This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Now that mama’s gotten her gardening groove on and has been bitten by the gardening bug, I went on a mission to find new projects that the kids and I could do during the summer…yes school is almost out…be afraid, be very afraid! :)

The cool thing is that The Home Depot has a ton of projects for us to take on and now that I’ve conquered the container garden, I feel like I can move on to bigger things. Below are my top picks for yard projects this summer. You can find more ideas on Home Depot’s Apron Blog.

(As I was putting this list together, my kids were sitting over my shoulder saying “ooh, let’s do that!” so, if it got their ok then it made the list)

Creating a pathway of pavers or stepping-stones

We have an area in our side yard that needs a major overhaul. It’s where we put our recycled cans and containers and it’s just dirt, dirt, dirt. This project may need good ol daddy-o to help too, but that’s ok, it can be a family affair. You can can read more about creating a pathway here. I’ve embedded the how-to video below for you as well!

Building a raised gardening bed for veggies

I would absolutely love to start a veggie garden with the kids and with sun year round, I think we could get a pretty great one going to enjoy throughout the months. The kids have them at their schools and I think we need to have one at home. I have just the spot picked out and can’t wait to take this on! Check out Mama Kat’s Losing It’s raised garden bed project- she created one for her own #DigIn campaign and it turned out pretty awesome! (plus she is hilarious!)

How To Plant a Mailbox Garden

We need this! The area around our mailbox is dreary, full of weeds and just overall not nice. My kids LOVE to check the mail (seriously they fight over it daily!) so I think they’ll also love to get in on this project to beautify “their” space. Our mailbox is located right on the street and one of the first things people see, so I think it’s time we make it pretty! Best of all, my husband will LOVE that I am the one doing the project, not him (so he can continue picking weeds)

So, what’s on YOUR list for your garden and yard this summer? Share in the comments below and find more great projects and advice at The Home Depot Garden Center!

photos courtesy of The Home Depot

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need to #DigIn for Spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, they have great values on all you need. They’re ready to help you with renovation ideas and expert advice, too.

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to http://gardenclub.homedepot.com/ to see some of the many benefits of membership.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

While putting together my Thriller, Filler, Spiller garden project, I gained a new confidence and love for getting my hands dirty in soil. I had anticipated that. I knew that once I gave it a try, got out of my comfort zone and went for it, I’d love working in our yard and on fun garden projects.

But something else happened that I hadn’t anticipated… further connecting with my daughter.

This week was a tough week for me work-wise. I was busy, busy, busy. However, with this project I needed to stop the madness for one afternoon. I loved stepping away from the computer, away from my desk and heading outside to make something pretty with my daughter. I loved digging into the soil, teaching her tricks that I had learned from Home Depot’s Garden Center Club, and letting her lead the way with ideas on where we should place the plants in the containers.

One of the highlights of this projects was her ripping open the soil bag further and declaring, “this is super fun getting messy!” It was at that moment when I decided we would do this more. And more she did… she picked up some discarded plants parts from our project and decided to make her own little container and now she’s my watering girl. I absolutely LOVE that my daughter has also been bitten by the gardening bug.

I also loved that when my husband came home and saw our newly created masterpiece he declared how ”impressed’ he was. He was smiling and surprised that I had created this gardening container. Score for showing another side of me!

#DigIn

Now, I live in beautiful Hawaii so gardening should become part of my life year round, and I look forward to that. The intimidation has gone away a wee bit and I know that if I need help or have questions, the employees at The Home Depot will help me figure it out.

You may live in a place that gets cold winters but spring has sprung (or hopefully will soon!). I encourage you to jump into new gardening projects at home in your yard or garden. Get your kids involved. Break away from  that computer, smart phone or ipad, grab some dirt and DIG IN!

What projects are you looking forward to doing in your yard or deck this summer? Share in the comments below!

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need to #DigIn for Spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, they have great values on all you need. They’re ready to help you with renovation ideas and expert advice, too.

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to http://gardenclub.homedepot.com/ to see some of the many benefits of membership.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Continuing on my green thumb journey, this time we’re gonna get our hands dirty and actually create a Thriller, Filler, Spiller container garden.

What is a Thriller, Filler, Spiller?

Let’s break it down….you will need three types of plants or flowers. All of my plants are annual but if you can find perennial flowers, that would be awesome!

Thriller: this is going to be your main flower, the show stopper and generally it’s the tallest of all three plants. I went with a purple Salvia for my thriller.

Filler: pretty self explanatory, this plant will be shorter than the thriller and will be used in between the thriller and spiller to add some pop. In my arrangement I’m using an orange Lantana.

Spiller: this is usually a crawling plant or flower that will hang over the edge of the container. I chose a pretty ground covering plant with tiny white flowers called Native Bacopa.

All of my plants are full-sun plants since we live in hot, hot Lahaina.

Grab your supplies

• Three flowers or plants (I went with two of the thrillers, three of the fillers and three of the spillers)
• Soil
• A container big enough for your plants (hint, choose your plants first, then your container)
• I added some red cinder rocks for drainage
• Maybe a cute assistant, in this instance my daughter gladly helped!

Let’s #DigIn!

If your container’s drainage hole hasn’t been popped open yet, do that (we almost missed this step!)

1. Put a thin layer of the red cinder rocks in the bottom of your container, these will help with drainage.

2. Next up, add the soil. Depending on how deep your container is, fill it up about one-third to half-way with soil.

3. Add in your tallest plant, the “thriller” I popped mine in the middle of the container, but you could put it towards the back of the container.

4. Next add a little more soil and then your “filler” plants.

5. Around the edge of the container, add your spillers. These will hang over the edge to soften the look of your container.

6. Add soil in between the plants and then give it a good watering. And ta-dah! You are done!

This is a pretty easy project and a great one to get the kids in on the action to dig in and get dirty!

Want more gardening project ideas? Head to the Home Depot’s Apron Blog or Garden Center Club site!

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need to #DigIn for Spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, they have great values on all you need. They’re ready to help you with renovation ideas and expert advice, too.

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to http://gardenclub.homedepot.com/ to see some of the many benefits of membership.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

This week I made the trek to the other side of the island to go to the Home Depot to start on my green thumb journey. I’ll be making a container arrangement called a “Thriller, Filler, Spiller.” Sounds fun, huh?!

Before working with Home Depot Garden Center, I had never heard of this kind of arrangement: putting three different plants into one container at different heights. I know that all of my gardening friends are shaking their head in shame and I do truly feel ignorant when it comes to gardening. It’s actually quite embarrassing, BUT that’s why I’m doing this #DigIn campaign with Home Depot – to get over the fear, learn something and find my green thumb.

So this week I headed to the Home Depot to grab my supplies:

• Potting Soil
• Garden flowers
• A container

This seemed easy enough but there were so many choices once I got to the garden center. I perused the plants but felt overwhelmed. I felt as if everyone could see the giant question mark on my forehead. I felt way out of my element.

So rather than choosing the plants first, I headed to the containers and there again were a multitude of choices. There were ceramic containers, plastic containers, containers that were small and those that were big. There were choices galore and again, that confused and overwhelmed look was plastered on my face.

Then entered an angel, Zach, one of the Home Depot Garden Center experts. He must have seen the giant question mark following me from aisle to aisle and he swooped in to save the day; and save the day he did!

I asked Zach if we should choose our flowers or container first and he suggested flowers so then we could see how big of a container we would need. So smart, that Zach. (pssst, need a garden expert of your own? Home Depot has them online so they can help you right from your home!)

He let me know that I was on the right track with looking at the flowers that were sitting it the sun. They were the ones that love to sunbathe and would do well on our front porch or lanai. Zach went above and beyond in helping me choose the flowers and gave feedback on my choices as I went on and on about why I thought they went well together. This poor kid…but he was a great sport.

I knew that I need soil but thought I remembered that putting rocks near the bottom of a pot would help with drainage (see, I do know some gardening things!) Zach showed me his choice for dirt and some rocks to use. He got me a cart and we piled all the goodies in and like that he was off, my little gardening guardian angel.

As I waited in the checkout line eyeing a pair of polka dot gardening gloves, along came another Home Depot employee that offered to ring me up before I was at the cash register. Now this was pretty cool – he used a hand-held device and scanned each product, then handed me a card with my total. I then got to the cash register and the woman swiped the card and had my total. It really made my checkout so so easy, I was delighted.

As I went to bring my gardening goods to my car, who appeared but angel Zach again, asking if I needed help. I nicely declined (I am mama, watch me push a giant dolly!). I thanked him again, loaded up my car and away I went back to Lahaina.

Next up on the blog…really digging in and putting my Thriller, Filler, Spiller together. Join me on my green thumb journey! Wanna join me? Grab the supplies below and we’ll get to work in the next post.

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need to #DigIn for Spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, they have great values on all you need. They’re ready to help you with renovation ideas and expert advice, too.

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to http://gardenclub.homedepot.com/ to see some of the many benefits of membership.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

I’ll be honest, yard duties around here are owned by my husband. He does the weekly mowing and clean up. We recently put in new grass in our backyard. We used shavings of grass then watered the heck out of it and ta-dah…we had a lawn!

We also had a lot of weeds poking through. One day I sat on our lanai and watched as my husband sat downstairs on our lawn and channeled Mr. Miyagi. There he sat picking weed after weed. He was calm, deep in thought, happy. I thought, I want in.

So the next day while he was out, the kids and I headed downstairs to our yard and started picking the little weeds that had popped up. One by one, we all picked, picked, picked, and we got calm, and in thought and became well, happy!

The yard has since grown in even more and we’re even growing a lemon tree. The other day I worked on my computer, had a tea playdate with my daughter and tired out our yellow lab Duke, all in our yard. It’s our new little place to make memories, be calm and be happy.

That is why I am so excited and jumped at the chance to work with Home Depot on their The Home Depot Spring DIY program. It’s the perfect opportunity for me to learn how to do things around the yard and get even more in on the zen movement my husband has been hiding.

If you haven’t checked out the Home Depot’s Garden Club, go give it a whirl. One of the projects I’d love to do is grow some food for the family. I want to start it on my lanai though using raised plant beds. Home Depot’s Garden Club has some great tips plus links to great products which makes it really easy and less intimidating for me.

In addition to garden projects, members of Home Depot’s Garden Club (which is free!) will receive coupons, monthly to-dos for their yard, advice from garden experts and even tips that are regional specific – it’s a one stop resources for your yard…that little place of fun, memories and weed-picking-zen.

Are you working on your yard for Spring? Leave a comment below on what you most want to create or work on…weeds are totally an ok answer. ;)

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need for spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, The Home Depot has you covered and can help you #DigIn to Spring.

Spring is the perfect time for all your outdoor home renovations. Shop The Home Depot for terrific values on new patio furniture, landscape supplies such as fertilizer and potting soil and outdoor grills. Keep your lawn and garden looking great, too, with the huge selection of lawn mowers, edgers and trimmers, and garden tools.

Visit The Home Depot Garden Club for product ideas from kick-starting your Spring with seed starter kits to building a window birdfeeder.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

go read my post, this pic will make sense

Nine years ago I peed on a pregnancy test and it came back positive. I remember we had a friend staying with us and I happily volunteered to go get take out so that I could swing by the pharmacy to pick up a pregnancy test. It was a Sunday and our friend was supposed to be going home after dinner. Dinner couldn’t come soon enough.

I remember taking the test, seeing the two lines and then not being able to wait to tell my husband. So we snuck into the other room and I whispered in his ear “I’m pregnant!” His eyes popped out of their sockets and then we had to keep it hush-hush from our friend. It was sort of anticlimactic but nine months later and my first little one was born and I officially took on the mommy title…the best title I have ever had the pleasure of having.

Like many, the first thing I did after seeing two lines was to go and buy the pregnancy bible, What To Expect When You’re Expecting. Fast forward to another pregnancy and another child and being a mom of two now living in Hawaii, writing this here blog…

I am SO excited to announce that I have a blog post up over at the What to Expect When You Are Expecting’s site, Word of Mom. Who would have thought that I would be part of the WTEWYE crew those nine years ago when I first saw those two lines on that pregnancy test?

WOW! Please head on over and read my funny tale of a mom, a ballerina class and a tiara.

I’m holding a live call for small business owners and bloggers this coming Friday and you are invited!

Join me and The Mogul Mom’s Heather Allard for a workshop all about choosing and using the right social media for your business.

Date: Friday, February 22, 2013
Time: 2:00pm Eastern / 11am Pacific / 9 am Hawaii time
Location: Wherever you are – it’s a virtual event!
Workshop Cost: Just $19

Can’t join us live? No problem, everyone who signs up will receive a recording of the call and a cheat sheet with all of the goodies we’ll be mentioning.

Grab Your Spot Now!

At the end of last year I sent out a survey over at my company, Tadah. One of the questions I asked was, “What’s the one thing challenging you the most when it comes to social media or your business right now?”

The same thing kept popping up…

“Knowing what to do and having the time to do it!”

“Knowing which things to do and making time to get them all done.”

“Figuring out where to concentrate my attention and time.”

“I am pressed for time. I get anxiety thinking about all that I “should” be doing with social media.”

Sound familiar? Yup, you are totally not alone. Between Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram…and blogging, it can get a bit overwhelming. I mean, how do you find the time to build and manage a strong social media marketing strategy? And how do you know if your social media efforts are actually working?

Join The Mogul Mom’s Heather Allard and me for an hour-long phone call as we help you choose and use the right social media for your business. Yes, you’ll be getting one hour with TWO coaches. Two mom-business owners, who get how to use social media to connect with new readers, new clients and new partnerships, all while not being stressed over it (in fact we love it and think it’s fun!)

In this 60 minute call, you’ll learn about:

• The biggest social media “contenders”
• How to figure out the BEST social media platform for YOU and YOUR business
• The ONE social media site everyone should be on
• Creating a targeted social media strategy…
• And tracking your efforts through analytics
• Tips and tools galore that make social media management easy & efficient
• Tons of resources for you to dive deeper into social media

Sound like something you would benefit from? Awesome!

Grab your spot now

Remember you’ll get a recording of the call and a cheat sheet with all of the goodies we’ll be mentioning. And it’s only $19! Once you purchase, we’ll send you all the call details by email. Hope you’ll join us!

This call is via my company Tadah Social Media, come and check it out!

When I started TheOhanaMama.com it was to further connect with other mompreneurs. I used to run a weekly post where you’d get to meet a mompreneur to hear how they deal with this rather unique lifestyle or running a business and family. Well, I met Ashley via the blog when she wrote to tell me that she had a new product coming out, one that’s perfect for kids and the beach. She is launching some really cute, and genius, swimsuits for kids. They snap open like a onesie to make diaper changes at the beach so much easier! 

Read below to learn her #1 piece of advice for anyone looking to start a business while raising a family and how she’s raising funding to make her dream a reality.

Name:  Ashley Rose

Business:  Bella Bare Wear Snap-Change Swimwear 

Why did you start your business?  We spent the first summer of our daughter Bella’s life in Myrtle Beach. We were at the beach or in the pool almost every day. As soon as she could roll over and started crawling it got to the point of needing two of us to change her diaper. The wet suits get all rolled up when you are taking them off and when an infant is wiggling around or crying it just is not a fun job. I searched all over for a snap swimsuit but in 2008 there were not any other companies out there that offered them. I found multiple forums of women who had the same problem, but had no alternatives to a bikini or tankini. There was a need that had not yet been fulfilled. That planted the idea in my head, but it took a couple pushes from my husband and mommy friends to really go and turn my idea in to a business.

What is your favorite part of owning your own business? It probably sounds cliché, but I love that I can work on my own schedule and be there for my girls during the day! I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom but there is another side of me that needs to be continuously growing, learning, and being challenged. I love watching my children grow and develop each day and I’m glad I have found a passion in this company to allow me to be a part of their every moment while still satisfying my career goals and using the knowledge I went to college for!

What or who inspires you? My mom. She had four of us girls all within 6 years (I know crazy right?). She also finished her degree and worked 30 hours a week while we were growing up. Yet, she still managed to lead my Girl Scout troop, make all my tennis matches, my sister’s gymnastics competitions, and help us with our homework. I’m really not sure how she did it without losing her mind! Now that I am an adult she has continued to inspire me by never giving up. She won her fight against breast cancer without ever losing hope and sight of her dream to be a counselor. She has always supported me in everything I do and looking to her as an example I know I can pursue my career goals while still being a great mother to my children.

Who is your best cheerleader? My husband. We have had a lot of ups and downs with this business. We were running really small for the first two summers and eventually he went overseas and I started working full-time and raising Bella alone. Running my own business on the side was just not an option. It would have been really easy for me to give up and never start Bella Bare Wear again, but he has consistently believed in me, the company, and the product. If it wasn’t for him, I can honestly say none of this would be happening right now. He has worked so hard in helping us get this launch going, putting together our Kickstarter page, marketing lists, and other behind the scenes projects, all while working full-time and stepping up to help a little more around the house. I seriously don’t know how he does it, I am very lucky!

What would be the #1 piece of advice you would give to any mom just starting out or wanting to start a business?  Talk to everybody and anybody who will listen, and listen back! I can’t tell you how many times I was talking to someone random at my daughters dance lessons or at the grocery store and the conversation either led me to a new idea, made me a friend who wanted to help with something in the company or turned in to a customer. A lot of people are scared to talk to strangers but my biggest asset so far in this company has been the friends and relationships I have built.  Don’t be afraid of rejection and don’t listen to the people who are not supportive, there are plenty of people out there who will be!

How do you keep your kids occupied when you are working? Well, Bella is now 5! I can’t believe how fast time has gone by. I try to work while she is in school, and when she is home she is really good about coloring or doing another activity when I am not available. Juliet, on the other hand, is another story. She is my clingy, no napping, always wanting to nurse baby (but I love her). I write a lot of my emails with her in my lap at the computer. I also take advantage of breakfast and lunch time in the highchair. To be honest, I really get the bulk of my work done in the evening after everyone has gone to bed and I don’t have interruptions.

What do you never leave the house without? My kids! Ha, at least it feels that way. If it’s not them it’s my cell phone. It is a mixed blessing; having a smart phone means I can work anywhere! But, it also means I can work anywhere.

Do you have a favorite quote? “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” –Henry David Thoreau

Would you like to offer a giveaway or discount to The Ohana Mama readers today?

We are pre selling our 2013 line through Kickstarter right now! This is the place you are going to get the best discounts on our suits! Our suits will normally retail for $40-$50 but are being sold starting at $25 and up on this site! We also have larger packages offered where you will save even more!

We are offering these discounts to get as many people as possible to pre-order. As long as we meet our minimum goal of $13,500 in sales we will be able to go in to production.

Please check out www.bellabarewear.us to see our line and place your order! You can also visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellabarewear to find out about more specials and promotions we will be offering! As long as we are funded, I will be providing The Ohana Mama with a suit to giveaway as well, so make sure you are on the lookout at the blog for that!

Awesome!  Thanks so much Ashley! If you have a little one and going to the beach or pool is on your agenda (you know, maybe on your next trip to Maui?) go check out Ashley’s site and support her on kickstarter. We’re all excited for you Ashley! 

Are YOU a momprenur and want to be featured on TheOhanaMama? Fill out the contact form at the top of my site!

I had a ton of fun on my premier chat today on BlogTalkRadio. Boy, when I have a passion about something I can talk and talk and talk :) Hopefully all that talking will inspire you and help you if you have that dream of moving to Maui.

Here are some of the links I mentioned in the show:

• Maui Real Estate 
• My other more “business” site
• Maui Cultural Land Honokowai cleanup
• A Maui Blog
• HireMyMom.com

I’m thinking of doing another one in a couple of week where it’s mostly all Q&A. But I’d need YOUR help…I’d love for you to call in so we could talk story live. What cha think? Let me know if you think that’s a good idea and I’ll plan it.

Here is the replay! Please leave any comments below!

Announcing my new show on Blog Talk Radio. This has been a long time coming and thanks to YOU and your emails to me, I’m finally making it a reality. Every month I’ll be on Blog Talk Radio talking about a new subject relating to Maui and I hope you’ll join me!

Save The Date!

When: Let’s Talk story…with The Ohana Mama will be premiering on February 4th at 10 a.m Hawaii time/ Noon Pacific / 3 p.m. Eastern.

February’s topic: Living on Maui…moving here, living here, loving it here.

Where: On your computer or on your phone….You can call in to talk story with me, ask question or just say aloha! Join me here on February 4th! 

pssst, sign up for my blog feed to receive a reminder so you don’t miss this ->> in the sidebar!

If you can’t join live, no worries all shows are taped for you to listen to later.

Have a question about moving or living on Maui? Leave it here…CLICK! I’ll try to get to as many questions as possible. 

Some future topics include: 

Vacationing on Maui with Kids, Where to eat on Maui, Maui Mama Businesses, Working in Paradise and many more! Leave a comment to let me know what YOU want to chat about!