The American Red Cross, http://american.redcross.org/site/DocServer/RC_HalloweenSafety08.pdf?docID=677

The American Academy of Pediatrics, http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/octhalloween.cfm

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/family/Halloween/

The US Consumer Prodcut Safety Commission, http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/hallow.html

Happy Halloween!

The campain will be conducted throughout the month of October with extra enforcement October 19-25. The Click It or Ticket Teen campaign last May was extremely successful. The effort increased both driver and passenger safety belt use by 4.5 percentage points.

Teens, go to http://seatbeltsrock.com/. Take the "Are you smarter than your seatbelt?" quiz and win stuff!

Did you know?

• Crashes are the #1 killer of teens.
• A teen dies in a traffic crash an average of once every hour on weekends and nearly once every two hours during the week.
• The majority of teens killed in traffic crashes are not buckled up.

Remember:

• Texas law now requires that everyone in the vehicle -- in front and back seats -- wear a safety belt!
• Wear your seat belt. It can be the most important thing you plan for--your future!

For information about passenger safety programs contact Bev Kellner, Program Manager of Passenger Safety, Texas AgriLife Extension Service at 979-862-1782 (phone) or bkellner@ag.tamu.edu (email). 

Join Danny Henley, Director of Education for KERA, Public Television and Radio to learn more about Ready for Life in the Texas Association of Parent Educators (TAPE) Online Workshop on October 23, 2009, noon to 1:00 pm Central time.

There is no fee to participate, but registration is required. Participants will receive a certificate documenting one clock hour of professional development. Click  Registration Form Ready For Life.doc for registration info.

For example, you will not be able to change a parent who has always been demanding and inflexible, but you can control how you respond to your parent's demands. If your father has a progressively debilitating illness, you can't change that. However, you can develop skills for coping with the changes brought on by his illness.

Usually, some action can be taken to decrease stress. Changes don't have to be major to make an important difference. Sometimes, letting go of unrealistic expectations or adjusting your standards of how often or how well you perform a task (such as housekeeping) will make a big difference in reducing your stress.

In general, professionals who have extensive experience working with caregivers agree on five basic strategies to help control the destructive effects of stress. They are:

• Set realistic goals and expectations.

     - Plan achieveable goals.

     - Develop realistic expectations.

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• Establish your limits.

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• Ask for and accept help.

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• Take care of yourself.

     - Express your feelings.

     - Maintain your health.

     - Take time for yourself

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• Involve other people.

     - Hold a family conference.

     - Seek professional assistance.

     - Use your community resources.

The causes of stress vary with the caregiver and his/her responsibilities. What creates stress for you may not create stress for someone else. There are, however, some common sources of caregiving stress, which can be identified in the next series of questions.

After you answer the questions, look carefully at those to which you answered "yes." You will want to focus your full attention on these specific areas as you work to reduce stress.

• Are there many demands on your time, energy, or money?
• Do you feel that your responsibilities conflict with each other?
• Is there a difference in the expectations of your family, your boss, your dependent relative and yourself?
• Do you believe that you do not fully understand the older person's mental or physical condition?
• Do you have difficulty meeting your relative's physical or emotional needs?
• Are you pressured by financial decisions and a lack of resources?
• Do you feel a loss of freedom, a sense of being "trapped"?
• Is there disagreement among family members?
• Do you feel that other family members aren't doing their share?
• Does the older person place unrealistic demands and expectations on you?
• Is there a lack of open communication between yourself and the older person or other members of the family?
• Do other family memebers have negative attitudes that you must contend with?
• Can you see deterioration in your family member that is painful to watch?
• Do you have other problems with children, marriage, employment, or health?

Stay tuned next week for strategies to manage stress. 

Texas AgriLife Extension Service is partnering with the Texas Education Agency to host a "Beat TEA - Walk Across Texas Challenge!"

Walk Across Texas is a program from AgriLife Extension that encourages people of all ages to increase their levels of physical activity.  It is an eight week walking program that has been used with youth and adults.

During the third week of September we observe Obesity Awareness Month.  TEA will be initiating a challenge to all Independent School Districts encouraging them to participate in a friendly competition.  The goal is to motivate our youth to move more!

Research done at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research indicates that:

*  Academic Performance (TAKS) - Higher levels of fitness are associated with better academic performance.

*  School Attendance - Higher levels of fitness are associated with better school attendance.

*  School Incidents - Higher levels of fitness are associated with fewer negative school incidents.

If your school is interested in participating in the Beat TEA! Walk Across Texas Challenge, contact Lexie at 214-904-3050, or amcgrane@ag.tamu.edu.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, research conducted on the role of fruits and vegetables in weight management, suggests that a diet which includes an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables may help.

To lose weight, a person must consume fewer calories than he or she expends.  However, most of us do not limit what we eat based on calories, but rather from the feeling of satiety (fullness).  Fruits and vegetables are foods with low energy density that provide a greater volume of food and fewer calories.  In other words, eating more fruits and vegetables can create the feeling of fullness but still provide fewer calories.

The following tips can help us add more fruits and vegetables to our diet and promote healthy weight:

*  Add fresh fruit to your cold cereal

*  Enjoy a small salad with your lunch

*  Cover half of your dinner plate with vegetables, or fruits and vegetables; and

*  Remember to enjoy your fruits and vegetables without added sugars, fats or sodium.

1. Teen Drivers: The laws for teenage drivers are getting tougher. Drivers younger than 18 are banned from using cell phones while driving (dialing, talking, texting) and total hours of behind-the-wheel driving instruction a teen receives is increasing from 14 to 34 before getting a license.
2. Driving in a School Zone: The use of a wireless device within a reduced-speed zone is prohibited. Cellular phones may be used while the vehicle is stopped in a school zone or with a hands-free device. The law also applies to bus drivers. Violators are subject to a fine of up to $200.
3. Seat Belts: All occupants of a vehicle, no matter their age, front and back seat, must wear seat belts.

The Texas AgriLife Extension Service urges you to be a safe driver and drive safe!