HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE OLD? SIXTY PLUS WAYS...what do _YOU_ know? I know so many things that i do not need to know. These are things that i had to learn (or just picked up in daily life) but thatare no longer applicable or useful in today's world.>>>>>> Le magnétophone = tape player>>>>>>> La cabine tèléphonique = telephone cabinet/booth (think Superman)>>>>>>> When typing and copying something, the paper must be put to the left of the keyboard and you cannot type with your legs crossed. They must be flat on the floor as you sit at a desk or table.>>>>>>> Five cans of soda will fit easily and perfectly in a Tupperware lunch box.>>>>>>> Sun-in will make your brown hair orange but your blonde hair lighter. Lemon juice will do the same thing and is cheaper.>>>>>>> Room 222 at HIdden Beach is a little bigger and more private than other garden view rooms.>>>>>>> Hanging out wet sheets in the hot sun will bleach them and leave them a bit stiff.>>>>>>> Hanging wet sheets in the sun will also sterilize the and leave them smelling excellent.>>>>>>> Allowing your sheets to freeze outside will also bleach them.This also works with blonde hair in a hot tub (you stay warm, hair freezes solid) but takes a loooong time. >>>>>>> If you shrink a shirt or jeans or a sweater, soaking it a small amount of hair conditioner in a bucket of water will allow you to "unshrink" the item.>>>>>>> If you check the pockets of jeans and turn them inside out before washing, not only will you not wash the iPod in the pocket but, in washing and drying the jeans, they will not fade (as much) over time.>>>>>>> Hubba-bubba bubble gum does _not_ have spider eggs in it. It does, however,crunch when you begin to chew it. It is just really, really sugary.>>>>>> Do not park a '72 VW Bug in the Snider's driveway.>>>>>>> The left door at Turpin High School is the least crowded and the fastest way out of the school to the buses.>>>>>>> One slice of American cheese, broken carefully in fourths, will exactly cover four saltine crackers.>>>>>>> If you give your child (or husband) a choice of two or three things, they will almost always choose the last one mentioned (so say it with your preference presented last).>>>>>>> The first pancake made is always a "test pancake" and not as good as the others. This is even more true of waffles. >>>>>>> You can "erase" permanent marker from a dry-erase board with alcohol.>>>>>>> You can "erase" highlighter marks in a book with lemon juice.>>>>>>> Banana skins will turn black but the fruit will stop ripening if you put it in the refrigerator.>>>>>>> If you put bananas in the refrigerator, no one else will eat them and you can have them all to yourself.>>>>>>> Many "kids' cereals" have fewer grams of sugar and less fat than "healthy" cereals marketed to adults (Raisin Bran, all granola, All-Bran flakes).>>>>>>> Bakery "muffins" are just cupcakes with a "healthy halo". They are always better than homemade because they are full of sugar and fat.>>>>>>> Kids don't care about the cake..they just want the icing. Cakes don't have to be perfect.>>>>>>> Cake donuts only seem healthier because they aren't as fluffy and sweet. They have more sugar, more calories, more fat and are less loved. Go for the glazed.>>>>>>> Krispy Kreme donuts are only good fresh, hot, and instantly. And if you're _starving_ and/or hungover. Otherwise, go to Dunkin'.>>>>>>> Thriftway bakery donuts (except the glazed rings) are almost all made by a private baker (Buskins) and delivered at 0400. Cheaper at Thriftway and sososo much better than the plain glazed rings.>>>>>>> The baked goods in the front of the case are the freshest and you should always ask for these. Those in the back are being cycled out.>>>>>>> When baking, substitute any fruit baby food for oil and it will improve the taste of the cake!>>>>>>> Baby food can also be used for the purée in making banana bread or the like...less crushing and you can use any flavor. (Peach bread? Banana-strawberry?)>>>>>>> Never pump your mascara wand. It dries out the mascara. And replace the mascara every 3 months. Stuff grows in there.....>>>>>>> Do you have to give eye drops? Have a child lie down and close his/her eyes. Put the eye drop medication on the inner corner of the eye then have the child open his/her eyes. Works on adults too.>>>>>>> Take the yucky medicine first, then drink the sweet chaser. Do not put the medication in the chocolate milk.>>>>>>> If you give the child an ice pop to eat first, the tongue will be numb. Then give the medication and he/she will not be able to taste it.>>>>>>> Ice pops are the ultimate mom-bribe. Child thinks that they got a great treat and you know that it's just a little bit of koolaid. Healthier, faster, more convenient than LIttle Debbie cakes or cookies or the like.>>>>>>> Two small pieces seem bigger than the same piece as one(ie.cut the brownie in half and give two pieces to child/husband).>>>>>>> Smaller plates make food servings seem bigger. A sandwich on a dinner plate looks lonely...the same sandwich on a salad plate looks adequate.>>>>>>> If you put the chips in a single-serving bowl and take that to the couch for movie treats, it will be enough. If you eat from the bag, it will never be enough.>>>>>>> 17 small pretzels is on 117 calorie serving. Stick pretzels are all salt and no taste.>>>>>>> Some name-brands are necessary and worth the extra cost. Cheap ketchup is awful.Cheap yellow mustard is the same as French's.>>>>>>> Kroger-brand peanut butter is Peter Pan . Kroger brand apple butter is Musselman's. (same quality and product but cheaper). Kroger whipped topping is NOT Cool Whip and cannot be substituted (is just awful).>>>>>>> Sprinkle drops of water on a hot griddle to make sure that it's hot enough to griddle your pancakes, veg burger, or grilled veg.>>>>>>> Butter on the pan then the bread/sandwich is so much easier (and more even results) than buttering the bread then trying to put the sticky, buttery, messy bread sandwich together to fry.>>>>>>> Soup tastes flat? Add a bit of lemon juice or vinegar to punch up the taste. Do not add more salt until you've tried this first.>>>>>>> Soup too salty? Add potato or rice and they will absorb the saltiness.>>>>>>> Bean soups, especially lentil, will get a _lot_ thicker with cooling and storing overnight. Thin with broth/water the next day before/as serving.>>>>>>> Most soups and stews are better if made today....and eaten tomorrow. As my lentil chili recipe says "this allows the flavors to play with each other and develop"...like people!>>>>>>> Slice tomatoes horizontally to get better slices and retain the moisture.>>>>>>> Stinky hands from cutting onions, or garlic or handling fish? Get rid of the stench with your faucet. Just run your hands up and down the stainless steel faucet and the odor goes away. (Magic...i don't know how or why it works.)>>>>>>> Keep the onions in the fridge and the potatoes out of the fridge. This minimizes the crying when slicing the onion and keeps the potatoes from getting starchy and bland and squishy.>>>>>>> If the wall-attached landline Forestcrest Way phone rings once then goes silent, it means that Grandma Ama wants you to call her on her party line.>>>>>>> Set an alarm for the time that your teen is supposed to be home for curfew and put it in the hall. Go to bed. When she/he comes home, she/he turns off the alarm clock. If the alarm goes off to wake you, you know that curfew was broken. No need for you to stay up and wait.>>>>>>> Eat dinner together every night (as possible) and have "assigned seats". This leads to children (and parents) eating a more healthy diet. Encourage social interaction and decrease the eat-&-bolt.>>>>>>> After-school snack time is good for children of all ages. I still have it every day at 3:00. A good opportunity to take a break, chat with your kids (or Hubster), and recharge for the evening/plan for the next day.>>>>>>> 1 box cake mix + one can of soda, mixed, makes a great easy fluffy cake. No eggs, oil, or water needed. Bake as directed.>>>>>>> Jiffy makes the best corn bread. You can try seventeen (17!) different homemade cornbread recipes but they will never be as good (and certainly not as easy!) as Jiffy. Why reinvent the wheel? Spend the $1 and get two boxes of Jiffy. Add 2/3C milk and 2 eggs, bake at 400 for 14 minutes. Tell _nobody_ how easy it was.>>>>>>> Instant (Martha White?) muffin mixes to which you add milk are quick and easy for waffles or pancakes. Apple cinnamon, blueberry, corn even -- all good. Again, it's our little secret. Bean soups freeze wonderfully. Lentil soup and soups with potatoes do not. They get mealy and unappetizing.>>>>>>> If you put a brick of ramen in a bowl, pour over 1C boiling water and cover with a plate for two minutes, the noodles will absorb the water and "cook" and you don't have to dirty a pot (or watch it). Add sauce/veg/protein as you wish.>>>>>>> Lefty loosey , righty tighty.>>>>>>> How to say "ouch" in french...three different ways. And "don't splash in the bathtub" and "play hopscotch' and the words for postage, airmail, telephone token, lost-&-found, and beaver/seagull/peacock/swallow/woodpecker/lily pad (we were big on weekly trips to the zoo).>>>>>>> All the words to _so many_ children's songs that i still sing daily in my head while doing the yoga routine that i learned and refined in 1999 at LifeTime Fitness while Alessandra was at school and Christian was in the daycare on the ground floor.>>>>>>> Hot chocolate, blueberries, and tomato soup-- all food that they _say_ that they want to have but will not actually eat. The hot chocolate will be too hot....then have a white film on top (with some cooling as the chocolate sinks and the foam rises).....then too cold (after stirred).>>>>>>> If the banana is peeled, Christian won't eat it. Alessandra won't eat bananas that are sliced. Joe won't eat any fruit that is cut that he has to touch (sliced banana, chunks of melon...).>>>>>>>