Ideas For Parents in July: 10+ Wins

Ideas For Parents in July: 10+ Wins

Jun 6, 2022 | Just for Moms, Parenting Teens, Scholarships

What I’m learning and loving in the month of July, is where I talk about a few things that I am learning and loving in my life right now. This may include recipes, books, movies and gadgets, etc. Here are some ideas for parents in July. 

(Here are the posts for April, May and June) Let me know what you are learning and loving so that I can add that to future posts!  Without further ado, here are my ideas for parents in July. *This post may contain affiliate links. My full disclosure policy is here.

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Ideas for Parents in July

Learning:

There are two types of loans for students.

Federal direct subsidized loan interest rate:

These are available to undergrad and grad students with financial need. The school determines how much the student can receive. The student will get a grace period of up to six months after graduation to start paying. The Department of Education will pay the interest until graduation.

Federal direct unsubsidized loan interest rate:

These loans are available to graduate and undergrad students regardless of financial need. Again, the school will determine the amount that a student will receive based on scholarships received and the cost of attendance. Interest will accrue during the years of college.

 

Do you have young adult power of attorney for your teen? This is not a subject any of us like to talk about, but having experienced this problem myself, I highly recommend you take care of this before they leave for college or wherever! Check out this blog post for more information: Things You Need To Know When Your Teen Turns 18.

Loving:

Series:

My youngest son and I have been watching all of the Marvel movies in order since the pandemic began. We just finished, and it was so fun!  We have now just started the show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It’s on Disney+. Here is a link to the trailer.

Gadget:

Milk frother – This little gadget is cute and fun to use. I just stayed at my girlfriend’s house, and she has one of these to stir her collagen into her coffee each morning. (Collagen has many benefits for those of us over 40- read more here!) My son used it to whip his cream into his coffee, and we both loved using this. This would be a fun gift for your teen to froth their coffee or tea!

Book:

The Book of Lost Friends -Wingate

This book was wonderful! It is set in two time periods.

The first time period is Louisiana in 1875. Three young women (Hannie- a former slave, Lavinia -who Hannie had previously had to serve, and Juneau Jane -the illegitimate half-sister of Lavinia) are connected in multiple ways, and who don’t get along for many reasons, find themselves on a journey to to hopefully right some wrongs. Along the way, some really terrible things occur, and they find out that they really need each other. They all have their own reasons to be on this journey, and the entire time you are wondering whether things will work out or not.

The other setting is Louisiana in 1987. A young woman, Benny, is a first year teacher in a tiny community at a rural school hoping to pay off her student loan debt. She tries desperately to reach her students and to make a difference in their lives. She uncovers a book with clues about the three young women from 1875, but some local townspeople do not want that information to come out.

This sucked me in, and I could not put this down! I love Lisa Wingate’s books.

Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen -Abbs

This was so interesting! It follows a young woman as she sets out to create a cookbook, and a name for herself. It’s based on the life of Eliza Acton.

England, 1835. London is awash with thrilling new ingredients, from rare spices to exotic fruits. But no one knows how to use them. When Eliza Acton is told by her publisher to write a cookery book instead of the poetry she loves, she refuses—until her bankrupt father is forced to flee the country. As a woman, Eliza has few options. Although she’s never set foot in a kitchen, she begins collecting recipes and teaching herself to cook. Much to her surprise she discovers a talent – and a passion – for the culinary arts.

Eliza hires young, destitute Ann Kirby to assist her. As they cook together, Ann learns about poetry, love and ambition. The two develop a radical friendship, breaking the boundaries of class while creating new ways of writing recipes. But when Ann discovers a secret in Eliza’s past, and finds a voice of her own, their friendship starts to fray.

The Girl With 7 Names -Lee

This book was a fascinating memoir by this young woman who is originally from North Korea. It got a little tedious in a couple of spots, but all the ways that she had to deal with a myriad of problems getting herself and her family out of North Korea was so amazing! I pushed through those couple parts, and am in awe of her persistence, patience, and perserverance!

As a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee was one of millions trapped by a secretive and brutal communist regime. Her home on the border with China gave her some exposure to the world beyond the confines of the Hermit Kingdom and, as the famine of the 1990s struck, she began to wonder, question and to realise that she had been brainwashed her entire life. Given the repression, poverty and starvation she witnessed surely her country could not be, as she had been told “the best on the planet”?

Aged seventeen, she decided to escape North Korea. She could not have imagined that it would be twelve years before she was reunited with her family.

Challenger Deep: Stories, Fables, and Lesson to Help You Rise Above Adversity -Matheny

I have met and talked with Tami online, and she is such a inspiring person! The stories in this book are very inspiring.

This is a book that you can pick up and put down because there are many smaller stories and fables within it. I have been reading it for awhile, and I just finished it!

A collection of short stories and fables to help you overcome adversity and even to embrace it.

Scholarships:

The Savor Summer College Scholarship: This scholarship is set up by my friend, Monica Matthews over at How2WinScholarships! She has lots of info over on her website, and I highly recommend you checking her out even if the due date for this scholarship has passed…

Award: $500

To be eligible for this summer scholarship, students must meet the following guidelines:

  • Have a G.P.A. of 3.0 or above
  • Be a U.S. Citizen
  • Be a high school sophomore, junior, or senior (2021/2022 school year)
  • Submit one letter of recommendation from a current high school administrator, teacher, employer, or community leader
  • Submit a copy of most current high school transcripts (unofficial is fine)
  • Fill out and include a completed application (download link below)
  • Submit an essay of 500 words or less answering the question, “How are you planning on using your summer vacation?”

This is a non-renewable, one-time award of $500 to be used exclusively to offset costs and fees related directly to the student’s first year of higher post-secondary education at an accredited institution of the student’s choosing within the United States. The winner will be chosen and notified by July 31, 2022.

Deadline: Applications must be emailed or postmarked by July 1

MESOTHELIOMA CANCER VICTIMS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Description: Scholarship is open to students accepted to a U.S. based four-year university or current college students. Applicant must submit an essay or a video on how cancer has impacted their life (any cancer)

Amount: Up to $5,000

To be eligible for this summer scholarship, students must meet the following guidelines:

  • Must be accepted to a US-based four-year university or college for any field of study (scholarship funds will be dispersed directly to your school)
  • Must provide two letters of recommendation that both specifically name the Baron & Budd Mesothelioma Cancer Victims Memorial Scholarship
  • You may submit either a written essay or video
    • Written essay must be between 800-1,250 words
    • Video essay must be a 2-3 minute YouTube video
      • YouTube videos must link back to https://www.baronandbudd.com/mesothelioma-lawyers/scholarships/
  • Please submit all documents and videos in English
  • Cannot be an employee or family member of an employee of Baron & Budd

Deadline: July 8

 

GeneTex Scholarship Program:

Award: $2000

To be eligible for this summer scholarship, students must meet the following guidelines:

  • Student in good standing and enrolled at an accredited college or university
  • Declared STEM major
  • Open to international students

Deadline: July 15

Minecraft Inspired College Scholarship:

Award: $2000

To be eligible for this summer scholarship, students must meet the following guidelines:

  • Must be a US citizen
  • Must currently be enrolled in college or high school
  • Must have at least a 3.0 GPA
  • Write a short essay of 500 words or more sharing your opinion on how Minecraft can be a positive influence within their education and career development.

Deadline: July 31

Holidays:

Did you know that July is National ice cream month?? Yum!

National Postal Worker Day (1), Independence Day (4), National Fried Chicken Day (6), National Video Games Day (8)-REALLY???, Peach Ice Cream Day (17), National Ice Cream Soda Day (20),

Quote:

“Cause a little bit of summer is what the whole year is about.“ —John Mayer

Don’t you just love summer?

Here are 50 things for teens to do this summer for both fun and for college and life prep.

Weekly dose of parenting encouragement

I hope that you like my ideas for parents in July!

Related posts:

Backpack Essentials for College and High School  (get organized now for the upcoming school year)

Essential Tech Your Teen Needs for College

What Will My Teen Need in the Dorm?

15+ Best Gift Guides for Teens

Best Year Round Posts for Parenting Teens and Tweens: 50+ Titles!

Best Conversations to Have With Your Teen

The Truth About Student Loan Debt

Help Your Teen Set Up His or Her First Apartment

Backpack Essential for High School and College

I would love to stay in touch!

Make sure to visit my Facebook page, and follow me on Pinterest and YouTube where I share lots of helpful info for parents of tweens and teens! And, finally, if you feel like this post was helpful, please share it on your favorite social media platform! Thank you so much!❤️

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Ideas for parents in July

How To Win Scholarships Now: 9 Tips and Tricks

How To Win Scholarships Now: 9 Tips and Tricks

Apr 22, 2022 | College and Career Preparation, Scholarships, Transitioning Teens to Adulthood

Are you wondering how to win scholarships? How does the scholarship search works? Do you need help finding scholarships online ? When should you start looking? How do you get scholarships? Is it already too late? Are you looking for help finding scholarships?

I am here to tell you, that you can begin the search much earlier than you thought. And, your teen can search all the way through college and even grad school! Let’s figure out how to win scholarships!

 

 

 

 

Be sure to watch the video and look at the notes below to find out how to win scholarship money! Good luck to you and your teen.?  *This post may contain affiliate links. My full disclosure policy is here.

Recap for ?How To Win Scholarships?

✅  Developed by Monica Matthews -she helped all 3 of her sons win over $100k in scholarship monies! Her motto is “Learn how to apply S.M.A.R.T. to WIN MORE.”

✅  Monica’s blog is a great place to start to find really helpful information for finding scholarships, and from there you can join her really active Facebook group (I love all of her tips!)

✅  She has developed a parent guide and a student guide so that you can work together as a team. If you order both, you get a really great price break, and the prices are amazing in the first place!

✅  And, now she has developed a scholarship organizer/tracker that is really amazing. It is a spreadsheet where you can keep track of all sorts of information! I was able to easily use this, and I am very non-techie, so I feel sure anyone could easily use it as well!

how to win scholarships

Finding scholarships on your own…

⏱  :33 Tips for success

⏱  :50 Where to look at local high schools

⏱  1:18 Other local websites to check

⏱  1:27 Who to talk to

⏱  1:37 Look on Pinterest (link to my Pinterest scholarship board)

⏱  1:48 Search engines to check

⏱  1:57 How to use email

⏱  2:17 Keep track of…

⏱  2:41 What to do about 3 months ahead

⏱  2:58 Have 3-4…

⏱  3:30 Or, use Monica’s method!!

⏱  4:09 How did she get started with and develop this method?

⏱  4:12 She is endorsed by the Smart College Visit and is known as “The Scholarship Mom”

⏱  4:40 Her guides are great for both parents and students!

⏱  5:24 She put 3 kids through college- no debt because of her method

⏱  6:25 New!! Scholarship tracker tool!! It is so easy to use!

 

 

When is a good time to start looking for scholarships?

Start early!

Middle school is a great time to start looking for scholarships. If your teen is already in high school, start now! There are scholarships available everywhere! Here is a post I wrote all about getting ahead in middle school! This is a great time to figure out how to win scholarships.?

 

 

How do I start the scholarship process?

A couple of great tips that Monica suggests, that I agree with is to 1) keep track of due dates. 2) Have your teen write 3-4 essays with topics such as: Don’t Text and Drive, How Can Today’s Youth Save Our Environment, What is Your Dream Job?, etc. Here is a link to this year’s Common App essay list.

 

Finding scholarships online

You can find scholarships online in many places. Go to Pinterest and do a search for the category you are looking for. You can search by month, essay or no essay, type of scholarship -like engineering or no essay.

The possibilities are endless. You can also Google different businesses, both local and national. Many of them will have a tab for scholarships that your teen can apply for.

 

How to get college scholarships and grants

The main trick to getting grants and scholarships is to try and try and try. Your teen will not get all that they apply for. But, if they use the tips from Monica, then the possibility increases greatly! For just a couple of hours of work, though, the return is worth it?

 

Do college scholarships work in the real world?

Yes, they do! Let me tell you the story of my oldest son. The college he decided to go to was about $40,000 a year. This is A LOT!

My son had worked hard in high school, and graduated with a GPA just shy of a 3.5 and his ACT score was 27. He also earned the BSA Eagle award, and had a well-rounded resume, but as you can see, fairly average compared to a perfect ACT score and 4.0+ grades.

He went to the merit aid scholarship interviews as an incoming freshman. These were set up the spring of his senior year.

It was worth the trip. When he came out of these, he received $17,000 a year. 

My son also auditioned for, and made, the college choir. This was a stipend of $1,500 a year. He also got $1,000 a year just for filling out the FAFSA!

This totalled up to $19,500. So, down to about $20,000 from $40,000. 

This was a much better number to work with. Combined with what we had saved after paying off my husband’s student loans, we could afford about 5 semesters. 

Can a student earn scholarship money in college?

Again, the answer is yes! First, our son kept his grades up to keep all of his scholarships. Then, he kept applying to the college for other scholarships, as well as applying to outside scholarships, and also applied to his fraternity after his freshman year. He earned about another $12,000 doing this.

What is the actual cost of college, really?

His freshman year, the total cost was just under $40,000 without scholarship money. He lived in the dorm and had the full meal plan.

($40,000 – $19,500 interview scholarship money – $20,500 from our savings = $0 debt)

His sophomore and junior years, he lived in the fraternity house, and had a partial meal plan both of those years. That cost was about $35,000 without scholarship money.

($35,000 – $19,500 interview scholarship money – $6,000 outside scholarship money – $9,500 from our savings = $0 debt) for each of these years

His senior year, he lived in an apartment building on campus. All housing was owned by the college for all four years. That year he didn’t have any meal plan, so it was more like $32,000.

($32,000 – $19,500 interview scholarship money – $3,000 outside scholarship money – $9,500 from a combo of our son’s savings and ours = $0 debt)

The total cost (Cost of Attendance) included tuition, housing, board (meals), and fees. We knew upfront the total amount of fees, which was really nice -there were no surprises.

Can someone graduate from college debt free?

Again, yes! We worked together as a team with our son. I learned most of these strategies from Monica’s guides. My son worked part time starting when he was 15 during summer breaks and part-time through a few school years when he had time. He also had a part-time throughout college for more. His goal was to have $3,000 per school year. 

He ended up with more than he needed because the college was small, and it was in a small town. There just wasn’t a lot to do around there to spend money on. This ended up helping to pay for college as well.

Four years later, he graduated with a double major -international business and Spanish translation and NO DEBT. (He was even able to to a short summer class abroad with a combination of both of our savings -without borrowing anything extra.)

 

Other related posts:

My Senior Is Pulling Away

Middle School Success

Applying to College

FAFSA: What You Need To Know

Plan a Budget for College

Be The First To Know These 29 Simple Ways To Prepare For College

 

I would love to stay in touch!

Make sure to visit my Facebook page, and follow me on Pinterest and YouTube where I share lots of helpful info for parents of tweens and teens! And, finally, if you feel like this post was helpful, please share it on your favorite social media platform! Thank you so much!❤️

Be The First To Know These 29 Simple Ways To Prepare For College!

Be The First To Know These 29 Simple Ways To Prepare For College!

Mar 25, 2022 | College and Career Preparation, Raising Teens, Scholarships, Transitioning Teens to Adulthood

There are many ways to prepare for college. There are so many things to know when you teen is starting to think about their post-high school plans! Will it be college, military, gap year, community college…

The choices are endless. In this post, I have gathered ways to prepare for college that you and your teen will need to think about. *This post may contain affiliate links. My full disclosure policy is here.

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Ways to Prepare For College

29 Ways To Prepare for College

How To Get Ready For College: Read College Bound Now

One thing that we have used in our parenting journey is conversation. It has helped us to answer the question, “How to get ready for college?” Lots of talking about lots of topics. Start these conversations now -wherever you are on your parenting journey with your teen!

High School Survival Kit for Parents: Grab Yours Now

Do you have a high schooler? Or a middle schooler and you are wondering what to expect the next few years? I am here to help. My high school survival kit for parents is a labor of love. It’s all the things that I wished we would have had when our older kids went through high school.

Parents: Are You asking Yourself “How Will We Pay for College Next Fall?”

Can You Afford to Pay for College? Have you saved enough to pay for college? If yes, I applaud you. If not, maybe you’re just like me, hoping to find scholarships to help offset the cost and future debt for your kiddo. Paying for college is no small feat. Read on to find out where you can find money!

Plan a budget for college

We have had two sons in college, and the second time around was much easier because we knew what to expect! The biggest concern for us, and many others are all of the expenses. Here are some things that we learned the first (and second) time around, as we planned a budget for college.

The Truth About Student Loan Debt: 5 Simple Ways to Prevent It

One big reason to begin making plans for college is MONEY!!! Something else to think about is that your child’s future will greatly be affected by the choices he or she makes today. These two factors were at the top of the list while our oldest son was deciding on a college. We are trying to help our kids as they go through college, by helping to prevent student loan debt or at least reduce it for them.

College and Career Planning: 3 Secrets to Success

College and career planning starts young. Younger than you think! Start conversations in middle school. Continue them throughout high school, and really start to focus in on what your teen wants to do. Give advice. Find out more information. Work together to make a plan.

Now is the perfect time to have these conversations.?

FAFSA: What You Need to Know Right Now

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Your child’s college career could hinge on this one form. Do not make the mistake of not filling out the FAFSA -even if you think you won’t qualify, fill it out.

Filling out this form will determine whether or not your student will receive Federal Student Aid, BUT it will also determine any monies he/she will get from the schools that they apply to as well. Colleges will require you to fill this out, so do it now.

How Do I Apply To College?-12 Steps to Success

This post covers how to make this process easier for your teen, starting the summer before their senior year. There are many things to keep track of, so get organized! 

The actual process of college application is in the fall. That is when application due dates typically begin. Each college will be different. Most will accept your teen all the way until school starts the next fall based on the number of applicants. 

College Visit Checklist: 30 Must Ask College Visit Questions

College visits are fun. College visits are stressful. College visits run together. Which school said they had a minor in Medical Spanish? Which cafeteria had those awesome cookies? Did the guide say you rush in the fall or spring? Taking notes with a College Visit Checklist during or right after the tours will help keep these details straight and eliminate hours of hunting through college websites for the answers to your questions.

When You Have An 18 Year Old: Information You Need To Know

You have an 18 year old! Your parental rights are basically gone. Do you have a high school senior or college freshman? A new 18 year old? Get ready for things to change in more ways than one. Your parental rights are about gone!

Did you know that you have no rights to their school information like grades, financial aid etc?

How To Win Scholarships Now: Tips and Tricks

Are you wondering how to win scholarships? How does the scholarship search works? Do you need help finding scholarships online? When should you start looking? How do you get scholarships? Is it already too late? Are you looking for help finding scholarships?

I am here to tell you, that you can begin the search much earlier than you thought. And, your teen can search all the way through college and even grad school!

This is our story about how we have graduated one son from a 4-year college debt-free and another son from community college and some trade school training debt-free as well!

Best books to read as a young adult

This post is about the best books to read as a young adult, I thought about the things I wish that I had known more about -the subjects that my husband and I tried to at least introduce to our boys.

College admissions will often ask your teen what they are reading. Any book on this list would be a great conversation starter!

 

Books And Other Resources For College Prep

Books:

COLLEGE BOUND: THE ULTIMATE LIST OF CONVERSATIONS TO HELP YOUR TEEN THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL

College Prep Project 2021-2022: The Ultimate Guide to Navigating College Admissions

The Ultimate Scholarship Book 2022

LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt-Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward

Resources:

Scholarship help at How2WinScholarships.com will help you by teaching you a method of putting together your scholarship application packets in a way that looks, feels, and IS different from those submitted by your peers.

College and career planning -free 30 min session

Final thoughts

As you guide your teen through the high school years, there is so much to think about. My top three tips for these years would be:

1. Keep talking with your teen. Be a team with them to figure out what their plan is after high school. Be open to what they want.

2. If college is the plan, then be open and honest about your financial situation. Start looking for scholarships immediately.

3. Be prepared. Read some or all of these blog posts, so that you won’t be surprised at any stage of the game. Read some books. Listen to podcasts. Find a mentor mom.

Hang in there! Let me know what has been the most helpful link in this post for you!

Related posts: 

Our 2 1/2 Rules for Raising Teens

5 Ways to Improve Communication With Your Teen

7 Things to Know If You Love a Teenager  

6 Books You Should Read If You Are Parenting Teens!

Looking for a Gift Guide for Different Occasions With Your Teen?

Best Year Round Posts for Parenting Teens and Tweens: 50+ Titles

I would love to stay in touch!

Make sure to visit my Facebook page, and follow me on Pinterest and YouTube where I share lots of helpful info for parents of tweens and teens! And, finally, if you feel like this post was helpful, please share it on your favorite social media platform! Thank you so much!❤️ 

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Ways to Prepare For College