Volume 6 September 2006

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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.

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Did You Know...?

C O N T E N T S

Stain Removal --  Diesel Fuel or Gasoline Odor
Financial Fitness --  Compulsive Shopping is a Real Problem
Family Life -- Family Vitality: Time Together
Nutrition & What's Cooking -- Smart Choices when Eating Out
Home Tips -- Clean Laundry Appliances Do a Better Job on Clothes
Ways to Wellness -- Food Safety is for Everyone
Kids Korner -- Supporting Your Adolescent: Tips for Parents
In The Work Place -- Seven Steps to Happiness

STAIN REMOVAL
DIESEL FUEL OR GASOLINE ODOR
stainremoval@take-a-moment.com

Apparel that is soiled with diesel fuel and/ or gasoline should be handled with care. Try to remove as much of the fuel residue from the fabrics by rinsing the articles outdoors. Allow the articles to air dry before washing. NOTE: Fumes from diesel and gasoline are combustible and may present a fire hazard if not pre-treated outdoors before being washed.

1. Wash diesel fuel or gasoline soiled clothing separately.
2. Wash a few items at a time in a full or high water level using hot water and 1 ½ times the recommended heavy duty liquid detergent. A second cycle may be needed.
3. Do not dry in dryer. Hang item in open air to dry.

Information taken from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
HomeCare 2 reference book on Maintenance and Repair of Textile and House Surfaces, 1995.

FINANCIAL FITNESS
COMPULSIVE SHOPPING IS A REAL PROBLEM
finances@take-a-moment.com

Compulsive shopping is a real problem for the millions of people who are addicted to shopping. Overspending affects both high and low-income individuals. Shopaholics use this compulsion to try to fill an emotional void in their lives. According to Ruth Engs, Professor in the Department of Applied Health Science at Indiana University, “They believe that if they shop they will feel better. Compulsive shopping and spending generally makes a person feel worse.”

A shopaholic cannot control the need to buy even if they have maxed out their credit cards. Many consumers are not shopaholics but are depressed or angry, using spending as a coping mechanism.

Tips to control overspending:

• When you go shopping, take only a small amount of cash; use cash or checks only, and leave your credit and ATM cards at home. If you’re depressed or a shopaholic, put your credit and debit cards in a safe deposit box until you get professional help.

• If you are overwhelmed with debt, go to a nonprofit credit counseling service before you ruin your credit rating or, even worse, lose your house and end up in bankruptcy.

• Draw up a budget and shopping list and only buy items on your list.

• Write down everything you buy for two weeks. This will make you more conscious of where your hard-earned money is going.

• And, if you need the high you think will come from shopping, go exercise! That will really make you feel better!
  Reference: “How Can I Manage Compulsive Shopping and Spending (Shopoholism),” by Ruth Engs, RN, Ed.D, Indiana University, Department of Applied Health Science. http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/hints/shop.html.

Source: Robert Flashman, Extension Specialist in Family Resource Management, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture

FAMILY LIFE
FAMILY VITALITY: TIME TOGETHER
familylife@take-a-moment.com

When 1,500 school-age children were asked, “What do you think makes a happy family?” the children didn’t list money, cars, big homes, or televisions. The answer they gave most, according to Nick Stinnett and John Defrain, authors of Secrets of Strong Families, was doing things together. Spending time together is an important characteristic of strong families. Healthy families frequently work, play, eat, vacation, and attend religious services together. In strong families, spending time together is not an obligation to endure, but a pleasure to enjoy and anticipate.

If you believe that life is the most valuable possession you have, then sharing a piece of your life is the most precious gift you have to offer. Few activities offer so much in return. Sharing time with your family eases loneliness and isolation, nurtures relationships, and creates a family identity.

Quantity and quality go hand in hand. Obviously some quantity of time is necessary for time together, be it good or bad. It’s not necessary, however, to spend every available minute together as a family. The time individuals spend one on one within the family—child with child, child with parent, and parent with parent—also is important. Equally important is time for friends, hobbies, sports, and solitude. Healthy families keep a good balance between “too much” and “not enough” time together. Make every minute count. Suggested activities for family time are sit down dinners, family chores, outdoor and indoor activities, special events, homework, and story telling.

Source: Sam Quick

NUTRITION & WHAT'S COOKING
SMART CHOICES WHEN EATING OUT
whatscooking@take-a-moment.com

Can high-fat, high-sodium foods be avoided when eating out? Yes, with some careful ordering, even eating out can be healthy. Some restaurants offer menu items that are low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium. In addition, if the menu makes any sort of health claim, such as low-fat, the restaurant is required by the FDA to have nutrition information for the menu item on hand. So, ask your server for a copy before ordering.

If a restaurant does not have specific food items lower in fat, ask your server if substitutions can be made or if components can be left out. Use the tips below to help make your dining experience a healthy one.

• -ask for condiments such as salad dressing and mayonnaise to be served on the side.

• -ask for reduced-sugar syrup and reduced-fat salad dressing.

• -ask Chinese restaurants to prepare your meal without MSG (monosodium glutamate)

• -ask in menu items that are fried can be baked instead

• -ask for plain bread or bread sticks instead of garlic bread

• -stay away from alfredo or cream sauces-order marinara instead

• -ask for a to-go box for half of your meal to help prevent you from overeating

• -choose menu items made with lean meats such as chicken instead of pepperoni or ground beef

• -choose meats that are baked, broiled, or grilled instead of fried

• -ask for cottage cheese, plain yogurt or salsa instead of butter and sour cream to top your baked potato

• -order your eggs poached instead of fried, or ask that your omelet be made with egg substitute

• -ask for a side salad or fruit instead of French fries

HOME TIPS
CLEAN LAUNDRY APPLIANCES DO A BETTER JOB ON CLOTHES
hometips@take-a-moment.com

Although cleaning laundry appliances are not a priority for most people, a clean washer and dryer will do a more effective job on your clothing. It is a good idea to clean the washer and dryer when you finish daily laundry, or after doing a heavy load or rugs or badly soiled outdoor work clothing.

These tips will help you keep laundry appliances and clothing sparkling.

• Wipe the washer tub and dryer drum with a non-abrasive household cleaner and thoroughly rinse.

• Use a soft cloth with warm, soapy water to the wipe control panels and the outsides of cabinets.

• Pay special attention to the area in and around the washer lid. Rinse the soap, bleach and fabric softener dispensers of washers with clean water and wipe them clean.

• Also clean the dryer door with clear water and thoroughly dry it.

• It is especially important to clean the dryer lint screen after every load because lint buildup lengthens drying time. If fabric-softener sheets leave a waxy coating on the lint screen, wash it in warm, soapy water and completely dry it.

• Have a qualified service technician clean the dryer interior, lint screen and exhaust duct every 18 months.

WAYS TO WELLNESS
FOOD SAFETY IS FOR EVERYONE
wellness@take-a-moment.com

September is National Food Safety Education Month. Take-a-Moment to review these important practices to keep your lunch safe.

1. Keep food handling surfaces clean. Check food preparation areas and utensils to make sure they are clean before you start to work.
2. Wash your hands.
3. Maintain proper temperatures while preparing and storing food for lunch bags and boxes. Don't let food sit out any longer than actual preparation time.
4. Keep hot foods hot. Use an insulated bottle for soups or chili. Make sure the food is brought to a boil before putting it in the thermos, especially if you are reheating a leftover.
5. Keep cold foods cold. Using a frozen gel pack or frozen box of juice is very effective if you also use an insulated pack.
6. Discard perishable leftovers after lunch unless you have a way of keeping them at the correct temperature.
7. Use a refrigerator if available. Keep portable meals out of direct sunlight or away from other heat sources.
8. For more information, visit www.fightbac.org.
9. Remember this, "If in doubt, throw it out." You are a busy person at work and home. You do not have time for a preventable illness.

Keep your food safe to eat.

KIDS KORNER
SUPPORTING YOUR ADOLESCENT: TIPS FOR PARENTS
kidskorner@take-a-moment.com

As your child becomes an adolescent, learn more about his development. Find out which behaviors to expect, how the adolescent body changes, and ways to help your child deal with change.

• Remember your youth. This will help you relate to your child.
• Take a class on parenting. Find a support group for parents of teens.
• Listen more than talk. Growing children need to share their feelings and ideas during this identity change.
• Catch your teen doing something right. Recognizing good behavior is much more effective than punishing for bad behavior.
• Teach your child that rights and responsibilities come as a package. Increase the responsibility he has for his well-being and that of the family.
• Seek your teen's views when making family choices. Offer your child chances to become involved in the community. Young people are trying to find their place in the world.
• Spend time improving your relationship with your child. Youth naturally begin to spend more time at school, with friends, or at a job. Still, time with caring parents is important for healthy development.
• Be involved in your child's interests.
• Remember that being a good parent doesn't mean being perfect. Apologize when you mess up or let your emotions get the best of you.
• Most importantly, seek support and guidance from others who can help you deal with changes in your child.

The best tools in raising young people are love, compassion, sensitivity, praise, understanding, and communication.

Reference: Adapted from National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth (January 2005).
Supporting Your Adolescent: Tips for Parents.

Source: Kerri Ashurst, Extension Associate, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture

IN THE WORK PLACE
SEVEN STEPS TO HAPPINESS
workplace@take-a-moment.com

1. Invest yourself in closeness – Of all the circumstances happy people share, loving relationships seem the most characteristic and the most important.
2. Work hard at what you like – Search hard for ways to find work that satisfies your very real need to do something that is meaningful to you.
3. Be helpful – It builds happiness in at least tow ways. Doing good makes you feel good about yourself – it enhances self-esteem.
4. Make the pursuit of happiness a priority – All thinks may indeed come to those who wait, but why wait to feel good? Discover what makes you happy and make time to do it.
5. Energize yourself – Run, play a sport, dance – the choice is yours- as long as you keep aerobically fit.
6. Organize, but stay loose – It’s good to know where you’re going and to make plans for fun along the way. But since novelty makes us happy, be ready to seize an unexpected opportunity to try something different.
7. Steady as she goes – We all have our highs and lows, but strive for a sense of perspective.