photo credit
DEAR SARA: I was canning peaches today, and I was supposed to cut them into halves and remove the pit. I can’t figure out how to do that without ending up with a ball of mush. How do you cut it in half when it has a giant hard pit in the middle? I ended up canning peach chunks, but I would like to know the correct technique for next year. — Carla, Canada
DEAR CARLA: I insert a sharp knife into the peach until it touches the pit. Then I continue cutting a circle around. After I have a complete circle cut around the peach, I twist it to release the peach from the pit.
DEAR SARA: How do I keep my son warm during class? We just received the new dress code for my sixth-grader. Anything with hoods isn’t allowed in class (even if you don’t wear the hood). My son tends to live in his gray zip-up hooded sweatshirt and pullover hooded sweatshirts. But now they are no longer allowed. He doesn’t like crew-neck sweatshirts. We tend to have a hard time finding any that fit over his head anyway. And if they do fit, they tend to be oversized, which is also against the dress code. He has never liked the feel of sweaters, so they have generally just sat in his drawer. So what can we get to keep him warm in class without breaking the rules? I need some ideas. — J. Moffitt, forums
DEAR J. MOFFITT: Unfortunately, this dress code is happening in many schools. Reasons vary from students listening to iPods to theft and violence. You could have him dress in layers. He could wear a short-sleeved shirt or T-shirt with a long-sleeved cotton or thermal shirt underneath. Or he could wear a fleece pullover. A lot of shirts are sold as “doublers,” and there are “sweat/track” jackets that have zippers and don’t have hoods, too.
DEAR SARA: What are your thoughts on a four-day school week? My sister-in-law is a music teacher in a small school in western Montana. Their school board voted unanimously to a four-day school week. With all of the money they would save on the bus routes and utilities, they said it was the right thing to do. So three-day weekends for the kids every week! They will start school 10 minutes earlier and stay 30 minutes longer at the end of the day. Do you think this is something you would like to see in your school system? I know a lot of different schools are looking into this to cut costs. — Vanessa, forums
DEAR VANESSA: From an environmental standpoint, I think it’s a great thing. I’m sure many parents like this idea. I can’t say it’s wonderful until I’m faced with it in our district and I have more information. I wouldn’t want my kids to stay later; they don’t get home until after 4 p.m. as it is. For some kids and families, it would work out well. Some families would love the extra family time. For me, it would depend on whether my children could maintain the same focus on their studies with the longer school days. I’d question whether there would be increased homework during the week, where the excess money saved was being spent, and how the teachers viewed it. For example, is it harder to get the children to be attentive after three days off? Although this isn’t an issue for me, it could be a burden on families that would need childcare. I don’t view the school as a babysitter, but let’s face it: Many families have both parents working full time. I would hope the children didn’t suffer from the decision.
译文:
桃子罐头--生活百问
图片来源
亲爱的莎拉：今天我试着做桃子罐头，我本该将桃子切成两半然后去核的，但最后我却笨手笨脚地弄了一堆桃子碎片。要知道，桃子中间是坚硬的大核，怎么才能刚好切成两半啊？最后我做成的是桃子碎片罐头，也许明年我会掌握正确的方法吧。---卡拉，加拿大
亲爱的卡拉：我将尖刀插入桃肉直至碰到桃核。然后我把刀转一圈环切下来。当我切完一个圈，轻轻一拧，桃肉就从核上掉下来了。
亲爱的莎拉：怎样让我的儿子上课不被冻着呢？我六年级的儿子刚发了学校着装规章。任何形式的帽子都不能在上课的时候戴着（连帽衣服也不行）。我儿子从来都是穿他的灰色带拉链的连帽运动衫和其他有帽子的长袖衫。但是现在不允许了。他不喜欢水手领的长袖衫。为了给他找一件他的头能套得进去的衣服，我们费尽了心思。如果套得进，那么尺码又大了，也不符合学校着装规章里的规定。他一穿毛衣就觉得难受，所以一般他的毛衣都压箱底了。现在的问题是：我们如何让他在教室里穿的暖和，同时又不违反学校的规定呢？我需要你的建议。---简·莫菲特，来自论坛
亲爱的简·莫菲特：确实很头疼啊，许多学校都有这个着装规章。据学校说这能阻止学生听Mp3，能防止偷窃，防止学生暴力，反正等等吧。你可以给他穿上两层或多层衣服。他可以里面穿个长袖的棉衬衣或者保暖衬衣，外面再套个短袖的衬衫。或者干脆让他穿羊毛衫。许多长衫都是两层的，或者是两件套，还有那种没有帽子但是有拉链的类似工装的短外套，都是不错的选择。
亲爱的莎拉：你怎么看待学校一周上四天课？我嫂子是蒙大拿州西部的一个小学音乐老师。他们学校董事会一致通过每周只上四天课的决议。这样可以从校车和设施费用当中节约一笔钱来，所以他们认为这样做是对的。那么孩子们每个周末就休息三天了！他们会每天提早10分钟上课，推迟半小时下课。你想看到你孩子的学校里实行这种制度吗？据我了解，有各种的学校都在考虑用这种方案来节约开支。---瓦妮莎，来自论坛
亲爱的瓦妮莎：从自然的角度来想，我认为这个决定是伟大的。我也确信很多家长都会欢迎这个制度。由于我们社区没有推行这种政策，在没有得到更详细的信息之前，我不能说这就是个不错的注意。我不希望我的孩子晚回家，不希望他们下午四点后才回家。对于某些孩子和他们的家庭来说，这个制度的推行于他们有利。有些家庭喜欢有更多的团聚时光。而我觉得，这得取决于我的孩子在拉长了的学习时间里还能不能保持同样的注意力。我想问问周末给布置的家庭作业是否就多了，那些节省下来的钱又花到哪里去了，老师们又是怎么看待这个事的。比方说，是不是放上三天假后，再来上课时孩子们的注意力就更难集中了？虽然这对于我来说不是个困扰，但是对于那些需要儿童看护的家庭来说这增加了负担。我不认为学校承担着保姆的责任，但是有个事实我们必须得面对：许多家庭都是双职工全日制上班制。我不希望那些家庭的孩子们受到这个决策的牵连。
更多生活提问，请关注“莎拉帮帮帮”栏目！