The Garden of Eatin'

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was planning on starting a garden this year using raised beds. I've been very fortunate to have had a lot of the materials donated including a very nifty compost barrel and I've got several really nice beds going. One of the best ways to provide Mama with a low-sodium diet is to use lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Our local Farmer's Market is great but they say there's nothing like putting food on the table that you've grown yourself.

My father used to grow some great vegetable gardens out in the back yard but I've never given it a try. Up until now I've stuck to flower beds so I'm trying lots of different vegetables to see what works and what doesn't. We've had some really good rain days here in NE Florida and most of my seedlings I've started seem to be very happy in their beds, taking root and growing tall. It's really kind of exciting and fun. I'll post some pictures as the various plants become recognizable food.

New! And Improved!

Lots of interesting happenings going on in Feedin' Mama-ville. Here is the next FM commercial - that makes 2 - so it's a series!

I've also been invited to join Wellsphere as a health blogger. I'm still figuring out what all that entails but you can click on the badge over there on the sidebar to check it out. Apparently, my blog posts will be automatically uploaded to the Wellsphere-sphere and they're supposed to feature me somewhere at some point. Stay tuned.

Expanding my talents for the betterment of society!

I have just added movie making to my ever-expanding list of talents! Thanks to James Lileks for the link to a new site that lets you create your own movies - he makes his using his Twitter comments and they're just a hoot, he calls it "Re-Tweet Theater." I never miss a daily visit to the Bleat and other links on Lileks.com, it is a basic necessity to meet my happiness quotient.

Anyhow, I made a "commercial" for Feedinmama.com starring myself and my always-supportive friend Candy B. (She's tickled that she has Michelle Obama "guns" and the sleeveless thing going on). Check it out and if you don't mind rating it that would be great. Unless you don't care for it, then nevermind. And if you know (or have a teenager or something who knows) how I can get it up on You Tube please let me know. The uplink on the movie site itself isn't working for me and I can't figure out another way to do it.

And as always, a visit to Feedin' Mama site is always very much appreciated. Things are really starting to get cooking over there and we're excited about that. Your support of Feedin' Mama through your site visits, comments and sharing the site with your friends is what helps get great information and encouragement out there to the folks who need it.

This is Your Brain on Aerobics

There's so much about aging that just isn't any fun at all. That's why it's even sweeter when you find something that is fun and good for you too. We're hearing more and more how playing games helps to keep minds and bodies in good shape so how great is that? The Wii game system is apparently the hottest thing going in senior centers and assisted living facilities. We had some physical therapists from the West Jacksonville Health & Rehabilitation Center come to our senior meeting at church this month to show us how to use our new Wii and to talk about how they use theirs in their rehabilitation therapy. Ours came with Wii Sports which has bowling, baseball, golf, tennis and boxing. We've also got Wii fit and Mr. Ted even donated a Wii Price is Right game. We're starting a monthly game day beginning tomorrow to help keep our brains active and keep those neurons busy so they don't go on permanent vacations. The first Wednesday of the month is our official game day and if it goes well we may add more days. If you're in the neigborhood stop by Avondale UMC on the first Wednesday from 9 to noon and join us!

I found another place with some great online brain games. The Prevention magazine site has enough fun and interesting games to become yet another time-sucking abyss but at least these games are specially designed to give your neurons a workout so you don't have to feel guilty about getting lost in the fun. I haven't tried them all yet (it's research I tell you!) but The Busy Bistro, Pandera's Botique and The Right Word have all been fun and you can adjust the level of difficulty on all of them so it doesn't get boring.

So go and play and have some fun, it's good for you!

Joy Joy Joy!!!

It's been quite a week in Feedin' Mama-ville. The newest addition to our family arrived at 12:15-ish am on Thursday, March 26th. She weighed 8 lbs, 15.4 oz and is 20 3/4" tall. Molly Eowyn Speed is my third grandchild and Mama's 11th great-grand. She already takes after her Nana and has her own blog. Her mommy and daddy were just awe-inspiring having checked into the hospital Monday afternoon and met every task and challenge with grace and courage. Welcome Molly!! Nana's going to spoil you big time, just ask your cousins!

Pieces of Me

It happens to most everyone, not just to caregivers but anyone who is a caregiver can surely relate. You find yourself dividing yourself up into pieces to try and meet everybody's needs and discover that it's not working the way you expected. The equation isn't adding up. Lots of people are sandwiched in with kids at home they're still trying to raise and parents who are becoming increasingly dependent on them as well. Some are experiencing the joys of grandparenting while tending to the needs of their own parents at the same time. And then there's the pesky task of trying to keep hearth and home together and pleasing one's employer(s) added to the need to carve out even a tiny slice of a social life to keep a tenuous grip on your sanity. It can begin to look like an impossible task, an un-doable situation.

The most important thing to remember if you can't remember anything else when things start to look overwhelming is to slam the door on anything that resembles a guilt trip. Do not get on that train. Nobody can make you and the only person who can put you there is you. If you know in your heart that you have done what you can to meet the needs (read needs, not wants) of all the folks you feel responsible for then give yourself permission to move on to whatever's next and do everything possible to avoid falling into the traps and pitfalls that are lying in wait to swallow you up. Their priorities don't have to become your priorities. Avoid like the plague anything that smells like drama or blame or guilt. Life is short and God put you on this earth to be happy. Happiness does come from loving and caring for others and making other people happy. But it's like they tell you everytime you fly - you HAVE to put that oxygen mask on yourself first because you can't help anybody else if you're dead. There is joy to be found a thousand times a day if you look for it. Don't let anybody or anything block your view or cloud your vision. And they can only do that if you give them permission. Find the joy. And if you're having trouble finding it I highly recommend this book. It was recommended to me by my wonderful therapist and it changed my outlook 180 degrees. Happiness really IS an inside job, you're the only one with the power. Don't let anyone else try to make you think otherwise.

Recipe Bonanza!

I hit the jackpot on low-sodium recipes and tips while wandering around the interwebs this morning. It appears to be an old site that hasn't been updated in a while but that's okay because it's still chock full of some good recipes and ideas for living and eating well without all that salt. I really appreciate the fact that they included the sodium info at the bottom of each recipe. You can check them out here. Or better yet, just click on the "Low Sodium Living" link while you're visiting the Feedin' Mama website each and every day of your life. Several times. Every day. Bless your heart.