A few years ago the pizza shop I was working at was plagued with so many fake and prank orders we were calling back to confirm every order that wasn’t recognized as a regular.  There were probably 15 to 20 bad orders per week which was starting to eat into the profits.  For a larger city they might get that many in one night, I don’t know, but this a real problem for this store. 

              Most of pranks would consist of two fake addresses within a few hundred feet of each other and the second pizza was taken from the car while the driver would be out of the car with the first one.  Some drivers had a problem with locking their car doors for some reason.  The incident in this story was a different kind of prank.

     It was mid afternoon and I was working  a kitchen shift for a change, it was just me and a driver there.  A kid about 12 years old called and ordered approximately $50 worth of pizza.  As I mentioned before we were getting alot of prank orders and I was on guard for them.  This kid sounded legitimate even ordering that much food.  I did actually call back to confirm the order and everything sounded okay.  I was very good at spotting fakes by this point in my career, this kid was good.

    The driver left with the order, about 15 minutes later he returned with the pizzas.  I asked what happened.  He said that that the address was that of a little old lady in her eighties who was very confused about what was going on and assumed that she had to pay for it.  He said she was very sad and upset in her confusion.  He said he had a hard time calming her down.

       The first thing I did was call the number back that had been given.  If I had any doubt about who I was speaking to I might have done something different but I knew it was the same kid who had a very distinctive voice.  As soon as he knew he was talking to someone at the pizza shop he couldn’t hide the guilt in his voice.  I asked him what kind of stunt he thought he was pulling here and he said he didn’t do it but his brother does stuff like this all the time.  I asked him “Your brother does what all the time?  It sounds like you know all about it and by the way I know your voice.  Don’t leave your house, you are in big trouble in case your wondering.”

      I called the police.  I asked them what I could do in a case like this.  The officer I talked to answered “What do you want to do?”   I said that if he came in to the store and paid for the order and apologized to the old lady there wouldn’t be any further action.  The officer ran the address of the little old lady and the phone number I gave him and it turned out that she lived across the street from the boy.  I guess he did it just so he could watch and see what happened.  The officer stopped in a couple of hours later and said he called the boy and got his father’s number at work.  The officer told the father to go home, pick up his son and then pay me a visit.

      It wasn’t long after the officer left that a man in a suit and a respectable looking young boy came into the shop.  The boy was bawling his eyes out and carrying his piggy bank.  At this sight I did feel a little bit bad but that was outweighed by how much this had been going on and by the fact that it upset a little old lady so much.

        As the boy cried and counted out the money from his piggy bank I spoke to his father who was obviously very dissappointed in his son.  I felt sorry for the boy because in the brief conversation with his father I learned that he was an only child and didn’t really have any friends.  He had done this whole thing himself where most kids would do it to show off for their buddies.  This had been some sort of cry for attention or just a really bored kid, I don’t know.  At this point I felt like saying that he learned his lesson and to keep the money but it was too late for that.

         As they were heading for the door the father turned to me and said.  “How did you catch him anyway”?  I said  “Wasn’t hard, he gave your home phone number”?     “You stupid bastard”  is all he said to his son as they turned and left.

          I still can’t decide if it was too harsh or  it was the right thing to do in this situation.  These people lived in a nice part of town and looked like respectable people.  It never really hurt anybody except maybe the feelings of the old lady.  I never did find out if he apologized to her.  I can guarantee that the boy never did anything like this again.  Maybe I prevented his downward spiral into a life of crime.

So I bought this glass piggy bank for our not so new apt couple of months ago.  I’ve been loving having this new addition at home.  Super cute but it’s soooo fragile that I’m not sure if it will able to survive in our household for a long time.  But as a piggy bank, I think this is as cute as it gets.

Many moms say they are inundated with housework and little help from their family. Offering allowance to your children as positive reinforcement for completion of chores is a great way to get them motivated to help out at home while teaching them an important life skill. Be clear — this is not a bribe to clean the house or behave. The same way you or your spouse go to work and collect a paycheck, your children will learn the value of hard work and a dollar. Allowance offers the opportunity for your child to practice math skills while learning responsibility. There are a few ways to utilize allowance in a positive and productive way.

First, be clear and fair about your expectations. Using a chore chart and assigning tasks to each child in the family ensures the workload is shared and a timeline for completion is set. Typically, families assign tasks on a weekly basis. Make sure tasks are age-appropriate. Setting the table, making the bed, or putting dirty clothes in the hamper are great for younger children between five and eight years old. Children between nine and twelve can take out the recyclables, dust, or put away clean clothes. Children thirteen and older can take on some of the bigger chores, such as helping make dinner or doing a load of laundry. Be sure to rotate tasks so one person isn’t always stuck taking out the trash!

Provide your child with a piggy bank, a wallet, or a bank account to store their money. This sends the message that money earned does not have to be spent right away. Encourage your child to save for a big purchase or use that money to buy gifts for family members. Model for your children how to budget for a big purchase by including them in family discussions about buying a new vehicle, saving for a vacation, or choosing a new television.

When you first introduce the concept of chores and allowance, you may need to remind your child frequently to complete her tasks. Gradually pull back on your reminders. The idea is that you want your child to become responsible for her chores and complete them independently. Remember- true independence means absolutely no reminders from you!

The key to making chores and allowance a positive experience is to follow through on your agreement. If your child completes her chores on time, she gets her allowance. If she doesn’t do her chores, she doesn’t get paid. Do not bend! She will learn quickly that she has to honor her end of the agreement. Remind her that you and your spouse would not get paid if you didn’t go to work and complete your assignments each day.

It’s important to pair the monetary reward with your verbal praise. Children value your pride more than a dollar— whether they show it or not. Also acknowledge their own feelings about completing their chores. For example, say, “You should be proud of yourself! You worked so hard!” Guiding children to be intrinsically motivated to complete tasks will carry them in their academic and personal lives.

Jennifer Cerbasi teaches at a public school for children on the autism spectrum in New Jersey. As a coordinator of Applied Behavioral Analysis programs in the home, she works with parents to create and implement behavioral plans for their children in an environment that fosters both academic and social growth. In addition to her work both in the classroom and at home, she is also a member of the National Association of Special Education Teachers and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

It’s holiday shopping season, in case you haven’t noticed. Below are some pig-themed gift suggestions to help you serve the needs of your swine loving pals.

In lieu of collecting these pig finds myself, I’m hoping that sharing them with you will help purge my need to actually own them.

Friends and family, please note: This is not my holiday wish list. Those who don’t know me, here’s the deal: Despite constantly reminding friends and loved ones that I am not actively seeking to add to my overly abundant pig collection, I receive numerous pig related gifts each holiday. I’m sure you fellow pig collectors can relate.

The caveat I’ve placed on receiving pig gifts is this: if it has a practical use (like the hand-blown glass pig vase my friend Laird hand delivered to me last week) or is a vintage find with lots of character, I’m willing to make exceptions:)

Side note: I realize that my caveat is rarely adhered to, as reflected in the glutinous assembly of pig tchotchkes in the creaks and crevices of my too-small cottage.

Check out these unique pig gifts, and if you find others, share them in the comments field. I’m sure my 5 blog readers will appreciate the recommendation:)

Pig earphones. Talk about practical! www.spoonsisters.com $12.95

Set of Mini Pig Notecards. Say what? www.etsy.com $3.25 for 5

Fair Trade crocheted pig. Designed and handmade by a Mom in Thailand. www.globalexchangestore.org $18.50

Fair Trade Piggy Bank. Pottery crafted by artisans in Chili. www.tenthousandvillages.com $16.00

Pig Pals Infant Outfit. Profits go to Pig Pals Sanctuary, a non-profit dedicated to the long term care of pigs. www.cafepress.com/pigpals $11.99

Organic cotton stuffed pig toy. Hand-sewn fabric scraps, filled with recycled fiber & eco-friendly dyed. www.kidbean.com $15.00

Veg Starter Kit. Encourage friends and family to Go Veg. www.farmusa.org FREE!

Flying Pig Art Sculptor. Made of recycled parts by artist Fred Conlon. www.snappyturtletrading.com $165.99

Vegetable-based Pig Soap. These “Trois Petite Cochons” come in a handmade gift box. www.uncommongoods.com Set of three $20.

The Humane Farming Association T-shirt. A great organization to support! www. hfa.org $12.00

Well, they are. There’s not much I can say after tonight. Let me set the scene:

The Z family is halfway through their Friday night dinner of French dip (yuck!) and mashed potatoes (yum!). M is wondering what she will do tonight. As if reading her mind, Mom informs all present that she will be leaving shortly to get a hair trim at Great Clips. N decides to join her, and, although she would much rather stay home and play the Wii with her father, M reluctantly joins them in the car a few minutes later.

 Fast forward to a half hour later at Great Clips.

 M hops out of the hair-cutting chair and is prepared to leave. She joins her mother at the checkout counter, at aforementioned mother’s subtle but strong prompting. Puzzled, M remains there. After her mother’s purchase has been rung up, the lady who cut Mom’s hair turns to M. She hands M a beautifully painted clay sandal-shaped piggy bank and tells her of the presence of several pennies that are already in it for good luck. M responds with an appreciative, awestruck “Oh my God, thank you!” and leaves the store shortly therefore.

You have no doubt figured out that I am M. I later found out that my mother and this woman were chatting during the haircut (I wear cochlear implants and am deaf without them. They cannot get wet so I had to take them out for my hair to be cut, thus I wasn’t aware of this conversation). Apparently, this woman’s birthday is December 23 and can identify with my Christmas-baby pain (not!) and decided to just randomly give this to me. I was thoroughly astonished and wonder why she chose me. She chose a good time, because I’ve been having a tough time lately dealing with my impending surgery.

Patti the Pig (name courtesy of my grandma)

This reminded me of a similar event, taking place this summer. I was eating lunch at a pizza establishment with my mother, N, and my grandma. All of a sudden, a young man in his 20s or 30s walked up to our table. Turning to me, he said, “Here you go, sweetheart,” in a Southern-ish drawl and handed me a magenta-ish stuffed pig. “Thank you,” I replied, equally stunned, and the man walked away with a noticeable limp. We’d watched this guy put coin after coin into the claw machine at this establishment until finally, he came up with this. You could tell he wasn’t rich, either, a white T-shirt and dirty jeans led my mom and grandma to the conclusion that he was a contruction worker on his lunch break.

I read this story in Chicken Soup for the Soul a few weeks ago:

Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Sincethey were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered the boy’s name was Bill, that he had just broken up with his girlfriend. They arrived at Bill’s home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and towatch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came, and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.

Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. “Do you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?” askedBill. “You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn’t want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mother’s sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you did a lot more. You saved my life.”

That is some powerful stuff! So you see, as I said in my last post, the little things really do matter. We don’t realize it at first, maybe we never do, but those little acts of kindness are really big. You can make someone’s day, week, month, or even their life a little (or a lot) better.

Some lovely melon shaped Piggy (!?) Banks seen on the streets … these made of clay / sand are to save coins and some occasional notes. Has only one way to take the money out, that is just break them to retrieve the money, no other way.

Seen them near Sanskrit College, Mylapore.

This is a piggy bank for the anxious. If your one those people that trust your money in the capable hands (?) of these pigs, but not knowing how much you have inside is giving you psycho thoughts of baseball bats smashing piglets skulls. Well we had you in mind when we thought of our piggy bank.

This piggy was one of the ideas we’ve submitted to push n900. The idea is simple, hacking a piggy bank you’d be able to see how much you’ve saved so far and some extra info.

We put together a little presentation for the judges of push n900

And a video

This is my personal favorite from the 3 submission, but that’s mostly because I’m interested in doing my own piggy bank to match a cute GUI. Thinking x-ray vision!

P.S.: By we I mean me, jeez, annieC and calega from wouwlabs.

I have been putting all my change in a glass bowl for the past few months and it is getting full. I have decided to cash it in and splurge on something fun.

I was told  by a dear friend of mine, that it is good luck to donate 10% of what you have in your money Jar and give it away to your favorite charity,  school bake sale, anything that will help others.

That is exactly what I did. I had over $100 in change and decided to buy a hot dinner for a bum that looked down on his luck and was not begging. I took the rest of my once chump change and turned it into a nice relaxing one hour massage.

I not only felt good from the massage but knew I did something small to make someone else feel good.

Now everyday when you get home and have nowhere to put all this change you have accumulated in your wallet from your day of spending cash.  You have a purpose and a goal to throw it all in a fashionable bowl or in your piggy bank. Start saving  and once it is full make sure you treat your self.  You deserve it!

I have been working hard (Like really slogging it out) trying to save, but spending it all away (what to do there is so much stuff to splurge on!). Ever since I saw the Gwyneth Paltrow ad featuring the Tod’s shoes and bracelet or band whatever you wanna call it – Iam all eyes for the classic look. I just cant get over it. Cant stop thinking about it!

No I cant!

And when they had their sale a few months back, I picked up my Piggy Bank, overwithdrew from savings and was all set to pick up a pair of their shoes but guess what Murphy’s law was at play. NO SIZE.

TOD’s is too good to be true! SIGH. Looks like Iam gonna have to wait a little while longer to get TOD’s to tread into my closet, but you can! Their fall-winter collection is now on display. Go to their outlet at Nariman Point and get yourself a cool goodie from Toddiee! You luck you!

(Scroll Down )

Effect Of Recession

My son just turned 12 months old and his toys are becoming boring to him. I am on a quest to find him some more stimulating toys, but I am on a tight budget. Here are some ideas I came across and have worked!

Balls: Any size balls will work. My son loves to play with balls. I place several different size balls in plastic container or a basket. My son likes to take them out, bounce them, and place them in different containers.

Containers:

• Stackable bowels was a great idea. I bought some stackable cereal bowels from the dollar store for $2 (6 total). He enjoys stacking and unstacking them. This can keep him entertained a a while.
• Stackable plastic cups
• measuring spoons/ cups- he enjoys putting them together and taking them apart
• Mixing bowels- different sizes and different colors. We already had a set at home. I just let him play with them. Great because it did not cost me a thing.
• Plastic Tubberwear- The cheap plastic food containers that you throw away worked great as toys. I have a few I have received at Christmas time or when people have given me food. I have given them to my son to play with. He will stack them, try to put on the lids, and throw them about the room. He will even take tiny objects like puzzle pieces, balls, shapes, and plastic sorting items and put them in the plastic containers.

Board Books: My son loves to turn the pages of board books. He loves touch and feel and books with flaps. Buying books can be very expensive, so I have started checking out a bunch of board books from our local library and changing them up every week. This keeps him happy and less bored with the selection because I keep changing up the books weekly. You could also buy cheap board books at garage sale or dollar stores.

Shakers and Sound Makers: I have taken old plastic water bottles and jugs with various materials- beans, rice, colored water, pennies, and small rocks. He likes to shake them and stand them up. It keeps him occupied for a while.

Climbing Obstacles: He loves to crawl over things and crawl under things. I set up pillows on the floor for him to crawl over and make tunnel with blankets for him to crawl under. This keeps him busy for a while.

Create Your Own Piggy Bank: Save the tops of the plastic milk jugs and use them as coins. Then with an old formula container or oatmeal container, cut a hole in the top and use that as the slot to insert the tops from the milk jug.

Boxes:

• Old Food Boxes as building blocks- You can save a bunch of cereal, cracker, pasta, and other food boxes to use a building blocks. You can just glue or tape the flap shut. You can leave them plain or decorate them with colorful wrapping paper.
• Big Boxes as forts- You can take a big box and put a door on it or make tunnel to crawl through. Then decorate the outside with paint or markers
• Put items inside old boxes and let your child take them in and out. You can put balls, milk jug tops, small toys, etc.

Pictures:

• Photo Albums- Children love to look at picture. You can take an old photo album and put pictures of your family in there. You could also clip pictures from a magazine of bright colorful pictures and put it in there. Pictures of animals are always a hit. You can image on the internet and print them out to put in the photo album.
• Key Ring Pictures- you can laminate pictures and punch a whole on them and place them on a large key ring. You can also take large index cards and cut and paste different photos from old magazines, internet, or even old books.  You could make a key ring to have a theme. For instance the whole key ring could have things with the color red or the number 3.
• Poster Board- You can take a large poster board and cover it with various colors, photos, and images. Then hang the poster board at eye level with your toddler where they play.
• Digital Frame- if you already own one, place it somewhere where you toddler can look at the pictures throughout the day. My son loves to watch slide shows.

Touch & Feel

• Grab Bag/ Box- with empty bags or boxes, you can put different textured items in the box. Your toddler will enjoy touch and feeling the different items in the box
• Texture Wall- using a poster board, paste different textures on the poster board. You could use sandpaper, sponge, soft cotton, etc.
• Touch & feel Book- Create your own touch and feel book. Glue different textured items on a large index card. Then with a large key ring punch whole and connect all the cards together.

For Other Suggestions:

http://kids-toys.suite101.com/article.cfm/educational_and_cheap_toddler_toys

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/04/free-toys-for-your-infant-or-toddler/

http://everydaytlc.com/blog/2009/06/make-your-own-toys-for-babies-and.html

http://www.mops.org/page.php?pageid=2339

At 5″ long and 4″ tall, this little piggy is ready for some coins- so fill him up! With only one hole, at the top, your change will remain safe and sound.  A nice little treat to promote saving money, the fun and functional way. $22.

Everyone loves a special edition, especially the publishers as they can give us a little bit extra content, for a lot extra cash. I may sound slightly negative but it’s only because I get suckered into getting these every time! The latest to catch my eye is for New Super Mario Bros Wii which comes in a limited edition tin case. What’s even better is how the tin has a slot in the top allowing for it to be used as a piggy bank to save up for the next special edition game. In all seriousness, I would have expected a bit more from Nintendo than just a tin case. New Super Mario Bros Wii is bound to be one of their biggest titles and I would have thought the special edition would be a bit more special for £50. Effectively we’d be paying £15 for a piggy bank as the regular game costs only £35…hmm…it’s looking less and less desirable now isn’t it? Not bad if you’re a collector I suppose… So far it’s only available in the UK from retailer GAME but I’m sure the US will be getting some preorder goodies too.

Add coins at your own risk: only by smashing the glass can they be retrieved. As you watch your money literally build up, you will be torn between the desire to save more or cash in. With money rapidly disappearing into plastic cards and online transactions, the physical presence of ‘In Case of Emergency’ money box will make you think more carefully before you decide to splash out. What will be your moment of need?

Features:
Measurements: 2″L x 4 5/8″diam.
hang on the wall or sit on your desk display box with window.
Plastic and Glass

China supplier:
Email : fangzhengcn@hotmail.com
Skype ID : chanceller819
http://chinagift.en.ecplaza.net

I bought running shoes today for morning runs with Wrigley, I hope it doesn’t rain so we can start tomorrow.

This was waiting for me after work last night, all wrapped up from my boyfriend! It came from The Pig Pen and I love it.

Now I’m going to watch these fine folks get married! Have a pretty evening.

P.S. Just a reminder:

You can find free or low cost mammograms through The American Cancer Society. I’ll be getting one.

Oh hey there! (Muuaaa flying kiss) I had a super day. Why? Because my article featured in the Bombay Times today – page 2 you see. I love it! What was it about? Well the usual girlie stuff – pampering, preening, indulgence. How I love that ! Dont you? And especially with the festival around the corner who doesnt want to put their feet up and spoil themselves for a little while. Although I must say the way work is going, spoiling seems like a thing I wont be doing for a looooooooooong time to come. But shopping I must or I wont have anything to wear in the next few days. I must go and buy that pair of corduroys from Bennetton and also that pair of Jeans from Kazo, perhaps a cropped tee and a kurta too. Oh and I can do with a pair of gladiators from Tres Mode. I guess I should be able to fit all this in to my budget. What say Piggy bank? Is that a nod?

Here’s something you don’t see every day around campus, a giant yellow piggy bank. A giant inflatable piggy bank. You do get a lot of advertising schemes going on around campus, especially in the area between the Boyd Orr Building and the Queen Margaret Union. Today that area was taken over by the inflatable piggy bank and people giving out chocolate gold coins.

[Poll #5: What is the Nicest Building at Glasgow University?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com

2012 is going to be the year the world ends. i’m not so convinced the world ends, but maybe humanity could. philosophers and ‘crazy’ people alike have long linked 2012 with the end of it for us. volcanic eruptions; typhoons; earthquakes! it sounds such a glorious end! what if its not like that;we humans love to romanticise everything. maybe we all die of a plague, like the piggy one, so severe we cant find a fix.humans are resilient and fended off many a natural enemy or epidemic.

This piggy bank is a mould of a real pig by Harry Allen. he died (the pig) of an illness and his body was donated to art. i think art is just as important as life because life would be awful without art. i’d like to donate my body to art when im done.

check these mexicalts out who also believe in art as much as life. if we cant express ourself and show creativity in the time of a disaster then we’ll never succeed in overcoming them.

what would picasso have painted and drawn if the spanish civil war wasnt on? why dont artists use the ‘wars’ in the middle east as stimulus? what would you paint your mask like? could you paint a war? do people still paint? i guess it doesnt pay. Or do people just like to cut up photos and merge them together using the popular desktop application adobe photoshop?

i think humans are pretty cool. we’ll make it happen, even if we cant paint anymore

If only it were full of money!!!

(image by: vivien chin)