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NEWS FROM SUMO SAM May 2021 QuickSumoPestControl.com
WINNING THE BATTLE TO BECOME PARENTS A Mother’s Day Tribute to My Wife
As a former Marine, I appreciate how my wife’s strength and kindness have helped keep me strong for many years — so, this Mother’s Day, I’d like to write a special tribute to her. This story might be a little more personal than usual, but I know there’s a chance that other parents have fought the same battles and may be able to relate. I met my wife Erica in 2012 while she was visiting our church. At that time, I was just starting in the Marines, so after we first met, I disappeared for a few months while training. However, she entered my circle through mutual friends, and after training, we connected right off the bat. Erica is a high- energy girl with an amazing sense of adventure and a very loving personality. It was an instant spark! I knew pretty quickly that Erica was the woman I’d want to spend the rest of my life with. We got married in May 2013 (I’m still trying to win back the approval of my brother's wives after spoiling their Mother’s Day!). At that point, we still lived in California, but we knew we wanted to start a family and began thinking about more affordable options. Then, my older brothers Josh and John offered to take me under their wing in the pest control business. It was a perfect moment to go to Texas and establish our roots there. We bought a house, and we began trying to have a child to start our dream of a family. After two years, we had no luck. It’s not easy for everyone to understand how devastating it can be to struggle with having children. It’s an emotional roller coaster when your dream of a family begins to feel impossible. After a while, we felt unworthy to become parents.
when we were going to introduce kids to our life, but they didn’t know how
hard we were trying. At the same time, Erica was such an incredible partner throughout this experience. We held on strong despite every frustration — there was nobody else we would’ve wanted to experience these hardships with.
Then, in 2018, we started seeing doctors who helped us conceive our daughter.
We’d been trying to have a child for six years up to that point, and when it finally happened, it felt like everything had fallen into place. For one, I felt so relieved that I’d prepared my career for her arrival. One of the reasons I wanted to be a business owner is to stay committed to the quality of my work while having more time for my family. Now, I get to enjoy that benefit every day with Erica and our little girl. I felt incredibly grateful that Erica has been just as spectacular of a mom as I knew she would be. There’s no stronger bond than between a mother and her daughter, and you can see it from a mile away with the two of them. Many times, our daughter would be finicky and cry, but Erica’s loving and patient personality soothes it right away. And, hey, it works for me, too! When I get flustered, she always seems to know exactly what to say. She’s our family glue.
I can’t wait to spend our Mother’s Day together. Thanks for reading, everyone, and I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day.
We spent this dark period in prayer and family counciI. As friends and family were announcing pregnancies, everyone kept asking us
Jordan Hopewell
“I knew pretty quickly that Erica was the woman I’d want to spend the rest of my life with.”
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GET FIT WITH YOUR FAMILY
5 Easy Ways to Get Everyone Moving
May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. As a parent, you probably know exercise is important for your children’s physical development. It helps build healthy bones, muscles, and joints and reduces the risk of developing diabetes and other diseases later in life. But did you know that physical activity also has many mental and behavioral health benefits? It’s been shown to improve children’s cognitive skills and concentration, boost their self-esteem, and reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. One of the best ways to encourage healthy behaviors in your children is by modeling them yourself. Studies have found that more than 80% of adolescents and adults are not getting enough aerobic activity, showing that children often follow in their parents’ footsteps and that exercising together can benefit everyone. You may be thinking it’s hard enough just to get yourself to the gym, but Stephen Virgilio, author of “Active Start for Healthy Kids,” encourages parents not to limit themselves to traditional forms of exercise. Instead, think of exercise more broadly as “leading an active lifestyle.” And remember that exercise can be fun and a great way to get in more family time.
Here are five easy ways to incorporate more movement into your family’s day.
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Create a walking ritual. Start walking around the neighborhood before or after dinner each night. Aim for a 20-minute stroll.
• Have a dance party. Clear some space in the living room, make a playlist with everyone’s favorite tunes, and boogie down for as long as you have the energy. • Turn chores into games. Dirt has invaded from outer space and must be eliminated. Set the scene with your kids, grab your tools, and get to work removing the enemy while having fun. • Incorporate simple exercises into screen time. Start by making up fun names for exercises like situps or jumping jacks. Then, challenge each other to see who can do the most during your favorite show’s commercial breaks. Get fit in the great outdoors. Cleaning up the yard, planting and maintaining a garden, or just running around outside are all great ways to get in more movement.
WHAT’S A MOSQUITO ABATEMENT PROGRAM?
PLUS, TIPS FOR KEEPING MOSQUITOES OUT!
As we approach summer, it’s a good time to consider your strategies for avoiding mosquitoes. These little pests love to ruin a good backyard barbecue or pool party. They leave people swatting left and right, making the entire outdoor experience uncomfortable. Mosquito bites cause itchiness, red bumps, hives, and allergic reactions. They can also carry dangerous diseases, such as the West Nile virus, the Zika virus, and malaria. The purpose of our mosquito abatement program is to reduce the number of bugs around your home. While no abatement program can promise complete elimination of these pests, we can drastically slash the mosquito population around your home or business. An effective program doesn’t just target the mosquitoes. It also hits the source where they live and breed. It begins with an inspection of your property for popular breeding spots: stagnant water, dense vegetation, and areas with poor air circulation. Then we get to work treating those areas.
In conjunction with an effective mosquito abatement program, you can minimize their activity in several ways!
First, take control of the yard. It’s best to keep grass cut short and shrubs well-trimmed. Irrigate your lawns and gardens carefully to prevent standing water and eliminate any stagnant water around your property. This means emptying stagnant birdbaths, water features, etc. at least once a week and properly maintaining your swimming pool. Make sure to also repair leaks or fill in puddles around outdoor faucets. Lastly, cover your trash containers to keep out rainwater. Also, get rid of excess clutter. Inspect rain gutters and clear them of leaves and other debris. Dispose of any old cans, jars, tires, plant pots, etc. surrounding your home. Stack wheelbarrows, tubs, buckets, etc. neatly upside down. Keep drains, ditches, and culverts clear of weeds and trash. Finally, making sure your home, porch, and patio have tight- fitting screens can definitely help keep the mosquitoes out. If you have any other questions about mosquitoes, don’t hesitate to give us a call!
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E ating a healthy, hearty amount of fruits and vegetables is necessary for children and adults. If you’re able to teach your kids to enjoy vegetables (or at least find a few they like!), then you also teach them how to stay healthy for a lifetime! Here are a few ways you can do just that. NO. 1: LEAD BY EXAMPLE. If you’ve never been the healthiest eater, start by introducing more plant-based meals into your routine. Science proves that eating a plant-based diet (as most healthy diets are) can help reduce many of the most common causes of death, such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Leading by example is always a great way to passively teach your kids! 5 TRICKS TO TEACH YOUR KIDS TO ENJOY VEGETABLES
NO. 2: REPLACE COWMILK CREAMERS WITH PLANT-BASED VERSIONS. If you want to eat healthy but don’t want to give up Alfredo sauce, you don’t have to. Plant-
BLOOM CINCO COMIC DERBY
EMERALD GEMINI GRADUATION LILY
MEMORIAL MOTHER PARANORMAL VETERANS
based creamers are delicious, can provide an extra flavor depth of nuttiness, and match well with your favorite white cheeses. The options are endless!
NO. 3: CREATE SOUPS, STEWS, AND SAUCES WITH ‘HIDDEN’ VEGGIES. Frozen broccoli and cauliflower tend to be less crunchy than their fresh counterparts. That’s because, despite being frozen at
EASY & HEALTHY GREEN RICE
INGREDIENTS
peak freshness, the freezing process breaks down their structure a little bit, which makes them perfect for creating a purée to add to your favorite soups. It will act as a thickening agent, plus add a ton of delicious, satisfying flavor.
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1 cup tightly packed spinach leaves
1/2 cup yellow onions, finely diced 1/2 cup green peppers, diced 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 cup long-grain white rice
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1 cup tightly packed kale leaves, stems removed 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock 2 tbsp full-fat coconut milk
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NO. 4: TRY NEW WAYS OF PREPARING VEGETABLES.
1 tsp kosher salt
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Sometimes, kids don’t enjoy a vegetable because of how it’s prepared. Try new ways of preparing vegetables, because sometimes grilling a zucchini (versus steaming it) makes all the difference! Grilled eggplant, anyone? You could even try making homemade pickles or pickle different veggies. NO. 5: DON’T GIVE UP ON SALAD! There are so many ways to make a delicious salad that you can surely make one enjoyable for your kid. For example, a cold noodle salad is not only fun, but also gives a great excuse to add freshly cut vegetables and an easy, creamy sesame dressing.
DIRECTIONS
1. In a blender, purée spinach and kale with vegetable stock, coconut milk, and salt. Set aside. 2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, sauté onions and peppers in olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. 3. Stir in rice and cook and toast for 1–2 minutes before adding the blended mixture. Increase heat to bring to a boil. 4. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until liquid has evaporated, 15–20 minutes. 5. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
We hope these tips help — have a very happy National Fruit and Vegetables Month!
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279 Highview Lane, Anna, TX 75409 | 214-334-1466 | QuickSumoPestControl.com
1 A Mother’s Day Tribute to My Wife INSIDE
2 5 Ways to Increase Your Family’s Fitness
Need to Get Rid of Mosquitoes?
3 5 Tricks to Teach Your Kids to Enjoy Vegetables
Green Rice Recipe
4 Australian Wombats Are Saving the Day!
AUSTRALIAN WOMBATS IN CHARGE Saving Lives One Hole at a Time
Remember the Australian wildfires of 2019–2020? These fires ravaged large areas of the country, displacing and leaving countless animals to fight for survival. To make matters worse, swaths of the country have been dealing with drought. It’s one challenge after another for humans and animals alike.
At this particular watering hole, Finnie captured all sorts of creatures on camera — birds, emus, possums, echidnas, and monitor lizards — congregating around the wombats’ creation. What isn’t known is how, exactly, the wombats discovered the water, but they surmise the animals likely picked up on environmental clues and dug until they found what they were looking for. Interestingly enough, wombats have been known to help other animals in the past. During the Australian fires, countless animals were left searching for refuge, and they found it in wombat burrows. While the wombats weren’t exactly welcoming other species into their homes with open arms, they seemed to “tolerate” the visitors, as one ecologist with the University of Adelaide noted. It was a case of accidental heroism, much like their search for water, but it was heroism nonetheless.
But one species has taken matters into its own “hands.” Numerous wombats have been discovered digging holes in search of water — and they found it! According to Australia’s ABC News, one group of wombats was discovered on a farm in New South Wales, which was situated over a large underground reservoir. So, the wombats went to work. One farmer, Ted Finnie, reported that wombats dug a hole roughly 4 meters deep by 20 meters wide (or about 65 feet). Their incredible work made this source of water remarkably accessible.
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