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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Continued Look at the Nomads in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Christmas Ideas to Help Stimulate the Economy…in the United States!

This year start a new tradition of gift giving by thinking local. Instead of spending money on something that is manufactured in some other country, look for ways to stimulate a small business or local service. Here are some ideas to get you started. Feel free to comment and add your own ideas.

Gift certificate to local hair salon or barber

Gym membership

Gift certificate to local car detailer or car wash

Gift certificate for a one-hour massage at your favorite massage therapist (this should be a gift you need to give yourself too! Most chiropractor's offices now have massage therapists on staff-go get one!)

Lawn mowing service, one time spring clean-up or if you’re a big spender how about a whole summer contract for a loved-one

Snow plowing service, one time or a winter-long contract

Gift certificate to a small owner-run restaurant

Gift certificate for a round of golf at a local golf course

Gift certificate for an oil change at a local service station

Gift certificate for a cleaning service to do a spring cleaning or a carpet cleaning

Check out area craft shows and find artists who spin their own wool and knit them into scarves, make their own jewelry, candles, pottery, or (my personal favorite!) jams and jellies!

Plan your holiday outings at locally-owned restaurants and (as you should always do!) leave your server a nice hefty tip!

Gift certificate to a play or ballet at your local hometown theater

Gift certificate to a concert for a local band or orchestra

Always leave a little gift for your mail carrier – he or she works extra hard this time of year!

Have a favorite babysitter? Make it a point to go someplace special (take your pick from the list above!) and hire your favorite babysitter at a special holiday rate. He or she will appreciate the extra money when it’s their turn to do their shopping!

Most books are printed in the United States, pick your favorite author and give a novel as a gift

Have a pet lover in the family? How about a gift certificate to their favorite groomer

Now that we’ve stimulated the economy, let’s see what we can do to help the rest of the world! Pick your favorite local charity and give them a nice cash donation. Next, pick your favorite national and/or international charity and give them a nice cash donation too! Find an ‘angel tree’ and pick a name, talk to a local school and see if they have a program where they collect items to give to poor families, or serve meals at a local soup kitchen. Try to get the whole family involved. It will be a memory they will treasure far more than anything that you could have wrapped with a bow!

Above all, have a safe holiday season and may the true spirit of Christmas be ever in your hearts, this year and always!

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Thursday, October 6, 2011

How to Study! Tips on Studying for Tests in High School and College

One of the most important things to do is start right away. As soon as you get an assignment or find out what day a test is scheduled, start studying. Get organized with the tools needed such as paper, pencils, pens, highlighter markers, a quiet place to study. Now this should only take a few minutes. Don’t let planning to study interfere with actually studying. However, if you take a few minutes to plan you will study smarter.

For this unique study tip, you'll need three colored pens: a red, blue, and black.

When I was in college, I developed a cool technique that really helped me excel at studying. I put myself in the position of the teacher. As I read through the chapters and my notes from class I thought about what questions I would ask if I were the teacher. For example: If the notes or book said “Chlorophyll is the part of a plant cell that traps light and is used to produce food for the plant” I would make my own notes in reverse. I would take a black pen and write “What is Chlorophyll?” Then I would take a blue pen and write “The part of a plant cell that traps light and is used to produce food”. In a way I was writing my own test and then I would cover up the answers and try to take the test. I would take a red pen and correct my own test. If I could memorize all the facts and pass my own test, I usually did really well on the teacher’s test.

To take it a step further, I used to type up my questions without the answers and press print, then take my own test over and over. I usually got a really crappy grade the first time I took my own 'test' but after about the second or third time I would get an okay grade. I never got an A on my own test, because they were too hard. By the time I took the teacher's test, it felt easy in comparison.

Something about the process of writing it all out, typing it up, filling in the answers, checking it with a red pen (including crossing out what I got wrong and writing in the correct answer) and then giving myself a grade at the top of the paper was really helpful. If you are an auditory learner, it might also help you to read everything out loud as you're doing this.

Something I don't recommend is using a highlighter as you go through your books and notes. They are a crutch that don't usually work for anything useful. I also don't recommend reading the whole chapter and then going through to take notes; you'll never go back.

Do this technique as you're reading through the text for the first time. Try to summarize at least every paragraph with a question, but many paragraphs will have several questions.

I know this sounds like it takes a long time, but it actually doesn't when you consider that you've streamlined your studying to make everything you read very purposeful. You will never have to 're-read' your notes, unless you really want to. Do this with your notes from class as soon after class as you can (or even while you're in class, if the professor is droning on and on about something useless). The sooner you do this, the easier it will be. So do this with your notes from class and your textbook readings. It helped me so much! Good luck!

Are you familiar with the three learning styles? Auditory, Visual, and Kinesthetic? Good thing to learn about because if you know your learning style you can adjust your studying to reflect your learning style!

Here are some books and supplies that might help you!

What's My Style?: Test and Study Secrets for Procrastinating Teens

Seven Kinds of Smart: Identifying and Developing Your Multiple Intelligences

So Each May Learn: Integrating Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences

Bic Ultra Round Stic Grip Pens (my personal favorite!)

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part One: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion

Check it out! The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part One: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion is now available for pre-order! It will be released December 13th 2011.

If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer