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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Live Smart Ohio

Better Lives. Stronger Communities.

LOL-Laugh Out Loud… for your heart!

I have been reading a lot about the benefits of laughter. One surprising benefit of laughter is a healthier heart! Laughter affects your nervous system, boosting your serotonin, dopamine, and endorphin levels,  but also it can be a great workout for the immune, lymph, and cardiovascular systems. When you laugh, your heart rate increases and […]

WRITTEN BY: Dr. Roseanne Scammahorn, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Darke County, Scammahorn.5@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Mist Harmon, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.416@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Photo by Silvia Cosimini from FreeImages

REFERENCES:

  • Abram, T. (2018). Laughter has serious benefits. Michigan State University - https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/laughter_has_serious_benefits
  • Edmonds, M. (2019, June 16). What is laughter therapy? https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/laughter-therapy.htm
  • Henry Ford LiveWell. (2019). How Laughter Benefits your Heart Health. https://www.henryford.com/blog/2019/03/how-laughter-benefits-heart-health#:~:text=When%20you%20laugh%2C%20your%20heart,of%20a%20heart%20disease%20diagnosis.
  • University of California San Francisco. (n.d.). Laughter Yoga. https://osher.ucsf.edu/public-classes/laughter-yoga
  • The University of St. Augustine. (2019). How laughter can relieve stress and Ideas to laugh it off. https://www.usa.edu/blog/how-laughter-can-relieve-stress/

Create “New” Family Traditions in 2021

If you are reading this message, I am successful in attracting your attention in today’s world of constant change and distractions.  Perhaps the word that attracted you was “new”, family or traditions.  I used this oxymoron to produce a special effect that highlights our ability to make planned changes.   As we move into 2021 let […]

WRITTEN BY: Margaret Jenkins

REVIEWED BY: Marie Economos

SOURCES:

  • https://u.osu.edu/extensionclermont/2021/01/04/turn-your-resolutions-into-real-solutions/
  • https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5242 Stress Coping Strategies
  • https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5809 Aging

REFERENCES:

  • Jordan, Joelle D. The Evolution of the American Family, http://hdl.handle.net/2148/58, 2006
  • https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5243 Mindfulness Practice
  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, (2020) Your Money Your Goals. https://consumerfinance.gov/practitioner-resources/your-money-your-goal

Lessons from a Flopped Pie

Usually, we can anticipate certain life events and traditions every year like celebrating at birthday parties, or joining cookouts in the summer, or hosting gatherings for holidays. Because of Covid-19, this year has not followed typical expectations. When families experience significant unexpected events, they are called nonnormative transitions or unanticipated transitions.  Examples include job loss, […]

WRITTEN BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, CFLE, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Lucas County

REVIEWED BY: Laura Stanton, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Warren County and Misty Harmon, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Perry County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Patrice Powers-Barker

SOURCES:

  • Brinkman, P. (2016). Eating Healthy During Stressful Times. Ohio State University. https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5244
  • Eva, A. (2017). Why we should embrace mistakes in school. Greater Good Magazine. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_we_should_embrace_mistakes_in_school
  • Heer, C. & Rini, J. (2016). Stress Coping Methods. Ohio State University. https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5242
  • Leonard, J. & Cofer, J., (2020). Pumpkins: Not Just for Jack-O-Lanterns and Pies. NC Cooperative Extension. https://randolph.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/10/pumpkins-not-just-for-jack-o-lanterns-and-pies/
  • Lindberg, E. (2019). Practicing gratitude can have profound health benefits, USC experts say. University of Southern California. https://news.usc.edu/163123/gratitude-health-research-thanksgiving-usc-experts/
  • McGinnis, D. (2018). Resilience, Life Events, and Well-Being During Midlife: Examining Resilience Subgroups. Journal of Adult Development. 25(3): 198–221. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6105201/
  • Mindfulness Practices. Wexner Medical Center. Ohio State University. https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/integrative-complementary-medicine/resources/mindfulness-practices
  • Myers-Walls, J. & Willis Hepp, B.(2019). Overview and Introduction. NCFR Report: Nonnormative Transitions. Winter 2019. https://www.ncfr.org/ncfr-report/winter-2019
  • Powers-Barker, P. (2015). Spilt Milk – To Cry or Not to Cry. Live Smart Ohio. Ohio State University. https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/mind-and-body/powers-barker-1osu-edu/spilt-milk-to-cry-or-not-to-cry/
  • Tonseth, C. (2018), Anticipated and Unanticipated Transitions as Triggers for Adult Learning. Creative Education. 9(2). https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=82379

Healthy Sleep Habits for Teens

With the start of a new school year, it is important to be intentional about the need our teens have for restful sleep. Over the past several months, without a school routine, our family grew lackadaisical regarding bedtime and sleep routines. Now that our teens are back to school and alarms are going off at […]

WRITTEN BY: Laura Stanton, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Warren County.

REVIEWED BY: Lisa Barlage, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Ross County.

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Image from rawpixel.

SOURCES:

  • American Academy of Pediatrics (2018). Healthy sleep habits: How many hours does your child need? Retrieved from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/sleep/Pages/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-How-Many-Hours-Does-Your-Child-Need.aspx
  • American Academy of Pediatrics (2016). Where we stand: Screen time. Retrieved from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/Where-We-Stand-TV-Viewing-Time.aspx
  • Hass, S. B. (2018, April 17). 6 ways that night-time phone use destroys your sleep. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/prescriptions-life/201804/6-ways-night-time-phone-use-destroys-your-sleep
  • National Sleep Foundation (2020, July 28). Why electronics may stimulate you before bed. Retrieved from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/why-electronics-may-stimulate-you-bed
  • Robb, M. B. (2019). The new normal: Parents, teens, screens, and sleep in the United States. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense Media.

Food Allergies and Halloween Can Be a Scary Combination

As a parent of a child with several life-threatening food allergies, Halloween has always been an especially scary holiday. Considering the fact that 1 in every 13 children have a food allergy, there are three challenges that make Halloween extra tricky to navigate. Trick #1: Halloween candy has many common allergens. Many of the most […]

WRITTEN BY: Laura Stanton, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Warren County.

REVIEWED BY: Laura Halladay, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Greene County.

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Halloween image by rawpixel.
  • Teal Pumpkin Project from Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE).

SOURCES:

  • American Academy of Pediatrics. (2019, September 24). Avoid a Food Allergy Scare on Halloween. Retrieved from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries-emergencies/Pages/Avoid-Food-Allergy-Scare-on-Halloween.aspx
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, June 8). Food Allergies. Retreived from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/foodallergies/index.htm
  • Davis, C. Q. (2012, October 30) Fun-size candies aren’t so fun anymore. Retrieved from https://scienceline.org/2012/10/fun-size-candies-arent-so-fun-anymore/
  • Kleiner, R. (2019, October 28). 7 Ways to Make Halloween Safer for Kids with Food Allergies. Retrieved from https://www.eatright.org/health/lifestyle/holidays/7-ways-to-make-halloween-safer-for-kids-with-food-allergies

What’s all the talk about deferred payroll taxes?

Not everyone would say this, but I love teaching high school students about money. The OSU Extension program “Real Money. Real World.” is a sneak peek at managing money as an adult. It is eye-opening for these students to see how quickly our expenses add up each month. Another impressionable day is dissecting paycheck withholdings. […]

WRITTEN BY: Emily Marrison, OSU Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Educator, Coshocton County

REVIEWED BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Educator, Lucas County and Barry Ward, OSU Income Tax Schools Director and Production Business Management Leader for OSU Extension

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Pixabay.com

SOURCES:

  • Braun, B., Little, L., Russell, M. Helping You Make a “Good Guess” for Out-of-Pocket Health Costs. Fact Sheet – 1020, April 2015. University of Maryland Extension and University of Delaware Cooperative Extension. https://www.udel.edu/content/dam/udelImages/canr/pdfs/extension/nutrition-wellness/smart-choice/7-Helping-you-make-a-good-guess-for-out-of-pocket-expenses.pdf
  • Live Smart Ohio. Occasional Expenses – How do you manage? April 15, 2015. https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/money/stehulak-1osu-edu/occasional-expenses-how-do-you-manage/
  • The White House. Memorandum on Deferring Payroll Tax Obligations in Light of the Ongoing COVID-19 Disaster. August 8, 2020. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/memorandum-deferring-payroll-tax-obligations-light-ongoing-covid-19-disaster/
  • U.S. Department of the Treasury. Treasury and IRS Issue Guidance Deferring Certain Payroll Tax Obligations. August 28, 2020. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1110
  • Ziv, S. These 70 Employers Opted Out Of Trump’s Payroll Tax Deferral, Did Yours? Forbes. September 9, 2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/shaharziv/2020/09/09/employer-opt-out-trump-payroll-tax-deferral-opt-out-notice-2020-65-start/#7357580366f4

REFERENCES:

  • Occasional Expenses Worksheet from "Manage Your Money" Bulletin 972-1 https://extensionpubs.osu.edu/manage-your-money-pdf/

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