AN EDIBLE OUTDOOR GARDEN ROOM JUST FOR CHILDREN!

Create an outdoor room just for kids made of edible plants and edible flowers and best of all this one will attract birds and butterflies into your yard! A super fun ongoing project that will keep your child busy while providing delicious snacks at the same time.
What you will need:

1. An outdoor space about 10 feet by 8 feet. This can vary depending on how much outdoor space you have and want to dedicate to this project.
2. Seeds; Sunflowers, Chinese peas, yard-long beans, sweet corn or for even more fun opt for colorful Indian corn seeds!
3. Live Plants; Marigolds, lavender, sage, pansies, and thyme (because it has the prettiest little leaves and edible flowers when they bloom), plus 2 papaya trees.
4. Organic fertilizer
5. Digging tools.

Directions:

1. Measure and mark the circumference of your outdoor room. About 8 by 10 feet.
2. Dig about a 1 foot wide space along the circumference of the room…leaving about 2 feet of grass where the room entrance will be. The soil where you have tilled will be where you plant your edible wall plant seeds. So make sure you remove the grass and weeds from this space. And fertilize the soil as necessary. I like to use organic fertilizers because it supports Eco-friendly companies. And I have personally found that when I’ve grown food in healthy organic soil that I can actually taste the difference.
3. Plant the corn, sunflower seeds, Chinese peas and yard long bean seeds where you want your living wall to be and cover with soil according to directions provided on seed package and gently water so that soil is just moist.
4. Plant the live edible flower plants, and herbs closest to the entrance of the room. This will encourage wild nectar drinking birds to pay your child a visit. It will also add a welcoming charm to the room. For added whimsy plant a strawberry papaya tree on each side of the entrance. You can even choose to plant some papaya trees as part of the living walls. The papaya trees will take about a year to be fully matured but they make for a beautiful plant in the meantime.
5. After about 2 weeks your going to need to add a trellis for the beans and peas to climb on. You can buy this readily made at your garden center or construct it with scavenged bamboo sticks.

It should take around 60 days to get the full effect of the room. But the results will be well worth it! A beautiful outdoor space bursting with fresh peas and beans that will help reduce your food costs and the edible flowers will look beautiful in salads plus attract beautiful wild birds and butterflies.

NOTE – To keep the outdoor room going. every 4 weeks sow new seeds around the circumference of the outdoor room. This will keep the walls lush!

BONUS! If you live in Hawaii you can easily have a long term outdoor room because the growing season is year round. Feel free to change the plants as time goes on! Have fun with this and make it your own.

Gabrielle Sunheart is the author of “Feed Your Family On $25 A Week!” & “Family Style Saving$!” Available atwww.GabySunheart.com

Whole foods Market Maui

Two Years and Counting!

Can you believe it has been a whole another year? Time has just flown by since Whole Foods Market Maui opened its doors in February 2010. Please join them as they celebrate and remember the past two years with ahuge BOGO sale all weekend long……

Festivities start on Friday, February 24^th. See below for all the weekend’s highlights:

Friday, Feb. 24^th at noon celebrate Whole Foods Market Kahului‘s two year anniversary with candles & birthday cake.

Anniversary Festival at Whole Foods Market

Saturday, February 25^th from 11am to 3pm – FREE

Join us from 11am to 3pm and take your taste buds on a special tour as we try the best the islands have to offer. The event will include a free drawing for a gift basket filled with Hawai‘i grown and produced products, food demonstrations and more.

Storytime with Read Aloud America

Sunday, February 26^th at 3:00 PM – FREE

Join us for a fun and family friendly get-together with free healthy snacks! We will be joined by our friends from Read Aloud America for some good old fashion storytelling. Perfect for children ages Pre-K through Grade 2. All children must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver. Hope to see you there!

Sunday, Feb. 26^th

Join us for a FREE screening of the award winning, made on Maui film, Turning the Canoe at 4pm. A feature-length documentary focused on the unique and fragile island of Maui, this film focuses on how we each can create a sustainable present and future for all.

http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/maui/

In a letter dated July 26, 1950 to Mr. and Mrs. Fujimoto the first paragraph reads, “At a meeting of the Parent’s Group of the Maui Crippled Children’s Society, a suggestion was made that the Maui Unit provide for a qualified person to take care of the crippled children two and a half days a week. These would be so-called “play periods” for the children that would permit the mother or guardian of the child to have some time off during the week for rest, recreation and relaxation. This would be an interim program until we obtain the services of a full time qualified physiotherapist.”  Sixty five years after Imua Family Services began, this service is still an active part of Imua’s programs today. The group is called Parent Toddler Group (PTG); the difference is that the parents are part of the group therapies, learning through play, and the groups are led by an expert team of Special Instruction Teachers, often visited by Imua’s Team of Care Coordinators, Occupational and Physical Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists.

Imua Family Services was founded on Maui in 1947 to provide physical therapy to children and adults who suffered the crippling effects of polio.  Originally, the agency was organized as the Maui Branch of the Hawaii Chapter of the National Society of Crippled Children and Adults, later known as the Easter Seals Society.

For more than twenty years, the agency operated out of a small wood frame cottage behind the old Kaunoa School in Spreckelsville.  Speech therapy and occupational therapy services were added to the program shortly after it began.  In 1973, upon completion of the J. Walter Cameron Center in Wailuku, the agency moved to the new facility that included an outdoor warm water therapy pool.  Comprehensive infant development services were initiated in cooperation with the Hawaii Department of Health.

At a time when the agency was the only physical therapy facility on Maui, adult services were expanded and audiology services were initiated.  Agency volunteers organized a recreational summer camp project for school aged children with special needs, which became an annual one week event known as Camp Imua.  In 1979, the directors of the Maui Branch voted to disassociate from the Easter Seal Society and created an independent non-profit agency.  The local agency was incorporated as The Society for Crippled Children and Adults of Maui County and became a member of Maui United Way.  In 1991, the name was changed to Imua Rehab.

In 1990, Imua and the State of Hawaii Department of Health, Maui Public Health Nursing Section partnered in a program with the purpose of assuring early prenatal care for low income women who lacked health insurance.  The two agencies designed and implemented a program of perinatal support services called Malama Na Makuahine, meaning “To Care for the Mothers”.  In 1996, funding cuts from the Hawaii Department of Health resulted in the discontinuation of the program.

With changes in health insurance benefits, some island medical facilities began developing outpatient physical therapy services.  Imua Family Services could not afford to maintain its certification for Medicaid reimbursement and focused more on grant and contract funded services for children with developmental delays and special needs.  As the public school system incorporated speech, occupation, and physical therapy services into its program of special education, Imua Family Services began to specialize in infant, toddlers, and preschool age children.  In 1993, Imua Family Services began the Newborn Hearing Screening Program at Maui Memorial Medical Center in cooperation with the statewide newborn hearing screening program administered by State of Hawaii Department of Health.  In January 1997, Imua Family Services took over childbirth, infant care and breast feeding classes from Maui Childbirth and Family Education.  This program ended in 2003 with a board decision to focus our resources on children with special needs.

Throughout the years, the Board of Directors and staff of Imua Family Services have endeavored to offer quality preventative, rehabilitative and life-enhancing health services for children and adults while growing and evolving to meet the Maui community’s changing needs.  This is evidenced by our recent name change to Imua Family Services.

Today Imua Family Services provides comprehensive early childhood development services to children and their families with the support and resources needed to achieve their full potential in life.  Each year, over 2,500 community members on Maui and Lanai receive support from Imua Family Services through the Infant & Child Development Program, Early Childhood Development Program, Newborn Hearing Screening, and Camp Imua.

2012 brings many exciting changes and opportunities for Imua Family Services; this year Maui can anticipate several new events, programs and fundraisers by Imua Family Services, including a public performance at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center of Patrick Henry Hughes, the inspirational young man and author of “I am Potential”. Patrick made his debut national TV appearance on Oprah Winfrey Show, the launch of The Fantasia Ball Gala Fundraiser at the Grand Wailea Ballroom celebrating Imua’s 65 year anniversary, the 15^th anniversary of the Roy’s Restaurants Classic Golf Classic and The First Annual Paddle Imua a stand-up, 6 man, OC1 and prone paddle fundraising event for Camp Imua, and so much more.

If you would like more information about Imua Family Services, please visit our website at www.imuafamilyservices.org or call 244-7467.

MAUI FAMILY MAGAZINE 10^th ANNIVERSARY PHOTO CONTEST

Win a Staycation for your Family at the Four Seasons Resort Maui!

Maui Family Magazine is now accepting entries for our 10^th Anniversary Photo Contest and Staycation Giveaway!  Send us a photo you took yourself of your favorite Maui family moment for a chance to win a four-night stay in an ocean view room for a family of four at the Four Seasons Resort Maui in 2012!

How it Works:

We will choose our favorite photos from your submissions.  These photos will be posted on our Facebook page and on our website.  Our Facebook readers and website visitors will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite photos.  Be sure to “like” us on Facebook so that you can vote and follow the contest entries.  The contest entrant whose photo receives the most votes will win a four-night stay for a family of four at the Four Seasons Resort Maui, and the winner’s photo will be featured in the summer issue of the Maui Family Magazine.

How to Submit Photos:

Photos can be submitted in one of the following ways: (1) as a high resolution print at 4×6 inches or 5×7 inches; (2) as a photo file burned to a CD; or (3) as a high quality digital JPEG file at 300dpi no larger than 2MB.

Submit digital files to Maui Family Magazine at photocontest@mauifamilymagazine.com with ‘MFM Photo Contest’ in the subject line.  Or, mail prints and CDs to: Maui Family Magazine, c/o MFM Photo Contest, 80 Ohaoha Place, Makawao, HI 96768.

We cannot accept photo negatives.  Prints and CDs will not be returned to their owners.  Please do not send in the only copy of your photo.

The deadline to submit photos is:  March 10^th, 2012 and the winner will be notified the first week in April 2012. 

Guidelines:

Each entrant may submit up to 3 photos.  By submitting a photo, you agree to have your photo published on our website, on Facebook and in the Maui Family Magazine. Please include your name and your children’s names and ages. Open only to persons who, as of the date of Entry, are legal residents of, and physically located within, Maui County, and are not minors.

About the Four Seasons Resort Maui:

The Four Seasons Resort Maui: Maui’s first and only AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five-Star resort is nestled on 15 acres of the breathtaking Wailea coast.  The 380-room oceanfront property is world-renowned for its comfortable opulence, impeccable service and luxurious amenities. The resort is also home to one of the nation’s top-rated spas and three of Hawaii’s most acclaimed restaurants – Ferraro’s Bar e Ristorante, Spago Maui and DUO, a premium steak and seafood restaurant.

Some black out dates apply and hotel stay must be used within 1 year and is non transferrable.

A sweet treat for the LOVES in your life!  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ingredients

• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons Kona coffee-flavored liqueur
• 18 ladyfingers
• 1/3 cup chilled espresso
• 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. Cut off the tops of the strawberries and slice the berries. Reserve 2 large whole berries for garnish.
2. In a blender, place 2 cups of strawberries and 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar; blend to puree and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, 1/4 cup cream, 1/4 cup sugar, and liqueur; beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until thickened.
4. Place 6 ladyfingers on a serving plate and brush each with approximately 1 teaspoon cold espresso coffee. Spread or pipe out 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the ladyfingers, and layer with half of the sliced strawberries.
5. Repeat with the next 6 ladyfingers, espresso, remaining cheese mixture, and sliced strawberries; top with remaining 6 ladyfingers.
6. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup heavy cream with 2 tablespoons sugar; beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until just whipped, approximately 1 minute. Spread cream evenly over top layer of ladyfingers.
7. Dust cocoa over whipped cream, and garnish with 2 reserved strawberries. Pour strawberry puree onto two serving plates. Cut tiramisu in half, and place onto puree.

Online-Virtual Education Fair

Maui Family Magazine is hosting the next Online-Virtual Education Fair in February! Choosing the right educational environment for your child is important.  But with so many options, where do you begin?   We are here to help-You’ll find a variety of educational options in our Online Virtual Education Fair!

Explore local education options on your own time, 24/7 and with no pressure. You will discover  information about Maui schools through photos, detailed program descriptions, FAQ’s and even videos. It’s insightful, easy and fun!

Finding the right school entails knowing what kind of educational philosophy and type of curriculum each school practices and seeing if it’s the right fit for you and your child. All the schools on Maui are unique and give parents a lot of choice. We hope that we can begin to show parents some of those characteristics and  encourage them to take a deeper look at all the great schools on Maui!

Simply click here to enter the fair and explore local education options from the comfort of your home!

Online-Virtual Camp Fair

Maui Family Magazine is hosting the Online-Virtual Camp Fair!  You’ll find a variety of Camp offerings.  The Online-Virtual Camp Fair is open February-April 2012!

Explore on your own time and with no pressure. From within the Online-Virtual Camp Fair you can select the Video, Highlights and Photos tabs to experience each program to the fullest. You can even contact a representative or share info with friends through Facebook, Twitter or email from the same page!

Click Here to Enter the Online-Virtual Camp Fair!

Maui Economic Opportunity’s Head Start will be accepting applications for the 2012-2013 school year, beginning Wednesday, February 1, 2011. Head Start is a federal program that provides Early Childhood development services to families that meet the selection criteria. Children born in 2008 and 2009 are eligible for enrollment. Parents/ Legal Guardians will be required to bring the child’s birth certificate and 2 forms of household income (i.e. 2011 W-2 forms or2011 Tax Returns and 4-6 current pay stubs or TANF printout). Applications to be completed in the office between the hours of 7:30am – 3:30pm (Monday – Friday, except on all Federal and State holidays), at the MEO Family Center located at 99 Mahalani Street in Wailuku. For more information, please contact MEO Early Childhood Services department at 249-2988.

MEO Kahi Kamali`i Infant and Toddler Center is accepting applications for children aged 12 months – 3 years.  Services are provided at the Central Maui location behind the J. Walter Cameron Center.  Monthly tuition for services is $675.00, and scholarships may be available for income eligible families.  Applications may be completed at the MEO Family Center located at 99 Mahalani Street in Wailuku between the hours of 7:30 am – 3:30 pm (Monday – Friday, except on all Federal and State holidays). For more information, please contact the MEO Early Childhood Services department at 249-2988.

BodyWorks (5 week series) 243-6484

Kaiser Permanente Maui Lani Clinic

Saturdays, Mar 31-Apr 28, 1:30-3:30pm

BodyWorks: A toolkit for Healthy Teens and Strong Families is a health promotion program created by the US Office on Womens’ Health. Its goal is to helps parents/caregivers of preteens (9-13 years of age) improve family eating and activity habits. The program includes healthy shopping and cooking, a recipe book, food and fitness journals and more! The first class is for parents only. Children may attend with their parents after that.

Free