Try a new seasonal fruit or vegetable
While the supermarket makes it convenient to purchase out-of-season foods, consider trying a new winter fruit or vegetable! Seasonal produce offers higher levels of nutrients than out-of-season fruits and vegetables because they're picked at their peak freshness. Seasonal produce gets the chance to fully ripen, contributing to better flavor. Additionally, you may save some money – seasonal produce is often cheaper than out-of-season produce! Winter fruits and vegetables include clementines, grapefruit, kale, pears, sweet potatoes and turnips. Get the full list of winter fruits and vegetables!

Stay stress-free during the holidays
Between family visits, shopping and parties, the holiday season can start feeling like the most stressful time of the year rather than the most wonderful time of the year. Try these tips from Vicky Mieseler, MS, Ozark Center Vice President of Clinical Services, to help avoid becoming stressed or overburdened:

• Plan ahead. Don't wait until the last minute to shop for gifts or pack for a trip.
• Delegate, delegate, delegate! You don't have to do everything yourself.
• Exercise regularly. Don't be tempted to skip a workout, because exercise can help relieve stress.
• Get your Z’s. Make sure to get enough rest each night.

Purchase safe and age-appropriate toys
December is National Safe Toys & Gifts Month. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that in 2012, an estimated 265,000 toy-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments. In this news segment, Julia Foster, Freeman Nurse Practitioner, discusses toy-related injuries.

When giving gifts to children, choose toys that are both safe and age-appropriate. Try these tips! Toys with small parts and balloons can present a choking hazard for children under age 3. Keep an eye out for toy recalls. Read any instructions, safety precautions and warnings for the toy. Finally, discard plastic wrapping and other packaging after gifts are opened.

Stress: it isn’t just for adults. Stress can be defined as the gap between expectations and resources. In other words, you need to determine what demands are being made and what resources are available to meet those demands. Stress can also be defined as the difference between the “ideal” and the “real.”

Children have a lot of external expectations relating to family, home, school and friends. They also have internal expectations in terms of skills, self-esteem and relationships. Stress can present itself as the difference between what children think they should do compared with what they can do. For example, when a child knows he or she needs to learn multiplication tables, the demand can motivate him or her to study. Therefore, stress can be a positive and motivating factor.

Stress can also be a negative and discouraging factor. If children do not have the resources available to meet the expectations, the stress experience can be overwhelming. Children can crush under this weight. Adults can help by building a child’s capacity to cope with stress. The first step is to make sure that expectations are realistic, choices are offered and a plan is created. For example, it is not realistic for a three year old to memorize multiplication tables, but it may be realistic for a third grader to be expected to do so.

Children also thrive in an environment of choices. Competence and confidence grow when a child is involved with selecting his or her challenges. Parental guidance is crucial in this process. Create a plan to address the challenges, and include clear action steps from A to Z.

When building coping skills, children need to learn how to talk positively and create opportunities. Coping uses mental effort in order to tolerate the emotional pressure of the demands through positive self-talk. Positive self-talk helps a child to continue to cope with stress. Talking positively is more than “I think I can; I think I can,” – it involves reviewing personal strengths that can be helpful in the challenging situation. Some resources may be underdeveloped. Adults can help children by teaching them to consider options and problem-solve by incorporating those new possibilities and options into their plan of action. Parental guidance is crucial in this process.

While stress has the potential to bring focus to the gap in between expectations and resources, building the capacity to cope is about filling that gap. Parents play an important role in bridging the divide.

We are officially in the middle of the Health Insurance Marketplace second open enrollment period. The Missouri Health Insurance Marketplace is a website that allows you to compare health insurance plans and purchase a plan that best fits your needs. You can use the Missouri Marketplace if you:

• Are an individual or family buying insurance on your own
• Don’t have access to affordable coverage through your job

Last year, during the first open enrollment period, approximately 85% of Missourians who signed up for Marketplace plans were eligible for financial assistance to help lower health care costs. This year, a family of four making between $23,850 and $95,400 a year qualifies for advance tax credits which lower the monthly payment for health insurance premiums. A family of four making less than $59,775 per year is also eligible for cost-saving reductions that will lower out-of-pocket expenses, such as deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance. Learn more about financial help that is available.

Most individuals and families must enroll in a Marketplace plan before February 15, 2015, to receive coverage for 2015. However, there are options available to enroll in coverage outside of the open enrollment period. For example, you can qualify for a special enrollment period if you have a baby, adopt a child or place a child in foster care. You can also receive a special enrollment period if you get married or lose job-based coverage. If you qualify, you can apply for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program at any time.

You may know that the Affordable Care Act requires most Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty. If you do not have health insurance in 2015, the penalty is whichever is larger for you:

• 2% of your yearly household income, or
• A flat dollar amount - $325 per adult and $162.50 per child, but not more than $975 for a family

There are some exemptions to the requirement to have insurance. The penalty is prorated for the number of months you are uninsured during the year. If you are uninsured for fewer than three months, you are allowed a grace period and will not be penalized.

Know your options, ask questions and make good decisions about your healthcare options. Freeman is here to help you navigate the Affordable Care Act and the Missouri Health Insurance Marketplace with a highly-trained team of Certified Application Counselors.

Find more information about the Health Insurance Marketplace call the Freeman Marketplace team toll free at 855.255.PLAN (7526) or 417.347.8888 or visit covermissouri.org.

Don’t forget, open enrollment ends February 15, 2015!

“Money isn't the most important thing in life, but it’s reasonably close to oxygen on the ‘gotta have it’ scale.” – Zig Zigler

With the New Year upon us, many are setting New Year’s resolutions. Resolutions often include increasing or adding daily physical activity. Goals related to weight loss and healthy eating are at the top of the list also. But, what about improving our financial wellness? Do your finances need a facelift in 2015? If so, consider these suggestions to build your financial foundation:

• Go through your checkbook and receipts over the past few months to determine what you have actually spent on essentials and extras.
• Develop two separate budget lists, one for essentials and the other for extras. Within each category, some items are essential (e.g. mortgage or rent payment, electric bill, and groceries); others are extra (e.g. new furniture, gifts, and pizza delivery).
• Place a star beside each flexible budget expense on your list that you can cut out to save money.
• Add up your budget essentials list and the extras list separately.
• Subtract the essentials total from your monthly income and, if you have money left over, subtract the extras total from that amount. If you still have money left over look into a savings or investing plan (talk to your bank or a certified financial planner for help setting up a plan).
• If your extras list takes you into negative numbers, use money from your flexible budget to pay your essential bills. You can also trim from the extras list to put more money toward debt repayment if that’s a high priority in your financial picture.

Assessing your financial wellness and developing a plan of action is the first step to building a strong financial foundation. Gaining control of your finances can bring peace of mind that contributes to an overall state of wellness. Start the New Year off right by building a strong foundation for financial wellness in 2015!