Happy Blogaversary!! <3 In addition to describing how you pronounce your name, I've always thought of the Silent 'I' as your observant camera eye, documenting all the places you've been in the world. :)

Glad you addressed this! I use a bokashi anaerobic composter, so I'm able to compost meat, dairy, and bones. (It's a lengthier process than the usual method, using enzymes on a sawdust-like medium, but still good.) My garbage is 99% paper and packaging. But I'm still looking for solutions as occasionally the garbage will have something that needs more than a paper bag to contain it.

Good point, Donna. I think @backpackingdad has also raised some interesting points wrt tv shows and "product placement." And I'm sure examples abound in women's beauty magazines and computer/tech product magazines. Is it just because bloggers lack lobbyists that they're getting all this attention from the FTC?

Well said, GF! I like that 65 members of Congress have said they'll only vote for a version of the bill that has a public option. If we stay strong and keep up the pressure, we can make the rest of congress come around.

Sorry to hear of this. His service was indeed a sacrifice.

These are some of the best comments to posts I've done for LA Moms Blog yet! Thanks! I'm also intrigued to learn about Green Dot astroturfing through Parent Revolution. I'd love to hear more about this, especially if anyone (else) has had direct experience with PR. April & Sarah: as a parent new to public school, I have huge props for the moms like you who've been struggling for years to get better schooling for kids in your local public schools. The problems are big, interconnected, and deeply rooted. I'd love to hear from more LA/NoCal moms if you think we've finally reached a breaking point and where we can go from here.

As mom to a kid who just recently won Second Prize, Boys' Division, Crazy Hair Day with a fauxhawk, I heartily approve of the hair experimentation! More permanent body decoration...hmmm, with you there, no piercings or tats, please! :)

Ideal girls' night in: wine, gossip, and massages!

Sorry about the job loss. Paid work meets a symbolic need as well as a pragmatic one. You're no less a feminist than before. Great post! Enjoy the time with your child.

April, that's an interesting insight I haven't seen anywhere else. Lest you think this is just a problem K-12, this is also happening at the public university level, where it's called "patronage admission": http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-college-clout-29-may29,0,2769925.story It's ticking off a lot of people at the University of Illinois--a state school. And I think it shows another way legacy admissions can be abused in an anti-democratic way.

OMG, yes. Love my son dearly but every time he wants to play light sabre battles or hear another Star Wars story, my eyes just roll up in my head from boredom. The only thing more dull? Pokemon.

I watch zero tv, which is why I recognize very few celebrities. My main tipoff: when at the Silver Lake Trader Joe's, the unnaturally thin people buying groceries in the middle of the day when other people are at desk jobs are usually actors. The few movie actors I recognize are the ones who also send their kids to my kid's school.

Lovely! Congratulations to Megan on a beautifully-observed rite of passage. How wonderful that close family and friends were there to hep celebrate.

I have a bunch of friends who hurried up and got married between May and November of 2008 when their same-sex marriages were legally recognized. Before Prop 8 passed, that is. I can't believe Ken Starr tried to add insult to injury by trying to nullify those marriages. That's just plain vindictive and mean. I believe marriage equality WILL prevail.

Emily R--definitely check your local school's website and call for details! Each school district has different rules. Amanda--LA's private school process is confusing and nerve-wracking, but NY's is a to-the-death blood sport. I think this is because NY is more hierarchical and has more invested in institutions/pedigrees. Whereas out here on the Left Coast, a hair stylist with no fancy degree (Jon Peters) can run a Hollywood studio.

I second Yvonne's idea of a joint party. It has an extra benefit: instead of attending four separate parties and seeing all your weekends in a month eaten up, you can kill all the birds with one stone (so to speak) and celebrate four kids on one weekend day. It cuts down on the inevitable flake rate. This is the part I love: you have other people to share the work and expenses with. And at the very least, there'll be three little friends or classmates of your kid to celebrate with. (We use Evite.com to try to get a sense of rsvps, provide maps, and to subtly let folks know they don't have to go crazy with gifts for each child if they don't know the family.) Don't feel bad about your efforts. Your daughter had a great time and that's what matters.

IlinaP, horrible that you experienced all that as a young woman. Thanks for speaking out loud & strong against physical abuse. Anyone have any connections to Sitrick (Chris Brown's publicists) and Zomba Music Group (his label)? Here's what I found via Google: Sitrick & Co. 1840 Century Park East, Suite 800 Los Angeles, CA 90067 phone: 310.788.2850 fax: 310.788.2855 toll free: 800.288.8809 Zomba: Zomba Recording Corporation 137-139 West 25th Street New York, New York 10001 phone??

I have a sailor/potty-mouth too, and enjoy the usual choice epithets in casual conversation. But the one word I won't use is 'cunt.' No matter how much I might dislike another woman, I can't bring myself to call her that. ('Bitch' I feel is different, it can be playful as well as angry.) A toast to the motherfuckin' platypii!!

Well, considering that my child's school frowns on calling a person "stupid," I really have to be inventive.

Sorry to hear about the layoff, Heather. I'm glad health insurance isn't a worry now--what a huge relief you're all covered under your husband's job benefits. (I instantly recognized your little girl and those gorgeous blue eyes...I think we met briefly at an LA Moms blog event?) Anyway, I found making a flexible schedule makes the time go a little more quickly. Mommy & me classes are also good. The saying "the days are long but the years go fast" is so true. Enjoy the time together!

I'm an only (of a WOHM) and my son is an only (I'm a WAHM). And do I ever agree that some people feel free to let fly with dumb stereotypes about only children. I'm severely tempted to say, whenever a rude person announces that "only children are so spoiled/selfish, etc...", "Do you have siblings? Because most people I know with siblings are so thoughtful and well-mannered."

Ugh, sorry your life has seen a stretch where you just can't seem to catch a break to make everyone happy. Sucks. I wouldn't worry about the person who complained about Sac'to, or the PR person. Wish I had some more concrete suggestions to offer regarding Megan's gymnastics schedule, but other than saying, "You're being an incredible mom by supporting your daughter's passion with such commitment," I don't have any creative ideas about how the solve the problems at the new gym. It doesn't sound very pro-active, but sometimes getting a good night's rest and letting yourself mull different options is the most productive thing you can do. xxoo Cyn