How To Plan A Road Trip That'll Take Your Breath Away

January 31, 2022

Image Credit: MarioSchmidtphoto from Pixabay.

Everyone’s been tempted to go on a road trip at some point. If you’ve never been on one, however, the thought of it could be overwhelming.

You’ll need to know how to plan a road trip to make sure that you enjoy it. Planning out the main parts of the trip will ensure that everything goes smoothly.

You mightn’t know how to go about this, however. That’s not uncommon; many people don’t know where to start when planning a road trip.

Keeping a few specific things in mind will help with this.

Allow for Flexibility

When many people are on a road trip, they stick to the plan religiously. They're not going to allow for things to be done outside of it.

That could be a mistake. That could be a mistake. While you’ll have mapped out your route, you could have overlooked things that you might be interested in.

Being flexible enough to change plans when you see these is recommended. Provided you don’t need to rush anywhere, it can be better worth taking this approach.

You could make more than a few memories by taking this road.

At a minimum, you wouldn’t miss out on things you otherwise would have.

Be Informed

You’ll need to answer a few questions before going on your road trip. Where are you heading, where will you stop to relax, and are there any points of interest you’ll want to see?

Though you could already have some answers to these, you’ll need to answer all of them. You should research them ahead of time when planning your road trip.

You might want to consider a few other things with this, however. You could need a mechanic or car accident lawyer during the trip, for instance.

Having some information about available options on your road trip will make sure that you’re covered should anything happen.

Make More Room

You’ll naturally have a limited amount of space in your vehicle. While vans will have more of this, you’ll be more restricted with a car.

When it comes to a road trip, that could be a problem. You’ll need to bring more than a few belongings with you, such as food, entertainment, clothes, and more.

Making sure these fit in your car without taking up much space is vital. That can be relatively easy to do if you’re a solo traveler.

If you’re going on a road trip with family, however, you’ll have more to bring. Seating will be vital for everyone, so you should avoid packing things there.

Once you get a little creative, you shouldn’t have a problem here.

How To Plan a Road Trip: Wrapping Up

If you don’t know how to plan a road trip, you might feel stressed at the prospect. It doesn’t have to be anxiety-inducing, however.

A vacation should be an enjoyable time; it shouldn’t cause any negative feelings. Keeping the above in mind will be more than helpful with this.

It’ll make sure that the generalities are covered. You shouldn’t have much of a problem after this.

While you’re at it, make sure to focus on having fun when you’re on the trip. You’re on vacation, after all, so it’s time to enjoy it.

*contributed post*

read the post

january best sellers in the teachers pay teachers caravan sonnet shoppe

Happy Monday friends! I hope that you had a wonderful weekend! Today I am excited to share the top 5 items that y'all have loved the most from the Caravan Sonnet Shoppe for the month of January! This has been the BEST month for the shoppe yet- and it has been SO exciting to see! THANK YOU so much for ALL of your support of the shoppe! It truly means more than words can express!

I have been SO excited about all of the additions this month in the shoppe!! There were 20 additions to the shoppe and here are a few snippets about just a couple of them:

1// Personal Finance: The Value of a College Education

Price: $3.50

(I actually wrote an entire blog post on this one product which you can find HERE!)

This Powerpoint Contains 20 Powerpoint Slides with colorful, animated, engaging, and educational sections on The Value of a College Degree. This Powerpoint Presentation also includes Statistical analysis and charts by the Pew Research Center and the Lumina Foundation to help you in your discussion!

It is common for Personal Finance teachers to jump right to paying for college, but in teaching personal finance and college and career classes for many years, I have learned the benefit of addressing the "Value of a College Degree". Many students and families are overwhelmed by the thought of paying for college and beginning the discussion of the value of what they are investing in as a foundation has helped create a better discussion and class atmosphere for the future lectures!

2// US History: The 1920s Bundle

Price: $12.50

(I actually wrote an entire blog post on this one product which you can find HERE!)

This bundle includes ALL of the powerpoint presentations and resources with colorful, animated, and educational sections for the United States in the 1920s for two weeks worth of lectures!! With 40 powerpoint presentation pages/slides/PDFs and Keys you will be ready to have a foundation to teach the United States in the 1920s to your classes! Creating these resources for my students helped bring this material alive in new ways and these powerpoints will help be a foundation for your unit also!

*Powerpoints can be easily converted into Google Slides for your convenience

**Powerpoints can be edited to fit the needs of your classroom!

This resources includes 12 different products including:

PowerPoint Presentations
PDF Worksheet Documents/ Assignments
Answer Keys to Worksheet Documents/Assignments

Don't want the entire bundle but are interested in just the individual options for the 1920s? Here is a list of the powerpoint options individually:

The Jazz Age - $2.25

The Roaring Twenties - $2.25

The Beginning of the Great Depression - $2.00

United States Diplomacy in the 1920s - $2.00

So there is just a couple of the new additions but there are SO many more and you can find them all HERE! So what have been the best sellers for the month of January? Here they are:

1// Personal Finance: Semester Bundle

Price: $40.25

This bundle includes ALL of the powerpoint presentations and resources lessons with colorful and animated sections for Personal Finance for an ENTIRE semester!! With over 170 powerpoint presentation pages/slides/PDFs/Google Classroom Covers and Keys! (174 to be exact!!) you will be ready to have a foundation to teach your personal finance class for a semester!

When I first started teaching personal finance I wasn't even sure where to begin and lots of the materials that were available that could be found (which was extremely limited) seemed out of date and very boring. Creating these resources for my students helped bring this material alive in new ways and these powerpoints will help be a foundation for your semester also!

*Powerpoints can be easily converted into Google Slides for your convenience

**Powerpoints can be edited to fit the needs of your classroom!

This resources includes 26 different products including:

PowerPoint Presentations
Word Document Assignments
PDF Document Assignments
Answer Keys to Assignments
Google Classroom Covers (12)

2//US Government: The Presidency Powerpoint

Price: $3.25

The Presidency Chapter 6 (sections 1 and 3 only) + The Executive Branch at Work -Chapter 7 (Section 2 Only)

Book: United States Government

Publishing Company: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

*Powerpoint Contains 11 Powerpoint Slides with colorful and animated sections

**Powerpoint can be easily converted into Google Slides for your convenience

**Powerpoint is set in a christmas motif for the fun holiday season

3// Personal Finance: Online Banking Pros and Cons

Price: $2.25

Rating: 5 Stars!

Powerpoint Contains 6 Powerpoint Slides with colorful and animated sections on the Pros and Cons of Online Banking Accounts.

*Powerpoint can be easily converted into Google Slides for your convenience

**Powerpoint can be edited to fit the needs of your classroom!

Powerpoint contains the following information:

* Pros of Online Banking Accounts

* Cons of Online Banking Accounts

4//Economics: The Economic Way of Thinking

Price: $3.25

The Economic Way of Thinking- Chapter 1

Section 1: Scarcity: The Basic Economic Problem

Section 2: Economic Choice Today: Opportunity Cost

Section 3: Analyzing Production Possibilities

Section 4: The Economists Toolbox

Book: Economics

Publishing Company: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company (2018)

*Powerpoint Contains 15 Powerpoint Slides with colorful and animated sections

*Contains Pictures, Graphs, Etc.

**Powerpoint can be easily converted into Google Slides for your convenience

Powerpoint can be edited to fit the needs of your classroom!

5//Middle East/ World History: Resolution 242

Price: $1.25

This is the perfect introductory lesson on Resolution 242 (one of the most important and foremost documents on the US Policy in the Middle East) for a Middle East History, World History, US History, or Global Studies High School class. It could also be used in a Middle School class as a brief introduction too. There are so many ways to use this colorful, interactive, animated, and educational resource to meet the needs of your classroom!

*Powerpoint Contains 9 Powerpoint Slides with colorful and animated sections

*Powerpoint Contains Pictures

**Powerpoint can be easily converted into Google Slides for your convenience

Information covered in this Resource:

*Basic introduction and background on Resolution 242

*The 6 Key Points of Resolution 242

*Brief Aftermath of Resolution 242

So there are the 5 top sellers from this past month at the shoppe! I am so excited to see in this next month what the top sellers will be!

I also want to take a moment to say thank you for every single purchase that has been made in the shop. My goal is to grow this into a full time business and because I am working incredibly hard behind the scenes to make this happen, I want to share the products that others are finding helpful in case you or a teacher/homeschool mama friend could find them useful also. There is a lot that goes into this work and I am LOVING it but I know it wouldn't be possible without YOU. So thank you again for your support of my newest shoppe! If you have purchased something from the shop- would you take a moment to leave a review? Reviews for new shoppes are SO important and I SO appreciate your help and time!

Thank you again for all of your support, for following along in the shop, for your kind reviews, and for purchasing these products!

Looking for the shop? Click HERE! Happy Monday friends!

read the post

St. Paul's Episcopal Church // Concord, New Hampshire

January 30, 2022

Happy Sunday friends! As I mentioned in my post about a new direction that Caravan Sonnet is heading in (you can read more HERE!) I am excited to spend more time sharing about upstate New York, New York, and New England in my travel posts! Last week I shared that I am excited to share with y'all some recap posts from the New England Winter Road Trip that I took with my mom 2 years ago about a month before the world stopped due to the pandemic!

At the time I shared a couple of posts about our trip, but with the way the world changed I stopped sharing and didn't get to share even half of what we saw or what we did and so I am excited to revisit this trip and share more! I hope that it encourages you to consider taking a road trip (in part or in whole depending on your circumstances) this winter to this beautiful place in the world!

------------------------------------------------------------------

Happy Thursday friends! I hope your week is starting off well! Today I am excited to share more about our New England Winter Road Trip that we took in February! If you missed my post on Monday (click HERE) check it out so you can see the exact route that we took. Here is a general overview...

After eating at Margaritas (you can read my review HERE) we drove less than a half a mile to explore the historic area of Concord. If you go to Concord in the warmer months you could easily walk this, but it was freezing and we chose to drive! *smiles* For those who may need it there is ample disability parking which is wonderful!

We first walked around St. Paul's Episcopal Church. You couldn't enter at that time but you could walk around and it was beautiful. In many ways the church reminded me of St. John's Stone Church in St Johns, Canada (in the province of New Brunswick). If you have been around the blog for a long time you may remember that I have visited there a couple of times (you can click HERE to read about that beautiful church!) and there were just some similarities in the structure and the red doors.

St. Paul's Church began after the American Revolution and in many ways it was an interesting time period for this church to begin. At the time Episcopal churches were seen as suspect because of their deep roots with England and due to this growth in the Episcopal churches after the war was very slow.

In fact, there were only four church during the time period of St. Paul's beginnings that existed in the entire state of New Hampshire! But in the years following the War of 1812, a group of 10 men decided that they wanted to build an Episcopal church in Concord. So St. Thomas's Chapel came together and met in an existing building of Concord for the years of 1818 to 1820. It was at that time that the decision to build a church was made.

A small wooden church was made and the name was changed to St. Paul's. As growth started to slowly expand the church after about eight years, a new building (the red brick building that you see in these pictures) was constructed. That stayed until 1984 when sadly and tragically an arsonist set the church on fire and while the outside walls were structurally safe, the inside was destroyed.

Over the next years the inside was reconstructed and today the St. Paul's Episcopal Church is a thriving and important part of the Concord, New Hampshire community. It's always amazing to learn and read of all of the History of these buildings, where they started and where they are now. The stories that people have lived in them is a sobering and inspiring part of History I believe and a gentle reminder of how we can all rise again from the ashes.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read today! Please let me know if you have any questions about St. Paul's or our New England Winter Road Trip! Happy Thursday friends! I hope you have a wonderful day!

--------------------------

Thank you again for reading today! Are you a teacher? Did you know that I have pictures from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in the historical travel section (HERE) of the Caravan Sonnet Teachers Pay Teachers Shoppe? You can find the exact listing HERE! If you are a teacher or a homeschool mama you could use these pictures in a variety of ways in your classroom, in presentations, on printables on social media, and MUCH more! Check out the shoppe HERE!

read the post

January 2022 Book, Movie, and TV Review

January 28, 2022

Happy Friday friends! It is hard to believe that we are bringing this first month of the 2022 year to a close! It has been flying for me and I hope that you are have a wonderful start to the new year!

Today I am so excited to share my book, movie, and TV review with y'all for January! Before I start though- if you have any suggestions for me for February please let me know! I am constantly looking for new ideas so please pass on your suggestions!

Books

{one}Resurrection Year

I have shared so many times about this book in the last couple of months and am planning to write an entire post on it alone, but suffice it to say... LIFE CHANGING. Go purchase the book and read it. You will not be disappointed. AT ALL. You can purchase it HERE.

Similar book recommendations that I have read by Sheridan Voysey that I would recommend to this book:

The Making of Us

I am still in the middle of this book... digesting it sometimes one sentence at a time or other days a paragraph or two at a time... it is a book that has so many precious nuggets in it that it is meant to be savored. You can find it to purchase HERE.

The next couple of books are all by the same author...

{two} Point of Danger

Discovering Irene Hannon's books years ago was such a delightful treat. I enjoy her mysteries a lot and over the years there have been different ones that I have thought were really great. They are clean (not graphic) and have great character development along with an interesting story and plot line. This one, Point of Danger was honestly I think her best one yet. It was interesting and had a twist that I didn't see coming. I would definitely recommend it. You can purchase it HERE.

Because I loved that book so much I was excited to read the second one in the series...

{three} Labyrinth of Lies

....and unfortunately it wasn't my favorite. *sigh* I hate ever giving a bad review to an author-especially one that I really enjoy so much but I felt like this was just a slow moving and predictable mystery. I personally felt that it was extremely obvious who the "bad people" were and was not drawn into the love story that seemed like it was being pushed so hard to really like believe that the two main characters should be together. I honestly wanted to recommend that they receive some good counseling before entering into a relationship. So unfortunately I do not recommend this one. *sigh* Honestly I felt that this was just "good" but not a great book which I read in several reviews and I would agree. If you purchase it I would be so curious to hear what you think! (You can find it HERE!) BUT I love Irene Hannon's writing and so this is just maybe me being wrong? Any thoughts?

Other book recommendations by Irene Hannon that I have read and loved that I would recommend:

Dark Ambitions

Deceived

Vanished

{four} Springs in the Valley

For my "main" devotional this year I decided to go "old school" and go through a devotional I have never gone completely through: Springs in the Valley. If you have been around this blog for a while then you know one of my favorite devotionals is Streams in the Desert and this is written by the same author. I am loving it and it has been so deep and yet simple. You can purchase it HERE.

Other book recommendations by L.B.E. Cowan that I have read and loved that I would recommend:

Streams in the Desert

Movies & TV

{one}Tough as Nails

So this really is more from the fall then January, but it was so good that I had to mention it. This was a great discovery last year that we made- y'all... I feel like all of America should sit down and watch this show. It is inspiring and amazing. You need to watch it- you will not be disappointed! There have been three seasons and honestly I feel like each season gets better. We loved season 2 and then season 3 came out and now I think that one was the best. They are all just so good! You can find it on Amazon Prime HERE.

{two}Amazing Race

I know. I know. Some of you are laughing because we all know how much I love this show but I have to say the last few seasons I haven't enjoyed so much. So I was skeptical going into this season and honestly I am loving it! It is not just the fact that I miss traveling and it is so wonderful to see different parts of the world... this season feels more reminiscent of the older seasons where there "real" people who were given the opportunity to race around the world. It is great! You can find it on Amazon Prime HERE.

{three}White Collar

I know. I know. Yes. This came out in 2009. Yes there are some of you are laughing because you are assuming that I just like the show because of the sexy lead man. BUT y'all seriously. This is SO good. Last year Jacob kept telling me that I needed to watch this. I politely was like, "okay" and ignored it (sorry Jacob *hahaha*). About two weeks ago we were looking for something new to watch and this popped up. I thought- wait didn't I hear about this, asked Jacob and then started watching and it is SO.GOOD. Why did I wait so long? I have no idea. Haha. Now I message a lot of "WAIT. Is this person bad?" haha. So if you haven't watched it (we are still in the middle of season 1) yes it has a very cute man in it but it is also very very good! *smiles* You can find it on Amazon Prime HERE. Let me know what you think!

If you are curious about other book reading lists I have done in the past you can find those posts below:

2020 Book, Movie, and TV Reviews

// May Book, Movie, and TV Review (2020) //

// April Book, Movie, and TV Review (2020) //

// March Inspiring and Encouraging Books to Read //

2019 Book, Movie, and TV Reviews

// September Book, Movie, and TV Review (2019) //

// April and May Book, Movie, and TV Review (2019) //

// March Book, Movie, and TV Review (2019) //

// February Book, Movie, and TV Review (2019) //

// The 5 Books that Have Impacted My Life the Most //

// Best Alaskan Books to Purchase for Your Road Trip //

// 10 Inspiring Books to Read (Spring 2018 Reading List) //

// Best Rhine River Books to Purchase for Your Trip from Travel To Culture to History //

Thank you so much for reading today! What about you- what have you been watching and reading that you would recommend for me for February?

read the post

12 amazing benefits of red onions

January 27, 2022

(photo found on internet, no source)

Every day I have been eating more and more red onions. I love adding them to different meals, on my salads, and in my recipes! I have been wanting them more and more recently so I decided to look up the benefits of this vegetable and I was amazed! Y'all I was so excited to share these 12 amazing benefits with you today!

Red onions are high in lots of health benefits and there have been incredible studies done on the power of this vegetable to pack an important health punch. The Greeks were known to prepare for the Olympics by feasting on onions while the Egyptians were recorded to bury onions with their pharaohs. One of the foods that the Pilgrims brought with them to America was onions.

There are so many amazing benefits of red onions and today I am so excited to share with y'all just 12 of the powerful benefits that are found in this beautiful onion:

1. High in Quercetin

Red onions are known to to be high in one particular antioxidant called quercetin which helps protect our health in several ways. One study has shown that quercetin not only boosts the immune system but also fights inflammation.

2. Excellent Digestive Aid

Red onions contain fructooligosaccharides, which is substances that act as prebiotics. What this means is that they pass through the small intestine without digesting it but in the large intestine they will feed the healthy bacteria.

3. Helps fight Cancer

Eating Red Onions may reduce your risk of cancer. Studies from Italian researches found that those who ate the most onions were the least likely to have cancer of the colon, throat, and ovaries. In another study, researchers found that men who ate red onions were the least likely to have prostate cancer.

4. Helps Prevent Osteoporosis

Red onions may play a role in preventing osteoporosis. In one study researchers found that women who were near or past menopause had a significant red onion intake had greater bone density.

5. Helps Control Blood Sugar

Eating red onions may help control blood sugar which is especially helpful for people diabetes. A research study with type 2 diabetes demonstrated that eating 3.5 ounces of raw red onion reduced blood sugar levels.

6. Source of Organosulfur Compounds

Red Onions are part of the family of organosulfur compounds which is a family of nutrients that are also present in garlic, leeks and other onions. These compounds help scrub your cells clean of cancer-causing free radicals and helps benefit heart health.

7. Rich in Chromium

Red onions are a wonderful source of chromium. A recent study has shown that nearly 50% of the United States population is deficient in chromium which is a greater percentage than any other developed nation. Chromium deficiencies are known to lead to diabetes and heart disease.

8. Helps to Increase Good Oral Health

Red Onions are known to help prevent tooth decay and also help heal oral infections. According to this cosmetic dentist in Worcester, red onions contain antibacterial and antimicrobial compounds which help in preventing plaque and killing bacteria. One study has shown that eating raw onions for 2-3 minutes will kill all of the germs present in the mouth.

9. May Help Treat Acne

Red onion juice mixed with olive oil has been said to help treat acne.

10. Helps boost sex drive

Red Onions are said to help increase the urge for a healthy sex life.

11. Helps Treat Urinary Infections

To help treat urinary infections some studies have shown that boiling red onions in water and then drinking the water can help heal urinary infections.

12. Helpful for Earaches

Some research has shown that a few drops of red onion juice in the ear can help heal earaches.

So many great things that research is showing that red onions can be beneficial for!

If you are looking for other "benefits of" food related thursday health thoughts posts I have shared the following on the blog:

The 9 Benefits of Eating Pumpkin

13 Amazing Benefits of Dandelion Greens

The Benefits of Eating Kale

The Benefits of Basil

15 Amazing Benefits of Eating Blackberries

15 Amazing Benefits of Ginger

10 Amazing Benefits of Red Raspberries

15 Benefits of Eating Apples

What about you? Have you found any amazing benefits or helpful from consuming red onions? Looking to include red onions into your diet? Check out my post an easy, healthy, and beautiful veggie recipe two ways by clicking HERE!

Disclaimer: The information included on this site is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her health care provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. Reading the information on this website does not create a physician-patient relationship.}

read the post