bountifulplate

My hubby recently told me about a story he saw on his favorite morning news show.  It was about how paper coupons will become a thing of the past.  Excuse me??  I definitely 100% disagree with that!!  First of all, not everyone in this world wants to do digital coupons! I'm what you would call, ahem, STUBBORN , and I have unwillingly had to start doing some digital coupons, just because sometimes the deals are so good. Especially like these three items I got today at Kroger (they were Friday only downloads)! If I had to pay full price it would have cost me $8.08.  I have never bought these three items before, but since they were free, I'm giving them a "test" run!   Second of all, take a look at the coupons below that I got recently in the mail.  The first two coupons I got because I found a small peanut shell in a jar of peanut butter and I called the company to tell them about it.  Just taking a few minutes on the phone with the company yie...

This past Thursday afternoon, I was at a local restaurant with a close friend of mine.  We were kind of standing off to the side trying to look at the menu and decide what we wanted to order.  I was talking to my friend and rattling off some sandwiches that sounded good.  As I mentioned one in particular, a sourdough melt, I had a guy walk right past us and say something like, "that one is really good!"  I said, "okay, thanks!"  I then said to my friend, "I guess I must have been talking kind of loud, if that guy commented!"  I did end up ordering that sandwich and it was really good, so I guess that dude was right!  It got me to thinking, how many times have I overheard a person's conversation and felt the need to comment? Probably more times than I should have!  About three weeks ago, I was in my favorite grocery store and I overheard an older woman (I'm assuming she was the grandma) talking to the two little kids that she was pushing in the car...

I have written posts about library etiquette, parking lot etiquette and manners in general, but I feel that a post about shopping cart "etiquette" is something that also needs to be discussed!  Hold on tight, I'm hopping on top of the old soapbox.  First of all, if you take a shopping cart out of the store and into the parking lot, please return the cart to either the store or to the cart "corral." When you leave the cart in the parking lot, it creates havoc for others trying to park their cars in the lot, especially on a windy day, when the carts start having a mind of their own! If that is not possible, then please try and put it somewhere out of the way.  Second, if carts are at a premium, please don't take one that has a stroller attached.  There are lots of moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, etc. that bring children with them when they shop and they should get top priority for those type of carts.  Third, when you are shopping, especially in a grocery stor...

Back in late August, I heard of a story involving a child with special needs. It was about an anonymous note that was sent from "one pissed off mother" to a family who has a child with Autism.  The letter was filled with words that were offensive, hurtful and just plain mean.  Parts of it read, "I HATE people like you who believe, just because you have a special needs kid, you are entitled to special treatment!"  Another line, "go live in a trailer in the woods or something with your wild animal kid."  Wow, when I read that, it made me really sad, first of all that a mom could have that much disdain for a child (and his family) and secondly, to take the time to write all that nasty stuff down and then send it?  I find it even more sad to think that this is what the "pissed off mother" is teaching her own children - that it's okay to not have tolerance for others just because they look or act different. Well, I have a news flash f...

Earlier this week I was at my favorite grocery store going up and down the aisles, looking for good deals, and getting the items on my list. The time I usually go shopping is in the morning, during the week, so most of the other customers are stay-at-home moms like myself or senior citizens.  Well, this particular time, I noticed an elderly man in a motorized wheelchair trying to reach for something on a high shelf.  I went over and said, "sir, do you want me to get something off the shelf for you?"  He said, "no, I just had bariatric surgery and I have to do it myself!" Hmm, I don't know if I wanted to know quite that much about him, considering I had never met him before. I remember hesitating about 10 seconds and then I think I said, "cool!"  Looking back, maybe that wasn't the best response.   I almost was going to ask him how much weight he lost, but that didn't seem to be appropriate.  Maybe I should have said, "good for you or good ...

A few weeks before Easter of this year, I asked Lauren if she wanted a basket from the Easter Bunny.  She said that she did.  Even though I know she doesn't believe in him anymore, I think she likes getting the candy :)  When Dominic has lost teeth at school, his teacher sends them home in a baggie. I have never started the Tooth Fairy thing with him and probably won't at this point, given that he has already lost a bunch of teeth.  I read an article in the newspaper recently that said the average amount a kid gets for a lost tooth is $3.70!  If you can believe it, there is even a Tooth Fairy Calculator "app" that will give you an idea how much to give your child based on your age, income bracket and education level.  I find that fascinating.  Back in my day of losing teeth, I seem to recall getting a quarter or two.  My hubby told me that back when he was in second grade, one of the teachers told the entire class that there was no such thing as S...

If you have a child with Autism, you most likely have heard of the term "echolalia." For those of you who don't know the meaning of that word, according to the Autism Speaks website, it is the "repetition of words, phrases and intonations, or sounds of the speech of others."  Out of the many, many Autism websites out there, I have found theirs to be one of the best. Here is the link:  http://www.autismspeaks.org/ . When Dominic was just learning to talk he was the "king" of echolalia.  If we asked him a question like, "what do you want to drink - water or milk?" he would either repeat back part of the sentence or the last word in the sentence.  That is called "immediate echolalia."  Dominic has a remarkable memory.  He can recite entire passages of a book, movie or video that he has seen in it's entirety.  That is called "delayed echolalia" or "scripting" because he is repeating back something that...