By ERIN ESMONT
For Smart

Christopher Glass for Smart

This care package was prepared by Sealed With a Kiss, a company that prepares made-to-order care packages for all occasions. The package pictured contains items for both boys and girls.

Some will travel within the county; others will venture to faraway states in search of fun, fitness and friendship.

No matter their age or destination, all campers crave that little bit of love that comes in a corrugated box: The care package from home.

“Mail time is very exciting at Appel Farms,” said Jennie Quinn, director of an arts and music camp in Elmer, N.J. “We totally encourage packages.”

So, too, does Vicky Miley of Penn Laurel Girl Scout Council. Camp Echo Trail, a Girl Scout camp located in Felton, and Camp Furnace Hills in Lancaster County each have 85 to 100 campers each week.

“The smiles these packages bring are priceless,” she said. “It really helps the girls to get packages.”

The care package is almost as old a tradition as camping itself, an American institution that dates back 140 years.

Yet what’s contained in the packages likely differs from what parents sent decades ago. No more yummy chocolate chip cookies from mom or peanut brittle from grandma. Many camps now forbid or discourage food all together.

Tasty morsels can lure woodland creatures to tents, trigger an allergic reaction in a bunk mate or interfere with the healthier meals camps are serving to address the national obesity crisis.

At Appel Farms, the campers plant, grow and eat the organic food they harvest on a quarter-acre lot. Quinn said junk-food-laden care packages could undercut a core camp value of healthy eating. All parents receive a camp manual that spells out what campers are allowed to receive in the mail. Even with the written instructions, the care package issue comes up summer after summer.

“Parents always ask,” she said. “It’s definitely a perennial issue.”

In many cases, Quinn said, parents have a harder time adjusting to the child being away than the child has going away. That’s why parents are tempted to send favorite foods in packages. She encourages nonfood packages that can ward off homesickness and be a fun treat for the entire cabin.

Michael Chauveau, executive director of the American Camp Association’s Keystone regional office, sees care packages from a different point of view. He acknowledges that kids enjoy them and look forward to receiving them, but as a camp executive, he finds care packages serve as a reminder from home that can hinder more than help.

“They break the ‘rhythm’ and atmosphere that the camp is busy creating and remind campers of the crazy world they just exited,’’ he said via e-mail.

One of the goals of overnight camp, several directors said, is to teach the children independence, to help to cut the apron strings a bit. Easy access to home and parents can impede that process. That’s why many camps don’t allow cell phones, and they prohibit two-way
e-mail communication.

Appel Farms allows parents to e-mail children, and those are printed and delivered at mail time. The children can communicate with parents, but only through letter writing, or as they probably know it, “snail mail.”

SMART TIPS

Ask before you send: Check with camp leaders to find out their rules for care packages.

Plan ahead: Have an idea in mind before the child leaves home of how many packages you want to send, what you want to send and when you want it to arrive. If you wait and procrastinate, this loving gesture may never materialize past the idea stage.

When to send it: For a weeklong camp, you may want to get it in the mail before the child leaves. Penn Laurel’s Vicky Miley suggests mailing it the Friday before so it definitely arrives by mid-week. For four-week camps or longer, send it earlier in the stay, say the first week. Some parents send weekly packages; some never send any. Quinn will sometimes e-mail parents and suggest a care package if everyone else in the cabin has received one, or at least suggest an e-mail or letter, so there’s some contact from home.

What to send: “Things that can be shared with tentmates are always fun,” said Miley. She suggests puzzles, books, cards, activity books such as “Mad Libs,” stuffed animals, autograph books, writing paper and pens.

Other ideas: Playing cards, colored rubber bracelets that help bunkmates feel connected, water bottles, jewelry beading kits.

Shortcuts: Visit www.eswak.com or www.thewrinkledegg.com (both companies send nonfood packages).

SWAK — Sealed With a Kiss — keeps records on what it sends campers each time and promises not to duplicate gifts sent in previous weeks or summers. Parents can customize the items they send to their child. Packages start at $30.

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We asked you for the best advice on traveling with children. Here's what you had to say:

Earning money

We have taken many long car trips with our children, now 15 and 13, and are planning a trip to Texas this summer. Here are some tips that have worked for us, in no particular order:

• Books on tape or CD — “Harry Potter” is particularly engaging — we hardly remember crossing Iowa listening to book 6.

• Put a crib sheet on the seat under the car/booster seat — the elastic holds it in place and it will catch any mess.

• Make the kids “earn” their spending money for good behavior. Our kids earned a quarter for every 15 minutes they behaved as we drove to Yellowstone National Park at ages 3 and 5. They were so excited to spend “their” money in the gift shop, and we enjoyed two very well-behaved travelers.

• For the younger ones, especially around potty-training time, pack a portable potty and some diapers. If you have to stop beside the road, it’s much easier on the child to have something familiar to use — going in the woods isn’t easy for little ones. Use the diaper to catch and dispose of the mess.

• Get up early to start the drive. It’s exciting to watch the sun rise and, in the summer, it’s much cooler in the morning. Then stop for breakfast as your first break.

Lisa Mohan, Hopewell Township

Are we there yet?

We took a long trip several years ago to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. It was about an 11-hour trip. We had three vehicles and eight children under 10 years old.

We were not looking forward to hearing, “Are we there yet?” for 11 hours, so we made a deal with the kids. They got to travel in a vehicle with their chosen cousins, and they each got a roll of quarters to start out the trip with. Every time somebody asked “THE” question or any version of it (determined by the driver) they lost a quarter to the driver of the vehicle; if they didn’t ask it they had $10 to do whatever they wanted with once we reached the destination.

This worked out wonderfully, and only one driver received any money — $0.75.

We also supplied the older kids with maps so they could follow along with the trip and see for themselves how much longer it would be. On the way back, we left late at night and thankfully everybody was tired and the kids slept most of the way. This worked well for our kids at that age, but I’m not sure it would work again since $10 doesn’t seem enticing anymore.

Colleen Vrankin, East Hopewell Township

Fishing in the car

As a reward for good behavior, my children would get to “go fishing“ in the car for special treats that I had bought ahead of time and brought along on the trip. I would make fishing poles for each child — something as simple as a heavy string tied and taped around a ruler. Make sure the string is heavy enough and long enough so that the child can easily cast their line from the back seat to the parent sitting in the passenger seat in the front.

You could also tie on a simple lightweight weight (like an eraser, plastic bottle cap, etc.) on the end to make casting easier. The line doesn’t have to be long as I would almost catch it in order to not be a distraction to the driver and since the kids were young.

Depending on the age of the child, designate a period of time that the child has to have good behavior during the car ride before they can “go fishing” for his/her reward. I would usually pick between 30-60 minutes depending on the age of the child and the length of the car trip.

After the set period of time of good behavior (I told them the amount of time but wouldn’t let them keep asking me “Is it time yet?“ or else that could drive you crazy and defeat the purpose of some peace and quiet for the parents) my kids would cast their fishing line to me in the front seat and I would bend down and pull it like there was a fish on the line.

I had several treats ready for the car ride so that the monotony of a long ride would be broken up with the anticipated surprise. Dollar stores and craft stores are great places to find inexpensive rewards.

Here are some ideas. It is usually a good idea to bring a lap pad for each child so they have a work surface in the car.

• A few pages from a “paint with water book,“ which is perfect for no mess in the car. Give each child a lap pad and put a cupholder with a little water in it attached to the window next to the child. Give them a Q-tip to dip in the water and “paint“ away. The colors magically appear when a little water is put on the paper.

• A few pages from a coloring book and some new crayons

• A new toy from the dollar store

• A few pages from a coloring book that comes with clear markers that produces colors only on special paper

• A new book

• A special food treat that you might not normally allow like a special candy that would take a LONG time to eat (a Tootsie Roll Pop for example)

• A simple no-mess craft the child can do themselves or with just a little guidance (there are lots of ideas at craft stores like A.C. Moore or Michaels)

• A sticker book and stickers

• A maze book, crossword puzzles, etc.

Rosemary Sieffert, York

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By CAROL SOTTILI
The Washington Post

Read on for a tip sheet for how to ferret out the best deals on your own.

1. Check the aggregator sites. Reputable sites that compile travel deals weekly include Smarter Travel (www.smartertravel.com), Travel Zoo (www.travelzoo.com), Independent Traveler (www.independenttraveler.com) and ShermansTravel.com (www.shermanstravel.com). You can sign up to be notified about new offerings by e-mail every week.

2. Register with the so-called big three travel booking sites — Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity — to receive e-mails about deals and special offers that they broker with travel providers.

3. Sign up for airline and hotel loyalty programs. As soon as you do, even if you haven’t earned any miles or points, the companies will send you e-mails notifying you about their special offers. Frequently, you can qualify for the bargain simply by being a member of the program.

4. Check discount tour operators. They frequently offer great deals on air-hotel packages. These include Go-today.com (www.go-today.com), which specializes in Europe, Asia and package deals; Vacation Outlet (www.vacationoutlet.com), top-brand hotels and cruise lines; Fare Deals (www.faredeals.com), general discounts; Apple Vacations (www.applevacations.com), the Caribbean, Bahamas, Mexico and Hawaii; and Vacation Express (www.vacationexpress.com), the Caribbean and Mexico.

5. Check cruise discounters. Companies such as Icruise.com (www.icruise.com) and Cruise Hound (www.thecruisehound.com) have weekly specials, clearance sales and low-price guarantees.

6. Consult a travel agent, especially if you’re interested in an air-hotel package or if you’re considering a resort like Atlantis in the Bahamas, for which companies such as Liberty Travel
(www.libertytravel.com) and American Express Travel (www.americanexpress.com/travel)
frequently offer special deals.

7. Register with sites that notify you about airfare sales to specific destinations. These include Southwest Airlines’ site (www.southwest.com), where you can download software called Ding onto your computer, and Kayak (www.kayak.com), whose Buzz program notifies you about sales via e-mail.

8. Check individual airline sites. Many airlines offer special deals to the destinations they fly to, especially in the offseason. Sign up to receive e-mail notification.

9. Check publications, in print and online, that specialize in discount travel, such as Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine (on newsstands and at www.budgettravelonline.com) and Sherman’s Travel (www.shermanstravel.com).

10. Consider renting vacation lodging directly from owners. Rates are frequently much better than at hotels, and since the properties usually have kitchens, you can save money on meals. Sites include CyberRentals (www.cyberrentals.com) and Vacation Rentals by Owner (www.vrbo.com).

Smart tip

When considering a package deal --- weather it's from a travel agent, a third-party booking site or a vacation discounter --- always price out the individual components at the source to make sure it is an actual deal.

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By MELISSA NANN BURKE
For Smart

Kimberly Soderberg had a specific vision of the play group she wanted to form: First-time moms, who, like her, were around 30 years old and fairly new to the York area.

At the time, Soderberg’s son, Greyson, was 4 months old and she was 31. She wanted some social time with other moms on Mondays, the one weekday she doesn’t work.

“That was turning into the day with me cleaning the house from top to bottom and staying in my pajamas all day,” said Soderberg, a Spanish teacher who lives in Conewago Township.

“I wanted a reason to take a shower, get dressed and have something to look forward to for myself.”

Using the Internet site Meetup.com, Soderberg founded New Mommies and Babies of York, which, now five months old, has 11 members hailing from Red Lion to Hanover to Manchester.
Soderberg is far from alone in seeking out a play group for her own social needs as well as her child’s. Parents who stay at home, work part time or work from home often find themselves missing the daily interaction of the office and craving meaningful adult interaction.

Play groups that function as mommy-support groups help fill the void, women say.

“After deciding to stay home, I didn’t want to go crazy,” said Kathy Carlisle, 35, of Manchester Township. “I had to get out.”

In 2003, she joined the MOMS Club of York-West, one of four MOMS Club chapters in York County. Her daughter, now 5, met her first group of friends, and Carlisle got involved in the club’s community service committee.

Each group is different. Generally, while the kids play, the parents mingle. Sometimes they stay in touch outside of the gatherings with chatty online message boards.

They discuss topics such as breast-feeding, potty training, school readiness, even family finances. Some groups meet up without their kids for “moms’ night out” at local restaurants or karaoke bars.

“Moms and Dads who come out of the work place still need some adult interaction,” said Tracey Thomas, 35.

An HIV research scientist, Thomas moved to Conewago Township last summer from Washington, D.C., and plans to stay home until 1-year-old Taylor starts school full time.
She used Meetup.com to organize the York Mocha Moms Interest Group, which currently has 12 members with children ranging from 6 months old to nearly 3 years old.

Mocha Moms meets weekly at a York County church rent-free and at Springettsbury Township park for walks.

Most Mocha Moms parents (currently all moms and one dad) stay at home or work from home, although this isn’t a requirement of membership, Thomas said.

The group targets moms of color but doesn’t exclude any parent or caretaker because of ethnicity. The interest in bringing together “mocha” moms is “simply because you don’t see a lot of us at home with our kids,” Thomas said.

This is for different reasons but is often because of pressure from friends and family to stay on the career path and not “waste” the degree the Mom worked hard to earn.

“It’s a cultural thing,” Thomas explained.

“But that’s where the ‘mom of color’ specification came in. We have members who are not ‘mocha’ that are active who thankfully didn’t see ‘mocha’ and shut it off and who add greatly to the group and come out consistently.”

When the toddlers get older, their parents are encouraged to join a group like MoYo, a larger, more play-intensive play group that stands for Moms of York County, Thomas said.

With about 60 active members, MoYo schedules weekly activities at venues such as Gymboree and Tumbletown and can arrange group discounts because of its numbers.

Like some other play groups, MoYo members pay minimal membership dues of $5 a year to help maintain the play group Web site and message boards.

MoYo uses the site to gather event RSVPs (a “no-show” policy discourages parents from repeatedly ditching the group) and for screening prospective members.

There’s a “no-lurkers rule” for security purposes; prospective members are asked to send an introduction to the group organizer and set up an online profile (with photo) within 24 hours of joining the Meetup.com group.

Amanda Pope, an 18-year-old mother, modeled her new play group after MoYo when she moved from Spring Grove to McSherrystown in December.

“These mom groups are really a lifesaver. When my daughter’s screaming her head off, there’s other moms there, and they know what I’m going through,” said Pope, who has an 18-month-old, Mariah.

“When my daughter’s sick, someone else’s has had it.”

A MoYo member, Pope still drives back to the greater York area for MoYo events but wanted to organize a group closer to home. She calls it McMommys (borrowing the “Mc” from McSherrystown).

McMommys has 50 active members who hail from the McSherrystown-Hanover-Westminster-Baltimore corridor. Dues are $1 a month.

In addition to Gymboree and Chuck E. Cheese’s, McMommys gathers at the Westminster library for story hour and in public parks near McSherrystown.

Pope keeps the schedule to daytime events Mondays through Fridays because the weekends are family time, she said.

“It’s better than sitting around at home. I did that for a year,” Pope said.

“Now, my schedule’s packed. I usually have something to do every day with the meetups. Mariah gets up and gets her little shoes on and expects us to leave. She has a little routine.”

On the Web

Meetup.com

Parentsplace.com, http://parenting.ivillage.com

The International MOMS Club, www.momsclub.org

MOMS Club of York-West, http://momsclubofyork.tripod.com

Focus On Your Child, http://focusonyourchild.com

Mocha Moms Online, www.mochamoms.org

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If you have an abundance of ripe tomatoes from your garden that need a purpose, then we suggest you whip up some garden-fresh salsa. These three recipes use simple ingredients and are a cinch to make. So grab a bag of tortilla chips, a margarita (or lemonade) and get snacking!

Red Salsa

1 whole tomato
1 whole jalapeño pepper (stem removed)
½ onion (sliced)
½ teaspoons salt
1 large clove garlic

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse to a desired consistency (may have to add a little water).
2. After blending put in a saucepan and simmer until the desired thickness is achieved (salsa gets darker the longer it cooks).

— Frank Diem, West Manchester Township

Mango Tomato Salsa

2 small mangoes, diced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded
and diced
½ cup sweet onion
1 jalapeño pepper
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of one lime

1. Combine chopped mangoes, tomatoes, onion, jalapeño and cilantro in a medium bowl.
2. Squeeze two halves of a small lime over the bowl.
3. Toss and allow to stand until ready to serve.

Not-so-hot Salsa

1 can stewed tomatoes
3 tablespoons sweet onion, chopped
3 tablespoons green pepper,
chopped
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
Splash of olive oil
3 plum tomatoes, diced
Crushed red pepper flakes,
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients except diced plum tomatoes and chop in a food processor.
2. Toss in diced tomatoes, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper and let stand at least 15 minutes.

— Tracey Cullen, West Manchester Township

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ISTOCK

By ERIN ESMONT
For Smart

During the dog days of summer, everyone — kids, seniors, pets (even farm animals!) — are at risk for heat exhaustion if they spend a lot of time in the muggy outdoors.

When the temperature rises, so too does Dan McFarland’s volume of telephone calls.

As the regional agricultural engineer for the Penn State York Cooperative
Extension, McFarland works with farmers on ventilation issues.

In warmer months, the most frequent question on dairy farmers’ minds is how to keep the cows cool. Overheated cows tend to eat less, produce fewer pounds of milk and reproduce less frequently.

“It’s a stress to them,” he said.

So McFarland helps to make sure the 9,400 dairy cows in York County keep producing 184 million pounds of milk per year.

In some cases, farmers use a timed shower spray for two minutes every 10 minutes. Water droplets penetrate the cows’ skin to bring down their body temperature. Using evaporation methods further cools the air around the cow, he said.

His advice to farmers pretty much mirrors the guidelines laid out for humans and household pets: Seek shady areas, drink plenty of water and make sure the home (or barn) has a cooling system that either supplies cool air and/or pulls out the hot air.

During the summer, everyone from agricultural engineers to the Area Agency on Aging to health agencies to veterinarians are promoting ways to stay cool and beat the heat.

Heat exhaustion is the No. 1 heat-related ailment among people and pets. Symptoms include heavy perspiration; cold, clammy skin; dizziness; fainting; and vomiting.

With the elderly being among the most vulnerable, several senior centers started staying open an hour longer to provide more air-conditioned relief.

Heather Goebeler, director of the Red Lion Area Senior Center, said that some
seniors on fixed incomes try to save money by turning down or turning off the air conditioner at times when they need it the most, making them more vulnerable.

Senior centers also bring in speakers, such as nurses, or play a video at this time of year to raise awareness about heat-
related illnesses, Goebeler said.

Dan Miller of the Pennsylvania Department of Health said his agency’s public-service announcements about heat exhaustion are targeted to the very young; the elderly; those with mental illness (who may not always be mindful of weather changes); and those with health issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease and respiratory ailments.

High temperatures affect the body’s circulatory and respiratory systems.

People aren’t the only ones done in by the heat. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can be just as deadly to pets.

Last year, a bulldog was left outside too long and it collapsed and died, said Treanne Kidd, a veterinary technician at Shrewsbury Veterinary Clinic.

Overall, pet owners should watch for heavy panting, bright-red gums, the animal resting on one side and extreme fatigue as warning signs, she said.

Tips for children

Children are especially vulnerable on hot days because their bodies absorb more heat than adults do. What’s more, they are less likely to complain about being too warm. To protect your children, make sure they drink plenty of water before going outside and have water available to drink outdoors. Also, bring them indoors for 30- to 40- minute breaks throughout the day to cool down. Follow the rest of the tips under “Staying cool.”

Staying cool

• Drink plenty of water.
• Avoid drinks with caffeine, sugar and alcohol as these beverages cause the body to lose fluids.
• Avoid long periods in direct sun or in unventilated rooms.
• Keep air conditioning or fans running.
• Avoid vigorous activity when it is hot and humid.
• Schedule outdoor activities for cooler times of the day.
• Wear light-colored, lightweight and loose-fitting clothing.
• Wear a hat or other head covering when out in the sun.
• Wear sunscreen • Take frequent baths or showers and stay in a cool place.

Heat-related illness

Heat exhaustion

Symptoms: Heavy sweating. Weakness. Skin may be cold, pale and clammy. Weak pulse. Normal temperature possible. Fainting, vomiting.

First aid: Get victim to lie down in a cool place. Loosen clothing. Apply cool, wet cloths. Fan or move victim to air-conditioned place. Give sips of water. If nausea occurs, discontinue. If vomiting occurs, seek immediate medical attention.

Heat stroke (sun stroke)

Symptoms: Extremely high body temperature (106 degrees and above). Hot, dry skin. Rapid, strong pulse. Possible unconsciousness. Victim will likely not sweat.

First aid: Heat stroke is a severe
medical emergency. Dial 911 or emergency medical services or get the victim to a hospital immediately. Delay can be fatal. Move victim to a cooler environment. Try a cool bath or sponging to reduce body temperature. Remove clothing. Use fans and/or air conditioners.
Do not give fluids.

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By TRACEY CULLEN
For Smart

New laws require a passport for travel by air anywhere outside the United States, causing up to a 10-week wait.

If you need a passport in a hurry, expedited services are available for an additional $60 plus overnight delivery cost. But it will still take about four weeks, so it’s important to plan ahead for your trip.

http://travel.state.gov/Where to go

Post offices accept passport applications by appointment only, so call first. The courthouse passport hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. weekdays.

East York Post Office
3435 Concord Road, York
751-4617

Red Lion Post Office
500 N. Main St., Red Lion
244-2525

Shrewsbury Post Office
50 Constitution Ave., Shrewsbury
235-3012

Hanover Post Office
18 High St., Hanover
637-5496

York County Judicial Center
45 N. George St., York
771-9675

What to bring

• Proof of citizenship (previous passport, certified birth certificate), which will be returned with issued passport.

• Proof of identity (previous passport, naturalization certificate, valid driver’s license, government or military ID)

• Two identical passport photos
(The Post Offices listed have photo services on site. The courthouse does not, but there is a passport photo location nearby.)

• Social security number

• Fees (Younger than 16, $82; ages 16 and older, $97)

For more details go to travel.state.gov

Source: U.S. Department of State

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