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dsimpleTo: CyndikrallSent: 5/5/2009 1:04:05 A.M. Pacific Daylight TimeSubj: Simple Times - 05/05/09 - Bringing nature to kids; small freezer problem

Simple Times________________________________Vol. 11, No. 9 -- May 5th, 2009http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/ DSimpleCopyright 2009 Deborah Taylor-HoughISSN: 1527-1269 ________________________________Subscribe: join-simple-timesUnsubscribe: leave-simple-times________________________________Celebrating more than a decade of saving your time, money and sanity!________________________________IN THIS ISSUE:-- "Dear Readers": -- Simple Living Quote-- Bringing Children Back to Nature-- "Help! My Freezer's Too Small!"-- Letters to the Editor / Reader Tips-- Assorted Information (archives, etc.)________________________________< < < O.U.R S.P.O.N.S.O.R > > > Smilebox

 

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Simply Yours,Debi(Deborah Taylor-Hough)Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter--Author of the popular Frozen Assets series; A Simple Choice: Apractical guide for saving your time, money & sanity; and FrugalLiving for Dummies®--Editor, Simple Times and Bright-Kids email newsletters________________________________Visit my simple living blog!http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/________________________________SIMPLE LIVING QUOTE"Simplicity is the glory of expression."--Walt Whitman________________________________BRINGING CHILDREN BACK TO NATURECopyright Kathy DavisonUsed with permission from EzineArticles.com.All rights reserved.Bring children back to nature.

 

I turn 54 this year and although my childhood was almost

half a century ago, I still have vivid and fond memories of

being in the country and exploring nature. To remind me

of those days is a large painting of a young girl and boy

in a river catching sticklebacks with a small net and jam

jar. It is in my brother's house and it takes pride of place

above the fireplace. I know my brother bought it because

it reminded him of when we were young and used to trawl

the rivers for small fish.

 

My summer memory is a vivid one of running among the

clusters of daffodils that surrounded the cathedral in the

local town. Then there is the feeling of sand between my

feet as we ran up over the dunes of the beach chasing

and hiding among the scattered dune grass that provided

us with cover.

 

I remember the excitement of adventure when my father

told us we were moving to Africa. We dreamed of fierce

lions and elephants and my brothers and I would sit for

hours and ponder on the wildness of the country we were

moving too. Our stories were exaggerated ones of bravery

and intrigue.

 

Africa was wonderful. The smells, the wildlife and the

closeness to the natural world changed us as children.

As my father was a Vet, we lived in very rural situations.

The different tribes of Africans affected us, their simplicity

and joy in all kinds of situations made us very appreciative

teenagers who looked at life with a global perspective and

a thirst for knowledge of anything that moved and was

deemed wild and interesting. It's no wonder that I became

a Biology and Animal Health lecturer and one brother

became an Ecologist.

 

I grew up with nature and I still crave it. I worry about my

children and their learned priorities of socializing on the

computer or playing games. Their time with nature some-

times seems organized instead of natural and that is a

worry.

 

Children today suffer from many physical and mental

problems that could be helped by encouraging our children

to experience nature. In Northern Ireland where I live I hear

of a teenage suicide every few months. What brings someone

so young to those depths?

 

Nature takes away our stresses .When we walk in a forest

the trees and the plants disperse out negative energy. The

smells affect our brains making us feel good and the exercise

reduces our waistline. In the UK 28% of girls aged 2-10 are

now obese and the figure has doubled since 1998. We push

our Education system to achieve excellence at the expense

of our natural being. Research has shown that playing in a

natural environment improves a child's concentration, social

and mental development and physical and mental health.

 

Maybe if we got that right first the rest would follow.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

--Kathy Davison is a Health Studies lecturer with both humans

and animals! http://www.yourcatmydog.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathy_Davison

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http://www.stretcher.com//BK.cfm________________________________"HELP! MY FREEZER'S TOO SMALL!"Copyright Deborah Taylor-HoughUsed with permission. All rights reserved.http://frozenassets.wordpress.comOne of the most common concerns I hear about preparing mealsfor the freezer is this: “I only have the small freezer above myrefrigerator -- how can I still do a full month of cooking ahead?â€For someone with only a fridge-top freezer, don't despair. I usuallyrecommend starting with twice-a-month cooking, or just doublingand tripling recipes as you go about your regular cooking duringthe week. As you get used to the method and learn ways toefficiently pack your freezer, you may eventually be able to storethe entire month’s worth of entrees in your fridge-top freezer.When I first began cooking ahead, we only had a small refrigeratorfreezer. It was at least a year before I finally had a second largerfreezer to store my Frozen Assets -- so it can be done. It justtakes careful planning. 1) Before you do a big day of freezer meal cooking, clear out allthe various non-essentials from your freezer.2) Wait until the freezer empties later in the month before stockingup on frozen bread, ice cream, etc.3) To save freezer space, use heavy-duty freezer bags for storingmost of your frozen meals, rather than baking dishes or disposablefoil pans.4) When using freezer bags, remove all excess air (suck the air outwith a straw, or press the air gently out of the bag from the top of thefood toward the opening of the bag); freeze the bags flat; and thenpack them in the freezer carefully.5) To prevent a possible landslide of stacked freezer meals, storeyour frozen bags of food standing on edge -- much as you’d stackold-fashioned record albums (I’m dating myself a bit, aren’t I?).6) Another way to conserve freezer space is by preparing meals ofsauces to pour over pasta or rice. Simply prepare the pasta or riceon serving day so it doesn’t take up precious space in your freezer.If you’re still in the market for a separate freezer but can’t afford tobuy a new one, don't give up yet. Ask friends, relatives and neighborsto keep an eye out for people moving out of state or updating theirkitchens. I’ve known many people who have found perfectly goodfreezers for free just by making a few phone calls.Check your local newspaper’s classified ads under Appliances, andalso look through Garage Sale listings for any that are selling appliances.Happy cooking!ABOUT THE AUTHOR:--Deborah Taylor-Hough (free-lance writer and mother of three) is theauthor of several popular books including Frugal Living For Dummies®,Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month, and ASimple Choice: A Practical Guide for Saving Your Time, Money andSanity. Visit Debi online and read articles about simple living, frugality,parenting and much more: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/________________________________Feel free to forward this newsletter to your family and friends. :-)________________________________LETTERS TO THE EDITOR / READER TIPSWe'd love to hear YOUR tips and ideas for simplifying daily life.Send your simple living comments and tips to: DSimple== Give the Gift of a Year with Grandma == I want to tell you how much I enjoy sharing your insight withmy daughter and daugther in law, plus the grandchildren. Asa grandma with 4 young grandchildren I was trying to figureout a special gift for them this past Christmas. Suddenly aschedule of ideas came to my mind. I set up a calendar for2009. In each month there are opportunities to spend timewith me. Each month has a different theme. Some monthsthe boys will be here with me for a sleepover. Other monthsa lunch and movie date will be their treat. The two girls willhave sleepovers, shopping and lunch out, movie dates andother things. I found the planning for this monthly event withthem gave me a present in advance of their receiving theactual calendar. My grandchildren are boys ages 3, 4, and girls ages 6 and9. They squealed with delight to find out what each monthhad in store for them. I already had the older one call for herfirst event. Shopping and lunch. Later this month will be abaking day for the girls with the recipients the older neighborsnearby. The boys will get a trip to my local fire house andtour from our paid firefighters; also a picnic in the local parkor a day at the library with special treats to follow. So often grandparents try to buy their grandchildren thebiggest and greatest thing hoping to earn their love and respect.I have found that money is not the object in keeping the loveconnection with my grandchildren. I look forward to having ayear of fun with them without breaking my piggy bank or goingoverboard. Hopefully at the end of the year, I can present eachof them with an album of photos from all of the fun things wedid. I thank you again for all the wonderful ideas you put on thewebsite and in your newsletter.--Peggy________________________________SIMPLE TIMES RECOMMENDED BOOKSBook list for frugality and simple livingGo to: http://snurl.com/simplebooks_______________________________< < B E . O U R . S P O N S O R > >Would you like to place an ad in this newsletter? ContactLaura at marketing Subject line: simple-timesDiscover the modest rates for reaching this targeted market.________________________________As always, a special "Thank you!" goes out to Gary Foremanand the friendly folks at The Dollar Stretcher for making thismailing list possible!== http://www.stretcher.com/ ==________________________________EDITOR'S BOOKS AND RESOURCES:Books and resources by Deborah Taylor-HoughEditor, Simple Times Email Newsletterhttp://snurl.com/debisbooks________________________________DEBI'S ON-LINE RESOURCES:Personal Blog: http://dsimple.wordpress.com/Frugality/Simplicity: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.comCooking Ahead: http://frozenassets.wordpress.com/

Bright-Kids: http://brightkids.wordpress.comTupperware®: http://snurl.com/DebiTupperwareKids' Books: http://snurl.com/books4kids________________________________NEWSLETTER INFORMATIONSubscribe: join-simple-timesUnsubscribe: leave-simple-timesPlease feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. This is a private mailing list which isn't sold or shared with anyone else. Tips and articles are printed for entertainment purposes only. This free service is brought to you by www.SimpleMom.comCopyright 2009 Deborah Taylor-Hough. .3930 A Street SE, Ste 305-119, Auburn WA 98002Contact us at: DSimple

 

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