Frugal Family Fun for Everyone

My husband, three children and I just got back from Darien Lake amusement park and I am astonished at the frugal family fun this place offers for everyone.  We received the 5 Season Passes as a Christmas gift from family. Having never been season pass holders, we did not know what to expect and we have been overwhelmed with the cost-effectiveness of Darien Lake for a season pass holder.  The park just opened in May for weekends only and already we have been to Darien Lake four times and it is only June 1st!

By my calculations, if we visited the park 25 times or approximately four times a month until it closes for the season in mid-October, our per person cost per visit will amount to about $1.80.  ($1.80 times 25 = $45.00 or the cost per season pass.)  Now, that is $1.80 per visit, NOT $1.80 per hour to the amusement park!  And you can stay for hours and hours and hours for that per visit cost.  Now, I know what you are thinking!  What about the extraordinary cost of gas!  Well, I incorporated that into the equation, and this is how that adds up.

We happen to live fairly close to Darien Lake, so for us the gas cost is about $10.00 round trip (my husband’s engineering calculations uses on that).  If you take the $1.80 per person visit cost outlined from above times our family size of 5, we yield $9.00 plus the $10.00 in gas gives us a grand total of $19.00 per park visit.  In an hourly breakdown, if the 5 of us stay for 6 hours, then the amusement park visit cost is $3.17 per hour. And if we stayed for more hours the price per hour keeps going down.  What family activity can you do with five people outside of your home for $3.17 per hour other than the usual go for a walk, visit a natural park, etc.?

Oh, but there is even more!  On our first visit to Darien Lake earlier in May we received coupons which were good to bring friends for FREE!  Yes, you read that correctly!  We received a total of FIVE coupons good for bringing a friend: one that could be used any day for the rest of the season, one coupon good to bring a friend on Mother’s Day, one for Father’s Day, one for the Sunday of Memorial day weekend and one for Memorial Day.  If you used all of the coupons, that provided approximately another $150 of free value per person!   

Now, the catch – there is always a catch isn’t there?  To be frugal, you need to bring your own lunch, beverages and snacks which we always do and leave the park (getting your hand stamped for re-entry) and eat in your car or at picnic tables near the parking lot.  And to not get hooked into the extra purchases available at the amusement park. The park allows us to get reasonably fresh air, exercise, laughter and fun as a family at a frugal price.

Not much in the way of gluten-free, or dairy-free, so if you are on a special diet, make sure to bring everything you need.  I’m working on getting in shape and this is a cost effective alternative to a gym membership which includes my children and husband, and provides hours and hours of exercise which doesn’t seem like exercise at all!  Hey, maybe we’ll invent the “Amusement Park Diet”…LOL.  I’ll post some pictures once I get a bit of technical support from my son.  Have a happy, frugal and fun summer with your family!

Love,

Lisa 

My Poster Session at the Conference for Global Transformation

I am just recently back from San Francisco where I completed a 9-month long program called Power & Contribution and in the process attended a Conference for Global Transformation. I presented a poster during one of the poster sessions and learned a great deal to help me with future Global Conferences.  My topic for the poster session was, of course, food!  

The growing interest in food is unavoidable as the May 19, 2008 cover of U.S. News & World Report reads “How to Solve The Global Food Crisis”, and the The Yorker magazine cover of the same date contains an article called Global food fight.  USA TODAY also ran an article on May 19th called “New breed of American emerges in need of food”.  There are many facets to the topic of food and with food recalls becoming more common, the increase i demand for organic foods, and overall interest in food as a health tool it seems apparent that the growth will continue.

Having presented a poster at the Conference for Global Transformation, I can submit a white paper for next years Journal, and consider submitting a workshop proposal.  It was obvious that people have a hunger (no pun intended) for information on food and the relationship between food and health as evidenced by the small group crowded around my poster that got so engaged in the discussion that they never moved on to see other posters.

It was great to be at a conference of like-minded people!  People who I could lovingly refer to as a bunch of “do-gooders” or people out to change the world.  In either case, it felt like being home to be engaged in conversations with people about how we can contribute to the world to make it a better place for our children and our children’s children.  Is there anything that you could do today for yourself in the area of food?  Eat more fruits and vegetables, or perhaps a little less sugar or carbohydrates?  

Do you have the resources to contribute to your local food bank or food pantry or perhaps the time to volunteer there?  We can all make a difference one small action at a time.  I’m looking to organize like-minded mothers and fathers to make advancements in food in our country and the world.  If that appeals to you, please e-mail me through the website and I’ll add you to my list.  Over time, we’ll figure out the difference we can make together for everyone!

Many blessings and happy eating!

Love,

Lisa

Living Life with No Regrets

How many of us can say that we actually live life with no regrets?  I have had a chance recently to take stock and evaluate how many regrets I have (so far) in life.  More than regrets, it is the mistakes that I’ve made which I wish I could have a “do-over” opportunity.  But mistakes are what you learn from.  Ask Henry Ford and Albert Einstein and a few others that had many things not turn out before they accomplished what they set out to do.  Yes, mistakes I have made plenty of, but regrets are another matter.

I regret not doing the Dance Marathon while at Penn State.  ”Thon” as it is lovingly called.  But I couldn’t go back to Penn State and do more, do it better or have more fun which makes me happy.  I think what makes me have few regrets is that I think big and go for the gusto!  I’ve already done many things in my life that I was told were not going to happen.  Doing the grunt work to get the Alpha Omicron Pi Chapter started at Penn State was just one of those things.

More than a few Penn Staters thought that I was out of my mind to even try. And then that I was even crazier to continue when the Panhellenic Council voted down allowing AOII to colonize at Penn State.  And yet, we were ultimately successful because I and others were not willing to give up.  What do you regret?  What regrets do you have that you could still impact?  Do you regret not keeping in touch with old friends?  Learning a new hobby?  Spending time with your family?

It’s never too late to interrupt the path of regrets.  It first takes a moment of contemplation to review your own life, where you have been and what you have done.  Only then, and in contrast to your own vision for your life can you look for possible regrets.  I am surrounded by loving and generous friends, three great children, one hard working husband, and I am living into a vision where I am contributing my gifts to others.  Now that makes me happy.  What makes you happy?

Love,

Lisa

Technically Challenged AND Blogging

Yes, you know that you are technically challenged when you have to ask your 10-year-old son for help with your cell phone! No shame in that! My 5-year old daughter was proudly boasting this week that she was good with technology. It gave me room for pause as I then ask her, “What IS technology?”

“Well, the microwave is technology,” she answered with the pride of any child. Yeah, even I can do that technology! So, here I am technically challenged and blogging. Imagine what else is possible. Having mastered getting a blog posted, my feat this week will be figuring out how to notifiy all of my family, friends, and followers that I now have a blog. There is some way that you can register to receive automatic e-mails when I post a new blog to my blog (yes, I’m sure that there is some technical language here that I am missing). Perhaps you will figure that out.

It is amazing how our children are growing up in a technical world and they take to it like a fish takes to water. Our world is changing. Are we changing to keep pace? I think that the work that I am doing to gain new skills to help me cause a new future would fall nicely into the “change” category. It is confronting, however. I have garnered new skills in the area of what I can say to people, what I can do on any given day, and how I can nuture and inspire people. And it is all very, very confronting.

Now I just have to confront my need to get exercising. How technical is that? What areas of life are you confronting today? What new technical skill could you gain in the coming week? Sending you good love and powerful positive energy.
Love,
Lisa

Gratitude and Appreciation

As we launch our cookbook we as a family are grateful to so many for all of the love and support that has been given to us. It is stressful to have a child who is not healthy with all of the added doctor visits, time and energy required. Adding extraordinary medical bills on top, just makes an already hard situation even more crushing. I am thankful to family, friends, and total strangers for sharing love, generosity, and encouragement in times when we could not see our way clear of the hardships we were encountering.

People like Linda and Garry Breitbach, Diane & Keith Gregor (as in Gregor’s Garden Grove in West Seneca) and Alberta & Paul Roman are just a couple of the names that pop into my mind who have contributed remarkably to helping us overcome tremendous problems. Gratitude hardly seems strong enough to capture our deep appreciation to the hundreds of people who have supported us. In our great nation, every thirty seconds someone goes bankrupt due to medical bills according to the AARP. We are thankful that we have missed that arrow.

My personal philosophy has always been that God only gives you what he knows you can handle. But the addendum to that is God gives you a problem so you can use it to contribute to others. And I would like nothing more than that. My mission is to use what we have been through starting with food to empower others. And those of you who know me personally know that I have a personal commitment to alter the future of health care for the better. What else would you do given the same circumstances?

It is my personal vision to create the partnership of millions of Americans to cause a new future in health care. That is what enables me to get up out of bed in the morning, despite very difficult circumstances, and be in action. I want a new future for my three children – a better world. It is humbling to say the least to have overcome such difficulties. It is inspiring to be working to alter the future for the better. Gratitude and appreciation have helped me survive and move forward. What are you grateful for today? Who do you appreciate?

Many, many blessings to each and every one of you.
Love,
Lisa