STORYTELLING | by SHERRY STRIPLING

SUMMER VISITS WITH BELOVED FRIENDS AND FAMILY are a great time to add to your oral-history collection. But don’t let good weather tempt you outside to record.

Chirping birds that charm you now will annoy you as you listen to the recording. Most recorders favor every decibel of airplanes, trucks and slamming doors over the details of golden memories.

National Public Radio’s StoryCorps has helped more than 50,000 people share stories since 2003. Among the recording tips the Corps offers:

Recording equipment

• Go simple with a cell phone, a tape recorder, video camera or computer.
• Go upscale with recommended digital recorders: Marantz PMD661 or the more portable Edirol R-09 (which I’ve used for years and recommend).

Choose a quiet location

• Pick a carpeted room over areas with reflective surfaces or noisy appliances.
• Shut off or remove anything that could make noise, including clocks and radios.

Test your equipment

• Wear headphones so you can hear what the recorder hears.
• Ask sample questions, test how the answers sound, then push record and begin for real.

Use a microphone

• Hold the microphone about 7 inches from your subject’s mouth.
• Use a light touch to avoid “mic-handling” sounds.

You’ll find these tips and much more in StoryCorps’ free, downloadable Do-It-Yourself kit, including interview tips and a good question generator. Don’t forget Lifestyle Insights’ earlier look at the art of the follow-up question.

Happy visiting!

BACK TO BASICS | by KAVITA VARMA-WHITE

THERE IS NOTHING ENJOYABLE ABOUT MOVING from one house to another. Throw kids into the mix and the whole process can be even more stressful.

But before you blow your top amidst the cardboard boxes and packing tape, get your kiddos involved. There is plenty for them to do, and they will actually think it’s fun. (And at least someone will be having fun.)

The packing phase of moving is a great time to sort the things you need and don’t need. Put kids in charge of their own rooms and give them a few guidelines for sorting:

• Pile #1 is the things you want to take to the new home.
• Pile #2 is the things you want to toss out (broken toys, games with missing pieces, etc.).
• Pile #3 consists of the things you don’t want, but could be donated or given to other kids, like clothes or shoes that are too small, or toys you’ve outgrown.

Kids of elementary-school age and older can pack their own boxes. They’ll enjoy wrapping things up and using tape to close lids. Have them design a personal seal (a picture or initials) that they draw on all of their own belongings. This is yet another way to get them to take ownership of their stuff.

You can also enlist your kids’ help in other parts of the house; just be specific in what they need to do. In the kitchen, they can be responsible for wrapping up and labeling silverware. Or they can go to all living areas and pack pillows from every room.

You might even want to consider a cash incentive — maybe 25 cents for each box packed. For a mere $10, that’s 40 boxes and, most would agree, money well spent.

CURATING | by JANNA LUFKIN

IN EVERY FAMILY, one member usually emerges as the historian. If you are the one handling this important bit of family business, make it easy and organize the family treasures.

SOURCE: iSTOCKPHOTO.COM

Do you have stacks of snapshots, boxes filled with vintage family photos, various binders and albums, CDs, DVDs, plus a virtual collection as well?

If so, unpack your closets and drawers this summer and design a family photo library that is efficient and easy to use, now and well into the future.

WARNING: This project can become overwhelming! But, like most large projects, it’s knowing where to start that’s half the battle.

Here are some questions to get you going:

• Where do you want to store your library? A desk, a closet, on bookshelves?
• How do you want to organize your archives? Albums, binders, photo boxes or digitally? Do some research; the ideal system will most likely include both old and new technology.
• How do you want to access your photos? By date/year, by family member — or both?

Once you have decided how your system will work, begin to sort and stack snapshots. If you have unidentified family photographs (we all do!) make a separate pile of those.

Purchase your chosen system to accommodate your archives and begin to compile your library. Make sure you choose a system that can be easily labeled and added to.

Finally, take a family vacation — a summer trip down memory lane. Host a picnic or weekend reunion and share your newly organized library. Top off the celebration by making a game of identifying unidentified family photos. Spread them (or copies of) on a table and gather valuable information from older family members.

Organizing the family archives? It could be the ticket to the best family vacation you ever had.

BACK TO BASICS | by JEAN GALTON

© ANGIE NORWOOD BROWNE

ON MANY A STEAMY summer night, raspberry popsicles were my favorite way to cool off, once the sprinkler was put away for the evening. Since then, I’ve made my own popsicles, in many different varieties, with new flavors debuting each summer. Easy to make, with pureed fruit or just plain old fruit juice, there’s no more refreshing way to end the day. These are our current favorites.

Pink Lemonade Popsicles

2 cups raspberry lemonade
Fresh raspberries

1. Fill popsicle molds with the raspberry lemonade and stuff a few raspberries into each one. Insert popsicle sticks and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING | by MOLLY MARTIN

THE WORLD OF FITNESS OFTEN SEEMS TO RUN COUNTER to the green movement: plastic infomercial equipment destined for storage lockers, garage sales and landfills; millions of discarded water bottles; memberships to clubs filled with elaborate machines instead of local walks, runs and exercises using one’s own body weight.

SOURCE: PATAGONIA.COM

But some green fitness efforts are breaking through, giving the opportunity to feel doubly good about your workout:

• BPA-free water bottles address both reduce the mound of used bottles and concerns over Bisphenol A.
• Used workout gear is hardly enticing, but you can find new clothes and shoes made with recycled ingredients.
• A movement started in Great Britain helps folks get their exercise while working on environmental conservation.
• You can even use your workout to power your gym or (part of) your home.

And, perhaps one day, your daily walk will also charge your cell phone. Or much more.

DESIGN | by DEBRA PRINZING

IN 2006, WHEN I MOVED from Seattle to Los Angeles, I met Cristi Walden and was invited to join her small group on the first of what I call Cristi’s “Design Field Trips.”

MARION DAVIES © DEBRA PRINZING

Through this lively and curious woman, I’ve had a personal education in architecture, design, decorative arts and the cultural history of Los Angeles. We’ve gone off the beaten track to places I never would have discovered on my own, including the just-restored Marion Davies beach house in Malibu and a pitch-perfect Tiki Bar in the basement of a shy but gifted animator. We met tile makers who are keeping alive the art of the past and toured the ancient warehouse where reproduction Bauer pottery is being manufactured.

With a twinkle in her eye, Cristi has a knack for gathering like-minded people, heading out for a day and creating an unforgettable excursion. She calls us the “Merry Band of Archivists.”

Here are some of Cristi’s tricks for pulling together a design-filled day:

• Keep your ears open and just ask. Her contagious enthusiasm opens doors and, frankly, I think people are flattered to be asked to share their home or give a behind-the-scenes tour to kindred spirits.
• Invite participants. Armed with driving directions or a map, we head out to visit an obscure county museum with an amazing art exhibit or an incredible Arts & Crafts house filled with a stunning vintage pottery collection. Camaraderie, discovery and adventure make us nearly giddy with excitement.
• Add food. Cristi makes sure we eat, perhaps at a Mexican cantina, a barbecue spot or a diner. The restaurants seem to fit the theme of the tour, but maybe that’s a coincidence.

After the trip, armed with the email addresses of new friends, I return home with photographs, stories and a much better appreciation of the place where I now live.

CURATING | by JANNA LUFKIN

GARAGE SALES, TAG SALES, YARD SALES — whatever you call them — can be fun, profitable and give you your garage back.

SOURCE: iSTOCKPHOTO.COM

Summer is the perfect time to tackle this project. If you encourage your family to pitch in, by the end of the day you’ll not only have a few extra dollars in your pockets, you will have cleared some much-needed real estate.

Here are a few tips and tricks to organizing these weekend money-makers:

• Give yourself time to organize. A month before your sale, clear your house and garage of saleable items; box and price as you go.
• Choose a sale date that is not a holiday weekend. Families often leave town and you’ll want as many people around as possible to attend your event.
• Purchase tags or stickers in different bright colors. Assign each family member his or her own color. When an item sells, keep the tag. At the end of the day, each family member will know how much they sold.
• Make sure all electronics are in working order. Have an extension cord handy for potential buyers.
• Group like-size clothing together. Make sure they are clean.
• Advertise your sale. Craigslist is a great way to get the word out. Bright colored, large, neatly printed signs work well to grab a neighborhood passerby.
• Have enough small bills and loose change on hand when the sale starts. Wear a carpenter’s apron to keep money handy and safe.
• Set up a free-coffee table in the morning; turn it into a .25 cent lemonade stand in the afternoon and get the kids to help.
• After the sale, immediately pack up and donate unsold items.
• Park your car in the garage — it’s a great feeling!

PASSIONS | by JEAN GALTON

PERHAPS IT’S PECULIAR TO MY WORLD, but it seems that lots of teenagers are becoming vegan. In our house, it’s my 14-year old. And since I do most of the cooking around here, when I learned of her decision, I tried not to have a cow about it (sorry, I couldn’t resist that). Anyway, one meatless evening, I devised this particular salad, one that both carnivores and vegans can appreciate.

Bulgur with Mushrooms,

Zucchini and Dill
Serves 4

1 cup medium bulgur
Salt
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1/4 pound sliced cremini mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped dill
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch cayenne
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1. Place the bulgur in a bowl with salt and pour 2 cups boiling water over. Cover and let stand 20 to 25 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed. Drain and squeeze out any remaining water.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and mushrooms and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute.

3. Stir the zucchini mixture and the remaining ingredients into the bulgur. Serve warm or cold.

WELLNESS | by KAVITA VARMA-WHITE

WITH FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA leading the charge on childhood obesity, there’s finally a spotlight on what is becoming (pardon the pun) an extremely huge issue among young American kids. The stats are pretty sobering: Thirty percent of U.S. kids are overweight or obese, as measured by body-mass index (BMI); among black and Hispanic children, the number is 50 percent. Add to that a recent study which found that kids in the U.S. snack three times a day, and usually on unhealthy food such as chips and candy.

SOURCE: iSTOCKPHOTO.COM

As parents, there is plenty we can do about this. We are the ones filling our refrigerators and pantries, and we are the ones deciding what’s on our kids’ plates for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Lately our family has been trying hard to make snacking a healthier endeavor. After polling friends on what healthy snacks they feed, I found a slew of ideas to try out on my own kids, who are 7 and 10.

Here are their top three choices, which we now have in the house at all times and have become real “go-to” snacks.

Homemade Trail Mix
Mix together whole-wheat pretzels, wheat Chex, raisins, chocolate chips and nuts. The sweet and crunchy mix is satisfying and is high in energy-boosting protein.

Flavored Popcorn
Pop a bag of low-fat or fat-free popcorn in the microwave, then spritz with olive-oil spray. Season with parmesan cheese or cinnamon and sugar.

Veggies & Dip
Make your own sour-cream-and-onion dip by mixing nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt with one packet of Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix. Serve with dipable veggies like carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.

BACK TO BASICS | by MOLLY MARTIN

IT’S NEVER BEEN EASIER TO BE A WRITER these days: emails and blogs and tweets and status updates and websites, oh my!

Now, the first part of that sentence alone can set a writer’s eyes either laughing or crying. One of my big light bulbs in life was the understanding that most writers don’t find writing easy. (Very helpful when writing isn’t going so well — I’m not alone!) As Georg N. Meyers, one of my first editors, used to say, “Writing is when you sit at your typewriter until little beads of blood come to your forehead.”

Yet we still endeavor. A few tips and tricks from along my road that might come in handy on yours:

• Trim the first three paragraphs. Often we get all writerly when we write, and spend too much time setting up a piece. On the web especially, where people tend to scan rather than read, getting to the point quickly usually is more effective.
• Write for your mother. Or your best friend. Include anecdotes and metaphors that you generally use in conversation.
• Start in the middle. Or at the end. Don’t let a lack of idea for how to begin derail your efforts. Often I find that as I’m writing the middle or end, the suitable beginning reveals itself.
• Power through writer’s block. Go for a walk, do the laundry, take whatever break you need, but don’t let it become avoidance. In either “Wild Mind” or “Writing Down The Bones” (I can’t remember which), Natalie Goldberg recommends simply sticking with it: Write, “I can’t think of what to write. I can’t think of what to write. I can’t think of what to write” over and over until something else comes to mind. Believe me, it will.