GAAAH! I opened it and saw the pink tongue and thought it was a SNAKE! Fun! astrid

Exterior decorating companies?? Never heard of such. astrid

SWEET! Love it when things line up like that--- enjoy it! astrid

http://urbanchickens.org/ http://www.thecitychicken.com/ http://www.backyardchickens.com/ http://www.mypetchicken.com/default.aspx There are lots of great books--- The one Janet linked is a good one. We live in a very small, residential neighborhood of old homes on small lots, close together. We have seven hens and LOVE them to pieces. SO rewarding! astrid

Well I don't think I fit his critiera because I only have one child and though we homeschooled through 8th grade she is now in high school as was our plan all along, but...... K-State is on her short list of schools she wants to attend (from our home in CT!) and I have lots of family who are grads, so I just want to say.... GO WILDCATS!!! (and congratulations to your husband!) astrid

NEEDLES!!!! NEEDLES!!!!! PLEASE, NEEDLES!!!!!! Those looms are one-trick ponies! astrid

OMG I had no idea?! I'll check out WF before I buy some. Enjoy the wine, ladies-- and then knit elves and Christmas trees! :-) astrid

Molly is 15, tall and lean, but athletically built. No belly, but she's a swimmer (butterfly) so she has shoulders and upper arms. She also goes to public high school in Connecticut so here's a list of places she likes: Hollister (though it's very casual, EXPENSIVE stuff-- logo hoodies, etc. American Eagle (not great quality, but fit and style is ok) Garnet Hill (some stuff) Eddie Bauer (again, some is too old, but she loves a lot of their cardis and scarves, and the jeans fit her well) Aeropostale (very much like AE and others) Forever 21 Charlotte Russe H&M Hope that helps! astrid

oh well I know nothing about "tiers." Didn't even know there was such a thing. I just know that recruiters seem to nod and understand when they hear the acronym "GED" and get a puzzled, skeptical look when they hear "NEDP" or "homeschooled." astrid

Who is blaming babies? And no, I don't think many people see the kind of poverty and its repercussions that I was referencing. Hollow-cheeked, several-generations-of-crack-addicted-family-members, profoundly mentally ill. Literally no way out. Duquesne University is a major accomplishment; bravo to that boy! But most of the profoundly urban poor have more of a chance of winning the lottery than graduating from a school like Duquesne. It's just not a possibility for the vast majority of the population with which I am most familiar. astrid

See? I knew we really just agreed! :-) astrid

Inner-city. Lack of transportation to/from ANY job. Lack of child care, even if a job was available. Lack of education past fourth grade. Lack of mental health sufficient to hold down a job, in many cases developmentally delayed or profoundly mentally ill or challenged such that they are unable to hold a job if they get one. No roof overhead, but rotating with kids from shelter bed to shelter bed to street. THIS is the kind of poverty I"m talking about. Very VERY little chance of ANY WAY OUT. astrid

LOL well lookit that! ;-) Five stars and a dollah will get me a cup of Dunkin' Donuts (which I sorely need right now!) astrid (who seriously didn't know those existed before that thread today!)

No, I think we actually agree on a lot. I'll just go ahead and say that IN MY OPINION it's the height of irresponsibility for one to continue to have unprotected sex if one is not able to feed/clothe/nurture the children one has. Except in the cases of rape, pregnancy is, as my dad used to say, "self-inflicted." :-) And I know it's not what YOU meant, but you'd be surprised the nasty-grams I've received for chosing to not only work but to raise my child without siblings. Tantamount to abuse, some think! ;-) <insert winking smilie here....they don't work on my office computer> astrid

No, my point is that while I think we can all agree that the idea of a loving family is the way we think all babies should enter the world, the reality is that poverty, addictions, abuse, etc. all play a role in both repeat pregnancies and robbing those babies of stable, loving homes. I work every day with women who have more "blessings" than they can afford financially or emotionally. They know this, and they continue to get pregnant. More babies make their lives more chaotic and the existing children suffer further. It's a vicious cycle that I see. They are neither "crazy" or "don't like their kids." They are just overwhelmed with a huge variety of overwhelming circumstances, some of which are not all of their own making. But then, I'm a working mom of an only child. Two major strikes against me in most minds here. Do I have an opinion about this topic? Yes. A strong one at that, that heretofore I've withheld. Oh--- disclaimer: I have no stars, so anyone feels like disagreeing and retaliating by giving me only one star, you'll be actually helping my rating. ;-) astrid

We don't drink much wine, and I found this adorable pattern for Christmas trees tops for wine corks. But I need corks! I don't think I've ever seen bags of them for sale anywhere? Would a restaurant give them to me? They don't save them, do they? Frustrated because they're ADORABLE but I don't want to go buy corks at the hardware store, I want the cute WINE corks! astrid

It's not just children of "ball busting career parents" who grow up not being cuddled, and in daycare (or worse) 24/7 without family stability. astrid

Ha ha ha! I just checked and I have ZERO STARS!! Does that make me akin to Typhoid Mary? Or the sophomore girl who picks her nose and has bad skin and doesn't wear Benetton? ;-) Yeah....I just don't have enough brain matter to get all worked up about my starlessness. astrid

Yeah.... me too. I saw the starts on top of threads but didn't know they were clickable-- I guess I just assumed the stars were based on the number of replies or views a thread has gotten. But I admit I haven't gone poking around the new board a lot. There are probably lots of people dissing me here and I don't even know about it! :-) Not that I care...... seriously. astrid

I deal with recruiters all the time who don't understand the National External Diploma Program that I administer here in CT. It's an alternative to the GED, portfolio-based, and self-directed. So I often talk to recruiters who have former clients in their offices, holding their NEDP Diploma (which is an actual local diploma, not a state certificate like the GED is in most states.) Recruiters often need an explanation, etc. about the program because it's little-known but more rigorous than the GED. Some decide to accept it, some don't. BUT, I always tell students if they're having trouble with recruiters who may not accept their credential to just take the GED. In most cases (your son's included, I'm sure) it's pretty much a formality and they breeze through, which results in a credential that the recruiters are more familiar with and more likely to just rubber-stamp. He's adorable-- "smokin' hot girlfriends." LOVE that adolescent mind! :-) astrid

Molly has BearPaw boots. She loves them. Most of her friends have them, and hers are going on her second winter. Not expensive; maybe $50? Best price i found was on Amazon, but you can find them at Kohl's pretty cheap too. astrid

I was just getting ready to post the same-- this kid may have been disappointed by his birth father, but I wonder if Birth Father has mental illness? Because this kid seems more like someone with severe psychiatric issues to me. "There's someone inside of me...." and the kinds of threats make me think there's not much of a firm tie with reality there. Perhaps inpatient psychiatric care? At any rate, the family needs a respite. That poor grandmother. And mother! And the baby sister! It's so heartbreaking. astrid

Completely agree. If you're up for it, a raw diet could be the answer. In any case, I'd add in some probiotics. astrid

No picture? Sounds lovely-- just your description brought tears to my eyes. What a lovely idea. They will adore it and cherish it. astrid

UGH-- Labs are notorious for dog gas! :-) I'd try switching to a grain-free food. If she's quite active, she probably doesn't need a senior food. Basically "senior" formulations have lower fat and protein because the assumption is that dogs are more sedentary in their senior years. astrid