Over the weekend I was surfing the web looking for what plants grow well in my zone which is 9b. I am in Florida but a lot of my fellow Texans are also in zone 9b. So I thought I would share this with you. I stumbled on a fun new way to garden called Straw Bale Gardening. There were several websites on straw bale gardening but I preferred this approach because it does not involve getting the bale ready by using Ammonia Nitrate. The website I found is called doug green's beginner-gardening.com, he also has a facebook a fan page. This is a perfect way to have a garden if you do not have a lot of space or if you are looking at garden possibilities give this some consideration. It would also provide the ability to garden for those who may not be able to bend over as much, and a fresh fun way to get your children involved and introduce them to gardening. It is also an inexpensive way to getting started. I called my local feed store this morning and asked for straw not hay bales and they do have them for under $7.00 a bale! I told the owner about the website and she is going to post it in her store, so I am already passing the straw bale gardening idea locally as well.
The key is buying a bale of straw, not hay. I am going to purchase extra twine to run tightly around the bale to keep it together good and tight and I am going to put pavers under the bale to keep it off the ground. Besides the benefits you gain from growing your own fresh vegetables and herbs, the straw bale will eventually become compost. An added bonus for other areas of your yard to boot, it is a win win situation.
The inspiration for having my own garden came from several factors, one being that I have been watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, tune in on ABC on Friday nights. If you have missed any of the episodes go his website posted below and you can watch them all from the beginning to date. I was dumb struck when he was talking to children in elementary school and the kids could not identify different vegetable that he held up for them. I have already blogged on this show in my blog from Saturday, March 27, 2010 entitled "Unbelievable, We Need This Wake Up Call". I posted again on facebook after watching this past Friday nights show, one of my facebook peeps said that she thought that it should be required viewing by every parent out there and I agree with her.
The second factor is wanting produce that is not covered in chemicals, I know exactly where it came from, that it has been grown organically, it has not been handled by a ton of people, picked before it was ripe which causes you to loose most of the vitamins and benefits and that it is truly fresh. So this has been my inspiration starting my own garden.
Below are the links to Doug Green and also to Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. If you have not already signed his food revolution petition and recognise the importance of what he is doing sign up today and join in. Lets save our children from obesity and improve our overall health.
http://www.beginner-gardening.com/straw-bale-gardening.html
http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Monday, April 5, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Unbelievable, We Need This Wake Up Call
If you have not been watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, then you should take a look. His first stop is in Huntington, West Virginia at an Elementary School. Last night I thought I would lose it. These children could not even identify vegetables when he held them up. I am not talking about anything difficult, they could not even identify tomato's or potato's! They knew what a french fry was but not what vegetable they came from. He was also trying to show kids the best parts of a fresh chicken as he cut it up. When he had it down to the carcase he asked the kids if they wanted to eat the carcase and they wanted nothing to do with it. He then proceeded to put the carcase in a food processor and turned it into yucky glop. He ran it through a sieve and then mixed it with binders and other stuff and smashed it down and took a cutter and cut out chicken patties which he cooked in oil then the kids wanted to eat it! OMG are you kidding? Gag me! Another thing is these kids did not even have forks and knives to eat with and did not know how to even use them before he got there. They were only eating things that could be eaten with a spoon. This is a great show to watch, I really encourage you to follow Jamie on this journey. It is eye opening, you can go to this link and watch all the shows to date.
http://abc.go.com/shows/jamie-olivers-food-revolution
http://abc.go.com/shows/jamie-olivers-food-revolution
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Food Inc.
I am in no way telling anyone what is right or wrong for your own person or your family when it comes to the food you eat. It is however my prerogative as a blogger to bring information to your attention and let you decide on your own how you feel about it. I will not state where I stand on the issue because it is a personal decision for everyone to make for themselves.
Food Inc. is an American documentary that was made by filmmaker Robert Kenner. It is interesting and does bring up thought provoking questions. The film has been the cause of a lot of controversy as well as a great deal of support. I am attaching a link to the Offical Food, Inc. site. Take a look at the "About the Issues" area on their site. There is information there that is food for thought.
http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-issues.php
Food Inc. is an American documentary that was made by filmmaker Robert Kenner. It is interesting and does bring up thought provoking questions. The film has been the cause of a lot of controversy as well as a great deal of support. I am attaching a link to the Offical Food, Inc. site. Take a look at the "About the Issues" area on their site. There is information there that is food for thought.
http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-issues.php
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Food For Thought...
I was just on one of my Twitter pages and saw this quote by Scott Hamilton "The only disability in life is a bad attitude" I love that and it is so true! There are so many people who would be entitled to a bad attitude due to their circumstances but they over come it. Not everyone can dig that deep and pull it out, but so many of these people have such an amazing outlook on life! In the big picture if I really take a long hard honest look at myself, I have nothing to complain about. Having a good attitude in life and with all its challenges will go along way to a happier you and everyone around you!
Maybe when you experiencing a bout with a bad attitude you should take a look around you and really consider if you are entitled to have a bad attitude or not. If you really do think your life is all that bad and you can not change it perhaps you should go experience a different reality like oh I don't know... for example like living in Hatti right now. I think that should do the trick. Go and hold a child's hand as they amputate one of their limbs without the aid of anaesthesia or listen to them singing the songs of their culture long before dawn as they line up waiting in the food lines. All the while knowing things are going to get a lot worse before they are going to get better.... Yeah, I don't about you but I've got nothing to compare that with.
Maybe when you experiencing a bout with a bad attitude you should take a look around you and really consider if you are entitled to have a bad attitude or not. If you really do think your life is all that bad and you can not change it perhaps you should go experience a different reality like oh I don't know... for example like living in Hatti right now. I think that should do the trick. Go and hold a child's hand as they amputate one of their limbs without the aid of anaesthesia or listen to them singing the songs of their culture long before dawn as they line up waiting in the food lines. All the while knowing things are going to get a lot worse before they are going to get better.... Yeah, I don't about you but I've got nothing to compare that with.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Sexting Is Illegal
If you are not aware of the laws in your state regarding sexting, then learn! Have you talked to your children about sexting, if you have not, then do it!
We live in a society where technology is exploding and moving as fast as a light rail train. Sexting is against the law, each and every state and some counties have their own set of laws when it comes to this topic. In Florida if a minor is found guilty of sexting they have to register as a sexual offender and they are tried as an adult. I called the Texas District & County Attorney's Association I was told in Texas it is handled on a case by case basis. However you will be considered to be in possession of child pornography. Sexting can have serious consequences! There are many sexting instances that have lead to many victims committing suicide. There are cases all over the country and it does not matter which side of the sexting you are on, the implications of sexting from the victims to the ones arrested and charged with child pornography, the outcome is not a good one. The minors should be made aware of how bad the implications can be, for the person who takes them and the person or persons who send them out. In most cases the girls have taken pictures of their body parts or complete nude pictures and text them out via their cell phone to boys who they like or who are their boyfriends. Then kids being kids someone gets hurt or angry and they send out the pictures. There may also be cases of just plain and simple bad judgment and sending them to the wrong person and that person just decides to put the picture out there just because.
We live in a society that it seems every week there is a new sex scandal and sex tapes flying all over the place. Kids are aware of all of this and it may seem cool and the thing to do. However, they may not fully understand the laws, danger, harm and serious ramifications of sexting. So please to all parents out there, do some research it is a small thing to and it could make a difference with your child or maybe one of their friends.
We live in a society where technology is exploding and moving as fast as a light rail train. Sexting is against the law, each and every state and some counties have their own set of laws when it comes to this topic. In Florida if a minor is found guilty of sexting they have to register as a sexual offender and they are tried as an adult. I called the Texas District & County Attorney's Association I was told in Texas it is handled on a case by case basis. However you will be considered to be in possession of child pornography. Sexting can have serious consequences! There are many sexting instances that have lead to many victims committing suicide. There are cases all over the country and it does not matter which side of the sexting you are on, the implications of sexting from the victims to the ones arrested and charged with child pornography, the outcome is not a good one. The minors should be made aware of how bad the implications can be, for the person who takes them and the person or persons who send them out. In most cases the girls have taken pictures of their body parts or complete nude pictures and text them out via their cell phone to boys who they like or who are their boyfriends. Then kids being kids someone gets hurt or angry and they send out the pictures. There may also be cases of just plain and simple bad judgment and sending them to the wrong person and that person just decides to put the picture out there just because.
We live in a society that it seems every week there is a new sex scandal and sex tapes flying all over the place. Kids are aware of all of this and it may seem cool and the thing to do. However, they may not fully understand the laws, danger, harm and serious ramifications of sexting. So please to all parents out there, do some research it is a small thing to and it could make a difference with your child or maybe one of their friends.
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