You win some, you Lews some...

If you blink, you may miss my sudden burst of super-human speed! Sorry, Lew Family, but you're no match for the Fongs :) We'll look forward to a rematch next time. But even if you do win, don't expect me to mention it on this blog.

There was one more challenge of the moms, but I'm respecting Diana's explicit instructions to not post her video, or photo, or even mention her name on my blog.

In case you're wondering, we were at Joshie's 3rd birthday party.

I was told that this is the front-runner to be my future son-in-law.

Hmm, not scoring many points here...

Kidvantage: 5 for the price of 1

Last week we replaced Dustin's Skechers for the FOURTH time! That means this is his 5th pair of size 2's. Let's see, if you do the math, it's about $40/pair, so we've gotten $160 worth of free shoes in one year. And that's not even counting Colby! If it wasn't for this blog helping me keep track, I would've lost count by now.

But now I'm kind of worried. Not that Sears may catch on to how we're cashing in on this program, but the fact that Dustin's feet hasn't grown in over a year... As much as I like getting the free shoes, I sure hope this will be the last pair of size 2's he'll be wearing.

I know some of you still refuse to shop at Sears. You continue to buy your kid shoes at Footlocker, Sportmart or JCPenny, totally ignoring my valuable advice and unnecessarily spending all your hard-earned money... And that's ok. I truly admire your deep pockets and tremendous spending power. I always say, if I myself can't be rich, the next best thing is to have rich friends!

Related Links:
1st exchange
2nd exchange
3rd exchange

From the Sears website:

Our KidVantage® Wearout Warranty is simple:

• it covers all children's apparel and footwear as long as the child for whom you bought the item continues to wear the size
• if the item wears out, Sears will, at its option, either repair or replace it with the identical item in the same size, or if it's unavailable, a similar item of equal value in the same size
• it covers children's sizes from infants' up to 18 in apparel, and up to senior kids' size 6 in footwear, with proof of purchase

Also, once you spend $100 (accumulated), you'll get a 15% coupon.
Note: It is good to keep the original box because they will need to scan the barcode.

Why Stop at 8-core??

With Apple's Tuesday announcement of the updated Macbook Pro laptops, it got me thinking about the Macbook Pro in our department. The one I setup last month and never got to see again.

Yes, in the midst of this crappy economy and job cuts, the Major, in her neverending quest to own everything shiny and expensive... your taxpayer dollars recently netted her a $2700 top-of-the-line 15" Unibody Macbook Pro. I tell you, the insanity never stops here.

The IT department, understandably balked at the idea of getting her another machine because they just spent $4500 on her 8-Core Power Mac in February. So instead the Major, being equipped with a company credit card and a lifetime of unabashed spending habits, paid for it from our individual department budget (more on that later).


Her reasoning for needing a laptop is so that she can work from home in the evenings and weekends. On the surface this sounds reasonable, but I don't buy it. That's just her misleading, feel-good illusion of justified spending. Fact is, if she spent less of her day doing tea time and visiting others, she should be able to complete all her work during business hours – That's what I think.

But what do I really really think?? I think having a laptop gives her more freedom to leave work early. She already sneaks out early every Monday to get her hair and nails done (among other 'tune-ups' I won't mention). Now she can leave while prominently toting her shiny Macbook Pro claiming to beat traffic and work from home when she's really sitting at the salon. Hmm, can you still type while getting a silk wrap?

I even suggested to her to save money and just get a $1300 unibody 13" Macbook. She complained that the screen was too small and preferred the 15". Now on the surface, this sounds reasonable, but in reality when she uses it at home, it's plugged into a 20" monitor! She's obviously never satisfied owning something if there is something better out there. Because fact is, she demands the best. And money is clearly no object.

And get this. She asks me to find her a portable 2.5" external hard drive. I find a stylish black 500gb Western Digital Passport for $99. But instead she prefers the orange 320gb version for $117. Who cares if it holds less and costs more?? The important thing is that "it matches my wallet!" (I'll try to get a picture of her wallet next time). Can you scream "High Maintenance" any louder?

So why does this bother me so much? Shouldn't I just be happy she leaves early?? Well it bothers me because our fiscal year ends in 2 weeks and that's when I get to spend leftover money on other essential items. We were planning all along to get two Nikon D90's since our D70's are approaching five years old. But since the laptop dipped into our budget (rather than IT's), we're now short $2000 to get the two cameras. Grrrrrr. So now I'll have to wait another year.

If all I blogged about was my job, I would have to rename my blog. How about "Finding the Cheese from my Cracker"? or "The Wheels are Spinning (but the Hamster is Dead)"? or "Toys in the Attic"?? In the meantime, to keep my sanity, I'll just focus on happy thoughts. I'm happy I still have a job. I'm happy I have this blog. And I'm happy I have all of you. Thank you.

Notice the bag of pretzels.

Friday Freebie: National Donut Day at Krispy Kreme

From a press release:

Did you know that National Doughnut Day is an annual observance? And this year, in honor of it being on June 5, Krispy Kreme is sharing five tips with customers, so they can make the most of this giveaway:

1. Share the freebie news with your friends and family so they can get a free doughnut, too.
2. Go to your local Krispy Kreme store and get your free doughnut.
3. While you're at Krispy Kreme, try Krispy Kreme Chillers(R) in refreshingly fruity flavors.
4. Take photos of you and your friends enjoying your free Krispy Kreme doughnut and share them with more friends through your favorite social networking sites.
5. Join "Friends of Krispy Kreme" on www.KrispyKreme.com and find out first about other freebies, discounts and promotions.

"Krispy Kreme is making life just a little sweeter for everyone on National Doughnut Day," says Ron Rupocinski, executive chef at Krispy Kreme. "So, on Friday, June 5, head to a participating store with your friends and family to share the sweet joy of a free Krispy Kreme doughnut."

No purchase is necessary to receive a free doughnut on National Doughnut Day, June 5. The offer is good for one doughnut per customer. To find a participating store near you, visit www.krispykreme.com/storelocator.html.

Do the math and switch to prepaid

Right now, T-Mobile has a promotion where you receive a free $25.00 refill card with any prepaid phone purchase. Phones start at $19.99 and go up to $99.99. Overnight shipping is free but you will have to pay sales tax. Prepaid phones have no contract and the prepaid minutes do expire in either 90 or 365 days (once you reach $100 in refills). If you refill before the expiration, all the minutes will rollover.

Also, to sweeten the deal, if you search "T-Mobile" at Bing.com (formerly Live.com), you can get an additional 35% cashback. (I previously blogged about how to use Live.com.) So that means the $19.99 phone will be $13. And the $99.99 phone will be $65. Not bad. And if you already have a T-Mobile prepaid phone, you can order it just to get the $25 refill card, and then you'll have a spare phone in case you lose or break yours.

So is a prepaid phone right for you? Let's do the math.

Of all the different phone plans out there, I think the cheapest monthly plan is $30 ($360/year). Now if you're like me, someone who sits next to landline phone all day that rarely uses the cell phone except on weekends and commute times, your usage is probably pretty low.

The T-Mobile prepaid plan is $100 for 1000 rollover minutes. That's 83 minutes/month. If you talk triple that amount (250 minutes/month), then it will be $300 – still cheaper than the lowest monthly rate. And the $300 is $300. No taxes or fees, unlike your monthly bill.

If you review your last few billing statements, you'll know on average how many minutes you use. Chances are, you use less than 250 minutes, perhaps even less than 100. If that is the case, then you are overpaying big time. Now if you're consistently using over 400 minutes a month and it's NOT business related... well I hate to say it, but you are undoubtedly "churng hay" (long-winded in Chinese). The proof is in the billing statement. It's a fact. Sorry. But don't feel bad, some of my favorite people are churng hay. We stay in touch via email.

So what are the downsides of prepaid? First of all, your phone is not free (subsidized), so you will have to buy a phone. As stated above, phones range from $20-$100 and your choices are a bit limited. Second, it costs 10¢ to send text and 5¢ to receive. So depending on your usage, that may be a significant added expense. But if you only need a phone for the basic needs, then prepaid is the wise choice for you. Third, you cannot use an iPhone on any prepaid plan.

I won't lie, I am so jealous of all of you that have iPhones. I love how you can remotely update your Facebook status so I know you're on the freeway to somewhere... or stuck in line waiting to buy some world-famous pastries... or about to feast on a burrito the size of a small child... Yes, life is unfair. Sigh.

As an Apple fan, I long to find an unlocked iPhone to put my T-Mobile sim card into. But as much as I want an iPhone, I cannot fathom spending $70/month to use it. That's $1680 for your 2-year contract! $1680 can buy me a Macbook, or iPod Touches for every household member, or 33 family dinners at Black Angus... and I'll still have money left over to pay my prepaid minutes! Just not worth it.

So do the math and see if prepaid is right for you. You may be surprised. In these tight economic times, you should try to trim your expenses anywhere you can. Bottom line: Talk less and save a ton! And with all that money you save, you can take my family out to dinner :)

Mason's 3rd Birthday

On Saturday we celebrated Mason's 3rd birthday. In following the tradition of birthdays at the park (1st year at Kelly Park; 2nd year at Oakland Zoo), this year was at Tilden Park in Berkeley.

Upon seeing Veronica, she immediately asks why I haven't been blogging much lately. She insisted I must blog about this party and take lots of pictures because it's a tradition. Because her sister, who's overseas, relies on my blog to record this annual event. Oh, and another tradition is that every year I have to remind Patrick to cut the watermelon!

To Veronica and my other faithful readers, I apologize for the lack of blogging lately. It's hard to explain how the blogging mood comes and goes. Maybe it's because my life has been kinda uneventful lately. Maybe it's because I'm trying to spend more than my usual 30 minutes each night with the family. Or maybe it's because my job is miserable and draining due to me trying to maintain a balancing act of dealing with clueless management while at the same time being grateful I'm still employed.

Parties like these are what I look forward to all the time. It's such a blessing to be surrounded by friends, especially those I don't see every week like Pat and Milton. And it's such a joy to see all our children grow up together. I feel sorry for 75% of my coworkers who really don't have a life outside of work. Their goal in life is just to survive long enough to collect their pension.

Thanks Patrick and Veronica for not only a great get-together, but for also giving me reason to blog again!

Grandma demonstrating to Mason on how to impress the ladies.

"We have a LOT of food. I sure hope there is enough charcoal..."

This is like a scene at the start of a horror movie where a bunch of kids
wander into the woods and one by one they disappear.

Look, one is already missing...

In the end these adventurous kids all found their way back.
I just hope they don't go home with poison oak.

Ha! And you thought video games were violent...

For the record, it wasn't MY son that decapitated Mr. Gabba Gabba.

After Mr. Gabba Gabba was decapitated, a few other kids (not mine) decided to
further bash his head in. Their parents must be so proud.

"Um, why are you fools blowing MY cake??"

Jarod is excited to be the newest addition to our annual "Dads Picture."
The other three probably could care less.

He's patiently waiting for us to leave so he can feast in the garbage can.

Free Photo Book

Only one welcome gift per new customer per household. Valid for the first 100,000 qualified registrants. To qualify you must upload 50 or more photos to a new Shutterfly account between May 14-May 18. Free 8x8 hard photo cover book includes initial set of 20 pages. All incremental pages will be charged on a per page rate. Licensed premium photo books, Martha Stewart books, Creating Keepsakes books, Adventure books, leather, padded and soft photo cover books are not included in this reward. Stationery offer applies to 5x7 stationery cards only. Taxes, shipping and handling charges will apply. You have until June 24, 2009 to place your order. 25 free 4x6 prints not valid for in-store pickup and offer is valid 30 days from registration.

LINK

Free Museum Day on Mother's Day

KORET MUSEUM DAYS 2009:
BAY AREA MUSEUMS OFFER FREE MOTHER'S DAY ADMISSION
IN HONOR OF KORET FOUNDATION'S 30TH ANNIVERSARY

San Francisco, CA - Celebrate Koret's 30th anniversary with a Mother's Day trip to the museum on Sunday, May 10, 2009. Seventeen Koret-supported Bay Area museums are offering free admission, encouraging visitors to enjoy the Bay Area's world-class amenities.

The Mother's Day event marks the second time that Koret has hosted Koret Museum Days, offering free admission on Mother's Day to Bay Area museum-goers. In 2004, a similar event in celebration of the foundation's 25th anniversary drew 55,000 visitors to 13 participating museums, inspiring a trend in corporate philanthropy-supported free weekend admission.
Museums participating in Koret Museum Days 2009 include:

• Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
• Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito
• Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland
• Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
• The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco
• M.H. de Young Museum
• Exploratorium, San Francisco
• Legion of Honor, San Francisco
• Judah L. Magnes Museum, Berkeley
• Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley
• Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco
• Oakland Museum of California
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
• San Francisco Zoo
• San Jose Museum of Art
• IMAX movie at the Tech Innovation Museum in San Jose
• Zeum, San Francisco

LINK

KFC Hates Mother's Day

If you've downloaded the free KFC coupon, you'll notice that the coupon does not work on Mother's Day. In response to this, El Pollo Loco (my all-time favorite) will accept the KFC coupon on that day.

If you need the coupon, you can download it from me HERE. No software install required.

So print out a few copies. Go to KFC today or tomorrow, then to El Pollo Loco on Sunday and enjoy your 2 piece meal plus two small sides, two tortillas and fresh salsa with your KFC coupon.
I think you'll agree that the colonel is no match to the crazy chicken.

Happy Mother's Day.

3 p.m. UPDATE: KFC is now offering rain checks instead. Grrrr. LINK

More free chicken - Thank you Oprah!

LINK

Coupon available for printing from 9am CDT 5/5/09 to 9:59pm CDT 5/6/09. Coupon is redeemable at participating KFC® locations in the U.S. from 5/5/09 to 5/19/09, excluding 5/10/09. Note: You'll need to install a coupon printer application in order to get the coupon.