#SundayFunday: Mason Jar Garden

Easy Indoor Herb Garden Project

#SundayFunday: Mason Jar Garden

I'm a little under the weather today.  Stress levels up, energy (and caffeine levels) down, and a bit of a migraine.

I flop down on the bed next to J, who is engaged in gaming, and start pondering #SundayFunday activites, that I don't have to go to the store to buy stuff for. (I really should start planning further in advance)

"I want to make backdrops, but don't want to go buy sheets.  I have jello jigglers, pop corn balls, and rice crispy treats to make, but the jello takes forever....I  could set up decopage for them to make Valentine's day coasters...."

Up and off the bed to find decopage.  In the 'annex', mason jars catch my eye.  Oh, yeah, I did plan ahead!

A few weeks back, J suggested that the kids and I do an indoor herb garden as a #SundayFunday craft.  It sounded great, and last week Dollar Tree had planning stuff out.  (With six kids, Amazon and Dollar Tree are my FRIENDS!).

I researched some planting methods, and decided that Steve Spangler offered some great tips, and  experimentation component. (We're huge Spangler fans lol)


NECESSITIES:
Water gel beads and/or potting soil
Mason, Jelly, or baby food jars
Seeds (or if doing this as a classroom class that will be an immediate gift, like Valentine's Day, small flowers or plants)

Yay, Dollar Tree!

OPTIONAL:
Chalkboard paint
Food coloring



HOW TO:

We began by separating the gel beads into bowls and adding food coloring to enhance the fun.  Ours were already water-filled, but some brands need to be soaked first.

We lined the bottom of our mason jars will gel beads in the chosen colors.  I gave the kids the option of turning this into an experiment:

• Use the new, colorful gel beads alone

  

  Food coloring gave us pretty colors

• Use trustworthy potting soil
• Use a mixture of both

For the kids who decided to use both, they could either layer the soil over the beads, or mix them together.

We then took about 5 seeds of their chosen type (We used basil, sweet basil, oregano, thyme, cilantro, and chives so that the kids could then use them in cooking!) and inserted into their chosen planting source.

Water gel and potting soil

I painted a small area of the jar with chalkboard paint, and, when dry, chalked their name and plant on each respective jar.

Pretty indoor mason jar garden

To start our seedlings, we place them in Memaw's Greenhouse, but they can easily be put on a windowsill or shelf in a sunny spot. I plan on making a cute shelf for ours very soon.

It's going to be fun to watch them grow, and see which planting option works best!

UPDATE:
One week after planting, we are seeing sprouts!  It's so cool to see them growing!

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10 Things No One Ever Tells You About Kinship Care

10 Things You Should Know About Raising a Relative's Kids

You should really know this

No one really talks about kinship care, even though almost 7.8 million children live with family members who are not their parents.  That's a huge group to have almost nothing said about it.

When we became the guardians of Trey and Chell, we assumed, as many do, that it would be fairly straight forward.  The state wanted us to take them. We were family. Their mom gave us guardianship.  I talked to someone from the Department of Child Protective Services in our state for some information, I spoke to the cps worker and the court clerk in their state, I figured I knew what I needed, and someone could walk me through the rest.

I was wrong.

Here are the things no one tells you about Kinship Care (but that you really ought to know):

1. Every situation is different.  You can't work off general knowledge, or situational information.  You need to have an in-depth consultation with everyone involved.
2. Not every state has the same laws, and they don't always work together.  The form we needed in Arizona doesn't exist in Oklahoma, for example.
3. Not having the proper forms, paperwork, and signatures can be detrimental.  Without the proper forms, in all applicable locations, you may not be able to provide kids with the help they need, or protect them from being returned to a less than ideal living situation.
4. You may not qualify for assistance from the state. Many of the programs available to parents aren't available for guardians.  Furthermore, you may not qualify for financial reasons.  In our situation, we were doing ok raising 4 kids, but adding two additional kids creates a financial burden.  Our combined income, however, puts us at about $300 a month above assistance guidelines as a family, despite the increase in expenses being far greater than that.  If we were foster parents, this guideline would not apply, but  because we qualify as relative care, foster assistance is not available.
5. DHS workers may  not know what programs are available, or how to provide them. The Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance  guidelines are supposed to enable kinship care families to receive additional assistance under the same guidelines as foster families, but in many cases, dhs workers are unfamiliar with this program, or how to provide the assistance available.
6. You need a lawyer.  The kinship care process is complex, and there are many details.  At the very least, you should consult with a lawyer.  Having legal advice can prevent many pitfalls such as having the wrong forms!
7. It's HARD.  It's hard on the kids coming into your home - they may feel abandoned.  They may be confused.  They may have been abused.  There may be emotional and behavioral problems.   It's hard on your kids, who are now adjusting to sharing you with more children.  They may feel as if you are paying more attention to the more kids.  They may act out because of it.  It's hard on you, financially, physically, and mentally.  You may feel more stress as you try to balance work, home, and the dynamic of the blended family.  You may be financially strapped. You may have to move, change jobs, or quit a job.  You may have long term legal issues to deal with.
8. It's REWARDING.  You grow to love the new additions to your family. You feel pride as the blossom and grow.  Every success is a milestone.  You take joy in seeing your own children shows love and compassion for those who were once interlopers.
9. It's OK to say NO.  Kinship care isn't for everyone.  Recently, a friend confided that she was asked to take in a relative's child. She desperately wanted to, but she knew it wasn't best for her family, her kids, her marriage, or her health.  In her situation, it wasn't feasible.  She was ostracized by some family members for a while.  I want to tell her, and anyone else in this situation, that it is ok to say no.  Kinship care is NOT a weekend at the lake. It's not a trip to the zoo.  It's months or even years of devotion and dedication to another human being.  It's not fair to the family or the child to take in a child if it isn't in their best interest.  That isn't something that someone else can decide for you.  So, hold your head up high, and be at peace knowing that you considered it, and you made the right choice for you.
10. But it's OK to say Yes, too. 
12. 
    

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