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A new baby and rising electricity costs

And yes! The arrival of a child will require you to consume on average 20% more kilowatt hour, as a consultant for Hydro-Quebec.

Since I stopped working in April, I found that our consumption of electricity was higher than the previous year. Normal, because I spent more time at home instead of being in the office. So using more lighting, by operating domestic appliances and home electronics, all this necessarily means more power consumption. In my case, an increase that accounts for 5%. However

receiving this week a review of my monthly payment plan, our annual consumption was for the whole of last year available in an overall decrease of nearly 25%. Indeed, according to the work we have made last fall to improve the energy efficiency of our 2-story, and let's face it, having suffered a mild winter, Hydro-Québec wanted to revise my monthly payment down.

But finding an increase in consumption during the last 4 months I have filed an appeal with Hydro-Quebec for sure whether it was wise to reduce payments and avoid a big bill in September. Councillor and I have come to the same conclusion that it was indeed preferable not to reduce the monthly payment because with the arrival of a child, the accounts are always higher. Indeed, parents are more often at home, they avoid to reduce the temperature at night in children's bedrooms and they especially do a lot more washing.

So in addition to include in your budget, costs the first year of baby, do not forget to budget for rising electricity costs.

Burning Throat From Afrin Spray

Lost without nature

After reading the book Lost without nature the editorialist of La Presse François Cardinal, I told myself that there are books that I loved to write (if I had time and talent!) So the comments are close to my own ideas and findings. This is one.

Francis Cardinal elaborates in his book a reflection based on extensive research of various sociological studies to understand why young people no longer play outside. But also the distance that our younger generations have taken with the true nature. It also offers ideas being considered to address them.

Indeed, I found arriving in my new neighborhood I saw little children playing outside. I concluded that my little piece of street would be filled by a majority of adults, no children or that they had made themselves adults. However since the beginning of my maternity leave and return to school in September, I can now see the comings and goings of several children who go to school in the morning. However I remember very little about the weekend or early evening having fun outside.

When we bought our triplex, one of the things that we had to consider this choice was complement our alley is grass and that is no parking for one car. We dream that our daughter will enjoy this space to play more freely without having to cross busy streets so that Hochelaga and Sherbrooke for access to a park. However in the past 2 years we have seen little children playing. Is she will play alone?

Several ideas proposed by Cardinal in his book are the direct responsibility of a parent as to address the culture of door-to-door by car for journeys of children and parents, foster active transport such as walking or cycling to get to school (but I would also to get to work), rediscovering the virtues of good neighborliness and set an example by conducting family activities in nature. One idea that is added, but in my opinion is the hardest in our major cities (and depending on the level of protective parent that we have each!) Will "drop hand" to our children that 'they realize their own experiences and avoid overprotection.

One of these ideas to reach parents is to advocate, get involved, ask and demand changes in our society. I believe that through this blog and my other activities, I would have no problem to run them. This is also by that line of thinking that I can as a parent, to implement the other ideas as he proposes to review the management of schools and their courses, request the reconnect teachers with the natural environment, asking that municipalities review the development of cities in which children and finally review the development of parks and green spaces to promote exchanges between children.

For one of the ideas being considered is within my reach, is to rediscover the virtues of neighborliness, I found that there A few young children who are born among my neighbors during the last 2 years and I feel that as parents we need to encourage the use of the alley as space and recreate the game for free activities without planning and structure. Besides these exchanges to promote good-neighborly, I plan to organize next year's activity within neighbors Day to be held June 4, 2011 (always the first Saturday in June). And you what do you do?