Seeing as how it’s Labor Day weekend I thought I’d compile some of the better sales going on (some of which can be combined with all sorts of coupons for even greater savings). I’ll try to keep updating this list as I become aware of additional ones, but thought I’d get this live now to give you all an early start. Unless otherwise noted, all offers should end Monday night, September 3, 2007.

DEPARTMENT STORES

JCPenney - Free shipping on orders over $49
Valid through: September 5, 2007

Macys.com - Save 10-50% + Values
Plus, save an extra 25% on clearance!

Bloomingdales.com - Extra 40% off Sale & Value Items
Plus an additional 15% off already reduced prices!
Valid online only. Eligible items are clearly marked with, “Extra 40% OFF” and the discount will be reflected in your Big Brown Bag (Shopping Cart). Excludes all home, furniture and mattresses. No adjustments to prior purchases. Online offer is not valid at bloomingdales.weddingchannel.com. Offer excludes Electronic Gift Cards.

ShopNBC.com - 10% off orders over $75 at
Use promotion code YWLDC.
Online only. One coupon per order. Not valid with any other discount or promotional offer. No cash value. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted, if sold or transferred. Not valid on automated ordering, Auctions, Partner orders, Our Top Value, food, computers, electronics, entertainment/toys, fitness or paid programming.

SmartBargains.com - Save up to an extra 50% off all departments
Sale ends Tuesday, September 4, 2007 at 3pm ET

APPAREL

Blair - 20% off your order
Use coupon code BQB.

La Redoute - Up to 50% off Labor Day Sale
Plus 20% off one item with promotion code LRFAVHP
Valid through: September 4, 2007 11:59pm ET
Valid online only. Discount applies to the highest priced item in your order. Cannot be combined with other offers. Not valid on Clearance items and Fine Jewelry. Offer is not eligible for past purchases or the purchase of gift certificates. Discount applies to merchandise only and excludes shipping & handling and taxes.

metrostyle.com - All Clearance Items are now under $20
Plus 20% off the entire site with promotion code MS20
Plus get 50% off 1 item with promotion code MSR50.
Discount will be applied to the most expensive item in your order. Not valid on jewelry. Cannot be combined with other offers. Not valid on prior or pending purchases. Not valid on shipping and handling charges or the purchase of gift certificates. Cannot be redeemed in Lerner stores. Valid online only.

Aeropostale - 30% off Clearance Items
Use coupon code TAKOFF.

Woman Within - Shop summer clearance from $2.88
Plus get 40% off 1 item with promotion code WW13808
Discount applies to the highest priced item in your order. Excludes purchases of fragrances, beauty products and jewelry. Not valid with other coupons or special offers. Cannot be used on prior purchases or for the purchase of gift certificates. Not valid at retail stores.

Eddie Bauer - Up to 70% off with prices starting at just $6.99
Plus get $20 off orders over $100 with promotion AFH07
Online only. Offer valid one time only on your Eddie Bauer merchandise purchase. Offer not valid in Eddie Bauer Outlet stores, at eddiebaueroutlet.com or on clearance items. Cannot be applied to previous or pending purchases. Offer not valid for taxes, shipping, handling, monogramming, engraving, gift certificates/cards, gift boxes, or payment on any credit card account. Cannot be combined with any other coupon code.

Classic Closeouts - $10 off orders over $50 & Free Shipping
Use coupon code CJSUMM.
Valid through: September 4, 2007 11:59pm ET
Cannot be combined with other coupons. Not valid on previous purchases.

Wilson’s Leather - 20% off entire purchase & Free Shipping

HOME FURNISHINGS & APPLIANCES

Designer Linens Outlet - Save extra 50% off decorative pillows and shams
Use coupon code LABORDAY7

The Company Store - Up to 75% off Clearance Items

Domestications.com - 25% off an order of $100 or more at Domestications.com
Enter Promotion Code D7XLABOR in your shopping cart.
Minimum purchase amount excludes clearance items tax, delivery and service charges. Offer applicable towards new orders only. One-time use only. This is a limited-time offer. Offer does not apply to past purchases, as payment on any credit card account, to the purchase of Clearance items, gift certificates, STAR VALUES or Club Memberships, and may not be combined with any other offer (except your Domestications Buyers Club discount)

Brylane Home - 20% off Clearance items
Enter Promotion Code BHLABORDAY in shopping cart and hit APPLY.
Discount applies to clearance items only. Not valid on prior orders. Cannot be combined with any other special offer or promotion. Valid on merchandise only. Not valid on the purchase of Gift Certificates. Excludes small kitchen electrics, select rugs, select lighting, wall art, mirrors and gift certificates.

Home Depot - 10% off Appliance Purchases over $297
Valid through: September 5, 2007 11:59pm ET
$297 minimum excludes taxes, warranty, delivery and installation fees. Offer not valid on prior purchases.

CHEFS - Up to 80% off
Plus Free Shipping on orders over $99

BABIES/KIDS

BabyCenter - Up to 50% off Storewide + Free Shipping!
Plus, use coupon code SAVE10MORE to get 10% off sale items.
Valid through: September 4, 2007 12pm ET
Quantities are limited; no rain checks. May not be combined with other promotions. May not be applied to orders from Baby Bjorn, Britax, Eddie Bauer by Cosco, Stokke, Inglesina, BOB, Maclaren, Lambs & Ivy, Svan, Bugaboo, Phil & Ted’s, Mountain Buggy, Kidsline, and Peg Perego. May not be applied to orders already placed. Only one coupon may be applied per order.

Children’s Place - 25% off Sale Items
Plus get 15% off your order with web code FMA77.

Edmund Scientifics - $15 off $70 orders
Use promotion code ELD15.
Discount will NOT work if you use Google Checkout. Discount applies to merchandise only and cannot be combined with any other offers, previous purchases or Gift Certificates.

SPORTING GOODS/OUTDOORS

Golfsmith - 15% off orders over $75 & Free Shipping
Use promotion code WEB736LAB.
Lots of exclusions, so check site for details.

Cabela’s - Up to 70% off

HEALTH/DIET

MotherNature.com - 10% off online orders
Use coupon code LABOR10.

We’re just weeks away from a new NFL season (which is just a euphamism for saying we’re weeks away from me having an excuse to go hang out at a bar with other daddies and drink ourselves silly, while eating greasy wings and watching grown men smash into each other) and I can’t wait. Even though we live in NY, I’m a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Been one since I was probably about 5 or 6 years old, back when Terry Bradshaw was leading the team to its 900th Super Bowl appearance. I guess they were all over the media back then just as I was getting into it, so I got sucked up in the excitement. That, and I was a big fan of the color black. I’ve stuck with the team through good times and the many many many bad times. Was awesome when they won the Super Bowl 2 years back, and nauesatingly heartbreaking when they practically forgot to show up to every game last year. Ugh. I didn’t think things could get any worse then last year’s dismal performance. Until…

Well, the Steelers have never had cheerleaders. They’ve never had a mascot. It’s always been about one thing: Football. Play the game. Concentrate on the game. Just good, clean, hard-hitting fun. But now, they’ve officially announced a new mascot: Steely McBeam. Uh, no. I’m not kidding. That’s really his name. And that’s really his photo up there. I just, don’t get it. If you want a mascot for a steel city, why not go with some more cutesy giant steel beam with big googly eyes or something. But this guy, with his bright yellow checkered flannel shirt? And overalls that look like they were designed for an infant? Oy. I normally don’t embed videos, but to see and hear more disgust at this insanity, take a peak at what some ESPN folks think:

So to make up for this abomination against the greatest sport ever created (next to bowling that is), here’s an exclusive coupon for the NFL Shop. But it expires tomorrow night, so you better hustle if you want to buy me something nice. (I’m a size large, thanks for asking.)

***Updated Expiration Date**** 

$15 off online orders over $100 at NFL Shop
Use the above link to activate the coupon.
Eligible items will have the following note on their product page: “Ultimate Coupons Exclusive Offer- $15 Off $100″
Valid through: October 31, 2007 11:59pm ET
Offer excludes the Men’s & Kids’ Reebok Storm Midweight Jacket, Samsung TVs, Patt Tillman Jerseys & Opus Super Bowl Books. In-stock merchandise only. Valid one use per email address. Discount is not applicable to gift cards and gift certificates. Discount does not apply to taxes, shipping and handling charges, gift-wrapping or similar charges. Cannot be combined with any other promotional offer nor is this offer valid on previous purchases.

I’ve always loved cartoons. Still do in fact. But as a kid growing up in the ’80s, there was nothing, absolutely nothing better than grabbing a big ol’ bowl of Cap’n Crunch cereal, drowning it in milk and plopping yourself in front of the big color TV bright and early each and every Saturday morning.

Man I must’ve been glued to that thing from like 7 or 8 in the morning till they stopped around 11 or 11:30 in those days. Smurfs. Gilligan’s Planet. Galaxy High. Dragon’s Lair. Gummy Bears (”… bouncing here and there and everrrrrywhere…”). He-Man. Super-Friends. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. The Laff-O-Lympics. The Snorks. Alf. Muppet Babies. Dungeons & Dragons. Shirt Tales. Mr. T. Alvin and the Chipmunks. Man, the list just goes on and on. And while most of them were horrendous, I loved ‘em all. And if I didn’t, I somehow still managed to sit through them. It was just a nice break from reality to watch animated characters in crazy fantasy settings. And maybe the fact they were on once a week in one big block, just made it easier to digest.

These days I still watch a lot of cartoons, unfortunately, they’re aimed at my 2 and 4-year-old’s intelligence. Sure there are a ton of cookie cutter type shows right along the lines of the Smurfs and such that just teach very basic lessons while telling ridicuolously absurb and boring stories. But I’ve noticed a lot of shows that really do tap into a more intelligent/creative bent for kids. Nick Jr. and Noggin both have some great shows that I even find myself getting sucked into at times (…if, uh, my kids are watching. Yeah, that’s what I meant.). Shows like Pinky Dinky Doo are just really clever and play up the fact that the main character has a huuuge imagination and loves to come up with crazy fun over-the-top stories.

Then there’s the Wonder Pets. One of the creepiest/bizarre shows I ever saw. The animation is a weird combination of photos cut up and animated mixed with traditional animation. But it’s the story of three “super” pets that go around to save other animals in the world. There’s great music along the way and it has a real Broadway for Kids type of feel to it. Even something like Dora and Diego are interesting because they also teach a ton about rare animals, but also how to use/read a map, follow directions and solve problems. And Dora’s got a monkey who wears red boots. You just cannot beat a monkey (literally and figuratively). Shows like that which tell an entertaining story around a good message (or teaching about new things/creatures) seem to be so much more effective then other cookie cutter type cartoons that tell boring, crazy stories and shoehorn in a “morale” at the very end just so they can label themselves as “educational.”

I just can’t wait till a few years from now my kids are old enough to watch some of the shows I used to watch (what, you don’t think I have the DVD box sets for “Dungeons & Dragons” and “He-Man”?) and see if they love ‘em, hate ‘em or are bored to tears.

While I don’t have a smurfy smurf of a coupon (yes, you can punch me now), I do have a rare and tropical coupon for the NickJr Shop website:

15% off online orders over $50 at the Nick.com Shop
Use this link to activate the coupon. If necessary, use promotion code NCK1550.
Valid through: December 31, 2007
Cannot be combined with other coupons. In-stock merchandise only. Not valid on gift cards and gift certificates. Discount does not apply to taxes, shipping and handling charges, gift-wrapping or similar charges.

Before I got engaged, I knew exactly the type of ring to buy. No I wasn’t psychic, nor an ego-maniacal pushy boyfriend. Uh uh. Simple ring, pear shaped diamond in a size 7. That had been ingraned in my head for weeks, months, almost years I’d say, by my college girlfriend. Yeah we had talked about marriage on and off, sometimes seriously, sometimes not. I knew I wanted to marry her, it was just a timing thing. I wanted to wait until we both graduated and had jobs lined up. Call me sensible. Then of course just when I was gearing up to do it, her older sister went and got engaged. So out of respect I figured I’d wait till after the wedding and then pop the question. And of course 3 months later, her middle sister got engaged. Sigh. So being the baby in the family, it only seemed right that she’d be the last one to get hitched. And yes, I eventually did ask her, and she did say yes. But after dating for over 7 years (yes, you read that right), I was STILL shaking in my boots. It was easily one of the toughest things I ever had to do and all I had to do was say 4 simple words.

I wanted to do something romantic and different. At the time, I was living in a pretty cool house with 4 other guys (it was a big house). My best bud was one of them, and he was in on it. So I made sure he got everyone out of the house one evening. Which he did. Then I cooked up a nice romantic dinner of champagne risotto (though I had no champagne, so I substituted with beer). But before I could serve dinner, the unexpected happened. For some reason we were outside, probably chasing after one of the cats that liked to roam the yard. All of a sudden in the woods on the side of the house my girlfriend noticed a bird hobbling about. She didnt’ want the cats to get it, so she was chasing after it to save it. Now she was a vegetarian at the time and a big animal rights person. I may’ve been a vegetarian then too, honestly I don’t remember. I was definitely into animals too, though at that moment I would’ve paid the cat a cool million just to make that bird disappear. No, that’s not true. That would’ve set a bad tone. But I was trying like mad to get her inside the house for dinner without looking like a total insensitive boob. Somehow the bird got away, the cats ran off and we finally went inside.

After dinner came the first big surprise. Dessert. She’s always been a big fan of frosting (as I’ve mentioned previously in some cake decorating posts), and especially the Double Doozie cookies you can get at the Great American Cookie Company. Basically, you take 2 big chocolate chip cookies and slap way too much frosting in between to make a giant sugar sandwich. Well, I went to the Cookie Company earlier and ordered up a small cookie cake, but had it made as a double doozie. That’s a big cookie and an illegal amount of frosting. I had them write “Happy 1/2 Anniversary” on it. The timing was actually perfect as it was exactly halfway through our anniversary to the day (plus 7 years…). So I played the whole romantic dinner thing off as a half anniversary thing. Which should’ve tipped her off but didn’t.

After dinner, as I sat there sweating like mad (despite it being kind of cold out)… I gave her a present. It was a big wrapped box that she opened and inside was a very small ring box. She looked up at me with tears welling in her eyes and practically mouthed the words “yes” before I could even say “Will you marry me?” I did get the words out (I’ll admit I was choked up so I probably sounded like Peter Brady hitting puberty when I said them…). And the funny thing is she screamed yes and raced around the table to embrace me… without even opening the damn box. Now I paid a lot of money and went through a lot of trouble to get that ring, so she better look at it before she starts celebrating! Which is what I told her, though in slightly nicer terms. And yes, even after seeing the ring, she said yes. And the rest is history.

You can “awwww” now. And this would’ve been a lot sappier if I was more awake. My apologies, but it’s 12:45, just got home from the movies (Superbad is super funny) and realized I hadn’t posted yet today! So no bed for me until this is up. That’s how much you guys mean to me too. Sniff. Anyways, yep, you guessed it, here’s an awesome mega coupon for diamonds and jewelry:

$100 off online orders over $500 at Bailey Banks & Biddle
Use this link to activate coupon.
Valid through: September 30, 2007
Excludes David Yurman, John Hardy, and other selected designer jewelry, clearance and select jewelry. Not valid on prior purchases or gift cards. Offer may only be used one time and cannot be combined with any other offer or certificate.

I’ve always loved music. Not just listening to it (’80s hair bands being the best, of course), but playing it. It all started for me in 4th grade when I joined the school band and took up playing the saxophone. I have no clue why I picked the sax, but I was going into the 4th grade, my mom must’ve asked me if I wanted to join the band (that’s when you can start playing), and I must’ve said yes. Don’t know why I didn’t pick drums or trumpets, but something about the sax appealed to me. Heck, for all I know, it might’ve been thanks to Zoot from the Muppet Show which I watched religiously. He always cracked me up.

So I played sax all the way through most of high school in fact. And yes, here in print (is it considered “print” if it’s online?), I will fully admit that I even joined… the marching band. And that’s when playing the sax was a blast. Literally. We got to march around with a swagger as we belted out the main theme for “Louie Louie,” or charge up the crowd (yeah, our football team stunk, so we hadda make things exciting) by getting the Peter Gunne theme going (that’s the music from the video game “Spy Hunter” if anyone recalls). Unfortunately, it also meant we had to wear the world’s worst uniforms. Ever. Our school colors were… brown and gold. And if that weren’t putrid enough, we had the big fuzzy white Q-Tip hats to wear. Sigh.

Somewhere in my junior or senior year though I had the itch to learn piano. So for my birthday (or the holidays) I told my parents I wanted piano lessons as my gift. Like any parent would say no to something like that. They jumped on it and I was playing keyboards, synthesizers, etc. My favorite tune to play to this day is either Billy Joel’s “Pressure” or the Charlie Brown theme. They both get your fingers and feet moving. Once I hit college, I brought my synth and way-too-big amp with me every year. And one break between sessions I was home yet my keyboard was still up at school. But I was dying to play something. You know when the creative juices are flowing and you need some sort of outlet. So I grabbed my dad’s acoustic guitar and basically spent that break teaching myself how to play. I’m far from an expert but at least I can nail down a few basic chords and individual notes. I’ll really have to get back into it one of these days. And now we’ve got a piano in the house (it was my wife’s grandfather’s) which I love though don’t play nearly as much as I should. But the kids love hitting the keys and grabbing any instrument they can to play (usually a whistle or recorder that they can blast at full volume increasing whatever headache I have at the time). I’m hoping they both really get into it and take up an instrument when they’re older. And just like my parents did with me, I’d rather not push them into it, but let the interest grow within.

Okay, didn’t mean to turn this post all sappy and stuff. But with school starting up, I’ve rounded up some musical instrument-related coupons and sales! How’s that for a niche audience? I know a bunch of you readers out there do homeschooling (ahem…yes you, Jo…), so I’m curious if and how you incoporate music into your everyday lessons. Let me know, cause curiousity killed the cat and I certainly don’t want any dead cats on my hands…

On Sale at Musicians Friend!
Save Up To 42% On Line 6 Factory Refurbished Gear
Our Lowest Priced Jazz Box - Only $199.99
Music Man StingRay Bass - A Modern Classic - From $1299.99!
Epiphone Thunderbird IV Bass - Only $299.99
Huge Savings On Crown Power Amps! - Save Up To $1015!
Steinberg Cubase SE Recording Software - Only $49.99!
ART Tube MP Studio Mic Preamp - Only $29.99
Tama Rockstar Shell Pack - Only $499.99
Save 25% - The Beatles Complete Scores - Only $59.99
Hamilton Universal Guitar Stands Closeout! - Only $9.99
Valid through: September 3, 2007

Free shipping on orders over $49 at Guitar Center
Continental U.S. only. Due to weight, some items require an additional shipping charge. These items are marked.

FREE sheet music downloads at MusicNotes.com

$3 off any purchase $15 or More (digital only) at MusicNotes.com
Use Coupon Code: MN3BACK15
Valid Through: September 30, 2007

8% off any purchase at MusicNotes.com
Use Coupon Code: AUG8BACK
Valid Through: September 30, 2007

5% off any purchase at InstrumentPro with coupon code
Use coupon code: AFF0
Valid through: December 31, 2007

Y’know, there are a lot of songs about Mondays. Of course, The Mamas & The Papas had our post title “Monday Monday.” The Boomtown Rats had “I Don’t Like Mondays.” And my all-time favorite (and only happy Monday-based song I know), the Bangles’ “Manic Monday.” Great. Now I’m thinking back to high school and Susanna Hoffs. Ooofa! Come on, like you didn’t have a crush on her too? And yes I’m talking to the guys and the girls here! Heh… (Yep, that’s Susanna to the right from a concert last year. Not too shabby for a 47 year old, huh?)

So it’s Monday. Was a long fun weekend for us here. My wife’s college roomies came in for a visit with their girls (an adorable one-year-old from Boston, and 3-year-old from San Francisco area). So my two kids were thoroughly entertained. Puppet shows, “couch rocket ships” and homemade ice cream were just a few of the highlights. Going to bed each night at 11 p.m. (the kids I’m talking about here!) was a highlight for them, not us… Thankfully our kids actually slept until around 9 the next mornings. We were shocked. And unbelievably relieved.

But now it’s back to the first of the week. Back to work, which happened to be quite a bit frustrating today on a number of different accounts. Bleh. That’s all I have to say about that. Oh! In more exciting healthier news (as I stuff my face with Pepperidge Farm goldfish pretzels and guzzle a whiskey sour… hey, I told you it was a bad day!), I’m FINALLY playing racquetball this Wednesday. I used to play all the time in high school and college but probably haven’t hit a court in almost 10 years. I love it and it’s fantastic exercise but there aren’t a lot of courts near me. Then out of the blue, my wife was talking with one of her “mommy friends” and her husband just joined a gym that has racquetball. He hasn’t played in 10 years either, so it should be perfect. We’ll both just embarress ourselves equally. I’ll let ya know how that goes! Anyways, speaking of keeping up a good image (yeah yeah, weak transition I know), here’s a great Sharper Image coupon!

$10 off a purchase of $99.95+ or
$50 off a purchase of $299.95+ or
$100 off a purchase of $499.95+ online at The Sharper Image
Use the above link to activate the offer.
Valid through: September 30, 2007
Valid online only. Cannot be combined with other coupons.

600 bonus points to the first blogger who can name the movie this post’s title is from… (I’m looking at you, Tiny, ya hear me?)

So I’ve won a pair of blogging awards recently (okay a little while back) and just haven’t gotten around to posting about them. Figured it was time and my apologies for the delay…

First up, that chattie kat of a blogger Tish was kind enough to toss me the happiest li’l badge I’ve ever seen, the Daily Blogger Award. According to the creator, this one is “given to blogs that have at least 5 posts per week (one per day, give or take.) These bloggers get up every morning, get their creative juices flowing, and start unscrambling the alphabet into words, sentences, and phrases. Rain or shine, just like the postal service, they are hard at work delivering their messages to you.”

Thanks very much for the recognition, Tish. I do try to post every day, barring weekends (gotta actually spend some time with the kids, right?). So it’s nice to know at least 1 person is reading my stuff for more than 1 day in a row. Heh.

To keep this one moving, I’m going to pass the award on to the following daily grinders:

Danielle of Pink Internet Marketing

Sarah and Wendy from Awesome (Sorry, ladies. You’ll have to share the award…)

Cathy from Chief Family Officer

And more recently, Tish tossed me the Nice Matters Award:

According to the Award’s creator, this one is “awarded to those that are just nice people, good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!”

Tish being the rebel that she is noticed, “the award is floating around from female to female, and judging from the design of the award itself, I suppose I can see why. Being the wild and crazy gal I am, however, I have decided to bestow this prestigious honor upon a couple of very deserving male bloggers as well.”

Personally I think she knows exactly what she’s doing and is trying to bring out the feminine side in all of us men. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to shave my legs, get oggled by men, and maybe get a facial or two. (Would that make me 2-faced? Sorry, couldn’t resist). I’m kidding of course and once again appreciate the recognition. Maybe we can get somebody to change the pink to black, the shoe to a football and the roses to corn dogs. The ribbons can stay…

Oh wait! Stop the presses! It seems there is finally a male version of the award, so I’m not waiting for the judges to swap ‘em, I’m just gonna post it right here for myself. So there! Aww, look at the cute widdle puppy with a top hat! I’d still rather have a football, but dogs in hats are a hoot, so I’ll just say thank ye kindly.

Now to keep this award moving, I present the funky fresh Nice Matters Award to the following non-spammers:

Doing it the Tiny Bellows Way

Jo of Life With Heathens (Yeah, she may cuss. A lot. But “she’s good people.”)

Dee from Don’t Be Shy

Books rule. I really used to be a voracious (see the big words I learned from reading?) reader when I was a kid. Sure I devoured comic books left and right, but I also loved reading about Encyclopedia Brown, Danny Dunn, anything and everything Roald Dahl put out, the whole Narnia thing, Alfred Hitchcock’s 3 Investigators, etc. As I grew older I delved more into the sci-fi realm loving up Douglas Adams’ Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series, Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game (and his Alvin Maker series too!), and then evolved into Dean Koontz somehow, reading every single thing he had put out at that time (at which point I realized he had 3 awesome books, and the rest we’re all completely formulaic based on those three…).

Lately though, reading has been relegated to times where I have no other choice. Meaning when the kids were younger and I hadda sit in the car while they slept, or else if I’m on any sort of airplane trip by myself. (Yeah, I’m STILL reading Koontz’s big book Strangers that I started like 6 years ago on a plane ride to San Diego. I guess I haven’t traveled solo too much since then. Heh.) Other than that, the only other books I’ve read in recent years are computer programming books (which don’t count) and the Harry Potter series. Hopefully one day soon I can get back into it. Cause really, I can’t take much more of the “Wiggles Big Red Car” board book I read to my youngest son. Every. Single. Night. Five times a night. Stop laughing. I’m not kidding. Sigh, you seriously don’t know pain until you’ve got the big red car stuck in your brain. For hours. And hours. And hours…

Anyways, this story is sponsored by an awesome Summer Reading Program with the Magic Tree House at Barnes & Noble! Since a lot of you readers seem to have kids or nieces/nephews, I figured you may want to help them earn a free book simply by reading and writing about what they’ve read. Huzzah!

Free book from Barnes & Noble
Read any 8 books this summer and get a coupon for a free book from Barnes & Noble.
Valid through: September 2, 2007

Basically, here’s the scoop:

1. Kids read any eight (8) books of their own choosing - library books, books borrowed from friends, or books bought at Barnes & Noble.
2. Ask them to write about their favorite part of each book in the Summer Reading Journal (PDF) A parent or guardian must sign the journal after each entry.
3. Bring the completed Summer Reading Journal to a Barnes & Noble bookstore between May 29th and September 2nd, 2007.
4. We’ll give them a coupon for a FREE book! They can choose from a list of exceptional paperback titles.*

*Eligible books will be listed on the coupon. Choices must be made from available stock. No special orders. Limit of two (2) forms per school-age child (grades 1-6). Incomplete forms will be ineligible for free books. Offer not available online.

Click here for full details

Today’s trip back in time is dedicated to my new buddy Tish. And no, she didn’t pay me to say that. Well, not much anyways…

Growing up in the suburbs of New York, we took lots of day trips down to Manhattan. I definitely remember visiting the Statue of Liberty and I think we actually did hit the Empire State Building at least once. But the very first Broadway show I recall seeing was Annie. I must’ve been like 7 or 8 years old, if that. I barely remember a thing about the show other than it was winter and really cold out. And the only reason I remember that is because I left my blue sweater in the theater and my parents were freakin’ out over it during dinner later on. “How could you lose your sweater?! Blah Blah Blah!” Y’know, I can’t recall any other shows I saw as a kid, though I must’ve. Weird how the brain works, huh?

But my wife’s really into them (and her parents are super crazy into them) and I’ve seen a ton of shows since we started dating eons ago. Her folks are awesome and before any of us had kids (she’s got 2 older sisters), they’d treat all of us (boyfriends/husbands included) to a show and dinner once a year. I remember seeing Cabaret, Sunset Boulevard and Into the Woods with them. Then there’s Beauty and the Beast, Les Miserables, Mama Mia and coming up next month we finally get to see Wicked. I wish I had seen The Producers and I’d love to see Monty Python’s Spamalot and Young Frankenstein. (Of course I’m waiting for the day Star Wars or Lord of the Rings hits Broadway. Hey, you KNOW it’s gonna happen…)

I’m open to all kinds of theater (except opera I suppose) and think it’s a great experience. We’re trying to expose our kids to as much live theater as possible too. So far they’ve seen a number of those cookie-cutter type Sesame Street Live type shows (Diego, Blue’s Clues, Sesame twice, Care Bears Live, etc) and a number of smaller local puppet show type things. They seem to enjoy it and they’re learning some great social lessons too. Like how to sit in a seat without running around screaming. Heh. I didn’t say they perfected it yet, but they’re learning.

I’ve yet to take them to a live sporting event, but I think in a few years time it’d be fun to go catch a Knicks basketball game or Giants football game with them. I’ve got great memories of seeing the Knicks at Madison Square Garden with my dad when I was a kid. That was back when the Knicks were bad. I mean REALLY bad. So it was always easy and cheap to get tickets. Great bonding experience all around, y’now?

Anyways, whether it’s theater, concerts, sporting events or other live shows, I’ve got your ticketing coupons right here! You can purchase tickets online for shows all over the place. If you don’t see a show at a particular site, try one of the others:

$25 off any tickets at TicketsNow.com
Use promotion code 8088900201406786 during checkout.
(Click on the link: “I would like to use a Gift Card or discount code.”)
Valid through: December 31, 2007
Coupon valid for the stated discount off a single order. The discount will be applied when the order is processed. Limit one Discount per order. Discount may not be combined with any other discount, coupon, or special offer. Not valid towards the purchase of parking passes or gift certificates.

$10 off your order at RazorGator
Use Promotional Code take10off on the REVIEW page of checkout.
(Check YES where it says “Do you have a Gift Certificate or Promotional Code?”)
Valid through: December 31, 2007

$15 off your order at RazorGator.com
Use Promotional Code take15off on the REVIEW page of checkout.
(Check YES where it says “Do you have a Gift Certificate or Promotional Code?”)
Valid through: December 31, 2007
No minimum order size. Cannot be combined with other coupons.

Buy or Sell Tickets at StubHub.com
Sadly I can’t find any coupons for StubHub, but if you haven’t seen it yet, check it out. It’s kind of like a much more regulated eBay, solely for buying/selling all kinds of event tickets: concerts, theater, sports, etc. But it’s completely regulated, which means it’s pretty darn safe to use. You can find some great bargains actually or dump off unwanted tickets if you’re looking to make some extra cash or just can’t make a show. In the meantime, I’ll keep hunting for coupons for ‘em…

Yeah, yeah, the kids aren’t even back at school, football season hasn’t started yet (don’t remind me) and the apple orchards are still a good month away from getting trounced by families with long sticks. But as we’ve learned the hard way, it’s never too early to start hunting for Halloween costumes!

We got a Lily’s Kids catalog in the mail yesterday and it was completely full of Halloween costumes. I love looking through that type of stuff. Halloween’s definitely my favorite holiday and I can’t wait till the kids are older and we can really go nuts decorating, creating haunted houses and having a big blowout party. Back in my bachelor days when I was living with a few guys (Uh… no, not that like, you perverts… we all were just friends), we went all out for Halloween. Huuuuge party and costumes were a must. We were all big comic book geeks, er, fans so we’d always make our own costumes and pick crazy obscure characters. If I can find some photos I will definitely post them so you can all laugh and say, “Uh, who the heck are you supposed to be now?” But we also decorated the house with 500 pounds of spider webbing, black-and-orange streamers, balloons, rented a helium tank or 2, made appropriate food like Jell-O mold brains or onion dip inside a giant carved out skull, etc. Had lots of games like “Bobbing for Stuff.” We filled a giant tub with 8 jugs of Kool-Aid Ecto Cooler (lime green) and then dropped in various toys, props, whatever and had people fetch em out with their teeth. Yeah, those were the days. Oh, and can’t forget the bodies. We’d dress up our 2 mannequins (made out of chicken wire) in clothes and then hang one half off the roof and another underneath our car as if it’d been run over. Fun stuff!

But I’m just a tad bit off topic here. Back to the Lily’s Kids catalog… my older son loved looking through it and said he wanted to be Wolverine. (Woo!) Then he wanted to be that cool shiny robot. (Oh. Okay.) Then he wanted to be James from Thomas & Friends. (Sigh.) But after my wife said she’s make costumes for all of us, everything changed. We’re now taking the Mario Brothers to the street! That’s right, as of this moment, my kids are going as Mario and Baby Mario, I’m going as Luigi and the wife’s going as Princess Peach. Of course this could (and probably will) all change in the next few weeks. But we’re getting started on the costumes early! And since a few other smart folks out there may want to get a jump, here’s a few coupons for costume/party stores to help you get started:

10% off online orders over $30 at BuyCostumes.com
Use coupon code AFFTEN. Valid through: August 24, 2007
Valid on in-stock merchandise. Cannot be combined with other coupons. Not valid on Clearance items.

5% off online orders over $65 at BuyCostumes.com
Use coupon code FRANKEN5. Valid through: October 31, 2007

Free Shipping on online orders over $75 at Costume Express
Use above link to get the promotional keycode.
Valid through: December 31, 2007
Offer applies to standard shipping on merchandise orders of $75 or more within the contiguous U.S. only. One coupon per purchase. Not applicable to previously placed orders. This offer cannot be combined with other coupons.

$5 off online orders over $50 at ShindigZ.com
Use promotion code SZCJE7 at checkout.
Valid through: December 31, 2007

There that should be plenty to get you started. Now you have no reason to egg my house, right? Right? Damn kids in my yard again…