Volume 7 March 2007

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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.)

Did You Know...?

C O N T E N T S

Special Pandemic Links
Stain Removal --  Adhesive Tape, Chewing gum
Financial Fitness -- Personal Finance Made Easier with Launch of eXtension’s Financial Security for All
Family Life -- Playing With Your Children
Nutrition & What's Cooking -- 10 Daily Fiber Tips
Home Tips -- Low Cost Home Fix-Ups
Ways to Wellness -- March is National Nutrition Month
In The Work Place -- Saying No to Negative Stress

SPECIAL Links

Since there has been concern over the potential for a pandemic via "bird flu" we wish to provide you with several links to sites with great information on prevention and response.  We hope that none of us will ever need this information, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared and have information available.

STAIN REMOVAL
ADHESIVE TAPE, CHEWING GUM
stainremoval@take-a-moment.com

Adhesive Tape, chewing gum:
Apply ice to harden surface; scrape off the excess. Saturate with pretreatment aerosol product or cleaning fluid. Rinse; then launder. Aerosol pretreatment products may include Shout, Spray'n Wash and Magic PreWash***.

***The mention of such products is not an endorsement of a specific product,
but rather for ease in understanding of the terminology.

FINANCIAL FITNESS
PERSONAL FINANCE MADE EASIER WITH LAUNCH OF eXtension's FINANCIAL OPTIONS
finances@take-a-moment.com

Americans struggling to make good money management decisions in a complex marketplace now have a new tool at their disposal. eXtension’s Financial Security for All brings the wealth of research-based university information on all aspects of attaining personal financial security. To register to take full advantage of the site, go to: http://www.extension.org and choose Personal Finance.

Financial Security for All provides Internet visitors with reliable and up-to-date financial security information through online lessons for self-paced learning and a knowledge base of commonly asked questions with research-based, peer-reviewed answers to help users learn more about specialized areas of personal finance.

“Financial Security for All is like having a personal financial educator, but even better. Publications and answers to Frequently Asked Questions on a wide variety of financial topics are available to consumers 24/7/365 at no cost,” said Barb O’Neill, a certified financial planner and a financial resource management specialist at New Jersey’s Rutgers University.

Financial Security for All features:

• Frequently Asked Questions: Compiled by financial security experts from throughout the nation, this includes simple, clear answers from experts on topics such as credit, insurance, investing, retirement, consumer issues, and talking about money.

• Ask an Expert: Financial security experts nationwide provide a timely response to individual personal finance-related questions.

• News & Upcoming Events: Every day something’s happening in the world of personal finance and eXtension’s Financial Security for All keeps the news and calendar of events current at the local, state, and national levels.

• Calculation Tools: Consumers can use online tools to maximize their payments on credit accounts to achieve debt reduction. Farm and ranch families can use this site to help answer questions about retirement.

“This site also provides timely, unbiased and research-based learning modules to help consumers learn about everything from investing, retirement and estate planning to organizing their household records and teaching young people about money,” said Dr. Debra Pankow, family economics specialist at North Dakota State University.

Financial Security for All has been developed through the collaboration of Community of Practice members—Cooperative Extension Service professionals with expertise in financial planning and family economics. “Quality content developed in a virtual work place by an expert team is the formula for this exemplary, trusted, electronic learning environment. Participants will gain the knowledge, skills, motivation, and confidence to make their own financial decisions,” said Jane Schuchardt, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s family economics program leader.

eXtension is an educational partnership of more than 70 land grant universities helping Americans improve their lives with access to timely, objective, research-based information and educational opportunities. eXtension's interactive Web site, http://www.extension.org, is customized with links to local Cooperative Extension Web sites. Land-grant universities were founded on the ideals that higher education should be accessible to all, that the university should teach liberal and practical subjects, and share the university's knowledge with people throughout their states.

FAMILY LIFE
PLAYING WITH YOUR CHILDREN
familylife@take-a-moment.com

Play is an important part of children’s overall development. Sometimes called child’s work, play gives children a fun way to learn skills to help prepare them for adulthood.

Play teaches children motivation and trust. By playing with others, children develop socialization skills, learn now to interact with others their age, give-and-take and share.

It helps children build self-esteem and develop independence and self-sufficiency. In addition, children get to know themselves and become more knowledgeable about their world. Interaction with others continues to be important as children advance into teenage years and beyond.

Taking time to play with your children is a wonderful way to have fun, establish valuable communication and build meaningful relationships with your children. This puts you in your children’s world and they really do like to have you there.

There are many delightful ways to play with your children.

• Join your children in play activities they enjoy.

• Set aside an hour or two each week for family play time. Let the children decide how to spend this time. It will help them develop leadership skills and build self-esteem by letting them be in charge for a while.

• Encourage age-appropriate outdoor or physical activities. For instance, play hide-and-seek with younger children or join older children in a tennis or basketball game.

• Dust off the board games. Children learn to pay attention and to take turns. Board games also teach children that winning is not the most important thing. How they play, how much they enjoy the game and how they accept losing are more important.

• Make one night a television night. Use the time to play charades or put on a skit.

• Make up stories with your children. Encourage them to create the imaginary characters. You never know where these adventures might take you.

Source: Sam Quick

NUTRITION & WHAT'S COOKING
10 DAILY FIBER TIPS
whatscooking@take-a-moment.com

1.  Scan for bran-read labels and look for the words bran and whole-wheat. ½ cup high fiber cereal=7-14 grams of fiber

2. Grab the Whole Food-munch on a whole piece of fruit in place of drinking a glass of fruit. 1 medium orange=3 grams fiber

3. Savor the Skins-eat fruit and vegetables with the skin on. Eating the skin helps to bump up the fiber, plus it provides texture and a bonus of other nutrients. 1 medium baked potato with skin on = 4 grams fiber

4. Screen for Beans-replace your typical side dishes with high fiber dried peas and beans, such as kidney, pinto, lentils or black-eyed peas. ½ cup canned red kidney beans=8 grams fiber

5. Go Nuts-jazz up salads, vegetables, snacks and desserts with almonds, sunflower seeds or soy nuts. Nuts and seeds add fiber and fun-to-chew crunch to foods. 1 ounce roasted almonds=3 grams fiber

6. Be Berry Wild-choose raspberries, blackberries and boysenberries to add variety to your cereals. These berries have twice the fiber of many other fruit selections. ½ cup fresh raspberries=4 grams fiber

7. Bring on the Brown-use brown rice instead of white. Switch to whole-wheat pasta, whole-wheat flour, whole-wheat breads and whole-grain crackers instead of regular white versions. 1 cup brown rice=3 grams fiber

8. Skip the Chips-select snacks that are a good source of fiber. Instead of potato chips, go for low-fat popcorn, whole-grain pretzels or oven-crisped whole-wheat pita triangles. 3 cups popcorn=4 grams fiber

9. Drink Up-water is a healthy beverage choice-especially as you up the fiber. Your body needs more water to help process the added fiber you eat. Aim for 8-8oz. glasses of water each day.

10. Sneak in high fiber cereals-sprinkle on top of yogurt or fruits. Use as a topping on some casseroles.

HOME TIPS
LOW COST FIX-UPS
hometips@take-a-moment.com

One of the most effective and low-cost ways to make a big change in your home is to get rid of those things you no longer need or use. Simply get rid of the clutter. And don’t forget to clean out your garage and attic. Donate unneeded items to your local nonprofit thrift store or hold a yard sale. Better yet, talk to your neighbors and organize a community yard sale. There are lots of payoffs for getting rid of clutter. Your home will look better, you’ll find things you need more quickly, and you won’t have so many things to keep clean and organized.

Another low cost way to refresh your home is to add a fresh coat of paint in a different color. It can work wonders in transforming a room. When selecting a new paint, purchase one of the non-toxic, fume-free paints now available. But here’s a caution. If you’re planning to paint, prepare the old wall surfaces properly. Check over the surface and repair any cracks or fill holes before applying a primer. Then add one or two coats of paint for a new look to your room and furnishings.

WAYS TO WELLNESS
MARCH IS NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH
wellness@take-a-moment.com

Your food and physical activity choices each day affect your health– how you feel today and tomorrow. The following tips can help you. Choose a change that you can make today and move toward a healthier you.

• Make at least half your grains whole
• Eat 5 to 9 servings of vegetables and fruits each day
• Get your calcium rich foods from low fat or fat free milk and milk products
• Go lean with protein
• Find your balance between food and physical activity.

For information on the Food Guide Pyramid and a food plan just for you, go to www.mypyramid.gov

Take-a-moment to make a commitment today to implement:

“Healthy Eating and Active Living
 for This Home!”

IN THE WORK PLACE
SAYING NO TO NEGATIVE STRESS
workplace@take-a-moment.com

Saying no to negative stress is a skill. The more you practice, the more skillful you become. Listed below are some suggested skill builders so you can say “No” to stress!

• Remind yourself: “I’m in charge. While I can’t always control what happens, I can control how I think about it and how I respond.”
• Catch negative stress as early as possible, before it gets out of hand.
• Enjoy life more by keeping things simple. Do less better. Learn when to say no.
• Laugh often. It’s one of the best stress dissolvers ever created.
• Frequently, slowly, say to yourself three times: “I am calm, I am peaceful.” Concentrate on your words; believe them. Feel what you are saying.
• Don’t be overly demanding on yourself or others. Keep your expectations realistic.
• Exercise regularly, eat nutritiously, and get plenty of rest.]
• Share your struggles with a friend you trust and respect.
• Keep things in perspective!