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If you are still using the outdated washing machine that you bought ten years ago, chances are you are wasting a lot of water.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.

We never did get our flu shots till last year - but this year - we were all quite gung-ho about taking our flu-shots and of course Chloe had her flu-mist - that goes thru’ the nose. She was a wee bit frightened of it initially because she had almost forgotten about it - but after taking the flu mist - she decided it’s not that bad after all. Plus, she met her favorite doctor this visit - Dr Randall - who gave her a hand drawn sticker on a sticky note - like last year - boy! was she tickled. Then we had to get our flu shots - and she didn’t want to look at it - so she went out to play in the hallway where all the medicine carts were lined up in front of the doctor’s consultation room. The girls at the clinic was very nice and let her hope around it - and explained to her what were the medicine carts for and what were in them. We left the clinic after half an hour for we needed to make sure that we didn’t have a bad reaction to the flu shots. Thus far, we feel that the flu shot had been good for us - for we’ve noticed that we don’t get sick as often as we did the previous years. So for now - we will continue taking the flu shots every year. Flu shots are free in Canada.

I haven’t been job hunting for a long time - but many who are planning to migrate to Canada or even in United States would prefer to secure a job first before migrating. Some looking for Psychiatric Technician Jobs will find that there are plenty of jobs in this field - and even without a head hunter - you can land a job easily. But what about other jobs in the sales department or clerical field ? I get asked these questions very often as an expatriate.

I have friends who’ve migrated here but didn’t stay because they say they can’t find a job here but truth be told I don’t think they got the right job - and most likely feeling a bit homesick and inferior - to the Westerners. So one good advise before migrating is to make sure you know what field you want to be in. I think those who are in the health industry have plenty to offer in the West - whether you are a pharmacist or a health nurse - there are plenty of jobs here for you. As for other industries, if they can find their candidates from within - I think they rather hire their own. So shape up or ship out!

Chloe had a appointment with the specialist last week - and she had all sorts of breathing test done for her - and then of course, she got to see the asthma doctor too. The whole process took about 2.5 hrs - for the asthma doctor took an hour to talk to us. Yup ! you heard me right ! while most doctors here can’t wait to get you out of their office - so that they can see another patient - this doctor was totally different - which took us by surprised. But a pleasant one ! Anyhow - Chloe was taken off her puffer - but she had to be monitored the next time she catch a cold or flu - to see if it was worst. We too hope she is not going to be dependent on the puffer - because PB is till today. I was quite worried when she first had to take the puffer - because Chloe was quite resistant towards it - but after she learned that it wasn’t bad or hard at all - she took it like a champ. But taking steroids is not good for anyone - so we are keeping our fingers crossed that she only had a lung infection the last time.

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.

As adults boaters, we learn a great deal about safety on the way to earning our boat license. What we often don’t learn, however, is how to share these skills with our children. This can be tricky business because kids tend not to learn well when they’re disinterested and when we overload them. The key then is to seize their attention and to expose them to the information in bite-sized chunks.

Image Source: http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/news/last-call-for-kids-safety-program-72624.aspx

Here are a series of tips that should help:

Tip #1: Teach the kids to swim, and make sure they have ocean experience. Swimming in the ocean is a very different experience, and those with pool-only practice may freeze up in an emergency.

Tip #2: Once the children know how to swim, introduce them to personal flotation devices (PFDs), and explain to them why a PFD is so important. Stress the importance of wearing a PFD at all times, and give them experience wearing the PFD in and out of the water before their first boat trip.

Tip #3: Don’t wait until the first time on the water. Acclimate kids to your boat while you have it on the trailer parked at your house. Make a game out of understanding the terminology, safety locations, danger zones and so forth.

Tip #4: Ensure that they understand the risk of horseplay while on the water, and a great way to avoid this type of behaviour is to give children seated responsibilities while you are driving. If they are having fun and feel as if they are doing something important, they will continue to focus on that activity.

Tip #5: Stress the importance of sitting at all times while the boat is in motion. Standing is only OK when the boat is stopped, and stress that it is never all right to sit or stand on the sides of the boat.

Tip #6: Expose children to all of the equipment on board, and let them learn how to operate it. Begin teaching children how to operate and drive the boat at a very young age. This can prove invaluable in an emergency, and the safest boaters are self-reliant boaters.

Tip #7: However, stress that it is never OK to use that equipment without adult supervision unless there is an emergency. It also important to be strict about your rules, so if the child breaks them, they should lose boating privileges.

Tip #8: While on the boat, always set a good example. Don’t let kids be around adults who don’t take the experience seriously. Keep your eyes on them at all times, and consider using a safety harness for particularly young children who may stray on larger boats.

Chloe wasn’t a happy camper when she first had to use the puffer - in fact, she was so scared - she covered her mouth - her nose - and make us count 1 to 10 for like a few times and still she wouldn’t use the puffer. She was crying so bad - that her dad got so mad with her - he threw the puffer away. Yes ! such JOY! I wasn’t too impressed with PB of course - but I didn’t say anything - because Chloe was hyperventilating by that time. Well, she did finally use the puffer that night and got better every day. In fact, she got so good at it - she put the puffer and the aerochamber together now and use it herself - without any help.

She’s an expert now - yes! children can get scared of strange things - but they are but children right? so if your child needs the puffer - please have a little bit of patience - don’t be like PB please - *slap forehead* you should have seen how scared chloe was when PB got mad. Adults gotta know that when we get angry - our children get really scared - some may not act that way - but deep inside they are - every child wants their parents approval. Didn’t you want your parent’s approval too when you were kids?

Chloe came home sick from summer camp - she said she was feeling cold the entire day - I was surprised that the camp councilors didn’t call to inform us - nor told us about it when we had called to check on her in the afternoon. Poor kid! Maybe, we shouldn’t have let Chloe go to camp everyday - but spread it out instead to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only. But I guess we just thought that she might enjoy being with other kids more - but I guess this is the price we have to pay - that she might catch something from another kid who is sick in camp. *sigh*. This is just the beginning of a long week for us - for when the kid is sick - she usually takes a week before she is alright.

As you all know - I have some health issues - lucky for me - in some ways- being here in the West - my medical bills are taken care of by MSI and for many friends that I know - they are also covered by a disability insurance provided by the government here. In fact, the coverage is pretty wide here in the West - did you know that if you had a mental illness - it is considered a disability too? well, before coming here and living in the West - I didn’t know about it at all. But for those who have a back injury and cannot work - they are able to go on disability too - amazing right? Yes, I’ve seen and heard from a lot of customers that they are on disability - when they don’t look sick to me at all. Back home - when we talked about disability - you either have to break a backbone and cannot walk anymore before you can claimed any kind of disability insurance. Of course, I don’t want to be on a disability but one never know right - when you have as much health issues as I do - but it’s good to know that I am insured if something does happen - and I won’t be a burden to PB and Chloe.

When Chloe was born - the minute I held her in my arms - I was very happy but at the same time overwhelmed with fear and responsibility as to how I am going to be able to raise her up well. Not only in terms of feeding her and clothing her but also with her education and making sure she grows up to be a responsible adult, well-behaved - you know the works - like any good citizen of society. My fear derived from seeing so many teenage pregnancy in this town - and also so many problematic teenagers. I fear I may not bring her up well - I fear she may grow out of hand - I also fear for my own health - what if I am not around to help raise her with PB. You see - after arriving in Canada - I realized that my health is not what it used to be and since PB was the only bread winner in this household, therefore I was very worried - what ifs???? So I did what any responsible woman and mother would do and took out my life insurance calculator and got some good advice from my insurance agent and did the right thing with my term life insurance. You never know what life may bring you eh - and in the event when something does happened I want to be prepared because I want my kid to be raised up well. I want an option for PB to leave work and to look after Chloe properly - i hope that day may never come - I hope to watch my princess grow up - and go into college and get married and have kids - but you never know right? What about you? how do you raise your kid up well?

Last year - I had gone to see my new family doctor because my old family doctor decided to abandon us - and move to a more vibrant town. But thank God - he is gone - because my new family doctor is way better - very encouraging and never once did she talk down to me - like the old one. But since I am new to her practice and not a spring chicken no more with so many health issues - she insisted that I have a full body check up - which included a ecg because I had high blood pressure - according to my old doctor. But truth be told - my blood pressure only go up when I’m talking about the town I am living in - other than that - I’m pretty calm. But she insisted an ECGs are not uncommon to me - because my mom used to do those - since she worked in the hospital. But I do like my new doctor and her office - because her clinic is pretty high tech - with all the savvy equipment and everything recorded using a notebook and not paper - so that they can pull out a file - without having to pull out paper folders. So my health exam will be up soon - and again I know i will have to do another ECG test - but this time - I’m more prepared since I’ve already done it once - and I’m not so panicky now. So wish me luck - while I await my ECG.

I thought I would share this with the soon to be mummies because I sure wished someone did when I had Chloe some 7 yrs ago. Being a new mother - although I was then 39 - I was still paranoid and panicky when it comes to looking after Chloe. When Chloe’s grammie said that she should go into her own bedroom - I cried buckets - because I felt that I was abandoning my baby. And let me tell you if you fell that way - it’s normal - it’s the hormones going crazy. So if you are a new and soon to be mummy - I strongly suggest you get those video monitor that allows you to watch your baby sleeping in her/his room while you do other things or even when you are sleeping. So that you don’t have to feel that you need to be able to see the baby every second. That kind of monitor is the the best baby video monitor because it allows you to talk to your baby, watch your baby and listen to your baby. Had I known that there was such technology then - I would have bought it for sure. Now that would have saved me my sanity and probably made me less stressed. So there - my advice to soon - to be mummies and first time mummies - buy that video monitor - it would do you and your spouse a ton of goodness.

So I went for the school BBQ alone - i took a walk up to the school on my own and I stayed for the BBQ because Chloe had asked if I would go. She said - I didn’t need to go - but she hope I would go. She was too cute when she asked - she wasn’t demanding that I go - but she would loved that I go - actually PB and I - but since PB needs to look after the store - I went instead. It was a good BBQ - nothing spectacular - only another parent was there chatting with me and some of Chloe’s teachers. But it was a milestone for me - since I never go anywhere without PB - so yes - I’m starting to feel better it seems - I hope soon I will be able to drive on my own - so looking forward to driving!

A new Yoga studio just opened upstairs from our store - and the kick boxing opposite our store - at the same time - well almost. I’m interested in both - and even though I don’t have the strength or muscles to do both - I think I don`t need anything special to build my body mass as read on www.creatinepowders.com. I think those are more for body builders and wrestling fighters that are having a show at the Mariner Center later this month. It`s amazing how they do it - I wonder if they really take stuff like creatine powder for leaner muscles but they sure looked good from the posters that I saw around downtown. Anyhow - going back to Yoga or kick - boxing - both are about the same prices for the group classes and both as just as convenient - and I`m sure both are good for keeping healthy and fit - so which one? Keeping fit and calm is good - but I also want to be able to build some muscles and strength. I think they do offer trial classes - so I’m going to do that - and then decide - wish me luck!

Finally, she is ready to floss her teeth! for years - we’ve been trying to get Chloe to floss her teeth - and today she is ready to floss her own teeth without much fuss. Happy we are - because like all parents we want what is best for her - and we really don’t want to see her go thru’ another hospital trip to get her caps in and putting her to sleep. So yes! hopefully, she will continue flossing without much fuss - and now to push PB to get Chloe’s dental insurance in place - because MSI only covers her dental till she is 10 years old - and that certainly isn’t enough time to cover her braces and all.

For those who are not aware of this - the golf course - for the country club is just behind our backyard - one of the main reasons why we bought our home there. It is a very beautiful golf course - lots of greens during spring time and also summer and it is my hope that I will one day pick up golf again. I used to play golf when I worked for a Spanish company - I needed to entertain our clients - so I would practice since my handicap is not even worth mentioning. My boss has a gps for golf course - yes! he was a serious player alright. Hopefully, this summer - I can get a chance to play again - coz’ my girlfriends from here - wants to play with me - I’m trying to do different things this year - to make my life a better and healthier one - I’m darn proud of myself alright!

Like every parent - we want what is best for our kids - from buying them the most expensive books to nourish their mind - to getting them the best multivitamins to nourish their bodies. I’m no different and I strongly believed in multivitamins for kids - as well as ourselves. Of course, the doctor had said that if your kids are given a well - balanced diet - they don’t need any more vitamins. But if you have a kid like mine who don’t like greens - then you’ll have to find a vitamin that can supplement that right? Yes - I’m the official helicopter mom - but nope I don’t overdose her with vitamins - although I’ve heard that if you feel like a cold is coming - you should get an overdose of Vitamin C. Anyhow, I’m sure if you are a mom who cooks home cooked meals a lot for your kids - and is a stay at home mom - it will be easier to monitor their diet - but for moms like me who needs to work, it is harder so don’t feel bad if you are making your kids take vitamin because you feel they are not getting enough from their food.

Who doesn’t want to be a happy mom right? but with so many things going on with one’s life - it is more a conscious thing than saying - I will be happy if and when. So now that things had gotten a bit more calm at the store - no more employees to worry about woohoo!! I am able to tell myself or rather force myself to look after myself first too. You see, like all moms - when i go shopping - and with every good intention - I walk into the mall wanting to get something for myself earnestly but ends up with stuff for Chloe or the store - or even the spouse. I sometimes, get Grammie’s pepsi first rather than my own personal items *smack, smack” - yup I’m this way. Many people including myself thinks that when so and so is happy, I will be happy too - but we cannot be more wrong! because how can the other person be happy if you are not? just like chloe or PB - how can they be happy - when I’m always grouchy or screaming or stressing out myself right? So yes! this year I’ve consciously taken care of myself and doing the things that I need to do for myself first - it’s not easy - I still fall back to my old routine and thinking - but I’m doing it - so half the battle won there. So remember girls - if you want to be a happy mom - you have to stop, breathe - and spend time for yourself and treat yourself - in other words - love yourself today!

We passed by the cemetery today - and Chloe who had been obsessed with death lately asked PB why is there so many dead people at the cemetery and she also wants to know if we were gonna buried her there - when she dies. We’ve not been very good in explaining to her about death and in fact had been avoiding it - because Chloe had been a little dramatic since her cousin’s sudden death last year. At one point - Chloe had said she felt like “killing” herself - and PB had shouted at her and told her never to say something like that - because her cousin Nick had done just that - and that was unforgivable! Yes! trauma or what!

Anyhow, what made me really sad was that she wanted her to get her pink flowers to be put on her grave when she dies! *sigh* - so I knew that we had to explain death clearer to her - without traumatizing her further. But how the heck do you tell a 7 yrs old about death - and how would she deal with it? So we tried - but then Chloe told her that her Aunt Helena told her that everyone dies at some point *slap forehead* - so she wants to know when she will die - and what if we died ? so what is going to happen to her ? she started wailing and said she didn’t want us to die - so we had to stop. Now we have to go and find out from Grammie what Aunt Helena said to Chloe and then try again another time - in a different setting and in a different way but yes ! we read more about it - talked to our doctor about it and will try again - when the question is being asked again.