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How to Study for Finals

EXTRAS, RANDOM STUFFKim & ChloeComment

Hannah Margaret is a Zooey Deschanel look-alike, college student, our guest writer on high school tips, and blogger at hm who looks at something we are all dreading this time of year: finals! Once you've mastered the stress-busting techniques, master how to study for finals from the test-taking master: Hannah Margaret. ~~ As a college senior, I have had my fair share of finals. I’m here to share my tips on how to study for finals, but you must realize that there is no one way to tackle the beast before break. They are a rare breed, finals. They come in all different shapes and sizes, and to top it off, we all learn and study differently. So this is what I have to offer on the subject.

studying in high school

1. Organization is key. When I was in high school, I would get a binder strictly for exam materials. That way, I could keep everything I needed to study in one place. I would put dividers in the binder to separate subjects, and I would make killer study guides (see #4). Sidenote: I stopped doing this because I hated disorganizing my other binders. Furthermore, color-coding is fantastic especially if you are a visual learner. I would highlight key terms in one color, and then, I would highlight the facts or terms I had a hard time remembering in another. Some people would give dates, names and terms all different colors. I wasn’t so much into that. But, like I said, there are a gagillion ways to conquer the final exam—you just have to find what works for you.

2. Make a study schedule. This is the only way I guarantee that I deal with each subject sufficiently. Some of my teachers would also include how many hours approximately it would take to succeed on the final—I recommend following their lead. If they don’t tell you, block out chunks of time each day for each subject. Keeping it interesting by switching it up is important to me because it prevents boredom. Also, studying many days in advance is proven to make the information stick better than a night-before-cram-session.

3. Ask your teacher what it takes to succeed on that final & do it. They wrote the final; hence, they know what it takes to ace it. If you are hyper grade conscience like me I figure out what I have to make on the final to get the grade I want in the class. Do that. It helps if you are stressed but you don’t need to be, or if you are needing some motivation.

4. Study groups & study guides. Condense the material into a typed study guide where you can flip through it with ease (and highlight, if that’s your jam). This goes back to the organization pointer. And don’t don’t don’t forget the study groups. Chatting about the subject matter is so helpful especially when handling English, History and Science. You have to really understand to explain the subject to your peers, and if you don’t know a concept, chances are, someone will know in the group. I find that just a discussion of the material extremely helpful.

Okay dears, now it’s time to go to bed early, eat properly and put on that game face. I always remind myself that it’s just about a week of hard work. After that though you can have fun and be lazy and watch Christmas movies and make cookies (I could go on) over break. I know I am just fighting through exams in order to “earn” my Christmas break. Thinking about it like that really helps me get through it all. Don’t be overwhelmed, but also put forth some effort. Good luck!

~By Hannah Margaret Allen. For a fantastically great posts and a well-traveled blog adventure, check out HannahMargaretAllen.blogspot.com

 

 

Holiday Desserts: Push Pops

EXTRAS, RECIPESKim & ChloeComment

Kim from KC Bakes, our favorite cake pop princess,  is back to show you creative Push Pop ideas for Christmas and Hanukkah that you can adapt for any time of the year or for any holiday desserts. The winter holidays are a time of family, friends and food. Food is everywhere, especially holiday desserts… there are plates and pans of cakes, cookies & pie (oh my!).

If you are in charge of sweets for your holiday get-together, make sure you stand out from the crowd and bring something truly unique. Push Pops are sweeping the dessert world by storm... here's why.

holiday push pops

Push Pops go by a few different names… push pops, push up pops, push up cakes, push cakes, etc. They are basically a plastic cylinder that has a stick that will literally push the container’s contents up to the surface.

holiday push pop

One of the most popular combinations for Push Pops is cake, frosting and sprinkles. Who needs plates and utensils? Cake Push Pops are mess-free and easy to serve.

holiday push pop

Since the cylinder container is see-through, it’s a great way to use color-themed food to match the occasion you’re baking for.

For these Christmas-colored cakes, all you need is a box of cake mix, the ingredients it calls for and food coloring! White cake mix is preferable, as some vanilla cake mixes can have an off-white or yellow-ish hue.

When the green cake comes out of the oven, it doesn’t look super pretty… see the top and sides? Fear not! This is just the “crust” or the sides of the cake that were exposed to the direct heat. Make an even slice across the cake and it will reveal a beautiful shade of green.

holiday push pop

To get the perfect circle shape, use the actual Push Pop container itself to cut out discs of cake.

push pop

To add some extra flavor and texture, try adding crushed candy cane pieces in between the layers!

christmas dessert

The holiday season can get expensive, and food shopping is no exception. Bags of candy cane pieces can range from $2.99 to $5.99 depending on the brand; don’t even bother with those. A box of regular candy canes is $0.99 at AC Moore, just smash them up yourself. And let’s be honest, it’s more fun to whack them with a hammer! Just make sure you have the candy canes in a thick plastic bag – the broken pieces can pierce the bag as you smash them, and then you wind up with a mess all over your counter.

Feeling festive? Party City had these cute little Santa hats for $1 – they have little clips inside of them, so after your guests eat the pop, they can wear the hat!

push pop

The great thing about Push Pops is that you can decorate the outside of the container however you like since it does not come into contact with the food product inside. Meet… Rudolph the Red-Nosed Push Pop!

reindeer push pop

It’s much easier to fill the container first, and then decorate, so let’s do that first.

Now with all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, you may not have time to do a lot of baking. No problem! There are so many prepared desserts that you can convert into Push Pop fillers, and your party guests will never know.

This pre-sliced cake is perfect, it’s already cut into even strips for you!

push pop

Using your Push Pop container, cut out discs of the cake and layer it in. I used Betty Crocker Cookie Icing in between the cake layers; it’s a great product because it comes ready-to-go in a piping bag.

For Rudolph’s features, you’ll need googly eyes, red pom poms and brown pipe cleaners, or “chenille stems”. To make the antlers, you’ll need two shorter pieces, and one longer piece. Twist the shorter pieces at their middle around the longer piece and voilá – antlers!

The eyes and nose were easy to glue on, but the antlers didn’t seem to want to stay in place. Cut some thin strips of clear tape to secure them in place; if you press the tape on well enough, it’s barely noticeable.

For the more health conscious guests at the party, there are a lot of Christmas-colored fruits and veggies that you can layer in your Push Pops. Slice up some red and green bell peppers for the perfect hand-held appetizer, complete with ranch dressing inside of the container!

Now, since Hanukkah is already underway, I’ve got some more quick, no-bake ideas to fill your Push Pops. First up, brownie bites!

push pops

To jazz up the containers, I found these sparkly stickers at Party City as well.

hanukah push pops

Using teal and blue Wilton icing colors, tint your frosting as bold as you like. Remember to start off with just a little bit of dye, and add more as you go – you can always add more color, but you can’t remove color if you “over-dye”.

This pretty shape of icing (below) was made using a flower tip (metal icing tip, shown above).

Ta da – the finished product, ready for a Hanukkah gathering!

hanukah dessert

A word of caution regarding lids – use two hands! If you place the lid on the Push Pop, and push down on it without holding the sides of the container, this may happen…

Whoops! No one is immune to baking bloopers!  :oops:

While I was at Party City, I spotted chocolate gelt and the bigger coins fit perfectly inside of the Push Pop containers! I had recently bought some chocolate-covered sunflower seeds at a farmer’s market, so I picked out the blue and yellow seeds and added those to the container as well. But it still needed something to finish it off… a dreidel!

desserts for hanukah

Since the dreidel is touching the sunflower seeds, be sure to wash it off before adding it to the mix. Just like the excitement of finding a prize at the bottom of a cereal box, the dreidel adds such a fun touch of whimsy to these Push Pops.

chanukah desserts

 

Holiday Push Pop Essentials

• Push Pop Containers (I bought mine from Global Sugar Art; great prices and fast shipping!)

KC Bakes Push Pop Stands

Other Push Pop Filler Ideas

• PEEPS® Characters

• Donut Holes

• Cookies

• Mini Cupcakes

• Rice Krispy Treats

 

Push Pop Container Décor Ideas

• Hand-decorate or personalize the containers with Sharpie Markers

• Ribbon

• Washi Tape

• Sequins

• Rhinestones or craft ‘jewels’

Enjoy and let us know in the comments below which push pop is your favorite!