A Happy Family

In My Husband's Home Town

>> Aug 29, 2011

I’m already four days here, at my FIL’s house (Bumiayu, Central Java, Indonesia). Bumiayu is a small city, a subdistrict of Brebes district region. Since the main road of this city located not far from the house; I can take pictures of passing by vehicles that running toward to each one’s home town.

Most people love celebrating the Feast Day in their home town. We call this tradition as ‘Mudik’; going home every year to celebrate it together with all big families. I think every country has also the similar tradition. Do you?

Though the Government advice not to ‘mudik’ by motorcycles as its high risk; many people are still doing it for efficient/costless cause and other reason such as flexible movement in traffic jams and mobility needs in their home towns.

Can you differentiate between ordinary motor bikers and ‘mudik’ motor bikers? Helmets, jackets and luggage are the main differencing items.

I can’t tell much here. Until now, I go nowhere to the interesting places. Women in this family are busy preparing meals for the whole family members every day. The severe traffic jam on the main road also makes us lazy to wander around.

Horse-Drawn Buggy

>> Aug 27, 2011

Today is my third day in my husband’s home town (Bumiayu, Central Java Province, Indonesia). In Bumiayu city, horse-drawn buggies are one of public transportations. Compared with Bogor city-the place we live- you can ride a horse-drawn buggy by renting it.

The route isn’t far; it’s only about 4 kilometers, along Raya Bumiayu Street. The price is very cheap, between Rp 1000 – 4000 rupiah (under US$1). I’ve tried it several times. Do you want to try it, too?
Camera Critters

Saving while Shopping Online

Nowadays, shopping online is already becoming a new and well-liked shopping style. You can get the best deal by comparing prices of the same product at different online stores. Anyway, the current economy condition makes you consider spending money more wisely. You become prioritizing saving money whenever getting your needs, right?

When it comes to shopping online, there’s another way to find your needs on less cost besides with comparing the prices. You can apply online coupon codes such as Zappos coupon code, promotional bargains and discount promo codes that offered by various online stores. Those online stores provide codes, coupons and special deals for you to save more money while shopping; isn’t it great?

To always get information on the latest coupons and deals, you should visit resource websites like BestOnlineCoupons.com which supplies the list of most updated coupons and deals from thousands of merchants. If you’re searching for fashion stuffs; check out Zappos coupons at this resource website. You’ll find discount deals and special offers on Zappos shoes, jewelry, bags, clothing, and other more.

Ladies, you may also check out Endless Shoes and Handbags coupons. By submitting the promotion code while finishing your order, you can get those lovely shoes and handbags in discount prices. It’s really worth to try!

Saving money while shopping would become easier for you. If you always browse this resource website first to find the related coupons, discounts and special offers before shopping any item online, you’ll save much money!

Getting a Timeless Portrait of Your Baby

>> Aug 26, 2011

Congrats on your adorable new born baby! I believe that babies are always becoming treasures to every parent. As a new parent, documenting every valuable moment of your baby’s life would be so exciting. You can take many portrait pictures of your loves one spontaneously; but only an experienced family portrait photographer who can create timeless and artistic portrait pictures. If you crave to have a work of art, you should consider using the expertise of a professional baby photographer.

Baby is a cute object to be photographed, but babies are also hard to be captured through the camera lens. That’s why you should deal with the professionals in portrait photography North Shore, such as Nicholas Fiennes Fine-Photography that is able to completely capture the real and artistic appearances of your baby.

The experienced photographers in baby photography Sydney will know how to make babies feel comfortable during photo session. They will try to accommodate your personal fondness and give you advice on your baby’s best poses. You’ll be amazed with the result as they offer you with unique and artistic perspective in every photograph. Isn’t it great?

Since getting lifelong memories of your baby’s life moments is very valuable; don’t be hesitant to contact baby photographers and apply their expertise!

Going Out of Town

>> Aug 24, 2011

I’ll travel again; this time we’ll go to my husband’s home town in Bumiayu (Central Java, Indonesia) to celebrate the Feast Day next Tuesday in my FIL’s house. Together with my BILs and SILs, we’ll leave very early tomorrow. It needs three cars to accommodate all of us. Hope the journey is going well. If there’s no traffic jam, we can reach FIL’s house in about seven hours car ride.

After the Feast Day, we also plan to visit my father in my brother’s home in Surabaya (East Java, Indonesia). Since it’s far from my husband’s home town, we prefer traveling by train to riding a car.

Of course, I’ll bring my laptop. Wish I still have times to update my blogs and visit my friends’ blogs.

I should start packing. Before doing it, I want to share a fountain that captured in the front of a restaurant in Surabaya (East Java, Indonesia) where I and some junior school friends had lunch reunion weeks ago.

Watery Wednesday

Why Build a Sustainable Home?

If you have recently bought a piece of land and are planning to build a new home on it, you should think about how energy efficient it will be. With the proposed introduction of the carbon tax and residential building (mandatory disclosure) legislation imminent, it’s never been more important to consider household energy efficiency.

A lot of people think that energy efficiency is directly related to appliance choice. This is incorrect. The first step to a sustainable home is to design it so that it has a high thermal performance. And this is where home energy ratings come in.

Assessors use computer simulations to assess major aspects of the home, including its orientation and shading to determine what thermal performance it has. Thermal performance relates to how well a home can maintain a comfortable temperature year round. The idea being that if the house is designed to have a high thermal performance, it will require very little heating in winter and cooling in summer – leaving you to reap the ongoing savings.

To make sure your home is designed with thermal efficiency in mind, make sure you employ the services of an accredited home energy rating assessor in the design and planning phase of your new home. In analysing the current house plans, they will provide economic solutions to make the home more thermally efficient.

While various misinformed articles will have you believe that a sustainable home is extravagant and expensive, the reality is that thermal performance can be achieved with little or no additional cost. Plus, with the help of an assessor you can rest assured that your house plans will meet the minimum energy efficiency requirements as listed in the Building Code of Australia (BCA).

Designing your home to be energy efficient is only one step towards a more sustainable home. The next step is to fit it out with energy efficient appliances coupled with a more sustainable attitude in your household.

When purchasing appliances, you want to keep an eye out for those that rate highly on the energy consumption labeling. Having fitted-out your house with energy efficient appliances you need to review and update your contents insurance.

The next step is arguably the hardest and requires the household’s full cooperation. You need to change your lifestyle to adapt sustainable behaviours. Simple rules like, ‘turn lights off when you are not using them’ and ‘only wash with cold water’ are good first steps, others that have great returns on your back pocket are:

· Install a AAA showerhead – save up to $100 per annum.
· Get rid of that old second fridge – save up to $200
· Use energy efficient light bulbs (CFLs) – save up to $50.
· Switch off lights when you’re not in the room – save around $25.
· Don’t overheat or overcool rooms – save around $50.
· Close doors, cover windows, and seal draughts – save around $50.
· Wash clothes in cold water – save around $40.
· Use the clothesline instead of the dryer when the sun shines – save up to $40.
· Don’t leave appliances in standby mode – save up to $50.
· Don’t run your pool pump for too long – save up to $75.

Don’t leave energy efficiency until after you have sort a removalist and moved into your new home – incorporate it into your plans. If you decide to invest in renewable energies, it might be a good time to review and update your home insurance.
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How to Send Your Child with Allergies to Camp

If you’ve got a child with allergies, especially severe ones, you know how worrying it can be sending them out that front screen door. Calm down. Keep school and camp staff alert of your child’s allergies with custom bag tags and clothing labels that attribute allergy alert. They list your child’s name and what allergies they have. That way you don’t need to be anxious about your nut allergic son swapping the Turkey Surprise for PB&J.

There are a range of Allergy Alert labels to select from. You can get ones that hang from your child’s neck like some back stage pass to the world’s coolest concert, or custom bag tags you can put on their backpacks, luggage or lunch sacks. You can also obtain clothing labels that are fine for allergy alerts as well as name tagging so you know they come home. Why not save yourself a trip to the lost and found?

It’s the informational age, so make sure your child’s allergies are printed on their sleeve if need be with custom Clothing Labels. They feature unique, cool designs so your child will adore them. The designers feature kids’ fashion in mind and even feature custom bag tags with their favorite super heroes, sports, or hobbies. They’ll love using these allergy alert reminders, and you’ll love the peace of mind knowing your child’s allergy won’t be forgotten by the busy staff. Save the emergency room visits for another day with clothing labels for what they put on, custom bag tags for what they eat.