The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1040210
C-4 Wednesday, October 17, 2018 The Press-Dispatch HOME LIFE TO ADVERTISE: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: ads@pressdispatch.net Visit: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Deadline: 5 p.m. on Monday Youth First Today by Grace Wilson, Youth First, Inc. Up in smoke: Marijuana and teens Katiedid vs... by Katiedid Langrock It's lice TEXAS STEW MEALS IN Monica's MINUTES Share your favorite recipe! www.facebook.com/mealsinminutes Monica's Meals in Minutes PO Box 68, Petersburg, IN 47567 mealsinminutes@pressdispatch.net FACEBOOK MAIL EMAIL By Monica Sinclair With the weather taking a tumble this week, it is time to break out some soup and stew recipes. There is nothing bet- ter after a cold day than com- ing home and warming up with a nice, hot bowl of soup. This week, the perfect recipe popped into my email. With its hearti- ness, you will be filled up and warmed up in no time. The best part is, since it's cooked in a crock pot, it will be ready when you walk in the door. Enjoy! INGREDIENTS • /2 pounds ground beef • 1 medium onion, chopped • 1 can (15 -1/2 ounces) hominy, drained • 1 can (15 -1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained • 1 can (15 ounces) sliced carrots, drained • 1 can (15 ounces) sliced potatoes, drained • 1 can (16 ounces) Ranch Style beans (pinto beans in seasoned tomato sauce) • 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained • 1 cup water • 1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder • Chili powder to taste • Dash Worcestershire sauce • Dash hot pepper sauce DIRECTIONS 1. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medi- um heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. 2. Transfer to a 5 -qt. slow cooker. Stir in the remain- ing ingredients. 3. Cover and cook on low for 6 -8 hours or until heat- ed through. Source: tasteof home.com "It could be eczema," I said. "It's lice," my friend repeated. "Psoriasis? " "Lice." "Dry skin from the weather chang- ing? " "Lice." "Do you see any lice in my hair? " I asked. "No." "So, then it could be anything." "It's lice," she repeated again. "Allergies? Brain tumor? Some rare au- toimmune disease? " "Oh, my gracious! " my friend ex- claimed. "Why are you wishing those things on yourself? I'm telling you it's lice! " "When I was a kid, I had to carry a spe- cial soap with me everywhere because I was allergic to most soaps," I told her. "True story." She glared at me. I scratched my head. I'd been scratching at it all day. My kindergartener had been scratch- ing at his head, too. Maybe it was lice. I scanned our heads. I didn't see anything. A Google search informed me that adult lice are fast. A Google search in- formed me that the eggs, or nits, are near- ly impossible to see. This seems like a losing battle. No matter; I didn't have lice. (Scratch, scratch.) I Googled again. It told me to ask the school nurse to check my son's head. If he had it, I surely had it. On Monday, my son asked his teacher to go to the school nurse for an itchy head. He was not grant- ed permission. On Tuesday, he asked again. Again refused. In the teacher's defense, this year my son started a Spanish immer- sion class. His whole day has to be spoken in español. We don't speak Spanish at home. He is learning fast, but it's on- ly October. It's possible that in- stead of asking to see the school nurse, he was asking to see the school elephants. If so, the "no" was certainly justified. Also, do schools actually have elephants? Because that would be amazing. On Tuesday night, while we scratched and scratched, I told my son to use the word "lice." Not that it was lice; it was definitely allergies. But just to be sure. Apparently, the English word "lice" is recognizable in any language. He was im- mediately sent to the school nurse. She inspected his head and found a nit. I was called to pick him up. "What do I do? " I asked my friend. "I have kids. Their heads have touched every surface of my home. We've been itching for days. Do we just burn the house down? Is it still considered arson and a crime if lice are involved? " She walked me through the washing of the linens. The vacuuming of the couch- es. The spraying of the carpets. "They can only live for 48 hours off your head," she said, "so the other option is just to set out two lawn chairs in the middle of a room and not let your kids move or touch anything. They can sleep there, too." Yeah, right. I picked up my son. His school nurse gave me a tutorial on how to comb his hair for nits and handed me a comb. "He's got thick hair," she said. "This will be hard, but you can do it." "I've been itching, too," I said. "Can I comb the lice and nits out of my own hair? " The nurse just laughed. "Good luck," she said. I had to leave my son at home while I went to give a talk at the local university. I put him on the couch, which we had decided would be the last festering pool of our head creature infestation. My son watched cartoons for hours on the couch and scratched. My husband watched him and did a thousand loads of laundry, vac- uumed and sprayed. At the lecture, I was mindful of every time I raised my hand near my head. If my son had lice, I prob- ably had lice. A fter the lecture, the students wanted to meet me, talk to me, hug me. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to tell 150 people that I most likely had lice. As each person leaned in for a hug, I reached out a hand to shake. Everyone saw; there were whispers. I'm usually an amazing hugger, I wanted to tell them. That evening, every member of the family was lathered and combed and picked and combed again. It was a mas- sacre. We got professionally checked the next day and were told we were clear. I'm considering shaving everyone in my family's head. Feels right. The conversation around marijua- na is a hot topic in our society these days. Most folks seem to choose one side or the other and not many fall in the middle. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mari- juana is the most used illegal drug in the United States with 36.7 million us- ers (youth and adult) in the past year. This number is alarming because not everyone is aware of the physical and mental health risks, especially on our youth. In a 2014 study, it was reported by Lancet Psychiatry that teens who smoke marijuana daily are 60 per- cent less likely to graduate from high school or college than those who never use. They were also seven times more likely to attempt suicide. A human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25. When marijuana use is started at an early age, there will be damaging effects to the long term cognitive abilities of that individual. Marijuana has many damaging ef- fects on the brain. It can affect the parts of your brain responsible for memory, learning, decision making, emotions, reaction times and atten- tion. These effects could look differ- ent in each person. Different factors can come into play, including the po- tency of the marijuana, how often it is used, if other substances were used along with it and at what age the indi- vidual began using marijuana. Many people believe marijuana use can calm anxiety and relax an individ- ual, but frequent and heavy use can ac- tually bring on more feelings of anxie- ty or paranoia. What are some of the other risks of using marijuana? First, marijuana is addictive. According to the CDC, about 1 in 10 marijuana users will become ad- dicted. That number rises to 1 in 6 if they began using before the age of 18. Some signs of addiction can include unsuccessful efforts to quit using, giv- ing up activities with friends or family because of marijuana, and continuing to use even though it has caused prob- lems with work, school and home life. Marijuana also elevates the heart rate, causing it to work even harder. This is especially the case if other sub- stances are used along with marijua- na. It can also cause respiratory prob- lems, including chronic cough. While marijuana use has not been found as a direct link to cancer, many marijuana smokers also use cigarettes, which do cause cancer. According to the National Insti- tute on Drug Abuse, 71 percent of high school seniors do not view reg- ular marijuana use as being harmful, but 64.7 percent say they disapprove of regular marijuana use. Now is the time to start the conversation with your child around marijuana. Here are a few tips to help you get started: • Do your research on the topic and know how marijuana will affect your child's health. • Find a comfortable setting to have the conversation. • Keep an open mind- -your child will be less receptive if they feel judged. • Stay positive and don't use scare tactics, as they are counter-productive. • Don't lecture; keep the conversa- tion flowing freely between the two of you. Stay involved in your children's lives by keeping the conversation open, and let them know they can come to you without fear or judgment. This can make a world of difference when hav- ing a discussion about marijuana use with your children. This column is written by Grace Wil- son, program coordinator for Youth First, Inc., a local nonprofit dedicat- ed to strengthening youth and families. Youth First provides 54 Master's level so- cial workers to 75 schools in 10 Indiana counties. Over 38,000 youth and fami- lies per year have access to Youth First's school social work and after-school pro- grams that prevent substance abuse, pro- mote healthy behaviors, and maximize student success. Southern Illinois Storm Shelters, Inc. AUTHORIZED DEALER Give Your Family Peace of Mind! 21st OFFERS FINANCING FOR: HOME ONLY LAND HOME LAND IN LIEU BUY-FOR USED HOME FINANCING SECONDARY HOUSING VISIT: Apply.21stMortgage.com FAX: 1.877.312.2100 *Certain loan conditions must be met. 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