The Chronic Consumer

I’ve talked about my son’s problems with reading, writing, and spelling a few times on this blog, so it should come as no surprise to you that I’ve bought and tested a variety of products that aim to help kids with these skills. One of my recent purchases was this app called Word Magic, which works with both the iPhone and iPad.

Word Magic is a game that helps kids with spelling and word recognition by showing them a picture, and then having them try to guess the correct way to spell the word. So for example, if the word is “wand” as in the picture over there, a voice will say “wand”, and your child must choose the missing letter. There are three options to choose from, so you can play with the first letter missing, the last letter missing, or a random letter missing.

There are various reinforcements (such as stickers and other rewards) given for correct answers, which is fun for kids and helps keep them going.

I think this is a pretty good app for $.99, but don’t think the description in the App Store is accurate. The description says that it is ideal for ages 3-6, but I think it is far too easy for all but a very remedial 6-year-old. The app would be A LOT better if there were a level that left ALL the letters out, thereby allowing the kid to try to spell the whole word.

I don’t feel so bad about this purchase because it was only $.99, but I would recommend it for preschool and kindergarten kids only. If your first-grader can’t solve these puzzles, then you’ll need to provide a lot more help than just this game!

Wow, I just came across a website that sells THE coolest kids toys I’ve ever seen! They’ve got a mini battery-operated Ferrari, like the one in the picture, plus a wide assortment of other power wheels, such as SUVs, motorcycles, quads, go-karts, dune buggies, and more. Looking through the Kids Wheels site makes me wish I could relive my childhood because back when I was young, the most exotic ride available was a Big Wheel. How is that fair?!

I know it’s barely the middle of August, but I’m already shopping around for blankets and stuff for winter. That’s because during spring cleaning this year I tossed out a bunch of old bedding that we’d had for way too long, which means I’m basically starting from scratch in terms of gearing up for cold weather.

Anyway, my list includes a new down comforter, an electric blanket, several regular blankets, and flannel sheets. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch a White Sale between now and November so I can be ready when the weather takes a turn for the worst!

We’re thinking about getting a new TV for the bedroom. Right now we have a 15-year-old CRT (I think that’s what they’re called) model that is truly awful these days. We need to upgrade to an affordable LCD TV or plasma television soon. Actually, it would probably help if we knew the difference between LCD and plasma, which is why we ought to read some tv reviews before we go any further. The last time we bought a new TV was about 5 years ago, and we know the technology has changed significantly since then. Heck, we’ve been seeing 3D TVs in electronic store showrooms, so that could be an option too!

I’ll post again to let you know what we end up buying!

If you’re anything like me, then you love shopping online, but hate paying shipping fees. I have been known to scrap potential purchases if the shipping fees are too high. For instance, I cannot understand the logic of paying $8 for shipping on a $20 t-shirt. That’s 40% of the cost of the product! This mostly happens when places only offer UPS as an option, and I HATE it!

Anyway, I know I’m late to the party, but I’ll be using FreeShipping.org from now on. They specialize in offering free shipping codes for a variety of websites, which gives me a better chance of not having to pay ridiculous fees. I just found them and haven’t had the opportunity to try out any of the codes yet, but I definitely will!!

One of the products I allowed myself to buy after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup was this Patrick Kane Stanley Cup Finals Locker Room Tee. It’s from Reebok, and is pretty cool, IMO. As you can see from the pic, it says “Blackhawks Hockey” in white across the front, and also features the player’s number, Hawks Indian Head logo, Reebok logo, and NHL shield. The left sleeve has the Stanley Cup Finals logo, and the back has the player’s name and number.

These are the same shirts the players wore in the locker room during the series, and is where I first noticed them. I actually wanted a hooded sweatshirt instead, but didn’t want to spend that much money. This tee was around $22; the hoodies were considerably more expensive.

Anyway, I love this shirt. It is extremely comfortable and has been through the wash several times already without showing any ill effects. It’s one of my favorites for sure! I highly recommend it to any fan who wants something to commemorate the Stanley Cup win. I believe other available players include Toews, Hossa, Keith, Seabrook, and Sharp, so pick your fave and order a shirt now.

I’ve been working with my son on his reading and spelling this summer, and one of the books we’ve been using is Spectrum Reading Grade 2. This is terrific workbook that I highly recommend for several reasons. First, the units are presented in a way that actually helps with reading comprehension, not just reading alone.

There is a story on one page, and then Vocabulary Skills exercises and Reading Skills exercises on the facing page. The Vocabulary Skills exercises can range from writing synonyms for words that appear in the story to changing words from singular to plural, sentence completion, and more. The Reading Skills exercises ask specific questions about the story that require the student to either recall details from the written text, or think beyond the text to speculate about what might happen.

The stories are interesting and varied, making it easy for me to entice my son to work on the next one. He has been doing great with this workbook so far!

My only criticism of the book is that some of the stories seem a bit advanced for second graders. I’ve had to help my son far more than anticipated — though I guess to be fair I should say I can’t tell 100 percent if that’s because of the book or because he’s a bit behind his peers anyway.

At any rate, you can hardly go wrong with a book that cost around $10. I really like this Spectrum series!

I still have quite a few months before my anniversary, but it’s a big one this year (our 10th), so I want to make my gift to Jerry pretty special. The problem is, he usually doesn’t want anything big, and would be thrilled with an Xbox or PS3 game. That’s not gonna happen, though. We’ve already talked about this a little bit and have agreed to go on a trip for our anniversary. We just haven’t settled on a destination yet.

I have always wanted to go on a cruise, and think this would be the perfect opportunity. I think it would be amazing to spend time on a luxurious boat with great food, terrific shows, endless shopping, and more activities than we could ever tackle for the few days we would be on board!

Initially, I was a bit worried about the cost of such an adventure, but after checking prices today, I’m happy to report that many Royal Caribbean cruises are within our budget range. We’ve been saving up for this trip for two years already, so we’ve got a nice sum to work with at this point (and another 4 months to add to it).

Our anniversary is in January, and nothing would be better than to take a cruise to someplace warm and exotic. I can’t wait!!