How often have we all shopped around, found the item we were looking for, go through the shopping cart process and see that little box asking for a coupon code? How many times have I left that blank? I would say around 90% of the time. Well now I have been sold on Apple by multiple friends and began looking for the Ipod Touch and found on their website iPod Touch Free Shipping which is a great! Hey take the deal! Their web site at bestonlinecoupons.com which is full of all kinds of coupons from a large variety of stores.

I have found a great deal on Dell computers and even an HP Pavilion laptop. My brother in law is a IT guy at a local firm and when he needs good parts a great price he believes Tiger Direct is the place to go or click Tiger Direct where bestonlinecoupons.com has coupon codes for example on the Sharp 52″ LCD or even save $840 on a Refurbished HP Pavilion. Finally, one my favorite shopping sites to get a coupon code is at Buy.com. Here I found free shipping on the Wii Holiday Shopping Zapper Bundle, PayPal instant rebates and multiple deals for new customers on software and computer games. Finally how about a deal from Sony one of my favorite products. I found great deals on the Sony Vaio and half off the 8GB Sony Walkman.

The point is, the deals are out there and you just need to find them. Bestonlinecoupons.com is a great place for finding the codes and the products you want, especially all the computer deals I mentioned above.

Now coach Shanahan is the latest yet most stunning firing in the NFL. Even Jay Cutler was amazed at the announcement. Shanahan was a great coach and took the Broncos to two Super Bowls, but has been only average since then. This is a sport where, “what have you done for my lately” applies and we have no choice. My team and state demand a winner. This is not the Browns or others where losing is just the way it goes. We know we have the money and resources to get the best team possible and will not take average win loss ratios. Perhaps it was too much to be VP and coach at the same time. That’s what Holmgren found. Perhaps they were only “one player away” but you can only wait so long. We don’t go through coaches like the Raiders and have not had to do this for 14 years. What we do here will could set the standard on how coaches are found and exactly what their roles are and what they are not.

I have a wonderful brother in law who is always over at my home fixing my PC, my printer, my car and just about anything that is broken. So of course, he has every tool in the bucket which makes buying a Christmas present, in which he is so deserving, especially difficult. He loves computers and loves handy ideas around them. Well we found Remote Access this year for him. That link will take you to remotepc.com, which is a very nice and easy site to get around. What they offer is a very affordable way to do work from home via a Remote Access. It has industry leading price/performance for managing multiple PC/Servers remotely either from your home so you can do your work or vice versa. Well with all the snow days we have had and cars all over the roads, he stayed home, stayed safe and was very effective in getting work done.

The web site has a great demo to watch on how you load the system and make use of it. The pricing plan is laid for you with a Basic and Plus plan and 3 different Business Plans.  With Remote PC, you simply log in via a web browser for yourself or even a guest. From there you can access your files, print, transfer files from the remote location to other all while viewing a full color screen so that it even appears you at your work PC. It’s great and at a great price.  I would take this one step further if I were a Business owner and start having my people work from home once a week for better work efficiency by decreasing the distractions and increasing work home family balance!

One of my favorite holidat treasures are the Christmas Cards I receive from family and long lost friends. Isn’t just amazing to see our loved ones grow, find out about their new homes new jobs, their health and generally what is new in their lives. I think this is one of the better American traditions we have in our country. My question is, is it ok to send out a mass email to save on postage. Is this is till ok, or should it be an official card. We added links this year to the email so that people could learn more about what the family is up to. I hope it is ok. I must admit, I am a little lazy and so not having to address every card sure makes life a little easier.

I had chips and dip. We are hosting the super bowl party this year and will use celebrations.com to do so. These guys have got it all done for you. To cocktails, mocktails, recipes and even a party map.

I went out last year and bought my son his favorite model airplane. It was a P51 mustang from WW2 and I could not wait to get started. Well, when you buy a model that will be made from basal wood, watch out. This thing takes precision and skill, not to mention a whole lot of patience and glue. I have many suggestions. One is to buy a box of pins to hod the wood parts over the plans and then pinned into a side of a cardboard box. These things are kits and not precise models if you will. Try to use a little as glue as possible because it can glump all over which you will just have to sand down later if you want a smooth surface to put the paper on. We have the main body done with its wing and fin. However, we have not put the three parts together yet. We have to do a pre dope on the wood frame as they call it. I have no idea how to do this. We will go out and buy that along with some dull gloss paint that fits the time period. Stay tuned.

I have written before that there is a huge number of baby boomer going into retirement over the next several years. We will need more and more products that fit their lifestyle and needs. With my grandparents, we found it was getting very difficult just to get basic bathing done in a safe manner. I found that walkin tubs are the product for the new retirement generation. Remain Active Bath tub solutions are just what they need. They offer walk in tubs with low clearance to walk in safely. The tubs have a safety bar and a non slip surface on the floor. Their models include the Prelude Soaker, The Duet, The Aria, The Encore, American Standard and the Charleston. All have different features and sizes. The Web site goes into detail on the warranty, the UL listening and other general safety guidelines. Further, the website  has a great FAQ section, especially to find out what your plumber will need to do to install the various size tubs. Some have next to none and others may need some extras however these tubs fit into a standard size tub area with no remodeling. Remain Active has a down loadable brochure you can print out and a contact form of more information. Wait until you see the nice oversize walls and safety elements. They will help you or your loved one Remain Safe, Remain Active and Remain Independent.

While sitting around the annual Christmas puzzle with the in laws this year, the topic of conversation still occupied the economy with a hint of shopping buzz. Sales were down in our community on most everything and there was not a blockbuster toy this year to have huge crowds in line for. What I did see were long lines for food items. Some things will just not change and that is the family meal. What a great thing! Families coming together over a meal, sharing ideas and currenct events, doing puzzles and enjoying those timeless activities like a great meal. We had a wonderful time. Kids still got toys, but not to the large degree of years ago but the happiness was in air and the magic around Christmas spirit. Lets remember that the time of year is still about coming together for Christ and a coming together of the family.

This is so far out of my league, but I want to give it a try. I read about that in the 1800′s we are put on a Gold Standard for our dollar. Today, that is no longer the case. Our dollar is backed up on the credit worthiness of our country. Would it be more wise to actually have our worth in Gold, where you could actually turn your dollar in for something very tangible; GOLD? Why did we ever leave this standard. When we suffer times like today, there is debate on the possibility that we cannot pay back our bills. Hence, people are taking their investment dollars and turning to other countries, then our dollar suffers and goes down in value. What ever happened to the line, “Who has the Gold makes the rules”?  Perhaps we need to gold. Then I look at the paper and see that copper is more expensive than gold. Dont we use more copper in wiring etc than that we use in Gold. So now we need a Copper standard. Ok, I am a litte crazy here but we need a solid value to fall back on. Just because we are America may not mean we have all the answers for the world.

I just found my home insurance quote at Homeinsurance.com. There are many reasons why I like this site. What I have never done is an home inventory. Here, I downloaded a nice form and went over all our valuables with my spouse. We discovered we were very uninsured because our family has grown and so has our valuables along with it. They have a great FAQ page to where you can factor in jewelry, pools and renovations. These are the items that change, hence we ought to shop around every six months.

Homeinsurance.com also helps in giving ways to prevent claims such as theft, dog bites, lawn mowing accidents and cold winter tips so your pipes don’t freeze. This is a very informative site that I highly suggest you use.

Well I am in that same crowd who waits until the last minute to buy presents for the family. I cannot really see what is the cool thing this year. Instead, I am listening and watching my kids interest. One loves to hunt so I found some hunter figures with birds, moose and elk. The other loves Lego and who what where or when can you ever go wrong buying lego for a boy. Scanning the internet shopping I still see robots, new versions of Monopoly and life like dolls. Nothing has really changed. Have we maxed out all inventions? Is there ever going to be anything new? Who is say. Hey, my kid loves plastic army men. They are cheap and fun. I swear there is nothing shocking or worth standing in line for. Have fun instead with the simple toys.

Now it appears that over 17 billion will go to help the Big 3 bail themselves out. I heard that Ford may say no. I cant help but think that they should fail and go into bankruptcy. I realize that hundreds of thousands of jobs are at stake when you include all the outsourcing that goes along with the industry. Hence, I appreciate what the president is trying to do. But they still make cars that no one wants, cannot afford to buy and have virtually no feedback from the public that they use to make changes. I see that Chrysler will shut down for a month and that 4 months of inventory are out there right now. I guess I am still torn. We are all in a holding pattern and waiting to see what will happen. We only you can decide what will happen and decide what success looks like. That is the freedom of the Capitalism model. The market decides if they want your car. Let the recession takes its course is till my motto.

I have known only one person who was so overweight that they had to use bariatric surgery. It went ok, but the recovery was a challenge for her. I am very impressed with the results however, could there have been a better way? She had diabetes on top of it all and that has gotten better. Then I learned about lapband.

What I like so much is the in their FAQ’s, when asked about what their results could be they report that you could begin to lose perhaps 1 to 2 pounds a week. This normal and reasonable. New Hope Bariatrics is very professional in their promotion of this medical device. What they do is put on free Seminars to find out if your are qualified. You can find out your BMI on the site as a pre screening tool as well. There is a nice video from a patient who had nice and reasonable results.

The lap band itself is an adjustable band that wraps around the upper part of the stomach. Hence, you will eat less and feel full from your meals. There is only a small incision and they dont mess with your intestines.  It can be done in an outpatient center and adjustments can be made in a doctors office if need be. They also claim less mortality risk which I find the best benefit of all and it can always be removed.

They will help with financial help between you and your insurance company. They always vary so its nice to know these guys want to help. I really encourage you to go out to site for further information on the surgery, their locations in Kansas City and Charlotte, the seminars, what to expect questions.

Its that time of year again. Snow is falling, the roads are slick and the sales are huge. So hey, lets go driving! Sorry to be so sarcastic but really. The best defense in the world is, “Don’t Be there.” How many accidents could be avoided if we just stayed home and enjoyed our families this time of year. Dont we have everything we need. Then there is the crew just have to be at work to even just show the boss they tried. Now their car stuck in the road and it is a part of the problem and not the solution.  Now our public services are tied up because we just had to get out. Sleep in, enjoy the family, the deadline can wait.  Oh, dont forget your car deductible in the event of your accident. Wow, I am a little harsh but in these times why not save some money on gas, repairs and gadgets we really dont need on a snow day.

I was at recent community event last week where I met for the first time a person who had Autism. He was a young boy about 10 years old. It was one of his good days I was told but I could tell that playing with other children was a real challenge for him. He would strike out with fists and yelling when a particular toy was not shared. My kids were there. They drifted away from the otherwise polite young man. His mother was on edge all the time with no time to relax, always looking over his every word and action. I felt sorry for her and the situation. So what should she do, is there any hope.

I did some research and discovered there is an Autism Support Network out there. They can be found at www.autismsupportnetwork.com The goal is to connect families around the world who have general or even very specific needs. The website is geared for blogs, chat, contacts etc. What I found is that my new friend is not alone at all and that many families feel isolated and alone. I saw that first hand. Here they can exchange ideas. The family I met discovered that if they reduce the amount of Gluten in their child’s diet, he has better days. What a great idea to send to other families that need help with autism.

I learned that 1 in 150 kids have Autism and that more kids are diagnosed with ASD than with diabetes and cancer combined.  WOW. I would like to applaud this outreach program. You should have seen this family, trying to discipline their child and try to find a gluten free dinner on top of all the stress of the world.