"Sandwiches" and Simplifying

August is National Sandwich Month and August 2nd was Ice Cream Sandwich Day. Of course you know that ice cream sandwiches are frozen desserts composed of a layer of ice cream (any flavor) "sandwiched" between two cookies or slices of cake.
In the United States, a slice of ice cream, (commonly vanilla), sits between two rectangular wafers, usually chocolate. And alternatives to the chocolate wafer are usually chocolate chip cookies.
In Australia, they're called "Giant Sandwiches" or "Monaco Bar"
In Scotland they are known as "sliders"-usually served as vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two rectangle wafers.
In Singapore, common flavors often include: Ripple, Red Bean, Yam, Sweet Corn, Honeydew, Peppermint, Chocolate and Chocolate Chip and is known as "wafer" ice cream
In Ireland, England and Wales an ice cream wafer, consisting of a small block of ice cream between two rectangular wafer biscuits was a popular alternative to the ice cream cone up until the 1970's. Since then it has declined and is now rarely seen.


It is "SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE" week. What can you do to de-stress and make your life easier? Why not...

• Set a designated time (or couple of times) during each day to check your email. Reading and replying to email wastes a lot of time!
• Unsubscribe to email newsletters, ads, etc. Keep only those that you read and are really of interest to you.
• Take a long relaxing bath: candles, scented oil, your favorite music and put your worries away for about 30 minutes. You'll feel refreshed, relaxed and will sleep much better. Pencil it into your calendar if you need to.
• Get a sitter. Especially if you work from home. What could you do with an extra 3-6 hours/week?
• Purge your regular mail on a daily basis. Toss/shred anything that is junk mail, place items that need to be filed in one bin or basket and bills needing to be paid in another. You'll be much more organized when it comes time to pay bills.
• Make a list at the END of the day for tomorrow. You won't need to waste time in the morning figuring out what you need to do first.

Have you got any other ideas? Feel free to share......

I spoke with Dr. Fred Mandell, author of BECOMING A LIFE CHANGE ARTIST: SEVEN CREATIVE SKILLS THAT CAN TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE". He co-wrote the book with Kathleen Jordan and it is for anyone looking for a new spark in life, a path toward reinvention or anyone in the midst of transition. The book takes a unique approach to becoming a life change artist by studying famous artists throughout history. Dr. Mandell also discusses our creativity. I always thought that you were born with the creative talent to draw, paint, etc. However, this isn't really the case.

Creativity is actually the act of bringin into existence something that did not exist before.

The book also talks about the 7 key skills that you need in order to make a life transition: Preparation, Seeing, Using Context, Embracing Uncertainty, Taking Risks, Collaborating and Applying Discipline and he relates these principles to the lives and characteristics of Picasso, Monet, Rembrandt and others. A facinating look at making a change... check it out.