Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

Getting on the Same Pa(i)ge

We knew when we named our daughter Paige there would be the occasional pun and confusion, but in this case, it is very appropriate. Our Paige is about to turn two years old and recently our sweet toddler has started to become more of her own person, complete with problem behavior that you might expect […]

WRITTEN BY: Katie Schlagheck, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ottawa & Sandusky Counties

REVIEWED BY: Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Franklin County

SOURCES:

  • Deans (2018). When Parents Disagree: How to get on the same page without anyone "winning" or "losing". https://www.lernerchilddevelopment.com/mainblog/2018/4/15/when-parents-disagree-how-to-get-on-the-same-page-without-anyone-winning-or-losing
  • Eanes (2016). Getting Parents on the Same Page. The Gottman Institute. gottman.com/blog/getting-parents-on-the-same-page

“No” is a complete sentence.

Sometimes “no” is easy. Like when you say no to a telemarketer or to a child when they want something outrageously expensive. Other times saying no comes with anxiety, fear, tension, and guilt. Like when we say no, we are not going to volunteer to be PTA President (for the third year in a row), […]

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

REVIEWED BY: Katie Schlagheck, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ottawa & Sandusky Counties

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Image by Ana Krach from Pixabay

SOURCES:

  • Formica, M. (2008). The Myth of Managing Emotions. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/enlightened-living/200805/the-myth-managing-emotions
  • Sills, J. (2016). The Power of No. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201311/the-power-no
  • University of Kentucky. (nd). How to Create Healthy Boundaries. https://www.uky.edu/hr/sites/www.uky.edu.hr/files/wellness/images/Conf14_Boundaries.pdf

Express your Stress- Tips to tame your stress

Stress is a normal part of life and affects everyone.  We encounter stress in our surroundings, our body, and our thoughts.  Nevertheless, not all stress is bad. We experience stress when we take a test or have a job interview, which can motivate people. Stress also happens when you find yourself in a dangerous situation, […]

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

REVIEWED BY: Kellie Lemly, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Champaign County, lemly.2@osu.edu

SOURCES:

  • • 5 Things You Should Know About Stress – National Institute of Mental Health https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/stress/index.shtml
  • • 7 Strange Things Stress Can Do to Your Body – The Cleveland Clinic https://health.clevelandclinic.org/7-strange-things-stress-can-body
  • • 10 Ways to Celebrate National Stress Awareness Month - https://www.beliefnet.com/wellness/galleries/10-ways-to-celebrate-national-stress-awareness-month.aspx#ZY3aw2MzLkTIJQsl.99
  • • Find Your Own Healthy Way to De-Stress – The Ohio State University https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/mind-and-body/hite-143osu-edu/find-your-own-healthy-way-to-de-stress/
  • • Stress management – The May Clinic - https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relievers/art-20047257

Rose, Thorn and Bud

Have you ever participated in an icebreaker or round robin based on roses and thorns? The game is to name one good thing (a rose) and one bad thing (a thorn), usually about your day. While it is often applied in a variety of group settings, it can also be introduced to household members who […]

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

REVIEWED BY: Shannon Carter, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Fairfield County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Red maple flowering by Amy Stone
  • Roses from Pixabay

SOURCES:

  • Giving thanks can make you happier (2020). Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School. Retrieved April 2, 2020 from https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier
  • Gonzalez, A. (2018, May 24). A mindful way to reflect: Rose, thorn, and bud. Mindful Schools. Retrieved April 2, 2020 from https://www.mindfulschools.org/inspiration/mindful-reflection/
  • Kumar, A., Killingsworth, M., and Gilovich, T. (2014, August 21). Waiting for merlot: Anticipatory consumption of experiential and material purchases. Psychological Science. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614546556
  • Lieberman, M., Eisenberger, N., Crockett, M., Tom, S., Pfeifer, S., and Way, B. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17576282
  • Rose and thorn. (2020). The Family Dinner Project. Retrieved April 2, 2020 from https://thefamilydinnerproject.org/fun_content/rose-and-thorn/
  • Treber, M. (2019, December 2). I’m dining in. Live Healthy Live Well. Retrieved April 2, 2020 from https://livehealthyosu.com/tag/dine-in-day/

Empowering Your Family for Your Later Years

At what age do you think the job of parenting ends? Is it when your child graduates from high school or college? Is it when they get married or start a family of their own? While these events are important milestones, the truth is that the parenting role doesn’t stop until we prepare ourselves and […]

WRITTEN BY: Kathy Tutt, Family & Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Clark County

REVIEWED BY: Jami Dellifield, Family & Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Hardin County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://cdn.xl.thumbs.canstockphoto.com/nursing-home-senior-woman-with-her-home-caregiver-stock-photograph_csp4561399.jpg

REFERENCES:

  • Five Wishes. https://fivewishes.org/shop/order/product/five-wishes
  • Greif, G.L., & Woolley, M.E. (2015). Patterns in adult sibling relationships after the death of one or both parents. Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care, 11, 74-89. doi: 10.1080/15524256.2015.1021435
  • Hurme, S.B. (2015). Checklist for My Family: A guide to my history, financial plans, and final wishes. American Bar Association/AARP.
  • Prosch, T. (2014). The Other Talk: A Guide to Talking with your Adult Children About the Rest of Your Life. United States: McGraw-Hill Education.
  • The Conversation Project (n.d.). Your conversation starter kit. Retrieved from https://theconversationproject.org/
  • Umberson, D., & Chen, M.D. (1994). Effects of a parent’s death on adult children: relationship salience and reaction to loss. American Sociological Review, 59, 152-168. doi: 10.2307/2096138

Soft Skills Across the Lifespan

Depending on the context, soft skills are also called:  Social Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Life Skills, Job Skills, People Skills, Success Skills, Essential Skills, Executive Function Skills and even Tough Skills. Different settings might have different terms such as Social Emotional Learning in schools and Emotional Intelligence in the workplace. The title of one article summarizes […]

WRITTEN BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, CFLE, Extension Educator, OSU Extension Lucas County

REVIEWED BY: Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension Franklin County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • pixabay

SOURCES:

  • Amdurer, E., Boyatzis, R., Saatcioglu, A., Smith, M. & Taylor, S. (2014). Long term impact of emotional, social and cognitive intelligence competencies and GMAT on career and life satisfaction and career success. Frontier Psychology, 5: 1447. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4267171/
  • Brandt, B. (2016). Supercharging chaperones: A meeting toolkit for maximizing learning for youth and chaperones. Journal of Extension [online], 54(2). Retrieved from https://www.joe.org/joe/2016april/iw4.php
  • Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), https://casel.org/
  • Ebner, P. (2017). Preparing students for extension careers and expanding US Extension reach through international service learning. Journal of Extension [online], 55(4), 4FEA2. Retrieved from https://www.joe.org/joe/2017august/a2.php
  • Fisher Merkowitz, R. & Earnst, G. (2006) Emotional Intelligence: A pathway to self-understanding and improved leadership capacities. Journal of Extension, 44(4). Retrieved from https://www.joe.org/joe/2006august/iw3.php
  • Harvard University, Center on the Developing Child (2018). Activities guide: Enhancing and practicing executive function skills with children from infancy to adolescence. Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/activities-guide-enhancing-and-practicing-executive-function-skills-with-children-from-infancy-to-adolescence/
  • Hurrel, S. (2015). Rethinking the soft skills deficit blame game: employers, skills withdrawal and the reporting of soft skills. Human Relations. Vol 69, Issue 3, pp. 605 - 628
  • Kamenetz, A. (2015). Nonacademic skills are key to success. But what should we call them? NPR Ed Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/05/28/404684712/non-academic-skills-are-key-to-success-but-what-should-we-call-them
  • Slov´ak, P., Rowan K., Frauenberger, C., Gilad-Bachrach, R., Doces, M., Smith, B., Kamb, R., & Fitzpatric, G. (2016). Scaffolding the scaffolding: Supporting children-s social-emotional learning at home. AMC Conference Paper. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310822579_Scaffolding_the_scaffolding_Supporting_children-s_social-emotional_learning_at_home
  • Trotta, R. (2015). Tackling the tough skills: A curriculum building skills for work and life. University of Missouri Lincoln University, Outreach & Extension. Retrieved from http://extension.missouri.edu/tough-life-skills/

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