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AUGUST 2019
GOODBYE FOR NOW Is Your Child Ready to Leave Home?
As the summer comes to an end, you may be preparing to send your child off to college for the first time. While this may be an exciting time for your child, saying goodbye to the life they shared with you at home can be difficult. They will soon be entering a new routine that includes feeding themselves, managing their own schedule, and doing chores unprompted — all without any help from Mom and Dad. No transition is perfect, but this change doesn’t have to be a disaster. Whether your child is moving into a dorm, campus housing, or their first apartment, there are a few things you can do to make this transition as painless as possible. PACK THE ESSENTIALS. Having a tangible list you can check off in preparation for this big shift can help everyone involved feel more prepared. There are the obvious things kids need when they move out, like dishes, silverware, or a lamp, but pay attention to the areas that might get overlooked. If your child will be living on campus, check out the bathroom situation and make sure they won’t find themselves without a shower curtain on the first day of class. If they’re living in their own apartment, it’s a good idea to equip them with a small toolkit and a pair of jumper cables for their car. Other overlooked essentials include: • Surge protector with USB ports • A laundry hamper • First-aid kit • Disinfecting wipes • Extra hangers • Shower caddy (especially for dorms with a shared bathroom)
Having all the essentials — and a few extra items — will make the initial adjustment that much easier for your child and reduce the number of panicked phone calls home. TEACH GOOD COPING SKILLS. Parents should go over a lot of life lessons with their kids before they start living on their own, like how to avoid eating ramen noodles at every meal, for example. But beyond technical skills, it’s important to make sure kids have healthy coping mechanisms. Even adults who have been living on their own for years can struggle with the stress of responsibility. Offer advice on how to deal with the stress of balancing work or school, navigating awkward social interactions, and staying calm in overwhelming situations.
goodbye to your kid and take your leave. It can be tempting to find reasons to linger a bit longer, but resist the urge to order pizza or straighten out the photos on the wall. It’s hard to leave your baby behind, but this is their first big step into adulthood, and you should let them take it. Hugs are okay, and so is promising to check in by phone later, but leaving quickly shows your child that you are confident in their ability to survive on their own. There will be a lot of tearful goodbyes this time of year, but if you face these challenges with the right mindset, you and your child will be set up for success.
LEAVE A CARE KIT. Think of it like the care package you sent the first time your child went to summer camp. Leave them with a box full of some nonessential but meaningful items your child might not have for a while, like a box of their favorite cookies, a recipe card with their favorite meal, a pack of extra batteries, or a letter expressing your love and support. LET THEM GO. Once everything is moved into the dorm or apartment, say
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RING, RING— IT’S A ROBOT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM PHONE SCAMS AND ROBOCALLS
Put up some deterrents. You can even go a step further and block the calls. Many phone service providers offer call-blocking options, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. You can sign up for this service in-store or on your service provider’s website. Each service costs about $4 per month. There are also a number of call-blocking apps available on Android and Apple devices, but if you subscribe to a blocking service through your phone provider, these apps are unnecessary. Finally, you can sign up for the Federal Trade Commission’s “Do Not Call” program (DoNotCall.gov). While the Do Not Call program can help cut back on calls, this list is largely ignored by scammers. If you’re getting a ridiculous number of robocalls every day, signing up can offer you some brief respite. Thankfully, Congress is already attempting to fix this problem by making it harder for scammers to call you. But until they are able to pass tough, effective legislation, it is up to us as consumers to remain vigilant and do what we can to keep our personal and financial data safe and secure.
Two of the most common scams are phone scams and robocalls. These calls are incredibly annoying and can trick you out of valuable information if you’re not careful. While it might seem like these scams are inescapable, there are some precautions you can take to avoid their traps. Give them the silent treatment. One thing you can do to avoid these fraudulent, time-wasting calls is to simply hang up. If possible, it is best to not answer at all. It’s always good to have a list of numbers you can reference, so you never have to guess who is calling. Think of it as going one step beyond caller ID. In some cases, answering and then hanging up can actually do more harm than good. Answering the phone gives the scammers confirmation that the number works and that they should try again. Once your number is confirmed as active, it often gets put on an “active number” list that can then be sold to other scammers who market in these types of phone numbers. If you can’t verify who is calling without picking up, don’t answer. Let it go to voicemail. If it’s important, the person will leave a legitimate message and you can respond afterward.
ON THE TRAIL OF THE
the 22 players who have been featured on the cover, 16 of them have suffered from significant issues in the season that followed. While the causes varied, with severe injuries, contract disputes, and personal issues all afflicting different players, something about the spotlight appears to have disturbed the powers that be. In fact, sometimes these issues occur shortly after the game is released in stores. Whatever the true cause, the curse seems to have taken a dip in recent years. Only one of the last five players has been affected, a stat that bodes well for this year’s star: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The real answer probably lies somewhere between fact and fiction. The increased pressure of national attention is bound to make players tense up every once in a while, and in a game as physical as football, any distraction can end in disaster.
There is no urban legend in the world of modern video games as well-documented as the so-called “Madden Curse.” The curse revolves around the highly sought-after cover spot of the popular NFL video game “Madden NFL,” formerly known as “John Madden Football.” While the games date back to 1988, the curse is said to originate with the 1999 version. Garrison Hearst, a popular running back at the time, broke his ankle shortly after being featured on the cover of the 1999 edition. This was the first in a long line of injuries and personal issues that resulted in the rumor gaining traction. Soon, the idea that the game’s seemingly innocent cover could have devastating effects on a player’s career was widespread. Once a substantial honor in the world of football, the Madden cover spot has become one of the sport’s most feared superstitions for fans. The players, however, seem to find the correlation more amusing than scary. Most of the athletes in contention for the spot still consider it to be a great honor, choosing to brush off the rumors as coincidence. Despite the ambivalence of many players, there does seem to be a correlation between the cover and player issues. Of MADDENCURSE Truth, Lies, and Superstition
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PROTECTING YOUR GARDEN AND THE ENVIRONMENT Eco-Friendly Ways to Keep Pests Out of Your Garden
The summer months are ideal for working in the garden. Unfortunately, there are a lot of pests that think so, too. Aphids, spider mites, harlequin bugs, and glassy-winged sharpshooters will be out in full force, and they can turn your beautiful plants into a mess of brown leaves if you’re not proactive about pest prevention. Insecticide choices abound, but, if you’re looking for a more ecologically friendly
can prevent entry, while traps can lure in and kill the ones that try. If you have a problem with slugs, snails, grasshoppers, or earwigs, options to do away with these nasty critters exist in abundance. HORTICULTURAL OILS A relatively safe alternative to insecticides, horticultural oils are vegetable- or mineral-based oils that are nontoxic to people or animals but lethal for pests. Hort oils work best to protect plants just before they start to flower. Just be careful when you use the oils, however, as applying it to plants in temperatures near 100 degrees F can cause damage. BENEFICIALS “Beneficials” describes any natural predator of the pests that can harm your garden. Spiders, lizards, toads, and other friendlies can keep a watchful eye over your plants even when you can’t. Try incentivizing beneficials to stay in your garden with a source of water or plants that provide nectar or pollen, and reintroduce some natural order to protect your plants. You don’t have to choose between protecting your garden and the environment. Plenty of alternatives can do both effectively. Don’t let the introduction of pests into your garden get you down just as summer is about to begin.
means to protect your garden, you have a few options. ROW COVERS AND TRAPS There are all sorts of hardware options for your garden to make sure pests don’t get to your plants. Row covers
WORD SEARCH
SHRIMP SAUSAGE SKEWERS
ingredients
• 1/2 lb. raw shrimp,
peeled and deveined • 1/2 lb. cooked sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces • 2 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • Wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes Creole Seasoning Ingredients • 2 tbsp paprika • 1/2 tbsp garlic powder • 1/2 tbsp onion powder • 1/2 tbsp cayenne or chili powder
• 1/4 tbsp dried oregano • 1/4 tbsp dried thyme
instructions
1. Heat your grill to medium-high. 2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients for creole seasoning. 3. In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, zucchini pieces, and sausage pieces, and cover them with the olive oil. 4. Add creole seasoning and mix well until all ingredients are covered. 5. Load up skewers with alternating pieces of shrimp, sausage, and zucchini until they’re full. 6. Grill skewers until shrimp are well-cooked (6–8 minutes).
AUGUST BACK CHILDREN CHILLY
COOL END FALL LEAVES
SCHOOL SUMMER SUPPLIES TEACHERS
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inside this issue
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I s Y our C hild R eady to L eave H ome ? H ow to B est P rotect Y ourself F rom S cam C alls T he M adden C urse K eeping P ests out of Y our G arden S hrimp S ausage S kewers A bout U s
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ABOUT US
Zinda Law Group is a nationally recognized personal injury law firm that serves clients across Texas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and throughout the United States. Our accident lawyers have extensive experience handling a wide range of personal injury claims, including car accidents, 18-wheeler wrecks, wrongful death, motorcycle accidents, dog bites and animal attacks, drunk driver crashes, and much more. Our firm is devoted to providing each client with all the resources of a large firm but with the individualized attention of a small practice. Unlike many other injury firms, we have the ability to conduct investigations, hire expert witnesses, and utilize cutting-edge technology to help you build the strongest case possible. The personal injury lawyers at Zinda Law Group can help you seek the full and fair recovery you deserve. With offices located in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona, Zinda Law Group are your personal injury lawyers with Nationwide reach. Visit www.ZDFirm.com or call us at 888-314-6671 to schedule your free consultation today.
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