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!!

anyone has used this? I am in my 40s and the obgyn suggested this for my heavy bleeding. I am reading the side effects and weight gain and cysts are mentioned. A friend has had no side effects and is very happy that she had it. thanks for the feedback

Am I crazy to think of doing this during xmas time? I was thinking of going with DS 16 and DD 14. I know it will be very very busy, but I also hear that xmas at disney is a magical time. If I go, i will get to Orlando on sat dec 20 and fly back on xmas day. Kids want to do Harry Potter at Universal and two of the disney parks, probably Epcot and one other. We have visited all of these before, but havent seen Harry Potter yet. What has been your experience during xmas time? I havent looked at the hotel rates yet at the disney parks itself, worth doing that for a day or so? I would like to plan somewhat since its going to be a crazy busy season to visit thanks

So funny https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=668803349841072

Anyone do this? I would miss the look of the traditional turkey, but maybe it doesnt matter http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/11/how-to-spatchcock-cook-turkey-thanksgiving-fast-easy-way-spatchcocked.html

I should learn by now, an exercise club, a book club - all fell flat But then I thought of a mini dinner swap - 3/4 friends making one main dish/side dish 3-4 portions for 2 adults and we all meet and everyone gets to go home with 3/4 almost dinners. My DH laughed at me and said, food is so personal, no one will do it. My good friend from out of town when she heard about it said, "thats so stressful, now I have to think what everyone would like to eat, I would never take part in such a swap" I only sent to people that I knew well and were good cooks, not people who didnt cook at all or have diet restrictions or health issues. Of course the ladies that I sent the idea to in town, didnt think it was good either :-( one lady said, I have so many things going on with the kids, I dont have time to spend with the kids and this will be so much pressure. Another one said, DH travels so much, its just me and daughter, so we prefer to cook fresh daily. fair enough I am scratching my head, why does everyone think its so stressful, all you have to make is the same thing in a 3-4 portion size and you get back 3/4 almost dinners. yes, you have to spend the time to do that, but arent you saving time on the other days? So I told my kids, so I am going to have a mini swap at home among the four of us. You guys have to cook on the weekends and my 16 year old looked at me and said, mom, you have been doing this for so many years, you are much better at this. More like 16years of slave!!!

oh, my new favorite :-) http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/washington-dc-tours/ In april, I took the 4 hour tour of the mall area and the lincoln assassination tour. Highly recommend them. The guides are so good, that you gladly pay them a good tip. I am looking at all the cities that they cover for my next visit :-)

If you have time, see the Eiffel Tower at night. You can go to the Metro stop at the Trocadero and walk to the Tower. The lights twinkle on the hour and its very pretty. Louvre has english language tours that last about 3hours and will take you through the main attractions As someone mentioned Sacre Coeur is worth a visit and its in your area. The public transportation is fabulous, get a two day unlimited pass, if there is such a thing. We took the bus 69 for a quick overview before walking around http://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/paris-7-public-buses-that-are-great-for-cheapo-sightseeing.html I loved this companies tours in DC, seems like they have one in Paris also http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/paris-tours/

>>I had mentioned a few times to one of the moms involved (way back in the spring before this all started) how I would love to be a part of a mom's book club. Seems like you know more than one mom in the book club, can you send a bunch of them an email saying that you are looking for a book club. Maybe its the one that asked that didnt include you, one of the others might mention the book club. Are you by any chance a high achiever that the others are intimidated by you?

>>I had mentioned a few times to one of the moms involved (way back in the spring before this all started) how I would love to be a part of a mom's book club. Seems like you know more than one mom in the book club, can you send a bunch of them an email saying that you are looking for a book club. Maybe its the one that asked that didnt include you, one of the others might mention the book club. Are you by any chance a high achiever that the others are intimidated by you?

thanks everyone. It was an LLC, where we signed an standard operating agreement with the ownership specified. No money was put in, the website I was writing was supposed to be used for raising the money. So thats why I was feeling that I was the only one doing most of the work. Yes, I had understood that it was their idea and I would be developing the website, but I put in way more work than the other two, I added really good ideas to the initial idea and I was just asking to be treated as an equal. They thought that they were more savvy moneywise and could talk to the VCs etc, what I was doing was just the IT part, but without the IT part, there is no product. We all work full time on other jobs, and programming takes time. If I had continued and we didnt raise any money, they wouldnt have lost anything. I am the only one who would have put in all the hours. I knew that and i was fine with that, since I was also passionate about the idea. I raised the issue that I felt that I was working hard, one other person was passionate about it, but the third guy wasnt doing anything much. I asked to be treated equally. It was only a 3% diff, but it was just to be treated as equal that was driving me. I also felt that the third guy was just hanging around until he is sure that the idea is viable before putting any hard work. So why am I working hard so he can get his share? They countered that this is what I signed up for and that I shouldnt ask for anything more. So I said, fine, I dont want to do this any more and that I was walking away. The website was not complete but can be used by them for raising money and that was fine with me. Now they want me to sign another non disclosure for 3 years and a release agreement that I am waiving all the rights. Thats what bugged me, even after working hard, they are not inclined to treat me fairly. They are taking whatever I have written and asking me to waive any future rights without any acknowledgement. Think I am stupid or naive?? anyways, I will not sign anything and talk to a lawyer. No one can force me to sign anything, since I didnt get paid for any of the work anyways. thanks for letting me vent!!