Home and Family

 HOME & FAMILY - "Building Strong Families in the 21st Century"

Professionals in the Family & Consumer Sciences (formerly known as Home Economics) are focused on helping the people of Wayne County address the following issues:

• Healthy People

• Focus on Fabulous Fruits:  Smart Fruit Choices

When someone asks you for a dessert or snack idea, your answer can be, "Make mine fruit!"  Try for 1-1/2 to 2 cups of fruit everyday. Fruits provide vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health.  Eat a variety of fruits every day.  Try to get fruits in each of the five colors of MyPyramid:  red, orange, yellow/white, green and blue/purple.  Remember to wash your fruits before eating them in cool running water.  Fruits with firm skins like melons should be scrubbed with a brush.  Remember plenty of different fruits, along with other healthy eating habits, may help portect you against many chronic diseases.

1. Canner Checks at Lehman Hardware:  Wed., August 20th from 9-1 in Mount Hope and Thursday, August 21st from 9-1 in Kidron.  If you plan to can your own fruits and vegetables, you should have the dial gauge on your pressure canner tested for accuracy before the canning season begins.  While you're there, you can request copies of our Home, Yard & Garden Food Preservation Fact Sheets.

• Cooking for a Crowd: Spring and summer are the season for big gatherings... click here for a chart that will help you determine how much food to buy and prepare for the gang.

• Healthy Relationships

- Planning for Summer Vacation:  Summer vacation can be a whole lot more fun when you are prepared for it!  Here's some ideas for those wonderful kids.

1. Make a Tepee:  Give your child an old sheet which can be colorfully decorated with markers, fabric crayons or fabric paint.  Let the sheet dry and then drape it over a card table for an instant tepee.  Check out a couple of books from the Wayne County Public Library on Native American history for children and find other great projects to make this summer
2. Make frozen yogurt pops.  Mix 2 c. yogurt, a 6 oz. can frozen fruit juice concentrate and 2 tsp vanilla in a bowl.  Mix well and spoon into small paper cups.  Insert a plastic spoon or popsicle stick and freeze.  Yummy and easy for kids to make.

Spend time with your children and grandchildren.  They are only young once and need your attention.  Remember to have fun and enjoy the activities with your children.

• Healthy Finances

- Your Money NOW - Subscribe to this personal finance newsletter from Treasurer of State Richard Cordray.  Find it at:  www.YourMoneyNowonline.org.

- Getting the Most For Your Family Dollar
With soaring gas prices throwing the family budget off balance, we are all looking for other places to cut expenses. Here are two helpful resources: "Learn How to Spend Less" and "Some Options for Resourceful Living."

- OSU Extension has developed a series of on-line lessons in personal money management. Learn more about it

- Extension's newest eXtension website is called "Financial Security for All."  It is an interactive web site filled with information, helpful links and an "Ask the Expert" column where you can submit your own questions and get unbiased, research-based answers. Find it here: FINANCIAL SECURITY FOR ALL

- Basic Estate Planning
A series of twelve different fact sheets are available that introduce the basic concepts of estate planning, with the following topics: 1) Introduction, including objectives such as treating children equally or equitably, continuing a viable business, liquidity needed, preserving equity and investment or using up assets during retirement, 2) Costs Involved in Transferring Estate, 3) Tax Basis for Transferred Property,  4) Wills, 5) Letter of Instruction, 6) Life Insurance,  7) Trusts, 8) Giving, 9) Sale of Residence, 10) Nursing Home Dilemma, 11) Medicare and Medigap, 12) Generation-Skipping Trusts, Limited Liability Companies, Conservation/Agricultural Easements.

These twelve fact sheets can be downloaded free from OSU Extension's Ohioline web site:Basic Estate Planning.

Another excellent workbook to help with the allocation of sentimental items is “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate?” The workbook has 95 pages, and helps families to sit down and discuss the fair and mutually agreeable distribution of personal possessions. For a description and ordering at a price of $16 go to: http://shop.extension.umn.edu/PublicationDetail.aspx?ID=1002

- OHIO SAVES is part of the national initiative to encourage households to save and build wealth. 

NOTE: many files available for download on this page are in PDF format. If you do not have a PDF reader on your computer, click here for a free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader:  Acrobat Reader

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. Label Reading Frenzy:  Darcy Becker teaches these food demonstration classes which are free to the public and held at the Wayne County Public Library Main Branch in Wooster.  Monday, August 11th from 1:30 to 2:30  Label Reading 101:  We'll look at the basics of how to use the food label.  Recipes will be provided.   Friday, Aug 15th from 10:00 to 11:00 We'll focus on how to understand nutrient content claims on food labels so that it's easier to maintain a healthy diet.
2. Child Care Provider classes - A wide variety of classes are offered by the Wayne County Schools Career Center Adult Education Department.  Click here for dates & topics to be taught by Melinda Hill.  For a complete list of classes and registration information visit the Career Center web site at:  www.wayne-jvs.k12.oh.us/adult/catalog/.
3. Canner Checks: 

                              Lehman Hardware                                                                                                      

                              Wednesday, Aug 20th from 9-1 in Mount Hope 

                              Thursday, Aug 21st from 9-1 in Kidron.

NEWSLETTERS

• Positive Parenting - January - February 2008
  Positive Parenting" is a bi-monthly newsletter with help for parents and child-care providers.
• Senior Hotline April-May-June 2008"Senior Hotline" is full of useful news and information for older Ohioans. 
• Marriage Matters
  A couples and marriage enrichment newsletter from Ohio State University Extension

HOT TOPICS

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

What to Do When the Power Goes Out

Disaster Preparedness

HELPFUL LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES

• Ohioline is a great source of information on hundreds of topics.  Maintained by Ohio State University Extension service, it includes up-to-date, research-based information you can depend on and use every day.
• My Pyramid, operated by the United States Department of Agriculture, is all about the famous Food Pyramid and is full of helpful hints and interactive assistance to improve your daily nutrition.
• 5-A-Day  is dedicated to helping you get more fruits and vegetables in your daily diet, in fun and delicious ways.