~~For My Teacher Hoots~~

I am the proud product of very dedicated and professional educators. And I am most proud that they taught me the value of a good education (whether formal or not). It has been a wonderful experience to read and listen to the stories and impact that past students have commented on to my folks and the lessons and impact their selfless dedication had on their lives. To teach is to sacrifice much. More than most others. And I was recently sharing with a friend a childhood memory of mine. We were discussing how we often have trouble remembering our kids names while in the presence of cousins. This is esp. true for us parents who had nieces and nephews long before our own kids came along. We were discussing how we were so attached to those kids that we often slip up and call ours by the wrong name.. and it's embarrassing as a generation has passed. I then shared how my sweet Mama would often teach well over 100 students everyday. And by the time we all got home.. she was so exhausted that she could never get our names right. It became fodder as she ran down all the sibling names except for the correct one.. Then settling on the dog's name.. Oh yes.. and on more than one occassion. =D

Ok.. so you will probably notice the pix have nothing to do w/my topic.. But my Blogger site is running all my text together.. so please bear with me and enjoy the photos of random nothingness... So I hold our teachers and educators up with the highest of esteem and gratitude for thier dedication. And let's face it... YOU get far more out of my own kids than I can. When you tell my K to go home, find a quiet place and rest for 30 minutes.. I'll be damned..SHE DID IT. So she would be rested before her 3 Piggy Opera play that evening. And when you tell her to eat better foods, then they follow through and advice me of what to buy while at the grocery store. You guys are really onto something. I do have one simple request.. Will you please send a major directive on the importance of keeping a clean and straightened room? I might even pay you for that one to increase your take home pay.

So I thought of all my many educator friends when I ran across the following on ways to save money.. And all the places you can go that will reward and acknowledge the sacrifices of our teachers. Some of these are really good.. So I thought I would share.. And again.. Thanks so much for all you do.. The seams of our country are stitched with your love, guidance and sacrifice.

Bookstores: 1. Barnes & Noble – B&N Educator Program: 20% off list price & up to 25% off during Educator Appreciation Days. See our Barnes & Noble Coupons page for other savings. 2. Book Warehouse – Educators’ Book Club: 15% discount. 3. Books-a-Million (in-store only) – 20% off for faculty 4. Borders– Classroom Discount Card: 25% off. See our Borders Coupons page for other savings. 5. Half Price Books – Teacher & Librarian Discount Card: 10% off

Online School Supply & Teacher Discount Stores: 1. Academic Superstore – Discounted classroom supplies. See our Academic Superstore Coupons page for other savings. 2. Creative Teaching Press – Sales on various products 3. Discount School Supply – Discounted classroom supplies. See our Discount School Supply Coupons page for other savings. 4. ETA/Cuisenaire– Outlet Store – up to 75% discount on classroom supplies 5. Software Express – Discounts of up to 75% from a variety of publishers, requires a teacher ID and email from the principal 6. Teacher Deals – Teaching supplies at 20-50% off everyday 7. Teachers’ Discount – Discounted classroom supplies 8. Teacher eBooks Now – Features a “deal of the day,” discounted downloadable e-books 9. The Teacher Store at Scholastic.com – Up to 50% off deals and sales 10. TeacherStorehouse.com– Gain credits toward future purchases, get 2% of all purchases made by people you refer to the site.

Retail School Supply Stores: 1. A.C. Moore – Teacher Discount Program: mail in information to get discount card 2. Big Lots – Teacher Appreciation Day on August 13, 2011. See our Big Lots Coupons page for more savings. 3. The Container Store – Organized Teacher Discount Program: 15% off. See our Container Store Coupons page for other savings. 4. Crayola– Gold Star Teacher program: Discounts from CrayolaStore.com & opportunities to test/provide feedback on new products & lesson plans. See our Crayola Coupons page for other savings. 5. FedEx Office – National Educators Discount Program: 15% off 6. Home Depot (in-store only) – Teachers pay no sales tax with tax exempt paperwork 7. Jo Ann Fabrics – 15% off with school ID 8. Kmart– Various teacher-exclusive savings. See our Kmart Coupons page for other savings. 9. Lowes (in-store only) – Teacher’s pay no sales tax with tax exempt paper work 10. Michael’s – 15% off with school ID 11. MPM School Supplies – 10% off for teachers on their first purchase. 12. Office Depot– Star Teacher Program: 10% back in rewards on ink, toner, & paper; 1% back on almost everything else; 15% off copy & print orders. See our Office Depot Coupons page for other savings. 13. Office Max – MaxPerks Rewards for Teachers: $10 reward for every $75 spent. See our Office Max Coupons page for other savings. 14. Staples– Teacher Rewards Program: 10% back in rewards on most purchases. See our Staples Coupons page for other savings. 15. Room Store Furniture (in-store only) – 10% off with school ID

Clothing Stores: 1. Ann Taylor Loft – Loft Loves Teachers: 15% off. See our Ann Taylor Loft Coupons page for other savings. 2. Banana Republic (In-store only, *call store to confirm)- 10% off with employee ID. See our Banana Republic Coupons page for other savings. 3. Club Monaco (In-store only): 20% off for students 4. Eddie Bauer – 15% off on regular priced merchandise in-store with valid student ID 5. J. Crew (In-store only) – valid at outlet locations as well: 15% off with employee ID. See our J. Crew Coupons page for other savings. 6. NY & Co. (In-store only, *call store to confirm)- 15% off with employee ID. See our NY & Co. Coupons page for other savings. 7. The Limited (In-store only) – 15% off with pay stub or teacher ID card. See our The Limited Coupons page for other savings. 8. Aerosoles - 15% off for teachers who are members of The National Education Association. See our Aerosoles Coupons page for other savings.

Technology: 1. Adobe– Heavy Discounts (25-75% off retail) via Adobe Teacher & Student Store. See our Adobe Coupons page for other savings. 2. Apple Store – 5-10% via Apple.com’s Edu Store for Faculty, Staff, Students. See our Apple Store Coupons page for other savings. 3. AT&T– Usually around 19% off your monthly bill. Varies by educational institution – need to enter work/school email address for discount eligibility 4. Best Buy (in-store only) – Will honor other manufacturer discounts; up to individual store. See our Best Buy Coupons page for other savings. 5. Bose– Educators Direct Group: special pricing for US Educators only on certain items; have to call the Customer Focused Development Team (1-800-353-4207). See our Bose Coupons page for other savings. 6. CampusTech – Discounts on software & technology products 7. Dell – Dell University – savings vary by college (offer high school discounts too). See our Dell Coupons page for other savings. 8. Gradware– Discounts vary, good for student or teachers, just online 9. HP– Up to 10% off via Academic Purchase Programs. See our HP Coupons for other savings. 10. JourneyEd.com – Faculty pricing – varies by school 11. Lenovo– 5% off. See our Lenovo Coupons page for other savings. 12. PBS– PBS Teachers program: sign up to receive 10% discount on next purchase at ShopPBS for Teachers 13. PrintPal.com – School sales & discounts: 10% discount on all orders over $100 14. Sony– Eye on Education Program: various pricing discounts, financing solutions, & trade-in programs. See our Sony Coupons page for other savings. 15. Verizon– Employee Discount Program: varies. See our Verizon Coupons page for other savings. 16. AT&T – Offers a 15% teacher discount on monthly bills in most states. This discount, however, varies state to state, so be sure to call your local AT&T store to confirm.

Travel: 1. Educators Bed & Breakfast Travel Network – Members can get discounted travel at $40 per night for 2 people; Home Stays with other members of the EBBN 2. Explorica– Book trips & join Extra Rewards program: chance to attend an international teacher convention for free 3. Sta Travel – Discounts vary 4. Student Universe – Discounted group airfares for students & faculty members (groups of 12+) 5. Teachers Travel Web – B&B and home exchange for members worldwide 6. Vacations To Go – Cruise discounts – vary by cruise line & availability 7. Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Hotels – Teacher/education staff discount – have to check rates & availability. See our Disney Coupons page for other savings. 8. Magazineline.com– Discounted rates for teachers 9. Magmall.com– Educator Subscription Discounts: up to 50% off regular magazine subscription rates. 10. National Geographic – Teachers are eligible for discount on Geographic Project kits; Have to email info to receive additional info about discounts 11. Time Magazine for Kids – School-wide volume discounts (from 10-99 to 300+) 12. Marriott Hotels – Discounts vary. Show your ID and say you’re a local government employee.

Miscellaneous: 1. Art Institute of Chicago – Free admission for teachers with valid ID 2. Boston Children’s Museum- Free admission for teachers with valid ID; discount at museum store 3. Field Museum of Chicago- Free admission for teachers with valid ID 4. Gulf Breeze Zoo in Florida- Free admission for teachers with valid ID 5. Izzit.org- Free educational DVD to teachers grade 6-12 on their birthday. 6. My Corporate Logo – 15% off custom logo design (code: bWNsMDAx) 7. NEA (National Education Association) – Various NEA member benefits & discounts 8. Regal Theaters: in-theater only, *depends on theater, usually 25% off 9. Replace My Contacts – 5% off an order of $100 or more 10. TeacherDisCount.biz– Various discounts for NEA members/AFT members/Non-Union teachers 11. Teachers’ Insurance Plan – Special savings on car insurance for active & retired education professionals 12. U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development – Good Neighbor Next Door Program: up to 50% discount on the list price of homes 13. PETCO– Free aquarium for select teachers with application (PETCO only gives this aquarium to a set number of teachers each year) 14. Pizza Hut (in-store only): 10%-20% off depending on the store with a teacher I.D. 15. Scholotsky’s (in-store only): 10% off with school ID 16. Visible Changes – 10% off with school ID. Just show your ID the first time you get your hair cut there. 17. Ben Franklin Crafts- 10% off every Tuesday with teacher ID. 18. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago – Free general admission with teacher ID. On the Shedd Aquarium page that is hyperlinked here, scroll down to “Other Discounts” to find out more information. Do you know of any additional discounts for teachers? Please comment below and we will add them to our list. Looking for a printable version of this list? Click the link below and hit the “Print” button in your browser. Teacher Discounts: 83 Stores Offering Discounts for Teachers & Educators (PDF, 216KB) If you like these online coupon tips, sign up for Brad’s Daily Alerts today to be notified automatically of new posts! Read more: http://www.bradsdeals.com/blog/2010/08/10/71-stores-offering-discounts-to-teachers/#ixzz1pcOgqUB8

It's Almost Naptime!!: Better me than you

It's Almost Naptime!!: Better me than you: Because I am barefoot 99% of the time, and because we aren't the neatest house on the block, the incident of stepping on sharp, pointy ...

~Holy Frijoles (free-ho-leez)...Egg Slide Shuffle~~

~~ Holy Frijoles!! What a crappy week~

.. No I mean a collossal horrific week... one to forget cause it was just too overwhelming.One where you just can't fathom it getting any worse? Found out we owe Uncle Sam a big chunk of change, a new truck cause the work truck died while on the job and big jobs that aren't paying very fast while the bills are piling up. Feels like a ticking bomb...

Big Hoot is my science/math fella and has the natural born ability to come up with the zaniest and most convincing (in his mind) set of percentages/figures this side of the sun. He is in fact our very own Cliff Claven. And I honestly wonder what the odds are of all this stuff happening a this moment.

Big Hoot was sick and stayed home. Only to find out he wasn't really That sick and was capable of driving me nuts while Little Hoot was slaving away at school. I was blessed with Another debilitating migraine. I am about as good at clocking their frequency as my labor instructor was sharing how often the pain breaks would come during childbirth. Hello Mother Earth Birkenstock instructor.. I'm still waiting on those contraction breaks. Cause with 2 inductions & that evil pitocin drug that never happened! Just as these headaches are hitting. The Mega Lotto hit almost a billion $$ last wk. Had I won, the first thang I woulda done was run to my neurologist and beg her to stab me with those botox needles in my head for relief. And I don't like needles. But I do cherish the ability to raise my head off a pillow every now and then.

My head is throbbing and I somehow remember in my painful fog that I need to thaw out some meat from the freezer in the garage for supper. I trudge to the door and open it. The smell hit me immediately. Had I been smarter, I would have said "Delivery tonight for supper", slammed the door and left well enough alone. But, I didn't. Instead I look down and see the most disgusting purple & bloody liquidy mess on the floor. And the freezer door was open.. a package of steak had fallen and caused the door to stay open. I could have cried. After weeks of diligently shopping sales to stock up that thing.. and it was almost a complete loss. And I woulda cried had if head was not already performing a percussional performance.

So I set out with bleach, bucket and mops and begin the process of cleaning this tragic mess. Along with the nasty soured blood there were HUGE bags of blueberries and mixed berries that had tumped over. And all I could think about was.. "Ok.. Jesus this would be a most wonderful moment for you to decide to come back to earth". "No really, I mean Right Now!" "I'm oh so ready".

I thought I was a very bright chick when I read how you can freeze uncooked eggs. And the healthy market I frequent had a marvelous sale on organic eggs. So I bought 8 dozen..cause hey.. for $1.88/doz. was a remarkable sale. And I'm thinking I'm a remarkable and smart chick so I will stock up.
Only to find that all the Hoots howled when they ate the cooked eggs. Something bout the nasty consistency. So I didn't even bother taking them out of the ice cube trays and putting them into freezer bags. To hell with them. The egg hasn't been my friend since my first pregnancy. It nauseated beyond belief to the pt. I had to banish them until Big Hoot was born. Just the smell of an egg cooking can still make me gag even today. Not all the time.. but on most days.

I'm working really hard trying to clean up this God awful mess. I'm gagging, my head is killing me and my body is dizzy. What a sight I was. I'm almost finished when I decided to bring the ice cube trays w/the thawed and stinkin' eggs into the house and into the dishwasher. And I Almost made it. Until my foot missed the step and all those slimey trays came crashing down on me and all over that concrete floor. I only Thought I wanted to cry and scream for Jesus to return before This happened. What was I thinking. Silly me. that was nuthin' compared to this new mess.

So I'm scooping, and gagging.. scooping and gagging. And I couldn't even touch my head if I wanted to. And then a movie/book scene flashed into my mind in which I could relate.

And this gem of work. The scene where Vivienne (Ashley Judd) is overwhelmed beyond belief when all five young kids get a virus and the first one comes in the room and tell her he's feeling sick. So she rushed him into the bathroom where he immediately throws up. He's still sick and child #2 enters and she barely gets that one onto the toilet cause of the runs. Then enters #3 where the bathtub is utilized. All the kids are sick and she just wants to die.. right then, right there.. before she loses it..

And so this is how I felt too at this moment while scoopin' up slimey, nasty
and soured egg yolks off that concrete floor. After the last egg yolk was gathered I grabbed my mop and bucket, turned off the light and slammed the door and said "To hell with it!!"

After a very long and very hot shower we proceed to the grocery store so we can use the meat I could salvage. And when we return the kids run off to play while I start putting up the groceries.

2 homemade lasagnas
2 chili mac casseroles
1 tator tot casserole
folled by 1 enchilada casserole
...Later...

Days before all this madness my cell phone had a little freak accident and ended up in Pooch Hoot's cup of water in my car. And that was the tragic death of my alarm clock, watch and communication tool. RIP little buddy.

The trip to acquire new phones was crazy. And we honestly can't understand why Verizon refused to work a deal that we could both agree upon. We had only been with 'them' since they were that nifty little company called PrimeCo.. that little blobby alien mascot. Heck, we've been with them so dang long most people have not a clue as to what I am referring to. So off to the confusing land of wireless.

I experienced something I never thought would happen. And I can actually say it was all because of my migraine & the fact that too much time had passed and I didn't have my phone as a clock. I scored a DEAL w/an Indian (yes from India or Pakistan or somewhere). It amazes me..and Big Big Hoot!! In my other life many many moons ago, the role was reversed and my customers would drive me insane begging me for better deals and haggling till I wanted to throw up. So yea!! Score one for the migraine. woo hoo~

This is the part when you know the business with the eggs just isn't over. No!! Not ever for this child. I went to put the groceries into the freezer.

Wait for it....

Wait for it...

You know it's coming...

You know it's INEVITABLE

Especially since you already know about my treadmill ordeal at the Y...
http://diaryofadumbass.blogspot.com
June 10th The latest and greatest title

My flip flops hit that floor in all that hideous egg slime and I went flying. But not before dancing this Steve Martinlike slide and scraping
my elbow in two places (and mind you that takes some great talent), scraping my knee and landing hear in all that slime. Both feet hurt and I have a minor sprain in one ankle while the other one aches as well. Oh how the bruises will shine...
However, amazingly my hands never let go that that prized package that was destined for the freezer.

And that my friends is how you do the Egg Slime Shuffle!!

On a side note: To the family or individual who egged our home.. Thanks!!
thank you from the very bottom of my heart and egg slimed britches.
You surprised us and left us with the most delish and coveted choc. candies that arrived in a big Easter egg. That one gesture meant so much to me. It brought smiles, wonder and laughter back into my very crazy week.
(* a giant egg was left at our doorstep with a note explaining we had Been Egged and to go out and egg two other unsuspecting homes) What an adorable and loving gesture!!

And for the record.. I threw a pc of fabric over that damn slime with my precious flip flops encased in that nasty crap and I still have no energy to clean that mess up or reclaim my pride.

Hell.. who am I kiddin'? I lost that pride thing eons ago.
And so you all share in my ridiculous glory
I have discovered that there jsut isn't No End, no foreseeable limit to the ways in which I can completely humiliate and harm myself. Jesus, please come and save me from myself...
No none~~