Where has the summer gone? Getting ready to go back to school may mean packing lunches and participating in sports activities. August and September can still have fairly hot days, so remember safety when dealing with food AND when participating in sports.

When packing lunches – for safety, keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Sandwiches made with protein food such as lunch meats must be kept below 40°F. To do that, make the sandwiches with the bread, meat, and cheese the night before and freeze them. Pack any salad dressing, tomatoes, lettuce or other add-ons separately to be added before eating.

Freeze fruit juice, too, and pack the lunch in an insulated lunch box. The juice and sandwich should be thawed by lunch but cool enough to be safe. In hot weather, any bacteria can multiply to a dangerous level in just one hour...so safety is a must.

Youth may also be involved in sports that take place in the heat. Under extreme conditions, heat and physical exertion can cause an increased output or sweat – as much as two quarts an hour. Sweating reduces blood volume and increases the concentration of sodium in the blood. When this happens, your brain tells you that you are thirsty.

By the time you know you are thirsty, you have already lost a lot of fluid , and even as little as a pint of fluid can affect physical performance. To make sure to avoid dehydration, drink plenty of cool (not ice-cold) water before, during, and after exercise.

When you are dehydrated and do not replace the water you have lost through perspiration, you will sweat less and your body temperature may rise. This may hurt your performance and can lead to heat stroke or heat exhaustion.

- Shirley Camp, Nutrition and Wellness Educator

There is a lot of information to be found on how to entertain your kids in the car when traveling and what to bring along if you are going to the beach or the mountains, but how do you decide where to go on your next family adventure?

Well, there are great resources for that as well. Just two of the very informative web sites available are:

Familytravelfiles.com –This site allows families to leave a record of their favorite activities in a particular location. Lots of great ideas and tips for all over the U.S. and the world!

Sesameworkshop.org –This site has an advice section with an endless number of articles filled with tips on vacation and travel.

Some things to think about when planning a family vacation:

• What does your family enjoy? (i.e. outdoors, water parks, history)
• What is your budget? If economy travel is your style, think about some money saving ideas-travel during off season, cook your own meals and/or check websites and travel books for discount coupons.
• When do you want to travel? Make sure you start your planning at least six months in advance to make reserving your hotel, etc. easier.
• How do you want to get there?

Some things to think about when planning a family vacation:

If you start early and think about these few questions, you will be on your way to a great family vacation!

- Judy Schumacher, Youth Development Educator

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) will be discontinuing new registrations for the consumer Telephone Preference Service (TPS) effective November 1, 2006. The Direct Marketing Association began the Telephone Preference Service in 1985 as a way to help consumers who wanted to reduce the number of marketing calls they receive. But with the widespread use of the federal government's National Do Not Call Registry, DMA's efforts have become duplicative for most consumers and create an additional and unnecessary expense for DMA members.

Because consumer names remain on TPS for five years, DMA members will honor consumers' requests not to be called by comparing their prospecting lists against the TPS file until December 31, 2011. Until that time, DMA will continue to remove disconnected numbers, update area codes and make other necessary changes to the TPS file, and eliminate the names of consumers who have been on TPS for five years.

DMA will continue to maintain the TPS registry and accept new registrations for residents of Maine, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming - states for which TPS is, by law, the official state registry. The phase out of TPS will not affect other DMA consumer preference services, such as the Deceased Do Not Contact List, the Mail Preference Service or the E-mail Preference Service (see www.dmaconsumers.org for information about these services).

Consumers are encouraged to contact the National Do Not Call Registry online at www.donotcall.gov or via phone at 1-888-382-1222, unless they are residents of Maine, Pennsylvania, or Wyoming.

DMA's consumer Web site, www.dmaconsumers.org will provide information to assist consumers during the phase out period.

- Jennifer Hunt, Consumer and Family Economics Educator

Are people more inclined to become angry in hot weather? The idea that tempers are connected with the heat is an old one and is even buried in our language. We say that "tempers flare," people get "hot under the collar," or they do a "slow burn." With the heat of late summer, you may want to pay special attention to how you handle anger.

Know the Warning Signs

Recognize what bothers you. Knowing how we feel, how we react and what triggers anger helps to avoid situations when we say and do things we later regret.

Some typical warning signs are:

• Gritting teeth and clenching fists
• Raising your voice and yelling
• Thoughts such as "She knows better"

Calm Yourself

When we recognize that we are becoming angry, it is the time to stop and practice calming techniques.

Some effective ways to calm down are:

• Think about it in a different way
• Use energy to go for a walk
• Breath deeply five to ten times

Prevent It from Happening Again

Many families find that some anger triggers happen over and over. These situations can be avoided by talking about it when everyone has calmed down. It is not necessary to agree on the solution in order to respect the other person. Calmly say what is on your mind in a polite, respectful and direct way. Explain how you feel about the situation without blaming, shaming or ridiculing the other person.

Then listen to the other person for their feelings and try to understand them. Listen without interrupting. Sometimes we are so busy talking that we don't hear what the other person is saying.

Responding in a Positive Way

Angry feelings are okay. How we choose to respond to the feelings can be good or bad. Anger tells us there is a problem and indicates a change may be needed.

A few ideas to help stay cool:

• Stop. Take a breath and wait a few seconds before responding
• Leave for a while.
• Learn to relax

Admit That You are Angry.

Learn to recognize the early warning signs (physical and mental) that signal to you that you are about to blow up.

Make a Plan.

Think about how problem-situations could be different. Make a change to avoid the situation from reoccurring or develop a way to handle the problem.

• Stop trying to control others
• Ask, don't demand.
• Find a solution

Remember

How we choose to respond to anger is up to us. It is work, and it requires a sincere attempt to change.

- Rachel Schwarzendruber, Family Life Educator

Drive through any neighborhood on a weekend this time of year and you will probably find a street full of cars with their owners searching through tables of items trying to find a bargain. That's right, it's garage sale season! Why the love of garage sales? It's simple-people love a bargain, some need to keep within their budget, while others are looking to resell and make money.

But what can garage sales teach your children? A lot! Have you ever said to your child, "you have a room full of toys that you never play with!"

Or perhaps your child is begging for the newest game or toy. If so, then perhaps you can solve both dilemmas with an uncommon solution-a garage sale.

Start by discussing the idea with your children. Tell them they will have an opportunity to sell toys they no longer play with (only their own, not their siblings) to earn money to purchase a new toy they want or to save up for something later on.

Next pick a date (probably a Saturday) for the best turnout. Clear out a space in the garage for the children to collect the items they want to sell. Help them set a price for each item and make sure that everything still works properly. This is a great time to talk about the responsibility of taking care of your toys. No one wants to buy a puzzle that is missing one of the pieces.

You can even encourage the children to make flyers to give to their friends at school or call family relatives or friends that have children who might be interested in the sale.

On the day of the garage sale arrives, be sure the children have an active role in the sale. Encourage them to show the children how the toys work or bag items once they have sold. Older children can help make change and carry things to the cars. Always be sure to talk to your children about safety, as there will be strangers at your garage sale. Make sure the children know to stay within your sight and never go over to a stranger's vehicle without your permission.

With just a few safety precautions and a little planning you can make a garage sale a fun activity for the whole family. This idea came from Family Fun magazine, be sure to check out other great ideas at www.familyfun.com!

- Judy Schumacher, Youth Development Educator

Finding reliable parenting information when you're a new parent can be a challenge. There are many books, and articles - some good and some not so good. How do you know what to read - especially when you're busy and there's just so little time?

Fortunately, some of the nation's leading universities have teamed up to provide parenting newsletters that provide just the right information at the right time. Each newsletter provides information geared to the specific age of a child. For example, these "age-paced" newsletters provide parents of a six month old with important suggestions about starting solid food and parents of a twelve month old with information about learning to walk. The information is accurate, reliable and research based - yet quick and easy to read for busy parents "on the go."

Though each newsletter series contains information about caring for and teaching very young children, each series offers information specific to its state sponsor. Some series just cover parenting babies - others offer information for parents of children up to five years. All are in English - and a few of the series are also available in Spanish. Check out this web site http://www.parentinginfo.org/newsletters.html#anchorgrow

Here is an excerpt from one of the newsletters, Baby Bouncer from the University of Georgia:

The first month of life is called the neonatal period. During this time your baby will probably have reddish, wrinkled skin and tightly curled hands. He may have an elongated or bumpy head, due to coming through the birth canal during delivery (unless you had a C-section).

Expect your baby to:

• Sleep 18 to 22 hours each day.
• Use 10 or more diapers a day.
• Cry as much as 2 hours each day.
• Breathe noisily. Remember, he has just begun to breathe.
• Have runny, irregular bowel movements, unless breast-fed.

Also, remember that each baby is an individual and will grow, develop and react differently than any other baby.

For more great information from a variety of universities, log onto http://www.parentinginfo.org/newsletters.html#anchorgrow

- Rachel Schwarzendruber, Family Life Educator