FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF OCT. 21, 2001:
Where can I find a list of carbohydrate, protein and calorie values for foods? The lists and booklets I have looked at in stores usually do not contain the carbohydrate count. Bob Goyden, Boise
Martha Raidl, University of Idaho Extension nutrition specialist, can suggest one: Bowes & Churches Food Values of Portions Commonly Used, 17th Edition, by Jean A. T. Pennington. You can order it from Nutrition Counseling Education Services, Inc., at 1904 E. 123rd St., Olathe, KS 66061-5886, or by calling toll-free 1-877-623-7266 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central Standard Time.
Nutrient data is also available from the Web at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl.
My 16-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter want credit cards in their names. I don't want my children to start on an early path to debt. If I give them these cards, what stipulations should I place on their use?
If you're willing to take the time to make financial lessons part of your children's credit card experience, your teens will learn valuable lessons before they're struggling with credit as adults, says Marilyn Bischoff, University of Idaho Extension family economics specialist.
Before giving credit to your children, start with some basic financial management skills:
1) Help your children open their own checking accounts. Teach them how to write a check and track money.
2) After they've shown they can balance a checkbook, let them use a debit card, which looks and acts like a credit card but is tied to the money in the checking account.
3) When they've mastered these basics, apply for an extra credit card in your name for each of your teens. Explain to your children how their cards work, emphasizing that what they charge this month must be paid for the next. Point out that it's not "free" money if the card has an annual fee or if the balance isn't paid in full before the grace period expires. Review other key concepts, such as late fees and how interest compounds if a debt isn't paid promptly. Stress the importance of keeping a card safe and of knowing what to do if it's lost or stolen.
4) Set credit limits and decide on appropriate types of purchases--perhaps $100 for clothes, for example. Then monitor your children's use.
5) When they've shown responsibility with the previous tasks, allow your teens to shop around for a card in their own name with a low credit limit--perhaps $300.
6) Give your teens the responsibility of paying all or part of their balances with an allowance or job.
This may sound like a lot of work, but Bischoff says credit management lessons will help your children become fiscally responsible adults. By the way, half of respondents to a recent survey said they were never taught about credit by their parents. So your kids will be ahead in the money game.
My son has just made me a wood cutting board. Should I season it before I use it? If so, what should I season it with?
Do season it, says Sandy McCurdy, University of Idaho Extension food safety specialist. That will help protect the wood from cracking or coming apart at the seams. She prefers mineral oil, which won't turn rancid, but says vegetable oils and boiled linseed oil are other options.
To oil the board, first warm the oil slightly, then apply it with a soft cloth in the direction of the grain. Use as many coats as necessary, letting the oil soak in for an hour or two between treatments. Before adding a new coat, wipe off any oil that did not soak in from the previous coat.
Limit use of your wood cutting board to fruits, vegetables and such ready-to-eat foods as breads and cheeses, McCurdy advises. After each use, wipe it with a damp cloth and detergent--don't soak it--then rinse it with just enough water to remove the detergent and dry it with a clean cloth.
McCurdy recommends re-seasoning wood cutting boards periodically to maintain their appearance and re-sanding them as necessary to keep them smooth and easy-to-clean.
For food safety reasons, do not use wood cutting boards to chop raw meat, fish and poultry. These foods should be handled only on surfaces that can be scrubbed thoroughly with hot water and detergent, such as plastic cutting boards. For added safety, McCurdy recommends sanitizing cleaned plastic boards with 1) a kitchen sanitizer or 2) a solution of 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach in 1 quart of water, left on the boards for 2 minutes before rinsing and air-drying.
We moved over the summer and our 8-year-old daughter is now going to a new school. She had lots of friends at her old school, but she is having trouble "connecting" with her schoolmates. How can we help her make new friends?
Start by increasing her opportunities to be with children her age, says Harriet Shaklee, University of Idaho Extension family development specialist. "She needs more 'face-time' with her schoolmates," says Shaklee. "They probably have their own set of friends already and aren't sure what her role is."
After-school activities that take place at her school site, such as 4-H or Girl Scouts, would be ideal; these would extend her opportunities to interact with her schoolmates. In addition, ask your daughter to invite potential new friends to your home. Participating in a sports league or signing up for activities at a recreational center, where she's likely to encounter neighbor kids her own age, should also help.
"Kids tend to form friendships best during unstructured time," Shaklee says. "If they only see each other in the classroom, that's really not a lot of time to get acquainted. Recess and lunch help, but let's assist her in speeding up the process and learning strategies for making friends that will also serve her well in the future."
[READERS: Do you have a question about your home, yard or garden? Send it to HomeWise, University of Idaho Ag Communications, Moscow, ID 83844-2332 or e-mail it to homewise@uidaho.edu. Mention of proprietary products or firms does not constitute endorsement by University of Idaho Extension or imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.]