Actually I was stunned that you can buy soda with food stamps. I'm more familiar with WIC, and they're very restrictive with what you can buy. (Sweet potatoes, no white.) I think if merchants are willing to give food stamp recipients a discount on the cost of healthy food, then yes, it should be restricted. But I don't see that happening anytime soon. I know that when you're watching the budget you're looking for things that are filling and calorie-dense. For my family I focus on beans and whole grains, which are filling, healthy and inexpensive. But I also know that for what I spend on groceries I could get a whole lot more bang for my buck if I bought overly processed frozen pizzas and such. So maybe the focus should be on food education and show people that they can buy some healthy foods that are filling and tasty without breaking the budget.

Unless you're independently wealthy how are you planning to finance this purchase? Nobody without A-1 credit and INCOME will be getting a loan in this financial climate.

My husband works a lot. Sometimes he even works on Saturdays. I wish someone would show up unannounced on one of his Saturday's off. I wouldn't answer the door, or if Luke made it impossible for people not to realize we're at home, I'd answer and tell them we don't do visitors on Saturdays.

I hadn't thought of it one way or another, but when I saw her on the Today show she said something that sent my spidey senses off the chart. She said, "I lovED him." I've talked to a lot of people over the years right after they've lost someone. Almost all of them use the present tense of the verb "love," especially this soon after the loss. Something in the water isn't clean.

Oh, I also forgot to mention this IS Atlanta, Land of the Permanent Wait List. (I say this as someone who has been wait-listed for Vacation Bible School--TWICE.) This city didn't control its growth nor did it make adequate plans for it. I've found all manner of policies here that they have nowhere else on the planet--like lotteries for pre-schools.

Luke's doing well. Reading nearly on a third grade level. Loves math, especially timed math quizzes. He loves to talk (Surprise!) and he's a bit girl crazy (Quelle Surprise!), but other than that he's a well-behaved and mannerable little boy. No temper tantrums, plays well with others and does his work in a timely manner.

Of course she should be charged. As for the daycare I know that some daycares that take drop-ins have a policy like this. If you're late they assume you're not coming and give your slot to someone else. I also wonder if this is a subsidized daycare. I know in some counties if DHR or some other agency is paying for the slot if you're not there on time you lose it. I also wonder if they simply don't take drop-offs that are late. I know that at Luke's preschool they had a carpool where you drove up to the door and they remove the child from the car seat and take him inside. However, if you're late you have to walk him in.

This. I've spent too many hours second-guessing myself already, so I don't want to add anything else to that crazy-making. I've always known it was probably okay, but I also know how neurotic I am.

I wasn't kissed on the lips as a child, but Whit and I kiss Luke on the lips.

Normally it's Kashi Autumn Wheat and greek yogurt. Here lately though I've been doing a nuked egg on whole wheat with a banana. Always have my tea though, it's a staple.

Good morning. I feel good. Finally got to some sleep, but am waaayyy behind on my deadline. Book due Saturday and I've still got at least three more scenes to write. Got some great news yesterday on a project that I've been working on for soooo long. It's a new direction and I'm hoping it'll work out. In general these days I'm good.

That cape would've looked really nice with a pantsuit or even a longer skirt. With this dress? Not so much. She looks like a flasher. Mess.

They tried to pass a law in Alabama a while back that social workers would be responsible for checking the immigration status for all clients. We were like, dude, you do understand that we have to have a level of trust with these people in order to ensure the safety of children? How are we supposed to do that if they think talking to us means they get deported? Now if the ALABAMA legislature had enough sense to listen to social service personnel on this issue I would've thought folk in Arizona would know better. I guess there's simply too much stupid in the world these days. As for not profiling blacks and Asians, I wouldn't be so sure. A lot of assorted "brown" groups look similar. I've seen Latinos that I could've sworn were Japanese. And of course, a lot of blacks could pass for any range of Latino. Basically if you're brown you better have your papers at the ready if you happen to wind up in Arizona.

Sounds like Chicago has a power vacuum. Quiet as it's kept in most circumstances the criminal element polices itself. Violence is kept to a minimum because violence is bad for business and brings heat down on them. But in a case where a lot of the top dogs have been killed, incarcerated or in the case of NOLA displaced by a hurricane, the lower men on the totem pole battle it out. My guess would be that this should shake itself out in the next few months and the violence should calm down. I don't know when folk will get it through their pointy heads that soldiers and police are not synonymous. Soldiers are trained to kill, not police. They have no knowledge of police techniques and as such would more likely lead to more bloodshed. Let the cops who know who their criminals are do their job. If they make it impossible for them to take care of business those knuckleheads will get a clue and stop killing folk.

Charlie Sheen is a very talented man, but he is also a great big honking pile of MESS. Anytime your own daddy has to tell the judge to revoke your probation and then have a press conference to tell the world why, you utterly define MESS.

I have a seven year old iMac. It still runs very well considering how ancient it is. Watching videos is almost impossible, but I mainly use it for word-processing so it's cool. Plan to replace it with another iMac, but have to wait until December for tax purposes. Also plan to get an iPad at the same time if they're on Gen II by then.

Yeah, we'll laugh at our own funerals, which is essentially what we're doing. It's incomprehensible to me that black women somehow don't comprehend that when we allow these "comedians" to make light of our issues and even our own bodies we deny our own humanity. Thus making our lives (and deaths) significantly less than. Then we wonder why nobody gives a damn when we die or simply disappear. Of course, if we don't give a damn enough to denounce this fucknuttery why should anyone else. Steve Harvey is a pimp, and he's not even an attractive pimp, yet we allow him to pimp our pain for fun and profit. To make light of us and a mockery of us in a media that would use him to justify the way they dismiss us. Oh well, he's funny and hip-hop has a phat beat so keep on dancing and laughing into your graves.

No. I don't think anyone wants to be with a slob.

I'm so tired of folk bringing up Michael Vick every time something goes down. Maybe the reason no one is marching in protest is because there is no conviction, there haven't even been charges against Roethlisberger. There were witnesses and testimony to the fact that Vick killed dogs by bashing their head into concrete. This from a man who had the wealth to access legal means of euthanasia, but no, he's got to go all hardcore and torture animals to death. I'm sorry I think two years was two fucking lenient. If left up to me he'd still be in jail. Vick was stupid enough to violate federal law in his own backyard and leave evidence of his crime all over the goddamned place. No one has that kind of evidence against Roesthlisberger, or if they do they've been paid off not to share it. Ben Roethlisberger is a pig, I don't think anyone denies that, but unless and until a prosecutor is able to actually able to bring charges against his slimy ass there's not a whole helluva lot anyone can do.

I think it's pretty much established that the man is gay, and as far as I know everybody in SC already knows it. However, he's been in favor of immigration reform of one kind or another pretty much forever. He authored more than one bill back in the Bush administration.

If you want to learn how to grow tomatoes go to someone who has some tomatoes. In other words, hell no.

I was bullied from third grade on. It's a long complicated story, but suffice it to say that I'm prepared to lock and load against any mofo who so much as looks at my kid wrong. He will not be bullied, period. As for what schools can do. I dunno, but considering that I was bullied by more than one teacher and an assistant principal my confidence in the school system is not necessarily all that high. I'll put my faith in an ax handle and a 00-6 first.

Hmmm, I didn't watch the show, Luke's at home at that time. I did read an article and I thought it said they were ten years apart.

One might think so, unfortunately they are necessary to counteract the systematic campaign engaged in by formula companies to undermine breastfeeding. It's very difficult when mothers are given cases of formula when they leave to hospital to convince them that breast is best.