For more updates on Baby BoK Choi - please head over to www.mylifeincanada.com See you there often!

PB’s cousin may be coming to town for Christmas and will be staying at the lodge - so we’ve decided to loan him our cell phone boosters for the lodge as well as his car - since he doesn’t have one. I know how important it is for him that he gets his calls when he is here for the Christmas vacation - so we are just trying to be nice. I think he must have the cell phone booster at home, else he wouldn’t asked if we had one at our cottage to loan him. Earlier this year - we had bought a cottage for our summer vacation and for the same reasons - to make sure we get a better cell phone reception - we had gone out to look for cell phone boosters and found one at our local store in the mall. No regrets buying it because we never missed a call when we were at the cottage - and we could enjoy our time in the country without worrying about the store.

Image Source: Frugal Living

When it comes to being frugal and eco-friendly, many people may not realize the amount of laundry that they do can have a significant impact on their expenses and their energy-consumption. The average size household will do at least 7 loads of laundry per week, which totals around 400 loads of laundry per year. A load of laundry can use 20-40 gallons of water meaning a year’s worth of laundry will use 16,000 gallons of water.

That is not to mention the amount of electricity that will be used to wash and dry 400 loads of clothes, towels, and blankets.

When you are looking for ways to save money and reduce your family’s carbon footprint, the laundry room and your washer dryer is the perfect place to start.

Pro Tip 1: Wash in Cold Water

By washing your clothes in cold water, you can cut the amount of electricity you use by more than half! The average load of laundry washed in hot or warm water, uses 4.5kWh of electricity (about $0.68 per load-$265/year) whereas a load washed in cold water uses a mere 0.3kWh ($.04 per load- $16/year). [Source]

Pro Tip 2: Use Other Drying Methods

The clothes dryer is a major culprit in raising electric bills. Any item that generates heat uses more electricity to operate. Use a clothesline to dry your clothes or hang them from hangers on the shower rod in the bathroom. Clothes will take longer to dry; however, you will save a great deal of money on your energy bill.

Pro Tip 3: Avoid Expensive Detergents

Yes, expensive detergents smell great and will leave you with the impression that your laundry is clean because of the way it smells. However, cheaper, economy-sized laundry detergents contain the same basic ingredients and will work just as well.
For half the price, you can purchase larger containers of laundry detergent and your clothes will be just as clean. Furthermore, there will be less packaging to recycle or toss out. You can also choose eco-friendly detergents. Environmentally-friendly ingredients to look for include grain alcohol, coconut plant oils, rosemary and sage.

Pro Tip 4: Top Load Versus the Front Loading Washer

If you are still using the outdated washing machine that you bought ten years ago, chances are you are wasting a lot of water. The average top load washer uses almost 40 gallons for one single load of clothes. A front-load washer only uses about 20 gallons per load.
Upgrading to a new washer can dramatically reduce the amount of water that you use in your home and is an eco-friendly choice.

Pro Tip 5: If It’s Not Dirty, Don’t Wash It!

Okay, this does not mean that you and your family should wear dirty clothes just because you are trying to reduce the amount of money you spend on laundry. Just make sure that you are not washing clothes that are not dirty. If you wear your nice dress slacks for an hour and then change, they most likely will be fine to fold up and put back in the drawer.
Some other tips to try:
- Cut your dryer sheets in half (or omit them altogether). This way you can cut these dryer sheet costs by half!
- Dilute your laundry detergent. By keeping an extra detergent bottle aside, you can fill it half way with detergent and the other half with water.
- Use vinegar instead of fabric softener. ¼ cup of fabric softener (for big loads) saves money and does just the trick.

By paying a bit more attention to how, and when, you do your laundry, it will be completely possible for you to save hundreds of dollars each year. This will help reduce the impact that your family has on the environment by cutting water and energy usage as well. Everyone likes to have clean clothes to wear, but this should not come at such an expensive cost and it really does not have to.

Canadian really got talent - and as I watch this group played at the Farmer’s Market 2 weeks ago - I can’t help but think that this people sure got guts and perseverance. I’m not too arty farty like - but I do love music a lot - I remembered going to the Symphony - everytime a friend was in town from US or Australia. Those were the good ole days! unfortunately, for me PB is only into the heavy metal kinda of music - but I can’t stand them because they are so loud and had lots of foul languages in them. I do love this group - sometimes the groups playing isn’t so fantastic and I don’t stay and listen - but acknowledge them nevertheless.

Chloe will be 8 yrs old in a month time - mannn! time really flies - and I have to keep reminding myself to enjoy her as much as I can before she becomes and adult and leave me - to have her own life. I’m busy preparing not only for Chloe’s birthday but for Christmas as well - and looking back at the last 7 years, I’ve learned so much from bringing Chloe up. One thing for sure - is the realization of what my own mother must have gone thru’ while bringing me and my siblings up on her own. I learned not to be too critical of her and I learned to love Chloe a lot more - and because of my own father’s non-participation in our life - I made sure that PB plays a very important role in Chloe’s life. As I did not have grandparents to dote on me - I hope that Chloe’s paternal grandparents would - unfortunately, they spend so little time with her - so much so - I’m afraid when she grows up - she might not be closed to her grandparents. Chloe is a happy and sensitive kid - she is doing well in school and most importantly is healthy. I pray for all good things for her - and want her to be a good person and many, many more years of watching her grow.

Many of us remember when educational toddler toys began and ended at alphabet blocks and pull-string toys that emitted animal sounds. These days, however, the emphasis on encouraging your children to use their minds from an early age means that the field of educational toys has exploded. There are some wonderful toys out there created specifically to feed your child’s brain from infancy onward.

1. OLLO Action Robot Kit

If you want to give your child a head start on those mechanical engineering programs you hope to inspire him or her to delve into later, this OLLO kit is an excellent educational toy. Five different pre-planned robots can be built from the same pieces included in the kit, including a windmill, walking T-Rex, dog, and more. There are also plans not included that can be looked up online. All of the designs work on a single AA battery.

2. Creative Puzzle Peg

Intended for children 18 months and over, this unique puzzle toy goes a bit further than your typical sort-and-stack toy. It encourages problem-solving skills and helps to develop fine motor control. The base comes apart in four puzzle-piece shapes and each piece has a post featuring small nubs. The included brightly-colored shapes stack on the posts, but they first have to be manipulated to move the opening of the shape over the nubs to get it down to the bottom.

3. First Time Gear Clock

This child-friendly clock is based on the first mechanical clock’s design. It teaches how gears work, as well as how to follow directions, and encourages cognitive development. The color-coded set of directions shows your child how to assemble the 27 parts into a working clock that runs for over eight hours without requiring a battery.

4. Mozart Magical Cube

The popular theory that Mozart’s music helps to improve spatial-temporal reasoning in infants and toddlers continues with this toy. This is a bit more than a music box, though. It features five large buttons that are easy for small hands to work, each of which plays a different instrument – piano, violin, flute, harp, or French horn. A sixth button plays them all in a choice of eight of Mozart’s compositions while the toy flashes to the tempo.

5. Chinese Magnetic Poetry

In a world where everything and everyone is connected, being multilingual has never been more important. Many schools are teaching foreign language from preschool on up now. This magnetic poetry kit builds on this by providing an array of 140 double-sided magnets with a simplified Chinese character and its pinyin pronunciation on one side and the English translation on the other, allowing for vocabulary-building. The set comes in a hard plastic case to keep them organized.
Learning just got more fun!

Myth : Asian woman married to Westerners lives a life of wealth and don’t have to do anything - but look pretty and go shopping - while the spouse makes lots of money thus allowing her to travel home to Asia and flaunt her wealth and superiority to her friends and relative.

Fact : Some of us haven’t been home for 10 years or more - and even though we are not poor - rich and wealthy is far from describing us. Most Asian woman do work even when they are in the West and they have to cook a meal for themselves and their partner as well.

While I can’t say that I’ve had it bad here in Canada - I have to say that I don’t get to go home as often as I liked. Not because we can’t afford it - but we can’t afford the time as my spouse owns his own business. Thus, I’m constantly homesick and missed my food from home a lot. And no - we don’t have an Asian grocery store nearby - as I lived in a small town. Not going home for a visit and not getting the food I need is my biggest beef. Another thing is the doctors - there isn’t much around and seeing a doctor is like making an appointment to see God. Unlike home - there are plenty to choose from - from gynecologist to dental or any kind of specialist. Over here - even if you have the money - you still have to wait for an appointment.

Most Asian thinks that getting hook to a Westerner means marrying into money - but let me tell you 9 outta 10 Westerners that I have met here - are either poor or lazy - some worst and are on drugs - the other 1 man that works and has money is most likely to be married or already hooked with another girl. Most Asian thinks that marry a Westerner means flowers and romantic candle light dinners and dancing/serenading. Truth - nope they are not made the same - there is no sharing a bottle of wine with PB - because he doesn’t drink - and no candle light dinners - because he is not adventurous with food. And everywhere we go eat - he eats the same thing over and over again.

More on the Real Lives Of Asian Married To Westerners In The Next Post - stay tuned.

I have been quite lucky of late and managed to find some really good antiques right here in our county. This musical box is so unique - I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it - it plays Edelweiss - a song i love very much too. These days - I spend a lot to time buying things for myself - instead of looking out for other people, I learned that I have to make myself happy first - before taking care of others. No matter what others think of you - for it’s not important - what’s most important is myself and my family. So yes! I’ve been spending some money on myself - but of course, I continue to buy things for my friends’ kids too - how can one not love kids right? they are just too cute. But please don’t buy anything for me and Chloe because we really are already very blessed.

While reading a book with Chloe today - about the mouse trying to find the perfect husband - I asked myself if there was ever a perfect partner with anyone? The mouse wanted a strong and brave - and someone who will keep her company always - pretty simple right? and shouldn’t all partnership be simple too. When you fall in love what were you looking for? I think many people fell in love for the wrong reasons - therefore, they never grew old together. I hear you asking about PB and I right about now?

Well, we’ve known each other for 6 yrs before I came to Canada - I don’t know what was PB looking for in a life-partner - but I think I knew exactly what I was. Being the older one - and having had several relationships before PB - I didn’t want to look for just anyone. When we were younger - of course, we looked for the ones who is the most handsome - and as we grew older - we don’t only want the good looking - but the one with a good job. Then we grew much older - and we figured - the good looks can go to hell - as long as he is rich - hahahah!!! now, now - don’t tell me - you didn’t think of that?

Ok then reality set in - and all you wanted was someone true, someone who would look beyond the superficial things, someone who is strong, brave and will be with you always. Now ain’t that mouse clever. One can learn a lot from children and their books eh.

Halloween is round the corner and we are getting ready for Halloween - since we have to spend part of the evening at home. Of course, we can’t missed the personalized pumpkins from Chloe’s grampie. Wonder why grampie never make one for PB every year - haha!

This is mine - as you can see here.

And Chloe’s.

And the classic witch smacked and landed on our door.

And a straw puppet. I’m not done decorating yet - because I had been busy decorating the store first. When you own your own business, you usually have to take care of the business first.

So we were up in the city a few weeks ago - and had seen all these guitars for sale - and Chloe had asked for one as well - but she already has one - that her ex-babysitter’s father bought for her one year for Christmas. Once in a while she would strum on it and try to make music out of it - but refuses to go for lessons to learn how to play the guitar for real. So I told her that when she decides that she really wants to learn guitar or learn to play it for real - and not for the fun and strumming it and making noises - we will get her a proper guitar for the guitars that we saw on sale weren’t cheap at all. Like we all know that kids can’t really decide on what they really want for now - and unless she is learning how to play classical guitar - I doubt she can play the guitar without the nylon strings - the other type of strings are just too hard on the fingers even for me. I’m all for music lessons - but knowing the brat of mine - she would probably give up after a few lessons - so for now - we’ll just have to play by ear.

Not only Chloe but myself - I’ve thought of going up to the city with some of my girlfriends for a night or two - but I have separation anxiety !!!! yup!! me!! but can you blame me - I’ve never left her side except when I had no choice during surgery a few years ago - and that already I was not too keen but had no choice.

Before having Chloe in my life - I had no problems whatsoever traveling at anytime and any place - i didn’t have anything to worry about - nor anything to keep me from traveling but things has changed so drastically for me - I sometimes don’t recognized myself - hahah!! or had I been this way all the time? or have I suddenly turned into a wuss ? And I do not like the thought of me becoming one or turning into one - or is one ! I’m a very tough person - so why is it that I don’t want to be separated from my daughter just for a night and an entire day? Am I the needy one ? or do I think that Chloe is the needy one?

A check with my other girlfriends with kids - some feels the same way but some didn’t have any trouble with spending a brief vacation with their girlfriends. Hmmm… ! interesting isn’t it ? I will chat with my family doctor about this.

In these tumultuous economic times, vacations seem like a luxury that many families can’t afford. But going on vacation doesn’t have to mean blowing the family budget. In fact, taking some time off to be together can be really good for everyone. The following are some vacation money-saving tips that will help you to have a great time while still economizing.

Source: http://frugalfamilytips.com/tag/traveling/

Set a Budget

The first and foremost step is to set a clear budget and stick to it. Rather than be vague about what expenses will be, figure out how much money you can afford to spend total. Then sit down and write out a list of what you’ll be spending money on. Set a food budget, activity budget, gifts (if necessary).
This way you’ll see what the actual monetary outlay is likely to be, and figure out ways you can save on the trip. It will also show you just what you need to make over your ordinary day to day expenses to afford the trip at whatever style level you choose.

Though it would be ideal to spend only cash on a trip, credit cards provide an added level of protection and security. You might even want to incorporate use of a travel oriented credit card such as the Aeroplan Plus Gold Card into your trip. This type of card offers all sorts of travel perks and advantages like sky miles, breakdown assistance, and various travel related types of insurance, so using them is actually a good idea when taking a vacation.

Book Hotels in Advance

Booking hotels is advance is a good way to save on accommodations. You can actually ask the hotel clerk how much you stand to save by booking in advance and then compare various hotels to see which ones are the most competitive in this regard. Try to choose hotels that reward you the most for good early planning.

Get Airline Tickets in Advance

Airline tickets are another area where advance booking can mean a much cheaper rate. There are a plethora of websites online that give you rate comparisons on various airlines and flights. These sites will give you exact rates and saving possible for given booking dates so they are a great way to compare advance flight booking rates and savings.

Consider Off Season Travel

Off season travel is always cheaper than peak season. This usually means the late fall, winter, or early spring (for locations that are reasonably cold at those times) and times not very close to the holidays. Consider planning trips for these times since they can often make for fine vacations that are also more cost effective.

Consider Camping

If camping is something you enjoy you can save a lot of money by camping rather than staying in hotels. This also gets you in touch with the outdoors and gives you a real feel for the flora and fauna of whatever locations you’re visiting. Consider this as an option if outdoor living is something you feel comfortable with. Even if you don’t there’s always a first time, so maybe you should give it a try!

Feel liberated yet? if you haven’t - well - there is something not so right with you. You must have some self-esteem problems? since you can’t seems to feel happy for other people. Everyone has bragging rights and if you don’t like mine - that’s your problem.

Marrying PB is the best thing I’ve done in my entire life - well besides having Chloe and having a great 2 great Godmas for Chloe. Why? because he never expect me to behave in a certain way nor talk differently, in our many years together - since I’ve been to Canada and before, he has never asked me to change my behavior, nor the way I talk or the way I walk or the way I wear my clothes - not a thing. He accepts me for who I am - maybe we all should learn to accept our spouse and not try and change them - me included. So for those of you - who don’t like the way I talk - or act - I don’t need your approval - Blah!

So we invested in a little cottage by the lake in Pembrooke - and this is our little getaway during the weekends - we just loved going there with our little bass boat and while PB and Chloe do their water sport thing, I just lazed around the sun and get a tan. But because Pembrooke is out of town, our cell phone signal isn’t the strongest but have no fear for in Canada - they have cell booster antenna that you can get from your local store in the mall - not expensive at all - and with that you will never have to miss a call. Although we say we are going there to relax, you all know that we need to keep our cellphone ready and available because of the store, so yes! thank God for gadgets like the cell phone booster else I doubt PB would want to buy this little cottage out in Pembrooke. The cottage was cheap and it has lots of potential, come spring next year, we are putting up a sunscreen porch and inviting friends over for more BBQ. woohoo!

Someone very wise told me a month ago - that if I didn’t like something, change it. Life is too short - live life to your fullest - do things you love and don’t waste time over-analyzing and I took his advice. My life is here in Canada - there is no going back and there is no way - I’m going to take care of others before my own family. Once that was settled, I knew exactly what I had to do. And I also learned that everyone have their bragging rights and if you don’t like it - then I can choose not to listen and walk away - the same for those who don’t like to hear me.

Yes! I’m very blessed! I’ve got a good spouse and an awesome and funny daughter, I haven’t “really” worked since I came to Canada and I loved what i do online - and I’ve good advertisers who look out for me and my friends often. My health is getting better everyday and I’m spending time with Chloe and able to do things with her more than I did before. Plus, we have good business acumen and do not have to worry about our daily expenses. What more can I asked for right?

We had brought in some apples for Chloe’s class like we usually do every fall. When the Apple farm where grammie works has apples for sale we usually get a 10lb bag every week. They are very cheap, and sometimes grammie will pay for it or there is no charge from the good Wallace owners. We are grateful always for such kind people in this area and cannot thank them enough for being so kind to Chloe. We are really blessed because just on the weekend - Chloe received a huge teddy bear - one that is bigger than her, from our customer - Gillian - just because, therefore I always have thank you cards handy, so that I can write out thank you cards to all these wonderful people who’ve not only been kind to us but also touched our lives.

A friend just told me I’m a Godsend but little does she know that she is the one Godsent and I cannot thank all of them enough for always sending food and gifts from home for Chloe and I - even all the way from Australia. And I’m usually so busy and even sometimes forget to send thank you cards to all these wonderful people, therefore, we do our bit for the kids here and pay it forward. Friends who sends food and gifts to us never expect anything back but I’m always grateful and want to do kind things for others because of them, so they are the ones who are Godsend. Once again, I cannot thank them enough.

Every little girl needs a dollhouse don`t you think? I think so ! and when we saw one up in the city - that we feel that we can justify - we went back to MicMac Mall to get it for Chloe. She was a happy girl even though she was very sick but I guess I wanted to get it for Chloe because I didn’t have stuff like that when I was a kid and I sure envied my friends when they talked about their huge dollhouse. Deprived of a lot of stuff when I was a kid, I want to make sure that mine gets a reasonable amount of stuff but I wouldn’t go overboard on any toys for Chloe and what other people do with their kids is none of my business. To each their own - and more power to those who buys expensive toys for theirs, it is not for me to judge. But having said that Chloe’s grampie will be paying for Chloe’s dollhouse so I’m buying him some Padron cigars that he likes for being so generous.

So before the school year started for Chloe this year, I ordered some labels from Mabel labels for Chloe`s stuff for school. Now this decision was made because of a stolen hat from Chloe before school ended earlier this year - and yes it was in school. That made me a little paranoid and at the back of my mind I just felt that I need to label just about everything that Chloe have from then on. Not really because of the cost of the missing hat - but more so because of how devastated Chloe was with her lost hat, she felt that it was her fault but it wasn`t.

Mabel labels were expensive but they were by far the best quality I`ve seen, so I ordered them online and since they came from Vancouver it took a few days to reach us - at the other end of Canada. But it was worth the wait - Chloe loved them - because she loved fishes but as soon as her classmate said they didn`t like fishes - she wished she had chose a cupcake instead for her icon - hahah! wished the kid would stand firm on her own and not be swayed so easily though.

So yes, we labeled just about anything we can find of Chloe`s and still have some left. I know we can`t stop those who are out to steal her things - but at least we can hope that if she loses it, someone will return it to the office at school.

12 yrs as a owner by association to the spouse’s business - you would think that he would get the hint and get me some business cards right? well apparently, my hint wasn’t that good - so I am going to get some business cards by postcards and the price is so cheap - the spouse cannot even say I spend too much on it. For as little as $6.99 for 100 business cards - you cannot go wrong with it - i’ll say. One can even upload your own photo if you so desire - for example if you are a realtor or a mortgage consultant and even a banker - like I get all the time when I visit my bank.

1000 of templates to choose from and if you are not internet savvy - no worries - they have a live chat person to help you along the way. But it’s very easy to do - just follow the instructions - and you will receive your business cards from as little as 2 days. I liked that moms like myself can order as little as 20 business cards just to have when we want to give them out to teachers, principal or other parents for play dates.

And since Christmas is just around the corner - I too am looking at making some personalized greeting cards with our family pictures on it - just like the ones I received every year from friends and family. I admired those cards tremendously and since they are so easy and cheap to make online - I’m going to try it out this year. So friends and family look forward to our family picture in our greeting cards for this year.

Chloe is currently in Grade 2 and besides her school friends - we also make sure she has friend from other schools. And since she is taking up so many extra-curricular classes, it is inevitable to be asked out for play dates and vice versa. But my play dates usually involves the mommies as well - that way moms can get together and eat, chat and drink - and most importantly relax. Thank God for electric grills , because we can grill just about anything for everyone. So everyone brings whatever they want to feed their kids and just throw it onto the grills I have and it’s that easy. I make lots of ice lemon tea and lemonade for the kids - and for us mommies - I add in a bit of my special liquor - like the cranberry ones that I bought locally from Lunenburg. My play dates are always a hit - because we have the trampoline - the swings and those big inflated castles for the kids to bounce and slide.