take a moment
 Volume 5 August
2005
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Welcome to TAKE-A-MOMENT!
The Take-A-Moment newsletters strive to provide quick-to-read content to improve and enhance the quality of life at home and in the work place...for when you can "take-a-moment" from your hectic schedule. Take-a-Moment is provided by the Louisville Area Cooperative Extension Agents. When you have "more-than-a-moment" visit our web site for expanded articles, article archives, sign-up and contact information, and links to other web sites of interest. ("Netiquette" statement is at the end of this email, see below.) Email subscribers@take-a-moment.com and request the PLAIN TEXT VERSION of the newsletter. Did You Know...?
C O N T E N T S
STAIN REMOVAL 1. hang outdoors to let air flow through article. An electric fan will help if a breeze is not blowing.
FINANCIAL FITNESS Rules for using money can be mysterious to young children but with proper parental guidance, they will learn sound financial practices that will help them steer a wise course through their adolescent and adult years. Parents should look for opportunities during daily activities to help their little ones learn how to properly spend and save money. By age 5, children pick up lots of knowledge on how people exchange money for things. They are greatly influenced by television, advertisements and, most importantly, the actions of family members. To help them get a proper perspective parents need to look for the teachable moment – a time when your child is open to a new idea. Don’t try to explain too much at one time. When you’ve satisfied your child’s interest, change the subject and wait for the next teachable moment. Here are a few practical ideas for parents to try:
As parents, you really are your children’s most important teachers.
FAMILY LIFE “Being at peace is not the same as being placid. You can be assertive, firm, even passionate and bold, yet be at peace,” says author Carol Ann Morrow. And it’s true: Inner peace is a state of soothing and vibrant tranquility, a gentle energy that carries enormous strength. It is the ideal springboard for all activities. In order to take optimally effective action, especially in times of turmoil, you must be at peace within yourself. To thrive individually and collectively, we must intelligently slow the often hectic pace of today’s society and build periods of quiet time into our daily lives. A lack of peace often shows up as restlessness, agitation, touchiness, and other indicators of negative stress. The key to remaining peaceful is to catch these early signs of tension before they get the best of you. Learn to tune into signals of stress as early as possible. Then center and calm yourself in a way that works for you, such as breathing deeply, taking a break, saying a prayer, thinking positive thoughts, talking it over, or doing something physical like walking or working in the garden. Remember that laughter, having fun, enjoyable exercise, and sufficient high-quality rest are some of the best stress busters ever created. Try taking a walk in a pleasant outdoor area. Allow yourself to soak in the peace of nature. Focus on the beauty of your natural surroundings—the sunshine, trees, flowers, breezes, and other miracles of Mother Nature. This has a wonderful, calming effect, and can help you get in touch with your authentic self. While you’re enjoying the natural world, bring to mind a future challenge you will likely face. Visualize yourself handling it with peace, strength, poise, and creativity. If you’re so inclined, you might also start a Peace Notebook. Write down past memories of your most peaceful times, activities that help you feel at peace and energized, and ways in which you might offer the gift of vibrant peace to others. Consider those events, not always dramatic, often subtle, that help pull you back into the moment. You can only experience peace when you’re living in the present moment. In his booklet, Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing, renowned physician and Harvard-educated author Andrew Weil recommends breathwork as an excellent way to promote peace, balance, and well-being. When we are stressed, our abdominal muscles tighten. Our breathing speeds up and becomes shallow. The breath shifts from the abdominal area up into the chest. But unless we are running from wild tigers, this type of “fight or flight” breathing only worsens our stress. Breathwork involves taking deeper, slower breaths. Dr. Weil suggests developing skills such as occasionally exhaling more fully, using the intercostal muscles between the ribs to squeeze out as much breath as possible. When we do this, we naturally take in more air on the next breath. Try this simple practice and enjoy the invigorating feeling of taking a truly full breath. Also, whether it involves breathwork, being out in nature, or simply getting off by yourself in your own home, try to build quiet time into your life. Peace is still possible in the hustle and bustle of modern life, but it thrives on the quiet times. Preferably in the morning before the activities of the day claim you, cultivate a state of inner quietness. You might read briefly from an inspirational source, enjoy a period of meditation and prayer, or keep a journal about something wonderful and close to your heart. However you do it, make your period of daily quiet time a top priority. You will feel more inner peace and will be better able to share it with all who cross your path. Being peaceful is a skill we can learn, teach others, and weave into the fabric of our society. In the words of the late Peace Pilgrim, an older woman who gave up all her wealth to walk across America and spread a simple message of peace, “The way of peace is the way of love. Love is the greatest power on earth. It conquers all things.”
NUTRITION & WHAT'S COOKING An abundant supply of fresh fruits and vegetables are being produced in local gardens or can be found in farmers’ markets across the state. Many people are busy canning and freezing to preserve this bounty. To safely preserve produce, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has provided time-proven canning and freezing procedures. Blanch vegetables before freezing them. Blanching is the process of heating or scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time. This slows or stops enzymatic action that reduces flavor, color and texture. It also removes dirt and organisms from vegetable surfaces; helps retard vitamin loss; and wilts or softens vegetables, making them easier to pack in freezer containers. Use a wire blanching basket and covered saucepan or a wire basket into a large kettle with a fitted lid. Use 1 gallon of vigorously boiling water per pound of prepared vegetables. After putting vegetables into the basket, lower it into the container and begin blanching time as soon at the water returns to a boil, usually within one minute. If it takes longer to return to a boil, you’re using too much vegetable for the amount of water. Be sure to keep heat high for the total blanching time. Quickly and thoroughly cool vegetables to stop the cooking process. Otherwise, they’ll be overcooked and lose flavor, color, vitamins and minerals. Inadequate draining before freezing, slow freezing or temperature fluctuations above 0 degrees Fahrenheit might cause this. It can affect frozen vegetables’ texture and appearance. Frozen food is only as good as the quality of the fresh food. So choose high-quality products at optimum maturity and freshness. Although freezing doesn’t kill all bacteria, yeasts and molds in food, it does keep them from rapidly multiplying when the food remains at 0 degrees F or less. However, surviving organisms can multiply when the food is thawed. When canning foods, wash and blanch them before filling jars. Do not over pack jars as this can cause inadequate processing and result in unsafe food. Nearly all fresh vegetables must be processed in a pressure canner for the required USDA processing time. Pickled foods, such as acidified tomatoes and pickles, can be safely processed without pressure in a boiling water bath. It’s very important to allow steam to escape for 10 minutes before closing the valve or putting the weight on the vent. This allows the inside temperature to correspond to that of the pressure gauge. If you discover an unsealed jar within 24 hours, the food can safely be re-canned. Remove the lid and check the jar sealing surface for tiny nicks. Change the jar if needed and add a new, treated lid; then reprocess using the same original processing time. Properly canned food will retain optimum eating quality for at least one year when stored in a cool, dry place. Canned food might lose some quality in a few weeks or months if stored in a warm place (near hot pipes, a furnace or in direct sunlight), depending on the temperature. Dampness might corrode cans or metal lids, causing leakage and food spoilage.
HOME TIPS During periods of low rainfall, water is often in short supply. There are many things we can do around our homes to conserve water. The following are some tips for conserving water in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry. In the kitchen
In the bathroom
In the laundry
WAYS TO WELLNESS High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard. It also makes the walls of the arteries hard. High blood pressure increases the risk for heart disease and stroke. Have you had your blood pressure checked recently? Once high blood pressure develops, it usually lasts a lifetime. The good news is, treatment can control high blood pressure. In addition, these lifestyle changes can help prevent and control high blood pressure
If you are pregnant make sure you are under a doctor's care. High blood pressure is a major cause of complications in pregnancy. Note: If lifestyle changes alone are not effective in keeping your blood pressure controlled, there are many blood pressure medications to help you.
IN THE WORK PLACE Balanced positive thinking, when you act on it responsibly, is at the core of good mental and physical health. Research now suggests that the thought you choose to think produce precise electrochemical responses within your body that influence, for better or worse, your psychological and physical well-being. The self-fulfilling prophecy – that your attitudes and expectations play a powerful role in shaping your experiences – is a fact. Your outer world often reflects your inner perceptions and thoughts. If you choose a positive, caring attitude, your world will tend to be enjoyable, supportive, and loving. Studies also show that the expectations you have of other people profoundly affect the way you treat them and the way they respond to you. A University of Chicago research psychologist, Suzanne Kobasa, found that business executives and lawyers who say stressful situations as challenges and responded positively stayed healthier and were more successful. Talk to yourself encouragingly and kindly, and frequently visualize yourself reaching your goals.
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