New Jersey Baby Boomer

As a Baby Boomer, I’m always looking for ways to add years to my life, and not only years, but quality! You may not know that I’ve had training in the field of Nutrition, and have done my best to eat well and feed my family well over the past 22+ years. Here’s a little something that I received that I thought you’d not only enjoy, but find helpful. I wonder what your health score would be, or mine? At the end they mention some snacks with unusual names…I’ve enjoyed many of them and they are delicious!

“New research published in the January, 2008, issue of the journal of the Public Library of Science shows that people who drink moderately, exercise, quit smoking and eat five servings of fruit and vegetables each day live, on average, 14 years longer than people who do not practice these lifestyle habits.

“British researchers followed 20,000 healthy British men and women ages 45 to 79 from 1993 to 2006. Each participant was assigned a “health score” receiving one point for each healthy habit. Those who practiced none got a health score of zero; those who practiced all of them got a health score of four. The researchers also tested each participant’s blood to measure vitamin C intake, an indicator of how much fruit and vegetables they were eating.

“After adjusting for age and other factors that could affect one’s chances of dying, the researchers found that people with a health score of zero were four times more likely to have died during the course of the study, particularly from cardiovascular disease.

“The researches noted that a person with a health score of zero had the same risk of dying as someone with a health score of four who was 14 years older. The lifestyle changes offering the most health benefits were not smoking and eating five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

“In our fast paced society, it can be difficult to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day – but that’s where Wholefood Farmacy foods can help you, your family and your children to bridge the gap.

“Fruitalicous contains a wide variety of fruits which are preserved through the natural process of drying – this increases the nutritional density dramatically. Eating one ounce of Fruitalicous is the same as eating about half a pound of fresh fruits - one ounce of Veggielicious is the same as eating about half a pound of fresh vegetables.

“There’s no better way to make sure that you, your family and your children are getting five servings of fruits and vegetables every day!”

Many Baby Boomers are at the point where their children are grown…and this is the time when you can repaint and remodel the home because those precious little hands have left their marks. In fact just today after I showered, while the room was still steamy, I began to pull the wallpaper and border off my bathroom walls. I looked again at the OLD BATHROOM CABINETS and VANITY and yuk, do they need updating. They are beyond repainting, and the sink has it’s share of dings that we’ve painted over with porcelain repair several times. I have just finished browsing a website called “Spacify” and was amazed at the different designs for bathroom cabinets and vanities. Everything from modern like the one pictured, to warm wood tones. I am very interested in two different vanities, I like the wood tones, they will be perfect for our country cabin. I am going to do a little more pricing, but I see there is free shipping, which will be a real savings! I’m starting to get excited about this project that I’ve been putting off.

I wanted so much to mention George Carlin on my New Jersey Baby Boomer blog that I went out of my way trying to find connections to NJ. First, I found that he was born in New York, the closest connection there is the constant reminder from my Colorado relatives that when they think of NJ, it’s just an extension of NY to them. I don’t usually take to kindly to that, but if it brings George Carlin closer, then okay.

Next I was reminded that he was in the 2004 movie “Jersey Girl” where he plays a father to the character played by Ben Afflick, and he lives in…you guess it… NEW JERSEY, how exciting, a connection at last, thus connecting George Carlin to my humble home State.

Although George Carlin is best known for going over the line as far as using words that I avoid, I’d like to focus in on his better side….I’m back here on July 9th, editing this post. It was too focused on the negative, my dislike for his being popular for his use of bad language.  I am just going to edit that all out right now, and say that I did listen to, and laugh at George Carlin on a number of occasions…there were some great “clean” skits that he did that really made you think.  George Carlin is often quoted as stating the following, but according to Snopes, he never did, and was upset at even being associated with it.  But I like it, and am leaving it in the post, no matter who said it.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers,
wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.

Remember, to say, “I love you” to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and and embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Every year, one county to the west of us, the New Jersey State Fair takes place. It’s also known as the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show. This brings out for all to see the “Country” part of our State, highlighting the farming industry that still exists in many parts of the Garden State.  This includes our agriculture, (what better corn is there than Jersey Corn, and Jersey tomatoes are great as well) and farm animals. There are 4H Club exhibits with farm animals, horse shows, concerts, carnivals, lots of vendors, and so much more. It’s a great thing to do with your family. This has been going on annually for years, I remember taking my own children.

I’d suggest you take a look at the calendar of events (starts August 1st) as it develops over the coming weeks, there’s already a lot posted, and plan your day around the events you want to see. During times when there are no events, there are plenty of vendors, and if you and your children like rides, there’s the carnival. It’s a busy place, so chose your times to visit to suit your likes and dislikes. You can find out more by visiting the official website for the New Jersey State Fair.

Comment if you’ve ever been to the fair and let us know what your favorite attraction was.

This post is especially for my fellow baby boomer woman. I don’t know about you, but I’m just a little bit conscious of the changes in the face that looks back at me in the mirror each day. It’s not looking as bad as some of the pictures on this blog, especially since getting my SHORT haircut last week…what a relief! Yes, I’m visibly aging, but I’ve used various Skin Care Products for many years, and as a Nutritionist, have been inclined to eat healthy which helps from the inside out.

It is nice to find good websites with quality skin care products, and I think I’ve found one. There are a variety of brand name products at great prices that include anti-aging products, moisturizers, sunscreens, makeup and more. These products are brands that have received recommendations by leading dermatologists…and there’s even a special going on right now, so stop by and take a look at iDerma’s beautiful and easy to navigate website, and enjoy browsing their Skin Care Products.

Yesterday was Father’s Day, and like many, we decided to visit my Dad’s grave. The weather was cloudy and rainy at the time when we visited, and because of it the balloons that were brought to decorate graves were bowing more than standing tall. Dad was buried in October of 2005, 2+ years ago, and I miss him still. The night before Father’s Day my daughter visited her Dad, we had a lot of laughs, and also a few tears. I started talking a bit about the day he died, and she drew more out of me than I thought I’d share. He died at home in the bed that he shared with my Mom for over 50 years, I was staying with Mom because we knew the time was close, and was able to be with him at the end, which, even though he had been ill for over 5 years, still seemed to come suddenly.

As I stood next to his grave at the beautiful, peaceful George Washington Memorial Park graveyard, I thanked the Lord that Dad was now with Him; and as my husband and I tried everything we could to get the balloons to stand rather than bow, I laughed and said “Dad, if you can see us, you see we’re trying to figure things out, just like you did with every little thing”…Dad was a brilliant engineer.

Below is a statue that I love that is at the entrance to the Cemetery of George Washington on bended knee with head bowed in prayer. It is better seen “in person” as it is a large statue, and beautifully detailed. The side view is even better than this, maybe next time I’ll capture that…my husband took this one quickly in the rain.

I hope all of you had a special day yesterday remembering your Dad’s, enjoying your Dad’s, or watching your children enjoy their Dad’s.

Everyone who knows me well knows that I am notorious for getting lost. I don’t have a good sense of direction. For example, unless a route is VERY familiar, an embarrassingly high percentage of the time I’m sitting at an intersection, I will turn in the exact opposite direction from the way I should. My husband seems to have natural “GPS Tracking” in his brain, but not so for me. Another thing that would have been nice when my children were young teens, especially in this day and age, would have been a way to discreetly keep track of their whereabouts. I was surprised to see that this could be done by GPS as well.

My husband and I have talked often about getting GPS for me, and for him, as he thinks those kinds of things are fun even if he knows where he’s going. Because it is something that interests us, it was good to be given the opportunity to take a look at a site that offers tracking not only for personal use, but for businesses as well. For example, if you have something that is very valuable in route, you can know just where that item is at any given time with LiveViewGPS. You can keep track of a large fleet of vehicles through satellite tracking if you have a large business, or a single vehicle. Whatever your need, there is a GPS Tracking solution, much more than I can ever type here. I’m going back to visit the link in this post, if your curious, you should too. I’m really tired of getting lost.