Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

Visit Us On FacebookVisit Us On TwitterVisit Us On PinterestVisit Us On InstagramVisit Us On LinkedinCheck Our FeedVisit Us On Youtube

Summer Slide

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure. Please see my suggested resources.

By 4 Comments

Please stop with the summer slide bullshit.

Please stop crowd sourcing ideas to force your kids to do chores and academic work over the summer.

Stop with the chore charts. Enough with coercion. Stop with the control. Stop the abuse.

Every summer, and often throughout the year, I see parents, usually moms, ask how to get their kids to do anything other than use a screen.

Are we so miserable that we want our kids to be miserable too?

I played all summer long until I began college. What has changed that we want our kids to suffer or earn the right to play?

I don’t earn my screentime. Why should my kids earn theirs?

I’m gonna go out on a limb and surely be unpopular, but I don’t require my kids to do anything to earn screentime. I don’t earn screentime. I don’t require them to complete anything academic in the summer. I don’t require summer reading.

The interesting thing is they are very willing to help with household tasks when they have freedom and respect. I help them put their clothes away and clean and organize their rooms and spaces. They need scaffolding and modeling and can’t be expected to know how to be a functioning adult without guidance.

They choose to do puzzles, outside play, reading, board games…when they’re not desperately thinking of their next earned screen minute. Screens suddenly become just another activity to do along with so many other options. There is no scarcity mentality with the freedom to choose.

I think the screen is just becoming a symbol for our own triggers and lack of control and communication skills

The only rule is all devices are plugged in away from beds at bedtime.

My kids are 12, 15, 16, 21.

They do actually notice when things need done and do chores cheerfully because they’re members of a household where they have a voice.

My kids can’t talk back to me.

We discuss options and I state my case about my concerns for my kids’ safety and health. They have no reason to be deceitful. They know that I love and respect them and truly have their best interests in my mind and heart.

I realize it’s the societal norm for kids to be monitored and controlled and dictated, but it creates disharmony and it’s so much more work keeping track. We’re not about competition or charts or checklists. We’re about cooperation.

We homeschool, but they have freedom there too. We go with the flow rather than strict schedule.

Schools are coercive, humiliating, controlling, and abusive. Students are forced to learn information to regurgitate the info on a test and then they promptly purge that from their memories. Students don’t learn valuable skills in school; they learn how to jump through hoops. Schools are not preparing kids to be questioners, thinkers, or leaders. The authorities don’t want people to have a voice, autonomy, or freedom.

It’s ironic that so many school assignments requires screens and going online.

Children only have 18-21 summers before they have to be working adults. I want them to make memories and have fun, to be wild and free. I don’t want them to dread summertime as just another chore-filled season.

Many schools go year-round and lots of parents overschedule their kids, including during summer. Just because it’s expected and considered the norm doesn’t mean we have to participate in making our kids work year-round.

Also, enough with all the tutoring and test prep.

Kids are tired. Let them play.

What does summer look like for your kids?

You might also like:

Linking up: Eclectic Red Barn, Mostly Blogging, Create with Joy, Anita Ojeda, Pinch of Joy, Silverado, Random Musings, InstaEncouragements, LouLou Girls, Jenerally Informed, Shelbee on the Edge, Ridge Haven, God’s Growing Garden, Ducks in a Row, OMHG, Soaring with Him, Joanne Viola, RidgeHaven, Fluster Buster, Penny’s Passion, Bijou Life, Try it Like it, Artful Mom, Bijou Online, Momfessionals, Modern Monticello, Slices of Life, Imparting Grace, CWJ, Answer is Chocolate, Suburbia,

You might also like:

Benefits of Taking a Magnesium Complex Supplement

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure. Please see my suggested resources.

By Leave a Comment

All people should strive to live a healthy lifestyle. While this will include exercising regularly and following a proper diet, it can also include taking vitamins and supplements to ensure your body is getting all of the nutrients it needs. One supplement that all people should consider taking is Magnesium Complex. This magnesium supplement offers a variety of benefits that can help aid your body and mind.

Help Aid Mental Health

Mental health continues to be a challenge for many people. As the amount of stress people face does not appear to be declining, finding a way to manage it is very important. The use of magnesium can help with this. Various studies have shown that taking magnesium can help to alleviate stress and reduce symptoms of depression. It is important to talk with your doctor about using magnesium for support if you are struggling with mental health. 

Muscle Relaxation

Getting proper support with muscle relaxation is quite important. If your muscles are tight, they are prone to cramping during the night and when exercising. This can make it harder to sleep and stay in shape. If you take a magnesium complex supplement, you can receive some support from this concern. This will not only help you avoid some discomfort, but it can also help you sleep better at night. 

Possible Support for Major Health Risks and Illnesses

Due to the potential benefits of magnesium, many different studies on the supplement have been performed. Some of these studies have focused on whether it can help someone manage and prevent major health risks, including stroke and heart disease. These studies have found a correlation that following a diet that is high in magnesium can help to reduce your blood pressure, which could also lead to a reduction in certain types of strokes. 

Sleep Aid

Getting enough sleep is very important. Not only will having sleep help you feel alert and rested, but it can reduce stress and allow you to perform your best the next day. If you are struggling to get sleep, particularly if you are challenged with any type of insomnia, incorporating magnesium supplements into your diet could be helpful. These supplements can help to relax the body and will provide someone with the aid they need to sleep well. 

Complex Formula Supports Absorption

While magnesium clearly provides some value and support when taken as a supplement, some people may struggle to absorb it naturally. If this happens, you will not benefit from the supplements, even if you take them on a daily basis. When taking a complex supplement, it will be combined with Vitamin B6, which will provide you with additional support and ensure that it can be properly absorbed by your body. 

Following a healthy diet and lifestyle is very important. When you are looking to be healthy, you will want to ensure that you are getting all of the proper nutrients and vitamins. There are various benefits that come when taking supplements, such as magnesium.  

You might also like:

Easy Summer Meals

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure. Please see my suggested resources.

By 2 Comments

It’s summer and the kids are home more – whether they’re home from public or private school, co-op, or college. Mine still take some classes and participate in various day camps – and for the first time, my middles have overnight camps!

One of my biggest concerns for summer is food.

For whatever reason, the kids seem to eat more – quantity and frequency. They’re probably growing and more active and the sunshine and warmer temps make them hungrier.

Our local libraries provides lunches for kids under 18 and I think that’s great! When my kids go to events and classes at our libraries, they are pressed upon to take the food and some of it they like.

I’m struggling to keep us in Gatorade and Body Armor in the flavors we prefer!

Since our summer schedule is a little more hectic and sporadic, I have to think about meals differently.

My 16 year old has a part time at a local grocery store and often has to take a quick lunch to eat during breaks.

My 12 year old son has elite baseball games and tournaments and we often travel and need to bring snacks and meals with us – because sometimes they’re in a cornfield in the middle of nowhere.

My kids are pretty independent and know their way around the kitchen. They can make their own healthy meals and often do so. I also want to provide easy options for when we’re in a rush or have different schedules. I’m super impressed when they make quesadillas, little pizzas, fried rice, or homemade ramen!

We love bento and other fun containers to keep foods fresh and cold for lunches and snacks on the go.

Breakfast items I’m buying:

  • Cereal Cups
  • Oatmeal cups
  • Grits pouches
  • Organic poptarts
  • Dinosaur eggs oatmeal
  • Bolthouse protein shakes
  • Breakfast lunchables
  • Croissants
  • so many eggs (my husband has a coworker with chickens!)
  • Frozen sausage links (we love the Jones brand and I stock up at the commissary.)
  • Frozen pancakes, waffles, French toast sticks
  • Nature Valley almond butter biscuits

Lunch and snack items I buy:

  • Tuna pouches
  • Annie’s mac and cheese cups
  • Ramen (my kids prefer organic pouches for quick and easy but often make their own homemade ramen with leftovers!)
  • Indian meal pouches with lentils or chickpeas
  • Rice and beans pouches
  • Canned soups and chili (Annie’s is a favorite)
  • Spam (we lived in Hawaii for three years)
  • Hillshire Farm honey ham and salami
  • Lunchables – Oscar Mayer uncured ham, Hillshire Farm, and Kroger Simple Truth are literally the only ones my kids will eat!
  • Hormel wraps
  • Peanut butter crackers
  • Protein granola bars and protein brownies – Clif, Kodiak, Luna, Kroger and Meijer brand
  • bananas, apples, grapes, oranges

What we make for dinner:

I try not to stress over having dinner later in the summer. I prefer we eat together as much as possible. I am often thwarted by baseball games and the kids’ other activities.

I’m making many slow cooker meals for when my son has baseball games or my daughter works late or has aerial gymnastics class. We can eat whenever we each get a chance, and often still mostly together.

We also do a lot of grilling (some favorites are burgers, tritip, and salmon) and we love big salads.

How do your meals look in summer?

You might also like:

Linking up: Eclectic Red Barn, April Harris, Pinch of Joy, House on Silverado, Sunshine, Mostly Blogging, Uncommon Suburbia, LouLou Girls, Jenerally Informed, OMHG, God’s Growing Garden, Ducks in a Row, Ridge Haven Homestead, Fluster Buster, Shelbee on the Edge, Slices of Life, Miz Helen, Randomosity, Try it Like it, Bijou Life, Katherine’s Corner, Penny’s Passion, Pam’s Party, Answer is Chocolate, Bijou, Momfessionals, Modern Monticello, CWJ, Create with Joy,

You might also like:

Poor or Broke

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure. Please see my suggested resources.

By 8 Comments

We’re living in economic conditions worse than those during the Great Depression. The wealth gap is greater now than it was then. But it seems that many live in denial with rising gas and food prices. It surely soon will become untenable.

The middle class is shrinking. The wealth gap is widening.

People say “live within your means” like it’s not becoming almost impossible with rising costs for housing, food, and gas.

There’s a difference between being poor and being broke.

Many people are struggling and broken.

The availability of credit and the expectation of debt makes many people believe they’re just supposed to be broke all the time, and it’s accepted by almost everyone.

Financial hardship can come on suddenly – medical bills, student loans, divorce, children’s expenses, job loss, housing repairs, car trouble, vet bills.

My Story

My grandparents grew up during the Great Depression and those ideals and traditions trickled down to my parents and to me. I understand and respect those values even if I don’t always share them now that I am an adult and parent.

I never thought I grew up poor.

My needs were met. I didn’t grow up around a lot of wealth disparity. There was no Internet or comparison readily available so how could I even know other than watching Silver Spoons and Richie Rick. I lived and played and went to school and suffered the lot of a child in the 70s, 80s, 90s – mostly unseen, unheard, free range. As were all of my peers.

My father worked a steady full time job during the week and was in the Army Reserves. My mother left her job and stayed at home when I was born. Most mothers I knew stayed home. I’m an only child. They paid their mortgage and bills on time. I don’t know much about their debt levels, but I don’t think they took on too much and their credit was always good.

But there wasn’t ever anything extra.

My mother certainly didn’t seem to enjoy being a stay at home mom. She didn’t like cooking or cleaning or looking after me. She did enjoy socializing with friends, neighbors, family. Times were different then. Expectations were different. Most of my memories of my mom were of her smoking while on the kitchen wall phone. I was left to fend for myself, entertain myself, while staying quiet and out of her way.

There’s a big difference between being broke and being poor. I was poor for about 2 years. I was broke for the following decade.

Erynn Brook

My mother returned to work when I was in the third grade. She impressed me with her decision by saying we could eat often at Pizza Hut. I was 10, so…

We did take Florida vacations for a week in the summer after my mom started working. That was nicer than camping weekends.

There was still nothing extra for ballet or piano lessons or any extracurricular activities I asked for. I’m still devastated about the ballet and piano lessons I longed for. I have tried to offer lessons and classes to my kids and provide for all their passions, however fleeting.

But I don’t remember eating often at Pizza Hut until 8th grade when I managed to catch a ride with another cheerleader’s family after football games. My parents both worked and I don’t remember them ever come to see me cheer at afterschool games.

There still wasn’t ever much extra.

The end of 6th grade, my mom cut and permed my hair at home after I begged to get bangs and a style like the magazines, like my peers. I couldn’t get a salon spiral perm or feathered bangs like my schoolmates. My mother controlled my appearance.

I was 14 the first time I was able to get a shirt from The Gap. It was on clearance and I loved it so much. Dark blue sweatshirt with a mock neck striped green and white. I cherished that shirt.

We moved the spring I turned 16 and I had to switch schools that next year. Looking back, I realize my parents scrimped and saved and always said they had no money maybe because they wanted a better house in a better neighborhood. I didn’t appreciate moving or changing schools or their timing.

My dad bought me my first car: a 1974 Volkswagen Beetle for $600. The summer after I turned 16, I got a job at McDonald’s to fix it up.

I was so proud of that car but it was frozen one night when I got off work late and my mom was furious that I had to call her to come pick me up. I’m still pissed that my parents sold it and got me another (newer safer more reliable) car that I didn’t even want.

I didn’t have a lot of choices growing up. My clothes and food were chosen for me. Everything was chosen for me. I didn’t get to make any decisions. That’s not a great way to become a young adult or learn how to be responsible.

They told me there wasn’t any money for me to live away at college in a dorm. I didn’t ask questions because they just got mad at me. I commuted to a local community college, then a state university. I earned academic scholarships. I am the first girl in my family to get a college degree. I got a loan for my master’s degree. Thankfully, it is paid off. I am horrified how the college loan situation has escalated in recent years for so many people.

My maternal uncle passed when I was about 19 and there was some money left to my mom, but they didn’t use any of it to help me with my education. My paternal grandma died when I was 18 and the sale of her house went into their savings, eventually becoming the down payment for the even bigger newer house they bought when I was 28.

I don’t have a home to return to anymore.

So I never thought I grew up poor, but money was always such a stressful topic. My parents constantly complained they didn’t have any. I learned not to ask for things I wanted. They still complain!

They still complain about money now that they are retired. Their retirement income exceeds my husband’s salary by more than half. They are paralyzed by a scarcity mentality.

I still don’t ask for anything. Not for me, not for my kids.

When I met my first husband, I thought he was so sophisticated. He lived in a retro apartment in downtown Atlanta. I was dazzled by the thought of independence. I ignored all the red flags. When I left home and moved in with him and got married (because evangelicism), I realized the fantasy he was living. He had grown up quite poor but his family lived in denial, maxing out credit cards. His father didn’t work at all, but claimed he was “retired.” I wasn’t allowed to ask questions. I grew up quickly from my disillusionment.

My parents disowned me over that marriage and I found myself without a car and without health insurance, so I learned to take buses to and from my college classes. I got a job as a secretary and my husband and I juggled sharing his old pickup truck. I had never had to pay bills before and it became overwhelming. We fought over expenses, of course. He seemed like he didn’t understand how bank cards worked, that the money in the joint account was deducted immediately and wasn’t there for other expenses we had. I needed his receipts (this was way before internet banking or apps) to reconcile the checking account and he needed to adjust his lifestyle to be more frugal. It was a constant battle. Then I learned my new husband was dealing drugs. I was so naïve.

When I began student teaching, I couldn’t work anymore and we moved into a new apartment closer to my school. Then after a big fight and short separation, we moved into a rental house nearer to his family. I still couldn’t all our pay bills on time, having to pick and choose which one to pay a little late or even the next month. He worked a shift job at $11/hour. There just was never enough money. There was a time I filled out paperwork for Medicaid, but I was too ashamed to fulfill the application process.

After I graduated, I began teaching full-time. I got a summer job to pay for my maternity leave. We had a baby. We both got new vehicles. Then we bought a house near his family, even though my commute was about an hour. I thought all these things were typical, normal, expected, progress. Then he hit me the second time and I left with the baby. My parents paid for the divorce and cosigned for me to get an apartment near them. More strings.

Living on my own as a single mom was hard, but I eventually became more stable emotionally. My credit was destroyed during the divorce. The house foreclosed. Even though the divorce decree stated we had to both pay the credit card, house, and the new truck he kept, he never paid for anything. And even though the divorce decree stated he owed us $92/week in child support, he quit his job, worked randomly for cash, filed bankruptcy, and moved out of state to avoid paying anything or having wages garnished. His parents also filed for bankruptcy. I had to negotiate with the bank over the truck loan and it finally just was absorbed by the lender. My credit was ruined. Credit scores are a joke. I traded my car in for another that my dad had to cosign for to get my husband’s name unattached to mine. I knew my money priorities were rent, utilities, and my new car payment. It was so hard.

I lost five jobs in two years. It was hard finding where I fit in. I worked as an adjunct English professor and part time at a day spa. I didn’t have health insurance and I had to pay cash for a doctor’s visit and for antibiotics when I came down with strep. I tried going to church and praying for direction. Most church members prayed for me to be reconciled to my husband, but they didn’t understand my circumstances. Or they didn’t care. It was a very confusing time for me.

I didn’t think I was ever poor because I had a roof over my head and food. I paid my bills on time, mostly. Even though I struggled, it just didn’t cross my mind since I could see a little progress. But I was always just a tiny step away from homelessness and financial ruin. The circumstances that surrounded me and could’ve happened are terrifying.

Paying for childcare was a nightmare. I wanted my daughter to have the stability and consistency and I believed then that daycare and preschool was best for her. It ate away most of my income. I dreamed of a time when she could go to public school and the financial burden might be eased. With her October birthday, it seemed such a long way off. There was a lottery in our county for public 4K, but that was still a couple years in the future. We had to eat dinner with my parents every night in order for me to be able to pay my other bills. At least I didn’t have to worry about food.

It’s been a long road and I’ve learned a lot along the way – about myself and how I want to teach my kids about finances and social responsibility.

It’s taken us over seventeen years, but we’ve finally purchased a home and feel pretty comfortable financially, just in time for my husband’s retirement from the Air Force. We have investments and savings and plans for the future. I can’t say the same about many of our peers. I know the statistics for retirement funds and the prediction that many won’t ever see any social security payments.

I still struggle and it’s sometimes in weird little ways. Some things still seem like an extravagance to me. I open a bag of sugar over the canister to catch every little grain. I can’t imagine not using every little scrap of paper on the roll. I don’t like wasting food.

Many of the jobs we had as teens aren’t available anymore because adults are hustling with side jobs for yard maintenance, delivery services, errand helpers, babysitters, pet sitters, anything to make a dollar. No one I know is willing to pay a teen if they can get an adult to do the same job, as if adults are more qualified or mature. Kids are losing skills, milestones, and transitions into adulthood.

We joke about people who are obviously wasteful or careless and say they’re certainly in a different tax bracket. Many of our neighbors have weekly cleaners and yard maintenance crews, but I could never bring myself to pay for those services. It’s astonishing to me that people will pay money for services to clean their garbage cans or pick up dog waste in their yards. With wealth, comes a lack of time, and an attitude of entitlement.

The Church

I have have been conflicted for years with what The Church and Christians say and think and pray about people living in poverty. They view charity as good deeds, like some point system they earn with God. During a Sunday school class one time, there was argument about giving money to panhandlers or beggars. “What if they just use the money for drugs or alcohol?” they kept asking and it just didn’t set well with me. I didn’t have the words then that I do now. I wasn’t strong enough to speak out then.

I taught a Sunday School class to other single moms with Crown Ministries on financial lessons. Oh, the irony. My partner teacher had some very different financial outlooks. She received social security payments for three disabled children. Her new husband received social security payments for his two kids because their mom had died. If she worked, her kids wouldn’t receive their disability payments. They supported seven kids on his income as a cable installer. She was very into the prosperity gospel and that concerned and confused me. When their cell phones got turned off for nonpayment, they just went to a different company and got new ones. This was a different financial perspective for me. I don’t think that’s what Jesus is about.

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 1 John 3:17

Don’t just give or buy a homeless person food. Just give them the money if you have it. You think you mean well but what you’re doing is taking away their autonomy and the ability to make choices for themselves. Don’t be performatist in your giving and brag about your charity. And don’t even get me started on the predatory practices of Dave Ramsey and his ilk.

The poor you will always have with you.

“What if they buy drugs and alcohol?” You buy drugs and alcohol with your money; what’s the difference? source

What they do isn’t your concern. Giving (freely and honoring their dignity) is your concern.

What can we do?

Society criminalizes the poor.

When I met my current husband, I was impressed by the stability being a military wife could offer. I also wanted my daughter rescued from her deadbeat dad. Moving out of state solved many of my personal and financial problems. My husband adopted my daughter and the child support and visitation rights were out of the picture. My credit improved with each cosigned purchase. We’ve dug ourselves in and out of debt several times with circumstances that seemed unavoidable – car repairs, vet services for our cats, trips home for dying parents. We’ve never made a late payment. The government has faced furlough several times, but we have always pulled through.

We are now as financially stable as I ever hoped to be.

I think our understanding of poverty is odd in Western society. I grew up having my needs met. I got things for Christmas and my birthday. I received good medical and dental care. There was constant upward mobility for my parents. I can see how far I have come with my own family in the last twenty years. I take for granted things now that I used to dream of having. That’s not poverty.

It took years for me to realize I have financial trauma and other trauma that affects how I make decisions.

I don’t think most people really grasp how low the federal minimum wage ($7.25) is. If you get charged $20 for a late fee, that’s almost three times the minimum wage. If you get an overdraft fee of $30, that’s over four hours (half a standard workday) of minimum wage labor.

Aidan Smith

Another interesting financial perspective was introduced to me at a Sunday school class when a young enlisted military family mentioned their WIC and Medicaid provisions were part of their income. I had never considered this idea before.

I think it’s quite upsetting that military service members don’t earn a living wage. Many families struggle and everyone deserves better pay for their jobs.

Poverty isn’t just being homeless. Poverty isn’t just being on welfare. Poverty can be a mindset.

If you pay your employees so little that they require food stamps and Medicaid, you’re not a job creator, you’re mooching off the public dime. (and yes, the majority of people on public assistance are employed).

Dan Price

I hate how poverty is seen as personal failure rather than a societal one.

A parking space in downtown cities makes $27/hour. I, a real person with thoughts and feelings, capable of suffering, make less than a damn parking space.

posted multiple times on Twitter

My daughter left our home a year ago. She quit college. She got a full-time job as a caregiver to disabled adults. She seems happy with her independence. I’m proud of her. I’m also frightened that she is one little emergency or circumstance away from poverty, homelessness, financial disaster. She doesn’t make enough to save anything. If she gets sick and can’t work, she doesn’t get paid. I’ve helped her several times with car repairs and buying her groceries, gas, and medicine. I paid cash for her therapy the last couple months. I put her up in an extended stay when her roommates got COVID. She lost her dependent status and insurance when she turned 21. We are trying to help her figure out open enrollment insurance options. I worry all the time.

I realize this is a controversial take but maybe being one blown tire, one broken bone, or one paycheck away from homelessness & financial ruin at all times isn’t actually “freedom” the way we were raised to believe it is.

Libby Bakalar

Those in power aren’t really concerned about children or their schooling. It’s become obvious that school is just childcare so parents can be available to work.

When COVID-19 hit, so many couldn’t work or lost jobs and it was a desperate time for many who relied on steady income and never imagined struggling. Many faced eviction. Our country and world is in crisis.

Too many just want to “go back to normal” because they have never been affected negatively by social circumstances. They just want their restaurant food or fancy coffee concoction for their morning commute and their kids back in school so they don’t have to worry about childcare. I try to understand this. But I also feel that our society should shift priorities. There are answers if we just try a little harder. We can look to other successful countries for how they manage social needs.

We’re educating generations of children to lack empathy.

What kind of world are we creating, maintaining, leaving for future generations? Where is there hope if we’re just retaining the status quo and not striving for improvements?

when we say poverty is violent we don’t mean because we can’t afford luxury things, we mean watching our loved ones suffer from treatable diseases, not being able to properly care for ourselves without risking bankruptcy, having to work in the midst of life altering trauma.

L on Twitter

I see the boats, RVs, and SUVs in my neighbors’ driveways. I certainly don’t know their financial situations, but I wonder if they are just a couple paychecks away from disaster.

You are closer to being homeless than being a billionaire.

It’s surely the sign of a sick society when basic needs are seen as extravagance. We treat our youngest and oldest and the disabled as disposable.

People are getting complacent instead of angry. Gas prices are soaring. Rent is ridiculous and rising. Food costs are high and I’m seeing many independent restaurants closing.

I’m angry. Are you?

What seems like an extravagance to you?

You might also like:

Linking up: Pinch of Joy, Eclectic Red Barn, Silverado, April Harris, Mostly Blogging, Jenerally Informed, Shelbee on the Edge, OMHG, God’s Growing Garden, LouLou Girls, Suburbia, InstaEncouragements, Ridge Haven, Ducks in a Row, Fluster Buster, Penny’s Passion, Joanne Viola, Slices of Life, Simply Coffee, Randomosity, Try it Like it, Artful Mom, Bijou Life, Momfessionals, Bijou Life, Answer is Chocolate, Create with Joy,

You might also like:

How Does My Garden Grow?

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure. Please see my suggested resources.

By 6 Comments

We’ve lived in this house for about five years now, purchased it two years ago after we realized we were staying and my husband retiring from the Air Force here.

I feel like it’s finally starting to feel like home.

The kids love to help me in the garden and enjoy the veggies and herbs we grow. We all love bird watching and seeing the wildlife in our backyard woods.

We’ve always rented and it’s so nice to finally have a place to call home and the kids can start to grow some roots figuratively and literally. We have no family and few friends and always feel like outsiders since we’ve moved around so frequently.

It took me over a year to get the front yard weed-free. We had so much crabgrass from all the years of neglect. Neighbors who have lived on this street for decades have stopped to compliment my hard work, that it’s never looked better.

It’s a stress reliever for me to work in my yard and garden. I love cutting the grass and digging in the dirt, weeding, all of it.

I’ve had the herb garden since our first year here. The oregano, chives, and sage does come back every year. I can’t seem to get hardy rosemary and my thyme didn’t come back this year, so I had to replace it. I buy parsley and basil every year. I keep fighting cilantro which does ok until I harvest some, then it seems to get mad and wilt or go to seed.

I have strawberries, some lettuces, and a rogue green bean! I transplanted my Russian sage and a trumpet vine on the other side of the fence.

I love gnomes, mushrooms, and frogs. I have lots of fun little statues around the garden.

My spiderwort is very happy this year! I also have a huge hellebore. I got some free Heucheras that are doing great. My lavender is coming back from winter. The irises and gladiolas won’t bloom, so I think they need more direct sunshine, so I will have to find another place for them. In early spring, we have lots of daffodils and hyacinths.

I have a small sun-loving garden in front of our wood pile, at the end of the driveway.

I got this lovely forsythia free from a Buy Nothing group. I bought two purple azaleas and transplanted some grape hyacinths from the yard. There’s also some forget-me-nots in there from seed that I hope aren’t choked out! It was so pretty when it bloomed.

I have two rose trees that were just given to me and I really hope they make it, but their roots were chopped pretty bad, so we will see.

I have three kinds of mint in a half barrel pot so it doesn’t take over. I have prolific lemon balm growing, so I may have to put that in another pot or thin it out.

I love, love, love roses and I wish I had a larger space for a magnificent rose garden.

I’ve had roses at every house I’ve lived in and it’s always sad to move and leave them. I hope they’re being loved and cared for by whoever lives in those homes now.

There was one rose already here when we moved in. I have acquired the others from our local Buy Nothing group and I’ve purchased two – a Blue Girl and Elizabeth. I also have lavender, mini irises, and a peony that has been transplanted for the third time and looks like it might finally be happy to bloom!

I also just ordered some allium that I think will look lovely poking up around the roses. They also are supposed to ward off pests.

I just read that white geraniums ward off Japanese beetles, so we will see if these work!

Here’s my first rose bloom this year – Blue Girl!

The backyard is a lot brighter after we had the walnut trees removed. We tilled the soil and fertilized it well. This is our second year with a nice little vegetable garden. We had a truckload of topsoil and compost delivered last month and that really helped!

I love the raised beds my husband made out of pallets. We have carrots, beets, radishes, bok choy, leeks, green onions, sweet onions. We have several kinds of sweet and hot peppers.

We have peas, potatoes, tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, raspberries.

I plan to get in green beans and sweet potatoes this weekend.

In the far right corner, I am slowly building up a shade garden with more hostas, astilbe, bleeding hearts, lily of the valley, Solomon’s seal, and a little lacy Japanese maple.

The hostas were almost all here when we moved in. I have divided them and acquired more from our local Buy Nothing group.

This is the edge of our backyard fenceline and I love the birdbath from Lowe’s and plan to get a 4×4 to make a more permanent bird feeder.

I have a jungle on my deck. I bring all my houseplants outside for the summer and they love it!

I love annuals in pots that attract hummingbirds and also help to keep mosquitoes and wasps away.

Lots of houseplants were given to me from our Buy Nothing group. I also scout the clearance corners at Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Walmart.

The clearance section also a great way to get very cheap orchids and tropicals!

These two plants were crammed into one container and very unhappy and I think it was only $7 or $8. I separated them and they seem more cheerful alone.

My bathroom windowsill is full of orchids! I can never have too many. Many people don’t want them after the blooms fall off. Maybe they’re not interested in waiting for more blooms or think orchids are difficult to maintain. I don’t know. But I love them!

I’ve always loved geraniums on the front porch. I bring my big geraniums inside for the winter, and they’re happy under the dining room window, so these are about four years old!

So, the landlady replaced the front door and sidelights all of a sudden with no notice while my husband was deployed. She wanted me to paint it, inside and out but I refused. After she berated the poor contractors from Lowe’s who didn’t have the holes drilled for a deadbolt, she painted it herself, white. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the old door, which was red, like the frame surround. I would have never chosen this plain door with plain windows! Now that we’ve bought the house, I plan to get a beautiful front door and sidelights someday.

We have a magnolia and redbud tree that the kids enjoy when they bloom.

I toy with removing the boxwoods and barberry from the front of the house, but they’re quite large and I worry it would be a huge job and mess up all the other plants. I think it’s odd that the boxwoods do great on one side and always look burnt and yellowed on the other side. I don’t think they get enough sun. I’m not sure what to replace them with, and I can’t afford replacement plants that large, so it would look silly with tiny plants.

We have a hedge of lovely lilacs in front of our garage.

I’m so, so proud of our little pollinator garden.

Coneflowers were already here and I have added hyssop, bee balm, salvia, milkweed, SO MUCH YARROW, dill, fennel, a passion vine, cardinalis, foxglove, black eyed susans.

I love how all the plants are getting established and seem happy.

I enjoy working in my yard and garden and I’m constantly moving and evaluating and adding. I can never just sit and not think about how I could change or update some part of it. I love how it’s growing every year!

How does your garden grow?

You might also like:

Linking up: Eclectic Red Barn, April Harris, Pinch of Joy, Mostly Blogging, Create with Joy, Silverado, Anita Ojeda, InstaEncouragements, Suburbia, Across the Blvd, Jenerally Informed, God’s Growing Garden, LouLou Girls, OMHG, Stroll Thru Life, Shelbee on the Edge, Fluster Buster, Ducks in a Row. Ridge Haven, Soaring with Him, My Wee Abode, Try it Like it, Penny’s Passion, Good Random Fun, Slices of Life, Pam’s Party, Bijou Life, Momfessionals, ArtfulMom, Bijou Life, Answer is Chocolate, Building our Hive, Modern Monticello, Random Musings,

You might also like:

Deconstruction

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure. Please see my suggested resources.

By 8 Comments

I spent 27 years maintaining a broken façade.

It’s taken me over 15 years to tear it all down.

I was a never good enough daughter. I was an average student. I was a terrible wife to an abusive husband. I can’t hold a successful job.

Then I was striving to be a good military wife.

I struggled to be a certain kind of homeschool mom.

Now I’m rebuilding.

I have an irresistible impulse to go home again in order to find myself.

But I don’t know where home is.

Deconstruction is a philosophical movement and theory of literary criticism that questions traditional assumptions about certainty, identity, and truth.

Jacques Derrida

Deconstructing into Wholeness

We’re all living in a time of deep social and spiritual upheaval. We’re off autopilot, all of us, reassessing everything.

Bob Holmes

Evaluation

When I didn’t know any better, it was hard.

I occasionally caught glimpses of a different perspective that I wanted but I didn’t understand it nor how I could achieve it.

I questioned everything. It was so important to me that I judged everything and wanted to know why instead of just blindly following.

I think we live in a very sick society and too few question how and why we are complacent.

But maybe every life looked wonderful if all you saw was the photo albums. People always obediently smiled and tilted their heads when a camera was put in front of them.

Liane Moriarty

When I had kids, I knew I wanted a good life for them, better than what I had. I knew I needed to completely reevaluate every single priority and choose wisely.

I tried so many different paths and it was terrible for my kids to have to walk with me while I discovered who I wanted to be.

What is truth? What do I want our truth to be?

Choices

Every single day, we experience choices.

Some choices don’t seem important or life-changing. There are articles, studies, books about making good choices and how even very simple decisions can impact our lives.

I didn’t have good choices. I didn’t have mentors or role models to help.

It’s taken me years to unravel and begin making better choices. My kids have good choices.

Making good morning choices is very important to ensure a good day.

I am not a morning person, but I try to get up at a reasonable hour.

I exercise three times a week before going downstairs to start my day. Sometimes, it’s just a few minutes but it makes a difference.

I make my bed every single day. It pleases me to see it neat and pretty.

I make a hot breakfast for my kids every weekday morning.

I wash a load of laundry every day and I put it away.

We read every day – aloud, together, separately. Reading is important.

We have a hot dinner together as a family every evening.

I take a walk outside every single day. Outside time is important.

I choose not to give into depression.

Reset

If I notice something off or someone seem excessively irritable, I look for a source for those symptoms.

I realize we have to reset.

We’ve maybe gotten too busy or rushed if someone is feeling stressed or anxious. We need to reevaluate our priorities and make some changes in our choices.

Nothing is certain. Everything is fluid and mutable.

Some weeks are just stressful and busy. I look to the light at the end of the appointments and meetings and sports practices for when I can rest a bit.

Self-Control

It’s super important for me to model self-control and help my kids learn to self-regulate.

We all experience big emotions sometimes and few of us has ever learned healthy ways to recognize or express those big feelings. It’s good to sit with feelings and learn to understand them.

I try to take time to talk through conflicts or issues rather than just reacting. Often a child experiences something and I feel triggered and have to take a break to experience that and realize I am not under attack.

We’ve come a long way and we are still learning.

Remodel

I still feel like I am searching for my identity.

Layers of irrelevant desires have peeled away during my 46 years. I am still seeking meaning and peace.

Just like I’m always updating my home and cleaning, adding, or removing, improving…I am doing the same things to my soul.

We’ve tried so many churches and spiritual paths over the years. I have gone full circle to the natural spirituality of my youth. We stopped going to church with all its racism and sexism and abuse a few years ago.

I remodel myself and remove all the false teachings I learned as a child from people who didn’t know any better or struggled with themselves. Many adults caused more harm than help and I am relearning healthier ways.

Introspection

I wasn’t always like this. I had to be reduced to ashes before realizing not everyone can withstand my darkness or sustain my light.

L.L. Musings

I’ve long known that I feel and seem different from most women. I never had close female friends. I didn’t fit in. I don’t have the same likes as many of the moms I’ve known over the years.

I don’t know what to do or what to say in many social situations.

There were too many shallow interactions. I don’t want to be in your wino book club, drunk Bunko, or shopping/lunch bunch. I don’t want to be in a Bible study where the ladies just sit around and brag how much better they are than others.

I prefer more to life than drinking and capitalism.

I don’t want shallow interactions or relationships. I would rather be alone.

Now, I just refuse to participate. I’m mostly fine being alone. It does seem odd to most people that I have absolutely zero friends, no support system, no one to put as an emergency contact.

Words like neurodivergence fly about and maybe I am… Maybe I’m on the spectrum. I know when and where and how I am comfortable.

I don’t want to compromise myself anymore.

I expect to continue to spend many more years learning and leaving behind the self I don’t want to be as I slowly become who I am.

Resources:

Linking up: Pinch of Joy, Grammy’s Grid, Silverado, Eclectic Red Barn, Anita Ojeda, Random Musings, Shelbee on Edge, Suburbia, InstaEncouragements, LouLou Girls, Jenerally Informed, God’s Growing Garden, OMHG, Create with Joy, Mostly Blogging, Wee Abode, Soaring with Him, Anchored Abode, Fluster Buster, Ducks in a Row, Life as LEO Wife, Penny’s Passion, Artful Mom, Try it Like it, Good Random Fun, Imparting Grace, Ridge Haven Homestead, Slices of Life, Momfessionals, Simply Beautiful, Modern Monticello, Pam’s Party, Lauren Sparks, Being a Wordsmith, Answer is Chocolate, April Harris,

You might also like:

What can we do?

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure. Please see my suggested resources.

By 5 Comments

One of the last times I attended church, I was dismayed by one of the deacons/elders proudly exclaiming that he gave lots of money to charities and that was all he was required and convicted to do as a Christian. He went on to say that Jesus wasn’t political and citizenship didn’t require any more of him than his comfortable middle class life allowed.

I stared at him with my mouth open. Nothing I could think of to say mattered or would change his mind.

I realize this attitude is common in the church. No one wants to get his hands dirty or actually work for justice. They don’t even realize injustice exists since they are protected in their privileged lives. Some people seem to think that injustice is just something in movies or made up for sensationalism in the news. It doesn’t affect them in any way. They shake their heads at people who somehow cause their own problems instead of seeing the systematic injustices for what they are.

That has been pretty much the mindset of most people I’ve known in church and we just don’t attend church anymore. It still hurt to hear it said out loud, in front of the pastor and their family.

The last few years have been hard.

The news has been awful.

We are living in a time of continuous war, pandemic, an attempted coup, domestic violence, racism, and child abuse.

Most people just shake their heads and nothing affects them. They are desensitized. They are untouched.

Yes, some are simply surviving. Many have taken a financial downturn or have health issues and it’s reasonable to take some time to cocoon and rest and hopefully emerge triumphant later.

But there’s almost always something we can do to improve the world we live in.

What can we do?

What bothers you?

It’s easy to be a social media warrior or armchair activist. Too many want to be performative in their charitable activities, taking selfies while donating or providing a service.

If you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention.

Sit and seethe and learn from your feelings, especially the feelings deemed wrong or negative by caregivers and authority figures when we were growing up.

Ask questions of your soul about how your religion alienates and ostracizes others who might look or live or pray differently than you do.

What do you think needs to change?

Where does your heart, passion, talent lie?

What can I do where I am?

Learn

Read, read, read. Find book lists of authors of color, LGBTQA+, those who survived poverty, mental illness, or war, anyone different than you. Internalize their struggle and experiences. Realize your privilege.

Follow people different than you on social media and watch, read, listen. Don’t feel the need to comment in outrage, sadness, or solidarity. That is not for you.

Start making friends with people who look or live differently than you do.

Volunteer

There are lots of opportunities for volunteering. You can start small. Give an hour. Let your children help or see you.

There are lots of needs in our parks and public communities, schools, libraries, women’s centers, shelters for the unhoused, your workplace.

Look at the organization’s purpose and vision to determine if it fits your beliefs and values.

Protest

Join a peaceful protest in your community, city, school, or workplace.

Yes, there could be potential consequences. Plan accordingly.

What are you willing to risk?

Get Involved

Learn about how local, state, and federal government decisions affect you and your children and neighbors.

Be a concerned citizen.

Attend community and city meetings.

Vote.

Write to local leaders.

Write to your Congress people.

You don’t get to complain for not knowing the facts or not making a difference.

Donate

Yes, it’s good to donate, but do so mindfully and intelligently.

Look at the organization and make sure the people they claim to help actually receive the assistance they need and not so much the CEOs making the big bucks.

Also, look at where you use your money and why. Spend more wisely. There are lots of great companies that have better products and pay better wages to their employees and treat their customers and employees better than the huge conglomerates where you’re just a number. We use the Buycott app to choose better products when we’re shopping. We can slowly change our habits to get better sourced chocolate and coffee, more sustainable clothing and cleaning supplies.

What will you do?

There’s a lot we can do other than doomscrolling and lamenting the state of the country and world.

We can begin by being mindful where we spend our money and how we spend our time. We can learn about the world and how we can improve conditions for everyone.

We live in the dumbest dystopia where people on social media are casting movies about wars while they are taking place. I am tired of fragile white men cry about beer and wanting to continue to abuse women and revel in their toxicity.

It’s frustrating that most of our news comes from companies owned by billionaires who just want to rule the world and have all the power with none of the responsibility.

Linking up: A Pinch of Joy, House on Silverado, Grammy’s Grid, April Harris, Anita Ojeda, Random Musings, Uncommon Surburbia, Mostly Blogging, Create with Joy, Eclectic Red Barn, Stroll Thru Life, Shelbee on the Edge, LouLou Girls, God’s Growing Garden, InstaEncouragements, Jeanne Takenaka, Jenerally Informed, Anchored Abode, Ridge Haven Homestead, Ducks in a Row, Fluster Buster, Imparting Grace, Slices of Life, Artful Mom, Try it Like it, Good Random Fun, LEO Wife, Simply Beautiful, Modern Monticello, Answer is Chocolate, Bijou Life, Lauren Sparks, CWJ, Pieced Pastimes, Momfessionals, OMHG,

You might also like:

Is a Christian Based Rehab Program Right for Me?

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure. Please see my suggested resources.

By Leave a Comment

Is a Christian based rehab program right for me? When facing addiction, many questions go through your mind. It isn’t easy to decide the best way to recover from alcoholism or drug use. There are many decisions to consider and various treatment centers to select from.

What Is Christian Based Rehab

Christian based rehab programs incorporate the teachings of Jesus Christ into treatment. These programs are available at Christian, secular, and individual churches. As a person in recovery, you may have experienced some feelings of guilt or shame associated with your addiction. A Christian-based rehab program can help alleviate these feelings by focusing on forgiveness and understanding. 

Religious Beliefs Are the Cornerstone

Christian-based programs are based on the belief that people can only truly overcome their addiction by accepting Jesus Christ into their lives. This may not be the right program if you are not a Christian. This is not to say that non-Christians cannot receive help through a Christian-based program, but it will require an open mind and acceptance of the faith.

Spiritual Healing Is a Major Focus

Spiritual healing is a significant focus in faith-based rehabilitation programs. People struggling with addiction have to deal with more than just the physical aspects of getting clean and sober. In many cases, addicts start using drugs or alcohol to relieve emotional pain, including stress, trauma, and other challenging life situations. Faith-based rehab can help them find peace with God and themselves to start living a better life in recovery.

Non-denominational Approach

Many options are available if you prefer to attend a non-denominational rehab program. These programs focus on spirituality without promoting a particular religion or denomination. For many people, prayer and meditation are essential components of recovery. 

Non-denominational rehab programs offer a spiritual structure without forcing participants to follow specific beliefs. Prayer and mediation are emphasized, but there are no religious studies or other practices that could conflict with your personal beliefs.

Christian Faith Leads to a Better Life

The following are some of the benefits that are attending a Christian-based rehab program:

  • There is a  greater likelihood of staying sober. It has been shown that individuals who have faith in God have a higher chance to keep their recovery going even after the rehabilitation process has ended. This is because they can now rely on someone other than themselves for strength.
  • A higher rate of success. This type of program is more successful at keeping people off drugs and alcohol because it provides them with a spiritual approach to life.

Conclusion

The main difference between a Christian based rehab program and other faith-based programs is that some Christian based rehab programs will incorporate religious teachings into the 12-step program. A Christian-based rehabilitation program is an ideal approach for people motivated by their faith. It can be an opportunity to develop a stronger relationship with Christ and experience the forgiveness he offers. These programs give people the chance to focus on their faith while working towards long-term recovery.

You might also like:

The Power of Now Chapter Ten

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure. Please see my suggested resources.

By Leave a Comment

This concludes my book study of The Power of Now.

It’s been interesting these last few weeks.

My eldest child got COVID, but they harassed her to return to work too early and she is not healing. I am upset about a situation that I can’t help.

My middle daughter got her wisdom teeth out.

My third child got their cast off their leg and is starting physical therapy.

I have lots of responsibilities and my schedule is full.

I love how this chapter reflects on illness and injury and how being present, conscious, in The Now gives enlightenment to tragic circumstances in our lives. I have longed to express that inner knowledge that I knew in my soul for decades.

I have felt saddened by so many who wear an illness on their sleeves like a badge of honor. Many American Christians attest to suffering as following Jesus and I am always bothered by that sentiment.

Chapter Ten: The Power of Surrender

Favorite quotes:

To some people, surrender may have negative connotations, implying defeat, giving up, failing to rise to the challenges of life, becoming lethargic, and so on. True surrender, however, is something entirely different. It does not mean to passively put up with whatever situation you find yourself in and to do nothing about it. Nor does it mean to cease making plans or initiating positive action.

Surrender is the simple but profound wisdom of yielding to rather than opposing the flow of life.

Let me give you a visual analogy to illustrate the point I am making. You are walking along a path at night, surrounded by a thick fog. But you have a powerful flashlight that cuts through the fog and creates a narrow, clear space in front of you. The fog is your life situation, which includes past and future; the flashlight is your conscious presence; the clear space is the Now.

It is true that only an unconscious person will try to use or manipulate others, but it is equally true that only an unconscious person can be used and manipulated.

Then one day, in the middle of an argument, you will suddenly realize that you have a choice, and you may decide to drop your own reaction — .just to see what happens. You surrender.

Nonresistance doesn’t necessarily mean doing nothing. All it means is that any “doing” becomes nonreactive.

Remember the deep wisdom underlying the practice of Eastern martial arts: Don’t resist the opponent’s force. Yield to overcome.

In Taoism, there is a term called wu wei, which is usually translated as “actionless activity” or “sitting quietly doing nothing.”

Until there is surrender, unconscious role-playing constitutes a large part of human interaction. In surrender, you no longer need ego defenses and false masks. You become very simple, very real.

What the ego doesn’t know, of course, is that only through the letting go of resistance, through becoming “vulnerable,” can you discover you discover your true and essential invulnerability.

Surrender does not transform what is, at least not directly. Surrender transforms you. When you are transformed, your whole world is transformed, because the world is only a reflection.

When you are ill or disabled, do not feel that you have failed in some way, do not feel guilty. Do not blame life for treating you unfairly, but do not blame yourself either. All that is resistance. If you have a major illness, use it for enlightenment. Anything “bad” that happens in your life – use it for enlightenment.

Become an alchemist. Transmute base metal into gold, suffering into consciousness, disaster into enlightenment.

Are you seriously ill and feeling angry now about what I have just said? Then that is a clear sign that the illness has become part of your sense of self and that you are now protecting your identity — as well as protecting the illness. The condition that is labeled “illness” has nothing to do with who you truly are.

As far as the still unconscious majority of the population is concerned, only a critical limit-situation has the potential to crack the hard shell of the ego and force them into surrender and so into the awakened state. A limit-situation arises when through some disaster, drastic upheaval, deep loss, or suffering your whole world is shattered and doesn’t make sense anymore. It is an encounter with death, be it physical or psychological. The egoic mind, the creator of this world, collapses. Out of the ashes of the old world, a new world can then come into being.

Full attention is full acceptance, is surrender. By giving full attention, you use the power of the Now, which is the power of your presence. No hidden pocket of resistance can survive in it. Presence removes time. Without time, no suffering, no negativity, can survive.

God is Being itself, not a being. There can be no subject-object relationship here, no duality, no you and God. God-realization is the most natural thing there is. The amazing and incomprehensible fact is not that you can become conscious of God but that you are not conscious of God.

Choice implies consciousness — a high degree of consciousness.

Nobody chooses dysfunction, conflict, pain. Nobody chooses insanity. They happen because there is not enough presence in you to dissolve the past, not enough light to dispel the darkness. You are not fully here. You have not quite woken up yet. In the meantime, the conditioned mind is running your life.

It always looks as if people had a choice, but that is an illusion.

You cannot truly forgive yourself or others as long as you derive your sense of self from the past. Only through accessing the power of the Now, which is your own power, can there be true forgiveness. This renders the past powerless, and you realize deeply that nothing you ever did or that was ever done to you could touch even in the slightest the radiant essence of who you are. The whole concept of forgiveness then becomes unnecessary.

When you surrender to what is and so become fully present, the past ceases to have any power. You do not need it anymore. Presence is the key. The Now is the key.

You might also like:

You might also like:

Best Plants For Pollinators

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure. Please see my suggested resources.

By Leave a Comment

Did you know that over 80% of the world’s food is directly or indirectly the result of pollination? Plants don’t exist by themselves and can only be produced by crops by pollinators. Have you ever wondered which plant is suitable for an environment dominated by rainforests or flowers? Here are some of the best plants for pollinators

Aster

Asters are a group of hardy, fall-blooming plants found in the wild throughout North America. These daisy-like flowers come in various colors and attract butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.

Blanketflower

Blanketflower is a perennial native to the United States. It grows in open meadows and prairies and can grow two feet tall. It blooms from July to September, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.

Blue Mistflower

A native perennial wildflower that grows up to 3 feet tall, the blue mistflower produces long-lasting blue flower clusters that bloom from July to frost. Its nectar and pollen attract bumblebees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Butterfly Weed

The Butterfly Weed is a native plant, making it an excellent choice for pollinators. It is easy to grow and resistant to disease, ideal for a beginner gardener. The butterfly weed is a perennial, which means it will come back year after year without reseeding. This plant grows in clumps that can get up to 4 feet wide and 3 feet tall. 

Columbine

Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) is a popular perennial wildflower that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Columbine is an easy plant to grow, and ants distribute the seeds. The bright petals open in June, and flowers bloom until fall.

Goldenrod

Goldenrod is probably one of the best plants for bees because it blooms right as many other flowers are starting to die down. Honeybees, bumblebees, and other pollinators will flock to these plants when they want a late-season snack.

Ironweed

Ironweed is an excellent native wildflower for providing nectar and pollen to butterfly caterpillars, bees, moths, and other pollinators. Ironweed is a tall plant that grows to 4-5 feet and has purple flowers. The leaves are dark green and fuzzy. A large field of ironweed looks beautiful in a late summer garden or meadow.

Joe Pye Weed

Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum), which grows to at least 6 feet tall, is an excellent plant for attracting butterflies. It blooms from July through September and prefers well-drained soil and full sun. This plant is an excellent nectar source for hummingbirds, honeybees, monarchs, swallowtails, and other pollinators.

Conclusion

Pollinators are critical to the survival of many plant species, but they’re also crucial to human survival. These pollinators contribute to at least 75% of the earth’s flowering plants and more than two-thirds of all crops, providing 90% of our food. The decline in pollinator populations is a complex issue, but it’s clear that human activity has played a significant role. By planting even one or two flowers from this list, you can help these beautiful creatures survive—and in turn, we’ll all benefit. Contact a native plant nursery for some of these varieties.

You might also like: