Hi Ladies, I have the same concerns as Meagan, which I emailed you. I do think adding this FAQ as a rider would go a long way. You can never be too detailed or too specific in a contract. Any vague wording just opens the door to the possibility of litigation later. I've seen it happen and it's not pretty, but easily avoidable. Thanks, Rebecca

So funny. I just wrote about this and it went up yesterday on nycmoms. and on my personal blog too! like minds!

that's hilarious! I never thought of creating a list like that, I just go around hiding everyone I want to block. I am totally going to create some filter lists now. wish i could do that on my blog!

I never thought to do that with rhubarb, now I'm inspired to buy it up this weekend at the farmer's market. of course, i'm always inspired after reading your blog! We are a crazy jam family - at least 4 kinds in the fridge at all times. Except grape, we don't like grape. I love it on challah with butter smeared first. But for one daughter it's got to be with peanut butter and the other with cream cheese. and one of my all time favorite children's books is of course, Bread and Jam for Frances.

LOVE it! First of all a pole dancing class without a mirror is genius - but to live it up on your bday is even better. Besides, there's nothing sexier than being funny and witty, and you've got that in spades...

Holly, you're so fab, don't sweat it. Women tend to be each others' harshest critics, and when you combine that with the strange derision aimed at "mommy" blogging you get a pretty snarky result. You're a great writer with a fun niche and a unique point of view. And if all else fails tell that "friend" if she's not nice you'll write about her. :)

OK. Here's the permalink: http://www.pearltrees.com/beccarama/ But, I have to say this is NOT very intuitive - and their graphics seems very dated. I get what they're trying to do so I'm going to spend the next week playing with it - but it looks really old skool web 1.0 to me. kind go strange. I'll post about it when I get my bearings better. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on actually using it. (and how jealous am I that you were in Paris!!!) Rebecca beccarama.com

Amy, I defer to you in all things involving "angles!" :) You get me on one of those renovation shows I will become the president of the Selfish Mom fan club and recruit many nutty followers...

I couldn't agree with you more. It makes me crazy when they say how do you know who's a good teacher? I always say, well look at the teachers that every parent wants every year. Parents know exactly who they covet for their kids and there's a reason. Now this is not a scientific method they can implement, but shouldn't a performance evaluation take into account this feedback? I don't think there should be first in first out, and I don't think there should be an assumption that 20 years on the job burns you out. My daughter has a teacher going on her 22nd year who is truly one of the best teachers she will ever have in her life. There is no doubt about that. But, I think if there were a path for teachers to gracefully exit a classroom, maybe as coaches in their specialties, or as mentors to younger teachers, even at a pay cut for reduced hours, that would be better for everyone. It might not lead to the immense budget savings they're looking for, but teacher lay offs are never the answer for budget problems anyway. Not with the system we have in place now. Plus, if we could effectively get rid of the truly bad teachers it wouldn't require so many lay offs to begin with.

I hope I can make it but our auction is that Saturday and I will be baking for that! Desserts are still OK for parents and teachers apparently. What is so upsetting about this ridiculous bakesale ban is that it does nothing but distract from the true nutritional horror that is school lunch. If they were truly concerned about the fat and calories that our children take in they would revamp the cafeterias so that real food could be cooked instead of frozen farm subsidy leftovers that get reheated in mass "ovens." In one swoop the DOE has succeeded in both cutting off a source of pretty decent fundraising money and avoiding any real headway on providing healthy food for a million or so children. I think we should call for a school version of "Supersize Me" and demand that the chancellor eat only school food breakfast and lunch every day for a month and then see the results. (and I certainly wouldn't allow him to eat your fabulous muffins! Only Doritos for him!) Rebecca Levey www.beccarama.com

What's weird about this whole story is that it is not Dept.of Ed policy to arrest someone for doodling on a desk. (God knows I only got through Latin thanks to all of the "doodlings" left behind on my desk) I think the bigger problem is that there is a tendency for school officials to see kids as the enemy and use the presence of school safety officers as a means of policing the students rather than as protecting them. In this case the bad judgment came from the teachers and the principal not from a blanket policy. I also think parents need to advocate for their children and yes there is a fine line between advocating and being a pain in the self-entitled ass, but most parents don't get involved in their schools until something goes wrong or until the schools are marked for closure. So bad teachers and administrators get away with all sorts of punitive measures. And unfortunately it's the kids that pay the price for all of this nonsense. Also, I wish the Daily News would run stories about the great teachers and principals that fill our schools too and not just the nut jobs.

As a native NYer now raising my kids in NYC I can tell you that it is the best place in the world to raise them. Aside from the obvious diversity (of people, of cuisine, of art and culture) they learn to be independent from a young age. As a mom you are never a chauffeur - we don't even own a car. Hop a subway or bus, sure, but more importantly my kids WALK everywhere. When we traveled to Europe my kids hit the streets, the restaurants and the museums without missing a beat. Field trips? My daughter's class pops over the natural history museum for an hour to sketch animals, or takes a subway to Chinatown when they study China. If you're at a good public school it's more dynamic and creative then you can ever imagine. As a tourist you didn't see where families actually live - not in midtown or times square - but in neighborhoods where you don't need a set playdate to have 10 kids to play with in the playground. Soccer leagues, little league, etc. it's all here. Central Park, Riverside Park have you covered in terms of outdoors. Schools play football on Randall's Island or other parks. Last week during our snow day we caught a matinee of Billy Elliot while my cousin in the burbs was stuck inside with 3 kids driving her nuts (and she had to shovel herself out when she finally did leave the house to go to....the mall.) It's not perfect. It's too expensive and the real estate is way too costly even with the recession, but these are trade offs we're willing to make to raise our kids with all the city has to offer. Come back sometime and rent an apartment in a great neighborhood and see if you agree!

This is the case even in cities and states with supposed gifted education like NYC. Within segregated gifted programs there are a huge range of true enrichments and teaching abilities. There is no real money put behind the idea of gifted education because more policy makers, and parents, feel that those kids will always turn out just fine, or that their parents can supplement on the side. And, parents who advocate for a "gifted" child (as your administrator so subtly demonstrated) are seen as obnoxious and entitled. It's a continual struggle, I hope that if more and more parents speak out about the need to give all kids the chance to reach full potential that there can be some sort of uniform agreement on what to do with a child who is ready for more challenging work and a system in place that gives teachers the tools to truly differentiate either within a classroom or within the school itself. This is the work that needs to done on a Federal scale so that standards and expectations can be in place, and then of course actual funding to make it happen is the most important of all.

I think Jet Blue should listen up to what the parents are saying and start branding themselves as the family friendly airline!

Not as great as I had hoped. I'm just not sure what it's for other than a much cooler kindle. otherwise i would need the dock and the keyboard all the time because writing is my main purpose. Seems like a great thing for gamers. A friend commented that she would've gotten it for her husband who travels all the time but it doesn't have a camera for Skype or ichat, a must to talk to his kids at home. For students it doesn't add anything to the learning experience book wise since you can't take notes on the books as far as I can tell, and again you'd still need a laptop. so even though its very, very pretty, and i've been an Apple girl since I was 12 and got my Apple 2C, I think I'll be holding off to see what they build on from here. (though quote of the day - will they call the $1000 one the maxipad?)

Those are both great stories. I love the image of infants rolling giant carry-ons through security. I think as flying has become more stressful for everyone parents with kids have become a safe target for people to channel their frustration. I had one woman tell me they should have family only planes at Christmas so the other passengers wouldnt have to deal with screaming kids. Trust me, I told her families would LOVE that more than anyone.

I feel for you! My daughter went through this at about 3 1/2. It was just awful and draining. I can tell you that putting a clock in their room made a huge difference. Basically once she had some control over knowing what time it was she calmed down. What time does your husband leave for work? Maybe plan so that he comes in at a set time to say goodbye, but only if your son is quiet. Also, a little book light might be good too so he can turn on a small light and feel safe. And I know it doesn't help to hear, but everything - good and bad - is a phase. Just think, in 8 years you'll have to drag his teenage butt out of bed in the morning! (at least that's what I tell myself when I'm ready to lose it on my daughter for waking me at 2 am) Good Luck! Rebecca Levey www.beccarama.com

Hi Beth I'm still working on my CES post too! Just the pile of biz cards is daunting enough. Or maybe the lack of sunlight for 4 days and all that second hand cigarette smoke in the brain is the real reason why what happens in vegas stays in vegas. Think I still have visions of the Samsung area in my dreams. Great to see you there. Look forward to your round up! Rebecca Levey www.beccarama.com

I will be out of the country for the month of July. I will have email access, but not immediate access. Feel free to follow our family adventure on www.beccarama.com! Have a great summer, Rebecca