Volume 7 September 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

Stain Removal --  Toothpaste
Financial Fitness --  Home Mortgage Foreclosures And Delinquencies
Family Life -- Teaching Self-Discipline to Children
Nutrition & What's Cooking -- Safe Food Handling A Must At Tailgating Parties
Home Tips --  Restore Your Laundry Room
Ways to Wellness -- Eight Easy Steps to Better Health
In The Work Place -- Bringing Your Goals to Life

STAIN REMOVAL
TOOTHPASTE
stainremoval@take-a-moment.com

Soak in a solution of 1 quart warm water, 1/2 tsp liquid hand dishwashing detergent, and 1 Tblsp vinegar for 15 minutes. Rinse with water and sponge with alcohol. Wash. Soak in a solution of 1 quart of warm water and 1 tablespoon sodium perborate bleach for 30 minutes. Wash using heavy duty detergent and sodium perborate bleach.

Provided by the North Carolina Extension Service, 1995 HOMECARE 1 Spot and Stain Problems Notebook

FINANCIAL FITNESS
HOME MORTGAGE FORECLOSURES AND DELINQUENCIES
finances@take-a-moment.com

Home mortgage foreclosures and delinquencies are at an all-time high.

Adjustable mortgage rates have increased, hitting low-income homeowners hard. Many were able to buy their first home by accepting adjustable mortgage rates. Unfortunately, not all have enough income to handle their rate increases. Lenders have approved loans for people who should not have received them. Senior citizens also face financial ruin if they accepted these loans. Shady contractors convinced many whose homes are paid off to have unnecessary home repairs. They often do shabby work that has to be done over. Many of these homeowners, who ended up paying for the same work twice, are on fixed incomes and now cannot afford the monthly loan payments; and now are receiving foreclosure notices.

Scam artists pick up notices of mortgage defaults from the public record and then market themselves aggressively to desperate homeowners. What they really want is the equity in the house or even the house itself. Most of these scams have not been exposed in the past and usually no one has been punished. With this year’s increase in foreclosures, however, law enforcement is beginning to crack down. The situation has also come to the attention of the media, which are now exposing these types of scams.

Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo announced on July 12th “that 2,138 Kentucky consumers are eligible for $888,436.49 in restitution from Ameriquest Mortgage Company and its related companies as part of a $325 million national settlement of a predatory lending lawsuit against the company. “The Attorney General and the Kentucky Office of Financial Institutions began sending letters and claim forms to eligible Kentucky consumers during the week of July 9, 2007. To participate in the settlement and receive restitution, consumers must mail completed and signed forms to the settlement administrator by September 10, 2007. The forms, mailed to each consumer, will indicate the minimum payment the consumer can expect to receive.

“‘The exact amount consumers receive could be larger,’ said Attorney General Stumbo. ‘It will depend on how many eligible Kentucky consumers decide to participate in the settlement. I encourage former borrowers of Ameriquest to study the claim forms and information and reply as soon as possible. I fight for the rights of Kentucky’s consumers each day and it is their right to receive the settlement funds they are due.’” According to the notice, “Consumers who opt to receive the restitution payments relinquish their right to file lawsuits against Ameriquest related to the loans covered by the settlement. Therefore, consumers are encouraged to consult with a private attorney or, if they qualify, a legal services attorney before deciding whether to participate in the settlement. However, consumers who participate in the settlement do not give up any claim they may otherwise raise if their home goes into foreclosure.”

“Consumers can also obtain detailed information about the settlement and their eligibility for restitution by going to the Settlement Administrator’s web site: www.ameriquestmultistatesettlement.com. Consumers also may contact the Settlement Administrator at 800 420 5875. (Hearing-impaired persons may call 866 494 8274.)”

Reference: “Attorney General Greg Stumbo Announces 2,138 Kentucky Consumers are Eligible for $888,436 in Ameriquest Restitution” [News Release], 7/12/07.

Source: Robert H. Flashman, Ph.D., University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service

FAMILY LIFE
TEACHING SELF-DISCIPLINE TO CHILDREN
familylife@take-a-moment.com

Instilling self-discipline in children will provide them with tools necessary for achieving success in the classroom and throughout life. Parents are a key factor in helping youths become good at disciplining themselves and local 4-H programs can be helpful as well. A recent research study of 204 eighth-graders focused on the relationship between the youngsters' self-discipline and their school achievement. Researchers found that self-discipline, when measured in the fall of the school year, had more than twice as much effect on students' final grades in the spring as their measured IQ or scores on national achievement tests. Students' capacity to discipline themselves also influenced their school attendance record, the number of hours spent doing homework, and the time of day they started doing their homework. The study's results are encouraging for hardworking but not brilliant youngsters. Student intelligence is not nearly as important in doing well in school as their ability to discipline themselves to study and complete home and school tasks well. Parents should stay calm in their discipline and expectations, even when kids complain. Plenty of praise should be shown for a job well done. Also, parents should encourage their children to participate in activities that will help develop self-discipline.

4-H activities are an excellent way for children to develop a sense of responsibility. One area where this quality is quickly learned is with animal projects, whether that be caring for a dog, rabbit or steer. These activities require young people to develop a daily routine of caring for their animals by feeding and cleaning up after them. Developing this routine is necessary for the health and welfare of the animal and helps youth understand the importance of disciplining themselves to do these tasks.
Through the 4-H program, young people are also guided in the correct ways of doing tasks, whether it be baking a cake or feeding a market lamb. As youngsters learn these guidelines, they also grasp the reasons why it is important to do something a certain way. Knowing the reasons why can make the careful methods more understandable.

The discipline learned through 4-H projects can be transferred to all aspects of children's lives as they grow to adulthood. College admissions officials like seeing 4-H listed as an extracurricular activity on entrance applications, according to the state 4-H office. Being a part of 4-H shows that the students have developed personal skills in thinking for themselves, applying sound reasoning to solve practical problems and completing complex tasks.

NUTRITION & WHAT'S COOKING
SAFE FOOD HANDLING A MUST AT TAILGATING PARTIES
whatscooking@take-a-moment.com

If it’s fall, it must be football season. And if it’s football season, it must be time for that pregame ritual called tailgating.

These parking lot picnics are synonymous with good food and good times. But when safe food handling practices aren’t followed, they also go hand-in-hand with serious foodborne illnesses, such as E. coli infection and salmonellosis.

Disease-causing bacteria found in many traditional tailgating foods are the usual culprits. Most often these bacteria spread when proper hand-washing techniques are not used and when hot foods are not kept hot and cold foods are not kept cold.

To serve up good memories instead of a case of foodborne illness at your next tailgating party, make safe food handling a top priority. These tips will help:

• Hand washing is the single most effective action in preventing the spread of disease-causing bacteria. Wash your hands before handling food and as you handle different foods, using soap and water. Scrub for at least 30 seconds, even if you use disposable towelettes or antibacterial hand gels. Remember: Hand gels kill the bacteria; they do not remove dirt and dead bacteria.

• A hand washing site can be set up at your tailgating party by placing water in an unplugged coffee urn or a large insulated drink container with a spigot. Include a container to catch the waste water, and provide liquid soap and paper towels.

• Perishable foods such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, sandwiches with mayonnaise, and salads must be kept on ice or in a refrigerator. Once foods are cooked, they should be kept hot with some type of heat source.

• Use only sturdy, insulated coolers or a thermos, and pack cold food with plenty of ice or frozen gel packs. To avoid cross-contamination, wrap foods well, and store raw foods separately from ready-to-eat foods.

•  Remember: Perishable foods should not be kept at temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours. When the outside temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, food should be left out for no longer than one hour.

• Cover coolers with blankets and place them in the shade to help hold in the cold temperature.

• Hot food should be kept at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter until served. A thoroughly cooked casserole will usually stay warm if you insulate it well. Try several layers of aluminum wrap, followed by newspapers and a towel. Place the wrapped casserole in the bottom of a cardboard box, fitting other items around it. Serve upon reaching your destination.

• If takeout foods such as fried chicken are on the menu, make sure they are eaten within two hours of pickup. Or buy the food ahead of time, allow it to chill, then pack it in a cooler.

• Cook foods thoroughly to destroy bacteria that might be present. Cook ground meats and poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Poultry should be free of pink color and the juices should run clear. (Use a thermometer so you won’t have to guess.)

• Cover all food with plastic wrap, aluminum foil or lids, or keep foods and supplies in their original packaging to prevent contamination.

• Make sure garbage cans – with plastic liners and lids – are available.

• Once you return home, wash, rinse and sanitize all equipment, grills and utensils. Use 2 tablespoons of bleach per gallon of warm water to sanitize. The sanitizing solution can be stored in a spray bottle for use on food preparation surfaces.

HOME TIPS
RESTORE YOUR LAUNDRY ROOM
hometips@take-a-moment.com

Create a pleasant place for cleaning tasks.

It’s a fact – we have to do laundry. But, no one wants to spend a lot of time doing it, so try these helpful tips for making your wash-day space more practical and efficient!

Reach easy. Consider installing shelves and bins to keep laundry products and cleaning supplies within easy reach.

Port-a-basket. Replace hampers with portable laundry baskets. This makes it easier to transport dirty clothes to the laundry room and clean ones to their storage spaces.

Pin it up. Install a bulletin board on the wall. It’s great for pinning socks until their mates are found. Also, post a stain removal chart, washing and drying instructions for special-care items, and the guide to fabric care symbols. (Visit www.cleaning101.com/laundry to download this information.)

Hang out. Keep plenty of hangers in the laundry room, so clothes can go from the dryer to the hangers. This helps prevent wrinkles.

Source: The Soap and Detergent Association

WAYS TO WELLNESS
EIGHT STEPS TO BETTER HEALTH
wellness@take-a-moment.com

1. Exercise 5-6 times a week for at least 30 minutes a day. Taking stairs instead of elevators or parking further away at the grocery are easy walks.
2. Eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. An easy plan would be to eat a fruit or vegetable from each color of the traffic light. Red-tomato, yellow-carrot, and green-broccoli.
3. Make sure you are getting enough calcium. Besides drinking milk, try fruit and yogurt compotes, or consume the milk left in your bowl of cereal.
4. Eat a high-fiber diet. An easy way would be to use canned beans in salads or casseroles.
5. Drink enough water. Try keeping bottled water with you at all times or replace one soft drink a day with a glass of water.
6. Try to cook at home more often and limit the amount of fast food you eat. An easier task might be to order a grilled meat item instead of fried meat.
7. Limit beverages with sugar. Read labels to see where sugar is located in the ingredients list.
8. Lower the sodium in your diet. Remove the saltshakers from your eating table or try using herbs in place of salt for seasoning.

IN THE WORK PLACE
BRING YOUR GOALS TO LIFE
workplace@take-a-moment.com

Your success – whether at work or at home – is largely determined by your ability to set and reach goals. When you set a goal make sure it’s something that you personally feel is important. Also, choose a goal that is manageable and specific.

• Talk about your goal with people you respect. Tell them why your goal is important to you and how you plan to succeed.
• On a small card write out your goal or draw a picture of it. Carry the card with you or put it some place where you will see it often
• Keep a small notebook where you can record your goal and your daily progress toward it.
• Mentally picture yourself reaching your goal. Do this several times a day. If doubt or negative images start to crowd in, immediately let them go. Then focus again on your positive imagery.