thanks everyone. Will look at the vitamins and supplements mentioned

I am considering taking my 15yr old DD (almost 16yr old) to a therapist. In the annual checkup, from the online questionnaire her pediatrician thought that she might be mildly depressed and I do see some signs of depression like withdrawing to herself and feeling sad and cannot explain why she is feeling sad. I have a couple of recommendations for therapists, but I have no idea what to expect in these sessions. what questions should I be asking to ensure that its the right fit for her? I talked to one therapist on the phone who mentioned that they like to build life long relations with them and that they see their patients once a week and I am thinking in my head, shouldn't they be helping her cope without having to see a therapist every week? What happens when she gets out of college and cant afford to pay one, but has gotten used to having a therapist! that one sounded fishy to me. are there things with diet and exercise that can help her mood? she exercises once a week now but is otherwise pretty inactive. her vitamin D and iron levels were low and we are supplementing that now. from the outside she seems well adjusted, has her music interests and enough friends and I cant differentiate whether its truly depression or the general lack of self esteem that teenage girls seem to go through. she does have an anxiety issue and is very anxious around exams and auditions etc. Its obvious that she needs some professional help and I am not quite sure how to select the right one. when do you determine to go to licensed therapist versus MD psychiatrist? thanks

Thank you all for the feedback. I work out of home, but DH does a lot of work at home and on days that he has to go to his office, he usually leaves after 1pm. My kids get home by 3, so the dog would be alone for 2 hours. We will be attending a class this week to see what the requirements are and if they feel that one person has to be a stay at home parent, then I am sure they will let us know. zimom - thanks for prison program tip. will look into that also. Maybe thats a better option to begin with. Will also look into the Fidelco program

We are looking into becoming a puppy raising volunteer for the local guide dogs for the blind program. Has anyone raised a service puppy? I know it will be heartbreaking to give up the puppy, but I think we want to try this. My kids are in high school and I am working full time now. We have to take them to weekly classes in the beginning until the puppy is 6months and then every two weeks. What other socialization do we have to do? Would love to hear your experiences if you have done this.

LOL - Didnt mean to say you are retired, it was more in reference to my husband saying that something like it wouldnt make money. If one were retired, maybe the aim is to not make tons of money, but do something fun? Mine are only in HS, but thinking ahead :-)

regentrude - I was so happy to read this thread. OMG, I am not crazy, there are indeed other people who are "mentally bored" :-) Masters in Comp Science worked for 16 years, was bored. Went back to college and got a masters in Financial Engineering in 2008 just when the meltdown happened, but managed to switch careers and find good work. Gardening, Sewing drapery, cooking, travel, I dabble in everything. This year, I want to try hydroponics. But I also find that people are "turned off" by ones intensity. Lucky to have a set of friends who accept me as I am!! My latest musing about what to do when I am retired was to think of starting some kind of afternoon tea place a couple of days of the week. That led me to think about an evening cocktail place that could become like a salon. my DH was laughing that you will never make enough to pay the rent on the place. But if you are retired, maybe the aim is to not make tons of money, but do something fun? Maybe something you could try?

London tube is fantastic. Depending on the number of days there, you can look into the 7 day pass. Hope you are looking at tripadvisor also while planning the trip. Many attractions are 2 for 1, if you show the paper train ticket. So dont buy a multi day pass on the Oyster Card, just say you want a paper ticket. For multi day ticket, they want passport pictures, so take some from the US. I had taken photos from the US, but noticed that the information center that I got the ticket from didnt take pics. http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london (London Eye, Towe of London, Globe, St Pauls etc) In addition to the above touristy stuff, we went to O2 arena for a day also and climbed the roof of the arena. There are many restaurants in the arena also. We did the Westminster Tour and the City of London tour with http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/london-tours/ and then went to the places that interested us. We also did a Kensington tour through London Walks, which was really bad. I remember looking at joining National Trust, but none of the usual touristy items are covered by them. I think Stonehenge is included though. We rode the London Eye twice and the night ride was much more interesting. But if you are doing it only once, definitely do the day time one. Camden market was very crowded and long lines... If you have teens who like Forever21, then definitely go to Primartk on Oxford Street.

My friend has a child with a traumatic brain injury and they have been in touch with some reputed doctors and FDA. They have found that there isnt much research going on the area due to the complexity. The feedback from the medical community is that to initiate a clinical trial, there needs to be public support(not financial, but affirmation that this is a much needed cause). So they are looking to setup an online petition to get this going. Any advice on how to go about this? Have you used any online petition sites? thanks

I have a full Dyson and recently got this model from Costco. Love them both. Costco sometimes have $120 off and I paid 320 or so for it. I use this one daily on my dark hardwood floors that show every speck!! My original Dyson was from 8-9years ago and is still going strong. I recently took it all apart and washed thoroughly because it was full of dust due to a home remodeling and now its as good as new

thanks for the great ideas. Amira, is mexico city safe for women travelling alone and no understanding of spanish??

Looking to take my 14yr old DD for a week long trip during the April break. We live in CT and looking to go somewhere a bit warm, but not any all inclusive beach destinations or theme parks. We both love travelling, walking around and sight seeing, history and some shopping thrown in. Any trips that you guys have taken? San Francisco?? New Mexico? Have done Grand Canyon/Sedona Europe? (Have done Paris, Rome/Florence/Venice). Cinq Terre excites me but doable just the two of us?

Can you do scenario 1 for a few years and save some money and then move closer to family later?

thanks for all the replies. I was looking at it for the heavy periods and I am becoming anemic despite taking iron. Other than that, I have no health issues, and just hesitant to do something that will cause more trouble. Still on the fence...

If you stay in a Disney hotel, then you get the extra magic hours, that might be worth it during really busy time. We went the week before xmas and I stayed in the All Star Movies, a bare bones hotel, more like a motel, but we used it only for sleeping, so it was ok. With the Fastpass and the extra magic hours, everything was doable. More than Disney, I found the early hours a must for Universal where the Harry Potter lines are so long and the unlimited express access that you get when you stay in their hotel. Not all of them have the express perk though all give early hours.

thanks everyone. Did anyone have hair loss or growth? I already have very thin hair and any more loss, then I just have to shave it all!!