take a moment
 Volume 7
November
2007Important Reminder: Many users and ISPs have adding SPAM filters to their computers or mail servers. Please remember to configure the filter to ALLOW email from take-a-moment.com domain, or you will not be able to receive your newsletter. (Also, AOL users that opt to not recieve html email or email that includes pictures will also find their email is undelivered.) 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 There are a variety of commercial products on the market that can be used to remove tree sap. Most of these contain similar chemicals to those used in drycleaning solvents. If the stained item is to be laundered, use a clean dry cloth to lightly sponge the area with a drycleaning solvent. Continue to rotate cloth and sponge until stain is removed. Apply a small amount of liquid detergent directly to the stained area and launder in the hottest water appropriate to the fabric.
FINANCIAL FITNESS Real people. Real experiences. Really fun and helpful. That’s how people are describing the Federal Citizen Information Center’s new blog: GovGab.gov. This weblog gives Americans a new way to get information about the services and opportunities of the U.S. government. After reading, the public can comment and share their own experiences. With its daily postings, Gov Gab is a great way to get tips and information from the Federal government to help you make life a little simpler. It’s written by a team of five bloggers whose “day jobs” all involve making it easier for people to find answers to their government-related questions via websites like USA.gov and Pueblo.gsa.gov. Check out Gov Gab’s Meet the Bloggers section for a short autobiography of each writer. Though they have different backgrounds and interests, all enjoy sharing on a more personal level how they use the great government information they discover in their work. Read along each weekday as the bloggers talk about the business of everyday life: figuring out what to do when an airline loses your luggage; preparing your lawn for fall and winter; learning how to roll over a 401(k); experiencing the thrill (and trauma) of buying a new car; and much more. Gov Gab talks about the same issues you deal with in your busy life. Find out who’s talking, what they’re saying, and offer your two cents on GovGab.gov—Your U.S. Government Blog.
FAMILY LIFE The holiday season is a time when family love, harmony, and togetherness are fostered by songs, advertisements, and the media. While this may come true for some families, the holidays can also be a period of increased family stress. The increased pressures families experience during this time of the year are demonstrated by research that finds increased family violence during the holiday period. Families experience stress whenever they undergo change. During the holiday season many of the routines families develop are disrupted. Children are home from school. Grandparents and other relatives may be coming to visit or the family may be traveling to visit them. Many special events and activities are planned. Adjusting to these changes can produce stress. Other factors may also contribute to the stress. This is a time of increased financial burden for the family. Christmas presents and other seasonal gifts can take a giant toll on the family's resources. If the family cannot afford to buy the gifts it desires, the awareness of its financial shortcomings can cause tremendous stress. The holiday season presents a yearly opportunity for the family to see how it compares to neighbors and friends in terms of financial resources. Idealized images of family harmony are found everywhere during the holidays. Television specials and commercials show the whole family gathered around the tree singing carols. A family with ongoing conflict may see this in sharp contrast to its own situation. Family members can take a number of steps to cope with the stress associated with the holidays. The first thing to do is try to avoid what stress researchers call "stressor pile-up." Stressor pile-up occurs when a family experiences a number of different events that disrupt family routines within a limited period of time. If your family is going to a child's holiday program on Saturday morning and the grandparents are scheduled to arrive from Florida on Sunday, think twice before inviting the families of two co-workers to your home for dinner Saturday night. While it might be nice to see the people during the holidays, both you and your friends may enjoy an evening together more in late January when everyone's schedules are less hectic. Research has found that families in which roles are interchangeable in regards to child-care, homemaking, recreation, and many other activities are best equipped to cope with stress. This means that when events are hectic and the baby needs to be changed or dinner needs to go in the oven, whoever is available will perform the tasks regardless of traditional expectations of whose role it is to do them. While it is sometimes hard to do in our materialistic society, people need to remind themselves that the true value of the holidays is not measured in terms of how much money is spent or how many gifts are received. People also need to have realistic expectations about what the holidays will be like. Just because your family's holidays are not perfect like those portrayed in the media doesn't mean there is anything wrong with your family. Prepared by Gary Hansen, Ph.D., Extension Specialist in Sociology
NUTRITION & WHAT'S COOKING Let’s face it, it is a time of the year that centers around lot of food and fun time gatherings and will be a time that you will overindulge. It is fine to do so but a little caution should be taken. Many times there are people who have diabetes or another health problem that forces them to make adjustments in recipes especially around the holidays. The more reduction in fat and calories one can make is just an added benefit to the diet…Following are some recipes that have been adjusted to make holiday favorites lighter ones: Makeover Eggnog
In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Gradually whisk in milk and eggs until smooth. Cook and stir over low heat until a thermometer reads 160 degrees about 20 minutes. Remove from heat: stir in extracts. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours. Just before serving, strain eggnog mixture: stir in the cream and nutmeg. Pour into glasses. Yield 18 servings. Millionaire Salad
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and chill. Yield 12 servings ½ cup each
HOME TIPS Your finest cookware, china and crystal come out of the cabinet and onto the table at holiday time. When it's time to clean these items, some caution is in order. As tempting as it is to put everything in the dishwasher, there are items better suited to washing by hand. The force and heat of water in the dishwasher can damage fragile pieces. Check with the manufacturer, if possible, to see if the item is "dishwasher safe" or check your dishwasher's manual for information about delicate items. The following items should usually be washed by hand: cutlery, decorated glasses, hand-painted or antique china, crystal, hollow-handed knives, milk glass, pewter, silver and wooden items. Here are some helpful tips for hand dishwashing: Change the dishwashing solution and rinse water when they cool down or before they become noticeably greasy. Clean greasy pan bottoms as well as the insides. If a greasy film remains, the bottom will blacken when the pan is used again. Oven-glass casserole and dishes can show cloudy areas even when clean. This is usually a food film of protein origin (milk, cheese, egg or meat juice). Rubbing with a cloth or sponge and white vinegar will usually remove the film. Most cooking and eating utensils can be washed in the dishwasher. Check the manual that came with your machine for the proper loading instructions. Here are a few loading guidelines to get you started. Place the dirtiest side of the item facing the source of the water spray. Don't let large items cover small items. Avoid stacking items together --- if they are too tight, water can't get to them. Make sure delicate items are firmly secured on the rack to avoid toppling. Place sharp items with points down. Always remember, safety first!
WAYS TO WELLNESS Tired bodies, frantic minds, and faces that do not reflect peace and happiness--these are some of the telltale signs of trying to do too much too quickly without getting sufficient rest. Like nature herself, our bodies and minds thrive on balanced rhythms of rest and activity. For a healthy, enjoyable holiday season, honor your body's need for an abundance of high-quality sleep and occasional periods of rest during the day. In a gentle way, also encourage family members and friends to get adequate rest. This is particularly important for very young children, who easily become irritable when their needs for rest are ignored. Adults, too, tend to become edgy and short-tempered when they haven't been getting enough sleep. Tiredness weakens our immune systems, dampens our creativity, and slows our reflexes. Sleepiness and the related lack of alertness are principal or contributing factors in accidents of all kinds. American drivers who fall asleep behind the wheel account for nearly 50,000 collisions and 1,500 deaths annually, and many of these occur during the holidays. When we are weary, it's so much harder to be sensitive to others and to listen really well. When family members are tired, fights are more likely to break out, children are grumpier, discipline becomes more of a problem, and the healing power of laughter is heard less frequently. Simply getting enough rest can drastically improve our individual and collective well-being. Sleep doesn't cost money, it's not controversial, and, for most of us, it's a pleasant, no-effort activity with lots of positive aftereffects. Excerpts from a Holiday Survival Guide article prepared by Sam Quick, Ph.D., Human Development & Family Relations Specialist
IN THE WORK PLACE Take care of your emotional health.
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