Reversible Hats for Children and Women

Summer is an exciting time for everyone in my family because we get to be outside a little more and enjoy the sunshine. Although, being outdoors is fun, it is important that we take precautions and keep ourselves protected from the UV rays. I have been looking for cute sun hats for my children, and was super excited to check out the really cute reversible Flapjack Kids hats, as well as the fabulous women's reversible hat from Luvali Convertibles. 

Inspiring Books for Gardening and Learning to Hairstyle

The books Grow Vegetables in Pots and Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet are inspiring the decisions we are making this year for our garden. We love gardening, and over the years have learned many things about how to care for a variety of plants, and to landscape. We are expanding our garden space to accommodate more vegetables and trees this year.

Books For Children

Having fun, educational, colourful books in our home library is important to me because these encourage my children to explore topics and find their interests. My children enjoyed these books that open up lots of conversations, and teach them lessons, as well as general knowledge information such as about our environment. The colourful illustrations encourage children to be engaged and read it many times. I like that it awakens their natural curiosity to explore, and learn.

Details on a Selection of Books from the Father's Day Boutique

Taking pictures either nature, still photography, or pictures to remember moments is a fun hobby for me, as photography helps me tell a story. Photography using all types of cameras has been a learning experience that I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy. To keep my excitement for capturing images unique, new and lively, I like checking out photography books.

Miracle-Gro Flower Magic Adds Colour To Our Garden

When the signs of spring finally arrived about a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I started thinking about our summer gardening. We usually draw out a plan on what we want in our garden each year, and how we want the layout out to be. We try to make our garden look a little different each year and plant a variety of vegetables, fruits and flowers. When planning we take into consideration the things we learned from gardening books, about different types of plants, what suits best in our garden, which produce and flowers we want to try, mistakes from the past years and more. 

What We Do In Our Garden During Fall

The gardening season is almost coming to an end for this year... so I find spending a little bit of time each day will help us get ready to clean up and prep things for the next gardening season. Here are some of the things my husband and I do in our garden during fall.

Win a copy of the Canadian Gardener's Guide

We were eagerly waiting to do gardening and thank God the weather in Toronto has become suitable for it :) The past few weeks we've been gardening, cleaning up, planning on what to plant, putting down some seeds, and basically getting ready for the season. 

You've probably seen my posts about the importance of using the correct gardening tools, equipment, having the right soil, and other posts about planting. I am a self-taught gardener, and get helpful information and knowledge by reading gardening books before I start my projects. 

The Black and Decker Dual line Trimmer and Edger helps keep our garden neat

My husband and I enjoy gardening, as the outdoor gardening season in Toronto is short :) We encourage each other to keep our garden neat so we can admire it throughout the summer. We enjoy spending time watching birds, gardening different flowers, fruits and vegetables so it important for us to make sure our garden looks neat and maintained. To motivate us and not feel as though gardening is a chore, we think it is important to have the correct gardening tools.

The rock and wooden gardening edges in our garden makes it hard for us to cut the grass that grows in the edges using the lawnmower.  This 14" Black and Decker 6.0 AMP Dual line trimmer and edger has helped us overcome this problem. It has also made us perfectionists in the garden, as the trimmer helps us keep our garden neat and clean. 

Gardening With CUTCO Tools

When gardening I think one of the most important things to have are reliable tools, which will not frustrate us. I find CUTCO gardening tools to have a good quality that is reliable and durable.

Since 1949 CUTCO guarantees the quality of their products, as they have a forever guarantee for the performance, sharpness and replacement of all their products. We don't need to hold onto the receipts to use their guarantee.

No space is too small for a garden

I like growing herbs in the summer in small spaces and pots, so it doesn't spread all over the garden. I find growing our own vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers is rewarding. It is rewarding to plant our own herbs and vegetables, as we can get local, organic food from our own garden that will makes us happy.

Last year I put lots of top soil, manure, compost from Pefferlaw that benefited our garden and helped produce a good crop of tomatoes, eggplant, okra, bitter melon, chillies, herbs and more. 

Mystery of Life: Our survival depends on flowers

Before watching the Disneynature Wings of Life I thought the movie was about butterflies.  However, while watching the movie I realized it is called “Wings of life” because it outlines the importance of pollinators such as beetles, insects, bees, hummingbirds and bats that carry the pollen grains to other plants, so the plants can reproduce. I recommend this heartwarming movie for the whole family, as it points out the importance of flowers. This DVD and Blu-ray combo will be available on April 16th.

I also read the book Rainforest by Thomas Marent, which is filled with beautiful close-up photographs of the rare beauties found in the exciting, but dangerous tropical rainforests.  The pictures are amazing, which shows us the uniqueness and the beautiful details found in nature if we just stop to look at it.  

We are planning to take lots of Gardening Shortcuts this Summer

It is that time of the year when we start thinking of gardening projects and designing outdoors.  I totally look forward to spring, as I like to plan and think of all the possible projects we can do in the garden even before the ground thaws.  

Since we are planning on a trip this summer :) the time I have to garden this year is limited.  I want to make sure that we maximize the fun of gardening by spending as little time maintaining it.  This book Gardening Shortcuts has lots of ideas that will make this possible, and I am sure every gardener will appreciate the tips found in this book.  

The suggested tips and ideas in this book lets us get the maximum benefit of enjoying our garden with less time maintaining it.

Last year, we gave a quick lift to a dull garden space by creating a flowerbed and adding rocks.  Seeing this idea in the book made me feel good that I had come up with this project last year.

To make this flower bed we mounted a lot of soil because we wanted some height.  Then we planted a Japanese maple tree that we bought from Sheridan.  We chose the blood good variety of Japanese maple tree that doesn't grow too tall, and has bright red leaves.  

Around the tree, we placed Pefferlaw deco stones and gravel river rocks that can be purchased in all these locations.  I like how rocks give a serene, natural atmosphere to the garden while helping control weeds in an eco-friendly way.  Usually adding rocks and hard elements to the garden brings the lush colours of plants and flowers to become more focused and attractive. 

We also put a solar spotlight in this area that makes the plants glow at night.  To give the area more colour we planted different coloured pansies and marigold.  To make sure the area does not get a crowded and cluttered we always prune and remove the plants that spread.

This book gives a lot of ideas on how we can create privacy and sheltered spaces in the garden by adding fences and patio.  It also has lovely decorative projects that we can do without incurring a big cost.

This book also shows us neat ideas on how we can grow fruits and vegetables in a decorative manner.

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On My Honor Girl Scouts

Shannon Henry Kleiber, the author of the book On My Honor wrote this novel like biography, which I enjoyed reading and learned many things.  After reading the book, I do Honor the Girls Scouts and its concept more.  Many of us have heard of, seen or been part of Girl Scouts, but we know little of how girl scouts came to exist.  The author has written lots of stories, funny incidents and information about Juliette Gordon Low, the leader and founder of Girl Scouts.  


The author, Shannon is the Girl Scouts leader of her daughter's troop.  She wrote this book because of her curiosity to find out about Daisy; the person that started this "sisterhood" or "girl guides".  Shannon found out lots of interesting things about Daisy from many sources and wrote this book to bring light to this leader.  


Juliette Gordon Low, well known as Daisy started the Girl Scouts determined to teach young girls and women to self rely.  Daisy was inspired by the Boy Scouts that was formed and led by Robert Borden Powell.  Daisy has influenced many thousands of young girls and women for hundreds of years.  Her wisdom has helped many women to become leaders.  


Over the years Girl Scouts have gone through lots of controversies and changes.  The famous Girl Scout cookies changed their ingredients to make it more healthy, the packaging has become more environmentally friendly as they use paperboard.  
The principles of Girl Guides have been debated if it is religious or not religious.  Daisy wanted to make sure the principles and way of life was being taught by family, friends and community and not by the Girl Scout leaders because everyone from all walks of life is accepted to be part of Girl Scouts.
The famous Girls Scouts badges show accomplishment as the girls learn the skill such as cooking, ironing, swimming etc and earn the badges.

I enjoyed learning many things and started to think of strategies that are important to me as a parent. 

Sharron shares her research of lots of funny jokes, stories and incidents that happen in Daisy's life.  Sharron also shares her experience as a mother and talks about challenges such as technology and how it has impacted the decisions we make.  Some points I learned from the book that I like to share are below.

• We need to help out our children to become independent, even if it means they will be messy.
• Guiding the children will help, not lecturing them.
• Connecting with the community and begin part of it; seeing beyond people, being eco friendly.
• Looking at how things are done in the past, adapting to the present and learning the skills from previous generations.
• Knowing we aren't perfect, and that we all have different strengths.
• Recognizing people are different and accepting that it is good to be different.
• Teaching children to be themselves and explaining that if we are all alike it is not a good thing.
• Becoming self reliant, learning gardening, cooking, needlework that will keep us calm, appreciate nature and become pioneers.
• Financial security by saving money to take care of ourselves.  
• Being physically strong by taking care of our health, eating a balance diet and water, getting involved in sports and being active.  
• Becoming strong emotionally by helping ourselves.  
• Helping those who are poor, less fortunate, sick, the animals and loving all living things.
• Recognitions by saying Thank you is more appreciated than financial compensation.  Contributing our time, thoughts, talent is helpful and valuable.

On January 1917 Borden Powell mentioned in his letter to Daisy agreeing, that the girls are mothers of the future who will influence our future generations.  

Shannon mentions the Whip it 2009 movie, which is about Girl Scouts and I am planning to watch it.

Everyone should know the Girl Scout's law; this is from Shannon's book:

I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and storing, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.

The book is available at Indigo chapters, amazon and bookstores.

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Eye Dig it™ and DeBug

We should all wear sunglasses while we are spending time outdoors. This eyewear from Dig it is a safety glass that protects our eyes from everyday UV rays.  

Eye dig it™ has high impact resistance lenses which meet the highest standard in the market. It doesn't slip and fits well while we play and work outdoors. The large lenses allow us to see without a problem. Eye dig it™ comes in two colours tortoise shell and black shades, which will go well with any attire :)  

The lenses are made with strong scratch resistant durable polycarbonate, which is an important feature especially when we use these as working glasses. These fashionable safety eye glasses can be worn anywhere i.e. gardening, driving, sports, wood working, constructions and DIY projects in the home.  It is not intended to replace safety glasses at hazardous construction sites.

It is easy to clean with mild soap and lukewarm water.  Like any other glasses it is breakable and if it has too many scratches that reduce vision we should replace it.

The  Eye dig it™ comes with an Oakley style soft microfiber storage bag, so we can clean our sunglasses when it is inside the pouch. Eye dig it™ can be purchased online and at these retailers.

DeBug is a deet free insect patch from Dig it, which will keep the mosquitos away from bugging us for 48 hours. DeBug insect repellent is all natural made with vitamin B thiamin. This is a solution for outdoors activities during the summer months and when travelling around the world :)

The carbon dioxide emitted from our bodies attracts mosquitos.  This DeBug patch neutralizes the odour and keeps the mosquitos away. DeBug is not greasy, water heat resistant, odourless, chemical free, quick and easy patch that circulates and is absorbed by our skin within 2 hours of using by transdermal processes.

The packs are sold in 2, 4 or 15 patches which are 2.25" x 2.25".  It cannot be cut and used because it will imbalance the effects. The patch can be used on children and adults. People with heavy body weight may need 2; it doesn't overdose because our bodies dispose excess vitamin B1.

The patch is effective on hairless skin and each time needs to be placed in a new area. The patch only works if it is exposed to air or skin. If you are allergic to adhesive tape or starch consult a doctor before using.  Although it doesn't interact (or not known to interact) with other medications or pregnancy please consult a doctor before using. 

I haven't used any type of insect repellent before, and have read about the dangers of Deet in other products that are not good for us.  DeBug is a deet free option to those who use insect repellents.     

Dig it products can be purchased online and in all these retailers.  I am enjoying Dig it products especially the dig it handwear and high five gloves.

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Bamboo charcoal natural deodorizer

Bamboo charcoal is a natural deodorizer from Ever Bamboo.  This eco-friendly deodorizer is made with rapidly growing moso bamboo.  The countless tiny holes in the bamboo charcoal make it a good deodorizer.  It works as a dehumidifier because the high density and porous structure of the moso bamboo absorbs excessive moisture, and during low humidity it releases moisture back into the atmosphere.


I think it has a similar concept like mothballs where we don't see the effect, but over time we know it makes a difference.  As a result of keeping this pouch of bamboo charcoal in the car, I don't smell or feel the stuffiness and odour in the car during hot summer days, so I believe it is working.  The toxic chemical substances and polluted air particles such as formaldehyde, ammonia and benzene are absorbed by it.  There is no smell from these bamboo charcoal like mothballs, which is good :)


Ever Bamboo has deodorizers for many areas in the home i.e. room, drawer, fridge & freezer, closet, shoes, hockey bags, car.  The bamboo charcoal comes in granules, different size pouches and sachets.  I have also placed it in rooms and closets.  

These antibacterial deodorizers keep linens and other belongings in the closets, cabinets and drawers fresh by deterring moths and preventing mold.  We can place it in shoes and bags to remove odour and moisture. 
   

They also have a fridge & freezer deodorizer, which is supposed to absorb food orders, ethylene gas so the fruits and vegetables stay fresh longer.

The face and body bar can be used for any type of skin.  It purifies, exfoliates, moisturizes, detoxifies and absorbs impurities.

According to the Ever bamboo site, when the bamboo charcoals are submersed in water it softens the water, absorbs harmful minerals i.e. chlorine and releases natural minerals i.e. calcium, sodium and magnesium into the water.  So it can be placed in the aquarium, use as filter for bath water and other uses except drinking water.  
The bamboo charcoal granules will look pretty with floral designs and home decors.  The granules absorb excessive moisture and releases moisture back into the soil when it is dry providing better aeration for plants and vegetables.

To maintain care for these deodorizers, simply place in direct sunlight for 2 to 3 hours per side monthly or weekly for optimal performance.  After about a year when you are done using it just remove the bamboo charcoal granules from the pouch and mix it with gardening soil to mineralize and regulate moisture.  
Bamboo charcoal is available online and in many retail stores.


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Gardening book and gloves

With the gardening season starting, it would be a good time to get ready with the right tools.  Having a guidebook is a good start before starting to garden and plan. 

The Canadian Gardener's Guide is a useful book for beginners and experts.  It has all the detailed information that we need to know about gardening. It covers topics such as maintenance, diseases, weeds, pests, pruning and caring during off-season. The 435 page handbook edited by Lorraine Johnson has all the details with colourful pictures. It is easy to follow and understand.   

Some of the topics that the book covers:

• Gardening basics for beginners i.e. tools, jargon.
• Shows how to select and garden plants, trees, vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers in appropriate zones.
• Expert guidance to plant care.
• Large areas and small areas i.e. information on styles, layouts, designs.  
• Step-by-step instructions on how to build fence, pathway, patio and other landscaping ideas.
• Detailed information about specific flowers such as roses, dahlias, clematis, sunflowers, tropical, perennials, fruit and trees.  
• About specific herbs, fruit trees and plants.

This book has been very useful for us.  It has kept us excited about planning the garden and getting things ready.  I have learned lot of tips from this book about gardening and DIY projects for the backyard. 

An important tool that we all need to have during gardening is a pair of good quality gloves.  This gauntlet style Dig it high five is an extended version of the original Dig it handwear glove.  It protects the fingers, palm and hand almost up to the elbow.  The cuffs that is extended by 5" is useful for robust work like landscaping, pruning, tending roses, berry picking etc.

I have used this pair of Dig it high five to prepare the garden and clean out the garage.  It felt very comfortable and flexible so I had it on for long periods of time.  The lightweight, breathable, pliable fabric was helpful with all the tasks that I needed to do, so there was no need to remove it each time.  It is easy to wash by hand and air-dry the gloves.  

The protective cushions inside the glove cared for my fingernails and tips.  The cuffs protected my hand from scrapes and bruises.  

Dig it high five is made from environmentally friendly recycled material.  Dig it high five comes in four different sizes S, M, L and XL.  This fabulous Dig it handwear and high five gloves are sold online and in stores in UK, USA and Canada i.e. home depot. 

Gardening has lots of benefits, so we should all try to learn about doing gardening correctly and benefit from these types of books.  After doing all the hard work I also want to feel good.  In the past years, as much as I love doing gardening I didn't like looking at the fingertips getting damaged even after wearing gloves.  I had to take extra care with all types of creams and lotions.  Ever since I have used the Dig it gloves I felt good and didn't have to worry about the fingernails.

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Green Living show 2012 experience

We learned about eco-friendly products and ways we can to be part of sustainable living at the Green Living Show, which will be held at the Direct Energy Centre CNE from April 13th till April 15th.

At the show, we got to know about free services such as getting rid of our garbage in an environmentally friendly way. For example, using TerraCycle. Once, we sign up and tell which type of the waste we like to get rid of, we can start collecting and then send it to TerraCycle using their free shipping UPS slip. The materials that are collected will be used to create new products. TerraCycle operates all over the world. Recycle your electronics is a service that helps us get rid of office and home electronic products. Orange drop can be used to safely dispose our hazardous waste free of charge. Household hazardous wastes should not be thrown in the garbage or down the drain. We can take it to municipal HHW depot collection event or take the paint and batteries to a retail drop-off location. Put your postal code on the side bar and search for the collection depots. 

There were other companies that offer eco-friendly options and ways we can make our home greener, for example using rain barrels, solar powered panels, roofing, green windows, water systems, and more. They had a variety of gardening products and tips. There were many products related to fashion, beauty and clothing which were made using natural organic material such as pure cotton and bamboo. The show had companies and business that taught about healthy living by adding yoga and exercise to our daily routine. The electronic cars on display looked really cool.

There were lots of things related to bio-diversity such as plants, seeds, flowers, planting with Rona and Rouge park and magazines that has tips on how we can be part of cultivating a green city.

We spent a lot of time at the Eco-zone which had lots of hand-on children friendly things to do. They had reptiles to touch. There were lots of playhouses and toys built with cardboard. Children mixed clay, soil and wildflower seeds and made seed balls to plant. I found out that there was corn-based glue from Elmer's. The ROM had organized a booth where we learned about some creatures found in the oceans in Canada.

We made cool fish using paper plates. The paper plate fish were made using...

paper plates

googly eyes

glue

markers

yarn to hang

Cut a triangle shape on one sides of the paper plate for the mouth. Staple this triangle piece on the opposite side, horizontally from where the cut was made for the tail.

Glue the googly eyes and decorate the fish. Punch a hole to hang the fish using yarn.

There were lots of organic and healthy food to taste. They had mushroom growing kits at the Organic Garage so we can try our hand at growing our own oyster mushrooms at home.

I was happy to see familiar products such as Green toys, Kicking horse coffee, Organic Meadow, Three Farmers Camelina oil, TIFF, Rough park, ROM, WWF, and RONA. 

Organic and eco-friendly products have so many benefits to all of us, however they aren't very accessible. My hope is that it would become wide spread so people would be able to purchase these regularly for a reasonable price. Although, paying the extra cash makes us reluctant to take a step towards eco-friendly options, at the Green Living Show we felt that the long term cost would be less and the impact on the environment would also be less when we use eco-friendly products.

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Planting with Pefferlaw Peat Products

Pefferlaw Peat product Inc. is a Canadian owned and operated company since 1954. Since 1999 the Prust family has acquired it. Pefferlaw products have OCPP logo because they are 100% organic certified.

The research done by University of Guelph growth trials for 14 weeks have proven Pefferlaw products such as organic hanging basket, planter mix, organic 3-way mix to have equal or surpassed the performance of the best-known national brands.

All Pefferlaw brand organic soils are safe, natural, and free of additives, clay and by products. The hanging basket planter mix is lighter than traditional soil mixes; it doesn't strain the hanging containers and retains moisture longer. They have used peat humus and spaghnum peat fibre. Their 3-way organic mix contains peat humus, peat fibre and composted barnyard manure, which has nutrients that improve aeration and increases water-holding capacity.

Here are some interesting statistics...

24% Canadians grow produce in their garden because of the economy

44% online survey respondents were health conscious, as they are concerned about eating produce from their garden grown in non-organic soil

32% Canadians (1 in 3) believe organic foods are more nutritious than non-organic foods

67% survey respondents said they would use certified organic soils in their garden

I also tried a small experiment planting these coriander seeds indoor using Pefferlaw soil. I found the rate of the plant growing was healthier and faster compared to the time I put seeds using regular garden soil.

Due to my experiment and proven data from University of Guelph's growth trials, I second the opinion of Peter Prust, the president of the company when he said that the exercise done by the University "... proves that it is possible to grow healthy, sustainable, bountiful plants without artificial additives..."

I think it is simple and affordable to plant safely at home and even those without any garden space can grow a small plant i.e. like this herb plant grown indoors by a windowsill.

Container gardening is totally for everyone even those without the 'green-thumb' and all those who are busy for gardening.

As a parent, I believe it teaches children a lot when we do a little bit of gardening i.e. just putting a few seeds into a pot and seeing it grow teaches these curious minds to question and learn many skills. So having soil that you know will work gives all of us confidence that we can do it.

Pefferlaw Peat Products Inc. has participated in successfully restoring a local bog that involved draining and replanting which has now become a habitat for migratory birds. This habitat is protected and has banned hunting on this bog site. Pefferlaw has also supported youth growing projects by hosting Brock 4H Junior achievement day for the past 2 years.

pictures of the bog

Pefferlaw currently has 10 products in their organic line such as top soil, black earth, 3-way mix, compost, cattle/sheep manure, hanging basket planter mix, premium potting mix, potting soil, and planting seeding mix.

If you are into landscape and gardening check out all the other fabulous products they have. These affordable products are sold at these retailers and garden centres in Ontario.

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Dig it handwear and planting parsley

Dig it handwear is a proper fit comfortable quality glove that can be worn throughout the year for many uses i.e. gardening, DIY projects, sweeping, cleaning, yard work, moving furniture, shovelling snow, washing the car etc...

Dig it handwear provides dexterity and comfort, as it fits perfectly allowing the hand and fingers to move flexibly to do the job. There won't be any reason to remove the gloves to do something because of discomfort. 

The gloves are durable because it has a double protective layer. The palms of these gloves are made with synthetic leather, dots are silicon, the back fabric and fingertips inside are 100% polyester. The gloves are made with breathable fabric, which will not sweat the hands. The nails don't have direct contact with the gloves because of the pillow top built inside the gloves, which protect nails from dirt and debris. It also has a snug wrist synch, which keeps the water and debris from entering the hand. To clean the gloves rinse or hand wash with mild soap and cold water then lay it flat to air dry.

The Dig it handwear is a handy useful glove to have and will also be appreciated as a gift for anyone, female or male. The gloves come in S, M, L and XL; here is a link to the size chart. The package is also eco-consciously made with recycled material.

Dig it products are sold in USA and Canada stores and online.

I planted some parsley seeds in the pots painted last summer...

You will need

soil

water

seeds

pots

Soak the seeds for 24 hours then plant the seeds 1/4" deep. Sprinkle some water and leave it in full sun by a warm windowsill or outside if the weather is warm (55 to 65 F). It will germinate in 18 to 24 days.

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Stained vase craft and Kinder® contest to win $500

The Family day long weekend and the March break is just around the corner. I am planning on spending some quality time during the day with the children making crafts and food. I am also looking forward to relax, stay close to home and visit local attractions like the Ontario Science Centre :)