If you are growing marigolds indoors, you can start growing six to eight weeks before the last frost date. Because you are growing the flowers indoors, you do not need to worry about the soil being too cold for the plants, which is why you can start growing them earlier. If you are growing marigolds in a pot outdoors, you should wait until after the last frost to begin the process. Use a pot filled with soilless/seed-starting potting mix. Soilless potting mix is made up of materials like peat and bark. You can find it at gardening stores or stores like Home Depot and Lowe's. Make sure the pot you are using has drainage holes in the bottom. This will allow water to pass through the pot naturally as it does in the ground. You may want to put a board or plate underneath the pot to catch any excess water or soil that comes out of the drainage holes. Marigolds grown in containers can be planted closer together, but you want to make sure to give the seeds a couple inches of space in between them. Cover the seeds with inch of soil. Use about a teaspoon per plant of slow-acting granular fertilizer. This will give your marigolds the nutrients that they need to grow, and are active over a long period of time, about 8-12 weeks. 70 degrees is a good temperature to aim for in your home. Check your thermostat and make sure that your marigolds are being kept around this temperature. If needed, you can buy a heating pad to put under the pot to keep it at this temperature. Also make sure that you start growing your marigolds away from direct light until germination. Your marigold plant should start sprouting within 5-7 days. Once the plant has started sprouting, you will want to place it in direct light for at least 6-8 hours everyday. Either place the pot by a window if you live in a sunny climate, or put the pot under a grow lamp. If you are growing marigolds in a pot outdoors, keep them in direct sunlight. Marigolds do not generally require a lot of water, so water every few days. You want to let the soil partially dry out between watering. Too much dampness in the soil can over stimulate marigolds and isn't good for the plant. Water at the roots, and avoid getting the blooms, leaves and stems wet.

Summary: Wait until the start of spring to plant marigolds indoors. Use a soilless potting mix for indoor containers. Sow the seeds a couple inches apart. Mix in a slow-acting granular fertilizer. Keep the temperature around 70 degrees. Place the plant in direct light once germination begins. Water the marigolds occasionally.

A Djembe drum is typically goblet shaped. The top is usually made with goatskin and traditionally made from wood. Ropes usually tie the goatskin in place, holding it down in a somewhat zig-zag pattern. The shoe polish on the cup design and the terra cotta pot and painted containers in the pot design both imitate the wood covering of a Djembe drum. If you did the terra cotta design, you'll already have made some zig-zags. If you're using cups, you can draw or paint on zig-zags to mimic an authentic design. This will get you started in terms of making realistic designs. There are certain carvings you may find on traditional African drums. These can represent different aspects of life and culture in different parts of Africa. You can try adding such designs using stickers, paint, or other craft supplies to make your project more authentic. Various animals may represent different things on a drum. A crocodile is considered one of the first creatures on earth in some African cultures, for example. A python is often associate with divination and fortune-telling. Chickens can represent possibility and sacrifice. Fish can represent wealth and happiness. A padlock can represent power and control. Some occupations also hold significance. Drawing a blacksmith, or a blacksmith's tools, on your drum can symbolize transformation or fire. Keep in mind symbolism varies from culture to culture. You might want to get a sense of how symbolism is used and then use symbols from your own personal life and culture on your drums. For example, if a particular animal has special symbolism to you, you could put that on your drum. You can add decorations by simply using paint and markers. This may be the simplest option when working with young children. Both masking tape and terra-cotta are easy to paint or draw on with markers. With the terra-cotta project, beads of glue from the zig-zagging process may be visible. These can be covered up with the use of paint or markers. When working with children, provide smocks or have your kids wear old clothing. Paint and markers can get messy. If you're doing any of the above projects with very young children, consider providing them with stickers. These may be easier to use. Look for African-themed stickers, such as stickers featuring animals you would find in the region. You may be able to find stickers involving countries from Africa online. These can help make the project educational. Construction paper can also be a fun addition to an African drum project. You can have your kids cut the paper into shapes and glue them onto their pots or cups. Construction paper can make a variety of fun patterns that can be added to the African drums. You can stop by a local craft store and pick up things like beads, feathers, puffballs, pipe cleaners, and other fun craft accessories. If you're working with young children, they'll have fun gluing such supplies to their drums. Young kids often appreciate getting a little zany or silly for their projects. Don't be afraid to think outside the box by providing a medley of fun craft supplies.

Summary: Learn about the appearance of a Djembe drum. Familiarize yourself with symbolic decorations. Provide markers and paint. Use stickers. Consider construction paper. Throw in other craft supplies.

There are many types of meditation, so finding the one that works for you is important. Meditation has been shown to lower blood pressure, lessen anxiety, and much more. If you're looking for a way to rest without actually sleeping, meditation is a rewarding and mindful way of achieving that goal. Rather than laying on the coaching tossing and turning trying to feel rested, practicing meditation can actively improve your quality of rest. Work breaks into your day before you start to feel exhausted or overtired. If you keep pushing yourself until you actually start to feel awful, it will make it much harder to recover and feel rested. Work breaks into your life on a daily basis, a weekly basis, a monthly basis, and a yearly basis. Everyone needs time to recoup and recharge. This can be as easy as sitting outside for a few minutes before going back to work, taking one day to yourself a week, or a relaxing vacation. We all have a strong habit of discursive thinking, which means one thought flows to the next and then the next. This can be exhausting, and if you practice not thinking you can give your mind a valuable break. Open your senses to what is happening around you and pay attention, but don't think about them. Just experience them. When you find yourself drifting back into a line of thought, notice this and go back to paying attention to what you are experiencing. Sleeping is the one time when we are really able to give our minds a rest. Although meditation can help, sleeping is absolutely necessary to feel rested. Don't sacrifice sleep for other activities because the odds are they won't benefit your well being and happiness nearly as much as those extra hours will. Sounds like running water, birds chirping, and even storms can help you relax and stop stressing about whatever is going through your head. You can find playlists of these online. Other great options include gongs, chimes, or whatever instrumental music you might like. The brain always wants some sort of sensory input , and by supplying these sounds you might be able to let go of the more stressful input that you are supplying.
Summary: Meditate. Take incremental breaks on the micro and macro level. Practice not thinking. Try to get an appropriate amount of sleep. Listen to instrumental music or ambient noise.