NOTHING!  

I finally look my age!  

Amanda says I am aging in reverse but I just finally look age appropriate. 42 looks good on me because my features and body has always been that of a 40 something. It’s a huge advantage now that everyone feels like the are aging I look like I did in my late 20s! Take that 40s. 

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Thank you Frank for your guest blog every year. I love this one. See you tomorrow! And Evan, happy birthday today. See you tomorrow too! We are so fortunate to have friends like you both for over 25 years.

Happy weekend all!

Thursday Thoughts - The Bars are Temples but the Pearls Ain't Free

Wishing zen things for all. Thanks to Gena for sharing.

Doing uhhh...not much this week.

Having almost nothing to share this week because of the aforementioned not doing much. When I start writing Thursday Thoughts, I look at the pictures from my week and go from there. I have seven photos as of Wednesday. One has been shared via Instagram (books I've read recently) and three are of a broken hinge on my ottoman so I can get a refund on it since it's less than three months old. I didn't think anyone wanted photos of laundry I guess.

Donating three bags and one box of stuff to Vietnam Vets - they picked up yesterday.

Finishing Plastic Free July on a soap box because where else would I be. Steph & I need to get together to pick a winner for the S'well bottle + metal straws. If you joined us via blog or instagram for something regarding #sustainablestephs, thank you! Go forth & don't waste. I'm looking forward to seeing MANY more mentions/photos of bringing your reusable cup with you and asking Starbucks or Chick fil-A or wherever on earth you are to fill it up and MANY fewer photos of you with a single-use plastic or Styrofoam logo cup or bottle on Instagram. You all know about Chick fil-A cups, right? If you are a CFA fan, please contact them and ask why they will not let the styrofoam cup die. They shouldn't use them for many reasons, three being 1) Polystyrene (a fancy word for Styrofoam) can take up to 500 YEARS to decompose...and some of it never does. 2) Styrene is a known human neurotoxin and possible human carcinogen and it migrates into foods. 3) Polystyrene is a top pollutant on American beaches - it gets into our waterways and fish eat it and we eat the poisoned fish. We need to hold ourselves accountable, sure, but we really need to hold corporations and government accountable for waste as well. Let’s start with the chick fil-A cups.

Altering my shore schedule this weekend because we're dog sitting (yes, we'll be managing five dogs) and have two commitments on Saturday

Working on the shore house website. I'm dropping Homeaway/VRBO this year for about a million reasons, and I'll probably write a post about that - would that interest you?

Shaking my fucking head... Have you read this article in the Wall Street Journal about wealthy parents transferring guardianship of their teens to get financial aid? I'm sorry, stop it and shut the fuck up about anyone near the poverty line getting any assistance from the state because you HAVE the money or the assets to access the money but are SIGNING YOUR KIDS AWAY so they can collect financial aid designed for ACTUAL POOR FOSTER STUDENTS. These motherfuckers who game the system are absolutely the first people to shit on people who get "handouts," mark my words. Is it legal? Sure. Is it ethical? No. We are a morally bankrupt people who have a very fucking skewed version of right and wrong in this country on so many fronts. Just a reminder that black mothers in other states are in jail for using a different address to get their kids into better schools.

Reading up a storm. I'm on my fifth book in seven days.

Hoping no one is discounting a female presidential candidate based on their gender. I will cut a bitch.

Listening to a lot of 80s. The lyrics in the title are from One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head, but that's basically because it was referenced in conversation online yesterday when I started writing this.

Reminding you...via The Sweet Feminist

Laughing at

What's new with you?

Freaking August 1 already.



Linking up with Kristen