Reviews by CarrieR

CarrieR says "A great alternative to the neighborhood school." about Red Apple - Racine, WI

CarrieR — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:34:18 GMT

Red Apple is the perfect school for my inquisitive son. We were very glad to be accepted through the lottery system (it's a magnet school), especially considering the dismal record of our neighborhood school; truthfully, I'd probably have homeschooled if we hadn't been able to get him into a different school.

Red Apple has a curriculum based heavily on science and the environment. After ony a year there, Sam is full of new knowledge about the workings of the world - and full of even more questions, which pleases me to no end! They took walking field trips on a regular basis to explore the nature around them, and the kids were really encouraged to ask about anything that interested them.

I especially appreciate that after kindergarten, the classes are grouped across grade level according to ability level. He'll be in a class of first through third graders, not just by the year in which he happened to be born. After all, in the adult world, how often do we get assigned to work in......

CarrieR says "Best kept secret in town!" about World Gym - 'Racine, WI

CarrieR — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 17:54:24 GMT

I wanted a good-quality gym with childcare, and I found that at World Gym. It's not the fanciest health club in town (no pool, no hot tub, no racquetball courts), and perhaps it's for that reason that it's never crowded. It is, however, priced amazingly aggressively ($20 a month!) and for that, there's not a thing I needed that was missing. The childcare costs are included, rather than tacked on top as at many other clubs I checked, and the childcare room is brightly lit and spacious. There is a good variety of equipment and machines available; I haven't even explored the majority of it, so far, but I'm looking forward to it! The classes are in a separate room, and a large assortment of styles are available.

I'd recommend World Gym to anybody looking for a good cost-to-return ratio. Why pay twice as much for frills that aren't necessary?...

CarrieR says "I've lost twenty pounds, and they're still coming off!" about Sparkpeople.com

CarrieR — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 17:40:36 GMT

I am now totally addicted. SparkPeople is one of the best weight loss sites I've ever seen! The interface is completely intuitive; you enter your personal information, and the site immediately helps generate a diet and exercise program suited to you. You can follow their menu plans or put in your own, using the huge library of foods and their nutritional information already available on the site. The tracker adds up your calories, fat, and protein amounts, creating graphs and charts to help show you how you're doing and what to do next! The fitness programs, likewise are extremely customizable, and there are video demonstrations for all the exercises the site will suggest.

Beyond the plans and the trackers (there's even one for how much water you drink!) is the social aspect of SparkPeople. Forums on all sorts of topics help users to get in touch with other people with similar goals and backgrounds, helping motivate and encourage each other every step of the way. Specialized......