Life Lessons

Are you frazzled by planning your child's birthday party? Do you feel it has to be bigger and better than other parties? Do you wind up with lot sof stuff your children don't want and will never use? Stuff you'll just have to get rid of down the line?

The New York Times today has article about birthday parties for children without presents. Either money is collected to be given to a charity (usually a local one or in one case the local fire department) or presents are collected that are given to a local children's charity or hospital.

The parents purpose is twofold. One, to have the children understand about the importance of charity and community service and the other is to avoid the heap of presents that are completely unnecessary and in excess that kids get in our consumerist society. Some of the other parents (along with Miss Manners) have criticized this approach but some of the parents who are doing this say their children really enjoy and appreciate this approach because they have been hailed as heroes when they donate the money or the items. They are learning real life lessons about doing good for the community and the importance of volunteer work.

There is an interesting website www.birthdayswithoutpresents.org, which is just what it says, and can be a support for people who want to do this. Another interesting site is www.childrenforchildren.org. Their work is directed to involving children in community activities.

Getting Rid of Things

Okay, does anyone out there have "stuff" they want to get rid of but don't know what to do with? It's too good to just throw out but you don't want it, don't need it, can't use it any longer.

There are two online websites that you can try that should be able to deal with most things. They are http://www.craigslist.org/ and http://www.freestyle.org/.

Craigslist you may be familiar with because it has gained tremendous prominence the last few years. People often think of it as a site to look for housing or jobs but it has many other areas, including one where you can list stuff you want to get rid of. It's under free. So try that.

Freestyle is a site for people who want to recycle stuff instead of just throwing it away. They believe that too much stuff is just thrown out and this is a way to be more ecologically conscious, to be more "green".

Try them and see if they work for you.

Food Trends

I never thought I would say, "I've had enough chocolate." But it happened to me recently at the Fancy Foods Show in New York City. Thousands of companies come to display their wares in hopes of selling to supermarkets, specialty stores, etc. It's a good chance to see some of the trends in food that will be affecting us all over the next year or two. For those that are harried and need meals or foods in a hurry, you're in luck. It's obvious that there are more and more quick foods upcoming. Marianades and rubs for foods your'e cooking and more types of already prepared food that are ready to eat.

Dark chocolate, cheese, whole wheat, organic and spicy seemed to be among the main themes. Plus Tyrells, the best potato chip you've never eaten.

Dark chocolate was available in every form you can think of including bars, drinks, spreads and candies. In many cases the chocolate was combined with fruit or spices or both. Want chocolate with strawberry and black pepper or mango and chili. You can have it. There were some that were knockouts. Chuao http://www.chuaochocolatier.com/, from San Diego has one of the most wonderful intensely flavored dark chocolates I've ever had. Rich, smooth, chocolate that they combine with fruit, spices and some of the more usual stuff like caramel. If their shops were near me I'd be there on a regular basis. Good thing they are far, far away.

Hachez bars from Germany were a terrfic dark chocolate and also did the combining of spices and fruit as well as a wonderful 88% cocoa with nibs and are imported by http://www.ourniche.com/. Dufflet, http://www.dufflet.com/, a Canadian firm had a chocolate fondue (among other chocolate items) that you can heat up in the microwave in its own crock. Atkins and Potts, http://www.atkinsandpotts.co.uk/, an Engish company has some interesting spreads including a Passilla chili chocolate that do a good job of combining the intensity of dark chocolate with other flavors. A sturdy American dark chocolate is Anthony-Thomas, http://www.anthony-thomas.com/, of Ohio.

Cheeses were everywhere and they were from everywhere you can think of. One of my favorites (not becasue of the taste) was a Wensleydale (Wallace and Gromit's favorite cheese) that actually had Wallace and Gromit on the label, http://www.cheesefrombritain.com/. I'd buy it for the label alone. This was also a good chance to sample many cheese you only see in high end cheese stores because they are too runny, too strong, too something for the usual American palate. Really liked the ones from The Isle of Man, http://www.iomcreameris.com/.

That some of the food industry is moving in a healthier direction was shown by the separate organic area and the proliferation of whole wheat items. Five years ago it would have been tough to find whole wheat snack crackers or other whole wheat items. This year they were all over the place. So many things are moving in the organic direction including snacks, soups, crackers and just about everything else.

Tyrrells, http://www.tyrrellspotatochips.co.uk/, is the best potato chip you've never eaten. Crisp, crunchy, well flavored and utterly addictive they are a chip eaters dream. They are just starting to be imported into this country and are well worth looking for. They come in both regular potato chip and quite a few flavored varieties. My favorite was the Sweet Chili and Red Pepper. I could eat a whole bag without thinking twice about it. What makes them so good, well maybe it's because they do it all themselves. They grow their own potatoes from seed, harvest them, cut them and fry them. Yum, yum.

An interesting chip is the tortilla chip made partly from the salba grain, http://www.salbasmart.com/, which they claim is high in omega-3, the heart healthy oil. Tastes good too, like a regular tortilla chip.

Spicy, spicy, spicy. Spicy foods are all over the place. Marinades, rubs, dips, sauces, in chocolate, cheese, ice cream, mustard, mayonnaise, crackers and everything else. Obviously the American palate is becoming more accepting of spicy foods and if this was was an indication we'll all be eating more and more spicy stuff in the future.

Convenience foods that are not the usual convenience foods are starting to show up more and more also. Shelf stable foods that don't have to be refrigerated or frozen but can be heated up in the microwave or even eaten cold are showing up.

The French maker of expensive james and jellies, St. Dalfour, http://www.stdalfour.com/, has a new line of ready to eat, Gourmet On The Go, shelf stable suitable for a snack or a lunch or a simple meal that are can be heated or eaten cold. Since I'm always aware of diaster preparedness these would make a perfect item to keep in your food rotation because they would can be eaten now and would be a great emergency meal.

Affirmations

I've been to a number of events recently where people have talked about using affirmations to get what they want out of life. I believe that affirmations can be a big help to people who want to get organized -- whether it's paper or time or clutter or anything else.

I've always used affirmations with clients and have many affirmations that have to do with organizing. They go way beyond the usual type of: I want to my things to be neater. They are meant to give you a diferent perspective and a different way of looking at things. I'm listing a few of them below.

Things or "stuff":

I can do better with less.

I carry my past within me.

I only keep what I need.

Letting go of the past makes room for the future.

I get more from having less.

Time:

Time is a gift I give to myself.

I accomplish more by doing less.

Time is my friend.

I do the things that are important to me.

Finding serenity or contentment:

I feel the stillness within me.

The universe is filled with loving abundance.

I forgive myself.

I trust my intuition.