Jul 29 2016

No-Fail Summer Garden Starters

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Have you thought about starting a garden but let spring pass you by? It’s not too late to plant a Summer Garden! You can plant now for a late Summer harvest and even plant again in time for a Fall Harvest too!

If you’ve never scratched the surface of gardening before, not to worry! When I first started my garden, I was completely clueless. Every new project is an experiment, and I’ve learned from some of the planting mistakes I made early on. I’ve now got plentiful Muscadine grapes, so I must be doing something right!

I put together an article for Tribe Magazine that is just perfect for novice gardeners and children:

5 Super-Easy Plants Your Kids Will Love Growing Themselves This Summer

It’s full of good information to get you started on your summer garden. This one provides specific examples of the plants that are best suited for a child’s (or impatient adult’s!) first gardening experience. There are lots of plants that are practically no-fail options that don’t require a green thumb or lots of space, time, or funds. Check out this article to see how you can get started!

Gardening is one of the most satisfying and therapeutic activities kids can tackle relatively independently. Children love creating something from (virtually) nothing. What begins as tiny seeds which germinate into something that’s living and bearing edibles is almost tantamount to magic. Planting vegetables and flowers is an exciting activity, regardless of age.

Jul 29 2016

A Body That’s Mine to Accept

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Gaining weight and maintaining an appropriate body size and shape for my height has been the most difficult step in the recovery process. Being comfortable in my own skin is an arduous process. It’s one that I have to battle on a daily basis. Some days it’s a much easier fight than others. I wrote this essay a long while ago, so it’s not new or anything. I don’t always feel this way about my body now–and not to such extremes, but I do still struggle a great deal. I know a lot of people struggle with body image too. It’s up on The Mighty today, so I decided to share it with you all, as this step was helpful for me in LESSENING THE INTENSITY of the feeling of body hatred. It helped me create a distance between myself and my hallowed anorectic frame. Read, don’t read, comment, don’t comment, but whatever you do, love yourself and your body.

Read, Share, & Like on The Mighty

I’m ‘Sitting Shiva’ for My Anorexic Body

Jul 24 2016

Commuting Via Bicycle Can Be Dangerous, But It Doesn’t Have To Be

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Be Wary of Flying Gatorade Bottles! Plus 11 More Tips That Will Keep You Safe On The Road

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

And it can be dangerous business going out your door. Especially when you’re a cyclist commuter.

While only 1% of all trips taken in the U.S. are by bicycle, bicyclists face a higher risk of crash-related injury and deaths than occupants of motor vehicles do.

In 2014 in the United States, 726 bicyclists were killed and there were an estimated 50,000bicycle-related injuries.

Most bicyclist deaths occur in urban areas and at non-intersection locations, like side streets and one-way roads. Continue reading »

Jul 21 2016

Orchestrating Change Indiegogo Campaign Ending!

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The IndieGoGo campaign for the documentary film about the Me2/Orchestra, the only classical music organization in the world for people living with mental illnesses and those who support them, called ORCHESTRATING CHANGE, is coming to a close.

Margie Friedman & Barbara Multer-Wellin have been working like crazy to get it finished, but there’s still one more day to donate and no donation is too small. Continue reading »

Jul 19 2016

Kick Beauty Standards To The Curb: Join The Movement Now!

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Taryn Brumfitt’s new documentary “Embrace” is giving society’s body image an overhaul.

How many of you have ever done this or something similar?

…looked down at your humanly imperfect body, squeezed, lifted, and pulled at the trouble spots, frowned, thinking, “This won’t do at all.” so you…

Decided to go on a strict diet and/or exercise regimen,
Calculated how long it would take to get to your PERFECT! weight,
Circled that date on the calendar

and told yourself–subconsciously or not–

THAT’S when my life will turn around! THAT’S when I’ll be happy! When I’ll feel confident! When I’ll ask that guy/girl out! When I’ll ask for that raise! When I’ll finally wear that bathing suit! When I’ll go to the beach and actually be wearing said bathing suit!

And life will be just dandy.

Except it’s not, is it?

91 percent of women hate their bodies.

In response to this alarming statistic, on a mission.

, former inhabitant of a (nearly) perfect body, is on a global crusade. She’s calling it a Body Image Movement.