Gardening Tips for Beginners- Using Planters

I was an avid gardener from when I was a small girl working alongside my mom in the garden.  I remember when my first was about 8 months old, I kept him so active for the morning hoping he’d sleep for at least an hour so I could find some peace in the garden and he woke up after 20 minutes! Really buddy, give your mom a break! Three children later, I’ve honed some tips to share with you to make your outdoor living space easy and look great!

 gardening tips- planters

 

My number one tip when time is at a premium and you still want a lovely outdoor space, planters are a mom’s best friend. You can make a deck and garden come alive with a burst of colour by using a few annuals in a container that can bring an unexciting space to life.  Planters can reflect your style and personality. Mix and match container styles, sizes and colours for that eclectic bohemian look,  a Mexican villa comes to mind. Or have the same style of planter in the same colour to have a consistent, minimalist look like a New York restaurant terrace.  If grouping containers, raise one behind another to have a tiered affect. The key to keeping planters looking nice through the season is water everyday but don’t overwater and make sure the container has drainage!

 

When creating a planter or container, remember to;

 

1.  Use light mix potting soil that retains moisture – specifically designed for containers. 

 

2.  Plant closely together so the soil doesn’t show. 

 

3.  Add a variety of plants that include green foliage plants. This will add contrast to the flowers and colours that bloom.   You can start with a tall spiky plant that will add height to the planter in the middle and then work around from there. Some plants I found easy to work with and have constant bloom are chrysanthemums, petunias, begonias and trailing impatiens grow abundantly and spread nicely.

 

4.  Deadhead the flowers throughout the season and your container will flourish.

 

With a few containers, some candles or lanterns placed where little hands can’t reach, you can create a comfortable, enjoyable ambiance perfect for entertaining or simply a respite from the daily demands of your hectic pace of life!

          

Photo Courtesy of Simply Beautiful (Ball Horticultural Company) and www.potluckcreativecontainers.com.

 

Guest Post by Claudia Harvey, Co-Founder of Dig It Apparel Inc.  As seen on CBC’s Dragons’ Den www.digithandwear.com

Posted by momstown guest on 05/14/2013 - 13:27
Labels:
ShareThis share this post

Mom's Taxi Service Coverage

driving IBC

As the spring/ summer activities for my kids start, I’m feeling like a taxi driver more than ever. Everyone is in a hurry and not everyone is driving in the most courteous manner (road rage anyone? Or kids crying in the backseat?).  Thank goodness that it is the law that all drivers must have insurance!


Lately, I’ve been thinking about my insurance premiums because it is renewal time for me. What do I get for my money? How does my insurance company figure out the cost of my premium? Would I be better served by a government run insurance industry? So, I researched the answers at http://getintheknow.ibc.ca


With a privately run insurance industry I get to choose an insurance plan that fits my family from a number of competitive offers. For instance, I can have a deductible that makes sense for me and discounts for multiple vehicles and for customer loyalty. Also, I can seek suitable compensation for unforeseen circumstances such as the loss of future wages due to an accident caused by someone’s careless driving. I can determine how my family is protected. 


My premium dollars are covering the true cost of insuring my family.  Rates are approved by the provincial government based upon accident frequency. In fact, the insurance industry already functions within the rules and regulations set by the provincial and federal regulators. I get the benefit of healthy competition in the industry with the assurance that there are checks and balances provided by government. Sounds good to me and…I’m covered!

 

IBC

Although this post has generously been sponsored by Insurance Bureau of Canada, the opinions and language are all my own, and in no way do they reflect Insurance Bureau of Canada.

Posted by Publisher on 05/14/2013 - 11:15
Labels:
ShareThis share this post

Mother's Day After the Loss of a Child

mother's day after the loss of a child

 

Being a mother is the hardest job in the world. 

 

Being a mother to a son that you have lost is heartbreaking and yet I find myself struggling with this each day, especially at Mother's Day. 

 

I struggle with being a mother to my two boys, while in my heart, I have three sons.  There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of Zack and the impact that he had on our family and on who I am as a mother.  There are several moments in the day when I literally stop and imagine how life would be, had he not died two years ago.

 

Sometimes it’s in the simplest part of the day, like packing only two lunches for school or walking into the bedroom that used to be his and seeing only one of my twins waking up in the morning.

 

Sometimes it’s having only four of us at the dinner table or driving in a car without his car seat in the seat behind me.

 

Sometimes it’s when I cuddle with Jayden and imagine that I have Zack’s arms around me or when I see our Elmo doll collection and I imagine the smile that they used to bring my sweet boy’s face.

 

Sometimes it’s when I’m asked how many children I have and I feel torn about what my answer will be this time and how much I feel like sharing.

 

Sometimes it’s when the kids are all playing on the street and I miss chasing my little devil as he rode his red car down the sidewalk, giggling all the way.

 

Sometimes it’s when I see the face of another child with special needs or hear about their little victories.  I remember how precious those daily miracles were with Zack, and I yearn to feel that joy again.

 

Sometimes it’s in the quiet moments when I can look through old photos and videos and see his face or hear his laugh again, while I look for signs that he is still with me.

 

The difficult part is that you can never undo being a mom to your child.  It is not only what we do, but who we are. 

 

I am STILL his mother.  I always will be.  For the rest of my life, as I become a mother to two teenage boys, watch them graduate, get married and even start their own families, I will also forever be the mother of a 3 year old little boy, who remains in my heart.

 

mother's day

Heather, Ty, Jayden and Zackie's mommy xo

 


I was honoured to have been nominated for the Walmart Mom of the Year in 2012.  Nominate a Mom who inspires you, for this year's Mom of the Year from Walmart Canada.

 

Posted by Heather Hamilto... on 05/06/2013 - 15:05
Labels:
ShareThis share this post

Movies All About Mom

Movie night is aways a hit in my family- whether it's the four of us or even just my hubby and me!  Our family likes to snuggle on the couch or in our bed that's getting far too small for us all and enjoy our favourite movies that may make us laugh or even cry together!  

 

Mother's Day is about more than homemade crafts (althought momstown has the best) or even about gifts (although we have great ideas for under $25), but about spending time with your kids and appreciating each other.

 

best movies for mom

 

Grab your popcorn and watch these family and mom-themed titles; 

 

·         Stepmom

·         Erin Brockovich

·         Monster-In-Law

·         Georgie Rule

·         Baby Mama

·         Motherhood

·         Mother’s Day

·         Little Women

·         Soccer Mom

·         Mr. Mom

·         Chocolat

·         Riding in Cars with Boys

·         Beautiful Lies

·         Peace, Love & Misunderstanding

 

Which is your favourite "mom" movie?  

 

All films listed above are available on Netflix (also makes a great gift for mom!).

 

Posted by Heather Hamilto... on 05/03/2013 - 11:23
Labels:
ShareThis share this post

Staying power - how to stay motivated as an entrepreneur when the novelty wears off

It is not uncommon today for a woman to decide to stay at home with her kids and start her own business.  It is also not uncommon for woman to open a store-front business and manage it herself.  We do this because we want something that is flexible to our life.  We want to call the shots, I saw this quote on Facebook today and it really made me think: what keeps us so committed?

 

"An entrepreneur is a self-employed person working 16 hours a day to avoid working 8 hours a day for someone else." – Anonymous



So that might in some ways explain why we branch out into entrepreneurship.  We did not want to continue to have someone else call the shots.  What you’re unprepared for is how HARD it is.

Being an entrepreneur is HARD!

entrepreneur mantra
I know you’re thinking - you know that.  Isn’t it a given that you should expect it to be hard?  Well maybe you think you understand how hard it is but then once you get into the trenches you quickly realize you had no idea how hard this would actually be.  That idea of how this would be so flexible and give you total control just isn’t there.  Now you are working double time and still trying to fit in the personal time you wanted.  Now you are desperately trying to please a whole new set of people.  Your clients!

So why stay?  Wouldn’t it be easier just to pack it in and go back to that regular paycheck?

No!

Why?  Because you likely love what you do! (If you don’t perhaps reconsider the regular paycheck.)  You have a passion for your business because you chose it based on what you wanted to do.  Likely you love your clients and really enjoy serving them and providing them with something they need.

So once the honeymoon period wears off in your business make sure you keep that love and passion for what you are doing.

  • Find a community that you can connect with around the business so they can be your cheerleaders and always remember that original vision.  You will achieve success, just remember it is going to be hard and will take time.  This might be a group of entrepreneurs; this might be fellow licensees or franchisees of the same business or maybe even a business coach or team of coaches.

 

  • Continue to update your business plan to see how far you have come.  This will keep you on the right path and also adapt it to head in new directions when needed.  That will keep things new and exciting!

 

  • Set aside that personal time, this is often the hardest to do.  Those e-mails will wait and when you return to them later you will be happier to be back at it because you took that break.  Building a business is like raising a baby.  Remember to take a step back every now and then to see how far you have come.  Taking a look at how your business is developing is easier to do if you step back to see the whole picture.


I hope you have fun with your business and are able to hold onto the passion that brought you into it!  Good luck!

 

Guest post by Leanne Ballard, entrepreneur and owner of momstown Guelph. Leanne was recognized as one of the top 40 under 40 in her communty.

Posted by momstown mompreneur on 05/03/2013 - 09:34
Labels:
ShareThis share this post

I'm a supporter of McHappy Day®

I know what it's like to have a child in the hospital for a long period of time.
 

I know what it's like to be away from family and friends while you spend days with your sick child within the 4 walls of the hospital room.

 

I know the impact on your marriage, your other children and every aspect of your family life.

 

I also know what it's like to rise above those challenges and be inspired by the amazing miracles around you.

 

When Zack was born and we were aware of his urgent medical needs, we spent the night at our local hospital begging for a room in Toronto- our other options were London, Hamilton or Montreal! Had we needed to travel beyond our own city, we would have needed to have the support of a place like the Ronald McDonald House and that idea terrified me that night, beyond the panic of having a child who was fighting for his life.  How could our other kids handle being uprooted?  How could my husband's job understand that we had to relocate for our son?  Thank goodness we never had to worry about uprooting our family to care for our little fighter. I can't imagine how this could have made an already horrible situation even more heartbreaking for the entire family.  But so many families are in this situation every day.

 

McHappy Day

 

I was fortunate to meet the amazing mommy of one of Zack's first roommates, Ben.  She was from Guelph and had to stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Toronto while Ben received several operations for his heart defects.  He was hospitalized for much of his first year and Michelle left her home and her husband to stay close to Ben in Toronto.  She stayed by Ben's side from morning to night and we would sit our rocking chairs together and talk while our boys slept.  When she needed a little break, she'd walk back her small but comfortable room at RMH down the street (at the original location) and have a shower or rest.  The nurses would page her when Ben woke up, so that his Mommy was always there when he opened his eyes.  I remember talking to her about the difficulties of leaving home, her job and family and how appreciative she was to have been accepted into the RMH.  She also felt less isolated by being surrounded by other parents who were going through exactly the same thing.  She made so many friendships during that time and I'm so glad I'm one of them. 

 

In the years since Zack's earliest hospital stay, I have met many inspiring families like my friends Kayla and Sawyer who regularly stay at the new Ronald McDonald House in Toronto or Lisa and Wyatt who stayed during most of Wyatt's short life.  I've even had the opportunity to tour the facilities and see that not only does this incredible place exude love and kindness, the new facility has evolved to a really beautiful building that offers respite and privacy during a crazy and scary time in a parent's life.  I was especially impressed with the school within the grounds, where siblings can carry on their studies when they are there supporting their sick brothers or sisters.

 

Ronald McDonald House

 

This year, as always, our family will be having dinner at McDonald's and supporting McHappy Day for Zack, Sawyer, Wyatt, Ben and so many other kids and their families who depend on Ronald McDonald House Charities.

 

May 8th the 20th McHappy Day® will take place. McHappy Day raises funds for children’s charities across the country such as Ronald McDonald Houses. McDonald’s® Canada community involvement efforts are yearlong. Since 2004, the company has raised more than $36 million for Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC) Canada by donating 10 cents from the sale of every Happy Meal. McDonald’s Canada covers all of RMHC’s administrative and operating costs, making it possible for 100 per cent of every directly donated dollar to go to Ronald McDonald Houses and their programs.

RMHC Canada is the national organization that supports Ronald McDonald Houses and Ronald McDonald Family Rooms across the country, which provides families of sick children a home-away-from-home or a place of peace and calm within a hospital.

Ronald McDonald Houses help give sick children what they need most – their families.

In the time it takes to grab a coffee or eat a meal, you could make a big difference in a child’s life.  $1 from every Big Mac®, Happy Meal®, and hot McCafé® beverage you buy will be donated to Ronald McDonald Houses and other local children’s charities across Canada. 

 

Watch this video to see how your support REALLY makes a difference.

Posted by Heather Hamilto... on 05/02/2013 - 21:58
Labels:
ShareThis share this post
« first‹ previous123456789…next ›last »
Related Posts with Thumbnails