Raise your hand if you like “TEST” time! Yeah, I didn’t think so. As if weekly exams and pop quizzes aren’t stressful enough, there are the even weightier standardized tests that are just plain old nerve-wracking. In Texas, there’s the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, known as STAAR . STAAR tests measure the progress of students from 3rd grade to 8th grade, as well as high school. 

The going rule is, if you want students to make good grades in school, make sure they get a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast in the morning. Well, Carson-Dellosa Publishing Group – the 35-year leading supplemental education provider for teachers, parents, and students - has some some additional (proven) tools that help to ensure success at school and alleviate anxiety for parents, teachers, and students.

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Doctor on Demand. I received a free trial coupon code to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation, but all opinions included below are my own.

Lucky me! There’s a service called Doctor On Demand, and I had a chance to review it for free! (Don’t be jealous. YOUR first visit is free too. Keep reading).

I’m a homeschooling mom of 4 girls, so usually when I go anywhere, we’re rolling 5 deep. Obviously that’s not the ideal situation for going to a doctor’s appointment, which is why I rarely go to the doctor for myself. When I ask the hubby to stay home from work, or when I hire a babysitter, it had better be for something more exciting than a doctor’s visit.  So I rarely see a doctor (unless I’m pregnant), I self-diagnose via Google, and I can’t tell you how many wrong illnesses I’ve diagnosed myself with! (You too?)

I jumped at the chance to try Doctor On Demand, and I’m glad I did. The online, video-based service is staffed with board-certified physicians, psychologists, and even lactation consultants. Insurance isn’t needed for the service, and Doctor On Demand doesn’t collect insurance information and doesn’t contact your insurance provider. Signing up was easy peasy. I use the Google Chrome browser, so I accessed www.doctorondemand.com from my computer,  but an alternative to connecting would’ve been to download the Doctor On Demand app on my smartphone or tablet. My coupon code for the free visit was easy to apply, but the service still required my credit card number which conveniently stays on file for if/when a charge  incurs in the future. By the way, because of their current promotion, everyone’s first visit is FREE when you use the unique coupon code WOODLANDS15. After your free first visit, your cost is $40  for a 15-minute Medical & Pediatrics visit and $50  for a 25-minute Psychologist session.

The exhibit occupied a large area and there was so much to do and learn! Playing the janggu and buk (traditional Korean drums) and locating S. Korean on an interactive electronic map were other highlights we enjoyed. We were also able to read a S. Korean fairy tale about croaking frogs, and we learned that the number “4” is unlucky in S. Korea (as such, many buildings won’t have a “4th’ floor. The floor after floor 3 is floor 5).

Heart and Seoul: Growing up in S. Korea will be an exhibit at the Children's Museum of Houston through May 10, 2015.  I highly recommend checking out this fun, educational exhibit while it's in town!

Attention steak lovers! Schlotzsky’s has new menu items featuring Hand-Carved Ribeye Steak, but it’s only around for a limited time. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to sample all 5 new items, so I visited the Bakery-Cafe, ordered one of each, and called it “dinner” for my family of 6.

Other hand-carved ribeye steak menu items include:tar. Even more, the garlic bread served with the salad is some of the best garlic bread I’ve had this year – soft, so buttery, and a perfect amount of garlic.

Steak ‘n Bacon Bacon SmokeCheezy Sandwich: Tender hand-carved ribeye steak, sliced bacon, roasted red peppers and smoked cheddar cheese topped with Southwest chipotle majoy served oven-baked on a Fresh-from-Scratch sourdough bun.

-  This sandwich was moist (not dry!) and flavorful; the generous portion of  steak was tender, and the peppers were sautéed to perfection.

Steak, Guacamole and Red Peppers Sandwich: Tender hand-carved ribeye steak, Pepper Jack cheese, roasted vegetables, guacamole and chipotle pesto served oven-baked on a Fresh-from-Scratch jalapeno-cheese bun.

-        - This flavorful sandwich seemed a bit toned down, and I didn’t taste as much guacamole as I was hoping to. The jalepeno bun adds a nice kick.

Chophouse Steak Wrap: 

-          -  I didn’t sample this one, but the ingredients are the same as the delicious salad, but they’re wrapped in a healthy grain tortilla with your choice of dressing.

Schlotzsky’s Hand-Carved Ribeye Steak menu is available through December 28, so hurry in to try it!

I participated in the Idina Menzel Holiday Wishes album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided an album to review but all opinions are my own.

I’m always excited to hear new Christmas albums that include my favorite classics, and this year I’m excited to report that, Idina Menzel’s Holiday Wishes will be the main album played at my family’s holiday Open House gathering. Like most people, I like hearing the Christmas songs I’ve grown up signing, but hearing it sung by different artists always livens things up, so I try to pick a new artists each year. While I can’t say I’m over the moon about Menzel’s album, it’s one of the best new ones I’ve heard this season. In all fairness, I have 4 daughters and I’ve heard Menzel’s song “Let It Go” as Elsa on the Frozen movie soundtrack no fewer than once (or 10 times) every day for the past year. In fact, my ONLY experience listening to Menzel is via the Frozen movie / soundtrack. Although most of the songs on Holiday Wishes is a far cry from her passionate rendition of Let It Go,  there are some really good tracks on the new album that I’ve enjoyed hearing over and over.

Jerry Built is a locally-owned restaurant with locations in The Woodlands and Houston that serves organic ingredients and sources sustainable, seasonal items from local and regional farmers to provide only the freshest ingredients.  Don't you just love places that supports local farmers and businesses?

Last week the boys and I were treated to a tasting of some of Jerry Built's seasonal items and they did not disappoint!  Their menu is overflowing with wonderful burger options like the Truffle Mushroom and Swiss and the Houston which have both been taste-tested and approved by my family on previous occasions, but this time around I decided to go a different route and try their seasonal salad, the Autumn Harvest.  It was delicious and covered in pumpkin seeds, pears, goat cheese and their housemade local honey vinaigrette.  Two words:  Yu um!

The boys really had a treat -  their kids menu offers a hamburger, chicken strips and all-beef hot dog, but if you ask nicely theyll hook you up with some to-die-for mac and cheese that is picky-child approved!  Please remind your kids to save room for the milkshakes made with seasonal-flavored Blue Bell ice cream as well! 

                    

On a side note, when you're there you must also try their fried pickles and blueberry lemonade with those great little ice pellets you cant just find anywhere.  Really, it's the small details that make a restaurant a great place to visit and Jerry Built has them in abundance! 

Locations:  THE WOODLANDS: 1335 Lake Woodlands Drive and WEST UNIVERSITY:  3501 W. Holcombe Blvd., Houston.  Visit them at:  www.jerrybuiltburgers.com or www.facebook.com/JerryBuiltBurgers where you can find all their seasonal specials, giveaways and contests as well as all the ways they serve our community. 

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Charmin. I received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

There’s something very uncool about using the restroom in someone’s home to discover they have the ultra-thin, cheap toilet tissue that you can hardly get off the roll because it keeps breaking!  Either that, or the toilet overflows (yikes) after you’ve flushed!

The holidays are here and it’s time for frequent visitors. Using Charmin toilet tissue has always helped me make a good impression with my guests.  When I’m getting my home ready for the holidays, Charmin is a MUST for my shopping list because it’s the absolute best toilet tissue on the market. I wasn’t surprised to learn that Charmin in the tissue used by plumbers more than any other brand. I grew up in a lower class household, and despite buying store-brands for some items, my mom always bought Charmin. It's just one of those things she didn’t skimp on.  As a mom myself, I’ve followed suit. With 5 girls in the house (myself included), we use a LOT of tissue! Charmin is strong and extra soft, and I know my toilets won’t get stopped up if we’re using Charmin because it has   Roto-Rooter’s stamp of approval to be clog-free and septic-safe. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have your toilet overflow during a Christmas party? (Neither do I, because, thanks to Charmin, this has never happened to me!)

Mary J. Blige’s highly anticipated "The London Sessions" (to be released December 2, 2014) is a musical delight full of powerful, inspiring messages – old love, newer relationships, encouragement, and even some faster tunes worthy of the dance floor. Mary has come a LONG way since her “What’s the 411?” rendition with Grand Puba (remember the 90’s)? London Sessions has (mostly) sophisticated, classy lyrics, with the exception of a double negative or two (“I’m not about to waste NO time”) and a few cuss words (compliments of track 8 – “Whole D-mn Year”).  All around though, the album is an enjoyable one and the instrumentation is much better than average.

The most impressive track on this album is song  1 – Therapy. If you’re a fan of India Arie’s music, chances are you’ll appreciate Mary J. Blige’s “Therapy”. With soulful, clear lyrics and an awesome acoustic humming in the background, this song makes reference to being stressed out due to a relationship that’s going through a trial. Who can’t relate? I actually like the sound of the music and her voice much more than I like lyrics. Not exactly sure what “…when I can go therapy two times a day” means.

Track 2, Doubt, lends itself to good old gospel music with its inspirational message, beginning piano tunes, and choir-like background vocals. This song of perseverance is sure to pop up at many a high school graduation next spring. Wanna bet?

Not Loving You seems more of the opposite of Track 2. In a soft ballad style and strong voice, Mary is gently speaking to a friend who is down on luck and needs to learn to start loving him/herself. Beautiful music, and I even like the “idea” of the song, but I wish Mary had gotten deeper into sending across a message. I guess I was hoping for more of a therapeutic approach – with a lyric about “smiling”, “everything is alright,” and “you’re beautiful and worth it”. Rather, she simply states, “There’s only so much I can do if you’re not loving you.”

Of the few upbeat songs – Right Now (great song for the dance floor), My Loving, and Pick Me Up (I love the sounds of the horn) – Right Now is by far my favorite. It boasts a sophisticated beat with some interesting instrumentals (I haven’t figured out what instrument is making the soft popping song, but I like it)!  

Mary J. Blige fans will not be disappointed with this album. Even my least favorite tracks were pleasant enough for me to listen to a second time.

Visit http://bit.ly/MJBLondon   to preorder/order The London Sessions on iTunes, or  http://bit.ly/MJBLS   to preorder/order on Amazon.

They're the cutest headphones ever! My oldest girls (9 and 6 years old) LOVE stuffed animals, so when these Animalz by ReTrak volume-limiting, retractable headphones showed up at the house, they were absolutely smitten. 

In our home, in any given week, there're arithmetic games on the iPad, a Guatemalan-based online Spanish tutor via Skype, video-based math lectures on the computer (we homeschool), audio books on the Kindle Fire, and Bruno Mars on my iPhone - often simultaneously. The problem is, these girls would rather not wear headphones. That is, until our new Animalz headphones arrived last Monday. Since these little princesses are stuffed animal fanatics, they were giddy about being able to wear these adorable furry animals on their ears. 

Love this!! These are our first pair of retractable headphones, and they're great.  Before life with Animalz by ReTrak headphones, our regular non-retractable headphones and ear buds were always a tangled mess! The retraction on our new Animalz headphones works smoothly, so they’re easy to store and very portable.  

Volume limits! Sometimes my kiddos have a tendency to slowly (but constantly) increase the volume when they’re listening to a favorite song. We all know what studies show about hearing loss in children who listen to too much loud music with the wrong type of headphones / ear buds. I’m happy to know that the Animalz over-the-ear headphones set 85 decibels as the maximum volume for optimal ear protection.

Animalz by ReTrak headphones are currently available in 6 adorable animal designs:  Biker Bearz, DJ Pandaz, Jam Bunneez, Scuba Sharkz, Skate Monkeez, and Surf Dawgs.   Available at more than 15 U.S. retailers including Amazon.com®, Best Buy® and Toys“R”Us®, they retail at $24.99.  For a full list and more details, visit: http://myretrak.com/ANiMALZ/