HomeWise

FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF NOV. 11, 2001:

How should we defrost our Thanksgiving turkey and prevent food-safety problems?

Use any of these three methods, says Sandy McCurdy, University of Idaho Extension food safety specialist:

• Thaw it in the refrigerator: If your refrigerator is cooling to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, allow 24 hours for each 5 pounds. Add a little extra time if your refrigerator has glass shelves or if the turkey is in the coldest part.
• Thaw it in cold water: Seal the turkey inside a leak-proof package or plastic bag and submerge it. Make sure the water stays cold and keep changing it every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed. Examine the bag frequently for leaks: seepage will make the turkey watery and may allow bacteria from the sink to contaminate it. This method of thawing should take about a half-hour per pound.
• Defrost it in the microwave: Check your microwave instructions before proceeding. After you've thawed the turkey, slip it into the oven immediately. McCurdy says it's easy to unintentionally cook meat partially when you're defrosting it in the microwave. You'll need to finish cooking it right away to prevent food-borne bacteria from multiplying in those middling-warm temperatures they prefer.

My job is being eliminated and I'm in a panic about how my family is going to adjust to this income loss. Should we involve our school-age children in cost-cutting or try to protect them from its effects?

All family members should know that spending priorities are about to change, says Marilyn Bischoff, University of Idaho Extension family economics specialist. "Not communicating problems can lead to more stress and more financial difficulties."

Develop a new spending plan based on your lower income. If you've never had a clear picture of your family spending patterns, track every dollar for the next few weeks to see where they all go.

At least temporarily, plan to mothball your credit cards, conserve on utilities, and cut down or eliminate restaurant meals. Consider carpooling to work. As a family, you may decide to start visiting the library rather than the bookstore, going to parks instead of movie theaters and playing cards or board games instead of buying new CDs.

Review your finances to determine all possible sources of additional income. "Can you rent out a room?" Bischoff asks. "Or, if you paint, bake, sew, clean your house, maintain your yard or tend your own small children, can you also do these things for others for pay?"

"While your income loss may seem beyond your control, you can reduce your anxiety by taking charge now," she says. "Reorganize your life around a new set of priorities--one that clarifies what's most and least important to your family."

My 4-year-old daughter frequently lies to me and to others. I know this isn't unusual for kids, but I want it to stop. What steps can I take?

Begin by staying as patient and sympathetic as you can when talking with your child about lying, says Diane Demarest, University of Idaho coordinator of the Parents as Teachers demonstration project.

Avoid being confrontational. "Don't ask her if she lied when you know she did," Demarest says. "Asking gives her more opportunities to lie."

Try to learn the reasons for her behavior, but don't ask "why" questions--they're very hard for young children to answer. In addition, children know that parents often ask "why" when they're angry, so the very word can scare kids off.

Explain to your child that you need to trust her, just as she needs to trust you, and that families work best that way.

Read children's stories and books that discuss the importance of honesty.

Make sure the adults in the family keep promises, tell the truth, play fairly and minimize their own use of "white" lies, which are confusing to kids. "Children listen closely and don't understand the difference between the lies you think are okay and those that are not," says Demarest.

Sometimes children lie to avoid disappointing parents. Don't set your daughter up for this by expecting perfection from her.

Finally, avoid unfair, confusing and harsh punishments. "In general, traumatic punishment tends to drive a behavior underground and increases a child's tendency to lie," Demarest says.

The Parents as Teachers program has recently expanded its services to include parents of 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds. Families of children under 6 who are enrolled in the free program get monthly visits from trained parent educators. The educators bring along children's books, short videotapes on child development and ideas for fun activities designed to encourage learning during that specific month of the young child's life. For more information, call Demarest at (208) 343-1542 in Boise or write her at dianed@uidaho.edu.

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