Almost nothing is as rewarding as spending an afternoon outside, working on the family garden. Gardening as a family is a wonderful way to bond and to teach your children about their environment. Even if you don’t think that you have time to garden with your family, there are many things that you can in fact do to make certain that your garden is always in bloom. Here are some low maintenance gardening ideas for the busy family.

Create a Raised Garden Bed

Need an easy way to teach your kids about gardening? A raised garden bed is an easy way to establish a no-fuss, no-muss garden. Choose a space in your garden, patio, deck, yard or whatever space you have available, and restrict your family garden to this one raised garden bed. Make sure to plant hardy perennials that will not require constant care and attention. Keep a watering can by your raised garden so that you or your children can water the bed at a moment’s notice.

Plant Your Own Windowsill Herb Garden

Want an easy way to teach your kids some gardening basics? A windowsill herb garden is a fun and simple way to learn about the basic growth pattern of plants, and to reap the rewards of your work. Moreover, a windowsill herb garden does not take up a lot of space, nor do you need a lot of time and money to establish a healthy, thriving herb garden. Moreover, you can even enjoy the results together by using your herb gardens in a family mean.

Start Your Own Family Cactus Garden

Here is a fun and creative way to garden together as a family without having to spend a whole lot of time or money. Start a family cactus garden that adds color and texture to your garden, without taking a lot of your time. Start by picking out pots that you and your kids can paint. Let your children express their creativity by using different paint colors and craft supplies to decorate their own pot. Then it’s off to the nursery to pick out cacti. Each member of your family should choose cacti that fit into your pot. Use a soil specially prepared for cacti and help your children pick out cacti. Cacti come in a variety of shape, sizes and colors. When it comes to planting cacti, make certain that you wear thick gloves and handle the plants with care so that you do not get pricked. Cacti do not need daily maintenance, and can create an earthy and fun environment for your children and family to enjoy. Try to choose blooming cacti so you and your family can plan to enjoy seasonal blooms.

Plant a Family Tree

Want a project that the whole family can do together? Why not plant a family tree? You don’t have to wait until Arbor Day to plant a tree. Take a trip to the nursery together and pick out a tree that is suited for your area. Consult with a nursery attendant if you are not sure what kind of tree you should be planting. Let your kid’s help you choose the perfect location and dig the hole. Planting a tree together is a wonderful experience that the whole family will remember for years to come. Set up a periodical watering schedule that works for the whole family. Although it takes a bit of pre-planning, once the tree is planted, this garden project will not take up a lot of your family’s time. With luck, this low maintenance garden project will be enjoyed by future generations of garden-lovers.

When you are on a diet it can be hard to stick to your goals and shed your body of excess weight. The good news however, is that there are numerous thing you can do to help keep yourself on task. Make sure to reward yourself when you stay with your weight loss regimen. Rewards are a wonderful way to make yourself feel happy and good about the new lifestyle you are leading.

Some people find it useful to set short term goals such as promising themselves that they will lose a certain amount of weight in a set amount of time. The important thing is to make sure that you do not set goals that are out of reach.

You should view the fact that you even reach a goal as something worth rewarding yourself for. People of all ages respond well to rewards and being an adult on a diet is not an exception to this rule.

Rewards are a wonderful way to motivate you to keep going and working towards a healthy life. As you reward yourself you are far more apt to want to keep working so that you can receive the next reward that you have set for yourself.

Rewards work in so many different areas of a person’s life that it makes perfect sense to think that a reward system is a good way to keep you on the right diet track.

Rewards are designed to make you feel happy about something that you have reached. It makes you feel better about yourself and the effort that you have put in. A reward tells you that you have worked hard and deserve to be treated.

There are so many different ways that you can reward yourself for doing well on your diet, however, it is wise to choose a reward that is not food related. If you really do want to treat yourself with a dinner out or something along those lines, just make certain that you pick only healthy foods.

Rewarding yourself with sweets is not a good idea as it will just create a problem in allowing you to stick with your diet. You could opt to make your reward something such as new clothes or a day of pampering at a spa. Anything that allows you to feel good about yourself is a good idea as a reward.

If you choose clothes as your reward, it is a nice way to watch your wardrobe grow with clothes that are very flattering to your new body shape.

Rewarding yourself with other things that will improve your appearance such as a new hair cut or color will go so far in making you want to continue working out and getting in shape. Men who diet but are not interested in such things as cosmetics can always purchase something that they like for their rewards such as a new tool.

Couples who are working on a diet routine with one another could create a special weekend away as a reward for keeping consistent with their diet. Always keep in mind when choosing your reward that it should be something that you really like or want. An item that is special is seen as far more of a reward than something that is necessary or that you would have bought for yourself anyway.

A great idea is to browse around ahead of time and find things that strike your fancy that you can use as rewards for yourself in the future so that you have some wonderful treats to work towards.

This is an easy garden project that can lend your yard with charm and the soothing sound of water. A strawberry pot foundation is a wonderful way to liven up an otherwise drab patio garden area. Many long-time gardeners swear by the idea that a garden is simply not complete with some kind of water fixture to imbue your garden with a sense of peace and serenity. A strawberry pot fountain, besides providing your garden patio with the soothing sounds of trickling water, also doubles as a lovely birdbath.

Why a Strawberry Pot Fountain?

If you are trying to choose a weekend garden project, why should you opt for a strawberry pot fountain? Why not simply head out to your local nursery and purchase a readymade fountain? There is an undeniable sense of accomplishment in creating your very own water garden fountain. One of the reasons that the strawberry pot fountain has become so popular is that it adds life and motion to an otherwise dull garden. The steady trickling sound of water has been described as soothing and very melodious. With a quiet trickle, you don’t have to worry about splashing or damage to a wooden deck, as you would with more powerful fountains.

The Basic Design of the Strawberry Pot Fountain Garden

The basic design of the strawberry pot fountain garden is simple enough. Use a low terra-cotta bowl to form the base of the fountain. This base will be catching the falling water of the fountain. Use a terra cotta azalea pot that is wider than it is taller. You will invert the terra cotta azalea at the bottom of the bowl, and this will support the strawberry pot. This section will also hide the re-circulating pump. The water is pumped through clear tubing that is contained inside of the strawberry pump. Water will flow through the clear tubing and then pumped through the clear tubing inside of the strawberry pot. The water will gurgle out the top and into a saucer, which will then trickle down lightly over the rim of the saucer and into the low bowl.

The Practicalities of Building a Strawberry Fountain Pot

Here are some of the practicalities of building your very own strawberry fountain pot. This time estimate for completing this project is about four hours, but you will also need to let the fountain pot dry for at least two days. The cost of making a strawberry fountain pot is roughly $225. As for tools, you should have handy a paintbrush, a bucket, a sharp pair of shears, a round file and various-sized masonry and drill bits. The basic parts of a strawberry pot fountain are a tapered terra cotta bowl that is about 24 inches wide and 8 inches deep, a terra cotta strawberry pot that is 14 inches wide and about 13 inches in height, a terra cotta azalea pot that is 10 inches wide and 7 inches deep, a terra cotta saucer that is 9 inches wide so that it can sit comfortably on top of your strawberry pot, a plastic saucer, a pump with a flow that is adjustable to two feet, a bag of river rock, clear vinyl tubing, a brass pipe thread adapter, a female brass bell reducer, a brass close nipple, terra cotta vinyl sealer, a waterproof adhesive, silicone sealer and roughly six one-gallon water plants.

Basic Steps for Putting Together Your Strawberry Pot Fountain

Begin by sealing the terra cotta pots, allowing them to dry for at least 24 hours. Drill holes and file down the silt, and then install the brass fittings. Install the saucers and apply some waterproof adhesive to the bottom edge of the plastic saucer. Once you have put together the brass fittings, it is time to assemble all the pieces of your fountain, add the plants and the water.

A popular radio talk show host often gets calls from people who say they have “tried every diet and still can’t lose weight.” She has a simple answer for these callers, “Eat less, move more.” Sometimes, unconsciously, we circumvent good old fashioned common sense while we’re looking for answers that are much more complicated. It works. Eat less, move more and you will lose weight. In fact, that is how you lose weight; when your body burns more calories than it takes in, you lose weight. It really isn’t complicated at all.

Of course, many of us have built in excuses when it comes to exercise. We either don’t have time to exercise or we absolutely hate to exercise so we just don’t do it at all. Keep in mind though, that the whole idea behind weight loss is to get healthier. Sure, you’ll have a more attractive body, but the real pay-off comes when you live longer, have more stamina, and can enjoy your life more. Exercise is a part of that solution. Just look at some of the benefits you’ll realize when you start to exercise:

More energy - Who couldn’t use more energy to get through the day? Your body was made to move. Exercising will get your heart pumping and all your body systems working more efficiently. Exercise also increases blood flow and circulation, which will help you concentrate and stay alert and focused throughout the day.

Stress relief - For most people, stress is a constant part of life. Stress can cause serious health problems ranging from fatigue and depression to muscle pain and even a higher risk of having a heart attack or a stroke. Regular exercise is a wonderful way to manage stress and help you relax.

Better overall health - Exercise will increase your stamina and flexibility and will make it easier for you to get around. Older people who stay active are far more likely to be able to live without assistance than people who don’t exercise. Studies have also shown that people who exercise regularly are less likely to have depression and anxiety and also have a lower risk of some types of cancer and heart disease.

Better sleep - Having trouble getting a good night’s sleep? Experts recommend regular exercise a few hours before bedtime to help you get the best night’s sleep possible. Exercise is the key to regulating your body’s systems so that you can sleep easily and wake up refreshed and ready to face the day. Any way, you can learn more about how to incorporate exercise into a common sense weight loss plan from these articles and our publication linked to within these pages.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at some ways you can incorporate exercise into your present lifestyle. Did I say “Tomorrow” again? Let’s see whether this time I’ll keep my promise and get back to you on this then