Bluebirds

Stand by for a confession. Ready? I was in the Girl Scouts for six years. I know, shocking.

Anyway, one of the things I learned about during Girl Scouts was bluebirds. We built bluebird houses, learned about where they like to live, their habits, etc. I realized the other day that I still remember a lot of that information.

There is a new subdivision right next to ours that doesn't have a lot of houses. They built and sold a few houses before the "recession" so there is lots of open space surrounded by an outer rim of trees. Perfect bluebird habitat.

And this is where I like to go "wunning" (aka walking/running) in the morning. And bluebirds like mornings too because they can catch bugs. And there is a bluebird pair that I've seen there. (that was a lot of "ands") Bluebirds are territorial so I'm assuming that they are the only pair in that area.

And they seem to follow me as I wun. I know they're not, but it looks that way sometimes. They'll fly a little way ahead, and when I get close they'll fly off again. Like they are leading me, or watching over me, or something. And the other day as I was leaving the area, the male (he's a brighter blue than the female) flew very close a landed in a nearby tree. He sang a few notes then flew off. Like he was saying, "So long, until next time."

I know he wasn't really. But I liked the thought. And it was fun to be reminded of bluebird facts that I learned almost 30 years ago.

Ten Things Ladybug Says

Ladybug is almost 3 years old, and it's been a while since I shared the cute things that she says.


1. When she sings the ABC song, at the end she sings, "I know my ABCD..."

2. At the table, she reminds me of Kim (@mentallyinked), our Mamavation mom and water czar, when she says, "Everybody drink!" (We drink water with meals.)

3. She'll see me exercising and say, "I wanna essercise!"

4. Ladybug loves to say her prayers. She'll start, "Dear Jeeesa..."

5. "I a funny girl. Ha ha ha ha!" "No, I not funny. I a silly girl."

6. Her pronunciation of words has definitely developed, but there are still a few things she doesn't say quite right, which of course, is adorable. Instead of "Daddy," she says "Da-ee," which melts her Daddy's heart.

7. "I chase you!"

8. "I do it my byself!"

9. "I don't like it." And 10 seconds later, "I do like it!" (She changes attitude more often than she changes clothes!)

10. She loves to read The Foot Book (Dr. Suess). She has it memorized and reads to us every night. "Eft foot, eft foot, eft foot, wight. How many feet 'oo' meet!"


For more Top Ten lists, visit ohamanda.com. And for more Tiny Talk Tuesday, visit Mary at Not Before 7.

Mamavation Week #17

A week of highs and lows.

Exercise: Cardio 5 days out of 7. Monday & Friday - wunning. Tuesday - full Pilates workout. Thursday - Pilates & exercise bike. Sunday - exercise bike. When wunning, I ran more than I walked for the first time! And I went farther than I have before. I'm enjoying the variety of workouts and not feeling bored, which is good. I actually enjoy working out!

Food Journal: A tough week, but I *think* I logged every bit that I ate. It wasn't pretty this past weekend. I allowed myself too much bread and too many treats. I'm glad I did my weigh in on Friday morning! This week, my goal is to focus on my fruits and veggies and to keep the processed sugar to an absolute minimum. Here's my healthy menu plan for the week.

The Scale: I'm down .5 lbs this week for a total of 16 lbs in 17 weeks. It's moving in the right direction, so that's good. And my workouts are good, so I know that I'm also building muscle. I check my measurements again at the end of this week. I'm sure that will be good because my jeans are getting pretty loose!

Inspiration: My inspiration for the week comes from my MP3 player, a song by a Christian group called Big Daddy Weave, "Fields of Grace." This is one of my favorite songs to wun to.

There's a place that I love to run and play
There's a place that I sing new songs of praise

Dancin' with my Father God in fields of grace

There's a place that I lose myself within
There's a place that I find myself again

Dancin' with my Father God in fields of grace

This week's Mamavation carnival is sponsored by Chiquita (I didn't realize that they had more products than just whole produce - how fun!) Thanks to everyone for your continued support and encouragement! I know I wouldn't have gotten this far without you!!

Saturday Stumbles

I'd like to start sharing with you some of the great things that I read during the week. I'm hoping to do this on a weekly basis, but it will depend on how much reading time I have during the week. Y'all know how that goes!


Got questions about the Couch 2 5K Program? Vanderbilt Wife wrote a great post with questions AND answers!

Ever think about how Christians should approach the celebration of Earth Day? Kelly at Wisdom Begun shared a thought-provoking post.

Amanda wrote a beautiful post about having one-on-one time with her son while her daughter was visiting the grandparents. Loved this!

Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks recommend a new website called Fruits and Veggies Matter More that helps you figure out how many servings of fruits and veggies that you need.

The wonderful Mandi at It's Come 2 This hosts a Saturday Stumbles link-up. If you want to link up your weekly finds or see what everyone else is reading, click on over there!

Thinking Again

I struggle. I want to share myself, but I don't know how. I read bloggers that I admire and look up to, and when they share, it's so eloquent yet simple. So poignant, so real. I feel like when I share in that way, it's trite and forced. And those are the last things that I want to be.

I'm trying not to compare myself to others. I don't want to be a copy of someone. I want to be me.

I don't feel eloquent. Or witty. Or even smart sometimes. Not compared to someone else. Compared to myself.

I've let myself get stuck in the stay-at-home mom thing. I play with my child, watch children's TV programs, read children's books. And I love it. Most of the time.

But I want to read my own books, have conversations that challenge my mind, cause me to think. For crying out loud, I have a graduate degree. I know I can think! Right? I do remember how to think, don't I?

Sometimes I wonder.

Do you ever wonder? Not about me, but about you? Do you ever get stuck in a rut, forgetting that you are a creative, intelligent, wonderful person?

I think I forgot. But I want to remember. I want to be reminded. I want to think again. To be able to follow a train of thought and not keep getting derailed, or making pit stops. Even as I sat down to write this post, I had about five minutes before I had to take the thinking cap off and put the mama hat on. I had a great thought. Actually, several great thoughts. I started to write, then bam! Not enough time to finish the thought.

Then I had to try to pick up the train again. Do I even know where I'm going with this? I'm not sure, and don't expect you to know either. But I appreciate that you've stuck with me this far.

I want to think. To create. It's just a beginning. But it is a beginning. And that's the best place to start.

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

Ten Ways to Garden in Small Spaces

We live in suburbia. We have a 1/3 acre lot, which is big compared to others. We also have a lot of tall trees because we live in an older subdivision. But that doesn't allow a lot of direct sun to grow vegetables. So I've learned a few tricks that I want to pass along for gardening in small spaces, which could be suburbia or even an apartment or condo.


1. You can grow a huge variety of flowers and vegetables in containers. Here I have spinach & radishes in the front container, and pansies in the back container.2. Watch the movement of the sun and make sure your plants will get plenty of sunshine. Most vegetable plants need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight.

3. Work with the space that you have. I have planted a few veggies in among the plants in my "flower" bed in the front yard. The daffodils in the background will be done by the time the zucchini in the foreground are vining out.

4. Don't be afraid to work amendments into the existing soil. That is, add compost, organic fertilizer, and even additional soil into your gardening area. Here, I worked up two areas with soil amendments. I've planted green onions, beets, lettuce, and swiss chard in these two areas.

5. Water but don't over water. Containers dry out quickly so they need frequent, often daily, watering. But make sure the containers have good drainage so the extra water has someplace to go.

6. If you are brand new to gardening, start with plants not seeds. And don't be afraid to talk with someone where you buy plants about any special tips for growing in your area.

7. If you have existing beds with established plants, place containers amongst your plants. These are my herbs nestled among the border of lariope.
8. Start small. Just one or two containers or types of plants are a great way to start. I have this large container on the driveway pad (it gets more sun), planted with carrots and more radishes.

9. If you have the space, the sun, and are pretty confident in your green thumb, build raised beds. Or instead of building raised beds, you can use plastic swimming pools as in this tutorial.

10. Most importantly, have fun! I love digging in the dirt, watching the seedlings grow, and harvest my own produce. Even if you are planting flowers, it's still rewarding to see them flourish under your watchful eye.


Have fun gardening! For more Top Ten lists, don't forget to visit ohamanda.com

CREATEsouth Recap

This past Saturday, I attended a local creativity/technology/blogging conference called CREATEsouth. The conference is in it's third year, and this was my second year attending. Wow. What a great time!

I was excited to reconnect with friends made at last year's event, as well as meet new folks whom I've met on Twitter. And all the techy-geekiness, oh my!

I took most of my notes while tweeting, but here is a brief recap of what I took away from the day.

~ Not only is CREATEsouth a creative conference, it's also a people conference. (from Dave Slusher)

~ Tee Morris shared in his keynote address that 2009 was The Breakout Year for Social Media but that 2010 is The Year of Credibility. It doesn't matter how many Twitter followers or Facebook friends you have. What matters is the quality of relationship.

~ Social media is now a part of how we live our lives. The Library of Congress acknowledged that when they started archiving all tweets.

~ We were all encouraged to work on our elevator pitch, and even had time to share with the whole group (for the brave!).

~ Starting a project without goals doesn't lead anywhere. (@mightymur who gave the second keynote)

~ Our goals need to be SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time

A huge take-away for me was the encouragement to be creative and to not be afraid to partner with others who have complimentary strengths. That's huge.

I've felt so uncreative and distracted lately, searching for my blogging mojo again. I feel creative and energized after Saturday's conference. I have the glimmer of a business idea that I have started working on, starting with learning a few new techy skillz. My goal is to stretch myself, but also to partner with others.

Which is really cool when I think back to WHY I started this blog 2 1/2 years ago. Because I strongly believe that life is not a Do-It-Yourself project. We need each other. No matter how good my ideas are, I can't bring them to fruition by closeting myself away. I am looking forward to the creative energy that comes from working with a great team. I don't know who will be on my team, but I do know it will be great!

Thanks, CREATEsouth for the wonderful day and inspiration!

Mamavation Week #16

This was a much better week than last week!! Yay!!

Exercise: 6 days of 7 on cardio - woohoo! Monday & Wednesday was "wunning," a.k.a. walking/running. Tuesday & Saturday - a full Pilates workout. Friday - Pilates & exercise bike. And Sunday - a long session on the exercise bike. My shins were really sore after my "wun" on Wednesday, so I knew I needed to keep the rest of the week low-impact. I'm feeling strong and ready to tackle the upcoming week! Did you see my post last week of the great reasons to exercise?

Food Journal: I did really well with eating this week too! I stayed within my allowed calories every day, ate lots of fruits & veggies, and drank at least 80 oz of water every day. Here's my menu plan for the upcoming week. Our CSA should be starting in the next couple of weeks, plus our farmer's market is now open, so I am really looking forward to the fresh produce.

The Scale: I'm down 1.5 lbs this week!! Yay!!! I've lost 15.5 lbs in 16 weeks. I've very pleased with my progress. I know I wouldn't be sticking with this without the support of my family and my Mamavation Sistas. Really. Your support is SO important!

Inspiration: Yes, I'm feeling strong this week. But I know that's not something that comes from within myself. My inspiration verse for the week will remind me of that.

The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace.
Psalm 29:11

Thanks again for your support and encouragement in this journey of getting healthy!

Azaleas

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the azalea bush in our front yard. It suffered from neglect for a while, but I think it's back to being the beauty that it deserves to be!



Hosted by Cecily and Mamarazzi

Eating In-Season Produce

One of the many modern conveniences is that our grocery stores are stocked year-round with fruits and vegetables. But there are lots of downsides to this convenience. Have you ever bought tomatoes in January, anticipating a fresh, juicy, tasty treat and then were disappointed by its tough, bland flavor? That's because January is not the season for tomatoes, at least in most of the United States.

To truly enjoy your fruits and vegetables, it's best to eat them in-season. That fresh, juicy peach taste that you remember from your childhood? I'll bet that you didn't eat that in April. More like August or September. That's when peaches are in season.

I found a great resource for knowing when produce is in-season in the different regions and states. I'm posting here the list for South Carolina, for my own reference, but you can look up your own state or area as well.

Better tasting produce is only one reason to eat in-season. You'll not only have fresher fruits and vegetables, but because the produce is grown in your area at that time of year, there are less transportation costs, resulting in a lower costing product. If you don't have a local farmer's market to find in-season produce, your local grocery store usually has the in-season fruits and vegetables on sale.

In-season fruits and vegetables are definitely Things I Love!

• Apples, August through November (may be available from storage into spring)
• Arugula, April through June (may be available from hot houses in winter)
• Asparagus, April through June
• Basil, May through September
• Beans, May through October
• Beets, April through June
• Blueberries, May through August
• Bok Choy, October through June
• Broccoli, May through June and October through December
• Brussels sprouts, November through February
• Cabbage, October through May
• Cantaloupes, June through August
• Carrots, October through May
• Cauliflower, October through December
• Celery, October through Februaru
• Chard, October through May
• Collard greens, October through June
• Corn, June and July
• Cucumbers, June through August
• Edamame, June through September
• Eggplant, June through October
• Figs, July and August
• Garlic, May through October (available from storage year-round)
• Green garlic, March through May
• Grapes, July through October
• Kale, October through May
• Leeks, October through May
• Lettuce, September through June
• Melons, June through September
• Mushrooms (cultivated), year-round
• Okra, May through October
• Onions, March through November (available from storage year-round)
• Parsnips, October through December
• Peaches, May through Auguts
• Peas and pea pods, February through May
• Pecans, September through December
• Peppers, June through September
• Persimmons, September through November
• Plums & pluots, May through July
• Potatoes, May through August (available from storage through winter)
• Radishes, March through June
• Spinach, November through May
• Squash (summer), May through October
• Squash (winter), August through December
• Strawberries, April through June
• Sweet Onions, May and June
• Sweet potatoes, August through February
• Tomatoes, June through October
• Turnips, October through April
• Watermelons, June through September
• Zucchini, May through October
• Zucchini Blossoms, May through September

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

Ten Reasons Why Exercise is Good For You

I don't why it took me this long in my life to actually enjoy exercise. I did like to exercise in college, when I access to a full gym for free. But since then, it's always been a struggle to exercise and to make it a priority.

Now, I actually LIKE exercise and look forward to that part of my day. The key? I found exercise that I enjoy, my "soul mate" exercise, as Leah calls it. When you find that exercise that you enjoy, it makes it much easier to make it a priority. And exercise does a body good!

Here are Ten Reasons Why Exercise is Good For You.

1. It improves your overall health.

2. It helps you to lose weight.

3. You are setting a good example for your children. They learn that exercise is an important part of being healthy by watching you!

4. There are lots of fun activities that you can do together as a family: golfing, biking, hiking, canoeing, just to name a few.

5. You'll have more energy. I am finding now that I have the energy to *almost* keep up with my very energetic almost-3-year-old.

6. It helps improve your self image.

7. It gives you more confidence because you feel better about yourself.

8. It's a great stress reliever!

9. It helps to increase natural endorphins for better mental health. (Thanks to my counselor Hubby for adding that to the list.)

10. It helps prevent health problems for a better quality of life (DHHS and the CDC have lots of studies on exercise as preventative care.)


For more great Top Ten lists, be sure to visit ohamanda.com

Disclaimer: I am not a health professional and this information is not meant to replace the advice of your doctor.

Mamavation Week #15

This was a rough week. Wow. Lots of obstacles, feeling like I'm not making any progress. But even when I feel that way, it always brightens my day when someone asks how much weight I've lost. Always!

Here's my week in review:

Exercise: 4 out of 7 days of cardio (goal is 5 out of 7). I ran (slogged, really) on Monday and Wednesday, did Pilates on Tuesday, and rode the exercise bike on Saturday. Thursday and Friday were lost to PMS and a migraine, such a lovely combination. Considering how absolutely lousy I felt those two days, there was no way I was going to exercise. It was a bad migraine too, the I'm-so-nauseous-can't-I-just-throw-up-and-feel-better kind of bad. Anyway, it's a new week. I'll be aiming for 5 days of cardio!

Food Journal: I slacked off a bit in keeping my food journal. Thursday especially was a huge blur, I couldn't remember much of anything, but I know that I didn't eat much. I'm still aiming for 7-8 servings of fruits and veggies every day. Plus, we've been trying different grains. We all loved the quinoa that we tried a while back. This week, I experimented with barley. I think that's going to be a keeper. Here's my menu plan for the week.

The Scale: No change this week. I am totally fine with that considering everything that went on. I'm still down 14 lbs in 15 weeks. Slow and steady wins the race, right? I'd love to see faster progress, but I know that I want this weight to stay off for good, and that this is a good pace.

Inspiration: I'll be focusing on verses from Psalm 118 this week. I want to approach each day with a positive attitude, reminding myself that each day is a gift from God.

The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has given me victory.
This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it. (verses 4, 24)

I've very excited about the Subway giveaway this week in conjunction with our Mamavation posts. And since I love breakfast and could eat breakfast food three meals a day, I'm excited for the chance to try their new Egg White Muffin Melt - yum!

Thanks to everyone for your continued support and encouragement! I know I couldn't do this without you!

Follow Friday

Looking for a few new tweeps to follow on Twitter? Here are a few of my favorites!

@mentallyinked - one of my #Mamavation friends, and she's a finalist for this #Mamavation Mom campaign. So once you follow her, go on over to www.Mamavation.com and vote for her in the right sidebar (voting open until 4/12/2010).

@Karla007 - another one of my #Mamavation friends, she is always so encouraging and supportive!

@ToBeThode - a wonderful bloggy friend, I always enjoy our conversations on Twitter.

@justmalia - I love Malia's sense of humor. She always makes me laugh!

And if for some reason you are not following me on Twitter, I'm @notdiyheather!

Ten Things Growing in My Garden

After six years of living in the South, I am FINALLY figuring out how to garden here. I'm accustomed to one short summer season like in Pennsylvania, but here, it's best to garden in the spring/early summer, then start again in later summer/fall.

So I've got my small, suburban garden started. It is so exciting to see things growing! Here is what I've planted for the spring/early summer harvest.


1. Spinach - it might get too hot for them to reach maturity, but I love spinach and this is my experimental planting.

2. Radishes - I am not a huge lover of radishes, but I want to learn to like them. They are so easy to grow!

3. Carrots - I got a large container to plant these in, I can't wait to see how they turn out!

4. Chives - one of my favorite cooking herbs

5. Lemon Thyme - another favorite herb

6. Basil - two varieties, sweet basil and cinnamon basil. Can't wait to make my own fresh pesto!

7. Lettuce - another experiment as it may get too hot for them. We'll see!

8. Beets - Hubby loves beets, I love the greens. Not a bit of them will be wasted!

9. Zucchini - I planted more than is recommended as everything I've read says zucchini plants produce A LOT. Good. I like zucchini. A lot. And if I am over-run with zukes, I have friends who will appreciate the shared bounty!

10. Sunflowers - not a vegetable, obviously. But they'll bring birds to our garden. And Ladybug received the seeds in her Easter basket from Mom's Morning Out - what a GREAT alternative to Easter candy. I'll be remembering that for next year!


Are you growing a garden this year? Have you started yet?

For more great Top Ten lists, be sure to visit ohamanda.com

Mamavation Week #14

I'm finally able to enjoy our beautiful spring weather with less allergy symptoms. We've been having lots of outside playtime, going for walks, and even went to the small local zoo one day this week. We have not lacked for physical activity, that's for sure!

Here's my weekly recap.

Exercise: I did cardio on 5 days out of 7, which is my goal. I was able to get out and walk/jog only once this week; I have to make sure I have someone home to be with the toddler while I do that. Other days were cardio on the exercise bike or Pilates. I am always so SORE after a full 30 minutes of Pilates - ouch! It's a great workout!

Food Journal: I did okay with my food this week. There was still Easter candy in the house (it's gone now!) and lots of stress with the tantrums of a strong-willed child, so I turned to chocolate more often than I'd like. Either my child needs to get out of this phase quickly or I need to stop being an emotional eater. Hmmm.... Which is likely to happen first?

The Scale: I'm down .5 lbs this week, for a total of 14 lbs in 14 weeks. March was a tough month. I only lost 2 lbs this month. I re-checked my measurements this week, and I lost 2.75 inches this month as well. Most of that was in my waist! The Pilates are worth it when I see that kind of change.

I won't be able to be on-line much this week. Our laptop is having some issues, and I can't sit at the desktop much. Ladybug (almost 3 years old) is dropping her nap so I don't have a lot of downtime unless someone else is here. I'll try to catch up with everyone as soon as I can! Thanks, as always, for your support and encouragement!

Easter Eggs with Natural Dyes

I was so excited about coloring Easter eggs this year. I have wonderful memories of coloring eggs with my favorite aunt when we used natural products to dye the eggs. Now that Ladybug (2.75 years old) is old enough to participate in egg coloring, along with my nieces (9 & 10 years old), I wanted to give it a try.

There are lots of different tutorials out there; this isn't one. I just wanted to show off some good pictures from my dinky point-and-shoot camera and our beautiful eggs.

First, prepping to boil yellow onion skins.
There are lots of different methods. You have to experiment to figure out what products and methods work best for you. In this picture, we wrapped raw eggs in beet greens and boiled them.
We boiled the beets for our pink dye.
And here are our finished eggs! Aren't they gorgeous?
Orangish-yellow is from the yellow onion skins. Pink is from the cooked beets. Bluish-gray is from grape juice. The pale green is from the beet greens.

Who knew that dyeing eggs could be so exciting? Ladybug and I had a fun morning, making memories with my sister-in-law, my mom, and my nieces.



Hosted by Cecily and Life With Kaishon

Thursday Thanks

I've always been the kind of person who tries to focus on the positive. It helps me get out of a funk. I'm in a funk because we're going through a tough stretch of parenting right now. Time to count my blessings.

1. My husband rocks. I did something today that I was SURE he would be upset with. But he wasn't. I'm so thankful that he puts up with me!

2. My chiropractor is awesome. I went in for an adjustment today and he did some extra work on my hips and back. I asked him if I was out of alignment more than usual. "Yes, what have you been doing?" And I told him that was jogging and thinking of running a 5k. He said, "You let me know when and where, and I'll be there to cheer you on." Awe-some.

3. I have awesome friends. My Mamavation sistas who support and encourage me, bloggy friends who rock my socks off, and friends who brighten my day often. You know who you are.

What are you thankful for today?