It can certainly be a challenge in today's fast-paced world to eat together as a family. Research has made it clear that eating together as a family has many benefits. Consider the following:

● Meals cooked at home generally are more nutritious than those bought ready-made or when eating out. Families who eat together have been found to eat more nutritiously, and children learn to make healthier food choices.

● Mealtime provides a great time for families to listen to one another, talk about their day and reconnect with each other. A feeling of support and connection to one another is made available.

● Mealtime is a great occasion to create family traditions. Eating provides an optimal time to engage all of the senses and build unforgettable memories.

● Mealtime provides an opportunity to teach our children important life skills like learning the five food groups, passing down recipes, setting a table and cleaning up afterwards.

· Eating together regularly helps children feel more positive about themselves and their family. Teens have been found to do better in school, have stronger relationships with peers and are less likely to smoke, use drugs or alcohol or become depressed.

Consider these ideas to strengthen family mealtime:

● Make and keep family meals a priority for your family. Establish family meal times, whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner—at least five times a week.

● Keep it a positive time where you enjoy each other. Avoid dealing with family conflicts or issues that will turn into complaining and fault-finding.

● Ban distractions like TV and phone calls. Consider putting on music that still allows easy communication and listening to one another.

● Look for ways to involve everyone—from planning the menus and shopping for ingredients to preparing the meal and cleaning the kitchen.

The earlier you start making family mealtime a priority, the earlier your family will reap the benefits and know that this is a habit they will not want to break.

Source: Patti Faughn, University of Illinois Extension family life educator, Springfield Center, (217) 782-6515

School's out and the kids are looking for something to do. University of Illinois Extension may have some answers for harried parents.

"More than 20 websites sponsored by U of I Extension are available to help kids learn and have fun at the same time," said Jane Scherer, Extension urban programs specialist and director of Web programming.

"By using Extension websites, kids can plant their first garden, learn about where their food comes from or embark upon a 'great corn adventure." The sites are located on the Sangamon-Menard website http://sangamonmenard.extension.uiuc.edu under the icon "Just for Kids".

My First Garden introduces children to gardening. "The site explains how to select a garden spot, how to care for the garden as well as help in deciding what to plant in the garden," said Scherer.

To learn where the food on the plate comes from, go to Fresh from the World: Where Your Food Comes From. "Users of this site can explore the history and origins of 15 different foods, including favorites like watermelon, apples, peanuts, and popcorn," she said. "There is also information about produce stands and farmers markets."

All you have to do is drive a bit outside the cities to sense that Illinois is one of the largest corn-producing states in the country. To find out why and more about corn, stop by The Great Corn Adventure. "This interactive site teaches all about the history of corn, a year in the life of an ear, how corn is harvested, the many products and uses of corn, and how corn travels around the world for many uses," she said.

Given the wet and windy spring, some youngsters may be interested in the weather. "If you have a weather-watcher in your house, encourage them to make a web visit to Riding the Winds with Kalani (http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/Kalani/), a weather adventure," she said. "It features information on wind, clouds, precipitation, sun and other weather factors."

The Sangamon-Menard website features other topics that might interest kids, "The All-Star River Explorers", "Animals Past & Present" and "The Business of Babysitting".

Take a moment and just dream about your future. What would you like to do, where you would like to live when you retire? For many of us, retirement seems a long way off, but starting early to plan for retirement is the key to being able to make our dreams become reality.

Karen Chan, Extension Educator with University of Illinois Extension, suggests, "Take that dream and put legs on it." In other words, take that somewhat vague dream and turn it into a workable financial goal. A financial goal gives us the building blocks to make financial dreams come true.

According to Chan, people who set clear goals are much more likely to save and prepare financially for retirement.

Developing a financial plan for retirement is a step-by-step process. Step 1 is identifying your financial goals.

Some of your goals may be short-term, and others will be long-term. Be as specific as possible. When you write your goal, include specific dollar amounts and how much you will need to save each year to attain your goal. Check to see that the goal is realistic and that you can attain it. If it is not realistic, adjust the goal so that it is. If you can't save $500 a month to reach your goal, perhaps you can save $100 or $200 a month. Remember that doing something to help reach your goal is better than doing nothing.

It helps to write your goals down and keep them where you can see them often. Some people put their goals on the refrigerator, or on the bathroom mirror. If you use a PDA, you can set it to appear each week on your To-Do list, suggests Chan

Once you've decided to save for retirement, your next decision will be how to invest that money. Whether it's an IRA or a 401(k) plan, you'll have to make the investment decisions. Making the right investment choices plays a big part in achieving your retirement goals. Check out the University of Illinois website www.retirewell.uiuc.edu to learn about investing; the investment information is also available in Spanish. The site is free and non-commercial. You will also find sections of the website that will help you picture the retirement you'd like to have, and set the goals that will help you get there. You'll find tools to help you estimate how much you need to save, and calculate where you are now. Plan well now so you can retire well later.

Source: Karen Chan, Extension Educator Consumer and Family Economics, Countryside Extension Center, University of Illinois, (708-352-0109)