Bargain Basement

I'm a sucker for a good bargain. I could *almost* be one of those psycho coupon people. You know, the ones that use their mad couponing skillz to get 412 packs of diapers for next to nothing. Even though they don't have any children. Maybe I'm not the bargain shopper I like to think I am, but I have to draw the line at decorating every inch of available space in my house with canned beans and tomatoes. And diapers.

But I'm still pretty adept at squeezing blood from a turnip (who decided that was a good saying?). I'm the bad consumer who gets the $10 "gift" coupon from Kohl's and will dig through the entire store until I find something fabulous on clearance for $10.99. Check out my super cute bargain chair...

Now take a closer look at the left leg...

And, this is not the best part. The only chair they had left was the one on the floor....SO, of course I asked if they would mark it down to account for the wear and tear of being the display piece. The manager dropped the price to $35 AND I had a $15 coupon from Kirkland's for my birthday AND a $10 coupon from their weekly flyer. YEAH baby! A $10 dollar chair is what I'm TALKING about!

That's nearly as good as free diapers.

As it turns out, the circus is NOT such a bargain. They bill it as a great deal by selling $10 tickets to the opening show. But then, after they've got you seated and thoroughly trapped, the cotton candy guy comes hiking up the stairs with his 14 foot pole of cotton candy goodness thus causing every 6-year old within a 15 ft. radius to go crazy. And one little bag only costs....wait for it....

TEN DOLLARS! Yes! Ten dollars for 4 cents of spun sugar. What a racket.

At least I got a cute picture and a happy 6-year old out of it.


Additional summer exploits include...

Swimming. Please note that the cotton candy at the Seahorse only costs $2. Still a racket but it feels like a humdinger of a bargain after the circus.

(Check out the date on the picture above. Gotta love iPhone photo apps. Think this retro-ish picture from "June 1981" is gonna cause me a little consternation when I'm 88 someday?)

Bowling.

Say hello to Zippy...the fastest, wildest, rootin' tootin'ist bowling ball launcher in the West. It's truly a wonder he didn't leave any dents in the lane.

Science Spectrum. Thank you Groupon for your $25 6-month membership! The boys and I only have to go 1.19 times for the Groupon to pay for itself. Score!!

Jiu Jitsu.

Highlights puzzle time! Can you spot the differences?

and Skate parks...

We found the illusive McAllister skate park a few weeks ago and Jaden was delighted to discover it was a designated graffiti area.

Jaden: MOM! Let's run to Wal-Mart and buy some spray paint!!!!!

Me: Um, I'm gonna go with, NO. ***kicking myself repeatedly for having taken them to Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo a few years back and letting them spray paint the cars***

Most of the graffiti was innocuous enough. But of course, some dunderhead had to go and paint a number of inappropriate things all over the 130 degree concrete. So, it's doubtful we'll be going back to this park anytime soon. Moron teenagers.

Note the skating apparatus flying through the air in this pic. This thing is a Sole-skate...a three-wheeled-squirrely-little-sonuvagun-from-Hell-type-thingy. He was trying some trick here, thus sending it airborne. But this boy is jaw-droppingly fluid on this thing.

I don't know if I'm amazed or horrified that he will probably be a professional skater someday.

Amazed.

Horrified.

Amazed.

Horrified.

Amazed.

I need a drink.