May 21st Show

Proudly Sponsored by

Woodward, Pires & Lombardo, PA

On today's show:

All about May!

Spring Cleaning May part three

Moxify Yourself!

How to get back up to EIGHT hours a week!

Special Guest, Chris Lombardo of Woodward, Pires & Lombardo, P.A. and Chair of the Golisano Children's Museum of Naples

on the power of play.

LISTEN HERE! 

May 21st

National Memo Day

National Strawberries and Cream Day

National Waitstaff Day

National Armed Forces Day – Third Saturday in May

The single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense. 

President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.

On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days.

It's May!

May Spring Cleaning part three!

We started with windows, windows lead to mulch and now we are headed back inside to clean the air.   The air in our homes is far more toxic than what is outside and we usually keep the windows closed.  Suzanne Somers, when she joined us on April 23, spoke about her family’s challenges from issues caused from within the home… and this is an area we can do something about!

Things that are regularly releasing toxins into our homes

Paint

mothballs

dry cleaning

carpets

rugs

curtains

foam padding (couch, mattress)

particle board (furniture)

plywood (furniture, construction)

insulation

cleaning products

room deodorizers

glue

plastic

electronics

Toxins regularly found in homes

Ammonia,

Benzene,

Formaldehyde,

Xylene,

Trichloroethylene,

fecal-matter particles (think pets, babies and bottom of shoes)

Plants absorb particulates from the air at the same time that they take in carbon dioxide, which is then processed into oxygen through photosynthesis. But that’s not all—microorganisms associated with the plants are present in the potting soil, and these microbes are also responsible for much of the cleaning effect. 

Beyond air quality, plants just make people feel better. For example, hospital patients with plants in their rooms were more positive and had lower blood pressure and stress levels

Plants that remove toxins from the air include:

1. Garden Mum

In the NASA research, this plant was an air-purifying champion, removing ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene from indoor air. Popular and inexpensive at garden stores, they can be planted outside after they're finished blooming.

Pollutants removed: ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene

2. Spider Plant

Spider plants are among the easiest houseplants to grow, making them a great choice for beginners or forgetful owners. A fan of bright, indirect sunlight, spider plants will send out shoots with flowers that eventually grow into baby spider plants or spiderettes.

Pollutants removed: formaldehyde and xylene

3. Dracaena

There are more than 40 different kinds of Dracaena plants, making it easy to find one that’s a perfect fit for your home or office. They're common foliage plants with long, wide leaves that are often variegated with lines of white, cream, or red. Pet owners might want to select a different plant, however, as these are toxic to cats and dogs.

Pollutants removed: benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene

4. Ficus/Weeping Fig

Though the ficus is a tree in its native home of southeast Asia, when it grows indoors, it's a hardy plant that ends up being between two and 10 feet tall. So why not get figgy with it? Grow this low-maintenance houseplant in bright, indirect light and allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Although this plant has some serious air-cleaning abilities, it can also be taken outside in late spring and brought back indoors when temperatures are warm and well above freezing.

Pollutants removed: benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene

5. Peace Lily

Peace lily plants are relatively small compared to many of the plants on this list, but they still pack some major air-cleaning abilities. Easy to grow, these plants will flower for much of the summer. Just be aware that those flowers (like all flowers) do contribute some pollen and floral scents to the air, so you may want to avoid having a room full of them. Put peace lilies in a shady spot and keep the soil moist without overwatering.

Pollutants removed: ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene

6. Boston Fern

These plants prefer to clean the air from a cool location with high humidity and indirect light. They're relatively easy to grow, but they do need to stay moist. Check the Boston Fern’s soil daily to see if it needs water, and give it a good soak once per month.

Pollutants removed: formaldehyde and xylene

7. Snake Plant/Mother-in-Law’s Tongue

This is one of the hardest houseplants to kill. Although it does need to be watered occasionally, it generally prefers drier conditions and some sun.

Pollutants removed: benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene

8. Bamboo Palm

A superstar of filtering formaldehyde, these palms thrive in full sun or bright light. Part of the reason they can filter so much air is that they can grow to be pretty big—as tall as four to 12 feet high, making them exciting (and pet-friendly) indoor additions.

Pollutants removed: benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene

9. Aloe Vera

In addition to being easy to care for, aloe makes some serious health claims. The plant's leaves contain a clear liquid full of vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, and other compounds that have wound-healing, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties, and there is some evidence that aloe may help (and is unlikely to hurt) skin conditions like psoriasis .

Pollutant removed: formaldehyde

10. English ivy (Hedera helix)

A study found that English ivy reduces airborne fecal-matter particles. It has also been shown to filter out formaldehyde found in some household cleaning products.

Although popular as a potted houseplant, the National Park Service doesn't seem to be such a fan. The plant is called "an aggressive invader that threatens all vegetation levels of forested and open areas." Fortunately, ivy shouldn't do much damage in a pot in your home. It grows best with moist soil and four or more hours of direct sunlight each day.

11. Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema Crispum 'Deborah')

This easy-to-care-for plant can help filter out a variety of air pollutants and begins to remove more toxins as time and exposure continues. Even with low light, it will produce blooms and red berries.

Southern Living actually calls the Chinese evergreen "the easiest houseplant" because these plants thrive in low light and will grow in places where other plants won't grow. Because they are tropicals, they like humid air. If your air is too try, tips might turn brown, so you might want to mist the leaves occasionally.

12. Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)

Also known as the reed palm, this small palm thrives in shady indoor spaces and often produces flowers and small berries. It tops the list of plants best for filtering out both benzene and trichloroethylene. This plant is also a good choice for placing around furniture that could be off-gassing formaldehyde.

Native to Mexico and Central America, this compact palm only grows about 5-7 feet tall. It prefers humidity, bright, indirect light, and doesn't do well when it is overwatered, says Houseplant411. It does best in temps of 65 to 80 degrees.

13. Heart leaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium)

This climbing vine plant isn’t a good option if you have kids or pets — it's toxic when eaten, but it's a workhorse for removing all kinds of VOCs. Philodendrons are particularly good at battling formaldehyde from sources like particleboard.

Heart leaf philodendron are very low-maintenance plants. They thrive with indirect light and very little maintenance, according to the University of Florida. The trailing vines can just fall from the container or can be trained to climb up a screen, trellis or pole.

Moxify Yourself

Last week I asked you to calculate how much time you take doing what and when.

We are the most in debit, obese, addicted and medicated adult cohort in U.S. history. 

All of these factors are not only connected but interrelated.

We are spending so much of our time and energy dedicated maintaining what isn’t working.  Definition of insanity:  doing something over and over again and expecting different results.  We MUST start doing something differently.

You owe it to yourself to make something remarkable of your life.

Plan ahead, ideally on Sunday.  With roughly 30 minutes of planning you can easily eliminate four to five hours of running around.  Plan your meals for the week including lunch boxes, make master grocery list from the recipes.  Assign reasonable amount of time for cooking dinner. Map out errands geographically so you're not criss-crossing all over town.  Declare goals for yourself on personal and business fronts.  Assign each of the required activities a date and time on the calendar... then sit back and admire the free time!

- every night, review your list of tomorrows to-do’s, make sure they are connected to a goal, if they aren’t rethink them being on there.  First thing in the morning, review again to help you get in the zone of mastering your day.  Start with the most important goal-wise.

-  Fiercely guard the free time you've worked so hard to earn.  Time (and the word spoken) are the only two things you can never get back, so say 'No' to requests for your time that you are not absolutely thrilled to be giving...THRILLED!  It's simple, but it's not easy.  Once you start, and it does take courage (whole fear of not being liked thing often rears it's ugly head here), you will become incredibly empowered.

-  Going forward, avoid multi-tasking.  Women seem to be masters at this, but its been shown to not give the results we are hoping for.  So, apart from the dishwasher and laundry running simultaneously, focus specifically on one task, do it well, get it done, check it off.  

Special guest Chris Lombardo of Woodward, Pires & Lombardo, joined us to share insights into the power of play, for ALL of us.

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We discussed different experiences and dynamics, the value inherent in them.

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A few insights, have a no technology rule in the car to talk and look out the window, your children are begging you to watch... "look at me!" ... because they know we aren't present and they know how much they need you to be. 

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Chris had an amazing list of idea for playing with friends and family that are free once you know where to go.  I've included links to the formal "tours" to get you started.  Once you get your sea legs, you can head out on your own.

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Here are the links to the places he mentioned. Now get planning for as Chris stated ... one long crazy adventure.