Simply Thrifty

Ode to my ice pop mold

by Deborah Ng on August 3rd, 2007

Ok, so this isn’t an ode in the traditional sense, but I’m going to wax nostalgic for a bit.

Growing up, my mom wasn’t big on snacks, especially sugary treats. We had canned fruit, jello or pudding most evenings after dinner, and cookies with our lunch, but no in-between meal snacking for us. Except in the summer.

Every summer, Mom would dust off and clean off the ice pop molds so we could have a sweet, cooling snack in the afternoon. We didn’t have air conditioning, nor did anyone we knew so you can imagine what a treat it was to sit in the shade of the big maple tree in our back yard and suck on a homemade ice pop. Technically, we were just consuming frozen Kool-Aid, but that didn’t matter to us. Mom’s ice pops were a summer ritual like weekend trips to Jones Beach and eating dinner at our backyard picnic table every afternoon.

A couple of months ago I bought an ice pop mold too. I was buying fruit juice ice pops for my son, but the good ones are really expensive. The cheaper ones, the ones with all the sugar and chemicals, aren’t high on my list of good, wholesome treats, so I’d rather not buy them. Now we make our own ice pops. I use fresh fruit juice and every afternoon my son sits outside on the deck and enjoys a homemade treat. He hasn’t missed the store-bought stuff, nor has he asked for it. His friends enjoy them too.

When you consider I haven’t bought any popsicles this summer, the popsicle mold (which cost $5.99) has already paid for itself. Mom knew a thing or two about making her kids feel special, how nice to be able to pass it along.

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POSTED IN: Frugal Gourmet, Simple Pleasures, Simpler Thinking