The law’s been laid down at One Buc Place. No more baggy jeans and T-shirts on game days. Instead, players have got to dress to impress and come to the games wearing a suit and tie.
I think Coach Raheem Morris is onto something that parents have known for decades. The way you dress is a reflection of how you view yourself. As a child, my mom used to pop me into a party dress if I was misbehaving. Apparently, I wouldn’t get as dirty or as rowdy if I was wearing my best clothes!
My husband and I noticed it at Disney World, even before we had our own children. The little girls dressed up like Cinderella and Belle seemed to mind their manners more than their peers dressed in flip flops and t-shirts while they waited in line or sat in restaurants.
What do you think? Do clothes influence behavior?
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I was hitting the after-Halloween sale at Target early Sunday morning. Got several rolls of ghost-adorned Bounty paper towels, some black disposable plasticware for lunch boxes and a host of other bargains.
At the register I was delighting in watching all the items ring up at 50% off when my reverie was cut short by the clerk. “And two bags,” she said, hitting another key on her pad.
“Excuse me?” I said. I thought she was charging me for the cloth bags that I was using. Could she not see they were not Target products? One clearly said “Publix” and the other was from some long ago book festival I attended.
“You get 5 cents off for each reusable bag you use!” she replied.
Huh. I didn’t know that. Makes me regret deciding to just throw the paper towels loose in the cart, should have brought in more bags to use from the car. Now I know.
And so do you.
If you could help a person with breast cancer get diagnosed faster so she could be treated sooner – and it didn’t cost you a dime – would you?
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation now offers that chance, with a click of a mouse.
The Internet search engine www.Ask.com will donate money to Komen every time people answer questions about breast cancer on its site. It takes 30 seconds and doesn’t cost anything.
Every new user who joins the Search For The Cure program earns a star, for which Ask.com will contribute 10 cents to the cause. You can earn more stars by logging back on to answer more questions, inviting friends to take the quiz, or by making a donation to Komen directly.
Visit www.ask.com/cure and answer the breast cancer-related question at the top of its site from now through Dec. 31. If enough people participate, Ask.com will donate an additional $100,000 to the $1 million it’s already given. That money translates to almost 1,300 free mammograms for underprivileged women.
Click here to go to www.Ask.com to answer the questions.
Click here for more information on the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.
In my travels around the internet this afternoon, I came across this limited time offer for Oprah viewers.
Print this coupon for half-off at Payless shoes.
Everything in the store is eligible! You have to hurry though, because the coupon is only good today (10/29) and tomorrow (10/30).
My youngest daughter has had her eye on a pair of those Ugg boot knockoffs by Airwalk. They’re not the cutest things, but it will be easier for me to stomach buying them with this fabulous discount.
If your vehicle started making strange noises, would you know how to diagnose the problem? A new survey by Jiffy Lube shows few women know where to start.
Now Jiffy Lube is trying to demystify the inner workings of your vehicle. The company’s Web site features a “How Cars Work” interactive that explains how different parts of the engine work and what you can do to keep them running smoothly. In many cases, you can perform the maintenance yourself, which will save you money.
“I have women coming in asking about the best way to do their own oil changes at home,” said Tracey Palmquist, manager of the Jiffy Lube at 8624 Tamiani Trail in Sarasota.
Don’t fall into the trap of driving up to a mechanic, handing over your keys and rushing into the waiting room. You should ask your mechanic to show you what he or she sees under the hood and fully explain the problem and solution, Palmquist said.
“It’s like going to the doctor. They’re busy, too, but you’ve got to ask questions so you’re comfortable with what’s going on.”
According to the Jiffy Lube survey, only 11 percent of women check their vehicle’s oil levels every time they fill up and 30 percent check their oil levels only when it’s changed.
Also, 28 percent of women thought using premium gas all the time would make your car run better. Not true, Jiffy Lube officials say.
What are some things you can do yourself to help your car run better? Check your engine air filter, oil filter, tire pressure and transmission, oil, and brake fluid levels. You should also check your wiper blades and engine belts for signs of wear and tear.
“It’s extremely important,” Palmquist said. “You have an owner’s manual. Use it. That owner’s manual is not going to lie to you.”
How much do you know about proper maintenance for your car? Take our quiz.
The national media spotlight has not been particularly kind to dads this year. At times, in fact, it’s been downright harsh. As a member of this demographic, I feel it’s my duty to raise a voice against the onslaught of bad press fathers have been getting lately. This may come as a surprise to some, but most of us are actually sane, competent parents committed to the well-being of our kids, happy to do what’s right for our family even if it means donning a big, floppy hat, squeezing our butts into a chair built for Lilliputians and sipping imaginary tea from a Winnie the Pooh cup with our four-year-old rather than plopping into the La-Z-Boy to watch the Bucs display new and innovative ways to go three and out.
Based solely on recent headlines, you might be tempted to conclude all fathers are deranged, media-seeking egomaniacs hell bent on exploiting their offspring to further their own slimy agendas. Sure, there’s the occasional favorable story, but even then the tone of the coverage varies from pleasant surprise to outright astonishment, as if public displays of good fathering were akin to discovering an island full of dodo birds or a formula to convert pizza crusts into swine flu vaccines.
Case in point: Steve Monforto. Remember him? He’s the Philadelphia Phillies fan who caught a foul ball, handed it to his three-year-old daughter and watched in bemused chagrin as she promptly tossed it back onto the field. The country seemed stunned when his eyes didn’t turn into spinning pinwheels of rage, steam did not come shooting out of his ears with the sound of blowing train whistles and his scalp remained firmly attached to the top of his head instead of flipping into the air like a flicked bottle cap. Adding to the nation’s bewilderment was Monforto’s confounding behavior immediately following the incident: he gave his daughter a hug. A hug! From the hype surrounding this incident we can only infer that such an egregious display of tolerance is a bizarre aberration, an exception to the rule. Any “normal” father would have hurled his tot onto the field to retrieve the precious keepsake. What kind of sports fan is he?
Unfortunately, Steve’s shining example isn’t enough to offset the blitz of unflattering impressions provided almost daily by the likes of Alec “How Dare You Not Be Home When I Call” Baldwin, Jon “I Love My Kids So Much I Moved A State Away From Them” Gosselin and now – hurray! – Richard “Help! My Sanity Slipped Its Tether And Floated Away” Heene, a.k.a. Balloon Boy’s Dad, to reaffirm our suspicions that fathers, as a whole, are jerks.
Thanks guys!
It’s not enough modern dads have to fight the stereotypes of incompetent boobs blundering their way through diaper changes, house cleaning and meal preparation (all of which somehow involve the prodigious use of duct tape and caulking guns). Now we have to allay concerns that our kid’s birthday party isn’t just an elaborate hoax to muster publicity for a reality series. At school sporting events we have to endure the watchful scrutiny of security personnel ready to tackle and taze any overzealous lout looking for an excuse to beat the living tar out of a ref for making a “bad” call against his future all-star.
I’m not claiming every dad is a Steve Monforto. I’m sure there are plenty of guys who would have blown a gasket after their toddler threw away a foul ball. But don’t let the occasional UFO-shaped helium balloon fool you. There are far more dads like Monforto that there are like Richard Heene. And that is something we all need to recognize.
Although in the spirit of full disclosure I have to admit a certain grudging respect for Heene’s ingenuity. Not everybody could create a national farce using little more than Mylar and duct tape. Duct tape manufactures, however, have somehow managed to avoid any bad press.
Good for them.
Quite a nice freebie! Her classes run about $100 usually!
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The Clearwater Main Library will host an Etiquette Class for students ages 12 to 18 on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m., presented by Patricia Rossi.
Attendees will learn about introductions, table manners, kindness, public speaking and more. Patricia Rossi’s “Manners Minute” TV segments air weekly throughout the U.S. Rossi is a sought after etiquette coach, consultant, public speaker, columnist, television and radio personality.
Registration is required, limited spaces available. The Clearwater Main Library is located at 100 N. Osceola Ave. The program is free. For more information or to register, call (727) 562-4970.
One of my favorite strategies for not incurring massive debt around the holidays is the technique of shopping over an extended time.
Picking up deals here and there when you have some extra money should help you put less on the credit card.
Or put them on the credit card, but pay them off before you even have that first turkey drumstick of the season.
A deal that came to my attention today was the promotional code “SWEETS4U” for use on the Jcpenney.com website. What makes this promo code so great is that it is for $10 off any purchase of at least $10. So in theory, you could get something for free! Just look for the promo code box when you get to the checkout portion of your order. I saw no mention about how long this offer is good for, but I wouldn’t wait too long or it might disappear.
I couldn’t find anything THAT cheap, but I did find a jacket I had been looking for for several weeks and it was already on sale.
Another way to save with this deal is to choose the “ship to store” option. If you have a JcPenney in your neighborhood, or you know that you will be passing by there soon, you can opt to have your item sent there and save about $1.50 in shipping costs. Every little bit adds up!
On Friday Oct. 30 and Saturday Oct. 31, kids in costume eat free with a regular adult meal purchase at participating Sweet Tomatoes restaurants.
One free child’s meal per adult.
The easy part is getting the free meal. The hard part is getting children of a “certain age” to agree to dress up to save you some dough. That would be my almost 11 year old.
The Week of the Family Tampa Bay kicks off this Sunday with a free event at the Museum of Science & Industry.
MOSI is offering free admission to all visitors on Nov. 1. You’ll see the exhibits, enjoy live music by Tracy Williams, Belinda Womack and Morrison Avenue, participate in family workshops and more, spokeswoman Cathy Crowder said. The only things not included are admission to the IMAX Dome Theatre or Mindbender Mansion.
The Week of the Family event started in Orange County in 2003, according to the Tampa Bay’s event co-chair Jim Gillen. Last year, organizers started working with business and government leaders in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee counties to create an event here.
“It’s a chance for parents to reconnect and get back to what’s important,” Gillen said. “We have zero budget –proudly- because the idea is to have everyone to come together to contribute talents and resources and create this event that will be uplifting for the community.”
One example is Tracy Williams, a Tampa native who was originally part of PYT and has toured with ‘N Sync, Britney Spears, Destiny’s Child, and 98°. She’ll perform a free concert at MOSI Sunday afternoon. “They’ll have 30 dancers and the stage was donated by a local church,” Gillen said. “It will be in the grassy area between the IMAX theater and the Kids in Charge area.”
Lowry Park Zoo will bring animals and the Busch Gardens drum band will perform at MOSI on Sunday. Both attractions are also offering deals at their own parks at different times during the week. And Channelside Cinemas is offering free admission for two children with one full-price adult ticket for movie night on Nov. 5. Click here for a list of all the deals available.
Throughout next week, families can enjoy plays, story times, yoga, magic shows, even Wii games a Disney character breakfast at several libraries. Click here for a complete list of show times and places.
There’s also a chance to give back to the community through a variety of service projects. Click here for the list.
“It’s a chance to create memories with your family,” Gillen said.
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Taco Bell is offering a free “Black Jack” taco on Halloween night.
You’ve heard the radio ads “Black shirt, black boots, black socks, black taco…” now try the entree. Apparently the taco shell uses copious amounts of black food coloring. Oooohhh, scary.
The offer is good from 6 p.m. - midnight on October 31st. One per customer.
A free lunch and lots of good information is in store for parents who register for a free, four-part series called “Safe & Sound: Promoting the Health of Babies and Young Children.”
The first meeting will be from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, 1002 E. Palm Ave. Tampa. Topics include domestic violence, preventing shaken baby syndrome, car seat safety and toy safety/choking/first aid.
To register and for more information, e-mail Steve Martaus at smartaus@ecctampabay.org or call (813) 837-7871.
Applebee’s has the right idea about how to celebrate Veterans Day.
On November 11th, all active and veteran military personnel with proof of service will be served a free meal at any Applebee’s restaurant nationwide.
Participants can choose from any entree from a selection of six signature favorites: Fiesta Lime Chicken, 7 oz. house sirloin, chicken tenders, three-cheese chicken penne, oriental chicken salad or the Fire Pit Bacon Burger.
Alas, no options for the vegetarians. Perhaps you can have them hold the chicken on the three-cheese penne?
Still, it’s a very nice offer to honor our American heroes.
If you’ve taken your children to any theme park, zoo, sporting event, festival, parade, aquarium, or children’s museum you’ve probably been hassled for “Dippin’ Dots.”
Those ubiquitous spheres of frozen dairy nibbles are the biggest rip-off in the history of kid-centric processed food.
A small cup will run you around $5 bucks for 4 or 5 ounces - by volume, not weight - of standard fare ice cream. Let it melt a little and it’s just like any other frozen confection.
That’s why my kids don’t even ask me anymore. They know my stance on “Dippin’ Dots” and how I refuse to pay those exorbitant prices.
But still they yearn.
Today at Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market I found the answer to my girls’ prayers. How cool will I be when I host their birthday parties in the next few months and offer all their guests their choice of flavors of cups of little bitty ice cream balls?
IttiBitz are just like Dippin’ Dots, cryogenically processed ice cream that melts on your tongue. It comes in 11 flavors (my Wal-Mart had about 6: Cotton Candy, Mint Chip, Waffle Cone, Banana Split, Cookie Dough and Double Chocolate) in single serve cups of 5 ounces for $1.
They are sold individually. So you don’t have to buy an entire box of one flavor only to find out that you don’t care for it. Or even a box of mixed just to get the one type you prefer.
I haven’t tasted them yet. But I will report back when I do. Of course, with kids it’s all about the flash rather than the substance of products that matters. And I’d rather pay $1 for flash and save my other $4 for something of substance.
They’re used to facing scary situations, but some St. Petersburg Fire Rescue workers will the be ones creating the frights when they don masks and costumes and turn their fire station into a Haunted House this Saturday.
“For everyone involved its’ a ton of work, but we love it,” said Lt. Joel S. Granata. “It gives us another chance to interact with the public in a non-emergency way.”
For the eighth time in 10 years, off-duty firefighters will turn themselves into ghosts, goblins, mummies and monsters to scare up some fun. Several hundred people attended last year’s haunted house.
“Most love it, but some have been extremely frightened. We don’t recommend it for children under 10,” Granata said. “There will be other activities for children under 10.”
In addition to having slurpes, popcorn, hot dogs and other concessions, the firefighters hand out some free safety products and information such as smoke alarm batteries and car seat safety information sheets.
The Haunted House will be at Fire Station No. 7, 6975 Dr. MLK. St. N., on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event is free with a non-perishable food donation. The donations go to local food banks.
