Good Medium For Starting Seeds

While having grow lights is crucial for starting seeds indoors, everything about the health of a plant is rooted in the soil.

Seeds require a growth medium that provides plenty of nutrition, holds moisture, and provides the proper environment for sprouts to develop. While you could use soil from your garden amended with compost, it isn't likely that you'd see the type of results you would want.

A good mixture that was shared with us a few years ago is:

• One bag (40 quarts) Bruce Miller Nurseries Lite Potting Soil
• 5 quarts compost
• 1 Cup blood meal

We typically add some dried molasses and epsom salt (for the magnesium) as well. 

I'm certainly no expert on soil. For that I highly recommend The Dirt Doctor. I can, however, say that we've had tremendous success with growing plants from seeds using the mixture.

DIY Grow Light

Dallas weather provides opportunities for gardening year round. That doesn't, however, mean you can simply plop seeds into the ground and expect them to sprout into healthy plants. Starting seeds in a friendly, nutrient-filled medium helps them sprout and develop. To do this most effectively, you need to control the environment as well, so an indoor grow light is a crucial tool.

Searching for grow lights, we discovered that this could become an expensive undertaking. Then a fellow gardener shared some plans for building our own grow light—thanks Ms. Becky! Not only was it a simple undertaking, the materials cost us less than $50.

This link has all the details and instructions.

We've started with tomatoes, peppers and some flowers. With several varieties of each, we should have plenty to plant by the end of February when the threat of frost in Dallas has passed.

Rule Number 1: Keep Your Word

For the past decade, I've been told time and again that TheKiddo is a special little human being. I was reminded of this recently when one of her teachers remarked, "Whatever you guys are doing, it's working. You should teach a master class."

Honestly, TheKiddo deserves the credit for being such a special human. We do our best to guide her, support her, and let her find her own way. She is the one filled with kindness, compassion, a competitive spirit, and a keen power of observation (as well as a startling large memory). 

That's not to say we have a laissez-faire approach to parenting. Quite the opposite; however, we avoid being helicopter parents. TheKiddo has to learn to handle both wins and losses; solve her own problems; fight her own battles; and ultimately discover what she wants her life to be.

There are several lessons we reinforce as often as possible—including reminding her, "First, you have to want to. Everything else is details." As part of this, she has been told time and again that Rule Number 1 is "Keep Your Word."

If you agree to something, do it.

If you sign up for something, see it through.

If you tell someone you'll do something, make sure it's done forthwith.

When you don't do those things, when you fail to keep your word at any point, it becomes difficult for people to believe you, or believe in you. Trust and respect are hard to earn, and are incredibly fragile. When they're broken, they can never be the same. 

Of Course Good Dads Make Good Leaders

I recently stumbled across a post on LinkedIn that lays out the reasons awesome dads make great leaders.

As someone who takes his responsibilities as a dad very seriously—even to the point of carrying the pink backpack whenever necessary—all of the reasons make complete sense. They also seem to be rather self evident to me.

Men who take their roles as a dad seriously, will always be careful to treat those that work with them with respect and concern. It's the men who don't take the role seriously that I worry about.