Spilyay Tymoo Warm Springs, Oregon May 19, 1989 PACK 7 Planning, family involvement makes happier vacations For generations, families have been told how it's important for family members to spend time together. Summer vacations pro vide a wonderful opportunity to do just that. Then why is it that by "day two" of vacation, parents are surprised, baffled, hurt and sometimes just plain angry that their efforts to make enjoyable vacation plans seem to be engulfed in tears and tan trums? Family vacations, while they may be happy times, can be filled with stress and tension. Children are the first to let you know that they are feeling the strain. Here are some ideas to help you keep your cool and your summer adventures at their happiest. Try to do things with your child ren that you all like. If you dislike a particular activity, whether it's playing on swing-sets, "Monopoly" or building sand castles or touring exhibits, it's best to avoid such activities. Finding appealing activities may be a challenge but it is worth the :ffort. Both children and adults resent feeling that they are being 'hurried" along or that others are anxious to move along. So attempt a variety of activities you all genuinely enjoy. Get family members involved. Let the kids join in making and packing the picnic lunch or in planning the route to your vaca tion spot. It's better for family members to feel a sense of pride in participating than to have a "per fect" adult decision made for all. Don't take responsibility for everyone's vacation fun and happ iness. Mom might easily end up with all the vacation "dirty work." It is important to share vacation chores. In order to reduce the work load on any one person, have a family meeting to discuss and agree on what each person's responsibilities are. If someone fails to hold up his or her end of the bargain, firmly remind him. If the task remains undone, he or she should receive the logical consequences of his neg ligent behavior. Be careful not to assume the responsibilities of others yourself. Resentment and frustration will build and will color your family fun. For example, if someone doesn't get the charcoal grill ready, wait until the person responsible gets the message from hungry fam ily members. YouH be surprised how husband and kids are willing to contribute when they realize you're not going to fill in if they fail to measure up. Any task you take on, such as cooking or driving or cleaning, should be viewed as a choice you made. If you don't like the choice and are feeling more and more irri tated, work on i 'eloping alterna tives. You can go cut to eat if you dislike cooking and organizing a picnic. But if you are going to do these chores, do them with a sense of enjoyment. Work at keeping a positive attitude. Don't worry about your entire vacation. Work at enjoying each day. Worrying ahead is not con structive. Enjoy the moment, deal with each event as it arises and make it fun. Bury chores that come to mind. Cope with them when thev have to be accomplished. Thinking about a long drive ahead may make you nervous and irrita ble. Forget it for the moment and enjoy your family time, whether it's museum hopping, roasting marsh mallows, a boat ride or reading stories. Provide time to talk with family members. In the hustle and bustle of vacation activity, it is possible to neglect the most important reason for spending time together which is listening and talking with family members. This is often far more difficult than expected. A family member may suddenly find himself with time to talk with a five-year-old, teenager or spouse and wonder what to say. Take the plunge. Slowly this will become more comfortable and easy. Tell your family about things you think and feel and don't forget to ask them for their thoughts and feeings. Make a list of all the things you dislike about vacations and see how easy it is to rid yourself of most of them. Do you dislike all the driving? Then stop vacationing far away from home or consider other ways to get there. Do you hate cooking on vacation? Then arrange to eat out or set up a schedule to share cooking chores with other family members. Do you get tired of hav ing to keep a constant eye on the kids? Choose a child-oriented envi ronment which will help cut down your supervision responsibilities or share child-care time with others. The point is, if you do something you dislike and it is a source of grief, ask yourself, "Why am I con tinuing to do this and how might I change the situation?" If children become "shiney" and difficult, don't reinforce the behav ior by constantly paying attention to this or by getting upset yourself. Encourage children to work through their own difficulties in stead of stepping in and continu ally mediating conflicts. To assist you from stepping in, try leaving me room or area. Keep in mind, vacation-time is a highly exciting time for children. Trv to be tolerant when children become loud and excited. Remind yourself how special and exciting this time is for your children and then proceed to deal calmly and effectively with the behavior. On-thc-go vacations produce tired people. Both parents and children may find themselves being snappy and irritable at times. Dont let your vacation schedule ruin your family fun time. Small amounts of excitement broken up with quiet, relaxing activities should help family members from becom ing over-extended. Remember, you are on vacation, too. Have fun yourself. When eve ryone else wants to go to the movies and you want to stay at the beach, stay. Let the others enjoy their activity. You enjoy yours. You do not have to spend all your family time together. Family members will have new adventures to share with each other. All will then be better able to enjoy the good times. Enter your family vacation with realistic expectations and a sound plan. You can make this summer vacation a fun, family experience. Be sure to guard against some of the pitfalls. Then aim to handle matters creatively. Information on this page provided by the by the Warm Springs Office of the Oregon State University Extension Service Phone: 553-1161, ext. 238 or 239 Rabbit Club going strong The raising of domestic rabbits lends itself nicely to Tommy K a la ma's 4-H Rabbit Club project. The fact that, in many cases, they can be raised where larger farm animals or even poultry cannot be handled makes them especially use ful animals for this 4-11 club. In this connection, rabbit breeders can be of material aid to these younger people by providing desir able breeding stock at nominal pri ces and by counseling with their leaders and the members of the youth groups with respect to methods for raising or caring for their animals. In order to teach the young per son the fundamctals of animal hus bandry, these youth groups may begin with young rabbits at wean ing age. When the young people in a family gorup want to raise rab bits, it may be best to purchase an adult doe in order that their inter est may be kept keen by the chro nological events such as the doe making a nest and kindling, and the young people taking care of the litter, etc. Many of these small beginnings on the part of young people have developed into sia ble undertakings. Welcome to the4-H Rabbit Club Amy Paycnna, Jacklyn Langlcy, Jessica Taylor and Timothy Kalama. Look up for space Simple tasks to make Spring cleaning easier Spring has sprung and it's one again time to think about those annual cleaning chores. Following are some house cleaning tips and recipes to help make the job a bit easier and more enjoyable. Painted surfaces To prevent streaking, wash walls by starting at baseboard and work upward. Glass and enamel painted walls are easier to clean than those that have been painted with "flat" paint. Wash dust away with a soft cloth. Rinse well and then dry with another soft cloth. Suggested cleaning products Soap Jelly 1 cup shaved bar soap or soap flakes 1 Quart boiling water Dissolve shaved soap or soap flakes in boiling water. When melted or dissolved, pour into wide mouth jar. Let it stand in a cool place until it jells. To remove finger prints and to clean heavily soiled surfaces, use whiting paste. Thoroughly mix four part whiting and one part soap jelly. Keep in small jar. Apply with a soft cloth; rub lightly then rinse. For grease and dirt and heavy film, use I cup washing soda 1 cup ammonia 1 cup vingegar 1 gallon water To clean woodwork, mix one part kerosene oil to one part vine gar. Rub over the soiled area and wipe with a dry cloth. For fresh grease spots on papered walls, place a clean blotter on spot and press with a warm iron. Change the blotter often. For stubborn spots on papered walls, make a paste of water and magnesia powder (magnesia oxide). Apply paste to the spot and let dry thoroughly for two to three days. Brush off dry powder. You may need to repeat this process., Caution: Test first on an incons picuous place. Butcher block and cutting boards Wash when exposed to food use a brush, hot water and deter gent. Rinse and wipe dry. To sanit ize, wash the surface with a combi nation of 1 xh tsp. chlorine bleach and one gallon of lukewarm water. Rinse well and dry thoroughly. Bathroom To make the glass and mirrors sparkle like never before combine: 2 Tbsp. non-sudsing ammonia I tsp. automatic dishwasher detergent I pint rubbing alcohol Mix ingredients in a one-gallon container and fill to the top with water. Caution: Keep solution off sur faces other than glass and mirrors. The alcohol could damage paints and varnished surfaces. Also, mix may scratch, so use a soft, wet cloth. Use newspaper to wipe glass and mirror surfaces. The ink gives the surfaces a nice polish. Wear rubber gloves to keep the ink off your hands. For fiberglass bathroom fixtures, avoid scouring powders, abrasive cleaners, scratchpads and brushes, as they may scratch the surface. To clean, use warm water, liquid detergent and a soft cloth or sponge. For stubborn stains, clean with a paste of automatic dishwasher detergent. Get rid of hard water deposits by using white vinegar or a baking soda paste. Let it stand several hours and then rinse. To keep those fixtures gleaming, apply once every six months a coat of good quality automotive cream wax or paste wax. Do not wax sur faces where people will stand. For the toilet bowl, regular clean ing more than once or twice a month, will make the cleaning job much easier. Be sure the cleaning product has phosphoric acid. Use a pumice stone to remove mineral deposits and ring. A stronger power cleanser com bines phosphoric acid and muriatic acid. Families that outgrow their homes often remedy the space shortage by adding a room. How ever, before going to all that expense, homeowners should look up. Maybe your attic can help. Before you push outward, eval uate your home's existing space to see if alterations could create the new room you need. In many cases, converting an attic to living space is much less expensive than buid ing another room. How do you evaluate your attic for its expansion possibilities? First, check the headroom. If the attic has enough headroom at least Vh feet it may be just the place for a new bedroom, play room, or guest quarter. Next, make sure the cost of alter ing the heating and or cooling sys tem won't be too much. Then, con sider where the stairs will be. Blocking out stairway space below the attic is essential. A min imum of a three-by-ten foot rec tangle is needed for a standard stairway. The average spiral unit takes up about five to six square feet of floor area. The space can come from a closet, or cut a room diagonally to make space for the typical 45-degree rise. A spiral unit can tuck into any room where pri vacy is not a problem. Other considerations include: whether the attic floor will support additional weight; availability of natural light through gable win dows, dormers or skylights; elec trical and or plumbing needs and insulation. You can plan storage to fit into the knee wall areas. Each of these items is important to your evaluation. Complete your entire checklist before making a final decision. High blood pressure caused by several things Blood pressure is what causes blood to move through the blood vessels to all parts of your body. As your heart beats, the blood is pushed or forced along the blood vessels. Sometimes this push or force can become too strong. When this hap pens, you are said to have high blood pressure (also called hyperten sion). The Facts You usually cannot tell if you have high blood pressure. There are no warning signs. It does not hurt and you won't feel sick, dizzy or nervous. Anyone can have it, tense people as well as relaxed people. The only way to know for sure if you have high blood presure is to have a trained person check it. Heshe will take your blood pres sure using a blood pressure cuff and give you a blood pressure reading. A blood pressure reading gives you two numbers written one over the other, for example, 12080. The top number is the "systolic" which tells the force against the blood vessles when the heart beats. The lower number is taken the heart rests between beats and is called "diastolic." A normal blood pressure is below 14090. If your blood pressure is 14090 or higher, you should see your doctor. The Risks High blood pressure can cause strokes, heart attacks, and kidney disease. You may have a great chance of getting high blood pres sure or making it worse if you: Smoke Are overweight Get little or no exercise Eat foods that are high in salt Are under a lot of stress Use birth control pills What you can do If you have high blood pressure readings, see a doctor. High blood pressure cannot be cured, but a doctor can help you keep it under control. The doctor may suggest that you do any or all of the following: 1 . Stop smoking. Each time you smoke a cigarette, you temporarily raise your blood pressure by 10 to 20 points. Smoking and high blood pressure greatly increase your risk for a heart attack. 2. Lose weight. The more over weight you are, the greater your chances of having high blood pres sure. 3. Use less salt. Too much salt in ' your body causes your body tissues to hold water. This increases the amount of fluid in your body, which raises your blood pressure. You can greatly reduce your salt intake if you use less salt in cook ing; leave the salt shaker off the table; use spices such as ginger, galic, pepper, lemon juice and herbs, such as parsley, sage and mint instead of canned soups, salt or soy sauce to season foods; and, use fresh fruits and vegetables instead of frozen or canned. 4. Exercise. Exercise at least 1 5 to 30 minutes three times a week. Try aerobic exercises like swim ming, fast walking, jogging, riding a bike or running. An exercise pro gram will help lower your heart rate and blood pressure and make you feel better all over. 5. Take your blood pressure pills. When taking blood pressure pills, take them regularly until told by your doctor to stop. Blood pres sure pills won't work if they are taken only when you feel like it. Also try: Taking your pill at the same time each day (before going to bed, after brushing your teeth, after eating, etc.) Leaving notes to remind your self to take your pill or have some one remind you to take it. When leaving home, don't forget to take your pills with you. DO THIS TODAY- Have your blood pressure checked. Take the salt shaker off the table. Ticks are a summertime threat Mome Marsh Summer is coming, and with it, unfortunately, come ticks. Woodsy underbrush, tall grass and the fur of free-ranging pets are the usual sources of ticks for peo ple. The tick brushes against some part of the boody and looks for a place to settle. It then bites the skin, embeds its head beneath, and taps into a blood source, such as a vein or illary. As it feeds, the exter nal part of its body swells to as much as three times as its original size. The bite is relatively painless; the real danger is in the viruses or bacteria that the tick may harbor. When you go into the woods or countryside, wear boots, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt, if possi ble. Stop and check your clothing occasionally. Ticks often crawl around on clothing or even on the skin for a long time before they bite. As soon as you get home (or to camp) check your body tho roughly for ticks, and be sure to check your chldren as well, or teach them how to check them selves. A visual check will do, except for the hair, which requires exami nation with fingers. A thorough bath with soap is also recom mended. If a tick does attach itself to you. the way you remove it is important. You must get rid of all parts, not just the bloated body. According to studies reported in a recent issue of the American Family Physician, the safest method is to remove the tick with tine-tipped tweezers, or fingers protected by rubber gloves or tissues. Removal should be slow, with a steady upward, even pres sure. If using tweezers, press them close to the skin. Do not twist or jerk the tick. Do not crush or punc ture its body. Do not handle it with bare hands. If the head remains embedded in your skin, if irritation persists, or if any symptoms such as fever, nausea, cramps, or rash develop, call your doctor. Once the tick is out, clean the wound with soapy water and wash your hands well. Dispose of the varmint permanently by flushing it down the toilet; if you are in the field, bury it. These same recom mendations, incidentally, apply equally to tick-care for your pets. If you live in a tick-infested area, check pets and their sleeping areas daily in the summer. received a Certificate of Recognition from OSU Extension as 1989 winner in Financial Management She will repreesent Oregon in regional competition. Congratulations! Number of Americans who drink Coke for breakfast: 965,000 School age children who can't run a mile in less than 10 minutes: 33 boys; 50 girls Percent of potato croft that is french fried: lit Amount Americans spend annually for packaged cookies: '3.9 billion Get ready now for outdoor living Know what to expect in interview With the first breath of spring, many people's thoughts turn to outdoor living. For those of us who have neglected our outdoor furni ture during the winter, here are a few grooming tips: To clean aluminum furniture, wash with soap and water, then rinse and rub dry. Use a stiff brush if necessary. Even though alumi num is rust resistant, the frames of chairs and tables can become dull and pit ted. A coat of automobile wax or clear lacquer spray will help to re store some of the natural luster of aluminum. Wash wrought iron and steel furniture. A water hose can be used if necessary. Use steel wool to remove any rust spots, then clean these areas with mineral spirits. Touch up these places with metal primer to prevent rusting. If the paint needs renewing, rub the fin ish the steel wool or sandpaper. Then wipe the surface with a cloth that has been dampened in paint thinner; allow to dry and apply one or two coats of outdoor enamel. Wicker and rattan furniture absorb dirt easily and also tend to fade. Dust the furnitere frequently and wash about once a year. If a strand of rattan or wicker has unraveled, it can be soaked with water and rewound. Perhaps the most firghtening part of the job search i' the interview with a prospective employer; how ever, knowing what to expect at that interview can make the pros pect a little less intimidating. You should look at a job inter view, not only as a way for the employer interviewer to review your qualifications and experience, but as an opportunity for you to market your skills and talents. Good prep aration will help you to present a good image and will give you confidence. Good preparation includes a var iety of activities. Be sure your clothes are conservative and neat. Bring with you any intormation that you anticipate the employer may want, and be sure to do a bit of research on the company so that you will know something about its business. Have a list of questions that you may want to ask the inter viewer and think about what the interviewer may ask you. Make sure you know the route to the place of the interview before hand and leave yourself time to spare in case there are delays. If a delay does occur, phone ahead. Once you get to the interview, your altitude and responses are very important. You should be confident, sit and stand properly, maintain eye contact with the inter viewer, be courteous, and answer all questions as clearly and com pletely as possible. Through it all, show a willingness to learn and an intereest in the company. Practice interviewing with a friend. Have him or her make a list of questions and answer them as you would if you were on a job interview. Practice makes you feci more comfortable when you are actually talking with an interviewer. Above all, be confident that you are a person who has something to offer and is worth hiring. Your pos itive attitude about yourself will carry over in the interview. Congratulations!! 4-H Shawl Club for your beautiful shawls!! Laura Swltzler, you did an excellent job with club members Bucky Smith, Trlsha Stradley, Tama Langnese and Wllma Saunders. Thanks!