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30Nov 2013

Bright Ideas for energy efficiency

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

Sparkling and dazzling lights surround around our Christmas tree. Hundreds of tiny lights run along the garlands like waves stretching all the way to the second floor. The girls’ bright red and green Christmas stockings hang on the garlands, just waiting to be filled up with yummy candies and goodies on Christmas day. These pretty colored things make me giddy as I recall fond childhood memories. The Christmas celebration is not complete with these twinkling lights adorning my home.

But wait… though I may be dazzled by brilliant lights, I should be mindful of the power cost. I received a Meralco advisory for a November rate change in October. Like any other consumer, I wouldn’t want a bill shock so it is great that Meralco gave me a heads up.

In the advisory, electricity rates are expected to have upward adjustments in November and December 2013 and may possibly carry over to January 2013. This is due to the scheduled maintenance work of some power plants and the Camago-Malampaya natural gas pipelines. The advisory further explained that the scheduled maintenance of the Camago-Malampaya pipeline , from which Sta. Rita and Ilijan power plants obtain their fuel is from November 9 till December 8, 2013. Together these two power plants supply about 50% of the Meralco ‘s energy requirements. Both will continue running at a limited capacity but will have to use more expensive fuel, as opposed to the cheaper natural gas from the Malampaya pipeline. This also means Meralco will source more power from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM). All these are expected to drive up generation charge.

That got me worried about my November bill which I just paid yesterday. When I compared my October and November bill, an estimated 11% increase is shown.

Meralco became even pro-active by meeting with a few mom bloggers. They explained the upward adjustments but they are doing all they can to mitigate the impact. One way is securing a new Power Supply AGreement (PSA) with Therma Mobile Inc. for the supply of additional energy to take effect immediately upon the approval by the Energy Regulation Commission (ERC). As a result, the anticipate upward adjusment are significantly lower than if Meralco had been more dependent on WESM.

Managing Power Consumption

Another way to minimize the rate impact is by reaching out to us on the energy efficiency tips especially when there are more lights being used this Christmas season. This is something within our control and is very do-able.

1. Use LED Christmas lights .

They use 33% less power than regular bulbs and also last much longer.

2. Reduce wattage of your lights from 10 W bulbs to 7 W bulbs for 30% savings.

If you cannot change large Christmas bulbs for your interior and exterior decors, consider reducing its wattage. Switching from a 10W bulb to a 7W bulb saves you as much as 30% on your consumption.

3. Regulate the period your lights are on with a timer.

Set a timer to switch off Christmas lights and prevent them from staying on all day or all night. This can be purchased in most hardware stores.

4. Unplug all devices when not in use.

TVs, DVD/VCD Players, computers, stereos, game consoles still use energy in stand by mode. When not in use, unplug them. Electronic appliances produce heat. Extra heat requires more energy from your air conditioners and increase cooling costs.

5. Use a power board

A power board can supply power to multiple appliances at the same time and allows you also to switch them off using the same switch.

6. Switch off lights when not in use.

Utilize natural light whenever possible.

7. Set the thermostat of your airconditioner at comfortable temperature level ( 25C)

The consumption of airconditioners comprise the bulk of my electricity bill so all of us should take note of this energy tip.

For every one degree increase in thermostat setting, savings may reach up to 5% of total aircon operating cost. Use a timer. Set air conditioner’s timer to turn off your unit to reduce operating time.

There are more energy efficient tips at meralco.com.ph and even their twitter account @meralco. You can also access Bright Ideas wheh you download the Meralco Virtual Engine (MOVE) app on your phone or tablet. It is so cool because you can have a fun time educating your children and other household members on these energy efficient tips. It also allows me to view my latest electricity bill, the nearest Bayad Centers, the Meralco office directory, and compute my consumption costs on the Appliance calculator.

Even without the upward adjustments, energy efficiency is a household objective but it is good to be reminded especially in this season of brightly lit households.

05Nov 2013

Do you agree that sharing online (despite decreasing anonymity) improves 21st-century life?

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

I finished the Coursera Course on “Understanding Media by understanding Google”. I am so glad I completed the course. For the last essay, Prof. Owen R. Youngman told us to write our thoughts on sharing our lives online.

The subtitle of Jeff Jarvis’ most recent book Public Parts, which we did not read but whose contents are central to the online debate at The Economist, is “How sharing in the digital age improves the way we work and live.”

In no more than 400 words, take a position on whether our decreasing anonymity online, and the increases in data collection and information sharing that accompany this decrease, either improves or damages 21st-century life.

These are my thoughts:

——

Our decreasing anonymity online, and the increases in data collection and information sharing that accompany this decrease, improves 21st-century life.

In 2000, I lost my precious six-year old son and my whole world collapsed. I was devastated for many years until I decided to live a new normal in 2005 and start The Compassionate Friends, a grief support group to bereaved parents. I didn’t feel it was enough so I started a blog so other parents would discover it by using a search engine and search “grief support group in the Philippines”. Sharing the changes in my new life were shown in my blog entries. I wanted to offer hope that there is a new normal after the loss of a child. During our meetings, talking helped. As I gave comfort, I too found comfort.

Jeff Jarvis in Economist Debate on Social Networking affirms the benefits of sharing. “Sharing is a social and generous act: it connects us, it establishes and improves relationships, it builds trust, it disarms strangers and stigmas, it fosters the wisdom of the crowd, it enables collaboration, and it empowers us to find, form and act as publics of our own making.”

How did that lead to a better life? See, grief is taboo at least in our culture and through grief education, these bereaved parents were able to start living a new normal, a productive life even without their child around. Through the group, the bereaved parents decided to work towards a positive resolution of their grief , yet knowing that their child will always be with them in their hearts and in their minds.

Blogging also opened doors for me. I soon received recognition and awards which provided more traffic to my grief support advocacy site and my blog. It is not easy sharing the depth of my sadness to strangers but I felt I was at the stage of my grief that I needed to offer hope that there is a life after a death of a child.

Sarah Perez in If The Government Can Access Our Facebook Data, What Happens When We Have Computers On Our Faces?, agrees that agrees that “by recording and sharing bits of ourselves and our lives, from the days of cave paintings to Instagram photos and now to the very number of steps we’ve taken and beats of our heart, we are somehow not as alone as we feel.”

As I reach out to offer hope in my blog posts, grief is no longer taboo. Sharing not only gives us something to do with the energy of grief, but also establishes the continuity of memory and spirit of one who was so much a part of our lives. Life is so much better.

29Oct 2013

Caring for tomorrow: I pledge to drive safe

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

Dreaming of a safer tomorrow? Go further. When I think of the future, the safety of my family and loved ones comes to mind. There are things we can control and those that we can’t. I certainly have control of my driving habits.

I did not know what lay ahead beyond the sign at the door to Ford’s “Caring for tomorrow” campaign . I had told my friends that Ford Philippines was launching the “Caring for Tomorrow” campaign to promote public awareness and safe driving habits, and to invite drivers to pledge to drive safely for their loved ones. Together with Arpee , Wenchie, Rhadem , Kaye, Aleja , Sofie, and Jay , we got to experience the premium advanced features and technologies that Ford is making available across its model range.

The experience was quite an eye-opener for me and my friends. Though, I have test driven the Ford models in the past, this was the first time I saw an overview of all the safety features in various Ford models. Let me show you.

Rhadem, Wenchie and Sofie wore Third Age suits and felt the stiffness of arthritis and poor vision. It’s great FORD considered the comfort of third age passengers like our grandparents. “Third Age is now considered by many to be the “golden years” of adulthood. It is generally defined as the span of time between retirement and the beginning of age-imposed physical, emotional, and cognitive limitations, and today would roughly fall between the ages of 65 and 80+. ” They need special care inside the automobile.

The men wore empathy suits to feel what it is like to be eight months pregnant. I know how that felt during my eight month of pregnancy. There was not enough room between the steering wheel and my huge belly. You can see that there is comfortable space. Just check the photo below.

My friends at the backseat were seated comfortably with enough leg room for stiff legs.

Getting out of the car is also easy because of the booster pads on the seat.

I love the idea that Ford even thought of our pets. After all, pets are family members too. Look at the safety seatbelt demonstrated in this stuffed dog.

See how the safety engineers are dressed up as Third age users.

For the Ford Explorer, the main goal of the the inflatable seat belt is for rear-seat occupants. “The advanced restraint system is designed to help reduce head, neck and chest injuries for rear-seat passengers, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to such injuries.”

A game show tested our knowledge on safety practices.

For instance, what would you do if you are sleepy after a night out with friends? I would take coffee and try to nap a bit before driving. Ford has an answer to sleepy-heads. The Ford’s Driver Alert (in the new 2.0L Ford Focus Sport+ ) uses advanced technology and sophisticated algorithms to analyse driver performance and issues a warning if the driver shows signs of drowsiness or erratic steering.

Ford’s MyKey is designed to help parents encourage safe teen driving habits . The easily programmable key limits a vehicle’s top speed, limit radio volume and encourage safety-belt usage by muting the radio until front occupants buckle up. Isn’t that cool? Any parent would want this “guardian angel” feature.

(Photo via Arpee Lazaro)

Another safety feature is the hands-free, voice-activated in-car technology using the Ford SYNC, an integrated in-vehicle communications and entertainment system that allows the driver to make hands-free telephone calls, control music and perform other functions with the use of voice commands, radio controls and even the car’s steering wheel.

One of my favorite feature is the the Ford Focus Active Park Assist. I have never mastered the art of parallel parking and I was excited to show Wenchie who had similar difficulty . With just one click of a button, the Focus will actively search for available parking spots and sensors around the car will steer it into the parking spot perfectly. The driver still has full control of the accelerator and brake, but the car does all the heavy hand-eye coordination. The wheels actually pivot the car into place. This is a priceless stress-reliever.

Watch this video taken by Arpee while Jay tested out the Active Park Assist. You will be enthralled.

The Active City Stop low-speed collision avoidance technology is another safety feature to help prevent collisions at speeds up to 10mph, and help reduce the severity of impacts at speeds below 20mph.

Let me point out that most of these safety features are available in the top of the line model of the Ford Focus. No wonder the price is 1.2 million pesos.

By the end of the tour, my friends and I were so overwhelmed with the innovative safety features that used to be available only in high-end European cars. The culminating activity was signing a pledge to drive safely because we care enough for the future of our loved ones.

I scribbled: I care for the future of everyone. I pledge to drive safe.

You may also want to read Arpee Lazaro’s article on Ford Focus: A New Level Of Safety.

25Oct 2013

Google’s intention to digitize all the world’s books a good thing?

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

I always challenge myself to be a better person. I also challenge myself to learn something new whether it be a hobby or a course. The opportunity to learn something new came when Coursera opened a six-week course on Understanding Media by Understanding Google. Online media has been my life ever since I turned to blogging in 2006. The course syllabus was really interesting but could I go through the discipline of quizzes, and peer-graded assignments? That I had to see. The online course started on September 16 and I knew it would be a busy month due to my anti-pork activities. There were times I could barely catch up with my readings and cramming everything in one day.

The good news is I finally finished six weeks. Yes, Today I submitted my quiz and essay for week six. I am not sure I will get a high grade but I am sure to pass as I believe the past five weeks have given me satisfactory scores in my quizzes and perfect scores in peer graded assignments.

With all that behind, I’d like to share some of the essays I wrote for this course. But before that , let me explain the rationale of this course.

Most of you know that Google Inc. is one of the key success stories of the Internet era. When I first heard of Google in the late nineties, it was only meant to be a search business. Through innovation and acquisition, Google has touched the lives of nearly every person who lives life online. For instance, Americans spend more than 3,400 hours per year using consumer media, the field where Google’s impact is most profound. I don’t have data for the Philippines but I can safely say that Google is the number one search engine. Citizens of the world increasingly must understand what the company has wrought not only to manage their offline and online environments, but also to interact and engage successfully with anyone in their professional and personal lives.

It is through understanding Google that we can begin to understand media.

The first peer-graded assignment was about Google books. Here is the question.

Is Google’s intention to digitize all the world’s books a good thing or a bad thing, and for whom? Carefully cite at least two sources from the readings or lectures in support of your answer, which should be no more than 300 words in length.

Here is my essay:

It is my dream that people from developing countries have access to open knowledge. As a little girl, I poured over the encyclopedia series that my father bought for us. I believe access to books at an early age piqued my curiosity about the world, science and arts. Imagine if every child around the world had access to books at their fingertips.

It is my belief that Google ‘s intention to digitize the books is a good thing because it will provide readers’ “access to millions of books they currently can’t find or have trouble getting through libraries.”

In countries like the Philippines where I live, public libraries are not available to many cities and even if available, the collection of books is very limited. Having books within reach will produce “generations of avid readers and a knowledgeable, engaged citizenry.” With the digitized copies available online, anyone with access to a network can search for books and get it quicker since Google is known for its greater search results and efficiency. Even if the digital divide is wide in our country, the government will soon provide internet access to schools with personal computers and tablets. Students can then easily browse the web and search for books to do their research.

Google books will never be a replacement of a traditional library. Students should still be able to borrow books from the school library. I view digitized books as an alternative when the printed version is not readily available. I hope to see Google’s digitized books shared with a universal library that is established to “make all knowledge available to all citizens” around the world.

What do you think?

13Sep 2013

Thirteen Ways to Improve Your Life

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 12 Comments

Positive thinking is something I had to re-learn as family tragedies befell one after the other. With 5 deaths in my immediate family (including my son), it might seem I am immune to pain. It never gets easier. Along the way, I learned to improve my life, change and reinvent myself. Allow me to share (rehash) some of my recovery principles which may or may not be useful to you but worked for me.

1. Say Thank You everyday. Practice Gratitude. Everyday , I face interruptions, delays, changes and challenges. I have learned an important concept to get me through this stressful time and that is gratitude. I learn to say thank you, for all these problems and feelings. I don’t like this experience but Thank You anyway. I had to force gratitude until it became second nature to me. Gratitude helped me stop trying to control outcomes. Gratitude makes things right. It is the key that unlocked positive energy in my life.

2. Live life one day at a time which requires so much faith in us. Look ahead to make future plans. Don’t look back at the past unless healing from the past is part of today’s work. We focus on this day’s activity, living it to the best of our ability.

3. Love and Nurture Yourself. Nurturing is about how we show love for ourselves. I needed a loving relationship with myself that works so I can have a loving relationship with others that work.

4. Avoid Gossip. Direct , clean conversation clears the air and paves the way for good feelings about ourselves and our relationship with others. Gossiping about another for motives of diminishing him or her in order to build up themselves or to judge the person hurts friendships in the end. I resolved that I will resist and place boundaries when I am faced with another gossip.

5. Happiness is in your Hands. Healing comes when we are aware of how we attempt to use others to stop our pain and create our happiness. We will heal from our past. We will see that, all along, our happiness and our well-being have been in our hands.

6. Practice healthy and loving tolerance. When I learned healthy and loving tolerance, I learned tolerance for others. I also learned that the humanness I tolerated is what makes myself and others beautiful. There are some things I do not tolerate. I do not tolerate abusive behaviors or destructive behaviors towards others or myself.

7. There is a time to feel anger and a time to let it go.. Anger is a part of life. We need not dwell in it or seek it out but we can’t afford to ignore it. In recovery, I have learned that I can shamelessly feel all my feelings including anger, and still take responsibility for what I do when I feel angry. I don’t have to let anger control me but it surely will if I prevent myself from feeling it.

8. Laughter is the best medicine. Even just the expectation of a mirthful laughter involved in watching your favorite funny movie has some very surprising and significant neuroendocrine/hormone effects. Earlier experiments showed that viewing a favorite funny video can offset symptoms of chronic stress, which can suppress various components of the immune responses, particularly those related to anti-viral and anti-tumor defenses.

9. Turn pain into something positive. Help others. Start an advocacy , a cause, a charity. Helping others can both help you and the person who is in pain.

10. Set boundaries. I can love my family or friends but refuse their efforts to manipulate, control or produce guilt in me. I can learn to be assertive with family members without being aggressive. I can set the boundaries I need with them without being disloyal to the family or the friend. I can learn to love my friends and family without forfeiting love and respect for myself.

11 Take Financial Responsibility for ourselves. Each of us today, has a financial future. There are few future aspects of my life I can control, but one part I can play to assist our family’s future is setting goals. I don’t have to obsess about my goals. I don’t have to constantly watch and mark our progress toward them.Taking responsibility for my finances enable me to take focus off money. It frees me to do my work and live the life I want. I deserve to have the self-esteem and peace that accompanies financial responsibility.

12. Love God as you understand God. I learned that recovery is an intensely spiritual process that prods us to grow in our understanding of God . My understanding of God is based on my Catholic upbringing that God is real. Loving. God is Good. The more I turned my mind and heart to a positive understanding of God, the more God validates me. Whether one is a Christian, non-Christian or Atheists, I will respect their own understanding of God as well as my own. I will not allow others’ judgement of my beliefs to cause me anxiety or distress.

13. . Practice as IF. To practice the positive, I act as if. It’s a positive form of pretending. It’s a useful tool to use to get ourselves unstuck. Now, when a problem haunts me, acting as if can helps me get unstuck. I act as if the problem will be or already is solved so I can go on with my daily routine.

Do you have other ways that helped improve your life?

04Sep 2013

Secret to a long life

by webs ⋅ 2 Comments

PEOPLE who smile a lot and say “have a nice day” are headed to an early grave while the grumpy stay fit.

Psychologists at Frankfurt University cite flight attendants, sales personnel, call centre operators, waiters and others in contact with the public for extended periods of time as being at risk of seriously harming their health. The people-pleasers are also in danger.

With over 40,000 call center agents in the Philippines, I assume most employers implement some sort of de-stressing activities for their employees especially during the break. or not? It must be tough for customer service workers to keep a gleaming smile with a friendly voice all day long. Especially when dealing with whiny and bitchy customers. I know all they have to do is detach themselves from their customers and let it go.

It used to bother me when people around me create havoc with their crabby attitudes. Negative vibes shatter my mental frame of mind. Then I learned that we can’t change people and that we are in control of our own attitudes. It takes practice to believe that “this person is having a problem. I’m not. So don’t get riled up, okay? Let it go.” This is a recovery principle which I work constantly with this Serenity Prayer.

There is a longer version ( from Ireland)

God take and receive my liberty,
my memory, my understanding and will,
All that I am and have He has given me

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference

Living one day at a time
Enjoying one moment at a time
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it

Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to his will
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy in the next. AMEN

10Aug 2013

Poor business to assume someone can’t afford what you are selling

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 1 Comment

Oprah Winfrey says she recently became a victim of racism “when a shop assistant in Switzerland refused to show her a Ã‚Â£24,477 handbag saying it would be “too expensive” for her.”

When Winfrey insisted again, the woman replied: “No, no you don’t want to see that one, you want to see this one because that one will cost too much. You will not be able to afford that.”

One can only feel like a victim when you allow such to happen. Perhaps Oprah felt she was victimized. Whether real or imagined. she is entitled to her feelings of disappointment. The thing is that as a shopper, it is just darn annoying when shop assistants refuse to show you an item you are interested to buy or consider. It has happened to me once in Hongkong. I truly wanted to buy jewelry because I was told it is more affordable in Hongkong. Unfortunately, this shop owner didn’t want to bring it out of the glass case. She just wanted me to examine it from a distance. My first thought was “does she think I will steal it?” No, I didn’t think so because she bolted the door. Then I thought , perhaps she thinks I just want to look and not buy. It is a risk that shops need to take. I could have been a sale but her snobby attitude was just a turn-off. I left. She was just glad to show me the door. What a snob.

What is the use of putting an item on display? If shop owners don’t want it to be touched, then just hide it or put a sign “For display only. Not to be handled.” . Shops should have brand new stock in the inventory since potential customers will want to hold or feel the item.

Too bad, the shop may have a lost a sale. “Wouldn’t it be nice if the only thing salespeople focused on in stores is providing good service and the green of your money?”
Lesson learned.

Perhaps, shop owners should re-think their snobbish or “(insert here)” attitude . They can learn a thing or two from Robert Scoble.

“In Silicon Valley I learned a different lesson: always treat people in t-shirts, worn jeans, and flip flops like billionaires. To many of my competitors those people looked poor and not worth taking the time to deal with.

“When I worked at a consumer electronics store in the 1980s that’s just what I did and time after time I won sales that my competitors lost because they assumed those people were poor. I remember one guy who parked his supercar around the corner when he first came in just to see if he’d get good service without anyone knowing he had big bucks (I later got to drive that car, after winning his confidence, which was a big thrill).

“I don’t understand people who work retail who don’t want to show someone something. What harm is there in letting someone poor touch a $40,000 handbag anyway? Even if they were poor, you are helping them dream and they’ll remember you if they ever are rich.

“Plus, everyone knows someone poor, even the hyper rich. Maybe they influence someone who has the money.

“Racist or not, it’s just poor business to assume someone can’t afford what you are showing.

“I guess that’s why I keep pushing Rackspace Hosting to give free cloud computing to startup entrepreneurs as part of our startup program at http://www.rackspacestartups.com/ . Yeah, many of them won’t be able to afford a lot, but you never know who will start the next YouTube (which was hosted on Rackspace before it sold to Google).”

30Jun 2013

Proud member of Mommy Mundo, Social Media Moms Community #SoMoms

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 3 Comments

Contact #SoMoms at somoms@mommymundo.com. Visit our #SoMoms community

Using the monicker ““momblogger” was a matter of convenience. I wanted to be called by my first name. You know how Filipinos are. There is always a title before one’s name like Ma’am, Miss or Ate. The evolution of my online name was more for vanity’s sake. I didn’t want to feel old online. Years later, how would I have known that personal branding would define my online reputation and the focus of my advocacy?

Not so long ago, blogging was a popular medium. Blogging was a platform to share my story on how I lost my beloved son. There is hope after a loss of a precious child. There is a new normal , a new life after a loss of a child. The platform served me well because I was able to reach out to readers with similar losses. Twitter came but I used it mainly for broadcasting my daily grind . Then facebook, instagram, pinterest and other social networks soon sprouted. It is not just mom bloggers anymore.

The rise of social media moms is a new force to reckon with. According to the 2013 Social Mom report in the USA ( see study below), “moms in general tend to be heavy users of all the major social networks: YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. They also tend to have larger networks of friends and followers than the general population.”

1. Mom is a social leader
2. Social powers her life
3. Different social for different needs
4. The most social consumer you’ll meet
5. Marketing to Social Mom

Social moms in the Philippines are not just heavy users . They are influential in their community.

Nuffnang was the source of digital ads for this blog for the past five years. It was time to move on to a community that can effectively deal with moms as an empowered consumer. Brands dictate too much on their own agenda but do they really care about mothers’ needs? Have they been communicating with us effectively? Whether we like it or not, the communications world is rapidly changing. Emerging media is ““the evolution of utilizing technology to share information in new and innovative ways.

It must have been fate that Mommy Mundo SoMoms came into my life early this month. This coincided shortly after I raised objections to Mead Johnsons’ sneaky #BestStartswithDad campaign ads in my blog.

Together with my good friend , Jane Uymatiao, we are the newest members of this wonderful community of social media moms. During Social Media Weekend, Janice announced that we are the newest members of the #SoMoms community . It is with great pride and joy to be with the mommies of the #SoMoms community. I feel positive with this community.

What is Mommy Mundo #SoMoms?

We are a collective of moms who are active on social media and have unique voices and points of view that are relevant to moms like us.

We have individual beliefs and advocacies covering a wide range of concerns that most moms today have namely, breastfeeding, babywearing, natural parenting, time management, mompreneurship, home management, beauty and fashion, health, and more.

We are passionate about sharing our discoveries with other moms, giving advice, creating conversations and building relationships online with our readers and followers.

We are proud to be social media moms. We are always online. We recognize the responsibilities of being an active influencer in social media and celebrate the opportunities that come our way.

Contact us at somoms@mommymundo.com.

Marketing to Social Moms

With the help of our community, I hope digital advertisers shift their strategy and listen to our parenting needs and aspirations. The 2013 Social moms study reveal some tips:

1. Recognize she’s different, and so are her needs; how and what you talk about matters

2. Create a give-and-take relationship based on what she finds valuable

3. Listen to her. Act on what she says; if she asks a question, answer it Ã¢â‚¬â€œ every time

4. Talk to her about things that have nothing to do with you

5. Support her busy life, don’t make demands, nurture her journey

The Social Mom is well connected and influential in her community. Moms like Jane and myself who transitioned from active parenting to being involved parents must not be underestimated.

Advertisers and brands seem to forget or underestimate a growing circle of Mom influencers and advocates who no longer have young kids. This group of Moms are my generation Ã¢â‚¬â€ older women, social media savvy, still involved with our families, wiser (we would like to think) after many successes and failures during our parenting years. We have survived the schooling years of our kids, even going as far as sleepless nights helping them with exam preparations, homework and projects. We graduated from tutoring as our kids graduated from school. We saw them through struggles to find employment on their own. We have been there through their heartbreaks and relationships. We have worried over them as they traveled to foreign lands. We have prayed each day for their protection as they drive off to work. And we remain a presence for them even if some of them have already left the ““nest” to settle somewhere else.

I am not a political blogger

I hope digital advertisers understand the advocacies I support. I am not a political blogger. I am a citizen advocate. As a mom blogger, I cannot isolate myself from the larger society. Yes, I may seem controversial but I do this to advocate social change.

My concern is to nurture both my family and community. Dealing with politics is incidental. Sometimes when you want change, the best way to attain is to through political means. But politics is not an end in itself but merely a means to an end. I use social media to drive an advocacy, to push for social good.

This change benefits the country and eventually improve the business climate. Moms may react differently on specific issues but we all have a common concern : our children’s futures unite us.

Most of the moms in the #SoMoms community are so much younger than me. My daughter was kidding me that I am probably the only one with children who flew the nest.

I protested “I will always be a mom”.

ONCE A MOM, ALWAYS A MOM! No matter how grown the kids are, they will always be your precious babies in your eyes!

Contact us at somoms@mommymundo.com. Visit our #SoMoms community

Here is the 2013 Social Mom report in the USA

2013 Social Mom Report

07Apr 2013

Words and ways to comfort the bereaved

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 12 Comments

Don’t judge me unless you have looked through my eyes, experienced what i have, and cried as many tears as me. Until then back-off, cause you have no idea.

Today Matthew Warren died of suicide. He is the son of Rick and Kay Warren who must be facing the most painful moment in their lives. There is no pain more gut-wrenching than losing a child. My heart and prayers go out to them at this most difficult time.

““No words can express the anguished grief we feel right now,” Warren wrote in a letter to his congregation.

A long time ago, I too lost a son and I found hope and courage in Rick Warren’s The Purpose-driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? . The book inspired me to move beyond the pain of losing a son and work on my new normal. Because the book talks about starting a service, I initiated the The Compassionate Friends Philippines Chapter with the help of Cathy Babao and Alma Miclat.

I can’t be there to hug Rick and Kay Warren for their loss and thanking them too for giving me the courage to live this new normal after the death of my son. What I can do is to continue on with my advocacy on suicide prevention and grief education such as ways to comfort the bereaved.

In most of my meetings with the bereaved, a common complaint is the insensitivity of concerned friends or relatives. I see it also in some of the insensitive tweets addressed to Rick Warren questioning the circumstances of his death. Some may not know what to say and blurt out the wrong words.

I have had my own share. I know the depth of concern they have towards us but in their enthusiasm, they blurt out the most insensitive remarks. Newly bereaved are very sensitive to these remarks.

Many parents feel they were being unjustly judged and criticized by those who could not possibly understand because they have not experienced the loss of a child. Compassionate Friends USA shares the proper response.

Our wonderful, concerned, well-meaning friends don’t know. They can only imagine how the newly bereaved feel. They haven’t personally known (thank God) the disbelief, the shock, the anger of losing a child or any loved one. Instead of bringing relief, those words just seem to add to the hurt and the grief. There are no words that will make it all right that someone we loved has died. But there are ways that can soothe the hurt, ease the loneliness and add to the healing. Recently, my sister visited The Compassionate Friends to get tips on how to comfort a family whose daughter died of suicide.