Hi, all! So sorry it has been so long...life is hectic and I feel I have such little time right now. But, nevertheless, this is where I turn when I need some honest, loving, and true advice. It seems petty and maybe I am stressing it too much but here goes.

Oh how I miss you all so much. Life has been chaotic with L's health and trying to figure things out. It seems I never have a minute to sit here and check in and now that I do, I feel like my eyelids weigh 80lbs. Peaceful vibes to everyone.
~hgl

Look at private schools. As a young college student, I swore I would never send my kid to private schools because it just supports the gross disparity of education in this country.In college, I spent a lot of time in "at risk" elementary schools for course work and it is unbelievable the inequality in education. Well, add a child into my life some years later, and that changes quite a bit: my school district just redistricted and increased the class size to 26 for Kindergarten, which is only half day to begin with.

Just curious...
1. Where you live is public kindergarten full day or half day?
2. If it is full day, do you pay?
3. If it is half day, how many hours is your child/ren in school?

I'm too lazy to cut and paste from my blog, but I scored some deals today:
http://cocoonofchaos.typepad.com

Positive post,no?!

I was up all night with A, she was complaining her cheek hurt then I took a look in her ear and sure enough, all red and pussy. I am so sick of going to the dr with my other child and am a bit disenchanted with the whole medical establishment right now. Nevermind the fact that the amount of money we have spent in L's medications and copays make me sick. I'm wondering if any of you fantastic mamas can recommend an alternative to antibiotics. I'm going to do a search, too, but I trust you ladies before anyone else! Thanks and have a great Thursday.

At the park yesterday on a gorgeous day and Ava wanted to play insects. Around a crowded playground she shouted, "Mummy let's play incest!" Luckily I'm good at those Kegel exercises, or I would have surely wet my pants with laughter.
Share your kid funnies...laughter is the best medicine

DH and I are trying to budget our vacations this year and I have an uncle in PA who we can stay with who is also within driving distance to S*same Place and Hers*ey Park. Has anyone been there? The girls will be almost 5 and 3.5 so I need to do some more research but I was thinking these would both be okay. I only want to do one, so I wanted to check here first. Thanks, mamas and happy Monday.

A soldier died this week from my town and they are closing downtown, which is where I live, for a procession of his family, followed by his casket draped with an American flag. I am very torn as to what to do. Ava is 4 and Lily is 2.5 and as much as I want them to get something from going, I'm not sure they will. But, at the same time, I'm not sure they NEED to get something from this, but rather be a witness to what is going on. It is early and I have yet to finish my coffee so this is not coming out right but I'm just kind of stuck.

Don't get me wrong, I know there is a huge cost to the economic downturn in this country. My state (MA) is on fire right now for the budget cuts that are underway--why is it always cut from the people that need it most--but I am trying to look at the other side of the coin, too. I really think America needed a swift kick in the ass. The current economic model we function under is dysfunctional! We have left the markets to a group of elite men that have squandered the money in an endless war, insecure ventures, and taken huge bonuses when the average person can not pay their heating bills.

UPDATE

1. Playdates. Everyone is occupied...enough said.
2. My boss. I'm on a leave of absence from work until we figure out what is going with Lily and she gave me a scholarship for Ava to go to school twice a week. There are still good people on this planet.
3. Ikea. Our new kitchen cabinets arrived today and we are starting our remodel next week. We did it on the cheap and as eco-friendly as we possibly could. I will finally have some storage in my kitchen!

Have not been around much, but in spirit I have! Lily had another severe asthma attack yesterday at school to the point that it scared her, too. She is on observational watch for the next 48 hours which means I am home, which I really miss. Can you vibe me healthy vibes for my little pixie, please.

Start with positive, so the negative do not seem so bad:
1. Had a great weekend. Had some time to myself, chopped off all my hair and love my new do. The girls spent some time with my mum, she did some laundry for me: win win situation.
2. Family. They drive me nuts but had them over for a fire in the yard Saturday night and had a great time.
3. Nature. We took the girls on a hike yesterday and they did such a great job and were really amazed at all the cool mushrooms and flowers we saw along the way. I'm so happy they will have this appreciation, too.

So dh and I are exploring the idea of adopting. I was wondering if anyone had personal experiences, advice, guidance, good resources, etc. to help me along this process.
I have done so many google searches, but it is so much, it is hard to distinguish between advice and sales pitches. Sadly.

We are definetly doing a domestic adoption most likely through a state agency, as they are overloaded with children that need a good, loving home. I appreciate your support and advice in advance.

The Good News:
Lily has been taken off one of her medications (the steroid that makes her shake) and her pediatrician was very happy at the way her lungs sounded and the clarity of her breaths. They are ordering another chest Xray in a month to check on the mass in her left lung and if it is still there, she will be sent to a pulimonary specialist. I am relieved that her breathing is great and we have some direction to go towards.
The Bad News:

Okay, for the past few weeks, dh and I have been discussing trying to have another baby. As you may recall, last year I lost twins at 13 weeks and it was a very bad situation. I lost a ton of blood and actually went unconscious and was hospitalized because of the miscarriage, which is pretty rare. That being said, I gave dh two weeks to think it over and after dinner last night, we discussed his decision. He said that as much as he would love to have another baby in the house, there is no way in his mind and heart that he can agree to possibly go through what we went through.

Have not seen this thread in a long time so I was wondering what is everyone reading?

I just finished Lisa See's "Peony in Love" and it was fascinating. I'm really into historical fiction right now and this book was amazing because it was a great historical story but with an fictional author's stylistic touch. Really interesting about the female experience in early chinese history, especially that of female writers.
I am now halfway into Margaret Atwood's "Oryx and Crake", I am enjoying it because I love her style but I'm not head over heels...yet.

1. Going to see Jack J*hnson tonight, so damn excited I can hardly wait! My dad is picking the girls up and taking care of them all night, which is a first but also a great thing considering we barely talked to one another 2 years ago.
2. Quiet house. I'd love to say it is weird, but no, peaceful is the right word.
3. Ava has finally really come out of her shell and has her first playdate without me tomorrow. She is so excited and I am so excited for her.

Oh, how I miss HM!

1. Supermom complex

1. Do you like your given name? Why or why not?
2. What is the first place you would travel to if money was not a concern?
3. What food could you eat everyday of your life?
4. What do you miss most about your former kid-free life?
5. What do you think your child or children will be when they grow up based on their interests and personality as of today?
6. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
7. As an adult, what do you want to be?

Heading to NYC next week for vacation and was wondering:
when taking cabs, do the kids just sit in parents' lap? What is the protocol for carseats and stuff? We are staying centrally located but this popped into my head this morning and thought this would be the best place to ask....

Haven't seen too much lately with school and work but a few I liked:
Death at a Funeral: I don't think I've laughed this hard in ages.
Broken English: with Parker Posey, love her in anything. Good movie.

For the kiddies:
National Velvet: It was on the other day and I sat and watched it with Ava, she loved it and sat through the whole thing. I may try some more old flicks with her. TCM channel does a Saturday night classic movie night designed for kids. Too bad I won't pay for that channel