…The poll worker may not even ask you for an ID [seriously disturbing...seriously], the amendments may sound like they were written by a 5th grader with a thesaurus but no dictionary, and you may not even be entirely 100% certain which is the lesser of two evils…but the democratic process–and the promise it holds– is still worth celebrating, worth defending, worth participating in. – Sarah Joy

While I whole-heartedly share those sentiments (get out and vote!), I’m also a fan of free goodies. Lifehacker is reporting there are a number of places that are having giving aways for showing off your “I Voted” sticker. Krispy Kreme, Chick-Fil-A, and Ben & Jerry’s to name a few. Jump on over for the full list.

Have you heard of anyone else celebrating Election Day in a similar fashion? Please leave word in the comments.

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This is a guest post by Chris from Zen to Fitness.

Health and fitness are too often shunned or put off due to the misconception that things like a gym, vitamins, and expensive super-foods are needed to live a healthy lifestyle, build muscle and look good. This post will cover a few tips on how to get going with your fitness regime without spending cash that I have picked up along the way.

No Gym, No Problem

I actually recommend avoiding the gym when beginning a fitness plan for the following reasons;

• It takes transport time to get there, wasting your time
• They’re expensive
• Intimidating for new comers and personal trainers normally pester new members for the first few months
• Too many distractions
• You can achieve a great body through body weight movements

Staying fit is a beautiful thing when you are flexible with what you do. Acquire some simple sports kit you feel comfortable in (a good cotton t-shirt/basketball shorts/solid training shoes) which can all be had for less than a single month’s membership at a gym. I would also recommend an iPod Nano.

Learn to improvise with your fitness. One of my favorite routines is to just put on some good music on my iPod and hit the road. While I don’t run exclusively I will usually take a short run and stop at a playground to do circuits of body weight movements like squats/push-ups/pull-ups. Usually, I run for 10 minutes then do 10 minutes of the body weight movements and then run back home. This means I’m in and out of my house in under 35 minutes, fully exercised and ready to do as I please the rest of the day.

What I love about this is you get to soak up some scenery and enjoy the surroundings. You will inhale fresh oxygen and feel energized. Remember the importance of training with resistance (push-ups, pull-ups and squats) and do not exclusively run/jog – throwing in some sprints will also help. And when you sprint, don’t think about it – just run as fast as you can for a while its a great feeling.

Have a look at these websites for simple, cheap and equipment free exercise recommendations:

20 Minute Fitness Solution

Simplefit

Try and organize sports with your friends/family; go swimming at the beach, play tennis or go to the park and play frisbee these are the best ways to stay fit and be happy.

Simplify your diet

I would recommend reading this post from the Modern Forager on real food. It gives a grasp on nutrition which is such a simple thing for us all to improve on. Enjoy the foods that are natural, I personally take great pleasure from simplifying my shopping basket. I know when I go to get groceries I am only going to buy the following foods;

• Fresh fruit and vegetables (whatever is on offer and looks good)
• Select cuts of meat, again look for what is on offer
• Cheese and eggs
• A good selection of nuts and seeds and olive oil
• Fresh herbs and spices to add flavor to my cooking

No soft drinks, juice, starches, pasta or stuff in a packet just fresh wholesome foods. Arthur De Vany’s dietery guidelines are great.

You will find by eating/buying from this selection of food, you’ll be less confused when shopping, save money and feel far better. This is not to say you can’t eat other foods, so long as you stick to the foods above 80% of the time you will reap the benefits. The other 20% feel free to eat any other foods especially when out with friends and family.

Always buy less than you think you need, its surprising how much food is wasted in this day and age. If you find you run out of food to early just take a walk to the grocery store and forage for your next meal. This keeps things exciting and fresh.

The last tip for diet is to listen to your body. Just because it’s midday doesn’t mean you need to have lunch. feel your hunger and eat well when you are really hungry. Once you pickup this habit you will find that you will eat less and enjoy your food far more, while losing weight and improving your fitness.

Free Advice and Motivation

The beauty of the internet is that their is so much good free advice and motivation available; from the two sites above offering equipment free workouts to sites like the fitnesspotlight you can learn a wealth of information in no time without any cost to you. If you have an iPod and need some free running music checkout Podrunner which offers free weekly workout mixes which serve as great motivation.

Bonus Tips

-Walk and cycle to places instead of taking the bus/car. It takes longer but sometimes there is nothing more relaxing than a walk or bike ride.

-Learn to meditate. This is one of the best free ways to improve health and state of mind.

I hope this short article can help inspire a few people to start a fitness regime or re-ignite a lost passion. You will find that the easier and more simple you make fitness the more you appreciate it being in your life.

Thanks to Chris for the post!

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Naturally, you should see a doctor before starting a workout routine and all that. Besides, when was the last time you went to your doctor? Go get a checkup for goodness sake. And go to the dentist while you’re at it. Photo courtesy of here.

Much of the time my wife and I want to go on a date but aren’t sure what to do. Both being as indecisive as we are, we usually end up not doing anything. Now that I think about that, it’s a real shame. Hopefully this will help others in a similar predicament. Here are simple date ideas that don’t require a ton of advanced planning and won’t break the bank.

Before I start, I need to clarify that I’m posting these on the assumption that the purpose of the date is to get to know the other person with whom you’re going out with. If you’re looking for elaborate ideas on how to wow someone with something flashy, you won’t find it here.

Outdoor concerts. Summer is a great time to experience various outdoor festivals, concerts and other activities. Many of them (at least around here) are free or relatively inexpensive. Grab a blanket or some lawn chairs and take in the music on a warm summer night.

Farmer’s market. Pick out some fresh ingredients and ask the sellers for any special recipes they may have that involve the items they’re selling. Then head home and make a meal together. If you’ve never eaten truly fresh produce before, let me tell you, it is MUCH better than the stuff you buy at the grocery store.

River walk . I usually see signs for them, or see sections as I drive by, but rarely do I actually set out and explore the river walks in the cities in which I’ve lived. Set out and explore one of them. You’ll have a better appreciation for your community while enjoying a leisurely stroll. Very conducive to hand-holding.

Library tour. While I realize not all libraries are quite as elaborate/architecturally interesting as ours here in Salt Lake (above), see if there’s anything interesting to check out (ha!) at yours. If not, swing by and visit anyway. It’s a good chance to get out of the heat and at a library you don’t have to worry about awkward silences. :) Pick up one of the classics and begin reading it together to find out why it’s a classic. Or get a Far Side book, find a shady tree and enjoy.

Picnics . A classic, yet often overlooked date idea. Pack a meal and find a scenic spot in a park. When you’re done, lay on your backs and watch the clouds, play a little frisbee or just enjoy being outdoors. If there are basketball courts or something similar nearby, play H-O-R-S-E or some other low-key game. If you’re doing this in the evening, don’t forget the bug spray.

Swing by night. On a nice night get ice cream and find a playground with a swing set big enough for adults. Swinging under the stars can be quite romantic. Of course, indulging yourself by going down the slide and using the monkey bars isn’t a bad idea either. :)

There are hundreds of other ideas out there. What are some of your favorites? Let me know in the comments and I’ll add them to the list.

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Photo courtesy of here , and special thanks to captainstardust over at Plurk for a couple of the ideas.

Severe flooding in the Midwest, earthquakes in Japan, fatal tornadoes in the southern states…maybe it’s me, but it seems that these disasters are happening more often and in more diverse places than ever before. That makes it all the more important to be prepared for an emergency because in all reality an emergency in your area is a matter of  “when”, not “if”.

Here are some simple steps you can take to prepare for an emergency.

1. 72 hour kit. My wife and I each have a backpack with the basic supplies we’d need if we had to leave our house for three days. It includes highly concentrated food (e.g. Powerbars, soup, etc.), medical supplies (band-aids, gauze, Tylenol, antiseptic), water and water purification tablets, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, a change of clothes, a hand-crank flashlight/radio and cash.

These backpacks are kept in a closet near our front door so in case of a fire or other emergency, they’re easy to grab and go. We replace the perishable items in them about once a year, or based on their expiration date.

2. Meeting location. In an unexpected event like a fire or earthquake, have a safe place for your family to meet that’s outside your home. Growing up, it was by our mailbox. This is to make sure everyone knows to go to the same place so people can quickly be accounted for. It’s extremely important to know if everyone is out of the home because you don’t want to risk the lives of emergency response personnel by sending them into a burning or unstable building looking for someone who has already gotten out safely.

3. Build up a supply of supplies. We’ve grown accustomed to driving down to the local market on a whim to pick up anything we need. But as we’ve seen in the news, it doesn’t take much time for grocery store shelves to be picked clean during emergencies.

Start to slowly build up a store of food and other supplies. In the event of a food shortage (for whatever reason), you’ll have enough to subsist on. So the next time something you eat regularly is on sale, buy a few extra and put them in boxes under the bed. Same thing goes for canned fruits and vegetables, pastas, fruit roll-ups and other items that aren’t immediately perishable.

4. Learn from cartoons . How many times have we seen cartoons of someone stranded on a desert island with cans, and no can opener? (Or maybe I’m the only one.) All your canned goods you have aren’t going to do you much good if you have an electric can opener with no power. Keep a manual can opener in your 72 hour kit as well.

5. Just add water. Freeze-dried food is great for emergency preparedness because it’s lightweight and has a long shelf life. However, it won’t do you much good if you don’t have water. Each time my wife and I go to Costco we pick up a big box of bottled water. This has been a good method for us as it spreads out the cost and also makes it easier to rotate through (water does go bad you know). Imagine having a month’s worth of bottled water all expiring at the same time!

Water, of course, is also beneficial in case supplies become tainted or cut off all together.

6. Out-of-state contact. If there’s a major disaster in your area, say an earthquake, there’s a good chance phone lines and cell towers may be overrun with people calling each other and emergency services (“All circuits are busy now. Please try your call again later”).

Sometimes when local calls can’t get through, long-distance calls will. Have a designated contact person out of state (for my wife and I, it’s my parents in Oregon) who you can call and check in with. Even if my wife is just 10 miles away from me at work, I can call my folks 750 miles away and we can all coordinate through them. Plus it allows my parents to know that we’re OK as well.

7. Keep emergency numbers handy. Put local numbers for emergency services, poison control, the Red Cross, your gas, electric and water companies, your state health department, etc. in your 72 hour kit or another easy-to-access place.

8. Master your utilities . Know where the shut-off valves for your utilities are, and know how to shut each off. Even if your home seems to be in good condition after an earthquake or other disaster, a hidden water or gas pipe with a crack could cause significant damage over time if left unattended.

9. Prepare your car. If you’re like me, you probably spend a good chunk of my day away from your home. Keep your car stocked with some water, blankets, snacks, flares, jumper cables, flashlight with batteries (ever tried changing a tire on the side of a road at night?) a cell phone charger, some backup cash and walking shoes and socks.

Listed here it seems like a lot, but it will all fit neatly in a gym bag in your trunk.

Also, it’s a good idea not to let your gas tank get too low. My wife has started filling up at about half a tank and it’s been reassuring to know that the car is always available and ready to go.

In conclusion

These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how to prepare you, your family and your home for an emergency. And keep in mind that these things won’t just be useful in the case of natural disaster. What if you get laid-off or have some kind of medical emergency that diverts your income? In that case, wouldn’t it be amazing if you didn’t have to buy food for a couple of months because you already had it stored?

These are practical things you can start doing right away to build up resources against a time of need.

Like I said, this certainly isn’t comprehensive. What do you think should have been on the list? Please share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments.

LivSimpl

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Images courtesy of here and here .

I imagine most people wish they could spend more time with their families and having dinner together each night is an ideal way to do that – to block out the rest of the world and interact with each other. Here are eight ways to make eating dinner together as a family more meaningful.

1. Turn off the TV. Focus on your family, not the TV. Watching TV during dinner 1. is a crutch because you don’t know what to talk about or 2. tells your kids what’s on TV is more important than them. Harsh, perhaps, but it can be perceived that way. It’s family dinner, not TV dinner. If you’re that worried about missing something, TiVo it.

2. No cell phones/texting. Sorry kids. The next hour is dedicated to family. Everyone (including parents) turn off your cell phones. And, no, putting them on vibrate isn’t an option.

3. Sit at the table. As opposed to the couch, when at the table everyone is facing each other instead of (let’s be honest here) the TV. It makes the gathering about each other instead of outside distractions.

4. Prepare healthy meals. It’s important that meals not just fill, but nourish your family. It’s not to say that having pizza for dinner is never a good thing, but it should be the exception more than the rule. By providing healthy, nutritious food you’re showing your family you care about them enough to put the effort into feeding them quality food. We grab enough junk during the day in snacking and eating out that dinner can be, and in my opinion, should be, healthy.

5. Work through the awkwardness. I know this sounds a bit odd, but you might not be used to sitting around as a family for extended periods of time without the TV on. At first, that could mean conversations might seem forced and a little awkward, especially if you have teenagers. Just be genuine and persistent. As it becomes routine people will open up more. Keep at it – it will get better.

6. Don’t rush. Enjoy the meal. We tend to get in the habit of scarfing down our food and moving on to the next thing on our agenda. While that may be necessary if you’re squeezing in lunch at work, it shouldn’t happen at home. Eating slower has a number of benefits: you’ll enjoy the food more, you’ll generally eat less and eating will change from a stressful event to a relaxing, happy thing you can look forward to each day.

7. Stay put. Just because you’re plate’s empty doesn’t mean you’re done with the meal. My in-laws are particularly good at sitting at the table for a while after everyone’s done and just…hanging out. My father in-law will ask someone to bring him some cookies and we’ll sit around, pick at the food that’s left on the table and continue our conversation. It’s a wonderful, often hilarious experience.

8. Everyone help clean up. Make sure everybody helps with dishes/cleanup. Not only does this extend the time you’re spending together as a family, but everyone understands they have a responsibility to help with the meal, not just the preparer of the food. Even little kids can wipe down the table afterward with a wet cloth so they have a sense of ownership. Of course, saying, “I’ve got it, you go sit down and relax” and giving everyone else a night off is a welcome gesture too. Just make sure it’s not the same person always saying it. :)

Dinner has a lot of potential as far as quality family time goes. These things have been beneficial to me and my family in making the most of it.

Do you have any other suggestions? What do you do to make dinner a special time for your family? Please leave some ideas in the comments.

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Photo courtesy of here.

While my wife and I don’t think we’re particularly good at this, but we don’t think we’re particularly bad either. We feel we can hold our own when it comes to edible home construction.

So you’ll understand my excitement when a friend of ours invited us over to make gingerbread/gram cracker houses. Thinking back to our three years’ experience I wrongly started shooting my mouth off about how we were going to kick their trash and they’d have no idea what hit them and yadda-yadda-yadda.

“Have you forgotten,” my friend good-naturedly asked, “That I went to culinary school, am a pastry chef and design cakes for a living?”

Actually, yes. Yes I had.

When the time came to build our various graham cracker structures we all enjoyed ourselves tremendously. We spent hours on our various creations and my wife and I ended up winning the prize for tallest gingerbread house. (It was one of those situations where everybody wins something.)

Why do I share this story with you and what does it have to do with simplifying life, becoming more efficient and/or enjoying the little things?

Not only is it a simple, inexpensive activity to do with friends and family that encourages interaction (versus, say, watching a movie), but I now have a great, very simple recipe (only three ingredients!) for the perfect gingerbread-house-constructing frosting. It’s even been endorsed by a pastry chef I know…

The Ultimate Gingerbread House Frosting Recipe*:

3 egg whites, room temperature
1 lb. confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Stick ‘em in a bowl, beat on high for 7-10 minutes and you’ve got yourself some very strong icing, perfect for gingerbread houses. I mean, if it can hold up the three-story monstrosity you see in the picture above (affectionately referred to as The Peppermint Palace), I’m confident it’ll work for you too.

Has anybody else made gingerbread/graham cracker houses? I’d love to post a few so e-mail them in to LivSimpl at gmail.

LivSimpl

P.S. Please don’t eat the frosting. It works like cement and tastes about the same.

*As I said, the recipe was endorsed, but not created by my friend. The original recipe can be found here.

UPDATE – If there was any doubt remaining as to the excellence of that frosting recipe, check out this picture:

That’s 55 pounds of books piled on a graham cracker house my friends.

And a thank you to Stephanie who sent in some gingerbread house pictures. I’ll be posting them soon. Anybody else planning on sending in pictures?