People, Places & Events

Fight childhood obesity and make food fun again
Special to The Monitor
TYLER–The headlines scream of how our society as a whole – but our children in particular – are overweight and headed towards an epidemic of diabetes, heart failure, lowered life expectancy and poor quality of life.
You’re the parent. What do you do?
Is it inevitable?
You can beat the trend of obesity. And it doesn’t take a rich person’s wallet or a doctor’s education to do it, either.
But who has time to plan out fitness routines and set up a special diet for children?
And whose kids are going to cooperate?
That’s where parents have to get creative.
Part of it is your responsibility – your kids are worth the effort, aren’t they?
Part of it is knowing where to get help. Would you believe that help can be found for free?
When you’re armed with these essentials, you can take on the task of being a positive healthy role model for your children.
The good news is that you don’t have to go out and buy fitness equipment or a new convection oven, says Maggie Griffin, Brookshire Grocery Company’s staff nutritionist.
“You can make easy, small changes at home,” Griffin says. “Don’t announce that you’re all embarking on a new healthy journey – that’s a sure-fire way to meet resistance. Instead, just do it.”
For instance, put away the potato chips and pop up a bag of 93 percent fat-free microwave popcorn.
That just saved hundreds of calories and fat, and nobody even noticed!
Take a walk around the block after dinner, before you settle in for television and bedtime stories. Before you know it, you’ll all be looking forward to it!
As you buy backpacks and pencils for back-to-school, think about another necessity: a good breakfast.
“Study after study has shown that when kids eat a substantial, healthy meal in the morning, they perform better on tests, get along better with classmates, and keep their bodies running better,” Griffin explained.
Convenience foods are popular because they’re so easy.
But you can do it yourself, too. Fix a big skillet of scrambled eggs one evening after supper. Divide the eggs out into wheat tortillas, sprinkle with cheese (low-fat cheese, of course) and roll up.
Wrap in plastic and store in the fridge or freezer. Pop one or two in the microwave for a minute and you can munch on these as you drive to school each day.
Or get a travel mug, fill with cereal and add a splash of milk. Yogurt, granola and fruit pieces…these choices are really healthy, ultra convenient, and get your child’s day started right.
“You can do the same with lunch boxes and after-school snacks. All it takes is a bit of knowledge and lots of encouragement,” Griffin said.
And that’s where Brookshire’s can help.
Every month Brookshire’s features “Celebrate Cooking,” a free magazine filled with healthy recipes, kid-friendly suggestions and even a craft or two to keep everyone happy.
You’ll find even more information online at http://www.brookshires.com. 
Griffin has a library of articles, recipes, videos and tips online (click on “features”) and also has a phone hotline and e-mail account to answer your food-related concerns. Your own personal nutritionist – at no charge!
 

A ‘fake vacation’ is truly refreshing
By L. Schroeder
Special to The Monitor
MABANK–When we run out of steam or tire of our demanding life, most of us will take a nice vacation, a getaway, to be refreshed.
A problem many of us have is after spending time and money to go somewhere, by the time we get back we find ourselves feeling drained, not refreshed at all. Plus, we are now in debt for a useless trip.
I have found a very inexpensive way to get a needed break.
Take a stay-at-home vacation with a twist, what I call a “fake vacation.”
You see, a fake vacation is just that – it is a fake.
You make it look like you are going on a trip, but you really don’t.
You stay home and here is the added twist – don’t tell anyone you are at home.
It seems to me that the average Joe doesn’t get to enjoy his home as much as they might like.
Between working, sleeping and running from here to there, most folks only get to enjoy their home for a short time in the evening. Sad to say, this is usually spent watching TV.
Yet, we all have things around our homes we would like to enjoy other than the TV, if only we had some extra quiet time.
This is how the fake vacation can help.
Everyone who normally interrupts you at home thinks you are gone, so you are not bothered by them. Then, you can indulge yourself in some hobby or recreation with no interruptions.
To have a fake vacation work, you can’t tell a soul what you are planning.
Go around and let everyone who has the ability to bother you know you are leaving for a trip, especially your adult kids.
Be sure to make up a good story abut where you are going, one you can remember, because there will be questions about your trip when you get back.
On the day you are to leave, close the window blinds, put the car in the garage and unplug every phone. Even the battery in your cell phone must be removed.
The reason for dismantling phones is so you do not answer them.
You see, if you do answer a phone, and it is the kids, the vacation is over.
We all know they only call when they want us to do something for them.
But, we don’t want to do their something, we want to do our own something. Remember, you are hiding, so keep off the phone.
If you wonder if such trickery can work, I can truthfully testify with a hearty, “Yes.”
My wife and I have taken many a fake vacation.
When the pressure gets too much, we plan our escape and disappear for a few days in our home.
Then, with plenty of time on our hands, we set out doing things we never seem to have time for normally.
The results are a really enjoyable and refreshing vacation.
So, the next time you feel the need for a break, don’t pay for an expensive vacation – try a fake one and just quietly disappear into your own home.
You might just find it was the best vacation you ever had.

Watch for these three common check scams
Special to The Monitor
MABANK–Experts estimate that billions of dollars have been lost as the result of fake check scams.
Scams involving fake checks come in many different forms, and can be very hard to identify, as the printing technology used by scammers improves.
The Better Business Bureau warns against three common check scams and offers advice on the red flags to look for.
According to a recent survey by the Consumer Federation of America, nearly one-third of adults have been approached by a scammer trying to pass off fake checks, and at least 1.3 million people have become victim of the scam, with an average loss of $3,000 to $4,000.
It can be practically impossible to tell a fake check from a real one using only the naked eye, because fake checks can be printed in full color and even include watermarks.
Many check scams plaguing consumers in the U.S. are the work of scammers operating outside of the country – in Canada, Jamaica and Africa – which makes it extremely difficult for law enforcement to track them down and bring them to justice.
Scams involving fake checks typically require the victim to deposit a check into their bank account, and then wire money back to the scammers.
While the check may initially be deposited into the victim’s bank account – leading to a false sense of security – the fake check will ultimately be discovered within a couple weeks and the bank will take the funds out of the account.
The victim of the scam is out whatever money they sent to the scammers, and will be responsible for paying the bank back if their account is overdrawn.
Following are three common scams:
Lottery and Government Grant Scam – Victims receive a letter claiming they’ve won a lottery, or qualify for a financial assistance grant.
Included with the letter is a check for at least a partial amount of the money they supposedly have coming to them.
The victim is told that, in order to receive the rest of the money, they are to deposit the check and wire back as much as several thousand dollars.
The victim is often told this is to cover taxes or administrative fees.
In June, a Nebraska woman lost $58,000 after being told she’d won $11 million in the Jamaica Lottery.
Mystery Shopping Scam – The victim believes that they are going to earn a few hundred dollars by working for a company that provides mystery – or secret – shopping evaluations for businesses.
The victim receives a letter in the mail, along with evaluation forms, a check and detailed instructions.
The victim is to deposit the check into their bank account, and then use the money to purchase items from specified stores and evaluate the customer service. The rest of the money is theirs to keep for the work they did.
Included in the list of stores to evaluate is Western Union or MoneyGram, and the victim is told to wire as much as a couple thousand dollars back to their “employer” and rate their experience with the money-wiring service.
Overpayment Scam – The victim is selling an item through a newspaper classified or an on-line site such as Craigslist.
A buyer shows interest and asks to pay for the item by check. When the check arrives, the amount is higher than the price of the item.
The victim is told that it was a mistake and is sometimes asked to wire the extra back, or told the extra cost is for the victim to wire payment to a shipping company that the scammer has chosen – of course, the supposed shipping company is actually the scammers.
Don’t be fooled by a phone call. Just because you’ve spoken to the scammer over the phone, it doesn’t mean they’re not trying to rip you off.
For more advice you can trust from your BBB on avoiding common scams, visit www.bbb.org.