Study Snack Mix

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #Back2SchoolStockUp #CollectiveBias

Study Snack Mix – Classic trail mix with a fun, kid-friendly addition.This is a bit different of a post than you might be accustomed to. There is still a recipe though, so no worries there. But an extremely long one…I’ll just insert pictures here and there to break it up for you.

Before I starting writing here full time, in a previous life I was in education. Back in college, I was a teaching assistant, helping with freshman courses, then I was in special education at the middle school level. Loving the classroom, but hating that I was teaching math. Then we moved to Logan and I went back to school and became a licensed teacher in history and English at the secondary level.

Logan is saturated with teachers. It’s also the place where teachers are paid the lowest wage in the ENTIRE nation based on a new report I recently read. While I was in school, I was also working at Borders Books and Cafe (moment of silence please). Oh the books…Ever since 4th grade when a friend challenged me to start reading the books that she had just finished so we could talk about them, did I become interested in reading. You see, I had trouble reading, every day I was excused from my elementary class and sent to the resource classroom. In 6th grade, I moved schools and was sent to the 4th grade classroom for reading. This was worse on every level than going to the resource classroom. My 6th grade pride did not like being made fun of for my reading skills by 4th graders. 6th grade is also when world history was taught and I absolutely fell in love with the ancient world; the pyramids of Egypt and the legend of King Tut’s Tomb curse or the well-presevered remains of Pompeii after Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE. I LOVED reading my history text book and I also missed my friend Melissa from my old school whom I had my first book club with.

I became determined to get out of 4th grade reading. I started devouring books, I checked out the maximum amount from the library, started reading everything I could get my hands on at home–which was not good stuff. No 11  year old should be reading romance novels or Steven King…It is Steven King’s fault that I developed a fear of clowns that has lasted until this day. But I read it all. Within a month or two, I asked to be tested and was. I moved up to 5th grade reading class. I continue to read and read and asked to be tested again, so I was. I managed to test at a 6th grade level…But there was no room for me back in my OWN classroom, the 6th grade classroom for reading. I had to stay in the 5th class for the remainder of the year. I was heart-broken and equally fearful that I would have to start junior high in a lower reading class since I wasn’t reading in my own grade; therefore I continued to read as much as I could.

You might be wondering why in the world I am sharing all of this with you. I wanted to illustrated how important reading is in my life. I probably have over 1000 books in my own home (thanks to my employee discount from my time at Borders). I started buying books for my future children (I wanted more then one back then) when I was 18 years old, so when Elizabeth came around, she already had a full library, at least a couple hundred in her room now and a couple hundred more chapter books in storage, waiting.

When I learned that various Kellogg’s products sold at Sam’s Club were offering two Scholastic books, for free, I got on board. I mean I love books and I love FREE.  My daughter is lucky in that she has access to books at home. But not everyone does. I didn’t really when I was a kid. These specially marked Kellogg’s items at Sam’s Club come with a code that is redeemed online. One book is sent to you, your child, or whomever you wish–you can even donate it to a school if there are no children in your life and the second one is automatically sent to a local school in need in your area. This is as good as it gets folks. I just couldn’t resist being part of something as awesome as this.But of course, I have to make a recipe, because that’s what I do, so I made something so simple you probably already know how to do it yourself. Trail Mix.

Trail mix is HUGE in my life. Here’s another part of my education story. I was NEVER a good student. I barely graduated high school with a 2.0. I would try and just not succeed. I graduated in the early 90’s. (Yes I’m old).I went to college after high school and did poorly there. In fact, something I have shared with very few, I was kicked out of college for poor grades. I couldn’t keep my GPA at a 2.0. I had been on probation for a year, and was finally dismissed as I went to serve a mission for my former religion at age 21. College required I take a year off before I could reapply, and I was leaving for 18 months. When I returned to school after my mission, same story, despite how hard I studied, I couldn’t maintain a 2.0 GPA. The school was about to dismiss me again when I moved to UtahMy whole life I heard how lazy I was. If I would just try harder. If I would just stop day-dreaming so much. That I was so smart and tested so high, I just needed to apply myself. Here I was 24, still hearing the same stuff since elementary school. I wanted a degree. I wanted to finish college. I WAS trying hard and applying myself. I had no idea what the problem was.

My friend and then co-worker Scott tried convincing me to go back to school, with him. He wanted a study buddy and knew I needed college too. I thought about it. I was in therapy at the time (for that story, read the about me section of my blog, too much for here) and my therapist asked if I had ever been tested for ADD. She had me sent for testing, grueling several days worth of tests and apparently I scored off the charts. After my results and working with her on how to effectively study, I went ahead and enrolled in school with Scott.  That first term, I earned a 3.9 GPA, a glaring difference from my 1.9 the last semester I was in school.One of the tips I used back then, and honestly now, was to snack while I studied. The trick is snacking on good things. I am not going to go into the reasons why I need to snack while I study other than it helps give my brain something else to do while I am studying. Trail mix has been my go-to snack. I even secured permission from my professors to snack on it during class to help my focus in class. I guess it is fair to say trail mix helped me earn my college degrees.When Elizabeth and I have reading time, we often snack on it. She loves her fruit snacks so we decided adding them to our trail mix was a good idea. She loved getting in on the action to create our new study snack mix bag. I often read the story to her, then she will read the story back to me. Then we both take some time and read to ourselves. Overcoming my issues with reading and learning has created a deep love for both activities, one I hope I am passing onto my daughter. 

Below you will find step by step photographs on ordering your book. The center is where you begin and then the top-left going clockwise.My Sam’s Club had products all over the store. Lining the entry way, around the nice lady giving out samples, and in the center aisles; just be sure to check the box for the special label. If you already have your code, simply click HERE to get started.

Don’t have a Sam’s Club membership? Bring this invitation printed out to the Member Services Desk at your local Sam’s Club for a pass to shop for the day. A 10% service fee applies on all non-member purchases when shopping with this One-Day Pass (not applicable in CA, SC or Elmsford, NY). The 10% service fee does not apply if the non-member decides to join the Club at the time of purchase.”

Here’s some fun facts about this AWESOME Kellogg’s Scholastic book offer:

• You can redeem up to 30 books!
• E-books are available
• Libros en Español
• Over 80 titles from beginning readers to teens

On 8/22 and 8/23, select Sam’s Club stores will having demos, check to see if your store is on the LIST

What Kellogg’s products at Sam’s Club will help you make life a bit easier and smoother as your children transition to Back to School? Wish you all happy school year. Happy Reading.

 

Thank you for sharing!