Starbucks Delicious Pairings: Saving My Bacon On Thanksgiving

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is almost here.  Again.  Already.  Thanksgiving is when the flurry of activity and must.do.now. really takes off, but stopping to smell the roses - or the coffee - along the way makes for a far more pleasant journey.

Because Thanksgiving is always such a busy day - and there is so much food to eat and then eat again - I always go with a light breakfast that takes no preparation at all.  This year, we're doing Starbucks Breakfast Blend coffee and blueberry muffins from the Bakery at Walmart.  It doesn't get any easier than that, and it's pretty darn tasty, too.  I'm not the only one who thinks so.  WalMart actually has a Delicious Pairings display of this combo in its bakeries now.

Silly me, I need to give it a test run before the big day.  Fortunately, I have a few like-minded friends who have no issues getting together to chat about Thanksgiving plans and how to make things a little easier.  The fact that I offered up Starbucks coffee and blueberry muffins didn't hurt either.

Starbucks coffee does deserve its own special preparation, and my friend has the perfect coffee maker for it.  It doesn't just "make coffee."  It carefully presses and crafts the coffee.

This is a coffee maker that can grind its own beans, if needed.  Starbucks has thoughtfully done that for us, so we just sat back and waited for our coffee.  When the first cup was poured, one friend didn't believe it was hers.  "I didn't ask for a latte," she explained.  Apparently when you craft coffee, it looks different from how it does when you brew a pot.  Who knew?

Yep, it really comes out looking like that.  Coffee at my house isn't nearly so fancy.  And regardless of where this coffee is made (or crafted), Starbucks Breakfast Blend is tasty.  It's a medium blend, so not too strong, but there are hints of flavor.

Part of the reason I enjoy drinking good coffee like this is that it's one you savor.  You don't simply gulp it down to get caffeine into your system.  Proof?

Interestingly, we tried the coffee both without the muffins... and while eating the muffins.  There is a reason for the pairing of the blueberry muffins with the Starbucks Breakfast blend.  We all agreed that the coffee itself tastes fruitier with the pairing than it does on its own.  We disagreed a little about the specific notes we felt (we would make great wine connoisseurs, wouldn't we?), but fruit was agreed.  I could taste more the blueberry or blackberry notes, while another friend felt it was more like a sweet lemon hint.  It's another great reminder of why pairing food with what we drink makes a difference.

Yes, my coffee cup is smaller.  Some of us know we can only handle limited amounts of caffeine.

By the end of the morning, all my friends and I felt better about our Thanksgiving preparations.  It didn't seem so daunting knowing that others had the same stress, yet year after year Thanksgiving dinner turns out just fine.  Besides, I know what I'm serving for breakfast on Thanksgiving to make life just a little bit easier for me.  And I have plenty of choices when it comes to the Bakery at WalMart, but I think I'll stick with the blueberry muffins.  They really were #DeliciousPairings with the Breakfast Blend.

And the best part?  I usually only buy my Starbucks at their retail stores, so I didn't know that there is a special bonus when I've finished with my pouch of coffee.  I can bring in the empty bag and exchange it for a free coffee at Starbucks.  Think I can finish it before Black Friday?  You know I'll be doing my best, and my family will definitely help me out!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.  #CBias #SocialFabric

"Treat" Someone To A Personalized Card

It's just before Thanksgiving, and I love seeing all the gratitude and positive vibes floating throughout the interwebs.  Have you heard of Treat?  I hadn't until this weekend, but I love it.  Treat is a website where you can personalize cards easily and quickly, with or without photos, for just about any occasion.

You can change the font, size, and text anywhere there is writing, something few website allow you to do.  There are cards available for thank yous to anniversaries to congratulations to birthdays and more. Creating the cards takes under five minutes, and they turn out beautifully.

If you create an account, all photos you upload will be saved indefinitely, with no limit on the number of photos.  And you can purchase a "Treat Card Club" for discounted cards - as low as $1.99 apiece, personalized.  It took me a bit, but I finally realized that purchasing the Treat Card Club means that I'm just committing to buying and making that many cards over the course of a year, not that there would be 18 identical cards.

And yes, you can mail directly to the recipient for $0.45 postage so if you're late on that message you want to get out, no worries.  My favorite part?  You can also include a code for a gift card so that your recipient can choose where to spend the card from amongst a number of merchants - or the recipient can choose to donate the gift card amount to one of a number of charities.  I think I know what we're doing for all our relatives' birthdays now.

A feature I know my mom would love because she's organized like that?  You can schedule when your card will be delivered.  When finishing your card, you have the option to either have it arrive as soon as possible or select a date from the next mailing date to a year out from the current date.  I no longer have an excuse for forgetting to send anyone a card.

But since it's Thanksgiving right now, Treat (which used to be Tiny Prints by the way) is offering one free card today and tomorrow Tuesday, November 20.  Simply put in the code TREATBLOGR (you have to create an account to use the code), and your $3.49 card is now free.

So who will you send your card to?  I created a card for Mister Man's third grade teacher who is just beyond awesome.  She really gets him and is so patient with him that she deserves something special.  When it arrives later this week, I know she'll get a kick out of it - and so will I for having sent it.

So quick.  Go create your free personalized card today before this promotion is over.  TREATBLOGR for a free Treat card!

In the interest of full disclosure, I will receive a credit to my Treat account for posting this.  I received no other compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

U.S. Cellular - Promising More With Hello Better

This is a sponsored post.

There are certain products that we have to have in this day and age that people generally bemoan.  So many people hate their cable company. I  hear constant dissatisfaction with pediatricians.  Don't get me started on the airlines.  And cell phone companies tend to fall into that mix for far too many, too.

Personally, I switched carriers in April of this year, and I'm happy with my carrier now, for the most part.  Before that point?  I was counting down the days until my contract ended.  From about seven months before my contract ended, I could tell you exactly how much longer I was stuck with them, and you can bet that the day my contract expired, I escaped and went to a new carrier - who I had been researching for months prior to determine what I wanted and who best fit it.

Why was I so unhappy with my previous carrier?  Well, it's one of the two most expensive carriers out there.  And money matters.  Yes, they had great coverage - for the most part - but my husband and I had 1400 minutes to share, and I had a data plan.  Neither of us had a text plan.  And we had a nice 17 percent discount on the first line only thanks to the company I had worked for.  Even still, we were paying $125 a month for that, primarily because the first line was $49, and the second was $49.

As more and more of my friends started using texting as their primary method of communication, it was difficult for me to explain to them why and how I didn't text.  Texting would add another $19.99 to our already too high to really justify for two people bill.  Each.

The worst part was that even if I wanted to add texting, any changes to my plan would restart my contract date, adding another two years before I could move to another carrier without penalty.  Trust me, I checked on that one, although it took me talking to three different people to get the same answer.

That was another pet peeve of mine with that carrier.  Whenever I would call or stop in with a question, I wouldn't get a consistent answer.  Unfortunately, that meant I really lost faith in any answer I received and instead just held out, counting down those days.

U.S. Cellular (who FYI is not the carrier I selected, although it was in the running!) understands that far too many people aren't satisfied with their carriers.  And they want to do something about it.  They introduced the Hello Better campaign.

Far too often, people stick it out because the penalty for moving carriers is just too high - or they feel like there's nothing better out there.  In fact, 56% of respondents in a survey admitted to being unhappy with their carrier in the past year, but only 35% of respondents had ever broken up with their carriers.  U.S. Cellular aims to prove that there is something better, and that they're it. Their goal is to treat their customers like neighbors instead of numbers.  I love that concept.

And friends who have U.S. Cellular plans have been happy with them.  It's one of the few carriers where I don't hear regular complaints from friends.  Even the carrier I have now has some complaints from people, but we're now paying $81.24 per month for two phones with 700 minutes, unlimited texting and 4gb data usage on both phones.  I'll deal with a few pockets here and there of coverage issues for that difference in price and respect.

So what is U.S. Cellular doing that actually proves they're different?  They have the industry's only points-based reward system so that you earn rewards for the things you do as a good customer.  My personal favorite is that there is no contract after the first contract ends.  The free incoming calls and texts really would have saved me with my old carrier - think of how many minutes you wouldn't use!  And the offer free overage protection and a free battery swap for your device, other things that come in handy far too often with your mobile devices.

Are you happy with your carrier?  If not, why are you staying?

This has been a sponsored post from One2One Network.  That said, all opinions remain my own.

Why Are Teachers Stagnated, And Why Do We Allow It?

My husband is a teacher, and we have some interesting conversations.  We moved to our school district because it was a high achieving district, and we want the best for our children.  Ironically, when Mister Man went to kindergarten, we sent him to a private school.  Though our district achieves high scores, when we talked to them about what they could do to accommodate Mister Man's needs, they simply looked at me.

It wasn't until we found a school that truly differentiated the education that we found a home for him.  We're in the process of moving Mister Man back to the public school - though not at our home school.  There is a different school that has an amazing principal who focuses on what the students need and can accomplish.  When she saw that many of the students were not just achieving the grade level state goals but exceeding them, she started a program where half the sections of a grade were taught at grade level (those were scored below the 95th percentile on the standardized tests) and half were taught a grade level above (those who scored at or above the 95th percentile).  She's a rarity though.

My husband is getting frustrated, however.  He isn't the only teacher in the district or that we know who doesn't see how the system is going to work.  He fears that he'll simply be laid off for a lower cost teacher due to a teacher rating system that simply measures test scores - something he cannot fully control - now that the old form of tenure is gone in Illinois.

It's very much an us against them mentality that teachers and the public have, and I wonder how much of that plays into the stagnation that many teachers feel - and the low morale that even more teachers have.  The public feels so entitled to getting more for less cost, as they have in so many arenas, but a child's education in the 21st century with so many expectations and requirements that no child fail isn't exactly a 60 inch plasma television that can be made faster and cheaper and better.  Or at the very least, none of us have figured out how to do so, much as we still expect it.  And teachers feel constantly persecuted and responsible for results though so many factors are outside their control.  A once stable job that promised constant raises, job security, and a great pension is no longer that.  The teachers in our district still disagree with the public that their step increases (a pay increase for each year you teach) is a raise.  In the eyes of the public, an increase in salary is a raise, while teachers view it as their due.

I see little trust amongst the parties involved, and no one is willing to blink and take that first step that they fear might be a very long and slippery slope.  The public refuses to pay additional money in the form of taxes for a "free" service without ensuring that there are results for that money.  Yet, how do you truly measure the impact of the education?  Is it reasonable that every student receive an identical education and be expected to attend college to be a "success?"  Is there a way to cost effectively monitor the impact of teachers?  That's the sticking point we're reaching.  And the teachers who went into their careers with one set of expectations now face another.  Tenure is no longer a guarantee of a job.  Standards are increasing, but the public isn't in the classroom, seeing students move in and out of a district and watching as all the efforts they put into teaching are for naught when the parents place little to no value on the education of their children - or expect that they should be given carte blanche because they pay so much in taxes.

In the end, no one wins.  Even in the school both the wee ones now attend, I asked Little Miss's teacher if it was possible that she'd be teaching second grade next year.  "No," she looked back at me, immediately shaking her head.  "I'd never teach in this school again.  The principal makes us do too much training.  She takes us out of the classroom too much, and she requires too much of our time outside the school day.  No other school in the district does that."

Demanding excellence gets us so far.  Instead, we're stagnated.  At the moment, whether my husband takes a class of children who have never achieved state standards and brings them all to a level where they exceed them or whether he simply shows up each day to collect his paycheck, he will get the same salary increase next year.  Is it any wonder that there's an impasse in teacher contract talks?  There's no discussion of a strike - yet - but there is no agreement on a new contract, not just the salary, but all the expectations and non -monetary portions of the contract that matter just as much to everyone involved.

We all have a vested interest, yet no one has the knowledge necessary to truly judge it, and so we remain constantly at odds, no one trusting the other to do what's right for everyone.  And that's where Mission Possible: How the Secrets of the Success Academies Can Work in Any School by Eva Moskowitz and Arin Lavinia comes in.  Eva Moskowitz (who is very active on Twitter - I can't wait to continue the conversation there, and I encourage you to share your thoughts with her on this topic) tried to reform the public schools of New York City from the inside but couldn't gain any traction, so she went the route of establishing charter schools.

As much as she was told no, she never listened.  The book shares many of her strategies to improve both teaching and learning.  I loved seeing how the literacy lessons were presented - a short explanation of why they are relevant and a small lecture before the students put them into practice.  Why was I so excited to see that this was the suggested method?  That's the literacy approach my district implemented beginning this year.  While it's too early to see results in our district, it's encouraging to me to see that it has worked elsewhere.

I'm intrigued that the book comes with a DVD that shows examples of what the learning looks like.  It helps to illustrate exactly how things can be done.  Any idea is great when it's still pie in the sky.  Seeing it in action is how you can replicate it.  It isn't just aimed at teachers, although obviously they are more likely to be able to effect change than parents.  The call for the principal of the school to have the "time, freedom, and skills to be the school's instructional leader."  While Eva Moskowitz and Arin Lavinia agree that there has to be accountability and standards, I appreciate that the focus is on the efficacy of the education and not strictly the test scores.  And that they show how to improve that efficacy.

Every chapter from the second chapter that talks through the "how" of making a school a magical place to the seventh that focuses on writing (just before the conclusion) includes takeaways not just for teachers and principals but for the parents and school reformers, too.  For parents, the authors encourage in one chapter that we get involved with what our students are learning - figure out what they're reading and how fast the teachers wants them to learn what.  And if it isn't fast enough or difficult enough, challenge the schools and teachers and demand better.

Intrigued?  I know I am.  Mission Possible is a book that I plan to share with the principal at the wee ones' school.  She is one who already gets it, and she's helping our district move more in the direction of the success academies.  We aren't there yet, but we're getting there.  In addition to the book I was sent, I have one copy to give away to a reader.  So what do you have to do to win? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Tuesday August 14 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me - What would you change about the US school system?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):
1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Frustrated with schools? Win "Mission Possible" by @MoskowitzEva w/ ideas on how to improve yours from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/PkH3iw" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.
6) Like Eva Moskowitz's Facebook fan page, and let me know you did.
7) Follow Eva Moskowitz on Twitter, and let me know you did.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was compensated for this campaign, in addition to receiving a copy of "Mission Possible" for review. That said, as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.