Is it possible to live on zero waste???

Hello All, Happy weekend.  Hope all of you are enjoying the Austin weather. In a week I will have my kids home for 2 weeks. Looking for ideas to entertain them, please pass on if you have any.

Recently one of my friend posted this article of a girl who lives on Zero waste. This is the article I haven't made any trash in last 2 years . Here's what my life is like. I really liked this article and I saw my trash can at my cube and saw a lot of coffee cups lying there. I was pretty sure I was generating more waste than I should, the worst part of it is that I never even cared about it. This article was an eye opener and I started taking my own cup for coffee last week and I am really happy and proud about it. Then I thought of other ways that I can make the change,I know I cant be generating zero waste,but  some ways to try that was discussed in this thread are:
Shopping :
*I always carry a shopping bag Port and company 2 tote shopping bag. This is great and some super markets like Sprouts, Wheatsville CO-OP give you 0.05 cents per bag you use. So effectively you are not only going green but also saving few cents every trip.
* Then what to do with the plastic bags we get for all the vegetables, I was surprised to find an alternative for that also Ecobags Organic Net produce bags, you can also get some water soluble crayons to mark what you keep in these bags Aquacolor water soluble crayon. If your kids can write this would be a good things to do with them.
*If you are big lover of peanut butter, stores like HEB let you grind your own peanut butter, you can then store it in a jar like this Le Parfait French glass.
Hygiene and beauty:
*Hand kerchiefs: It is sad that no one uses these anymore.You can get something like this Boxed fancy ladies kerchief   I still remember using this when I was young. I have started to use these on my kids when they have running nose.
*One of the best ways to control allergy and from getting cold, especially Austin being the allergy capital , it is best to use this Nasal Neti pot.
*If you use body scrubber you can get a bamboo scrubber Bamboo body scrubber and bamboo hair scrub there is a deal on both of this.
*Beauty soap, there is an eco friendly , no chemical soap that has olive oil , bay laurel oil and pure water. Surely want to give this a try Ancient Olive soap
Housekeeping:
*For liquid soap you can get this and refill Dr Bronners Organic pure Castile Liquid Soap Lavender. This is made with organic oils and is 100% certified vegetarian.
*Stainless steel sponge scrub. This is a steel, I used to get them from Dollar store before , this seems cheaper Staniless steel sponge
*Usually I have the problem of somethings getting into my crusher  and I  have no idea, it stays there and stinks. This one will at least let you know what gets in there and you can control the waste Endurance sink strainer

There are many more areas discussed that we can move to more eco friendly and zero waste products. I will post them in my next post. I know it  is very tough to make the change.In India we followed many good things before, I remember doing most of it since waste management is  big challenge there. But the sad part is that things are changing there also. Personally I want to try it out and see at least just for the sake of it since my coffee cup episode itself made me feel good. Please share your thoughts and if you are already following any of these , please share your experience. Good night and have a nice week ahead.

Our first Ganesha Christmas tree !!!!!!!

Happy holidays!!! . The holiday season is in full swing. The lights are wonderful to see around.  Until last year we didn't have a Christmas tree. This year our son really wanted one  after seeing it from his school. Usually in our tradition we dont keep a Christmas tree at home.

Then we got an idea. My husband got this Chrismas tree and ornaments for just $43. Original is $93 set. It is a very good deal  for the tree and the ornaments put together. You can also reuse the tree for next year. Another advantage with Walmart is that you can do free store pick up, so you dont pay anything fro shipping. Our son was all excited when we put up the tree and he listened to whatever we told him that evening (only that evening). Finally after we put the tree we decorated it with Ganesha picture like this

I explained to my son that since it is our first Christmas tree ,we need to start with Lord Ganesha since he is the one who clears all obstacles in life. I dont know what part of it he got but he is all happy seeing his "Ganesha Christmas tree". We can do anything to see a smile on their face.

People whose kids are around 2-3 years and still dont know about Christmas tree , wait till Christmas is over. I am pretty sure you will get more trees on sale and for lesser price. You can buy them and use it next year.

Even if you do not have the tradition of having a Christmas tree at home , you can still do something like this to make your kids happy and also help them  understand something from your tradition.  Have a good night and see you soon with another post.

What to look for in a day care ??

What an amazing day !! Very relaxed and a different Friday. Took off from work and picked up kids early,  first few hours enjoyed with them and slowly they started to drain me :).This Thanks Giving I found very good deals with TARGET. So I thought it is good to apply for TARGET Red card (debit or credit). If you do that these are the additional benefits.
*5% off everyday
*Free shipping at Target.com
*Extended returns --30 extra days
*Up to 1% purchases go to school you designate
*The online application to apply for this debit or credit card is Target Red Card. No additional fees or charge. I am pretty sure it is worth it.

Usually kids love to roll their baggage when they travel. My son helped us a lot during our recent travel. There is a good sale on one such bag ,back pack and a grooming kit for kids.3-piece Kids Luggage Sets Blue for Boys - Carry-on Suitcase for Boys with Wheels (16"), Backpack for Boys (12"), and Blue Travel Bag for Boys(8"). You get this for $40, which usually is $90. For all those travelling during Christmas this is a good deal. Dont miss it. !!!

Many of you have small babies and thinking of what to look for in a day care. I know the priorities vary from person to person but the general things that I looked in a day care is

*Good reference: Make sure you get feedback from someone who sends their kids there.Again some things that works for others might not work for you but get the details both good and bad.

*Active License: Check in the department of public safety website to make sure they have a good record and also an active license.

*Timing, distance and calendar: This is very very important. How long they are open, distance from your house or work place and vacation days. It is pretty hard to get a good combination of all these. See what works for you best.

*Immunization record policy: Make sure that the day care gets the record of immunization from all kids.

*Healthy food: If the day care provides food make sure it is healthy and not much of processed sugar items.

*Take a  tour: Always try to take a tour of the facility when kids are around there.Just see how you feel about the place when you enter  , how friendly , honest and trained the staff and teachers are, is the place clean, do they answer all your questions patiently, how safe you feel your kids will be there etc...

*Teacher to student ratio: Make sure they follow the State rule for the teacher to kids ratio. If kids are younger there should be more staff to handle them.

*Curriculum and how they engage the kids: After my experience with 2 kids I keep this as low priority for kids under 2 years ,since at that age they just need good care. After 2 years you need a better environment for them to think and be challenged more mentally and physically.

If there are other things that you really worry about or look into please add as comments as it will benefit someone who is in the process of actively searching for a day care. Good night and have a nice weekend !!!

Who has a new 6.2 million pounds Swiss Bunglow???

Hello All, weather here in Austin is wet and cold. It is pretty good to take a walk in this weather. Just that I wish I had time. I saw this slogan somewhere " I had a life and my job ate it". I would like to add kids to it. Looking forward to the Christmas break soon. I always try to find new things to look forward to as it makes life interesting.

Last week as I was driving my car I dropped my phone in the gap between the seat and it was so difficult for me to get it out. Then I though I had an idea for a new product. I always keep shooting some ideas to my husband on finding some new product. I told him we can make something to fill the gap between the seats. To my surprise there is already a product . It is called "Stop Drop". I am pretty sure we all deal with this issue and it is a very good solution to it for $20.It has amazing reviews ,do check it out.

Usually when I think of multi million dollar homes or villas I always think that it belongs to some politician in India. When I read this NEWS I thought the same thing. Then on reading further I understood that it is the new home of a famous Tennis player. Before I go into whose it is just take a look at the pics

I still keep wondering if this is real or photo shopped. It looks amazing and picture perfect. The villa is 500 square metres which is approximately 5382 square feet  and has three floors , a swimming pool , a glass dome around the dinning room and views of lake Zurich.

Fedrer has the record of most career prize money winner which is 44 million pounds. I really salute his hard work. I dont think he could have reached this without that.

I cant even dream of a house like this to call this as my "dream house". One day, if I visit Zurich , I will surely see the house from outside like how I see Rajni, Kamal, Amitab and Ambani's house in India from oustside:). Please share your comments on how the house looks.

Where are we ????

Hello All, Hope all of you  enjoyed the thanks giving break and did shopping as well. We  had a nice break  and did a lot of  shopping and also did something that we have wanted to do for years. One very good deal suggested by our friend is a groupon for a robot cleaner , Click here to see the deal. I personally think this is a very good deal , you get a $599 cleaner for $199. You have one more day for the deal to be over.

Tuesday afternoon me and my husband  took off from work , went for lunch at "Thai Spice" the best Thai restaurant that you can find in Austin and then to a movie.We had to decide between "Dumb and Dumber to" and "Interstellar". We had to go to pick up the kids around  5 p.m.  I heard from one of my friend that you need to know "quantum physics" if you are  to watch interstellar. I was not very thrilled by that. Since this was our first movie together  alone after 4 yrs.... I just wanted to go "Dumb and Dumber to " and have a nice laugh and not think about  "physics" or anything for that matter and head out.

My husband really wanted to watch "Interstellar" since it was the movie to be watched in a big screen. Gosh !!! I just realized that these days we have no time to argue on anything. With 2 kids around, we are always running errands or have some chores to do. If at all there is an argument, we just say "No time for that now" and focus on next thing to do. Finally we decided to watch "Interstellar".

After we got out of the theater my husband  was so much awed by the story and the way the director had screened it.  Some things I never understood in the movie. My only comment was "The movie is too long".  My husband was so much into the movie that he never answered to any of my questions in the theater. I had them all in my mind. After we were out ,slowly I asked him each question , he looked at me and said " I am confused whether we both went to the same movie". My husband was still so much into the movie that he forgot directions  to my kids school. We went somewhere and then he asked " Where are we?? This movie made me forget everything now. Do you know where we are? "I have very bad direction sense check this post Common sense is common what about direction sense? but I never admit that to him. I just told him that because of the movie even I forgot everything :).   We figured out the directions and then he continued explaining.

After he explained I understood the entire plot  and thought to myself "We have already heard this type of story in our Hindu mythology based on time travelling" one such example is King Raivata of Sun dynasty who travels to see Brahma to Brahma-lok and Brahma explains about time difference in earth and brama-lok".The movie was amazing no doubt about that but I feel the story was  not anything novel , but I really appreciate  the director for bringing it to reality on screen and make people forget about everything else for those 2 and half hours. I am pretty sure that this movie will sweep many awards in Oscar. Please share your thoughts on this :)

Deals Deals and More Deals !!!

Hello All, I am pretty sure all of you are looking for deals all over. Some good deals  are worth buying online and some  in store  door busters. I have listed a combination of deals that I think are worthwhile to check :

1) Costco deals are from Nov 28-30th. There is  a very good deal on this laptop. Dell Inspiron 15 inch 5000 series 15.6 inch with Intel core i7 processor 8 B memory 1TB hard drive Touchscreen Laptop for $749 $599.99  .You save $150. My friend suggested that this is a very good deal.

2)Kids night ware are $7.99 $9.99

3) There is a 10$ off of Google chrome cast at costco

4)There is a lot of deals on Amazon right now and they are being claimed by the minute. To see them all click here These are some things which I thought are interesting

*Trash can: If you are looking for a stainless sensor trash can , there is a good lightning deal on this trash can NST Nine Stars DZT-42-1 Infrared Touchless Automatic Motion Sensor Lid Open Trash Can, 11.1-Gallon

*If you are looking to organize some things in garage this is a good buy Evriholder Magic Holder 5-position Wall organizer . There is a lighting deal and this is for $7.99

*If you are looking for a stainless steel set this is a good one Cook N Home 12-Piece Stainless Steel Set.

*This mono pod is a really good deal GoScope - GoPro® HERO4 Telescoping Pole / Monopod: Expands 21" out to 34.5"

*If you are looking for an in sinkator this is a good deal InSinkErator Evolution Compact 3/4 HP Household Garbage Disposer

*This is a very good coat for women. The fur hood is detachable which I like BCBGeneration Women's Mid Length Packable Down Coat with Fur Hood

*This is a very good deal on portable phone charger Portable phone charger

*This is a very nice deal on a vacuum cleaner Shark Navigator lift-away

5)There is a 50% off clothes at Bana Republic, Gymboree if you are planning to go shopping.

6)JC Penny also has a lot of deals on clothes, towels, appliances and 60% off on coats.

Please post some deals that you all ought in my Face Book page and also like my page to follow me.

Amazing deals at Amazon !!!

Hello All,  I hope you all have an idea on the Walmart deals, today lest us look at Amazon deals. Amazon offers a free 30 day trial to Amzon Prime and this would be the right time to apply for it now here Join Amazon Prime - Listen to Over a Million Songs - Start Free Trial Now. so you can get free shipping on all deals.You can also gift this to your loved ones Shop Amazon - Give the Gift of Amazon Prime. Coming to the deals, Amazon has a very different strategy. Right from Nov 21st they are going to introduce new deals everyday fro 8 days , every 10 minutes. This is a little difficult to track but you can sign up for their deals or check out the below
1) These are the TV deals going to be available . Check this page to know more TV Deals
    *Toshiba 50 inch LED LCD HDTV for $199
    *Vizio 50 inch 1080p LED HDTV for $478

2) Cell phone and accessories Cell Phone and Acessories
   *LG L3 Andriod smart phone for one cent with 2 year contract.
   *HTC M180 Windows smartphone for one cent with 2 year contract

3) Get deals on Toys here Toys
  * Buy one and get one free on Fisher Price Toys
  *Crayola imagination art case $19 $39
  *Leap frog leapband  $24.99   $39.99

4) Get deals on computers here Computers
    *Specific Apple product deals check here Apple products
     *Ipad mini 16GB wi-fi for $245 $329.99

5)Get deals on Patio Lawn and Garden
   More than 50% off on Black and Decker Lithium Ion Cordless sweeper $87 $157 
   50% off on Cusinart All foods roll away gas grill $199  $249.99
More than 50% off on Viverie Hammock $102 $159

6) Get deals on beauty products here Beauty 
     Braun Series 7-790cc Pulsonic Mens shaving system for $170 $269
     Oral B Tooth brushes $69  $96
     Nivea men skin products $17 $24
    35% off cover girl outlast all day 2 step lip color
    Eatsmart bathroom scale $28  $59

7) Check here for deals on Automotive

8) Check here for deals on Jewellery

Stay tuned to know more about Costco deals on next post. For all those travelling have a safe trip see you all soon with another post.

Check out Walmart Thanks Giving deals 2014 !!!

Hello All...Happy Thanks Giving !!!.All of us are looking forward to the Thanks giving break next week and also for deals on what to buy . I have created a Face Book  page for this blog Preethi's Blog  please like this to follow my blog.

The first store I am analyzing for deals is Walmart.These are the deals pre-thanks giving :). I have listed some of the interesting ones I found

1) Best deal only available in store is Emerson 40 inch 1080p 120Hz Class LED HDTV for  Soon $115.

2)  If you are looking for laptops /tablets

Samsung chrome book for $212 $299



HP Laptop 15 -f039wm Laptop PC with Intel Celeron N2830 Processor, 4GB memory ,500 GB Hard drive and windows 8.1 for $249 $290


3) If you are into baking this is a good deal Hamilton Beach Power Deluxe 4-Quart Stand Mixer for
Now $20 $34.88




 3) If you are looking for a printer and scanner this is a great deal Cannon PIXMA MG 2920 Wireless Inkjet All-in-one Printer/Copier/Scanner for Now $19 $39

4) Electric shaver ..this is a good deal for $69.95 $89.95

5) This Vacuum cleaner deal is really a good one for $98 $168. You save $70

Also look for the Walmart deals by clicking below


Stay tuned to know more about other stores and online shopping. Please comment in my Face Book of the deals you know so I can also know.

Travelling to India with kids?? Check this post :)

Holiday season is around the corner and I am sure all of you have plans to travel.I know many people travelling to India during this season. All of you have a safe and nice trip. Some people travelling with kids requested me to write about the things to pack for the kids. Here you go!!!

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Usually I will create a checklist of items to take. You always tend to forget something or the other. You can always buy things in India, so dont panic. These are the things I got before India trip
1) Make sure you talk to your pediatrician about the trip and get malaria medicine for the kids if you are going around the season where mosquitoes are a lot there.
2) Pack all the basic kids medicine
   1)Pain and fever reducer Infant fever reducer
   2) Kids Thermometer
   3)We gave our kids probiotic two times a day . This is the one we took Florastor kids . It was very useful when our daughter had diarrhea.
   4)Get this all natural mosquito repellent Mosquito repellent. Get a couple of onesiezes for small kids and spray this on the exposed portions so you can avoid mosquito bites.
    5) Get this Pedialyte, it will be helpful when the kids are dehydrated.
    6)Desitin diaper rash cream. This was very useful when my daughter had diaper rash.
3)Take enough diapers, you can use those there and it wont add up to the weight when you come back.
4)If your kid is still nursing or bottle fed continue that so you can give milk after they are back. Also if they eat cereal still make sure you take some, it will be very useful during flight journey.
5) Even if your kid is potty trained take some pull ups their size and have it in your diaper bag , we used few diapers on or potty trained son during emergency.
6)Always have something to eat and drink for the kids through out the travel time. You never know what they will be cranky about.
7) Have some band aid handy. Whenever my son fell down I would just put a band aid and things were drama free.
8)Make sure you take head phones for the kids so they can enjoy the in flight entertainment if they are 4-5 years of age.
9) I took some pens and paper for them to write. Some stickers and some small books to keep them occupied. I traveled without an IPAD. But if you are taking one take the required charger for it.
10)Dont forget the stroller. It is very much required with small kids.

 If you have something in particular that I missed please feel free to add. And again as usual leave your comments here.

Want to know what things to do for winter in your household???

Hello All, Hope all is well. It is really cold here in Austin. Hope the weather gets better next week. I personally dont like winter since we cannot go out much and by the time we get home it is dark.Kids are also bored during weekends. Please pass on some ideas to keep kids engaged at home and also outdoor activities to take kids out. I follow some things like puzzles, coloring , reading books. I feel they watch more TV now than summer  :).

 When I think of winter there are some things that we make sure that we do in our household. I will list them so  you all can know more about it 

1) Make sure you turn off the sprinkler system.We usually dont water the lawn during winter as it is not needed.

2) We usually keep the temperature low on the thermostat and we buy personal heaters,we have this one Personal room heater so that you dont have to heat the whole house.
3) When turning on heaters make sure you have humidifiers also on so the room will not be that dry and it is easier for kids to breathe. We have this humidifier Humidifier there is a sale on this check it out.
4)Watch out on the amount of water you use, in Austin, there is a meter  to measure water usage but there is no meter to measure the amount of water that goes through the drainage system. The city measures the water usage  during mid-November to mid- March and averages it out throughout the year in your bill for waste water. Our friend told us about it . So please make sure you watch on your water usage.To know more about it read here Waste water Average FAQ
5) Make sure you bring your plant pots inside the house and also add more mulch to the roots of the trees so that the trees dont die. You can buy something like this to transport the plants Pot transporter
6)Change the direction of fan blades if you use it so that it will bring the hot air down.
7)Also there is a winter car care package from Firestone for $9.99. Click here to make an appointment Firestone online appointment. Make sure you do this check to have the car safe to be on the roads during winter.

Also I am looking forward to the "Thanks Giving" break. Hope I can relax a bit and do some shopping too. Please pass on some good deals if you come across. Hope you all have a relaxing weekend and will see you all soon with more posts. Wow I really missed updating my blog. Read this post to know more about missing things Missing-someone-or-something-or-being missed?? Have you experienced this?? Take care and stay tuned :)