Help Grow Your Soup

Campbells has done it again.

You can visit www.helpgrowyoursoup.com and with a couple of clicks, they will donate seeds to FFA Chapters around the U.S.

Families and Lawn Care

Plan for Happy Traveling with Children

Some people say children and car trips do not mix. However, for most families, car travel is part of life, says Donna, an Iowa State University Extension family life field specialist. With a little planning, traveling with children can be a positive experience for everyone.

“The goal is the same whether you are driving across town to a ballgame, traveling to visit grandparents a couple of hours away for the weekend or taking a family summer vacation,” Donna said. “You want to keep the children comfortable, occupied and safe. The result is happier children and less stressed parents.”

 The ISU Extension specialist offers the following suggestions for successful traveling with children. 

Infants and toddlers: Infants need food, supplies and toys. Keep a container filled with baby food, spoons, moist toilettes, formula and sterile water in the car. Add diapers, extra clothes and blankets. Simple toys are a must. Give one toy at a time to offer enough variety to hold an infant’s attention. Toddlers have short attention spans, so rotate games and toys throughout a trip. Pack items in the trunk and trade in “old” toys for “new” ones when you make a stop. Soft, felt activity books and cloth picture books are especially good.

Preschoolers: “I want a drink” or “I am hungry” are frequent comments from preschoolers, so take along water, straws, cups, napkins, plates and trash bags. Water is the best thirst quencher and is easy to clean up after those inevitable spills. Limit fruit drinks, pop and juice. Children will drink a lot of these, which translates into frequent potty stops. Finger food is a good choice. Consider things like cereal, crackers, fruit and small cookies. Try to limit the amount of snack foods eaten. Otherwise, the car will be a messy restaurant on wheels, and the children won’t want to eat when you stop for a meal.

School-agers: Good options while riding in the car for this age group are turn-and-spell type games, an art kit and magnetized board games. A travel diary is a fun activity. Get each child a special notebook so he or she can write, draw, tape down souvenirs, etc. Suggest they work on the diary after a stop, while waiting for food to come at a restaurant or before going to bed. Stop every couple of hours to let children run off some energy. Pack a few items for active play at rest stops like a Frisbee, ball or jump rope. Time each stop and give a two-minute warning to get everyone back in the car.

 Teenagers: A player with headphones is a must so teens can listen to music or books. Older children, teenagers and even adults can be kept amused for quite a while playing some traditional travel games. These include state games (spot license plates and name the capitals), an alphabet race (find letters of the alphabet, in order, on signs) and the “I’m going to …” game (fill in the phrase “I’m going to Grandma’s and taking my _____” with each letter of the alphabet). Make up your own rules and variations.

 The whole family will be happier if they dress in comfortable, loose clothing, Donna continued. For everyone’s benefit, take along pillows and lightweight blankets. Rotate where everyone sits to limit arguments about windows and doors, and put an adult in the back seat occasionally. Give advance warning before stops so everyone can finish up activities and get ready. In addition, eat at family restaurants and avoid busy mealtime hours. 

 “And one more thing,” Donna said. “Be sure everyone travels buckled up in car safety seats or safety belts — no exceptions or excuses.”

 

 

Spring Lawn Care

Spring is here and a few things done now will help your lawn deliver the appeal and durability that you expect during the summer. Lawns fertilized last fall will green up quicker this spring; a little nitrogen in April or May will help those lawns that didn’t get fertilized last spring.

A soil test should be taken to determine the need for phosphorous. Most of the soil tests that I see show that Iowa lawns don’t need additional phosphorus. Apply it only if it is required or if you are planting grass from seed. Using phosphorous wisely and efficiently reduces the phosphorous load in our lakes and streams.

Extra care should be taken when applying any fertilizer or pesticide to the lawn. The lawn is like a sponge and is very good at trapping water and reducing runoff, but it does no good if lawn care products are spread onto hard surfaces like sidewalks and driveways and then washed into the storm water drainage system. Do your part to sweep or blow granular products back into the lawn where they stay put.

After things have greened up and the lawn has been mowed twice, it will be time to look for broadleaf weeds. It’s hard to miss the yellow flowered dandelions that are a clear indicator of weeds taking over the lawn.

Your goal should be to use a broadleaf herbicide on the entire lawn until weeds are reduced to about 10 percent of the total area; then just spot treat the individual weeds. Liquid herbicides provide better coverage that usually leads to more effective weed control. Granular weed and feed products are more convenient, but it is important to apply them when the lawn is wet, so that the dry pellets stick to the wet leaves, allowing uptake of the herbicide by the weeds.

Another important weed that lurks in nearly all lawns is crabgrass. If you had crabgrass last year, then you surely will have it again this year because it reseeded itself last fall. In this case pre-emergence herbicides are your best choice to kill the young crabgrass seedlings before you even notice them in May. Pre-emergence crabgrass products need to be applied by April 15 to be sure that the product is in place before crabgrass begins to germinate as soil temperatures approach the low 50 F mark.

Crabgrass first shows up along sidewalks where the turf is thin and soils warm faster. If you don’t anticipate much crabgrass in your lawn, then you can skip the pre-emergence application and wait until late May or early June to see how much crabgrass invades. Lawn care companies often use this strategy to reduce the pesticide footprint. If needed, they use a product called Drive in mid-summer to control crabgrass after it develops and becomes obvious in the lawn.

As temperatures continue to warm and the grass grows a little faster, count on mowing the lawn each week at a cutting height of 2.5 inches. This helps you from violating the one third mowing rule; never remove more than one third of the plants' total height. Clippings that are 1.0 to 1.5 inches long easily filter into the turf canopy and do not need to be bagged. The clippings actually add nitrogen fertilizer back into the lawn and help feed worms. There’s no need to fill the landfill with perfectly good worm food; it makes it hard for them to go fetch it. 

A final strategy in spring lawn care is to not start watering too soon. This is sometimes difficult for those with automatic irrigation systems since they are anxious to get started on the irrigation season. It is best to wait until the lawn starts to naturally wilt in the summer before you start to irrigate. A little bit of wilting does not hurt the lawn; in fact, wilting signals the plant to grow more roots deeper in the ground that will help during extended dry periods later in the summer. You are wasting water if you irrigate before the lawn starts to wilt. Once the lawn watering season begins, then your goal should be to water deep and infrequently. Lawns usually need about an inch of water per week. Apply your water in one or two days and then try to wait a week until the lawn starts to wilt again.

Developing your lawn care strategy early in the spring will let you sit back and enjoy the green green grass of summer.

Hampton Today made possible by sponsors like: Michelle Hartman – Tupperware –641-373-8880 Denise Passehl – Watkins – 641-579-6227 Long Branch Supper Club – 641-458-8027 Patrick Palmer – The Computer Guy – 641-420-1234 Seven Stars Restaurant – 641-456-5378 Debra Brown – Melaleuca - 641-458-1114

Hill boarder pic courtesy of flickr.com creative commons license 

Tech Talk and Wellness Walk

Offered by  Iowa Valley Continuing Education  & Robert W. Barlow Library

Presenters Michelle Sundholm, personal trainer and Terry Tikovitsch, Barlow Library director will demonstrate how to enhance your springtime "get out & about" regime. Learn how to download audio books to your home or work computers and then burn them to CD or MP3 formats. Once spring weather hits, you'll be able to take a healthy walk outside burning calories while listening to interesting books. Tikovitsch will talk about other technical devises available to library card holders and Sundholm will detail the benefits of walking. 

Michelle Sundholm – Personal Trainer

Michelle Sundholm will cover the benefits of getting outside and walking.  This will be a great opportunity to ask Michelle questions about your spring workout routine.

Terry Tikovitsch – Robert W. Barlow Memorial Library Director 

Terry Tikovitsch will talk about technical devises available to library card holders. How to download books from websites. She will also cover the services offered at the library & answer questions you may have about the library.  

Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Time:  10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Location: Robert W. Barlow Memorial Library – Iowa Falls

Cost:  $5

To Register: Call Iowa Valley Continuing Education at

                                (641)648-8620 or 1-800-322-9235 ext. 8621 

Hampton Today made possible by sponsors like: Michelle Hartman – Tupperware –641-373-8880 Denise Passehl – Watkins – 641-579-6227 Long Branch Supper Club – 641-458-8027 Patrick Palmer – The Computer Guy – 641-420-1234 Seven Stars Restaurant – 641-456-5378 Debra Brown – Melaleuca - 641-458-1114

The 3/50 Project - A List of Four

If you own a brick and mortar small business, please visit www.the350project.net There's four things you need to know (found on their website)

One: 3   What three independently owned businesses would you miss if they disappeared? Stop in. Say Hello. Pick up something that brings a smile. Your purchases are what keeps them around. 

Two: 50  If half the employed population spent $50 each month in locally owned independent businesses, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue.*  Imagine the positive impact if 3/4 the employed population did that.

Three: 68   For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, other expenditures.  If you spend that at a national chain, only $43   stays here.  Spend it online, nothing comes home.

Four:  1    The number it takes to start the trend ....you.

Extension Family Files

Put Health Into Your Snacks

 by Beverly Peters, Franklin County Extension Education Director

With busy schedules and hurried lifestyles, snacking has become an important part of the American Diet. Many of us find ourselves snacking on “mini-meals” throughout the day in between meetings or other activities to get the food energy we need. But snacking does not have to consist of a doughnut, a bag of potato chips or a piece of cake. Snacking actually can contribute significantly to your nutrition and health when the foods you choose provide the nutrients you might otherwise miss by skipping or rushing through regular meals. That is why it is important to pay attention to the type of snacks you prepare for yourself and your family.

Include snacks as part of your overall nutrition plan by making sure they provide not only calories, but vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein and other essential nutrients. Also, try to anticipate the times and places most likely to bring on a snack attack. Then, you can plan ahead to prepare nutritious snacks.

The way you snack can be as important as when and what you eat. Consider the following ideas:

· Keep snacks small. If your meal is going to be delayed, prepare a more substantial snack, like half a sandwich or a small salad, to help curb your hunger.

· Serve your snacks on a plate to control the amount you eat. Do not eat straight out of the package.

·Snack only when you are physically hungry. If you are bored, or “down in the dumps,” cheer yourself up with a constructive activity.

·Complement your meals with good snacking habits. For example, if you find that you have to eat several fast-food meals one week, make sure to snack on fruits or vegetables which you have missed.  Or, if you skip breakfast, eat a midmorning snack which supplies protein and other important nutrients to keep your body going. Remember, do not think of snacks as “extras,” but as important components of your diet.

Hampton Today made possible by sponsors like: Michelle Hartman – Tupperware –641-373-8880 Denise Passehl – Watkins – 641-579-6227 Long Branch Supper Club – 641-458-8027 Patrick Palmer – The Computer Guy – 641-420-1234 Seven Stars Restaurant – 641-456-5378 Debra Brown – Melaleuca - 641-458-1114

picture by anyjazz at flickr.com

Whats Up In The Garden by Jackie Dohlman

Tips on Siberian Squill, Planting Peas, and Creeping Phlox

What is the identity of the small, blue-flowering plant that blooms in April?

The small, blue-flowering plant is probably Siberian squill (Scilla sibirica). Siberian squill is an early spring flowering bulb. Plants typically bloom in early to mid-April in Iowa. Bright blue flowers are produced on four- to six-inch-tall plants. Siberian squill is easy to grow and prefers partial shade. It’s most effective when planted in masses under trees and shrubs and along woodland edges. The flower spikes on ‘Spring Beauty’ (the most widely planted cultivar) are slightly larger than the species. Siberian squill multiplies rapidly. The foliage of Scilla sibirica dies back to the ground by early summer.

When should I plant peas?

Peas are a cool season crop. They should be planted as soon as the ground can be worked in spring. Suggested planting dates are late March/early April in southern Iowa, early to mid-April in central Iowa, and mid to late April in northern portions of the state. Sow seeds 1 to 1.5 inches deep and 2 inches apart.

What are suitable planting sites for creeping phlox?

The brightly colored flowers of moss phlox (Phlox subulata), oftentimes referred to as “creeping phlox,” are a common sight in many home landscapes in spring. Moss phlox forms dense, carpet-like mats. Plants are 4 to 6 inches tall. Its foliage is narrow, stiff, and needle-like in appearance. Flower colors include white, pink, red, blue and purple.

Excellent varieties include ‘Emerald Blue,’ ‘Emerald Pink,’ ‘Scarlet Flame’ (rose-pink) and ‘White Delight.’ Moss phlox is easy to grow. It performs best in sunny areas and well-drained soils. Shearing plants back after flowering promotes dense growth. Moss phlox is useful for edging beds and as a groundcover for sunny slopes. It also looks nice planted atop a wall or in rock gardens.

Got gardening questions? Contact the Hortline at (515) 294-3108 (Monday - Friday; 10 a.m. -12 noon and 1 - 4:30 p.m.) or send an e-mail to hortline@iastate.edu. For more gardening information visit us at Yard and Garden Online at www.yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu

Hampton Today made possible by sponsors like: Michelle Hartman – Tupperware –641-373-8880 Denise Passehl – Watkins – 641-579-6227 Long Branch Supper Club – 641-458-8027 Patrick Palmer – The Computer Guy – 641-420-1234 Seven Stars Restaurant - 641-456-5378

A Message From One of Our Sponsors!

The Zion St. John Lutheran Youth Group is doing a Tupperware"FUN"draiser so they can go to the ELCA National Youth Gathering in New Orleans this July!

If you would like to support them please feel free to email me at hartmancarlson@hotmail.com or call me at (641)892-4206.

Why a Support Tupperware Fundraiser?

#1  40% of all retail sales go to the Zion St John Lutheran Youth for the ELCA National           Gathering in New Orleans (this July)!

#2  Tupperware is high quality & a well respected product with a Lifetime Warranty!

#3  Benefits the local economy!

 #4 Free Shipping!!

Keep Smiling!! Michelle Hartman

May is Tupperware's61st Birthday & we LOVE to celebrate...lots of HOST EXTRAS!!!!

Book a Party with me for May right away & get anEXTRA SPECIAL GIFT!

Party Dates Available...5/7, 5/8 5/11, 5/14, 5/15, 5/16, 5/27, 5/28 or 5/29

I get paid to party! Ask me how! I'd love to share with you how Tupperware can help you out while having FUN!!

Call me right away at (641)373-8880 if you are interested in hearing more no obligation information!

*Visit my WEBSITE TODAY to see all the CURRENT SALES & ONLINE exclusives at www.mytupperware.com/michellehartman!!

Learning Lasts Forever

Sid Sickles taught me to parallel park.  

He was the football coach and driver's education teacher.  High school back in the 70's.  

I don't remember a lot about the driving lessons.  I know I passed the class, got my license and am probably the best parallel parker in the world (outside of Ackley and Geneva Iowa).

It's all about patience, technique and trusting the process.  We did it over and over and over, until we got it right.  

Today - I can parallel park anything.  I'm never scared, I take my time and my technique is flawless.   I park my car (or any car) in one smooth movement.  No back and forth, try again, 2 feet from the curb.

I'm applying that method to my business.  Determine the process, learn the technique, be patient and practice it over and over.  

What did you learn a long time ago that you can still do today?  

Hampton Today made possible by sponsors like: Michelle Hartman – Tupperware –641-373-8880 Denise Passehl – Watkins – 641-579-6227 Long Branch Supper Club – 641-458-8027 Patrick Palmer – The Computer Guy – 641-420-1234 Seven Stars Restaurant - 641-456-5378