Alter Space Save the Environment Campaign

I'm sure everyone would agree with me that we should all take care of our environment - of our mother earth - because it's the only home we have. Isn't it that all the unfavorable effects of not caring for the environment like having floods, global warming, el nino and la nina, air and water pollution, etc are more than enough to convince us that we should take some of the responsibility in lowering carbon emission and at the same time conserving energy and saving money?

One way to encourage all of us to take this responsiblity is by spreading information and awareness. The media and many groups advocating environment conservation are already doing this just like during the last Earth Hour.  But as a personal contribution in sharing to you, my dear readers, about saving the environment, I would like to write in this article how we can lower carbon emission and save the environment.

When talking about carbon emissions, it refers to the emissions of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases influence the global energy balance of the Earth, resulting in the popularly known greenhouse effect. Almost everything we do have something to do with carbon emissions. When we use petrol or diesel in our cars, in buses or trains; when we use fuel or LPG at home for electricity and cooking; when food, shelter, household goods are produced in manufacturing companies - carbon emissions take place.

So, how can we help reduce carbon emissions and save energy and the environment? Let me talk about 5 ways.

1. Telecommuting. Greenhouse gas emissions related to travel is reduced when people telecommute since they don't have to go to and from the office using their own cars. Since telecommuting also reduces the need to maintain a physical office, it is an opportunity to conserve energy and lower carbon emissions related to the use of electricity, heating and air-conditioning and lighting the office.  If you can't telecommute, just plan to use your car less.

2. Develop eco-friendly buying and eating habits. There are now many energy efficient products available to consumers. Consumers can use ecolabels and green stickers as a guide to shopping for more energy efficient products. Ecolabels tell consumers either of 2 things: (1) the product was produced in an energy efficient way or by using renewable energy; or (2) the product is highly energy efficient so you save energy when using them.

An example of an ecolabel is the Energy Star label.  Appliances like televisions, computers, audio-visual equipment and electronics, office equipment, heating and cooling equipment that meet strict energy efficiency criteria set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are eligible for the blue ENERGY STAR label.

Energy Star Ecolabel

Another example is the EU Ecolabel. It is a product label seal that makes it easier for consumers to identify and choose green products. For example, eco-labels will be awarded to products that do not contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which damage the ozone layer, to those products that can be, or are, recycled, and to those that are energy efficient.

EU Ecolabel. Image from Wikimedia Commons

3. Practice effective energy conservation. Aside from reusing and recycling products in the home, we could take action in conserving the use of energy in the home. Some ways to do this is by 

• Replacing light bulbs with more energy efficient ones as well as CRT monitors with LCD/LED monitors to reduce amount of electricity used. 
• Turning off appliances and unplugging them from the power source.
• Drying your clothes outside    
• Changing thermostats on your air conditioner(s) and heater(s) 

Check out the link for more Saving Energy Tips or this Energy Savers Booklet.

4. Green Building.  This refers to constructing houses and other buildings that would promote energy efficiency, water efficiency, materials efficiency and waste and toxics reduction. Some ways to promote green building is by

• Daylighting - it is the effective window placement so that more natural light is used and the need for electric lighting during the day is lessened.
• Using renewable energy through solar power, wind power, hydro power, or biomass.
• Using plants and trees as green roofs and rain gardens. Rain gardens reduce rain runoff by allowing storm water to soak into the ground instead of flowing into storm drains and surface waters which causes erosion, water pollution, and flooding.

5. Play Alter Space. Lastly, I am not so much a fan of playing Facebook Online Games. In fact, my sons are convincing me to allow them to play some games on my FB account. (We haven't allowed them to have their own FB account.)  But when I found out that Alter Space is the first Filipino environmental awareness game in Facebook, I allowed this Facebook apps to be played by my son in my FB account. Not only are they having fun in playing this game but they also learn at the same time to care for our planet. Check out this Facebook plug-in: I Recommend and Like it. I hope you would, too. Watch the official Alter Space Video below to know more about it.

Air Travel Tips - Planning, Packing, Traveling with Kids

I can't concentrate on my blogging these days. We are preparing for our air travel to the Philippines. Everybody is excited but we have to fix things up. So, let me just share with you in this blog post some air travel tips.

Air travel planning tips

• Book your flight early especially if you know you are traveling during a peak season. You can also try to look for cheap travel deals if you plan early.
• Get nonstop flight meaning you ride the airplane and get off in your target destination and not in another airport where you have for several hours before going on your flight again. This is especially the better option if you have kids traveling with you.
• Select a seat when you do your flight booking or reservation. If you're traveling alone, this may not matter that much where you get seated. But if you're traveling as a family with little kids like us, it would be better to select your seats so that you can be seated together in the airplane. 
• Secure all the necessary documents like your passport, VISA and airplane tickets. If you can secure your boarding pass prior to your flight check-in,  it is much better. 
• Reconfirm all the flight details in case there are changes. I know some people who failed to do this and when they got to the airport they were sorry to find out that the airplane took off earlier.
• Plan to go to the airport early enough (at least 2 hours before departure time) or you might get bumped off your flight.

Air travel packing tips

• Pack early. Cramming tends to make you forget the things you need to bring. Make a checklist of what you need to bring so that you can be sure that you won't miss anything. Also, know which things you can carry and which things are banned. You don't want to get on hold in the airport.
• Make sure that your luggage is secure. Actually, I just prepare the things that we need to bring and my husband does the packing. He is the expert in this. We use sturdy boxes and put packaging tape all around it as if laminating it (to protect it from getting wet just in case). Then, he ties a nylon string over the boxes, a peculiar color, so that it will be easier for us to identify the boxes when we get them from the baggage carousel.  All other important things that we are taking with us, we put them in a heavy duty suitcase. 
• Avoid excess baggage. Know how much baggage you can check in and hand carry including how much each should weigh. It is very difficult to open your baggage at the airport at the check in counter to remove what you can leave to those who brought you there. Otherwise, you have to pay for the extra weight you will be checking in. I have seen this happen at the airport and it is a very stressful situation.

Air travel tips for kids

• Be sure to carry everything that your child would need during the flight - food, milk, diaper, extra clothes, medications, etc.  By the way, I will remember to bring extra plastic bags this time because the last time we had our flight, almost 3 of my 5 kids vomited on the plane because of headache during the flight. And maybe I'll also bring the appropriate medicine.
• To avoid ear pain because of the air pressure during take off and landing of the airplane, give your child something to chew like a gum or give a candy so he/she will swallow often. Babies can be given their milk bottles or pacifiers to suck.
• Boredom busters. In case of stop overs, some airports are equipped with children's playground. So look for that so the children can relax and play. How I wish that traveling with my kids this time will be less stressful. They're much older now and hopefully will be less fussy during the flight. Last time the aircraft we boarded was equipped with TV screens and movies per seat and it helped to entertain my kids. If the flight is at night, it is less of a problem since the kids can just go to sleep.

 By the way, for more air travel tips for kids, you can visit this web page by the Transportation Security Administration.

Probably, the next time I make another post, I'll be in the Philippines. God bless you all.

Summer Vacation Ideas for Kids

It's already April and I know most of the school kids are now enjoying their summer vacation. My kids have already been enjoying their vacation for about 3 weeks now. The last time we went to school was when Janel had her moving on exercise and Kristel had her Kindergarten 2 Graduation ceremonies.

Janel is now promoted to Kindergarten 1.

Kristel will be Grade 1 next school year.

Now that all of my kids are with me at home most of the time, I always have my hands full and don't get to enjoy much peace and quiet. I know that all they want to do is to play, play, play. However, I'm hoping that their summer vacation could be a little more productive. Here are some summer vacation ideas and activities that I'm thinking of for my kids to do and hopefully enjoy.

1. Arts and crafts project - My 3 little girls like to do water color painting and most of them also like drawing. I just let them do some of these activities when they are in mood. We also have a set of arts and crafts book which I could ask them to choose from a project they would like to make for this vacation. Some of the art and craft projects include creative lettering, collage, paper folding, origami, clay modeling, handmade card making, beadworks and more.
2. Book reading and online learning program - Just like last summer, I would still like my children to continue developing the habit of reading instead of just playing their Wii games all the time.  I am also thinking of enrolling Janel in the Headsprout online reading program. The less than 30 minutes a day she will spend in Headsprout will go a long way in helping her read. All of her kuyas and ate went through the program which helped them a lot in their reading fluency and comprehension.
3. Short summer courses - If time would permit, when we go to the Philippines for vacation, I would like to enroll some of my kids who have interest in learning short term courses like a piano lesson or a sports clinic focusing on swimming or basketball. Going to Vacation Bible school is also nice for them to join in so they could meet new friends and learn about God at the same time.
4. Helping with the house chores - I'm not so sure if they would enjoy this but I think summer vacation is the perfect time for them to continue learning the value of hard work. I give them schedules to wash the dishes, hang the laundry clothes or do the vacuum cleaning. I also teach them how to prepare and cook some easy snacks like this bread pizza. They actually enjoy helping with this one and the eating part.
5. Going out just to relax and play - Summer vacation will not be complete without spending some time out as a family. I don't actually think about the expensive summer vacation destinations but we can go out more during this time because there are no school work to think about. Also, since we're going to the Philippines, I would like my kids to go and see some of the places in the Philippines that they are only learning about in school and books. I'll hopefully share about these in future blog posts.

I'm sure, they cannot do all these things I'm thinking of. There are times that it's better to be spontaneous in doing enjoyable activities. But if they could accomplish just one or two of these this summer, then it would make summer vacation a time well spent.  How about your kids? What activities are they into as they enjoy the summer vacation?

Teaching Kids the Value of Hard Work and Saving Money

How many times have you heard your children complain when you ask them to do something? Do they say "It's too hard! I can't do it!" If your kids are like mine, then you've probably heard this from your kids. I often hear them say it when I am tutoring them for their school homework or exam especially in Math and Civics/History.

When you're in a situation like this with your kids, what do you tell them? As for me, I am forced to tell them the reality that there are things that they really have to work hard for if they want to get good results. That's life. This is one of those times that I find being a mom is not that easy, because I struggle with convincing my kids.

Anyway, to help encourage them to work hard in their studies, my husband and I have agreed to reward them with cash every time they get high grades. We can afford to do this, I guess, because we don't really give them pocket money when they go to school. So, all throughout the school year, we've been encouraging them to work hard.  When they do some house chores, we also sometimes reward them with extra cash.

So, now that the school year is over, our kids' hard work in school have actually paid off. They did not land any place in the top 10 of their class but I'm glad that all of them averaged 92 in their final school grades.

Moreover, they have been really wanting to buy a Wii console since the start of the school year.  But we told them that they should save for it. So, through their hard work, each one of our 3 school-aged children were able to save some money. Individually, their savings was not enough to buy a Wii console but when they put their money together, they were able to buy themselves a Wii.

"Wee!" My children shouted with glee. We finally took them to the store to buy their Wii today. Not only are they happy, but I am also happy. Not only are they learning about the value of hard work but also the value of saving money.

Let me also share with you this short video about How to instill a good work ethic in your children. 




I hope the video was helpful. Let's continue to work towards helping our children understand the value hard work and money. Have a blessed day!