Night of Joy,hotel deals in Orlando & Autism Speaks!

My autistic son, who is now 17, is obsessed with Disney World. He wanted to go to Night of Joy at Disney World and has been "bugging" me about it for almost a year. Well he will get his wish as we attend this weekend! For those of you not familiar with Night of Joy, it is a weekend celebration usually held at Disney's Hollywood Studios. They have a line up of great Christian bands! This year our whole family is thrilled with the bands that will be in attendance on Saturday night. Our two favorites? Skillet and Mercy Me! Skillet is what I would consider hard rock and Mercy Me is a softer version of that but still cool. Let me just say that both of these bands are in the top of their field. I am very thankful that we have great music like this to listen to. I have to tell you a funny story. We had just purchased our new SUV and had not figured out all of the bells and whistles and it had a cd changer in the middle of the car as well as the front. My middle son Andrew had just purchased the latest Skillet cd and was listening to it in the car with headphones. We get home and he forgets to take out the CD. Later that day my husband is in the car driving somewhere and hears what he says is really great music. He could not figure out where it was coming from because there was no CD in the CD player in the front of the car. Basically he listens to the whole CD and thinks maybe this is a new radio station or something. He is telling us all about this great station and says he needs to find out who the band is. Eventually he finds out about the CD etc. and we all have a great laugh. That is how my husband starting listening to Skillet. Kind of silly, but that is what happened.

As far as Mercy Me, My oldest son Evan fell in love with their music. Evan is a SLOB, spectacular league of bloggers for Mercy Me. Mercy Me is one of those great bands that really truly cares about their fans. Mercy Me started broadcasting their concerts live and I believe Evan may have watched every single one no matter what the time change was. Now remember Evan is autistic and he is a little obsessed. Regardless they are a great band and I give them a lot of credit for putting up with Evan. I know that he kept asking them to write a song about Churros which he loves and one day they actually sang a song about churros. I swear these guys have huge hearts. I actually feel close to them just because of things that have happened. I mean they go through trials also. Sometimes it is hard to think of our favorite bands and bandmembers having to deal with trials and tribulations like the rest of us. But they have sick kids and car accidents just like the rest of us. Anyway, we are going to see them and Evan is trying to figure out a way to meet them in person. You never know, miracles do happen. Either way we will see our favorite bands this weekend! If you are close to Florida, tickets are still available for Night of Joy. A little pricy but worth every penney!

Still eating those Omega cookies and just picked up some more. Heard they are going to be changing how they package the Omega cookie. It is a huge cookie and I believe they are going to have three smaller easier to manage cookies in one package. Sounds like a great idea to me. Maybe it will be easier to convince my kids to try them! Check out Omegacookie.com to order.

My husband and I attended a get together for Autism Speaks last night. Autism Speaks holds walks every year to raise money for autism and autism research. We have been involved with that for about 4 years. This year our goal is to have our team earn at least $1,000. Autism Speaks is close to our heart because Evan is autistic. It took years for Evan to be diagnosed and by then we did not have the benefit that therapy might have brought for him. Informing the public and doctors about early detection really makes a difference in lives of autistic children. There are even information packets that are mailed to parents with children newly diagnosed with autism. I can't even begin to tell you the difference that would have made. So it is an emotional attachment that I have to Autism Speaks and I hope you will think about making a donation to Autism Speaks. If you would like to support our team, click on this link.

I have been married for 24 years, most of them very happy. I am lucky though. Many of my friends and family have not been as lucky in that regard. Marriage is not easy and it takes lots of work. Having children with disabilities or spouses with health issues can really take its toll. I think the only way we have made it through is our faith in God. Take it or leave it but that is what I think. Here is to all my single and newly divorced friends, I found this great Christian site where you can meet people online that share the same values as you. You know that whole thing in the bible about not being unequally yoked? I think it matters way more than people think. Let me know if it works for you!

I have been thinking about getting a netbook. It seems so pracical, nice and small and I can keep up with email and blogging. I just hate the small keyboard on my cel phone and this seems like a great alternative. The best price I have seen is at CompUSA. I love the Pink Acer Aspire for only $239 with $1.99 shipping. Now it is refurbished but I have had good luck with refurbished products. I have found that when the products have been refurbished by the manufacturer, they really work out. I have bought Ipods and computers as well as other electronics that way. So I am still thinking about it. Let me know if you have a netbook and what you think of it. Netbooks starting at $239.99! Buy Now at CompUSA.com

Either way, Comp USA has great prices on electronics.

Our family has been going there for years.

I got a great deal on a hotel room in Orlando. Have you tried Hotwire.com? To be honest I used to use Priceline.com almost exclusively but Hotwire kept coming up in searches so I thought I would check it out. For those of you familiar with Priceline, if you want the best deal on a room, you pick the area and how many stars the hotel should have and then Priceline tries to get you the price you request. What you end up with is a hotel that was picked by Priceline. I have had great stays in Orlando that we got on Priceline. One of the best was The Peabody Hotel, we got the room for a little over $50. If you have not been to the Peabody, they actually have a processional where they have actual ducks in the entry of the hotel and they end up in the fountain. That really was a lot of fun. The downside is I have also ended up with hotels I would normally never stay in. Even though I picked 3 stars, they really were not worth staying at. That is why Hotwire.com peaked my interest. They also don't tell you the name of the hotel or resort. What they do tell you is way more information to make an informed choice. My reservation for this weekend? I am just thrilled. We are going to stay at the Embassy Suites. I just have to tell you that I got an amazing deal. With fees and everything it was only $62. Now that makes me happy. The great thing about the Embassy Suites is that it is a Suite. That there is a separate bedroom area and a living area as well as a mini type kitchen. Even better than all of that is the amazing cooked to order breakfast you can get. I know my kids love the omelettes! When you factor in a good quality breakfast, that is the deal of a lifetime. I have to say that Embassy Suites is one of my most favorite hotel chains. They fit my large family with three boys. That can be difficult. Parents of more than two children will understand. Where are you going to stay that will accomodate everyone without people sleeping on the floor? So you might want to check them out. I booked our stay last minute and I could not be happier!

Here are some great deals to watch for this week. Dillards Department store has a big sale! Up to 70% off during their end of summer sale. The best deals are in the stores and NOT online. You can get 70% off of Ladies sportswear, dresses, suits, shoes, handbags, swimwear as well as Mens sportswear and Children's apparel. Click here to see if there is a location near you.

Another great sale going on is at Macys. They are having their great one day sale with the preview day today. From 9am to 1pm you can use this printable coupon to get an extra $10 off your $25 purchase! The best thing is that the coupon is good on your sale or clearance purchase!!

If you are near Punta Gorda, FL then you are in for a treat! This weekend is the 12th annual Punta Gorda Sullivan Street Craft fair. If you have not been it is worth the drive. Amazing vendors with unbelievable products and prices. Don't miss it! It is Saturday and Sunday, September 12th and 13th from 10 am to 5pm. Check out their site for more details.

Skyauction.com has a great deal for their deal of the day today. It is for Pfister bath fixtures. It is a nice one for the shower and tub for only $19.99 and free shipping. This woud be great for anyone needing to update their bathroom.

For those of you that love the comfort of Easyspirit shoes, they are having a great sale in stores and online. Here is a printable coupon for $15 of a $75 purchase. If you purchase online, just click through the ad and you will receive the credit. They also have free shipping for purchases of $49.99 or more and up to 70% off their end of season shoes.

If you are still looking for school clothes, don't miss the Aeropostale back to school sale ONLINE only. Use code 25BTS for an extra 25% off through 9/13! All jeans are under $25 and select hoodies are 50% off. With the extra 25% discount you can really get a great deal.

Bath and Body Works has a sale on their antibacterial soaps and their pocket size ones are only $1 a piece. Perfect for keeping your kids hands clean at school and they fit right in their backpack.

Uno Chicago Grill is offering $1.99 and $2.99 snacks at the bar all day Sunday. Not all locations are participating so be sure to check. I know that the location in Fort Myers, FL is participating.

CJ Banks clothing size 14 and up has a sale up to 30% off. Buy two items get 20% off, three items or more get 30% off your entire order! Good in store and online.

It is not too early to start planning for Christmas, with that in mind don't miss the sale at Kirklands! Here is a $10 printable coupon off a $50 purchase.

If you are in SW Florida and are looking for something to do on the cheap, be sure to check out Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers, FL. They have their weekend concert series from 8pm to 10pm on Friday and Saturday. The Kapo Kings play Friday night and Both Hands play on Saturday. They usually have lots of great sales listed on their site so if you are planning on making a trip out there, be sure to check out the best deals. Also a great idea to bring a lawn chair if you can. They set up chairs but sometimes they get full.

Every once in a while I find a great deal at smartbargains.com. There is a 15% discount for PayPal customers. Code is 15685.

Shoes.com has a sale and is offering PayPal customers $10 off a $50 purchase. Use code PAYPAL09 or use code SAVE and get 20% off all sale and clearance items.

Sports Authority is offering $25 off a $100 purchase online or in store. Click here to print the coupon or enter code TSAXXFP at checkout. Good through 9/13.