Couponmania

I'm afraid I'm becoming one of "them."

On Sunday I realized that I happened to have a coupon relevant to my grocery list: 50 cents off of a dozen eggs. I shoved it into my pocket, fully expecting to forget all about it by the time I got to Target later that day. Much to my surprise, I remembered both the eggs and the coupon, and as I reviewed my receipt, I realized that I got a dozen eggs for just 47 cents, thanks to my coupon.

47 cents. That's freakin' amazing. The power of coupons!

Some of my Facebook friends have recounted their couponing adventure. They exchange lists and graphs and flowcharts, and bust out their coupon quadratic equations and slide rules to review the Sunday paper. It is intimidating, yet intriguing.

Apparently there's a whole world of couponers out there. I had no idea. There is an incredible number of websites, mailing lists, and books dedicated to the art and science of couponing. Everybody's doing it, baby.

I don't need another hobby, right? Right? Even if it is one that saves us some money?

I think I'll take a pass on this one and just watch the coupon madness from the sidelines.

But Target did give me another coupon for fifty cents off a dozen eggs, so we'll see. We'll see.

Five State Parks for 2011

I must be thinking spring because I've had state parks, state trails, and hiking on my mind all week. In my 11 for 2011 post I mentioned my love of the Wisconsin State Park system.  Aside from the famously picturesque parks of Northern California (which I hope to see this summer) I think this State may have some of the greatest parks in the nation.  One of my goals for 2011 is to visit five state parks that I've never been to before.  My choices:

Aztalan State Park - This park is archeologically significant as it was the home of a native American civilization, sometime before the year 1200.  In fact, there are pretty strong rumors that there is some significant paranormal activity there. This is so close to home that there's no excuse not to see it.

Kohler-Andrae State Park - Said to be among our most beautiful parks, I can't believe this is one I have never visited.  Kohler-Andrae is right on Lake Michigan, so we have all of the amenities of the lake, plus miles of hiking trails and a nature trail.  I'm told that this park also has a great area for sledding, so this may be a winter trip for us. Again, it is too close to home for us to miss out.

Richard Bong State Recreation Area - Yes, the photo of a road sign that says "Bong Recreation Area" isn't a Photoshop - we really have one.  Richard Bong was a renowned wartime pilot, and the park area was actually originally intended to be an airstrip, but the project was abandoned at the very last minute.  While this park offers typical activities like hiking, biking and snowshoeing, it also offers an area for flying model planes, rockets, hang gliders and hot air balloons. 

Devil's Lake State Park.  Whenever we are in the Wisconsin Dells, we opt for Mirror Lake State Park for its beautiful hiking trails and great canoeing, but Devil's Lake is also nearby and has much to offer.  Devil's Lake is also a popular site for rock climbers, and someday I want to be able to give that a try.

Big Foot Beach State Park.  I have been to this one, just once before:  Big Foot Beach was the site of my very first 5K run, but I was the only one in the family who really got to enjoy the beautiful hiking trail.  Big Foot Beach has so much to offer: amazing trails, a beautiful beach on gorgeous Lake Geneva.  This is definitely a day trip for the family this year.

Is this where bullies come from?

A few months ago, bullying was big in the news. Now that we are worrying about bigger things like football and the weather, we aren't seeing as many sensational stories about bullying but obviously the problem continues. Whenever I read about some of the horrible things that bullies have done, I wondered if their parents realized how their children behaved.

Apparently, some do. And apparently, some encourage it.

I read a really heartbreaking blog entry from one of my favorite bloggers entitled Fat Ladies Eat Small Children. A little background on the blogger: She is one of those incredibly gorgeous women who really turns heads. Gorgeous long dark hair, an incredible smile. And, she is overweight. She has talked extensively on her blog about weight loss, and by eating healthy she lost a great deal of weight this year before she became pregnant.

Her blog entry recounts her recent experience at a store where a small girl and her brother were ducking down in their shopping cart so that "the fat lady won't eat them." In her own words:

I was mortified as they pointed and squealed in their high voices: "there she goes, that was close but she might eat us next time" as I pass their cart.

I was shaking and as the tears started to fall and I purposefully went the opposite direction, I could hear that little high voice "Where did the fat lady go Mom?" And the mother replied? "I don't know, I'm sure you will see her again." "Will she eat us mom?" "She might."

My heart goes out to her, especially with all of the work that she has done to lose weight. Overhearing something like that would have torn me right down to my soul.

The children didn't know better. At that age - she estimates the girl was about three - kids don't have a real grasp on politeness, or whispering, and they certainly don't understand that weight issues aren't something to poke fun at. But the mom had a wonderful teaching opportunity that she failed to take advantage of, and she even went so far as to join in with her own jab. That makes me angry. Livid.

What those kids learned that day is that it is okay to make fun of someone's weight. They learned that it is alright to poke fun of someone who looks different from them. And they learned that mom will join right in.

Is this where bullies come from?