DID YOU KNOW ...? (77)

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Have you ever had the pleasure of watching a flamingo feed itself? In case you haven't, the way flamingoes eat is quite unusual. They feed themselves with their heads upside down due to their anatomic structure.

What A Woman Wants

Here is the secret: we want to feel loved and cared for. We want to love and care. We want to achieve and accomplish. We want to make our loved ones smile and we want to smile. We want to share and we want to be spoilt. Not so hard to please, are we?

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You are looking for a gift for a special woman in your life (daughter, mother, wife, friend etc) but are clueless? Well, here is the good news: you can easily make a woman happy without having to pay an amount that you cannot afford to pay. Even putting a few things together with some love and extra attention would easily please most women. Just make sure to pay extra attention to details. Us women love details!

Here are a few photos of some crafty gift ideas for your inspiration. You can pick and choose items to customise for your special person according the person's interests or your budget. 

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Wishing you a day when you can make someone smile!

From Mama to Bubba (2): A Favourite Top Turned into a Dress

Do you remember my 'From Mama to Bubba (1)' post? Well, this is another little handmade gift from me to my little beauty even though it is not necessarily the second in terms of order. However, just to make it easy to track on the blog, I have named it as the second. 

My daughter is a happy little girl. She loves her pink and she loves her tutus. She loves dancing and singing. She is clever and energetic. I wanted to make something that I believed she would love and luckily, my mother instinct was right! 

Using one of her favourite tops, which was becoming too small for her to wear especially in the next summer months, I made her a dress. It was actually my first time type of a project with a gathered skirt. The Internet is definitely not short on turning t-shirts to dresses, nor does it disappoint one in gathered skirt tutorials. I did not actually follow a particular tutorial as I had a clear idea on what I wanted to make with that top. I simply used my common sense and current ability to sew and put it all together.

I used a wide ribbon not only because it looks good but also to hide the unpleasant look of the joint where the pink top and the gathered skirt are sewn together. Even though my petite daughter can get in and out of the dress without much hassle for the moment, it is obvious that the dress will not last long for her as it is not flexible. I should have made the waist flexible. Well, lets take it as a note to self for the next time!

What I love about this project of mine is that first of all, it made my precious one happy and that is totally priceless. Secondly, it is an upcycling project and my daughter will get to use one of her favourite tops for a bit longer instead of having to say farewell to it very soon. Also, it is frilly, girly, handmade and my own effort for my daughter. It is also a part of a learning process too. To me, it is a win-win. What do you think?

Guest Post: HYDROPONIC GARDENING

Hydroponics: Bigger Yields – More Nutrition From Your Outdoor Garden!

About the Author: Chris Wimmer is an urban hydroponic hobbyist who uses hydroponics to maximize his 400 square foot yard and extend the short Chicago growing season. Chris blogs about his hydroponic experiences at CaptainHydroponics.com.

*Update: Capatinhydroponics.com now operates under a new exciting name and web address. Here is the new link: http://healthsmartliving.com/hydroponics/.

Incorporating the elements of a hydroponic system into outdoor gardening is the best way to ensure you get the biggest yields and healthiest most nutrient-dense fruits, veggies, and herbs come harvest time!

With indoor hydroponics, proper lighting can be a challenge from a budget perspective, but with the powerful and “free” sun shining down on your crops, bigger yields are always possible using a soil-less, automated growing system.

Hydroponics Defined:

Hydroponics maximize nutrient and oxygen uptake in plants by eliminating soil from the mix. Plants are rooted in an inert, bacteria free media such as peat moss, tree bark fibers, rockwool, spagnum, perlite, clay or stone.

There are hundreds of variations to the media used, but all provide a non-restrictive base for the plant's root system; where a feeding solution containing water, oxygen, and fertilizer can be introduced to the plants every few minutes via an automated watering system.

Slow and steady wins the race...

The plant's root system is “spoon-fed” what it needs, then the excess drains out of the bottom of the planter, and back to a nearby reservoir where it's held until a pump's activated via a timer a few minutes later, and the plants receive another feeding.

Soil-free keeps the root system clean and healthy, eliminates the plants wasting time searching for nutrients in the soil.  This maximizes the plant's ability to produce healthy greens, veggies, fruits, or flowers.

Soil suffocates...

Soil, by comparison can retain too much water, allowing bacteria to form (which bugs and parasites just love) and smothering the root system of the plant blocking oxygen uptake.

Calcium and salt levels build in the soil, slowly restricting its ability to uptake nutrients during the vegetation and blooming phases. The plant's root system is also forced to grow downward in search of more nutrient and oxygen-rich soil.

This means the plant has to use the energy it receives from the sun (photosynthesis) to grow a larger root system, rather than fortifying its stalk and producing seed-bearing fruits, veggies, flowers, etc.

Benefits of Hydroponics:

1. Plants get all the nutrients they need – no wasted water or fertilizer (25% of that used in soil grows)
2. Little if any pesticides are needed – many crop eating bugs live in soil
3. Bigger yields – up to 10 times larger than soil
4. Less babysitting your garden – an automated system can thrive virtually on its own
5. No weeding – weeds need soil to grow

Crop Suggestions:

You can grow anything hydroponically but it's important to do your research beforehand. There are many guides, videos, and blogs out there which it can be difficult to decide where to start.

If you're just getting started, stick to compact plants that don't require too much space, until you learn the ropes of setting up your feeding system, maintaining a proper PH, and all the other particulars. Corn, squash, zucchini, and melons are all best avoided as they are large or create large vine systems.

Instead try these plants...

·      Herbs of all kinds – rosemary, tyme, tarragon, sage, parsley, mint, dill, oregano (go nuts!)

·      Veggies – lettuce, cabbage, watercress, radishes, peppers,

·      Fruits – tomatoes, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, strawberries

Based on your crops of choice you can then pick the best system.  For herbs and lettuce like veggies, I’d suggest starting with a simple lettuce raft. For larger fruits and vegetables, I’d suggest starting with a basic bucket system which you can find on instructables.com.

Four Lunchbox Friendly Salad Recipes (1)

As mentioned in my 'About Me' section on this blog as well, it is hard for me to claim to be much skillful around the house, especially in the kitchen. However, luckily, most healthy foods don't require a lot of cooking or baking and I am not going to complain about it at all. As a family, healthy lifestyle is important to us and we try to educate our children accordingly as well. Our children have always been introduced to healthy options whenever and wherever possible and that is what they appreciate most of the time. Especially raw foods are an important part of their diet.

Our son started Prep this year and therefore, we too are on the same boat as many other parents who try to offer variety of foods for their children's lunchboxes on a daily basis. Let me tell you that it is NOT easy if you have not experienced it for yourself yet. The good news, however, is that with the invention of the internet and particularly social media, there are online recipes everywhere. You are the best person to know your child's habits and needs and you can easily find the best options that would work for you and your child, if needed, with some adjustments in recipes.

In our case, our son often brings some sort of a sandwich for lunch but also has some salad as a main or to go with his sandwich as well. He brings some snacks too but I may be able to share some ideas on snacks at another date. Today, it is about salads.

There are four recipes below but be ready for more to come later on as well, as it is only a matter of finding the time to photograph his salads when made freshly in the mornings. Again, that too is not always the easiest task to do. That is why, for the moment, I will only be sharing what I have been able to photograph so far.

SPINACH SALAD

Ingredients:
- Baby spinach leaves
- Fresh cherry tomatoes in a few colours
- Fetta cheese cubes
- Nigella seeds

PASTA SALAD

Ingredients:
- Cooked pasta
- Blanched green beans
- Blanched broccoli
- Raw red capsicum

TOMATO SALAD

Ingredients:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Chunky lettuce leaves
- Red capsicum
- Carrots
- Sunflower seeds

SORREL SALAD

Ingredients:
- Some fresh sorrel leaves (They are hard to find at stores but I have them in my garden. If you can't find them, you can substitute them with any of your favourite salad leaves).
- Carrots
- Cherry tomatoes in a few colours
- Avocado slices
- Cranberries
- Linseed

Note: I do not use seasoning for my son's salads at school. However, you can easily add your choice of seasoning if preferred. 

Enjoy something fresh today!

Lunchbox Friendly Vegetarian Koftas

Remember my post on 'red lentil koftas' from last year? (Click here for the recipe) Here is a slightly more attractive presentation of them for kids.

The inspiration simply came from my love for my son. One school day, he asked for something special (as he often does). I know he normally enjoys red lentil koftas, which I learned how to make last year and have been making some at times ever since. It was during a really hot week and I thought the red lentil koftas would be just perfect. I simply made the mix the night before and left them in the refrigerator over night. In the morning, made small koftas with them, wrapped them around with some fresh juicy, crispy lettuce and voila! When he came home, there was no sign of any leftovers. He surely loved his lunch.

Have a very happy day!

Happy Kids, Happy Mum!

As far as I can remember, I had never looked after someone else's child up until the other day. A friend of mine needed a carer for her daughter for a day and I put my hand up, even though I was a bit anxious about it. I know the little girl and my children love spending time with her. It definitely made it easier that they get along well.

Luckily, our little guest had great manners and her interests were similar to my children's. There were lots of reading, chatting, puzzles etc. during the day (actually, at some stage, my son was walking around with a crown on his head! Oh girls! They know how to make boys do things for sure). I didn't really need to come up with activity ideas for them most of the day but I did suggest a few little things which they happily accepted.

One of the favourites on the day was the outdoor painting activity. If you have been following my blog, you would know that we have been renovating since towards the end of last year. We have completed most of it but there are still some jobs to do before we can call it 'all done'. One advantage of this process is that we have got lots of cardboards around. We try to get rid of them slowly, putting them in our recycling bin whenever possible but we still have heaps. On the day, I basically cut one large piece nice and neatly and gave it to the kids to use as a canvas. They took one of their paint sets, took a paint brush each and simply got started.  They all had a great amount of space for their masterpieces.

This would make a perfect party activity and it won't even cost much. Just make sure you have got nice sized cardboards, enough paint brushes to avoid any tears and screaming; and an art smock each so that no-one ends up with a set of clothes covered in paint to go back home with. All you need after this is to sit back and enjoy the sound of laughter and the bright, proud eyes on the children's faces!

(Our little guest learning hand-embroidery)

(A snack platter from the day)

 Have a fantastic day!