We're well into April now, and it's time for me to plan my garden. But I wouldn't dream of plotting what to plant without involving my son. He's not exactly what I'd call an avid gardener, but both at school and at home, he's been involved in gardening projects since he was big enough to drop a seed into the ground. Now he helps brainstorm which vegetables we should grow this year.

As long as your project is age-appropriate, gardening can be mind-expanding, creative fun for kids. Here are 10 gardening project for kids, going from easy to more advanced. 

I've heard it so many times. "I have a black thumb!" "I kill every plant I get!" I love growing plants indoors. I just need that green in my life. But my record with house plants is far from perfect. I get it -- it's just too easy to kill some plants, and then you feel like a terrible failure.

But it's not as hard as it seems to keep a houseplant alive. A lot of it just comes down to keeping good habits and paying attention to your plants. Here's a few suggestions that have helped me.

Winter can be an ugly time for gardens. We all love the sight of a garden covered in a fresh blanket of snow. Dark bare branches, seed pods, and icicles can look hauntingly gorgeous. But when the snow melts away -- or if you never get that snow at all? Bleh. You're looking at a dreary deathscape of brown and gray.

So how do you beautify your garden in the winter? I refuse to believe that closing the drapes for three months is the only answer! Here are some ideas for helping your garden look its best even through the dark days of winter.

My summers always look like this: grill, relax, and whip up lots of mmm-worthy margaritas. NEVER do my grillin' and chillin' plans include getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and bees.

Unfortunately, my blood-sucking and bothersome insect frenemies know just how to crash a good time, and I'm usually in the corner of every barbecue pissed and pouting, full of bug bites.

To top it all off, I hate using bug spray. It's too sticky, too smelly, and too damn expensive. Personally, I'm making it a point to find another alternative. So with that in mind, check out these 6 chemical-free, low-budget, and kid-friendly remedies that naturally ward off those icky insects. The best part? You've probably got all the ingredients at home.

Ok, I have kind of an embarrassing (and somewhat shameful) confession to make. Even though I know it's a huge faux pas, I'm really behind the times when it comes to the whole going green thing. I run the air conditioning six months out of the year even though I live in the Northeast. I use plastic bags and containers and anything else that makes life a bit more convenient. And as far as recycling goes? Yeah, I try to do it. (Sometimes.)

But thanks to CafeMom's new YouTube show, Mom-Ed: Green Living, there may be hope for people like me who are kinda clueless in the green department. The new show is hosted by Kristen Eykel, and it aims to teach moms the ropes of adopting an eco-conscious lifestyle. For the first episode, Kristen was joined by eco-consultant Alexandra Zissu, and she gave 10 easy tips on how moms can make their daily lives a little bit greener.

The following is a post from our sponsor, Burpee Home Gardens.

Gardening has many benefits. Not only is it great exercise and a stress reliever, it can also improve your family’s health. Many of the best sources for antioxidants come from home gardening favorites such as cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and peppers. Take advantage of your garden with these tips for healthy eating:

One builder in Ohio is taking the idea of constructing a green home to a whole new level, by using straw instead of regular building materials. Straw. As in hay. As in "The Three Little Pigs."

But wait a minute -- I thought that the Big Bad Wolf destroyed the straw house, which forced that little pig to move in with the one who used bricks instead? I'm confused. How can a straw house actually stand up against rain, wind, snow, and whatever else Mother Nature may throw at it?

According to the builder, there is nothing to fear, as there is some kind of mud used to effectively pack the straw into the house. He calls it "earth plaster." Yeah -- ok.

A prototype for a new type of zero-energy-consuming house is on display in Los Angeles, and of course it’s very impressive. But you know what I love about it? It’s poofy! Blah blah blah zero footprint, yadda yadda solar energy. Did I mention it’s poofy?They also modified an X-Box Kinect so that all you have to do is wave at lights to turn them on and off. It’s like the clapper, but silent. It’s an award-winning design from students at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and it’s actually an amazing design that I wish I could implement today. Here, let me show you around.