Helpful Study Tips for Students of All Ages

Students from sixth grade all the way up to graduate school struggle can find studying to be a daunting task, despite how different their curriculum may be. Use these helpful study tips to improve your own studying or to help your struggling child.

  1. Review before bed. While it’s not the best idea to study when you’re overly tired, there’s some benefit to studying right before bed. Your brain strengthens new memories while sleeping, so you’re more likely to remember what you learned if you look at the information right before falling asleep.
  2. Create mnemonic devices. Whether you’re trying to remember complex chemistry concepts or the states and their capitals, it often helps to create a little story or other mnemonic device using people or objects that you’re already familiar with. For example, make a poem out of the first letters of each of the planets for a child who is struggling with an elementary science class.
  3. Create practice tests. One of the only ways to really test your knowledge is by putting yourself to the test. Download pre-made practice tests online or enlist a study partner to quiz you on the topic.
  4. Write instead of typing. Many studies show that the human brain is more likely to remember something that you write by hand than something that you type, so leave your laptop at home the next time you take notes.

22 Science-Backed Study Tips to Ace a Test [Greatist]
10 Tips to Study Smart and Save Time [Lifehack]
Adults in College: 10 Secrets to Success if You Haven’t Seen a Classroom in Years [Back to College Blog]
Top 10 Study Tips for Busy Adult Learners [Back to College]

Pease Park: Please Visit this Lively Community Park

Austin offers many outdoor parties and festivals at locations throughout the city, and Pease Park is one of those popular locales. This 42-acre park is part of the Shoal Creek Greenbelt, and it is home to Austin’s famous Eeyore’s Birthday party, a yearly festival featuring live music, food, and family activities.

The park features a very large area of playground equipment for young kids, and there’s also a splash park "sprayground" consisting of a few water features that gently spritz, dump, or spray water at gleeful children on hot Texas days. Pease Park’s many picnic tables and two large barbecue pits provide a picturesque setting for an outdoor barbecue, while the disc golf course, basketball courts and volleyball courts offer hours of outdoor sports fun.

Visit the Pease Park website for more information or to reserve facilities.

Pease Park
1100 Kingsburry Street
Austin, TX 78799
www.austinparks.org/our-parks.html?parkid=307
www.yelp.com/biz/pease-park-austin

Bowl a Strike, Bite Into Baked Brie at The Goodnight in Austin

The Goodnight is a retro-inspired bowling alley with more style and polish than some older alleys from decades past. This smaller venue hosts just eight bowling lanes and four custom billiards tables within its atmospheric space, which boasts pendant lights that hang from the ceiling and luxurious leather chairs that offer ample seating for you and your friends. Meanwhile, the 80-person dining room and two private lounge areas create a relaxing space to enjoy food and libations before or after your game.

Enjoy baked brie, pulled pork sliders, and fresh salads along with a handcrafted cocktail, or stop by for the weekday happy hour to enjoy special prices on food and drinks (as well as half off bowling and billiards!).

The Goodnight
2700 West Anderson Lane
Austin, TX 78757
(512) 459-5000
www.thegoodnight.com

Chago’s: Taste Puerto Rican Cuisine in Austin

Taste Puerto Rican cuisine in Austin at Chago's. Chef Chago creates an authentic take on the cuisine, building a menu that features dishes like fried pork chop with rice and beans, beer braised chicken with sweet plantains, and slow roasted pulled pork with pigeon peas. You can’t leave Chago’s without trying the Mofongo, which is made from mashed fried green plantains and pork crackling. If you come in for lunch, you may also want to try the restaurant’s Cuban sandwich, winner of Austin Chronicle’s 2012 “Critics Cuban Sandwich Smackdown.” (There are gluten free options available, as well.)

Come in for lunch, dinner, or a pina colada. The family-owned and -operated restaurant opens at 11 a.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Visit its website to find out more.

Chago’s
7301 North Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78752
(512) 275-6013
www.chagos.biz
www.yelp.com/biz/chagos-austin

How to Decorate With Serving Trays Around the Home

You likely make use of serving trays when you entertain, but have you ever considered a tray's use outside the kitchen? There are a number of creative, modern ways to use serving trays around the home, and these simple tutorials will show you how.

  1. In the bathroom. Corral your everyday beauty essentials instead of letting them take over the bathroom sink by using an attractive tray. Choose one with taller edges so that small bottles don’t slide off of the sides, and be sure to display your prettiest products inside.
  2. In the office. Add a serving tray to your desk to keep office supplies, pen holders, paperwork, and business cards from cluttering up your desk.
  3. On the coffee table. Make your coffee table vignette look even more catalog-worthy by adding a large, attractive serving tray to your design scheme. Fill it with coasters, candles, and a large flower vase.
  4. Make your own. If you can’t find a serving tray that you like (or that fits your budget), make your own using a plain white tray and scrapbook-style paper. Cut the paper to fit the inside of the tray and secure it using double-sided tape.

Styling Trays for Every Room In Your Home [The Art of Living Well]
Paper-Lined Desk Tray [Lulu The Baker]
De-Cluttering The Dresser With a Cake Stand! [Ruffles & Truffles]

Antonelli’s Cheese Shop: Gourmet Cheese in Austin

The unlikely success story behind Antonelli’s Cheese Shop has revealed one important thing: Austin residents love their cheese. This gourmet cheese shop combines the hip, industrial style that is unique to Austin with the European flair that owners John and Kendall Antonelli picked up while studying cheese abroad. The result is a wonderfully eclectic shop that carries a diverse selection seven styles of artisanal cheeses, including many local cheeses made right in Texas.

Antonelli’s also offers limitless tastings to help you decide on a specific cheese, and the store's friendly team of “cheesemongers” will even write guests a log to help you remember which cheeses you liked and which you should steer clear of. Stop by to purchase the perfect cheese for a dinner party, create a gift basket for a friend, or join the Cheese of the Month Club to experience a world of cheeses right in the heart of Austin’s Hyde Park neighborhood.

Antonelli’s Cheese Shop
4220 Duval Street
Austin, TX 78751
(512) 531-9610
www.antonellischeese.com
www.yelp.com/biz/antonellis-cheese-shop-austin

Have Lobster at Garbo’s Restaurant

Garbo's Restaurant is the bricks-and-mortar extension of Heidi Garbo's popular local food truck. Like the original food truck, Garbo's Restaurant specializes in fresh, buttery lobster rolls served either "Maine style" or "Connecticut style" and accompanied by fries or clam chowder, but this Austin restaurant also offers an expanded seafood menu.

Yelp reviewers recommend trying the smoked fish dip, served with crackers or grilled French bread, as well as the crispy clam fritters accompanied by a gribiche sauce for dipping. Main dishes include whole gulf shrimp simmered in a spicy herb and lemon broth, as well as beer battered fish and ships served with house-made ketchup and tartar sauce. Don't forget a bowl of creamy, New England clam chowder, topped with scallions and served with traditional oyster crackers to round out your meal.

Don't worry if seafood's just not your thing, either, because the restaurant also serves a popular Texas wagyu burger accompanied by fries and a pickle.

Garbo's Restaurant
14735 Bratton Lane
Austin, TX 78728
(512) 350-9814
www.garboslobsteratx.com/restaurant
www.yelp.com/biz/garbos-restaurant-austin

Happy Independence Day!

We hope everyone enjoys a fun and relaxing time with family and friends as we celebrate America's freedom.

Ng BMT: Banh Mi and More in Austin

Although its name sounds like a secret code that only Austin locals understand, Ng BMT is actually a Vietnamese sandwich spot located within the Hong Kong Supermarket. This unique sandwich cafe-meets-bakery serves traditional Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches on fresh-baked baguettes.

Each banh mi is available with your choice of peppered shrimp, tofu, pork, or other meats to accommodate both meat eaters and vegetarian guests. Diners new to the banh mi might enjoy the pork banh mi, which sandwiches slices of marinated pork within a warm baguette with creamy mayo, pickled carrots, cilantro, and, for a little spicy kick, jalapeno peppers! Counter the heat with the chilled sweet tofu dessert.

Ng BMT is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Regulars note that the prices at Ng BMT are easy on the wallet, so you can grab a cheap lunch that’s bit out of the ordinary.

Ng BMT
8557 Research Boulevard
Austin, TX 78758
(512) 931-1088
www.ngbmt.com
www.yelp.com/biz/ng-bmt-austin

Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Father's Day! We hope all of the Dads out there have a great day with loved ones! Let us know how you plan to help Dad relax today!

Pin It on Pinterest