Families Matter Newsletter |
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March 2022
Volume 18, Issue 5
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The Importance of Self Care
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Self-care is a set of deliberate actions people take for themselves to establish, improve, or maintain mental, physical and spiritual wellness. |
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The concept of self-care includes:
HYGIENE The way you maintain cleanliness, both generally and personally.
NUTRITION The type and quality of food you eat.
LIFESTYLE How you engage in physical exercise and leisure activities.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS This includes your living conditions and social habits.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS Your income level, cultural beliefs, education and social support system
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Ways to practice Self-care
GET SOME SLEEP Get 7-9 hours of sleep each night to improve your focus, decision-making skills, memory and creativity.
GO OUTSIDE Sunlight triggers the release of serotonin, which helps you feel happier and less anxious.
REST YOUR MIND Meditation can reduce anxiety, depression, headaches, insomnia and more.
STRETCH IT OUT Stretching increases blood flow and circulation to your muscles and brain.
WRITE IT DOWN Journaling boosts your mood and reduces symptoms of depression.
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We care about you! You deserve to be the very best version of yourself, both personally and professionally, and we are here to support you in your self-care. Studies show that prioritizing self-care increases productivity, reduces stress and anxiety, and improves your sense of self-worth. |
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Flashlight clean up –
To pick up quickly, tag an item with a flashlight beam that needs to be put away. Run to see who can get it the fastest.
Playing flashlight games can also help them get used to using and seeing a flashlight,
which is helpful in storm season!
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Keep them Moving!
Each time a commercial, pop-up ad or video ends ... get up and move—run in place, do jumping jacks, walk or march, do sit ups, etc.
For TV each commercial break has about 3-5 minutes worth of moving! OR make them stand up while playing a game or watching videos.
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Build a Kid Kit or GO Bag!
Being prepared for a storm can help make it less scary. Help your kids build a storm kit of their own. Include a flashlight, bike helmet, juice box and crackers, a small toy or stuffed animal, crayons and paper, and books for them to take along if they need to take shelter. This will help them feel more in control and less likely to feel as scared.
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Family Emergency Communication Plan
Pillowcase Project
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Make Family Mealtime a Priority!
Kids who eat a meal with their families learn
and get along better with peers better
Simple Tips:
Shop your Pantry and Freezer
Have Theme Dinners
Do Simple Sides
Plan Leftovers
Utilize the Web and Friends!
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Shop your Pantry and Freezer First: Before you head off to the store. Look to see what items you have on hand and what ingredients you might need to turn those into meals.
Theme Nights: Dinners come together faster when you don’t have to think about the parts. Themes like; Mexican, pasta, etc. help you come up with a main dish and quick sides to help round out your meal plan. Or, themes can be Soup on Wednesdays, or grilling on Fridays.
Simple Sides: Make sure you keep your side dishes simple. Utilize quick cooking methods for vegetables like microwave steaming, or throw in a pan and bake it items. A good guide is two vegetables or a fruit and vegetable.
Plan Leftovers: Make more of certain items to use as leftovers or “planned overs” later in the week.
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Green Food!
March and St. Patrick’s Day is a great time to introduce green food to young kids.
Talk about how green food, is good for you. At least 3 days a week we need to eat green leafy vegetables.
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GET READY TO GARDEN
Start your planning now!
Although spring is still a few weeks away, it is already time to plant several cool season vegetables. It is also time to start the planning process for those yummy tomatoes, okra and squash you will eat this summer.
A lot of vegetables and flowers are scheduled to be planted between March 1st and April 15th in Oklahoma.
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Easy Kale Chips
1 large bunch kale, tough stems
removed, leaves torn into pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
Preheat to 400 degrees F. If kale is wet, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel; transfer to a large bowl.
Drizzle the kale with oil and sprinkle with salt. Fill 2 large rimmed baking sheets with a layer of kale, making sure the leaves don't overlap. (If the kale won't all fit, make the chips in batches.)
Bake until most leaves are crisp, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through, 8 to 12 minutes total.
Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Serving Size: about 2 cups - 110 calories; protein 5.3g; carbohydrates 15.8g; dietary fiber 5.6g; sugars 3.5g; fat 4.6g; saturated fat 0.6g; calcium 202.7mg; sodium 210.1mg; thiamin 0.2mg.
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1 c. diced tomato
1/4 c. diced green pepper
2 Tbsp. sliced green onions
2 Tbsp. chopped ripe olives
2 Tbsp. chopped green chilies
2 tsp. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
corn tortilla chips
1/4 c. (1 oz.) shredded 40% less fat sharp Cheddar cheese
Combine first 8 ingredients. Spoon 2 teaspoons vegetable mixture on each tortilla chip; divide cheese evenly among chips. Broil 6 inches from heat 1 minute or until cheese melts.
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Shamrock Sponge Garden
Cut a small sponge or terry cloth washcloth into a shamrock shape and place it on a plate. (Tracing around a cookie cutter for the shape makes it easy!). Let your child sprinkle some seeds on the sponge or cloth and set the plate in the sunlight. Show your child how to add a little bit of water to the base of the sponge or cloth to keep it damp. Soon your shamrock will be covered with green!
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Green Eggs and Ham!
4 whole wheat English
muffins, toasted
4 (1 oz) slices Canadian
bacon
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
1 (2 oz) canned chopped green chilies
½ teaspoon pepper
3 eggs
¼ cup milk
4 slices of Swiss cheese
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno (optional), green Chiles, and pepper. Fry, stirring, until onions are soft. Whisk together the eggs and milk; pour into the skillet. Stir frequently until eggs are scrambled and cooked through.
Place one slice of Canadian bacon on each bottom muffin halves, then a spoonful of the scrambled egg mixture, then top with a slice of Swiss cheese. Place the other half of the muffin on the top, and serve.
4 servings: 384 calories, 19g total fat, 16g saturated fat, 201mg cholesterol, 30g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 25g protein, 979mg sodium, 490mg calcium. Food Exchanges: 1 ½ grain, 2 ½ lean meat, 2 fat.
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Shamrock SLIME!
½ cup Water
Shamrock Confetti
Chunky Green and Gold Glitter
Take two small bowls and add 1/4 cup of water to each. In one bowl add 1/4 cup of clear glue and a generous sprinkle of glitter and shamrock confetti. In the other bowl add 1/4 teaspoon of borax. Mix each bowl well.
Slowly stir the borax mixture into the glue mixture and watch your slime begin to form! Keep stirring until everything is mixed well.
Store your shamrock slime in a sealed container when you’re not playing with the slime. And as always, keep out of reach of small children. (As in anyone young enough to potentially eat the slime!)”
Note: This recipe uses a very small amount (1/4 tsp) of Borax.
Children should never be allowed direct contact with undiluted
borax. Always monitor small children playing with slime.
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Oklahoma State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local Governments cooperating. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, national origin, disability or status as a veteran, and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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