8 POPULAR 'OLD WIVES TALES': FACT OR FICTION?

Here's some fun for the day........

TRIVIA: (answer below)
What year was the first iPad released?

BRAIN TEASER:
There is a very happy family, but within an hour, the little girl become's rich, the mom becomes poor and the father goes to jail.   What happened?

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
What hair color do they put down on the driver's license of a bald man?

COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY
Character paves the way to closeness with God.

8 POPULAR OLD WIVES TALES:  FACT OR FICTION

I'm taking a look today at some Old Wives Tales and whether they are true or not.    An Old Wives Tales could be described as 'rules to live by' that have been passed on from generation to generation.   Mainly told by mothers to their children I believe.   They are assumed to be true.....but are they?    Let's take a look.

The following Old Wives Tales info comes from a Reader's Digest magazine from years ago.

OWT # 1:  Don't go outside with wet hair.   You'll get sick.

I know I heard this one growing up and followed it as well.   Just started diverging from this one recently.  

This one is FICTION: 

Getting chilled does not cause a cold.   Pardon me while I take a moment to wash my hair and run around the back yard.  Wheeeeeee.........

OWT# 2:  Foods with mayonnaise spoil faster

I'm back from running around the yard with wet hair.   I've heard this one about mayo as well and followed it too.   Let's see what they say.

This one is FICTION:

I'm surprised.   According to the article, when you turn your leftover chicken into chicken salad, the mayonnaise actually helps prevent spoilage because the mayonnaise is somewhat acidic.   I've always thought you had to keep mayonnaise cold too.    Apparently not.   Mayo isn't a dairy product, so it doesn't need to be treated like one.    Interesting.   I think I'll still keep it in the fridge though......maybe.

OWT # 3:  Feed a cold, starve a fever.

The original version of this was 'feed a cold, stave a fever'....stave (not starve) as in to prevent and keep at bay.    So.....

This one if FICTION:

Fasting will only weaken you when you should be preserving your strength.     Why don't you try eating chicken soup because.......

OWT # 4:  Chicken soup will help cure your cold.

Chicken soup always seemed to make me feel better.  So warm and comforting.

This one is FACT

It's not a cure, but it will help.  Scientists believe that a bowl of soup may reduce inflammation of the lungs.   It is thought that chicken soup slows down the activity of white blood cells that can cause inflammation.

OWT #5:  Over do it?   Have a little 'hair of the dog' that bit you.

16th century English dramatist John Heywood suggested that the best way to recover from a hangover is to have an another alcoholic drink.

This one is FICTION

This saying comes from a misguided notion from years ago that you could recover from a dog bite by plucking a hair from the dog that bit you and holding it to the wound.    That didn't work for wounds and neither does another drink work for a hangover.

OWT #6:  Wait 30 minutes before swimming after eating.

This one is always tough for kids, I remember it being tough for me.   You're at the pool all day, you're hungry, you want to eat lunch, but you don't want to have to wait 30 minutes before getting back into the pool.    Cheer up kids......

This one is FICTION

The belief was that blood going to your digestive tract after eating steals the blood needed to keep your arms and legs working during swimming.     According to a Duke study, the body does supply extra blood to aid in digestion, but not enough to affect the arms and legs.   The only thing you may get is a minor cramp in your arms and legs. So kids.....eat a burger and dive in.

OWT # 7:  Don't eat spicy foods if your prone to ulcers.

This one seems like it makes sense and would be true.   However....

This one is FICTION

In fact, there some evidence that suggest hot peppers contain a chemical called capsaicin which may actually help heal ulcers by stimulating blood flow to the wound.

OWT #8:  Fish is brain food.

My husband and I have been eating a lot of fish in the last year, so I'm excited to learn that.....

This one is FACT

The reason for this is the fish oils which contain omega-3 and omega-6.   These help the growth and functionality of the brain.    Looks like it also helps in tenderness of joints, Alzheimers and coronary heart disease.  Wow.   I think we all definitely need to go find Nemo, which isn't the best of news for him.    "Hey Nemo...could you pop over here for a minute......."

Poor Nemo.  Well, taking a look at those, it looks like we have more Old Wives Tales that are just that.....Tales and usually not the truth.   So go run outside with your hair wet today while eating a chicken salad sandwich and then jump in the pool.  In other words......Have Fun!


TRIVIA ANSWER:
2010
BRAIN TEASER:
They are playing 'Monopoly'

Until next time...........


  

CHILDHOOD COMFORT TOYS

Here's some fun for the day..............

TRIVIA:  (Answer below)

What type of gun was used to kill Abraham Lincoln?

BRAIN TEASER:  (Answer below)

What is once in a minute, twice in a moment and never in a thousand years?

QUESTION FOR THE DAY:

What do you call a male Ladybug?

COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:

No matter what, keep your words positive because your words become your behavior.

CHILDHOOD COMFORT TOYS

Most every child has a comfort toy that they carry with them wherever they go.   These toys become their friends.   They are also there for 'security' at night when it's time to go to sleep and constant companions throughout the day. Many parents know the frantic feeling that comes with that moment when you can't find the comfort toy.   

"POOTSIE"

My comfort toy was a stuffed dog that I named 'Pootsie'.    I remember first seeing Pootsie in the Sears & Roebuck catalog and picking her out for Christmas.  (Sear catalog will be a future post)   I was a huge dog lover and really wanted a dog, but we didn't have one.    Pootsie became my dog and my companion.   You can see in the pic that her feet are a bit rough.   That's because I walked her around our block all the time.    I was constantly making repairs on Pootsie's feet and sewing them together.  

I had a collar and a leash for her.   I remember saving up my money for a silver collar with jewels and a leash to match.   I had some way I was able to make it look like Pootsie was walking and I loved walking her around the block.     

                                                                (the 'real' Pootsie)

I eventually got a dog when I got out on my own.   Guess what I named her?   She was a little Yorkie named "Pootsie"  (of course).   That collar and leash that I used on my toy Pootsie became the 'real' Pootsie's first collar and leash.   

                                                               "REAL BABY"

My daughter's comfort toy was named "Real Baby".    Family friends gave us this Madame Alexander doll when she was born.   When our daughter got beyond infant stage, 'real baby' (named by her) became a constant companion.   The sweet thing was looking in our daughter's room at night and watching her rub the lace on real baby's dress to fall asleep.   She had this priceless way of rubbing the lace that, as you can see in the pic, wore the lace and the dress down.    I was alway nervous about taking Real Baby on trips with us and out and about because losing her would have been quite the sad ordeal.   Just like with Pootsie, repairs were made on Real Baby and the dress was sewn frequently.   

Eventually I got this 'bright idea' to get another baby that looked just like Real Baby and try to get our daughter to carry it around instead.    Silly idea and I can't believe I thought that would fly.    The new baby was called "Blue Baby" because she only differed in dress color.    You can see in the pic by the skin and dress just how much Real Baby was loved on and how Blue Baby was never really accepted.  

                                               (our daughter having breakfast with Real Baby)

Pootsie and Real Baby may be old and worn, but the comfort and special memories they bring will last a lifetime.    Take a moment today and think back on that comfort toy that was special to you or to your child.   

TRIVIA:

A derringer

BRAIN TEASER:

The letter 'M'.

Until next time...........

FAMOUS VOICES BEHIND WELL KNOWN CARTOONS

Here's some fun for the day.....


TRIVIA:  (Answer at bottom)
What symbol shares the key with the number 1 on a standard computer keyboard?
(Don't peak)

BRAIN TEASER:
Can you name four days of the week that start with 'T'?

QUESTION FOR THE DAY:
If you throw a cat out the window, does it become kitty litter?

COMIC FUN:

RANDOM GRATITUDE FOR THE DAY:
I am thankful that anytime I am thirsty, I am able to easily have a drink of water.   There are those who cannot.


TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY
Don't let what you want in life make you forget about what you already have.

FAMOUS VOICES BEHIND FAMOUS CARTOONS

Here's a look at some of the people that voice some classic and newer cartoon characters.    This will be part 1 with more in future posts.   There's some cartoon voice actors that aren't so famous, but you've heard their voice in other places and makes for interesting tidbits.   We'll look at them in future posts and some others since there are quite a few, especially in Disney movies.     I've picked a few 'regular' cartoon characters as well as some from "Beauty and the Beast" for today's post.   Some of these you may have known......some you may not.

SHAGGY FROM SCOOBY DOO  - Casey Kasem

ZOINKS!   I didn't learn this until later in life.   I was a big fan of listening to Casey Kasem's top 40 countdown on the radio and a fan of "Scooby Doo".   I never put the two together.



CANDACE FLYNN FROM PHINEAS AND FERB - ASHLEY TISDALE

This is a newer cartoon that is popular these days.   Ashley Tisdale played Sharpay Evans in the "High School Musical" series.

MEG GRIFFIN FROM 'FAMILY GUY' - MILA KUNIS

Mila Kunis is a popular movie star these days.   She's been in "Black Swan" and was recently Theodora in the movie "Oz the Great and Powerful" just to name a few.



SHREDDER FROM 'TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES' - JAMES AVERY

James Avery played Will Smith's uncle in the tv show "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" and has guest starred in numerous TV shows.

DISNEY'S "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST' VOICES

ROBBY BENSON - THE BEAST

Robby Benson was quite the teen idol back in the 1970's.    He was in movies like "Ice Castles" and "Ode to Billy Joe" just to name a few and guest starred on many TV shows.


JERRY ORBACH - LUMIERE

I'm a big fan of Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast.    You may recognize Jerry Orbach from the "Law and Order" television series.   He also played the Dad in "Dirty Dancing". I guess he put Baby in the corner and as Patrick Swayze says "....nobody puts Baby in the corner"  (***thanks Tracy Hoagland for the reminder)


COGSWORTH - DAVID OGDEN STIERS

You may recognize David Ogden Stiers from playing Major Charles Emmerson Winchester III from the television show  'M.A.S.H.'     He's voiced other Disney characters as well


MRS POTTS - ANGELA LANSBURY

I get misty every time I hear Mrs Potts sing the title song "Beauty and the Beast".  She became well known as Jessica Fletcher in "Murder She Wrote".  (btw- seemed like every party and place she went to on that show someone got murdered.   I think if I lived in that make believe world and saw her walk into a party I was at I'd be out the door)   She was also in "The Manchurian Candidate" and lots of Broadway shows



WARDROBE - JO ANNE WORLEY

Those of you growing up in the 1970's may remember Jo Anne Worley from the Variety show "Laugh In".    Her trademark 'screech' can be heard in "Beauty and the Beast" castle defense scene where the castle objects defend their home against the village people (not the 70's music group) 


There's a look and a gander at a few famous cartoon voices.   There's lots more and we'll look at those in future posts.   



TRIVIA ANSWER
The exclamation point

BRAIN TEASER ANSWER:
Tuesday, Thursday, Today, Tomorrow


Until next time............

THE 4 MISTAKES OF EVE

Here's some fun for the day.........

TRIVIA:
Which is heavier.  A baseball or a softball?

PHRASE FUN:  (what phrase is represented by the words below)

EEGVTABLES
EGVETABLES
GEEVTABLES
VEEGTABLES


JOKE:
Q:  What do you call potatoes that watch sports?
A:  Spec-taters.



QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Is it ok to use the A.M. radio after noon?



COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
No matter what is going on in our lives, the victory is in refusing to quit.

THE FOUR MISTAKES OF EVE

I'm taking a look today at another Villain of the Bible.    We've looked at Judas and wasted opportunity.  (June post)  Last time it was Pontius Pilate and the tragedy of doing nothing.   How Pilate knew what the right thing to do was, but for selfish motives he took the easy way out.  (July post)   Well, we've looked at 2 dudes, so let's look at a chick.   How about the very first Villainess......Eve.   

I can see where some may think Eve isn't a Villain, but hey, life was perfect in the Garden of Eden.  Eve committed the first sin, so I think that at least gives her honorable mention.    

Scripture tells us that Adam and Eve were the first people on Earth.   Life was great and they had only one rule to follow and that was not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.   I won't go into the entire story, but it can be found in the book of Genesis in the Bible.    

Eve's got it great, right?  She's the only woman around.   She has no other woman to compare herself to so she's the top banana.   No mirrors to see crows feet and wrinkles.   Of course, since life was perfect, I'm sure her skin glowed and was flawless.
So Eve's hanging out in her perfect world and a serpent (Satan) starts speaking to her.   I'm thinking the other animals didn't speak, so this should have been a first 'hmmm, what's up with this' moment for her.    The serpent tries to talk Eve into eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of Knowledge of good and evil.

EVE'S FIRST MISTAKE

Having the conversation with the serpent in the first place.    

It's best not to engage in communication with Satan.   Granted, we don't have snakes talking to us these days, but we are often in situations where we start reasoning things in our heads that we know are wrong.    Might as well talk to a snake at that point, because it's the same thing.   Her first mistake was not walking away.   She engaged in the conversation.


Ok, so let's go further.   GENESIS 2: 16-17 says:    And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

First, let's look at God's command.  Was he being mean and picky?  Of course not.   Knowledge is good but it was the intimate detail of the ‘knowing’ of evil that was dangerous.   God was being a good and protective Father.   Protecting Adam and Eve's innocence from things they didn’t need to know.


So here's the next part.   Eve's having her chit chat with the serpent and he's telling her it would be no big whoop if she took a bite of fruit from the tree.  ( how ya' like my paraphrase?)   Look what Eve says in GENESIS 3:   The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,  but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 

Notice anything different????    She didn't get it quite right.  She added to it.  If you look at the original verse, God didn't say they couldn't touch it.   She added that part.   

EVE'S SECOND MISTAKE

She added to God's word because she didn't know it well.

One of the many advantages of knowing Scripture is that you can recall it quickly (and get it right) during times of difficulty or during tricky situations.  You have it as a 'go to guide'.   As far as adding to God's word.   How often do we do that?   How often do we distort Scripture to fit what we want it to mean.   How often do we take it out of context to use it in a way it wasn't intended to be used.   I know I've done that plenty of times.



Next we have 6 words in Scripture that changed the course of history.   "....she took some and ate it......."  ( from Genesis 3:6)   Well.....there ya' go.  The first sin.    

EVE'S THIRD MISTAKE:

She took action when she should have walked away

Eve could have just walked away.   Seems simple enough, but we all struggle with the ability to walk away in various situations.  Satan knows what we like and knows how to use it on us.   He's a crafty fella, so we have to be strong.  Often we aren't and that's what trips us up.   Certainly has tripped me up many a time.

In this same verse we see how Eve then gave some of the fruit to Adam.    Many times when we've done something wrong we don't like to be the only one, so we bring someone else along so it's not just us.    When Adam and Eve talk to God afterwards, neither one takes responsibility.    Eve told God what she did, but she blamed the serpent.   So.....

EVE'S FOURTH MISTAKE:

She played the blame game

How often do we make excuses to God?  We all sin, we all do things we shouldn't, but just be honest with God and tell Him.   It's not like He doesn't know.  He's God after all.  Don't blame someone else.  Be straight with God.

Ok, now Adam's not totally off the hook here either.    One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Adam's talk to God after the fruit issue.   Look at Genesis 3:12   The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Oh my word, is that not priceless?  Cracks me up every time.   Basically Adam is saying 'it's your fault God, you put that woman here".    Hey Adam.....blaming God is usually not a good route to go.


So there's a quick look at a few lessons from Eve, our first Villainess.    She's no Jezebel or Delilah, but hey......if she'd just walked away that day, we could all be living in perfect bliss.  I guess if we were in perfect bliss right now the wrinkles on my forehead would be gone.   On the plus side, my daughter sells Clinique and it works wonders on them.  (shameless plug)  Maybe I should thank Eve.  After all, thanks to her......my daughter has lots of customers.

TRIVIA ANSWER:

Softball

PHRASE FUN ANSWER:

Mixed Vegetables


Until next time...........

CAR TRAVEL GAMES

Here's some fun for the day......

TRIVIA:
What 2 colors make purple?

BRAIN TEASER:
Two men play five complete games of checkers.   Each man wins the same number of games.  There are no ties.   How is this possible?

JOKE:
Q:  What does an educated owl say?
A:  Whom.


QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star have the same tune?  

SECOND QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Did you just sing both those songs to see if it's true?


COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
Life is about laughing & living in good & bad times.  Getting through whatever comes our way & looking back with a smile.



RANDOM OBSERVATION:

Recently, my husband and I took a trip in the car where we drove for close to 4 hours.   I got to thinking about the various car games I used to play as a kid when my family traveled.  I also thought about the car games we played later in life with our daughter.   I think the standard fare these days is for parents to plop in a DVD for kids, but I think car games were pretty special.   I thought I'd take a look back on some that I used to play and maybe you have some too.    Here's the ones I can remember.

CAR BINGO

My absolute favorite were these car bingo games.     In this game you each had different boards and had to look for landmarks.   Whoever got bingo (5 in a row in any direction) first was the winner.    There were landmark ones, city ones and car ones.   I loved it as a kid and played it all the time with our daughter as well.  After the first Bingo you try to be the one to cover the board.   This can be tricky because often you'll have something odd like a Eagle or 2-legged dog you have to find.    Ok, maybe the 2-legged dog isn't really on there.

LICENSE PLATE GAME

This game could be played as a team or as a competition.    I think I played competitively against my brother.   When it was later in life with my daughter and husband,  we played it as a team working together to collect the states.     Basically, you just look at license plates and get a point for each different state you find.   Finding something like a Hawaii or Alaska is pretty rare, but it's quite fun.

ALPHABET BILLBOARD GAME

I was always fascinated at reading billboards whenever on a road trip.    I would get so excited when we would come upon the ones showing that our destination was near.    This game can also be played as a group or as a competition.    Basically, as you come upon billboards you go through the alphabet in order, one letter per billboard.   For instance, the first billboard you are looking for the letter A.   You can either have this be anywhere on the billboard, or a word that starts with A, depending how difficult you want the game to be.   Once A in found, you move on to finding B on the next billboard or until you find it, then move on to C and etc.     This can get tricky when you get to letters like X and Z.

BEE BEE BUMBLE BEE

This is the classic 'bee, bee, bumble bee, I see something you don't see and it is.......' (usually followed by a color)   Then the person has to guess what the item is.    If you are just doing this for inside the car items, a super clean car would make for a boring game, so junk it up.   Haha.   If you include outside items, you just have to be quick about it so you don't pass the item before the person gets a chance to guess.

                                                           CAR COLOR GAME

My brother and I would play this one a lot.    We'd each pick a car color, then we note our mile marker when we passed one.   We'd set a destination of a particular number of miles and whoever saw their car color the most during that distance was the winner.     Then you take a little break and play it again with different colors.     As a variation to this game we would sometimes pick types of cars.   Trans Ams vs Pick Ups or Corvettes vs Beetles.    Speaking of Beetles......

PUNCH BUGGY

In this game, you get to punch each other whenever you see a Volkswagon Beetle car.  The PT Cruiser is used in this game sometimes as well and you say 'cruiser bruiser'. This of course has potential to get out of hand with a couple of sleepy, grumbly kids.   I guess that's why the game 'electric shock beetle' never took off quite as well.    

Something else that was a lot of fun back in the day that wasn't necessarily a car game were C.B. Radios.   I'll do a separate post on that sometime in the future.

I'm sure there are more car games than the ones I listed.   Let me know if you have some different ones.   Car games add to family fun while traveling, so let's put away the iPads and the DVD's and grab an old fashioned Car Bingo card.    You never realized how exciting a grain silo can be until you pass it and it completes your 5 in a row.  BINGO!

TRIVIA ANSWER

Red and Blue

BRAIN TEASER ANSWER:
The two men were not playing against each other.  

Until next time........