Book Giveaway. Very worth reading!

Michael Pollan is an award-winning, best selling author. I'm looking forward to hearing him speak in Petaluma next week, thanks to an invite from Emilee Gettle of Baker Creek Seeds.

Meanwhile, found a cool book giveaway from journalist Sarah Henry at Lettuce Eat Kale. Excellent book: Food Rules. Fun blog. Check it out.

Have you ever done this?

Plant a seed. Watch it grow. Read a seed catalog.

If you're a Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, or Teacher to a little one, I encourage you to plant a seed today. Better yet, consider planting HEIRLOOM or open-pollinated seeds. A gift in the garden can last a lifetime. Children love collecting, so why not start your very own seed-saving collection. Perhaps join a garden club: California Garden Clubs, Inc.

Play, plant and grow together!

FREE Seed Catalogs 2010

A few to get you started:

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
http://rareseeds.com/catalog
(417) 924-8917

Seeds of Change
http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/catalog_request.asp
(888) 762-7333

Bountiful Gardens
http://www.bountifulgardens.org/inforequest.asp
(707) 459-6410

Seed Savers Exchange
http://www.seedsavers.org/CatalogRequest.aspx
(563) 382-5990

Territorial Seed
http://www.territorialseed.com/catalog_request
(800) 626-0866

Wild Garden Seed
http://www.wildgardenseed.com/requestcatalog.php
(541) 929-4068

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
http://www.southernexposure.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=99006&Category_Code=CAT
(540) 894-9580

Select Seeds
http://www.selectseeds.com/cgi-bin/start.cgi/mngmnt/catalog_request.htm
(800) 684-0395

National Gardening Association
http://kids.garden.org/inquiry.php
(800) 538-7476

Life's most persistent and urgent question is...

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'” -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Volunteers Needed Immediately!

How about helping the Lemon Lady spread the news? Any Town, U.S.A. Fruit is needed at food banks and food pantries.

It really is easy. Just tell a friend. Blog it. Tweet it. Write it in a newsletter, church bulletin, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Church, School, or Civic groups, all are welcome. Drop a flyer at the first fruit tree you see.

This is not a contest. This is reality. This is hunger. This is fresh fruit falling from trees and rotting to the ground - in cities all across America.

Hunger in our very own neighborhood. Please...Do a little good today. On behalf of millions of children who deserve healthy oranges, sweet tangerines, lemons and grapefruit at their breakfast table - Your kindness will be forever appreciated!

Remember, you don't necessarily have to pick the fruit - just spread awareness.

Email me or CLICK HERE for a sample letter to leave on doorsteps.
AnnaAndAva@gmail.com

Or, call anytime:
925.672.1988 or 925.681.9241

The best things in life are free...

A wonderful world awaits you in the pages of seed catalogs. Seed catalogs can inspire future generations of gardeners, farmers, and most important, seed savers! Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is one of the best vibrant, full-color, thick as a luxury magazine to lull away the winter blues. To order Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Catalog, CLICK HERE or telepone: (417) 924-8917.

Heirloom seeds are what the world needs now!

The catalogs are free. Order yours today, before they run out. Last year when I tried to order a second copy for my office, they had already run out of catalogs. When you're ready to recycle old catalogs, please donate to The Lemon Lady. We can share these as education materials for low-income community gardens. Promote Literacy. Support Education. Inspire Gardening.

For a list of other FREE seed catalogs, CLICK HERE.

Money on Monday! Eco-Friendly Green Heroes - $60,000

I'd love to hear stories of how others are making earth a greener place to live. We can all work together to sustain our natural resources. Eco-friendly and living greener is fun and easy! Help me stamp out hunger by saving the world one litte lemon at a time. It all begins with the power of one - YOU.

One person. One Tree. One little lemon at a time.

The makers of Green Works™ natural cleaners have designed a fun way for you to get involved. Gather a few friends. Create a community project. Save the lemons and save the world too.

If you need help starting out...contact me! Hunger never ends, and the oranges and lemons are falling, rotting from the trees as we speak. Help is needed. $60,000 is up for grabs!

CLICK HERE to learn more about "Green Heroes Grant Program."

Nominations deadline is February 18, 2010.

Owl reminding you...it's not too late for Monday

You'll find lots of wildlife at the Lindsay Museum Monday from 10am-12 noon. No reservations needed for this special event for toddlers. Just show up and have fun. Night night, sleep tight owl.

CLICK HERE for my previous story about:
Mini Monday--Animal disguises

Mon, January 25, 2010
Presenter: Museum Teacher
Duration: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Ages: 2-5 plus Adult

What if?

If we treated everyone we meet with the same affection

we bestow upon our favorite cat, they, too, would purr.

-Martin Buxbaum

$500.00 free money for Military Kids...

Our Military Kids provides grants to children of National Guard, Reserve, and Active Duty service members. Explore their website for further details. What an endearing program. Easy application and up to $500.00 per child is available.

Our Military Kids Mission:

"Our Military Kids provides tangible support to children of deployed National Guard and Reserve personnel as well as to children of severely injured service members through grants for enrichment activities and tutoring. Such activities help these children cope with the stress of having a parent in a war zone or recovering from injury at home. Our Military Kids grants are made to honor the sacrifices that military families make and to ensure that their children have access to sports, fine arts, or academic tutoring programs.

As of December 31, 2009, $5.7 MILLION in grants have been awarded to around 14,633 children!"

Mini Monday--Animal disguises January 25, 2010

This is the place to be on Monday! Last year, Ava enjoyed the fun-filled 2-hours of animal entertainment. We can hardly wait! Rain or shine, well worth our time.

Mini Monday--Animal disguises
January 25, 2010
Member price: $8.00
Non-member price: $10.00

Stories, arts & crafts, activities and animal encounters make this an exciting morning, filled with many fun teacher-led activities for children ages 2-5 and their caregivers. Mini Mondays are the last Monday of the month. Pre-registration is not required. Children must be accompanied by an adult caregiver. Fee: $10 for the first child ($8 museum members) $5 for each additional child ages 2 and up. Children under 2 free with one paid admission.

Lindsay Wildlife Museum, 1931 First Avenue, Walnut Creek, CA 94597
(925) 935-1978

A little tip - if you've ever been wanting to visit Lindsay Wildlife Museum, this is a great cost-savings morning. Mom, Dad, and child can all visit for the $10.00 admission price. That is less than half the cost of regular admission fee.

Money on Monday! Kohl's Kids Who Care Scholarship Program...

"For 2010, Kohl's will award more than $410,000 in scholarships and prizes to more than 2,100 kids, ages 6 through 18, whose volunteer efforts have made a positive impact on their communities."

I believe in making a difference in our community and we should do whatever it takes to inspire youth to help out! Kohl's Kids Who Care Scholarship Program is a wonderful, easy way to nominate a young volunteer and win grant money for their project.

A quick skim through last year's list of Kohl's California Store winners introduces us to children from Danville, Oakland, Napa and other Bay Area towns. What will it take to put Concord, Clayton, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Martinez or other cities on the map? Don't delay. Be inspired. Prepare your nominations. Contest entry begins February 1st with a deadline in March 2010.

Our job as Parents is to provide encouragement to our children. Have fun. Do good.

$35,000 - Rewarding Community Service...

I can't help but wonder...

All these fundraisers for our basically bankrupt California School Districts. Save music. Save sports. Save our teachers. Save money. Budget cuts. Save the world.

As parents are reaching their maximum ability to donate money, wouldn't it be worth our while to submit a community service project to the True Hero Organization - Rewarding Community Service? This could net the non-profit several thousand dollars with very little effort. The application process wouldn't take ten minutes.

With the power of Claycord.com and other local media, we could work together and vote for our local service project. Remember when Claycord.com fueled online voters to click for $500.00 for their high school football team? Where do we go from here? If it's all about clicking...is anyone up to the task?

According to True Hero's website, only 1,856 votes have been cast thus far, with prize money totalling over $35,000 to the highest ranked projects based on your online voting. Sounds like pretty good odds to me.

Harvest House The Natural Food Store - Discount Coupons...

I found Harvest House coupons on the Contra Costa Times website. They expire January 31, 2010. I phoned Harvest House to find out if it is okay to print from my home computer for redemption in their store. They said yes. So, PRINT, shop healthy and save $.

Harvest House The Natural Food Store
2395 Monument Blvd., Concord, CA 94520
(888) 655-0728 or (925) 676-2305

Did you know there is a natural foods store in Concord? We never knew until a few years ago when searching for DHA supplements and Gripe Water for our colicky little Lemon Lady Jr.

Harvest House is located across the street from Costco on Monument Blvd., just past Detroit Avenue. They carry a wide selection of natural and bulk foods, vitamins, herbs and supplements, even a dairy and frozen food section. Fun to visit every few months! They have a website, email newsletter with other monthly promotions.

Costco Members 10% discount on Thursdays
Senior Citizens 10% discount on Tuesdays
Additional Coupons published first Tuesday of the month in the Contra Costa Times.

Money on Monday! Totally cool...

Any Town, USA - there's money waiting for you. Seriously. I've found over $50,000 for friends. I was bored one day (long ago, before children and Lemon Lady adventures.) I searched the names in my address book and 8 out of 10 of my friends had free money just waiting for them. Such a nice surprise! What would you do with a few extra dollars? What would you do for your friends?

Garden, Grow, Dream. Renee's Garden Seeds...

This is a beautiful line of dependable and unique seeds. I have loved spending hours delighting in the artwork and planting dozens of interesting seed varieties offered here. A few of my favorites from last year were: Vanilla Berry Nasturtiums, Pan-Pacific Stirfry Mix and the spectacular, climbing Trombetta di Albenga Squash.

Renee's Garden Seeds online catalog is always a source for dreaming and inspiration. So much to choose from, only so little land available...

Happy Gardening.

A few local retailers that carry Renee's Garden Seeds: Orchard Supply Hardware in Concord and Sloat Garden Center in Alamo.

Do Nothing. Get Nothing.

In the Bay Area alone - right this minute - hundreds of thousands of pounds of fresh fruit will fall to the ground and rot in only a few short months. What will you do about it? Join me. One person. One Tree at a time. It all begins somewhere. Do nothing. You are guaranteed to get nothing. Children are hungry. Read below:

How to save the world, one little lemon at a time...

Call To Action For Volunteers:

How to save the world, one little lemon at a time.Find a Fruit Tree. Leave a flyer.
In Season Now: Lemons, Oranges, Grapefruit, Tangerines, Pomelos, Apples, Persimmons.
The Lemon Lady, Jefferson Award Winner in the Campaign against Hunger needs your help to get the word out. If you see a fruit tree, ask the owner to share fresh fruit with a local food pantry. Simply leave a flyer on their doorstep. Or, call the Lemon Lady - she delivers.

510.406.1625 or AnnaAndAva@gmail.com.

Do nothing, get nothing. You don't necessarily have to harvest the fruit, just ask others. One random act of kindness - this small action, a 10 cent flyer, may yield hundreds of dollars in fresh fruit donations to food pantries.

E-mail AnnaAndAva@gmail.com for a Sample Flyer (MS Word document) to deliver in today's travels. Do good, one tree at a time.

For a listing of all California Food Banks:

http://www.cafoodbanks.org/Find_A_Food_Bank.html

The Best Free Guide for Freebies, Playgrounds, Hiking Trails, Museums, Resources and More...

From the BayAreaParent.com website:
Our 2010 Family Navigator is here, with all the best places to go, things to see, and stuff to do with your family. new this year: A guide to Freebies in the Bay Area.

I can't say enough wonderful words about this excellent publication. Nothing on the internet even compares to this handy print edition. Never leave home without it!

Be sure to keep a copy of Bay Area Family Navigator in your car. It lists so many exciting activities in a convenient format, telephone numbers, maps and other details.

The secret to enriched living as a stay-at-home mom on a shoestring budget - is not to miss out on hundreds of Bay Area activities, from free museums, zoos, animal and theme parks, even free sailing on the Bay. While toddling around California, there is nothing more exciting than introducing our children to the wonderful world around us.

Buckle up baby, go exploring! While you're at it, find a fruit tree, make friends with a neighbor (It's easy!), and enjoy some fresh meyer lemons, sweet tangerines or navel oranges this time of year. A great way to bring healthy, super local, free fruit to your family's picnic table, with plenty left over for local food banks too! Call the Lemon Lady if you need help getting started. Happy trails. Happy Harvesting.

Love Lemons,

AnnaAndAva@gmail.com

Where to pick up a free copy of Bay Area Parent, CLICK HERE.

High School Journalists? Contest Grand Prize $3,000

From the website, keep the drive dot com:

Second Annual Keep the Drive High School Journalism Awards
Contest overview and instructions

"Use your journalism skills to make a difference and create awareness about the No. 1 killer of teens.

The Allstate Foundation is sponsoring the second annual Keep the Drive High School Journalism Awards to encourage teens to educate their peers about the dangers of texting while driving.

New this year, the journalism contest will have two awards. Journalists may enter either the Print Category or Broadcast Category, but not both."

CLICK HERE for contest website, complete rules and details.

Award entries will be accepted from November 5, 2009, through March 20, 2010.

Cool contest for Parents!

We've spent a small fortune on baby proofing our house and two grandparents' places for just one busy 3-year old. This is a simple enough contest worth some cool prizes, a home safety makeover worth $2500, and several Evenflo Symphony65 car seats for giveaway.

With a growing toddler in the house, who couldn't use another car seat? :) At least worth a peek for some New Year safety ideas to protect our children. Be safe. Have fun. And, good luck!

Contest expires January 15, 2009. CLICK HERE to enter.

Pomegranates, Persimmons, Apples, Lemons. Donate Fruit!

Life is not all about lemons! In California and other states nationwide, we have an abundant fall harvest. Pumpkins. Pomegranates. Persimmons. Apples. Pears. Lemons. Limes. Oranges. Tangerines. Grapefruit and many more. Begin noticing the beautiful autumn colors decorating urban sidewalks in a city near you. Find a tree. Meet your neighbors. Make a new friend. Pick fruit. Do good.

No child should go hungry. We don't have a food shortage in America. We have a food distribution problem. This is a wonderful, easy opportunity for any ONE of us to make a difference in our own community. Food banks and food pantries nationwide accept homegrown fruit for donation to feed the hungry.

CLICK HERE for food banks and food pantries NATIONWIDE who accept fresh fruit and produce.

Garden. Grow. Share the love. Pick some lemons.

Happy Harvesting.

Call or email the lemon lady for fast pickup and delivery.

Anna, The Lemon Lady
AnnaAndAva@gmail.com
Cell: (510) 406-1625

For Media inquiries or to Learn More: CLICK HERE.

Community heroes to be recognized on January 13 by Senator Diane Feinstein and Attorney General Jerry Brown...

http://www.diablomag.com/D-blog/Best-Of-Editor-Picks/January-2010/CBS-5-interviews-East-Bay-Jefferson-Award-winners/

Invest in your health, have fun this New Year. Top 10 Healing foods of the decade...

Blueberries: Highest level of antioxidants

Photos: www.huffingtonpost.com

Pomegranates: Symbol of Fertility

Great article, gorgeous food pics!

Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald.

Wellness Editor, Licensed Acupuncturist,

Cert. Clinical Nutritionist, Homeopath, Author

Posted: December 30, 2009 09:01 AM

Let Food Be Thy Medicine: Top 10 Healing Foods Of The Decade

New Year's Resolution #1 - Eat Healthier and have fun doing it. A great place to visit year round: Sunday Walnut Creek Farmers' Market or Tuesday, Concord Farmers' Market. Meet me there and say hello. As Parents, it is our responsibility to choose healthier foods to feed our families. You can too. Think outside the box...think fresh, a fresh New Year! Fresh oranges and lemons are ripe all over town. Perhaps join me in finding a neighborhood tree and making new friends for the New Year.

P.S.

Chocolate is on the top 10 list too. Only three more days to enter this FUN contest.