Gold Medals, Green Houses, and Good Health!

Do you remember what you were doing during the summer of 1984? I was a young mom with 2 darling daughters and a 16 year old gymnast needed a perfect score (10) in order to win gold at the Summer Olympic games in Los Angeles. Mary Lou Retton captured the gold, and our hearts during her final performance and I had a chance to speak with her on Wednesday.


She is currently a mom of 4 girls (all very active and athletic in their own right) and is the spokesperson for Special Olympics. She is currently partnered with Proctor and Gamble to help raise funds so that at all Moms of Special Olympic athletes can travel to the Summer World Games in Athens Greece in July.



You can help out by going to facebook.com/thankyoumom. P&G will donate $1 to Special Olympics everytime someone "friends" the site. So don't wait....do it today!







On Thursday, I broadcast my show live from Hoekstra's Market and Greenhouse (between Fox lake and Randolph 1/2 mile north on Hwy "A").
If you've been waiting for spring...you'll find it at Hoekstra's! WOW! All the beautiful greenhouses just "BURSTING" with color! So many choices of hanging baskets, planters, pots and other gift ideas for mom (Mother's Day is Sunday!) or just for yourself! Their open house is this weekend, Friday, 5/6 and Saturday, 5/7.

And did you know that gardening is good for your health?

• Exposure to fresh air and sunshine (which is your best source of Vitamin D)


• You'll get a great workout digging, hoeing, carrying water buckets


• You can get your "picky" eaters involved right from the beginning. (Planting, waterting, weeding, harvesting and finally EATING!


• Gardening can boost your mood. Did you know that studies have shown that receiving flowers makes people feel better. Imagine flowers blooming all summer long-what a great mood enhancer!


• It's been proven that gardening will help improve your memory, too!


• You'll add nutrition to your diet. Carrots are high in Vitamin A, tomatoes give healthy doses of Vitamins A & C and whereas bell peppers can contain pesticide residue when purchased from the grocery stores-you'll get a much healthier version if you grow your own, plus they contain a ton of phytonutrients.