Spring - Fun Things to Do

Spring is here... the sun is shining, the weather is warming up, the flowers are blooming and it's time for some Fun! This list of fun things to do has been compiled by Aussie Mums and Kids who love to have fun...

• Go Bike Riding - dust off your bikes, strap on your helmets and find the nearest bike track or safe place to go for a ride.
• Go for a Walk - even the youngest members of the family can join in on this one, pop them in the pram, it's great to get some fresh air and exercise.
• Go to the Park or local playground and play on the swings, the slides and in the sandpit, try out all the equipment.
• Fly a Kite - if it is a windy day try flying a kite with the kids, they will love to watch it soar above the trees and have a chance to hold the string.
• Go on a Picnic - food always tastes better when eaten outside, let them help you pack lots of yummy healthy food into the picnic basket.
• Play with Playdough - outside, this is my favourite place for kids to play with playdough.
• Blow Bubbles - try different shaped blowers for fun shapes, let the kids have a turn blowing and trying to catch them.
• Have a special morning tea or afternoon tea outside in the sun, let the kids help prepare the food and a special place to eat it.
• Do a Chalk Drawing on the pavement, get the kids to lie down and then trace around them, they can draw in eyes, mouth, clothes etc.
• Paint the fence - young kids love this one, get a small bucket and fill with water then let the kids paint with large paintbrushes, the fence, the house the pavement.
• Plant a garden - make a special garden patch for the kids with flowers or vegetables, let them plant them, water them and watch them grow...
• Water play - fill a large container with water and toys let the kids work out which ones will float and which sink, watering cans, toy boats are all good fun.
• Play Ball - bounce it, kick it, catch it, throw it, try and throw goals into a bucket, you can move it further away as they get better.
• Finger Paint - put some large pieces of paper on the ground or on the fence and let them paint away.
• Feed the Ducks - do you have a lake or river near you? Take the kids for a walk and feed the ducks, show them how to throw the bread out into the water. Most of all, whatever you Do - Have Fun! Adopted from EzineArticles.com

How to Grow Grass From Seed?

If your lawn is beginning to look a little uneven, or is beginning to show bare patches, it's time you got serious and replanted the grass. You may think that seeding a lawn is only for those who wish to redo the entire lawn, but you can easily repair patches in your lawn by scattering a little grass seed to cover the area, and providing a little care.

Purchase quality grass seed. Resist the urge to buy the cheapest seeds, as this may be inferior. Look for disease resistance and drought tolerance. High quality seed also produces the richest and greenest grass.

Loosen the top ¼ inch of soil on any bare patches you find on your lawn. Be sure any existing grass has been cut short. Smooth areas level, and remove any rocks or other debris.

Spread seed by hand for small areas. You will need approximately 16 grass seeds per inch of lawn.

Cover the seeds with ¼ inch of soil. You can do this with your hands or with a lawn rake. Add starter fertilizer found in the hardware store. Follow the directions for application.

Water to moisten the seeds. Spray daily to keep the seeds evenly moist. Once grass appears, water to keep the roots from drying out. Once established, decrease watering gradually. Adopted from http://www.ehow.com/

Poor Sick Boy

Marty, a little boy, was in church one Easter Sunday with his mother Dana, when he started feeling sick.

'Mummy,' he inquired, 'can we leave now?'
'No,' his mother replied, 'the service isn't over yet.'

'Well, I think I'm about to throw up.' Marty announced.
'Then go out of the front door and around to the back of the church and throw up behind a bush.' said Dana.

After about sixty seconds, Marty returned to his pew, alongside his mother.

'Did you throw up?' Marty's Mum asked quietly.
'Yes,' Marty answered, embarrassed.

'How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?' Dana demanded.

'I didn't have to go out of the church, Mummy. They have a box next to the front door that says, "For the Sick".'

Recipe Of The Month! - Ginger Chili Citrus Salmon

Ingredients

• 4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons bottled lime juice
• 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place salmon in a single layer in a large baking dish.
2. Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, honey, lime juice, lemon juice, orange zest, garlic, white sugar, ground ginger, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Pour over salmon. Marinate, refrigerated, for 1 to 3 hours.
4. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grate.
5. Remove fish from marinade. Discard used marinade. Place on preheated grill.
6. Cook just until it flakes easily with a fork, about 5 minutes per side.Adopted From http://allrecipes.com

Spring Maintenance Tips

It's spring, which means flowers, rain, baseball, gardening, desperate attempts to get in shape before swimsuit season...

Spring also means it's time for home maintenance after a winter of neglect. Don't feel too bad about it--you're not the only one to hibernate from maintenance during the winter. Following are some simple tips to keep your home operating in tip-top condition.

Inside: Try out your air conditioning system. If you wait until the first hot day to check your AC and it doesn't work, you will have a long, hot wait before the repair people can get to it. They'll be overworked and cranky by the time they get to your home; you'll be cranky because you're so darn hot.

Remember to inspect/replace your HVAC filter monthly.

Check and clean the clothes dryer vent and stove hood.

If you have a coil-back refrigerator--you probably do--vacuum the coils at least twice each year. Your refrigerator will run much more efficiently with clean coils.

Clean everything, top to bottom! Use non-toxic soaps for better indoor air quality.

Outside - Up High: Inspect the roof for damaged, loose or blistered shingles. Have

damaged shingles replaced if they're on less than 20% of the roof. Reroof if damaged

shingles cover more than 20% of the roof.

Examine flashing around chimneys, vents, and roof edges.

Remove debris from gutters and downspouts and patch any holes. Make sure the

downspouts direct water at least 5 feet away from your foundation walls.

Examine fascia or soffit boards. Replace if they are soft or rotting because they may allow rain into your attic. If you live in a hurricane-prone region, extend the fascia so it terminates below the underside of the soffit.

Trim branches and shrubs that are touching your home which can provide a pathway for bugs or excess moisture to enter your home.

Remove dead branches that may fall on your home. Snap!

Outside - Down Low: Clean up fallen limbs, branches and other debris around the home to discourage the proliferation of wood-eating insects. Clean out basement window wells.

Inspect/replace caulk on windows, doors, and other penetrations, such as dryer vents and cable wire holes. Inspect the condition of the caulking where two different materials meet, for example where wood siding joins the foundation's wall or at inside corners. Improper caulking provides an avenue for moisture to get inside your walls and cause mold.

Check the condition of the exterior surfaces. Touch up any areas that need paint before they deteriorate further. Inspect bricks and concrete blocks for cracked mortar or loose joints.

Inspect grading around the house to be sure water drains away from the foundation on all sides. If water pools near the house, you could be in for a very wet basement and difficult spring removing water and even mold from the basement.

Make sure that your lawn sprinkler heads do not spray the walls of the house.

Check your inside and outside foundation walls and piers for termite tubes and damaged wood.

Once you've finished, sit back, relax, and feel proud of the great work you've done over a refreshing glass of ice tea.

Vitamins For The Mind! - A Powerful Lesson in Problem-Solving

“A problem cannot be solved with the same consciousness that created it.” – Albert Einstein

Most of the problems that we have today, we probably had — in a different degree–last week, last year or ten years ago. Einstein said it best: stop trying to figure out how to solve your own problems… it ain’t working!

Any successful person has a team of people around him or her: consultants, employees, coaches, friends, family, psychologists, doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc. It is a rarity to find a wildly successful (and generally happy) person alone. Any time that we find ourselves in a [small or large] heap of a mess: in work, in our homes, with our friends… it is an opportunity to find a solution.

Finding a solution means we must be ready for a better experience. Then we have to become willing to ask for help. The ego will not want us to do that… but anyone with an unwavering commitment to success must be willing to admit when he or she is wrong and seek counsel from a third party who can provide feedback.

Today, if you are experiencing a situation that is beyond your mental comprehension… go out on a limb and pull someone on board to help you come up with a logical solution. You deserve peace of mind, success and happiness. Don’t settle for anything less than that. You will be in good company. Adopted From www.getmotivation.com

Get 10 Free Trees!

The National Arbor Foundation has a neat freebie—well almost freebie that you might not be aware of. Did you know that if you become a member of their organization they will send you 10 free trees! The cost of a 6 month membership is only $10 (which is tax deductible)! (One year is $15).Not only will you get 10 small (6” to 12”) trees that grow in your area of the country, but you also get to choose which types of trees you want.

With This Membership You Will Receive Free:

Tree Discounts: 33–56 percent discount on over 100 trees and shrubs. Their selection includes shade, flowering, ornamental, fruit trees, evergreens and more.

Arbor Day Subscription: Free subscription to their colorful bimonthly newsletter.

The Tree Book: The Tree Book is a filled with useful guidance about planting and caring for trees.

Six Month or One Year Membership: Important Foundation programs are sustained by nearly a million members nationwide. You’ll become part of the Foundation. If you do not need or want any more trees in your yard you can have your trees sent to someone else or planted in a forest in need of trees. Adopted from www.arborday.org

Spring Pet Tips

Thankfully, those of us who live in snow-prone areas are seeing the sun again! Thank the Lord! Here are some Spring Pet Tips to start you off in this lovely season: Make sure your pets are protected with flea, tick and heartworm treatments & are up-to-date on vaccinations. Keep a file with your pet’s medical information and keep track of necessary follow-up shots and appointments.

Just like us, our pets have allergies too! If you notice obvious signs of allergies like swollen eyes, frequent scratching, fur/skin conditions or sneezing, you may want to take your pet to the vet to explore those allergy symptoms.

The outdoors is not the only thing pets get a fever for in the Spring, Springtime is mating season! Make sure your pet is spayed or neutered so that they do not contribute to the overwhelming pet overpopulation problem we have in this country. Springtime means spring showers and sprinklers, which can leave puddles of standing water. Try not to let your dog drink out of puddles, as standing water can be filled with bacteria leading to gastrointestinal upset or ailments. Is your dog eating grass? Unless it’s been treated with fertilizer or pesticide, don’t worry. It could mean he has a bellyache, or it could just be his natural instinct to aid his digestion. Adopted from www.thoughtsfurpaws.com

5 Easy Ways To Save Money

• Go grocery shopping while you are in a hurry: Maybe you need to go out in a couple of hours. Or your favorite show is going to be on TV after a couple of hours. Try to squeeze in the grocery trip in that intermediate time. Armed with your grocery list, you should be in-and-out very quickly with little time for meandering and getting tempted to buy things you don’t need.

• Bottle your own water: Drinking water is good for your health. Bottled water is the most convenient to have available since it can provide protection against accidental spills. That said, buy bottled water only once in a while, and then reuse that bottle to fill your own water. If you are not happy with tap water, invest in a Brita Filter – in the long run it can save a lot of money.
• Regulate your electric use: When not in use, unplug electric appliances. Apparently, unplugging the TV instead of just switching it off can save a lot of electricity! When not in a room, switch off the lights and the fan. Use a programmable thermostat to control your A/C and heater usage. If that's too much, at least know what each appliance uses and unplug a few of them.
• Avoid the vending machines: Almost everything that is dispensed via vending machines has a huge markup (and is rarely healthy). However, if you suffer from snack attacks at work, consider creating a secret stash of snacks. If you like drinking soda and have a fridge at the workplace, save a refrigerator pack in the fridge with a post-it with your name on it. If you have a long commute, consider a stash for the car as well and avoid a quick drive-thru visit.
• Finally, keep distance from lavish, high-roller friends: If you have lavish friends who buy a new car every other year (or worse still, lease it), have large screen TVs and every other conceivable electronics gadget, eat out at fancy restaurants every other night and just live way beyond their means, keep the distance. They may be nice people and mean you no harm, but hanging out with such people often can lead to a lot of unnecessary desires and discontent. What’s more important – your friends or your peace of mind? Adopted from Grad Money Matters.