Internet Safety for Your Family

If you are concerned about what your kids may find on the internet, we have been using Safe Eyes.  You can set the filters the way you want them and even see activity reports to know who has been where.  Here is a link for a free trial http://isafety.tellapal.com/a/clk/W7CNn .   This product is endorsed by Dave Ramsey and gives me the confidence to allow my kids to use the computer when I am not in the room.

End of Summer Sleepover

Our house is full of girls tonight!  It's the kids' last fling before going back to school, dance and routines next week.  They are in front of the Wii, singing to High School Musical Sing It.  I love the sound of happy kids in the house and am so happy my kids have such sweet friends. 

They are all going to sleep well after having their own-make pizzas, milkshakes, brownies and chamomile tea (to help them relax and stave off any sore tummies).  The evening started outside, moved inside for pizza making and watching "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", then on to a pillow fight and now on to the Wii.  Good times.

The psychology of customers fascinates me.  I wish I had started my novel when we began our business as there have been some pretty fascinating people who have come through our doors.  Miracles, each and every one of us, but some have stories and histories that would just blow you away.  I had a man in the store today who just had brain surgery.  An epileptic for 40 years suffering from at least monthly seizures, he had brain surgery only six days ago.  He came in to get some easy to prepare meals as he is re-learning how to live, how to recognize words and how to put sentences together.  He has been told that in the next six weeks, he will regain all of those memories and be seizure-free or close to seizure-free.  I was in awe of him and his story and felt like he put my problems into perspective.  Being in business in this economy, opening when we did - right before the bubble burst has been a struggle, but it has also afforded me the opportunity to meet some fascinating people and to witness some true miracles.

The Seed Catalog

The seed catalog has arrived and it is much bigger than I thought it would be.  It is going to take some serious reading to figure out where we are going with this.  I am also attempting to find straw bales as we are going to use those as the borders for the planting beds.  Found this tip on http://www.strawbalegardens.com/ and it makes sense.  You use the bales to hold the garden together, but the bales also compost themselves into the soil.

In the meantime, I found some pretty good prices on organic produce at the supermarket.  I don't really go there very often but it was on my route today and we needed some (rbst-free) milk so I wandered down the produce aisle and was pleasantly surprised.  Some of the organic stuff on special was less expensive than the pesticide-laden food.

While trying to plan our garden, I am in the midst of my daughter's dance competition season and trying to work out a daily, monthly, annual marketing plan for our store, Super Suppers South Bay.  There are a few other things going on with work that I may be able to write about later that are taking up quite a bit of my time, too.  But, I know that this garden will be great for me and my family and I am hoping we will have a bountiful harvest.

Food for thought...a garden is a great leap of faith and I am jumping in with both feet.

Our Food

I have been educating myself lately on where our food comes from and how the American food system is run by a very few big companies, who control our food supply.  I have watched the movies "Food, Inc." and "The Future of Food" as well as read "The Unhealthy Truth".  It is time for us to take back control of what goes into our bodies.

We are talking about how to plant a vegetable garden in our tiny Southern California backyard.  One of my neighbors has introduced me to Square Foot Gardening which I think will make sense for us.   The girls want to plant strawberries, tomatoes, corn and melons and we are trying to find non-GMO seeds from an heirloom seed company.  I eagerly await the seed catalog so we can begin to plan our garden.  James and I would also like to be able to harvest a daily salad from our garden so I am hoping for a few varieties of lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli and more.

Because I run a food-related business, this is terribly close to my heart.  I believe our store is doing it's part; that we are helping busy people to eat better.  We make the meals and then freeze them so customers get a home-cooked meal without the work.  I hope someday we can add organic items and fresh produce and/or salad bar but I do believe that we are getting people out of the drive-thru and back around the table - which is where it all begins.

I look forward to tracking our personal gardening journey and our continuing journey in the food business.

Food for thought...do you teach your kids to read labels and to know what is going into their bodies?

Finally

I have finally decided it is time to share my thoughts on business, appreciating my family and how I learn every day how precious these experiences can be.