Calathea, thank you for your kind words. We love this house, we moved here from another house about 5 years ago and its completely different. This one is a modern design house built just before 1990, the other was a Colonial in the Historic District, built in the 1920's with small rooms, no closets, teensy bathrooms and no interior light! This is much better! The plant you are calling a philodendron os an Alocasia loweii "Grandis". This is a division of the original plant that I have had for about 12 years, its been a houseplant the whole time. It got so huge I eventually had to divide the plant into three pieces last summer, it was tipping over the pot. This is one of the divisions. The other 2 I planted in protected locales in the yard. The reddish leaves are a huge philodendron. It doesn't have a name. It was one of several hybrids of the same grex that a breeder made in the 90's and released for mass market. ALl are similar, they are huge growing (I have seen specimens climbing totems that are 5-6 ft, spiraling). The new leaves emerge very red and gradually green up. I have a close-up of it.

I grow everything in a nutrient bath, with a bubbler. I use different types of media based upon the needs of the plant. The secret to using the bubbler is you need lots of air. I use a dual diaphragm pump from General Hydro to proved enough air. I have grown with no issues: cucumbers, crooked neck squash, onions, garlic, tomatoes, hot peppers, bell peppers, potatoes, basil, dill, peanuts, lettuce, corn, and much more. I have found that the plant will only grow as much as the roots receive air. By this I mean that leaves will wilt and the plant will die if it does not get enough air around the roots. I have grown numerous different types of tomato plants all in a nutrient bath, at it works just fine. In fact, I have no problems at all. I start the plants from seed, as soon as there is enough root, I move the seed out of the peat media into rock wool plugs. The rock wool plugs are then placed into a small net cup and those are put into the lid of a 2 gallon bucket with a bubbler and a weak nutrient solution where the roots are allowed to grow about 6 inches long. Once the roots are six inches or so in length, the plugs are dropped into the DC10 Grodan Rock wool 3"X3" cubes. These cubes have a hole pre-cut that allows you to drop the plug into it and get a decent fit. I then drill a smaller 2" hole all the way through the cube to allow the air and nutrients to "splash up" onto the roots. The tomato plants grow very fast this way. The 3" x 3" cubes are then placed into a net pot, and the net pot is placed into a hole that I cut into the top of a 5 gallon bucket lid. Naturally the 5 gallon bucket is filled with a stronger nutrient solution and a bubbler. I use what is called a atrium drain cap for a net pot. This drain cap can be purchased at Home Depot for about $6.75, and can be used over and over again as it is extremely strong and durable. The drain cap allows the 3" x 3" cube to be inserted into it perfectly. The drain cap has a large 2" lip that runs along the outside edge and provides stability for tall plants like the tomato plant. It has a raised 4" wall that raises above the edge that I use to drill holes and place 48" tomato supports which then supports the plants as they grow.

I have 3 boys ages 3, 6, 9 years. I purchased the small round ziplock bowls and labeled them with all 3 kids names. Inside each one, I put 20 white poker chips labeled with their initial. I also have a fine jar. Each one of those white poker chips represent a quarter. At the end of the week, the white poker chips are exchanged with money (It can be a total of $5.00). I don't pay my kids for chores, but I do fine them for things. If I ask them to do something and they don't do it or have to be told again, they are fined a quarter (white poker chip). If they smart off to me, tell me no, misbehave, etc. they can be fined also. On Saturday, when I exchange the poker chips for real quarters, they must put 10% in a jar for tithes, 10% in a jar for savings and the rest goes into a jar for cash. I also exchange the fined poker chips for quarters that go into a jar labeled "dinner for Mom & Dad" when we have enough money in the jar, Dad & I go out to eat on the kids! I also put 7 blue poker chips for 30 mins of Playstation time, 7 red poker chips for 30 mins of computer time and 7 other colored chips for 30 mins of TV time. They must put these chips in the fine jar when they want to use the TV, Playstation & Computer. I also fine these chips too. (these are replinished every Sunday) I try to make sure they always have some money by Saturday so I will fine the other chips if necessary. The TV time chip isn't the only time they can watch TV. If the family is watching TV or the other child is watching something, they don't have to use a chip. Just if there's something specific they want to watch or if it's a time when the TV is not being watched anyway by someone else. I also have a jar that is filled with strips of folded paper that lists special privilages that they can pick out of if they receive all $5.00 that week or if they've been extra helpful or extra good. Some examples: stay up an extra 15 mins., sleep in Mom's bed when Dad is working, choose and help fix dinner one night, choose and help fix a dessert, etc. I also have a jar of punishments in case I'm flustered and need a quick punishment. Some examples are: no screens for 24 hours (playstation, computer, TV), time out in room for 30 mins, must go to bed 30 mins early, etc. There's also a mercy ticket in that jar (because God gives us mercy when we don't deserve it). I have one last jar that has slips of paper with extra jobs to do. This is used as a punishment also (smart mouth, etc) some examples are: dog poop patrol, wipe baseboards throughout house, vacuum entire house, sweep front and back porch, clean glass doors inside and out, etc. Most of the jars I use are the empty sweetened Kool-aid plastic jars. This system works great for us! You'd be amazed at how my 3 year old gets upset at having to give me a poker chip! If anyone is interested, I'll be happy to email you my lists for the punishment jar, extra job jar, and special privilage jar or answer any...

I knew there was a such thing as Children's Day. I just never thought of it as a gift-giving-celebrating-with-family kind of thing. Not like Mother's Day or Valentines Day. I thought it was about awareness- like Earth Day. I didn't think it was about me and my children, but children's issues. Awareness of the issues around children's health/well-being, like disease, poverty, abuse, homelessness, disasters. I would have associated Children's Day with something like a fundraiser, safety fair... a drive for awareness. Not dinners and gifts or family outings. But, I didn't know it was yesterday, or even in June. ;o) So what do I know? Obviously, I didn't do anything out of the ordinary with my kids yesterday. I didn't even take them to the community pool. I did their laundry, and fed them. I left the house for a while so I could come home and be nicer. ;o)