If you are like me, your pets are members of your family. We have had our dog, Sadie, for 8 years, and she is very special to us. During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I am careful not to forget to pick out a special gift for my four-legged family member so that she knows how special she is! This year, my dog is getting a Coolaroo dog bed! The beds are made of material that is resistant to flea and insect infestation, as well as to mold and mildew. The material is breathable and will keep your dog comfortable throughout the year, indoors or out. It is super easy to clean. You can even order replacement covers, making it last through many years of companionship. The beds are low to the ground, so they are perfect for older dogs or dogs with joint problems. They are also perfect for cats! There is a foldable version for portability, and both varieties come in three sizes (sure to fit your animal comfortably).They are affordable and durable, making them perfect for the favorite pet on your list. I know that my sweet Sadie will appreciate hers.
Spring Gardening Starts Now: 3 Tips to Get You Started
Snow may be on the ground and temperatures well below freezing, but backyard gardening enthusiasts are already looking ahead to spring. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to start making your gardening plans for the upcoming season. Here are a few tips to get you going:
- Gardening Goals: What do you want to grow? Annuals, perennials, vegetables, fruits? The options are limitless, but your space and time are not. Determine how much space you have available in your garden, what you’d like to achieve with your gardening (beauty, food, or both), and how much time you are willing and able to put into creating and maintaining the garden. Your answers to these questions will help you immensely as you go forward with your garden plans.
- Seed Selection: If your garden plan includes starting indoors with seedlings, start browsing seed catalogs now, and place your orders before the end of January. When it’s time to transplant your seedlings into the garden, they’ll have had enough time to develop.
- A Place for Gardening: If you don’t already own a hobby greenhouse, you should consider obtaining one, especially if you want to extend the growing season and have a dedicated place for gardening activities. Hobby greenhouses come in all sizes, so starting small is a good way to get a taste for what greenhouse gardening can offer. Greenhouses provide a gardener with much more flexibility in terms of what can be grown and when. They are especially attractive to gardeners who live in cooler climates where the growing season is shorter.
Get Your Family Outside With Murbles!
Family gatherings offer a fun, bonding experience for family members of every age. For my family, these gatherings often include outdoor games, such as horseshoes or volleyball. This year, I am adding a new game to the mix! The Murbles Game is a great way to get everyone involved and offers both fun and exercise. Murbles requires no set up! You simply open and play! The game is simple enough that even children can understand, but is entertaining enough to keep everyone’s attention. Even if you have trees, rocks, or irregular terrain, you can still play! In fact, these obstacles can even make Murbles more interesting! You can choose from 20 different ball colors to customize the game to your liking. It even makes a great Christmas gift! Friendly, family competition is sure to ensue at your next gathering with the Murbles Game!
Reclaim Your Kids: Give the Gift of Imagination
In a world where kids are increasingly distracted by screens and electronic toys that make imagination obsolete, there are still opportunities for parents to wow their kids and encourage creativity at the same time. One such opportunity comes in the form of an Outdoor Playhouse.
Outdoor playhouses are available in countless shapes, sizes, and materials, but choosing one that will last for years through many children and all kinds of weather is always the most cost-effective option. The best quality outdoor playhouses are made with non-pressure treated wood that is resistant to weather conditions, decay, and insect infestation. Real wood makes an outdoor playhouse feel more like a cabin in the woods, a private get away for kids who need a separate, quiet space to think, play, or read.
Outdoor playhouses appeal to parents, too, because they entice children to break away from their screens and electronic toys and become engrossed in an imaginary world of their own creation. Outdoor playhouses also encourage healthy movement and the development of positive social skills, which, in addition to creativity, have become casualties of our kids’ electronically-connected lives.
For best effect, the outdoor playhouse should be off limits to adults. As long as their activities don’t harm themselves, other people, or anything in nature, kids should have the ultimate say in what happens in their private space. The only strict rule parents should consider adopting when it comes to the outdoor playhouse, though, is that it must remain an electronics-free zone. Otherwise, the benefits of the outdoor playhouse are lost.
Swinging Outdoor Beds – The Perfect Gift
If you are looking for an amazing Christmas gifts for someone very special, I have the perfect idea. A swing bed is an amazing addition to any porch or patio. It provides the perfect outdoor area to lounge, nap, snuggle, and relax. The bed is a combination of a porch swing and a twin or full size bed. They can be made of beautiful pine, cypress, or red cedar and can be stained or painted to match your outdoor decor. The swing beds hold 800-1000 pounds, depending on how they are hung, making them perfect for the entire family! Imagine how happy your loved one will be while napping outdoors during the warm Spring and Summer months. This will definitely be a gift that they will remember forever!