A Summer to Remember in NYC

We are all so excited to spend an extended time in the city we all love. Our home base will be in SoHo. Phani will be attending a two-week dance intensive with the New York Ballet Theatre. Sammy, now 12, is heading to New York University to attend a YouTube content creation class with Lavner Camps & Camp Tech Revolution. He’s been working on a podcast as a school project this year, and this course is the perfect way to take his skills to the next level!

What Makes Lavner Camps Stand Out?

When I was searching for a STEM summer camp that would truly engage Sammy, Lavner stood out for a few key reasons:

A Huge Variety of Courses: With 60+ STEM programs, kids can explore everything from AI and robotics to game design and coding. There were several classes Sammy wanted to take, but ultimately we landed on the YouTube content creation course!

Top-Tier Locations: Lavner partners with prestigious universities like UPenn, UCLA, Rice, and NYU, providing an inspiring setting for young learners. I think it’s amazing that Sammy will get to spend a week on the campus of New York University, which is a short walk from our rental.

Amazing Instructors: Their staff is recruited from Ivy League and top-tier schools like Princeton, MIT, and Cal Berkeley, ensuring that campers are learning from the best.

A Supportive Community: Lavner Camps focus on learning, friendship, and fun, so kids not only gain new skills but also build confidence and connections. Since Sammy is home schooled, I love searching for opportunities where he can connect with other kids over a common interest.

What Other Parents Are Saying

As I was searching for a camp I thought my video game-loving son would enjoy, the reviews for Lavner won me over. After reading many reviews, I noticed some common themes that make Lavner stand out:

• Exciting College Campus Experience: Parents love that kids get to learn in real university classrooms and even dine on campus, making them feel like true college students for the week.
• Supportive and Inspiring Instructors: The teachers create a fun, challenging environment where kids stay engaged all day long. This is especially important when your child has ADHD!
• Great for Kids Who Need a Challenge: Many parents found that their children, especially those who are hard to engage during the summer, were excited to go to camp every day and eager to learn more. I love that Sammy will be learning an important skill this summer!
• Small Class Sizes & Individual Attention: Kids get personalized support, making it a great experience even for younger campers.

Want to Join the Fun? Save $50!

If you know me, you know I love saving money! I was able to find a coupon code that took $50 off my summer camp registration. Now I want to share a code with you! If you’re looking for an incredible summer camp experience for your child, Lavner Camps & Camp Tech Revolution might be a great fit! As a bonus, you can save $50 on registration with my exclusive code: Ysj11s45ll104.

Find out more and register at Lavner Education’s website—just don’t wait too long, spots fill up quickly!

I can’t wait to see what Sammy learns this summer, and I’d love to hear about your child’s experience too! Feel free to leave a comment!

The post Laver Education Summer Camp (Review + Promo Code) appeared first on Alison Storm.

1. Stake Out Your Spot Early

Arriving before 6 AM is crucial for securing a good spot along the parade route. The crowds build quickly, and the early birds get the best views. In 2019 we took an Uber to the Upper West Side and were able to snag a front-row spot. In 2023 we stayed within walking distance to the parade route, but by the time we got to 6th Avenue the front row was full. To make the wait easier:

• Bring camping chairs. Shipping chairs like these to your hotel ahead of time is a game-changer. They provide comfort and help establish your “real estate” on the sidewalk, which is especially helpful with kids in tow.
• Bundle up. Temperatures can be frigid, so dress in layers, and don’t forget hats, gloves, scarves, and waterproof boots.
• Pack hand warmers. A box of these hand warmers shipped to your hotel room is worth every penny. Stick them in pockets, boots, and mittens to keep everyone toasty.

2. Choose Your Hotel Wisely

Staying at a hotel within walking distance of the parade route is essential. This eliminates the hassle of navigating crowded public transportation or traffic jams on Thanksgiving morning. Plus, it gives you a warm, nearby retreat after the parade if needed.

3. Plan for Food and Bathrooms

Let’s talk logistics: food and restrooms can be tricky along the parade route.

• Bring your own snacks and drinks. Pack kid-friendly snacks, water bottles, and a thermos of hot cocoa or coffee. Having these on hand will save you from wandering off in search of food.
• Hit the bathrooms early. Hotel lobbies and restaurants along the route often restrict bathroom access to paying customers or guests. Plan a bathroom break before heading to your spot, and know that lines may be long if you need to go during the parade. We’ve had some dicey experiences at nearby Starbucks, so just be prepared for insane crowds!

4. Make Thanksgiving Dining Reservations

After a chilly morning of parade watching, having a warm, inviting place to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner is the perfect way to end the day. Book a restaurant well in advance, as spots fill up quickly.

5. Leverage Online Communities

Join the Macy’s Parade Facebook Group for insider tips from seasoned parade-goers. If you have a question– chances are you’ll find your answer there! Members share advice on the best viewing spots, best hotel accommodations, nearby coffee shops, and the latest updates. It’s a fantastic resource to prepare you for the big day.

Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in person was truly a bucket list experience for me! And who knows, if you’re headed to NYC to watch the parade you may just see me walk by. My next goal is to be IN the parade as a balloon handler. Wish me luck!

The post The Ultimate Guide to Enjoying the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with Kids appeared first on Alison Storm.

My US President Biography Challenge

In 2020, after feeling frustrated with the resounding chorus of people reminiscing about the “good ole days,” I decided to dive in to the subject. Is this is the worst time in US history? Is this really a low point for our country? Is our current leader really one of the worst? To get to the bottom of this, I began reading one biography of a US President each month. Here are a few opinions I’ve formed from this experiment:

1. We have had some really crappy leaders. Corrupt, racist, cheaters have been getting elected for hundreds of years. (I’m lookin’ at you, Grover Cleveland!)
2. We have had some really amazing leaders. I have fallen in love with a few of them during this challenge and I plan to go back and read more about my favorites.
3. Some of the craziest stories don’t get told very often. When I learn something shocking I think, THIS would have kept me awake in my high school history class! Overall these biographies are fascinating and I can’t figure out why anyone would ever think history is boring.
4. There’s no such thing as “the good old days.” Unless your a powerful white guy like Grover Cleveland who literally gets away with EVERYTHING.
   

My Favorite US President Facts

I am not a history scholar, and I’m not pretending to be. I’m just an ordinary person who decided to set a goal of reading a biography about every US President. I’ll come back and update this post as I complete more biographies. But these are some of my favorite facts about each US President:

#1 George Washington

I read Washington: A Life, by Ron Chernow. Actually I listened to it, and it was narrated by the grandpa from Gilmore Girls, which I loved. (Edward Herrmann passed away in 2014.) Although we think of Washington as a 6-foot tall, tough man of war, he was often sick. When he was a child his brother got tuberculosis and on a family trip to Barbados to try to cure him, George ended up contracting the disease! He also battled malaria, small pox, diptheria. He was in agony with dysentery during the French & Indian War and had to sit on a pillow while riding his horse. He even rode in the back of a covered wagon because he was in too much pain to sit.

#2 John Adams

I read John Adams Under Fire: The Founding Father’s Fight for Justice in the Boston Massacre Murder Trial by Dan Abrams. This wasn’t really a biography, but a snapshot of a moment in his life when he was a young lawyer. But the most interesting fact I thought was that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day, 600 miles apart. It was July 4, 1826. Twelve of the first 14 presidents were slave owners. Only John Adams and John Quincy Adams were not.

#3 Thomas Jefferson

I read Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham, another book narrated by the Gilmore Girls grandpa. I especially loved Thomas Jefferson’s 10 Rules of Life:

1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do to-day.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend your money before you have it.
4. Never buy what you do not want, because it is cheap; it will be dear to you.
5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst and cold.
6. We never repent of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
8. How much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened!
9. Take things always by their smooth handle.
10. When angry, count ten, before you speak; if very angry, an hundred.

#4 James Madison

I read James Madison by Lynne Cheney. Written by the wife of our 46th vice president of the United States, I definitely wasn’t as smitten with Madison as she must have been to devote so much time to his life. I did appreciate his quote, “diversity secures freedom.”

Before Dolley Madison married James, she was married to a man named John Todd, Jr. He and their son youngest son died of yellow fever on the same day. So tragic. She met James Madison a year later in May and they were married in September.

#5 James Monroe

I read James Monroe by Tim McGrath. At nearly 30 hours, this was a beast of an audio book. While he thought of himself as someone who was against mistreating anyone, his worldview of slavery stopped at his property lines. He took political measures to eliminate slavery, but in his lifetime he owned more than 200 slaves. He freed one of them on his deathbed. He was the 3rd President to died on the 4th of July. “No man knows what he can bare unless he tries.”

#6 John Quincy Adams

I read John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit by James Traub. He was the first president that I really found interesting. Here are some of my favorite JQA facts:

• He was obsessed with the weights and measurements of societies around the world.
• He owned 14,000 books.
• He believed that the Declaration of Independence was a realization of the Gospels in political form.
• His brother Tom was the prodigal son. John Quincy had to support him and his six kids.
• When he was Secretary of State he was one of the only cabinet members that didn’t own slaves.
• His son got kicked out of Harvard.
• He took up recreational swimming at a time when very few learned and he would swim up to 2 hours a day in dangerous, open water.
• Anyone could come to the White House and meet with him. He was so busy he stopped writing in his journal, leaving gaps of up to 9 months in his presidency.
• His puffy shirt sleeves once almost caused him to drown when he had to evacuate a sinking canoe.
• He saved 30,000 oak trees in Florida, the first act of conservation by a President.
• He was involved in a horrific train crash that took many lives. He swore off train travel, but that only lasted a day. He took a train the next day.
• He had several premonitions that he would die soon. Idleness turned him morbid.
• He never had a lot of money. He was almost brought to financial ruin twice, first by his brother, and then by his son. he supported many family members and even his parents and never received anything in return. But at his death he owned 11 houses in Boston, 8 lots in Washington, an estate and family house in Quincy, and 851 acres of farmland. .He was truly a wise steward.
• Abraham Lincoln,a freshman congressman from Illinois, was on the committee to organize JQA’s memorial.

#7 Andrew Jackson

I read American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham. Many of these early biographies involve a lot of war history. Jackson adopted an orphan boy he found on a battlefield after Jackson’s men killed his family. One thing I could relate to with Andrew Jackson was his stance on debt. He believed the power should be in the hands of the people, and if they were in debt, the power is in the hands of creditors. He had the ability to sacrifice private feelings for public duty. Martin Van Buren, the 8th President, once saved Jackson’s life when Jackson’s horse slipped and lost control. Joel Poinsett, who is a well-known figure in Greenville history, begged Jackson to help South Carolina from being destroyed by John C. Calhoun. He even suggested “letting South Carolina go” and secede from the Union. However, despite his faults, Jackson loved his country and his fight against succession likely saved the Union. He rededicated himself to the Lord later in life and on his deathbed shared his belief that we would all be in heaven together.

#8 Martin Van Buren

I read Martin Van Buren: A Captivating Guide to the Man Who Served as Eighth President of the United States. Marty married his first cousin, and rumor was that Aaron Burr was his biological father. He was the first President born in America, and the first elected to the New York Senate at just 29 years old. I loved this quote: “Those who have wrought great changes in the world never succeeded by gaining over chiefs; but always by exciting the multitude. The first is the resource of intrigue and produces only secondary results, the second is the resort of genius and transforms the universe.”

#9 William Henry Harrison

I read William Henry Harrison: The Life and Legacy of the First American President to Die in Office. This was a short book, but I couldn’t find much about Harrison. I guess that’s because he was only President for 30 days. He caught a cold during his inauguration and died a few weeks later.

#10 John Tyler

I read John Tyler, the Accidental President by Edward P. Crapol. It was written that Tyler began his presidency as an accident, and ended as a traitor. He’s often seen as one of the worst presidents in history. He was buried in an unmarked grave for decades. When he died there was no acknowledgement from the White House. VanBuren died the same year. Tragedy struck for Tyler during a tour of a navy ship. He lost his Secretary of State and other officers which many say snuffed out his chances for reelection. His second wife was 30 years younger than he was and they had seven children. His plantation was decimated by Union troops. Many of his private papers were burned. After his death, his wife escaped to the North for safety. His family was split on the issue of slavery and that destroyed many relationships.

#11 James Knox Polk

I read Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America by Walter Borneman. Honestly, can’t remember much about this guy and I didn’t take any notes.

#12 Zachary Taylor

He was the second president to die while in office. There is some mystery surrounding how he died but some suspect he ate spoiled food during 4th of July celebrations five days earlier. He was only in office 16 months.

#13 Millard Fillmore

There wasn’t much available in audio format on Fillmore. I did listen to his last address to Congress which I found on Audible. But I have no interesting facts to share.

#14 Franklin Pierce

Definitely one of the lesser-known Presidents, I guess I wasn’t too impressed either because I didn’t take any notes on him. Since I couldn’t find an audio book on him I listened to a bunch of podcasts.

#15 James Buchanan

I read Robert Strauss’ Worst. President. Ever. James Buchanan, the POTUS Rating Game and the Legacy of the Least of the Lesser Presidents. What I recall is that he was a lifelong bachelor, and historians believe he was possibly gay. He basically almost destroyed America by pretty much inviting a half-dozen states to secede.

#16 Abraham Lincoln

The longest biography I’ve read so far, this was Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and The War Years by Carl Sandburg. It’s really quite remarkable how much of his life Carl Sandburg must have devoted to Abraham Lincoln. A shocking story contained in this book was about the 1856 caning of Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor by pro-slavery South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks. The caning put Sumner in a wheelchair and gave him a lifelong traumatic brain injury. Brooks became a hero in the south and they even made rings of of the cane he used to bludgeon Sumner. People wore the rings on chains around their necks to show support of Brooks. Brooks was not expelled for the beating, but he did resign in protest and was re-elected two weeks later in a special election. But he died of respiratory infection and never returned to office. After 3 years of rehab, Sumner returned to the Senate. This incident is credited for solidifying the tension between the north and south, ultimately leading to the Civil War.

It’s been said that Lincoln stood between the old and the new, the past and the present. He was charged with no going far enough, and going too far, not saying enough, and saying too much. Despite the criticism he received, there is not one record of Lincoln expressing an ill-will against the Confederate government.

A whopping 620,000 Americans were killed in the Civil War: 360,000 from the north, 260,000 from the south. These people were never absent from Lincoln’s thoughts. Abolitionist Sojourner Truth likened Abraham Lincoln to Daniel in the lion’s den. If he survived he must have the favor of God. And he did live just long enough to see the end of the war. Five days later, on Good Friday, he was shot. He died the next day on April 15, 1865.

His assassination was part of a plot to take out the President, Vice President and Secretary of State. The man who was supposed to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson chickened out. The SOS, healing in bed after a terrible horse riding accident was stabbed, but survived. The metal jaw brace he was wearing is credited for saving his life. Author Carl Sandburg devoted his life to recording the history of Lincoln. And the chapter on his assassination was so intense, I felt like I was inside Ford’s Theatre.

I learned so many fascinating things– did you know Lincoln dreamed of his death a few days before it happened? In the dream, he was awoken by sobs of mourners and as he investigated he saw his own body laying in the White House East Room. Did you also know that Mrs. Lincoln approved the hire of officer John Parker as the President’s bodyguard Even though he was a degenerate cop with a record of misconduct? And apparently Parker decided to leave his post to watch the play, leaving Lincoln vulnerable to attack.

When word spread of Lincoln’s death, the nation mourned. They knew the weight of his impact on US history may not be fully felt for generations. As Carl Sandburg wrote, a tree is best measured when it’s down.

#17 Andrew Johnson

I read The Impeachment and Trial of Andrew Johnson: Seventeenth President of the United States by David Miller DeWitt. I recall that he was a racist who refused to secede, which meant that a lot of people had a reason to hate him. He is the first and only former US President to become a senator. The House of Representatives passed a vote to impeach him. It failed in the senate by one vote. Some people think the senator with the deciding vote was bribed with a $150,000 slush fund.

#18 Ulysses S. Grant

The timing of this book was cool because I was traveling to Chattanooga, where there is a lot of Grant war history. I read American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant by Ronald C. White. He sold firewood on the streets of St. Louis to support his family and six years later he was a celebrity of war. As his fame grew, his wife grew more self-conscious about being cross eyed and even saw a doctor who told her it was too late to fix.

He was actually supposed to be at Ford’s Theatre the night Lincoln was assassinated but his wife ended up not wanting to go. It haunted him the rest of his life because he wondered if he could have stopped Booth. He also never went into war without regret and never retired without relief.

At 46 he was the youngest president as yet elected. His successor did not attend his inauguration, only the third president to do that. Mark Twain helped him write his memoirs which were published after his death.

His granddaughter outlived the 18 presidents that succeeded Grant and was invited to the White House again and again until she died at age 99 in 1975.

#19 Rutherford B. Hayes

I read Rutherford B. Hayes by Hans L. Trefousse. My favorite Hayes trivia nuggets are that you did gymnastics for his workouts and took a brisk ten minute walk after meals. His wife brought running water and a telephone to the presidential mansion.  She also banned alcohol there. His election was one of the most contested in US history, much like 2000. He was thrilled when his term ended and thoroughly enjoyed retirement.

#20 James A. Garfield

This was definitely one of my favorite presidential books, and the author is now one of my favorites. I read Destiny of the Republic, a Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard. His life almost ended when he was a young man and fell off a boat at midnight into a canal. He thought he was going to drown but he found a rope and climbed out. When he reached safety he was stunned to discover the rope wasn’t secured. It was only stuck on a crack.

Garfield didn’t have money for school, but he convinced them to let him attend for free while he worked as a janitor. Ultimately this is the parallel stories of Garfield, the delusional man who wanted to be president so badly he shot him, and inventor Alexander Graham Bell. Let me just say, Garfield was a bad ass and the glimpse into the medical world of this time is horrifying.

#21 Chester Arthur

Chester Arthur is one of my favorite presidents, thanks to this experiment. Not because of his politics, but because of the story. And the fact that I don’t think many people know it. I read The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur by Scott S. Greenberger. Arthur was nominated for Vice President after holding only one office,  which he was removed from for misconduct. His wife Nel was only 42 when she died after catching a cold while waiting for a carriage when Arthur stood her up. His father-in-law died a hero, the captain of a ship that sank. Ironically the future assassin responsible for making Arthur president survived a shipwreck while many people perished.

Arthur, although a scoundrel in many ways, was devastated that President Garfield died. There were rumors that he was behind the shooting. A poll at the time showed that nine in ten Americans distrusted or despised Arthur. Here’s where the story gets particularly interesting– while President, he had a penpal. She was an invalid named Julia Sand, the daughter of a wealthy banker. Julia wrote letters encouraging him to step up to the position he was thrust in to. She sympathized with his unique position.

He redecorated the White House with help of Tiffany, from the jewelry family. He auctioned off much of the furniture, some dating back to John Adams. Because he was a widow, his youngest sister served as Mistress of the White House. His son and the Prince of Siam were once arrested for skinny dipping in a White House fountain. He was President when the Washington monument was dedicated after 36 years of construction.

The son of an abolitionist, his beliefs on equality were groundbreaking. He appointed blacks to key positions and his personal valet was black, and became a close friend.

When it came time for reelection, he forbade his cabinet delegate to campaign on his behalf, saying he only wanted his party’s nomination if it’s what they truly wanted, not by manipulation. But what he didn’t reveal was that the real reason he didn’t want to be reelected was because he was dying. He had chronic inflammation of blood vessels in his kidneys.

Ashamed of his corrupt past, he decided to destroy the evidence. He burned three large garbage cans of personal correspondence.

#22 and #24 Grover Cleveland

I read A Secret Life: The Lies and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland by Charles Lachman. Now this guy was DIRTY. It started when he was the Sheriff of Buffalo. Now he definitely had some hard times in life. He had to execute a man on death row for murdering his mother. His two brothers died when their ship capsized on the way to the Bahamas. But this is where the story gets scandalous.

Cleveland was accused of raping a shop worker named Maria Halpen, and then coordinating the kidnapping of his illegitimate son to be secretly raised by another family. But despite ALL of this, not even the allegations of the illicit pregnancy and cover up scandal could keep him out of the White House. (Does this remind you of anyone?) For decades biographers either avoided this story or wrote about it in a way that portrays Maria as the villain.

He was a bachelor when he first became president. His youngest sister took in the duties of First Lady. She later fell in love with a young widow she met in Naples, Florida. So perhaps she is the first an only gay First Lady? Creepily, Cleveland married a college student he’d known her entire life. She was 27 years younger.

When he found a mass on the roof of his mouth he had surgery performed on a yacht so no one would know. He did this twice. His daughter Esther is the only child in history born in the White House.

#23 Benjamin Harrison

I think I accidentally skipped this one!

#25 William McKinley

I read The President and the Assassin: McKinley, Terror, and Empire at the Dawn of the American Century by Scott Miller. His wife Ida became sick after losing several children. He was very protective over her. She knitted and made over 5,000 pairs of socks over her lifetime. McKinley was the first president to ride in an automobile and money was so tight, he paid some White House staff out of his own pocket.

Now on to the shocking stuff. McKinley was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. It had been only 20 years since President Garfield’s assassination. After he was shot, McKinley’s first words were instructions on how to deliver the news to his wife. Unfortunately the hospital where he was taken didn’t have basic supplies like forceps or property lighting. The primary doctor was off, but a week later he saved a woman with nearly an identical wound. Alexander Graham Bell delivered his early x-ray machine to try to assist, but it was missing a part and never used.

Roosevelt was so confident the President would survive he went back to a vacation in the Adirondacks. He was  hiking in the most remote area when a ranger ran up with a telegram that McKinley had taken a turn for the worse. McKinley’s last words were, “His will, no ours, be done.”

While there are some reports that Czolgosz expressed remorse, at his execution he shouted that he wasn’t sorry. He claimed he did it for the rights of laborers. He caused a major setback for anarchy. Some suggested sending anarchists to a remote island.

#26 Theodore Roosevelt

I’ve always been so intrigued by Theodore Roosevelt. I actually read two books about him and I’m looking forward to reading more. I read Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, and the Unique Child who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough and The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard.

Roosevelt, known as Teedie throughout his childhood, suffered from asthma, which was treated with nicotine poisoning. Doctors also thought it was a mental ailment. His feet were so small he took his mom’s slippers to college at Harvard. When his father died, his inheritance provided him an annual income of $8,000, which was more than the President of Harvard made!

His wife and mother died on the same day, four days after his daughter was born. His wife died of Bright’s Disease, a chronic inflammation of the kidneys. He wrote about 150,000 letters in his lifetime. But oddly, his autobiography doesn’t mention his sisters by name, and only devoted three sentences to his mother.

His first day in office as President  after McKinley was shot was September 22, what would have been his father’s 70th birthday.

He really was larger than life. Who else gets shot and goes on to deliver a speech before getting medical attention?? Also, I highly recommend The River of Doubt, for an in-depth look at his exploration of a river in Brazil.

#27 William Howard Taft

I read William Howard Taft: The American Presidents Series: The 27th President, 1909-1913. He was the 27th President and the 10th Chief Justice, the only person to hold both offices.This makes sense given the fact that he thought his primary role as president was to uphold the constitution, not represent the people. That made him a less popular president.

He is credited with starting the Seventh Inning Stretch at baseball games. His highest weight was 340 pounds, but the paleo diet helped his keep his weight down. His weight was likely the cause of his sleep apnea. Since he didn’t sleep well he often fell asleep in public places.

His son brought a copy of Treasure Island to read in case he got bored during is father’s inauguration speech. First Lady Nelly Taft accepted the gift of Japanese Cherry Blossoms and had them planted around DC.

#28 Woodrow Wilson

I am currently reading Wilson by A. Scott Berg. I’ll continue to update this as I read more biographies. Seventeen to go!

The post My Favorite Facts About American Presidents appeared first on Alison Storm.

I regularly participate in the Young Entrepreneur Market at Community Tap, and I typically sell out! I have also sold granola at Mountain Goat, The Children’s Museum of the Upstate and Bridge City Coffee. I am ready to deliver your granola, or you are welcome to pick it up from my home. (Right behind the Pete Hollis Starbucks!) I am currently not shipping granola. 

Fill out the form below to place your order and I’ll email you an invoice. You are also welcome to pay right away using my Venmo: @Lowry8412

The post Sammy’s SuperNola: Spring/Summer 2024 Orders appeared first on Alison Storm.

My Completed Swaps

So far I’ve completed four swaps. The first few went fast but the double stroller took over a month. A couple of weeks ago I traded for the baby monitor and I’m still looking for a taker. Here are my four trades:

1. From nuggets to Shaq Indoor Smokeless Grill
2. From Shaq Indoor Smokeless Grill to faux marble desk
3. From faux marble desk to Baby Trend Navigator Double Stroller
4. From Baby Trend Navigator Double Stroller to Summer Baby Monitor

About My Latest Swap

My last swap took a while. I received hundreds of messages from people interested in the baby stroller and a few times I thought I struck a deal with someone. But then they’d disappear. Finally I swapped the stroller for the baby monitor. It comes with two remote steering cameras and retails for about $247 brand new on Amazon. It’s got lots of great features like an 800-foot range, HD Moonlite Night Vision Boost and two-way talk back.

Trades Take Time

I think going into this experiment I underestimated the time it would take to find a great swap. I have to sift through many offers before finding something that I feel would make a smart trade. So far I’ve received offers for old Chrome Books and antiquated video game consoles. I’m holding off for something like an older MacBook Pro, video gaming system, or a new Apple Watch. Using Demi’s trades as my inspiration, I’m hoping to get something in the gadget or electronic category. So far I’ve really only used Facebook Marketplace to conduct trades. It’s still a lot of fun to see where this journey takes me!

The post An Update on My Swap Project appeared first on Alison Storm.

Looking for a way to get students moving, learning healthy habits and setting them up for academic success? Our public elementary school has a very active Run Club. My husband and I started leading the Run Club at the beginning of the 2021/2022 school year. I get asked all the time how someone could start a Run Club at their child’s school, so I thought I would lay out my best tips and ideas to make Run Club “run” smoothly! The club is very popular at our elementary school. One in four children are active in it and nearly half of the students have attended at least one week of Run Club.

Launching Your Run Club

Once you have permission from administrators at your school, select a day, time and location for your Run Club. We meet every Tuesday morning from 7-7:30am at our school’s track. It’s a small, paved loop where 11 laps equals one mile. While Run Club starts at 7, students can arrive at any time. We make an announcement for “last lap” at about 7:28am. This gives students 15 minutes before the school bell rings to turn in their lanyards, gather their backpacks and get inside the school to grab breakfast or get straight to class.

At the start of the school year we sent every child home with a permission slip. Feel free to use this free printable template and change the details for your situation. One thing I plan to add to our permission slip next year is a QR code so parents can easily sign up for the Remind App. We use the Remind app to send out group text messages when we have to cancel meetings due to bad weather.

Run Club Graphics and Signage

I highly recommend using Fiverr to create an affordable logo for your Run Club. I inherited our logo from the previous club leadership, but I’ve used Fiverr for many projects like this and it’s extremely budget-friendly. I took our logo to a printing company called Emediagroup and had several signs made that we stake into the grass every week. They charged $9.50 for each double-side printed yard sign and $7.50 for single-side printed signs. We use these signs for the following messages:

• Pass on Left
• Walkers Keep Right
• Run Club Registration
• Keep Running!
• Don’t Give Up!

We also have one sign devoted to our Half Marathon Club and one sign dedicated to the Marathon Club. When students complete 144 laps (13.1 miles) they are honored as part of the Half Marathon Club. When they complete 288 laps (26.2 miles) they are honored as part of the Marathon Club.

Supplies for Run Club

There are a few key supplies you’ll need to keep your club running smoothly. We have a registration table and each week we have two volunteers man this table. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• Two Notecard Boxes: I keep a card for each child alphabetized in these boxes. One box holds A-M last names and the other holds the N-Z last names.
• Poly Card Guides: You’ll just need one set. Keeping the cards organized will help your Run Club mornings go smoothly!
• 4×6 Plain Notecards: At the start of the year take your completed permission slips and create a note card for each child. Write their name in large letters at the top, along with their grade. Then create four columns on the front. When they show up to Run Club you’ll pull out their card and put the date at the top of one column. Every time they show up you’ll put the date at the top of a fresh column. You can fit four columns on each side of the note card so after 8 weeks of attendance you’ll have to make them a new name card.
• Packing Tape: After the first week, several of the cards got crumpled and ripped. I realized they needed reinforcement! I apply one strip of packing tape to cover up the  name and fold it over to the back. This is where I clip on the lanyard and it works great to preserve the cards!
• Lanyards: Once you pull a child’s name card and write on the date, attach the card to a lanyard with a bear clip. The child will wear this around their neck so that volunteers can easily tally their laps.
• Sharpies: You’re going to need a stash of black Sharpies to make the name cards and to write the date on each column when kids arrive. I also have a bag of regular markers for volunteers to use as they mark off each runner’s laps.

Keeping Kids Motivated

I have discovered several ways to keep kids encouraged and motivated to attend weekly Run Club sessions.

1. Weekly Lap Champs: We keep a spreadsheet of each child’s weekly laps by name and grade. So each week we know which child achieved the most laps in their grade. We highlight the column on their name card and attach a gold star sticker. I write a script each week that the student news reads during their morning broadcast so the kids can hear their names announced. We also announce the previous week’s Lap Champs at each Run Club around 7:15.
2. Half Marathon Club: Since we are tracking the laps we know when kids reach Half Marathon status. At our school they have to run 144 laps to achieve this. If a child is close, I make a note and when they check in at Run Club I’ll tell them, “Martin, you only have to run 12 laps this morning to get a Half Marathon!” This is a huge motivation for them! They also get their name on the Half Marathon Club sign.
3. Marathon Club: Once a child completes 288 laps they enter the Marathon Club! We cheer these kids on over the speaker during Run Club and everyone cheers for them. I make a big deal out of it and take their picture.
4. 500 Club: We’ve only had a couple of kids reach this so far and will probably have a couple more by the end of the year. For this level we go all out with confetti poppers as they cross the finish line! I like these confetti poppers because they are biodegradable and give out a great cloud of color! I use two per child.
5. Theme Weeks: We’ve had several theme weeks during Run Club. For instance, on the last Tuesday before Christmas break we had a Run, Run Rudolph. Kids got jingle bells and red noses! Some mornings are very dark because of Daylight Savings. Because of this, we have also had a Glow Run. We hand out glow bracelets, necklaces and light up rings. We also did a flashlight run on a particularly dark morning. We asked kids to bring flashlights for their morning run.
6. Music: Nothing keeps the mood upbeat and fun like a great playlist! My husband is the Run Club DJ and he set up a playlist on Spotify that he shakes up from time to time. In December he added some fun holiday music. The school has a portable speaker that we borrow each week.

Volunteers

I started the year with a list of parents interested in volunteering for Run Club. So I created a group email and I had them sign up for spots with a Sign-Up Genius. But as the year went on and we hit our groove parents just showed up and did their job. I didn’t have to mess with the sign-up form anymore. I like having two volunteers on the registration table, one to do announcements and update the signs, and at least four parents to mark off each child’s laps as they circle the track. I have one parent who updates the spreadsheet each week and I handle making new name cards as the old ones get filled up. The system runs very smoothly and requires minimal work once you’ve got it going!

There are many studies proving the benefits of physical activity in helping our kids succeed academically. It stimulates brain growth, improves focus, and helps them learn. It’s a positive, healthy way for kids to get set up for a successful day of school, so I hope you have a lot of fun with your school’s Run Club!

The post How to Start an Elementary School Running Club appeared first on Alison Storm.

It’s been more than 14 years since that live event and every aspect of our lives is different because of the lessons we learned there. We paid off nearly $40,000 in debt, bought and renovated a home with cash, and adopted internationally debt-free. We did our debt-free scream live on stage with Dave at an event a few years ago and it was a dream come true!

We have also facilitated Financial Peace University several times, helping people pay off more than $100,000 in debt and cut up dozens of credit cards. And guess what– we’re doing it again! We’ll be facilitating Financial Peace University at Greenville Community Church starting on Wednesday, March 30th and we’d love for you to join us!

When you sign up for FPU you’ll enjoy lots of perks like the workbook, a debt payoff tracker, access to Every Dollar budgeting software, on-demand courses and more. Plus when you join OUR class you’ll enjoy:

• free dinner every Wednesday night for 9 weeks
• free childcare sponsored by Greenville Community Church
• giveaways for attendees including things like a free oil change
• FULL reimbursement for members who have perfect attendance

We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for you to say YES to taking this crucial step towards financial freedom! If you have any questions please reach out to me!

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Our latest well provided clean water for 9,562 people. It took the drilling crew three attempts before hitting fresh water. But they did not give up! Not only did this Crowdsourcing Kids well provide clean water for nearly 10,000 people, it also offered an opportunity to restore families and share the love of Christ. Through the drilling of the well, the Set Free partner pastor heard of children that were taken into slavery from the village. The pastor helped free 36 children from slavery and reunite them with their families in this village.

Let’s recap that and let it sink in…

• Kids in America sold 500 handmade elephants, raising $6,250.
• That money funded drilling a well that gave 9,562 people clean water.
• Through the well-drilling, a visiting pastor helped free 36 children from slavery and reunite them with their families.
• Thousands of villagers have heard the Gospel and many are part of a weekly Bible study.

Do you know what this means? Thanks to the power of compassionate kids we have given the gift of clean water to 21,517 people since we started just four short years ago. Isn’t that incredible? We’re proving that together, we can accomplish anything! I’d love for your kids to get involved in our next round of Crowdsourcing Kids!

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@trademeproject The Final Trade #trademeproject #letsgetthishouse ♬ Inspiring and spectacular emotional epics(869013) – Minette

Starting the Swap Project with Chickfila Nuggets

I decided to give it a shot in 2022. I didn’t want to start with a bobby pin or a paperclip. But I wanted to start with something I didn’t have to spend money on. And since I host the world’s only Chickfila fan podcast I thought I’d start with something awesome. I used some of my ample stash of rewards points from my Chickfila app to swap a 30-count nugget platter. As you can imagine, I got a lot of offers for the nugget platter. One person even wanted to give me their dog in exchange for the food!

My First Completed Swap

After much deliberation I decided on a very gently used SHAQ Indoor Smokeless Grill. Brand new the grill was over $100, but since you can’t really buy it any more I figured the value was around $40. I posted the grill on Facebook Marketplace and started working towards making my second swap.

My Second Completed Swap

I got offers of costume jewelry, a softball bat, and an outdoor chair. But ultimately I landed on a nice looking faux-marble desk with gold hair pin legs. I drove about 20 minutes to pick up the desk and at first I was bummed because it didn’t seem to be in very good shape. Turns out it was just really dirty and needed some new screws. I cleaned it up and took some nice photos of it. Then I posted it on Facebook Marketplace.

High Trade Demand for the Desk

I woke up to hundreds of messages from people interested in the desk. I received some great offers! Baby gear, furniture, and a skincare mini fridge were among the contenders. I really wanted to swap it for a nice dining set, but when I realized I’d have to drive an hour each way to get it, I instead decided to swap the desk for a double jogger stroller. It’s in great condition and brand new sells for $249.99.

January Recap

Trade #1: Chickfila Nuggets to Shaq Indoor Smokeless Grill

Trade #2: Shaq Indoor Smokeless Grill to Faux-Marble Desk

Trade #3: Faux-Marble Desk to Baby Trend Navigator Double Jogger Stroller

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The Before

Let’s start with the before. It was a very basic, low-end bathroom. I know those look like real marble floors, but (shocker!) it’s linoleum. Since the house was used most recently as a church we found communion cups in the medicine cabinet! We completely gutted the bathroom. Nothing stuck around, except the floor plan.

The Inspiration

When I was spending hours on Pinterest trying to create a design plan for this bathroom, I loved the idea of a walk-in shower. I know it’s risky to get rid of the tub in a house with only one bathroom, but I just loved the look (and price tag!) of a fixed panel glass wall. Here was my inspiration photo for our bathroom:

The other idea I loved was installing penny tile on the wall. I found some basic white penny tile on clearance at Home Depot so I felt it would be a high impact, low cost addition to our small space.

Finding Deals

I found deals for the bathroom in four places: Habitat for Humanity, Facebook Marketplace, Pottery Barn Outlet, and Home Depot. Here’s a breakdown of some of the best deals I scored for the bathroom renovation:

• Pottery Barn Medicine Cabinet from the Gaffney Pottery Barn Outlet: Paid $30, regular price is $279.
• New Gerber Toilet from Facebook Marketplace: Paid $70, regular price is $350.
• White Penny Tile from Home Depot Clearance: Paid $131.57, regular price is $263.
• Bathroom Vent from Facebook Marketplace: Paid $35, regular price is $125.
• Bathroom Light from Facebook Marketplace: Paid $50, regular price is $110.

I also was able to use a coupon code for the vanity, which brought the price down to $412.13 from $455. This was a bit of a splurge, given the overall budget, but I love the storage space this small vanity offers.

Low Cost, High Design

There were a few items that I did not get on sale or at a discount, but I felt they were worth paying regular price. And they still fit well into my budget, especially since I was able to save so much money on other items.

• Teal Bathroom Tile from TileBar: Paid $310
• Fixed Shower Door: Paid $339
• The gold bathroom sink faucet and the gold shower head were both from Amazon: Paid $148.89 for both

Hiring Professionals vs. DIY

Because we were committed to sticking to our budget and we paid cash for everything, we tried to do as much work ourselves as possible. But if you watch our show on Magnolia Network, you’ll see that we were (are!) definitely novices. I found a $356 tile saw on Facebook Marketplace for $70 so we thought we’d give it a try. We did the bathroom floor ourselves, but we hired a contractor for $1500 to do the bathroom shower and penny tile wall. After watching him work on this for a few days, I thought this was definitely worth that price!

Tallying Up the Bathroom Renovation Bill

The total at this point is $3026.59. The remaining expenses included things like grout, gold Schluter tile edge trim, an an awesome wooden stool I found from a local woodworker on Facebook Marketplace. I also used a small gold towel bar and four gold robe hooks. There are accessories like bath rugs, a basket to hold extra toilet paper, and sprigs of fresh eucalyptus which I buy a couple of times a year from Trader Joe’s. There you have it- our $4,000 bathroom renovation! You can watch it unfold on Season 2, episode 7 of First Time Fixer on Magnolia Network. Let me know what you think!

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