I grew up in Stafford County, back when it was straight country. (I remember every year learning gun safety in school. Yeah, it used to be that country.) It was a sleepy town with not much going on. Taco Bell was always the place to be.

And now it’s like the 12th richest county in America with tons of people and fancy stores. Basically, it’s kept up with the times.

So seeing this video of an autistic freshman running around the Colonial Forge football field during half time and then getting suspended for the rest of the year really bothers me. It was half time. Nothing was happening. He did not interrupt a show. He simply entertained a crowd. What does it say about us as a society if we completely supress creative spontaneity? I mean people love it. Think flash mobs.

Creative spontaneity is something really valuable today. In a world, where most people live in a rat race, creative spontaneity is not only entertaining, but  something this world needs more of. It wakes us up. It inspires. It moves us–if just for a moment.

I am extremely disappointed that the school would take it as far as punishing a child for an entire year. And then to ban bananas from the school menu and ban anything that has a banana on it. Even kids who wore “Free Banana Man” on their shirts were supposively punished with Saturday school. What year is it? 1961? I guess I was wrong. Stafford County has not kept up with the times. I guess it will never change.

I’ve been couponing for about 6 months now. And in that short time, I have learned how to amass a stockpile where a lot of the items didn’t cost me any money, just my time. It’s definitely a learning curve as I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, but thankfully, I haven’t given up. And it’s paying off.

Just today, I bought $160 worth of groceries for $28. My haul included free salads, free toothpaste, free chocolate candy, free shampoo, free conditioner and even free canned vegetables. I was running low on items, because we’ve either donated items to the nearby homeless shelter or friends and family on assisted living. And doing all of this got me thinking, non-profits should hire Extreme Couponers.

I mean really, it should be an entirely new job category. Couponing has taught me that you can pretty much get anything for free–from baby formula and food to office supplies like paper reams and tape to paper goods like paper towels and napkins. And then of course, there’s always free or next-to-nothing cleaning products like hand soap, cleansers and let’s not forget magic erasers ( I think I have like 10 boxes.) 

My point is imagine how much farther people’s donations would go if non-profits and shelters hired Extreme Couponers. I bought a two months supply of Similac formula (30 quarters, 20 cans, 1 tub) for about $15. The retail is about $200. So think about it. Disaster strikes. Babies need feed. Someone generously donates $200.

Without an Extreme Couponer, the non-profit spends $200 on:

-30 ready-to-feed quarters

-20 formula cans

-1 powder tub

Now if they hired an Extreme Couponing and said you have a $200 budget, get what you can get. Here’s the probable outcome: 

30 ready-to-feed quarters

-20 formula cans

-1 powder tub

-25 toothpastes

-25 toothbrushes

-25 flosss

-25 mouth wash

-100 bars of soap

-100 shampoos

-100 conditioners

-100 body washes

-100 hand soaps

-100 deodorants

-100 boxes of pasta

-100 bottles of barbecue sauce

-500 instant noodles

-20 half gallons of soy milk

-100 bags of salad

-100 paper towel rolls

With an Extreme Couponer, they would have gotten like $3000 worth of stuff for $200. Sounds crazy, but it’s actually quite real. Think about it. If citizens opened their wallets and donated $1 million to help a cause and let’s say 50% went to manpower. With the remaining $500,000 budget, extreme couponers could get like $3 million worth of stuff.

Now I am not saying I could do that. Right now I am consistently getting at least 70% off my grocery bills. But extreme couponers who save 95% off, well even if you paid them $50,000 and they turned a $100,000 budget into $1 million in products and food, then it’s totally worth it.

Oh, never mind. Why in the world would companies and non-profits want to stretch their dollars anyway?

Ever since I saw “Extreme Couponing” I started couponing. At first it was out of curiosity. But now, I’m addicted.

I have slashed our grocery bills by 50% consistently. The highest I’ve gotten off was 87%. And well, some of the deals I’m finding are just too good not to share with the world.

Right now, there are tons of Mossimo jeans on clearance at Target for $4.99. My Target has 9 rows of them and had pretty much every size and style–included jegging, boyfriend, etc.
 
Go to the Target coupon center and print out the $5 off select womens jeans coupon here.

It’s on the first page.  Also, be sure to print it fast because the coupon makes them totally free and because there’s a limited number of coupons available.  I printed a second one out, so now I get another free pair. You can’t beat free.

SOTU

And seeing this video game by Freddie Wong about killing people just scares the shit out of me. I mean, could it be any more real? And I guess what freaks me out the most is that there is a market for this blood bath. That some kids enjoy pretending to kill people for kicks. I mean, I know other video games let you do the same, but the characters look like characters or avatars. They don’t look like real people.

Being a parent just got even harder.

When I’m at the grocery store, sometimes I feel overwhelmed. My two kids in tote–singing and crying in tandem–just makes me want to go in and get the hell out. But that’s never the case, because there are too many freaking products to choose from.

I know I need milk, but 2% organic, 2% “our farmers pledge not to use growth hormones on the cows” or the 2% from “cows not treated with RGBh or whatever the hell it is.

Then there’s cereal. The aisle that always messes me up. There’s always too many choices. With the a wild toddler and a baby who want to get out of this place just as bad as I do, I just grab one and go.

So when I see packaging that’s as crazy as what’s on this video, I gotta think to myself, F___ you General Mills!

You see, I just want to pick one cereal. And when you create ridiculous packaging like this, well, it’s just not fair. Because it’s not like you’re creating it for me, trying to draw me in. It’s for kids and when kids see anything with flashing lights, they have to have it. Then I’ll find myself having to battle an unnecessary battle. So do me a favor, do not EVER bring this sort of packaging idea to the shelves in the US. It’s the last thing I need.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0R5LPhLz_U

The technology used on these cereal boxes is brought to you by eCoupled. eCoupled provides an intelligent wireless power transmission that will change our way of life as we know it. Whether it’s a paper coffee cup that will stay warm as long as you want or appliances that no longer require cords, their technology is mind-blowing to say the least. But cereal boxes that light up? C’mon, it’s already tough enough being a parent. Use this technology to make our lives better, not worse by using it for advertising purposes.

Highway run into the midnight sun
Wheels go round and round
You’re on my mind
Restless hearts sleep alone tonight
Sending all my love along the wire
They say that the road
ain’t no place to start a family
Right down the line it’s been you and me
And loving a music man
ain’t always what it’s supposed to be

Girl
you stand by me
I’m forever yours
faithfully
Circus life under the big top world
We all need the clowns to make us laugh
Through space and time
Always another show
Wodering where I am lost without you
And being a part ain’t easy on this love affair
Two strangers learn to fall in love again
I get the joy of rediscovering you

Oh girl
you stand by me
I’m forever yours
faithfully
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
oh oh oh oh oh oh
faithfully
I’m still yours
I’m forever yours
Ever yours
faithfully

Play the piano? Download the “Faithfully” piano sheet music for free.

I know television shows always pop up trying to portray teenage life like “Beverly Hills 90210″, “Save By The Bell”,  and even “The OC” but I have never seen a show portray an openly gay person. And I’ve never seen the spotlight on a handicap kid, a curvy African-American girl, an Asian girl that actually talks, a built Asian boy or a kid and an adult with intellectual disabilities for that matter. I think what draws people in the music, but what keeps them coming back for more is that people identify with these kids’ lives. Kurt is my favorite character. I love his humor and his courage. Who’s your favorite?

“Teenage Dream” sung by Darren Criss.

“I Want To Hold Your Hand” sung by Chris Colfer.