Parenting and Kids

Articles and posts relating to parenting and kids

Breathing Easy with Philips Air Purifier (AC4014)

Tiger girl listening to Monkey boy on the piano

Tiger girl listening to Monkey boy on the piano

Keeping my children healthy is one of the challenges that I face. Giving the kids  a safe and healthy environment to grow up is something which I strive to create to ensure that they remain at their optimal health.

Living in metropolitan Singapore we are prone to the pollution caused by iindustrialization and the forest fires from neighbouring Indonesia.

The kids have sensitive airways and develop coughs and colds easily.  Monkey boy often wakes up with a cold and starts sneezing when his nose registers a change in temperature.

Doggie boy gets a phelgmy cough and irritated throat easily while  Tiger girl is prone to sneezing and  runny nose if her airways are irritated.

It is  extremely important to me  that I maintain good quality air at home  for the well-being of  my family members.

With the start of the new school year the kids are being exposed to  many different germs and viruses while they are in school.

Although I cannot do anything to curb their exposure to nasty bugs in school there is something which I can do on my part at home.

I can help strengthen their immunity to attacks from viruses and infections by keeping the air at home clean.

I do not wish for the kids to fall seriously ill or develop serious respiratory problems due to  the hazardous air quality. Having a young  child admitted to hospital for acute bronchitis was an absolute nightmare for me in 2007.

Doggie boy in the infant carrier

Doggie boy in the infant carrier

It was really heartbreaking for me when  Doggie boy was admitted to hospital as a  4 month old baby. It felt like a stake was driven through my heart  seeing him  having to be constantly  put under an oxygen box to breathe  during his one week stay at KKH.   Never again do I want undergo such a traumatic experience with my other kids  if it can be preventable.

Even though the numbers are not as frightening as when the  PSI level reached 400-500  during the haze last year,  I am not taking any chances when it comes to protecting my family members against this invisible ” enemy” when I know that is is possible to reduce the chance of them falling ill with a good air purifier at home.

 

Tiger girl showing the inside of the Philips Air Purifier

Tiger girl showing the inside of the Philips Air Purifier and helping to fix it up in the process.

Being an ardent user of Philips products I was really glad when I received the Philips AC 4014  Air Purifier for review.

Weighing  just 6.1kg,  the Philips AC 4014 is the perfect addition to our house. It has a 3-step  natural advanced filtration system, using high-grade HEPA filters that remove up to 99.97%  of dust particles, thereby improving the quality of indoor air.

The filters for the Air purifier

The filters for the Air purifier

Step 1–  Washable Antibacterial pre-filter that  catches big particles like regular house dust and pet hair.

Step 2– Activated carbon filter that removes odors and harmful gases  like benzene, formaldehyde including cigarette smoke and VOC emitted from household cleaning supplies, and paint fumes.

Step 3– Antibacterial HEPA Filter  which can  remove 90% of ultrafine particles (PM2.5) in the air including airbone viruses carried in droplets, moulds and pollen. Effectively removes 99.9% of bacteria.

The front cover is easily detachable  and it is quite easy to fix up.  After removing the plastic casing from the covers, all you need to do is put it back into the purifier following the number sequence labelled on the filters.

The Philips Air Purifier 4012/14

The Philips Air Purifier 4014 showing a RED indicator noting the bad air quality when the windows were all open.

The Philips Air Purifier has the following  features.

  • You can set the Air Purifier to run for a stretch of  1, 4 or 8 hours
  •  There is a Filter replacement alert which indicates when the filters need to be replaced.
  • Smart air quality sensor measures and controls the indoor air quality
  • 3-step light indicators clearly show air quality level(Blue-Good, Purple – Fair & Red – Bad)
  • 3-step fan speed lets you adjust air flow to your liking
  • Sleep mode cleans silently with dimmed indicators
  • Advanced filtration system

What I would like to see in the air purifier

–  Even though there is a Healthy Air Protect Alert which comes on when filters need to be replace it would be useful that there is a seperate indicators for the AC filter and the HEPA.
This would be easier to monitor the lifespan of the respective filters within the air purifier.

If these features could be addressed it would certainly be perfect!!

The kids in the hall

The kids in the hall

Made for usage in the living room the Philips Air Purifier 4014 gives me a peace of mind  with the current haze situation. The kids are ensured that the air quality at home is good and they are breathing in clean air.

Where to buy it?

Philips Air Purifier 4014  (RP: $519) can be bought from the Philips online website or at all major electronic  and departmental stores.

Disclaimer: This is an Advertorial by Philips.  The opinions expressed herein are those of Dominique’s and are not indicative of the opinions of Philips .  

A Chocolate Wonderland

World Chocolate Wonderland in Taipei

World Chocolate Wonderland in Taipei

 

On Valentines’ Day weekend. R and I  went to Dan Shui in Taipei to visit the seaside. While we were there we  came across this Chocolate Museum and decided to view the place. as I was interested to see for myself what they have on display.

The last time we came across a Chocolate museum was during our trip to Jeju island. We didn’t step into the place that time as we chose to view the Teddy Bear Museum instead of the Chocolate museum at that time.

A Chocolate Toyota Car

A Chocolate Toyota Car

A really impressive chocolate car was on display in the center of the main hall.  I love the detailing on the 3D car and if there was an engine in it I would certainly love to have a ride in it.

Chocolate pumpkin carriage

Chocolate pumpkin carriage

If a ride by the car is unavailable I would opt to travel in Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage. Doesn’t it look lovely?

The Chocolate God

The Chocolate God

In the world of chocolate the yummy goodness comes from the  Cacao seeds from the Cacao plant . These seeds (beans) are fermented and turned into various items of chocolate.

Masks and statues made of Chocolate

Masks and statues made of Chocolate

Really astonishing works of art can be created with chocolate. These masks and statues shown above were crafted out of chocolate and are kept in chilled display cabinets in the museum.

Space age cars and robots.

Space age cars and robots.

I spotted R2D2 and some futuristic vehicles on display in the room on Space Age displays.

Sweet treats out of chocolate

Sweet treats out of chocolate

If outer space is not really what you fancy then how about some of these cupcakes in the collage above?  I betcha you can’t wait to sink your teeth into one of these chocolate cupcakes. 🙂

Chocolate clothes

Chocolate clothes

If you are  thinking more about the calories which you may gain from eating chocolate why not consider wearing it instead.  During one of the fashion week in France there was a display of costumes which had Chocolate infused into it’s design.

Chocolate hats

Chocolate hats

If wearing chocolate on your body is not your style you can opt for a chocolate hat instead.  These fancy hats will certainly jazz up your outfit.

Chocolate shoes

Chocolate shoes

If a chocolate hat doesn’t match with your outfit you can consider these chocolate shoes instead.  Don’t they look mighty impressive especially the winged pair.

Chocolate handbag

Chocolate handbag

Light brown chocolate handbag

Light brown chocolate handbag

I personally will opt for this. Carrying a chocolate handbag is more my style.  From afar it could certainly pass off as a branded bag and one would be none the wiser.

Love theme chocolate displays

Love theme chocolate displays

It was really interesting to see cupid in various  mini settings. They certainly make great center pieces on a dining table or  in the display cabinet in the living room.

Chocolate pasta with mixed vegetables

Chocolate pasta with mixed vegetables

Chocolate curry rice

Chocolate curry rice

Looking at all the chocolate made me hungry and we took a break at the cafe for lunch. I ordered chocolate pasta while R tried spicy chocolate curry rice.  Each dish came with a mini grater and two slices of chocolate for us to grate and add onto the dish before tucking in it. It was a really new experience for us eating this way. The chocolate wasn’t overpowering, in fact it wasn’t as strong as I expected it to be.  I was looking to tasting something more chocolaty like a Molten Lava cake and was rather disappointed when the dishes tasted rather blend.

Chocolate making workshop

Chocolate making workshop

The highlight of the visit to the Chocolate Wonderland had to be the chocolate making workshop which we attended.  We decided to DIY our own chocolate lollipops since we were presented with the opportunity.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-N-o-qlXp4Kw/VOGVaO5uq3I/AAAAAAAAIqU/IRt8RldzYSE/s640/holiday%25207.jpg

Making the chocolate lollipops

It has been more then two years since we attended a couple workshop and I certainly  wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity that was presented to me.

Did you have any chocolates for Valentines’ Day?

 

 

World Chocolate Wonderland

世界巧克力夢公園股份有限公司
地址:新北市淡水區觀海路91號2F
new button