Belita Shapiro

1. Guests always comment on the nice breezes going through your home...but your windows and doors are all shut. http://www.greenhomeguide.com/index.php/knowhow/entry/974/C236

2. Your monthly visits to the allergist are starting to cost about as much as your mortgage payment. http://www.greenhome.com/info/articles/fighting_allergies/5/

3. No, the previous homeowner did not sponge paint your bathroom in brown - that's mold silly. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/fix-leaks-fight-mold.html

4. The office coffee is pretty bad, but you had to stop your morning trips to Starbucks so you could afford to pay your electric bill. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/green-electricity/green-electricity-top-tips.html

5. You decide to have a home inspection before you put your home on the market (good idea) but during the radon testing, the inspector darts out of your house without giving you an invoice. http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/hmbyguid.html

6. You just spoke to your neighbor and your recent water bill is about the same - nice, but they just filled their pool last month. http://green.yahoo.com/blog/amorylovins/33/low-cost-ways-to-conserve-water-at-home.html

7. Even the White House is doing it! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29944122/

8. You've calculated that your carbon footprint alone is bigger than that of the First Family living in the White House. http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator

9. You can't take a hot shower while your dishwasher is running. http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/tankless-water-heaters-460225

10. It will help you feel better about the future! http://www.charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/greenhouse-effect.htm

Here is a list of some fun activities for those of you who have just moved to, or are visiting, the Freehold, NJ area. There are plenty of other great attractions in Freehold, but these are a few of my favorites:

Freehold Raceway Mall

A one-stop trip for shopping, dining, and entertainment. It has numerous restaurants and stores that will suit every family member's needs, including: The Cheesecake Factory, Macy's, Sears, Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Sephora, and JC Penney. There is also an AMC Theatre, the Planet X family fun zone, and the double decker Island Carousel!

Located at 3710 Route 9

http://www.freeholdracewaymall.com

Freehold Raceway

Located at the traffic intersection of Route 9 and Business Route 33 in Freehold, NJ - directly across the street from the Freehold Raceway Mall.

http://www.freeholdraceway.com

Turkey Swamp Park

This 2,111 acre wooded park was acquired and developed with campers in mind. A major attraction is the 17-acre lake for fishing, boating, and ice-skating. The park also features miles of trails, an archery range and playgrounds. Located at 200 Georgia Rd, Freehold, NJ.

http://monmouthcountyparks.com/documents/130/turkey.pdf

Dining in Freehold NJ

Here is a link to some of the best dining in Freehold, NJ. If you've found any others, please feel free to let us know!

http://www.discoverourtown.com/NJ/Freehold/Dining-1106.html

This year, I am trying to get a little more educated on pesticides and some healthier alternatives for getting rid of insects in my house and on my outdoor plants. I did a bit of research and the sites below are some of the most interesting that I came up with. I hope you find them helpful:

1. "Baiting" seems to be one of the least harmful ways to get rid of pesky indoor insects. Specifically, boric acid is considered to be safe in household kitchens to get rid of ants, silverfish, and many other insects http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_acid

2. To get rid of garden pests or insects on house plants: put 1 oz 3% hydrogen peroxide in 1 quart of water. Then, water or mist plants with this solution. http://www.avianweb.com/safepesticides.html#rid

3. For fruit flies: make a bowl trap: put a piece of old skinless fruit and some wine, or some balsamic in a bowl - think like the flies: what do you want for dinner? Cover the bowl tightly (no wrinkles) with plastic wrap. Poke many small holes in the plastic with a fork. The fruit flies go in and can't get out (if the holes are too big they will fly back out). http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Fruit-Flies

4. This is my favorite for spiders: Dust Them Away! "I learned this from the man who trained the spiders for the movie "Arachnophobia". Spiders have their taste buds on the tips of their legs. They also hate the taste of Lemon Pledge. Dust your window sills and doorframes with the Pledge, both inside and out, and any areas where they accumulate. The spiders will find that they don't want to live with you." Contributed by Tina, on the site: http://www.stretcher.com/stories/01/010716a.cfm

Please feel free to share how you safely get rid of your uninvited insect guests too!

More website links:

http://www.nrdc.org/health/pesticides/gpests.asp

http://www.greensqueak.com/perimeter.html

http://www.ecosmart.com/about/company-information

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/reducing.htm