shopping on Amazon

Went looking for Lysol disinfectant spray today (or equivalent) today. Checked Safeway and Longs. The best deal I found was $6 for a 12.5 oz can at Safeway.

Now I'm checking Amazon. They have a 3 pack for only $9.86. And these are 19 oz cans! Next time.

Also looked for bathmats. This is sort of hard to find. Didn't see any at Costco. They had a $6 one at Longs and also a $13 one. Wound up buying the $6 one. Amazon? The cheapest one I see is this $6 deal. I guess this real deal would be this Rubbermaid mat for $9.

How about coffee stirrers? Couldn't find any at Safeway or Longs. The best deal is this Genuine Joe 1000 pack for $5.95. Well I guess this one is even cheaper per stirrer. But I don't think I need 5000.

One thing that caught my eye was the Angry Bird hooded blankie (or whatever). I think this is the one. It was cheaper at Costco Also the Angry Bird pillow which was out of stock at Costco. This might be it. It was also cheaper at Costco (if they had them). How about the Angry Bird plush toy which they're selling at roku.com. Amazon has one with sound for $8.55. The one at roku is for $6.99 but I don't know if it has sound.

I wonder if they sell cranberry juice? Actually they do. But you have to buy in quantity, like this 8-pack.

Hmm. I can see you can almost buy everything by mail order. How about bread? The one I buy from Costco is Oroweat Oatnut. Nope. Though they do have Arnold oatnut whole grains bread who's packaging looks very similar. Apparently they're the same company. But it's much cheaper at Costco.

So I'll keep Amazon in mind for future purchases, but Costco does give free samples..

Little Princes

SEEING, THEY SAY, is believing. Little Princes, by Conor Grennan, is eye-opening. It describes the stark reality faced by thousands of children in Katmandu, the capital of Nepal. Gren nan writes, often surprisingly humorously, about his experience working as a volunteer at Little Princes — an orphanage in the region—and  how it transformed him from an “average, ordinary American guy” to a man who has risked life and limb to help stranded Nepalese children reconnect with their families.

-- Costco Connection, February 2011

toto toilet

We got a toto toilet some years ago.  It was good at first.  But then the flapper broke and now the handle broke.

It seemed our old toilet lasted much longer.  Though I remember we had to change the flappers too.  So maybe not.

Anyway, it looks like the part is available on Amazon for $20.77.  The part number is THU68-CP and the toilet model is the St743S. Looking on the inside of the handle I see the numbers 9592.

I remember the last time, Home Depot directed me to The Bathroom Store.  But maybe the part might be available at City Mill too.

***

Nope, not at City Mill.  Not at Lowes either.  And I figured not at Home Depot.  $34+ at The Bathroom Store.  So it cost me $13 (plus gas).

Wee-N-See

Potty training your little one is an important milestone for the whole family. Yet sometimes it’s easier said than done. Fortunately, Tammi Umeno has developed a product that can make potty training as easy as 1, 2, 3. Enter the Wee-N-See, a fun and easy way to toilet train your child.

The Wee-N-See works in three easy steps: First, place the Wee-N-See in the water of the toilet when your child is ready to “go.” Then, when urine makes contact with the WeeN-See, it will chemically activate the aid, and a picture design will be revealed. Finally, flush when done. There are 10 fun designs to choose from, including a dinosaur, ladybug, sun, train, bee, whale, dragonfly and more.

slideshow

how to raise a good man

The instant you looked into your newborn son’s eyes you knew that every hope you had for his future rested on what you did from that moment on. Would you be able to help him grow into a caring, confident, responsible man? Every mother questions how she’s doing when it comes to raising her boy. But if you follow the advice below, chances are, your son will turn into the kind of man you want him to be.

Read more: How To Raise Boys - Tips for Raising Sons - Woman's Day

-- Woman's Day, June 2011

Richard Dawson

Richard Dawson brought a saucy, unabashedly touchy-feely style to television game shows as host of "Family Feud."

The British-born entertainer, who died Saturday at age 79 from complications related to esophageal cancer, earlier had made his mark in the unlikely 1960s sitcom hit "Hogan's Heroes," which mined laughs from a Nazi POW camp whose prisoners hoodwink their captors and run the place themselves.

But it is as the kissing, wisecracking quizmaster of "Feud" that he will be remembered.

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Associated Press

Richard Dawson, host of 'Family Feud,' in June 1978.

The show, which initially ran from 1976 to 1985, pitted a pair of families against each other as they tried to guess the most popular answers to poll questions such as "What do people give up when they go on a diet?"

Mr. Dawson made his hearty, soaring pronouncement of the phrase "Survey says..." a national catchphrase among the show's fans.