Here are five of my most essential gardening tips for new gardeners and expert gardeners alike.

1. Don't over do it. Meaning, better to have a few beautiful marigolds in a small area that are well-kept rather than planning for a full-blown formal English garden and finding it more work than you can do and then you abandon your garden.

2. Draw before you grow. Don't need anything fancy. Just pencil and paper. Really helps keep things in perspective.

3. Mulch is your friend. It helps keep soil temperature even, water in and can even help with pests. Don't think because it's a potted plant mulch won't help. It will help any planting. Check your local waste company. Many have free compost/mulch days.

4. Keep tools clean. Help stop the spread of parasites and microbes by taking a few minutes to clean your gardening tools when you are done with them. No one wants to contaminate their soil.

5. Know your zone. Seed packets are labeled with Zones. Once you know your zone, a whole world will open up on what is best to plant. Added bonus, zone appropriate plants will thrive under your care. USDA Zones are here.

I hope these tips will help you whether you are a master gardener or beginner. All these tips apply to container gardening and in the earth.

What is your best and/or favorite gardening tip? Let us know in the comments!

Image courtesy of www.picgifs.com.

Author: Janna Hall Janna enjoys the thrill of a deal and sharing frugal tips, cooking and her passion, video gaming. When not blogging, Janna can be found on her Xbox 360, cooking, earning some cash or gardening. Share tips, recipes, deals here and follow on Twitter.

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With the holiday season swiftly approaching and the gaming season starting, it is time for us to remember we are to look out for and protect our children. While game ratings are annoying to me, a grown woman, I find them invaluable when picking up video games for the kids in my life.

As with all things, use common sense too. Just because something is rated M, doesn't mean it is a "bad game" that only adults should play. It means you should think very hard about letting an impressionable four year old play that video game. Afterall, sometimes the ESRB rates a game Teen or Mature because of overuse of naughty words. But what if in your home you don't censor language? So you can see how that game suddenly, for some, becomes rated Everyone.

So without further yammering from me....

All ratings are listed from most innocent to most extreme.

Early Childhood
This one will be a big EC in the box and it means the game's content is OK for ages 3 and older. The game also contains no material that parents should find inappropriate.

Everyone
This one will be a big E in the box and it means the game's content is considered by the ESRB OK for ages 6 and older. Parents should note that titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon/fantasy/mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.

Everyone 10+
This one will have a big E10+ in the box and means the game's content is believed to be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category usually contain more cartoon/fantasy/mild violence/mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.

Teen
You will find a big T in the box and it means the game's content is considered to be suitable for ages 13 and older. This category may frequently violence/suggestive themes/crude humor/minimal blood/simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language.

Mature
Look for the big old M in the box. Mature means the game's content is more suitable for persons ages 17 and older. This category will contain intense violence/blood and gore/sexual content and/or strong language.

Adults Only
This one will have a big AO in the box and it means the game has content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category almost always include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

Rating Pending
You will see the RP usually in ads for unreleased games as they have not yet been assigned a final ESRB rating. Once the game gets it's final rating, the RP is replaced.

Not Rated
Typically, if you pull out a mangifying glass or squint really hard you will see a NR and this almost always relates to online multiplayer. The ESRB has no way of reliably rating online activity.

As for the NR, I can tell you from experience, the single player rating is what you can usually expect from the multiplayer. In this I mean, when I pop onto Viva Pinata Party Animals (Rated E), I watch my language and behave myself. As should all people when in such a situation.

But, when I toss in the old Call of Duty (M), I make sailor's blush and do not take any prisioners, so to speak.

You see how the rating affects my own behavior? I find the same to be true for the most part with most games. There will always be idiots though that could care less about what type of multiplayer they are in and will be rude no matter what. That is why it is important for you, the grown person, to pay attention to your child's online gaming activity just as you would when they go outside and play.

I hope this helps you find the perfect games for the little ones in your life!
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For the Mommies, Daddies, Aunties, Uncles, Grandparents and Babysitters out there balking at their toddlers and children playing video games, let me give you something to think about. Xbox as a Learning Tool.

Learning Tool? What? How? Well, I am glad you asked. You see, as a frugal gal, I'm all about not only myself multitasking, but my purchases multitasking. This means my gaming console must be able to do more than play video games that involve me killing vengeful players over and over.

While, your Xbox 360 lets you enter a fabuloso world of fun, excitement and camaraderie, there are some games out there designed with the little ones and families in mind. I will be listing them alphabetically. Please note that some of these titles are also available for other gaming systems.

Educational Value: Teaches Reading, History, Mathematics and Geography. A+
Positive Role Models: Varied choice of contestants to chose from like a little mini United Nations. A
Family Friendly: This is a carefully censored game and is proud of its ESRB rating of Everyone. A+
Ease of Play: The controls are easy to use. A+
Violence: N/A. A+
Able To Play Alone: Yes! A+
Adult Things: None. A+
Ages: Designed for ages 8 and up. Younger kids might need help. B+
Overall Grade: A+

Educational Value: Teaches Problem Solving via Puzzles and Fitness. Plus teaches Competition in a sporting fashion. A+
Positive Role Models: Yes! A+
Family Friendly: Absolutely family friendly. A+
Ease of Play: Once you get your Kinect set up right, this game is a snap to control. A+
Able To Play Alone: Yes but it is more fun played as a family. Up to 4 people can play. A+
Adult Things: None at all. A+
Ages: Namco says this is for everyone. But I'm saying its for anyone that can control their body. So, with help, Toddlers and up! A+
Overall Grade: A+

Educational Value: Teaches Problem Solving and encourages Creativity. Without realizing it, some fundamentals in Physics is also taught. A+
Positive Role Models: No characters so other than your little character, no role models. The game itself functions as a positive role model. C+
Family Friendly: Absolutely family friendly. A+
Ease of Play: Because there is very little instruction beyond the first 10 puzzle tutorial. Those that think inside the box will find this very challenging. B+
Able To Play Alone: Yes. A+
Adult Things: None at all. A+
Ages: EA says this is for everyone. But I'm saying its for anyone that can control their body. With help, Toddlers and up! A+
Overall Grade: A-

Educational Value: Because this game is actually 4 games, it teaches Problem Solving, Relationship between Columns and Rows, using Grids, Mathematics, Strategy, Memory, Spacial Conception and Logic. A++
Positive Role Models: The only characters are your Xbox 360 Avatars. C+
Family Friendly: Very family friendly. A+
Ease of Play: Super simple to get games going. A+
Able To Play Alone: Yes. But it is more fun as a family. Up to 4 players. A+
Adult Things: None at all. A+
Ages: EA says this is for everyone. For the younger kids teaming up with Mom or Dad is a big help. A
Overall Grade: A

Educational Value: Teaches Music and thus Music Appreciation. Encourages Competition via Teamwork. A+
Positive Role Models: The rock stars are little lego characters and thus are acceptable. B+
Family Friendly: With it's family friendly lyrics this is a fun game to play together. A+
Ease of Play: The drums and guitars are tough, the vocals are easier. C+
Violence: I didn't see any. A+
Able To Play Alone: Yes. A child can blast through this on their own. A+
Adult Things: None. A+
Ages: Warner Brothers Studios says this is for 10 years old and up. But my six year old stepson has no problem playing this. B+
Overall Grade: A-

So what does this mean for Mommies and Daddies? This means, that no longer are you limited by educational TV shows while you shower or do dishes, etc. Now, your child can be entertained and learning without commercials playing and enforcing consumerism.

In addition, all the games I listed are fun to play for adults as well and of course are all great to play as a family. This will further increase the bond between you and the kids in your life without worrying about violence, bad language, adult situations and all those other things that the video game industry has gotten a reputation for.

A couple of quick safety tips before you go on a shopping spree.
1. Creating a kids profile on an Xbox 360 console is easy and can be adjusted to prevent kids from viewing or playing anything that is rated above what you allow.
2. Do not purchase a Live membership. Why does your child need to play multiplayer with all sorts of random strangers.
3. If you must purchase a Live membership, learn how to lock down your child's profile via the Account Settings so only people on the friends list can communicate with the child.
4. Consider not having the Xbox 360 connected to the internet. Solving the random stranger thing instantly. Only plug in a few times a year for updates.
5. An Xbox 360 is like a TV. This means set the timer to limit gaming time. Check the Xbox 360 profile Settings to set timer.
6. Xbox 360 is not a babysitter! I grow weary of small children mouthing off while I am playing games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops. If you love your child, why are they playing such a violent game with total adult strangers all hours of the day and night?!?!
7. If a game is single player, take turns at the controls so you and your child are playing together. More family time!
8. Save often. Games can crash or freeze.
9. Check the game settings for a subtitles option. If there is one, turn it on and have the child read the subtitles aloud or read to the child. This will really help with Reading.
10. Have fun. It is, afterall, only a game.

Game on - family style!
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Learning! Yay! Well, most of you might groan as old habits from childhood kick in. Recent studies have shown some startling things regarding kids/students (Yes Mom/Dad, you who are putting yourself through college).

Did you know that 2.6 months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills are lost during the summer months? Or that typically, teachers spend between 4-6 weeks re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer?

Yikes! So, how does this apply to you and your kids? Well, it is simple. Keep them learning.

While there are many private and community funded summer programs, sometimes there isn't the money or time to ferry kids back and forth. What you can do is contact your school and see if your teacher, or your kids' teacher(s) for the upcoming school year have any assignments that can be completed over the summer. Put a reminder up for next April/May to start checking your local newspaper & teachers.

Don't be afraid to watch educational programs with your kids or even alone. Many great shows are on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, Science Channel, NatGeo and the Smithsonian Channel and do not have that dreaded "e" rating in the corner. Some great programs my own family has enjoyed without realizing it is educational include, anything about animals/habitat, any show that talks about prior wars, shows that deal with civilizations, the list goes on!

Some other ways to learn on the sly, as I say, is via gardening, hiking, camping, pretty much anything outdoorsy.

As for keeping Math skills up, it is never too early to teach your kids how to save money when grocery shopping as well as budgeting money. Just by going to a grocery store with a set budget your kids will learn addition, subtraction, fractions, mathematical planning and averages. Perhaps even more. And to top it off, your family will become frugal and perhaps see why, no you can't have that box of cookies at $6.99.

Finally, in my home, we have Family Night. This is a treasured and loved night. But I recently added a twist to it. Every other Family Night is themed. We vote on the theme. It can be a country, continent, civilization, ethnicity, religion, idea, language or culture. Then the whole night is based on that. I do my best to make food within the theme (try new things). While we are cooking the dinner, I try to draw the conversation to philosophy. That's right, I sneak in philosophy on them while doing Home Ec.

In addition, I reward for any kid that can say a complete phrase (foreign language only). Rewards vary from "I'm proud of you" and a hug to treats. Then we watch a movie either from that country, culture, etc. Afterwords we talk about it. Find out what they found to be different or they liked plus how that area of the world/culture/etc. evolved to be different from us. Finally, I try to bring them around to finding similarities between themselves and whatever our theme is. Yes I did. I snuck in psychology and sociology.

The bottom line is, not only will you be learning, keeping your family learning but you will be spending some great time together. :)

Here are a few great resources to help you out in your quest for knowledge and giving your kids a leg-up in the world.

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