Shake-up Some Jello and Enjoy a . . . Pretty, Tasty & Refreshing Milkshake

I spent this past week with my feet up. Sounds like fun but trust me when I say  ---- gout attacks aren't!!

Fortunately the week before, I snagged three large grocery bags of old magazines (mainly Living and Coastal Living) at a garage sale---having no idea when I'd find time to browse through them.

Perfect timing --- sorta  "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade" situation.

I tore out several recipes and a few articles and craft ideas, and recycled what was left.

This one intrigued me.

I used orange jello hoping to create a creamsicle drink.  It didn't taste like I remember the frozen combo of orange popsicle/vanilla ice cream bar of my youth but it was very good.  It could have been a little thicker --- more ice cream would probably solve that!

In a large pitcher with a tight-fitting lid, add the following: 

 4 cups milk 
1 package (3-ounce) flavored gelatin of your choice
1/2 cup softened ice cream

Shake vigorously until well-blended. 

The recipe said to serve immediately but I was curious as to what it would be like if not served immediately. I put the extra in the refrigerator and thoroughly enjoyed it for breakfast this morning. 

Making Major Changes by Simply Looking . . . at things differently

Often, while we cannot physically change a situation we can mentally change it by developing a different attitude. 

Is it a caterpillar's end or a butterfly's beginning?
Does a thorn bush have roses or do rose bushes have thorns?
Is this obstacle a stumbling block or a stepping stone?
Is this a terrible mistake or a great opportunity to learn?

If we wait for tomorrow ---

Tomorrow comes.

If we don't wait for tomorrow ---

Tomorrow comes.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

A Simply Creative Approach to Retirement Living

The following is fiction. . . . how tempting if it were reality. Kudos to a very creative, although unknown, senior citizen. 

In 2003, my husband and I were on a cruise through the Caribbean islands aboard a Princess liner. At dinner we noticed an elderly lady sitting alone along the rail of the grand stairway in the main dining room. I also noticed that the entire the staff - from the ship's officers to the busboys - seemed very familiar with this lady.

I asked our waiter who the lady was, expecting to be told she owned the  line but he said he only knew that she had been on board for the last four cruises, back to back.

As we left the dining room one evening I caught her eye 
and stopped to say hello. We chatted and I said,
"I understand you have been on this ship for the last
four cruises."

"Yes, that's true."

"Can you tell me why?"

And the lady replied,

"There is no nursing home in my future. A Princess Cruise Ship is the perfect retirement home for the old and feeble.

The average cost for a nursing home is $200 per day. On the Princess I can get a long-term discount and senior discount price of $135 per day.

That leaves $65 a day for gratuities, which are actually more like  $10 per day.

I can have as many as 10 meals a day (of fantastic food, not institutional food!) if I can waddle to the restaurant, or I can have room service (which means I can have breakfast in bed every day of the week.)

Princess has as many as three swimming pools, a workout room, free washers and dryers, and shows every night.

They provide free toothpaste, razors, soap and shampoo.

They even treat you like a customer, not a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have the entire staff scrambling to help you. 

I get to meet new people every 7 or 14 days!

TV broken? Light bulb needs changing? Need to have the mattress replaced? No problem. Not only will they fix everything immediately, they will apologize for my inconvenience.

Clean sheets and towels every day, without my even having to ask for them.

There is always a doctor on board.

If I fall in the nursing home and break a hip, I am on Medicare. If I fall and break a hip on the Princess, they will upgrade me to a suite for the rest of my life.

Do I want to travel the world? The Princess will have a ship ready to go wherever I want to go.

And, when I finally die, hopefully they will just dump me over the side at no charge!


What a golden way to cruise through your final years! The only gold I know of for us old folks is the gold in our teeth (if we are rich) and the color of our urine. 

Helping Your Child Cope with Stress

Note: If you did not read my last post please scroll down and do so before continuing to read this.

Could your child be stressed?

This is 8-year-old Lisa's pictorial 11-hour day (I added a chore to the equation so maybe it is now a 12-hour day)

Is your child's day anything like this?

"Children are pushed to excel in school, in athletics, and socially at ever-younger ages. . .No matter how worthwhile the activities are singly, the cumulative effect can be disastrous." Don Kaercher, the author of the article I am using with this post.

What Can a Parent Do?
It takes commitment, but you can help your child manage stress:

• Be alert for symptoms - Identify the source of the stress promptly. If talking gets you nowhere, go to older siblings or your child's teacher for help. Watch younger children at play for clues.
• Set reasonable goals - Many parents mistakenly assume that children have maturity and self-sufficiency beyond their years. Don't feel compelled to sign up your youngster for every program that comes along, and don't expect your child to be the best at everything he or she tries to do.
• Offer a positive example* - Show your youngster that you can master the stresses in your own life. Manage your time to minimize tension and confusion at home; don't let your child perceive you as someone who is always disorganized and harried. Most important, analyze your person priorities and reserve the time you need to spend with your child.

What to Teach Your Child?

The key is to give your child the tools and the confidence to manage stressful situations:

• Self-awareness - Make sure that your youngster recognizes the inward signs of stress. Help them learn learn that rapid breathing, a pounding heart, or butterflies in the stomach are physical symptoms of emotional stress.
• Management techniques* - There are lots of stress management classes for adults, but few programs for youngsters. Parents have to be the teachers. 

Youngsters from pre-school through high school can learn deep breathing, relaxation techniques and   imagery (creating positive mental pictures.) 

Encourage your child to let off steam through exercise, sports, dance or other activities without pressuring them further.  

Suggest they take a brief mental vacation from the problem and then return to the situation refreshed. 

Check your library for books about stress management. The same principles that work for you will work for your child, occasionally with modification depending on their age.

• Problem-solving skills - Teach your child that once the source of a stress problem is identified, it must be managed. Work with your child to develop a plant of attack for solving or reducing the problem. 

The above information is from the article by Dan Kaercher. He credits the book, Coping with Childhood Stress by Barbara Kuczen. 

* This post and Tuesdays, while meaning to be helpful, have probably added more anxiety to your stress level and your already too busy schedule. 

I looked back over past postings and surprised myself at how many times I  have addressed our (yours and mine) need for stress relief and encouragement.  Below is a list of them.  Some are fun, most are short, some are serious, hopefully all are helpful, and all are just a click away. 

I hope you will choose to bookmark this post and return for a few minutes at a time to renew yourself.

I promise they are all simple, because. . . 

that's who, and what, I am.

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/05/turning-negatives-into-positives.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/02/keeping-all-your-balls-in-air.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/02/more-on-juggling-our-responsibilities.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/02/take-break-from-stress.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/02/10-simple-smile-bringing-stress.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/01/ten-suggestions-for-improving-our-self.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/01/childs-seven-basic-needs-reminder.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-that-jelly-on-woodwork-more.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/01/avoiding-womanhood-bankruptcy-or.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/01/saving-moms-from-personal-bankruptcy.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-are-our-most-prized-possessions.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/09/schedules-when-good-competes-with-good.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/09/when-good-competes-with-good-part-2.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/12/nurturing-attitude-of-gratitude.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/11/one-time-when-our-six-children-were.html

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/11/come-out-of-phone-booth.html

Our Children's Increasing Stress . . .

in an Increasingly Stressful World

My wonderful mother-in-law Jennie passed away over 20 years ago.  Today I uncovered an article she sent me with a handwritten note stating she had been given this material "some time ago."  I am guessing this advice was written almost 30 years ago --- It could have been written yesterday, except the stress-ors have greatly increased.

Before I get to the serious subject I am reminded of the routine pre-take-off airline announcement "in case of emergency be sure to put your oxygen mask on before you put on your child's" or something like that. It's a stretch, I agree, but here is a mother's day card from Heidi suggesting something similar..

and less stress!

The scenario:
Lisa, aged 8, just put in an 11 hour day: school, followed by soccer practice, followed by a piano lesson. It is almost her bedtime but Lisa has to review her spelling words. Instead of cooperating as she normally does, Lisa is alternately sobbing and shrieking. Her parents are genuinely shocked at her behavior.

The introduction:
In our hectic world it is unreasonable to expect a stress-free life. It is impossible.  Yet, too often, too many people consider excessive stress as an adults-only problem. Not so, says Dan Kaercher, the article's author.
               "The increasing incidence of stress symptoms in children indicates otherwise.
                 The adolescent suicide rate, for instance, has tripled since the mid-'50s.
                 Youngsters need guidance to make stress work for them not against them."


Gail's note: Remember, this article was written in the early '80s; as your read and absorb his points consider how far we have progressed digressed in the ensuing 30 years.

Why kids get over-stressed:
Not only do children have to cope with all the uncertainties and growing pains their parents faced, they have the following as well . . .

• Pressure to achieve - Children are pushed to excel in school, in athletics, and socially at ever-younger ages.*
• Over-programming - Soccer, tennis, ballet lessons, computer classes. No matter how worthwhile the activities are singly, the cumulative effect can be disastrous.
• Floundering families - There are more divorces and single-parent families than ever before, placing a heavy burden on overextended parents and their children.
• Changing values - Youngsters today face tough choices about drugs, smoking, drinking, and sex much earlier than their parents did.
• Other worries - Fears about nuclear war and the economy take their toll on kids, just as they do on adults.

Watch for stress symptoms:

How well a child handles stress depends largely on his or her age, temperament, emotional well-being, and coping skills. Even in the same family each child is different.  Too much stress usually triggers behavioral changes.

In younger children - symptoms can include bed-wetting, compulsive crying, hair-pulling, and nightmares. They may become uncharacteristically dependent or demanding.

In older children - the symptoms are more subtle and can include excessive TV-viewing, overeating, difficulty concentrating, and chronic sleepiness or it's opposite, insomnia. Also, vague physical complaints--headaches and stomachaches unrelated to any illnesses.

In Friday's post I will continue with suggestions from Kaercher's article . . .

• Three important things a parent can do 
• Three important things a parent can teach

. . . to help your child cope with stress.

*You may want to check out my earlier post on young children and organized sports. http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/08/helpful-guidelines-for-easing-little.html

I am Simply, Gail striving to bring you simple ideas to help you with the various aspects of YOUR life and YOUR challenges.

Organic vs. Conventional Produce? . . . What You Need to Know

A consumer's guide to
Organic vs. Conventional Produce . . .
and Why 

More and more we hear about the importance of buying organic produce. 

We are trying to eat healthier but our budget is limited and the higher prices for organic can be a challenge. Also, we don't want to be fanatical---if it is not necessary.

An acquaintance, who seems to us overly cautious, told us of the dangers of eating non-organic bananas. It seemed to me that the tight covering of the banana peel would protect it.

For help in determining what produce was most important to be organic I sought the insight of  a produce manager.  He was less help than I had anticipated.

Recently I read an enlightening book by journalist who went "undercover" and obtained employment as a California farm worker, a fast food employee, kitchen help in a popular chain restaurant and as a produce worker in a large big-box store, where her manager
was a young man with no previous produce experience.

I started researching and this was the common-sense list I settled on.

BEST TO BUY ORGANIC

What? Fruits and Vegetables with thin or edible skins
Why? They tend to get sprayed more and absorb more pesticide residue.

FRUITS

Apples are heavily sprayed and often washing and peeling doesn't get off all of the chemicals. Also, because the skins have lots of vitamins it is best if you can eat the peel.

Blueberries, the highly touted anti-oxidant powerhouse, are sprayed with dozens of pesticides making them, unfortunately,  among the "dirtiest" of fruits.

Grapes have thin skin and are sprayed various times during the growing process.

Peaches and Nectarines are heavily sprayed and their delicate skin absorbs the chemicals easily.

VEGETABLES

Celery has no protective skin; they absorb harmful chemicals rapidly that don't wash off. The chemicals have been linked to ADHD.

Bell Peppers have soft skins and lack a protective layer putting them on the must-buy organic list.

Potatoes are among the most contaminated vegetables. If you can't find organic, it is best to use sweet potatoes.

Spinach is loved by bugs and is among the most heavily sprayed leafy greens. I am trying to buy most salad greens organic.

Fortunately we have had our garden to rely on these past few years.  Each year we expand and try new things. Many items can be simply grown in bags and pots.  For the cheapest, safest, and healthiest try growing some of your own.

For ideas, check this out.

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/08/gardening-in-bag-or-bags.html

Organize Lots of Kitchen Stuff for Next to Nothing . . .

Just a reminder --- It is okay to be cheap and it is even more okay to think outside of the box and "re-purpose." Just keep your thinking caps on and your eyes open. You will be amazed what you can come up with.

My cookie sheet, cupcake pans, tray organizer doesn't pull out from the cupboard like this (9 inch wide) one shown below but mine didn't cost $81.93 either.



My cookie sheet, cupcake pans, tray organizer fits in the cupboard like the one below but I didn't pay $11.95 for each section of the divider and I didn't have to get down on my hands and knees to screw each section in.


My organizer isn't plastic coated or chrome but it is heavy duty metal and totally does the job!

Actually I have two of them . . .

This bottom plate holder was a $1.00 garage sale find.

Do you recognize what I am using to organize my assorted bake ware and dishes? 

They are simple steel heavy duty office dividers/sorters, 

exactly like this one below ---- an e-bay item that was already sold so it's price was no longer listed but the shipping was listed as between $8.87 and $15.90

It has 5 different 2" slots

10" side to side
11-1/4" front to back
8" tall

I found  new metal ones ranging from $25.00 to $55.00 and a plastic one for $22.00

And ----

I found both of mine at thrift shops for $1.50 each!!

Here's to creative chic cheap.