Rox. I actually think many of the Y5 Kids have bdays between Sept and Dec 2nd. The rest of the country has cutoff dates for Sept or Oct 1st. Many parents decide on Y5, because they want to be in "line" with the rest of the country. If California changed the cutoff dates, I am sure that you would see less Y5 programs. It is filling a need, because California has a bizarre cutoff date.

Oh my... a subject that I went through 5 years ago. My daughter was born on Nov 29th - a few days before the cutoff. We ultimately decided to send her to YOUNG FIVES.... b/c the cutoff for the rest of the country is Sept or October 1st. As someone who grew up on the east coast, we wanted to make sure our daughter was of similar age, in case we ever moved. Also, we felt that another year was a "gift" for her.... but that was our personal feelings. Young Fives is not right for every child. I have NO IDEA why California has such a WACKY cutoff date. Dec 2nd? Where in the world did that date come from? Just from my (limited) observation. Many families in SV (especially if you have a boy) wait. At least, in our school. You know your child. YOU know how your kid will do.... and ultimately know what is best. For what is it worth, I wish California would CHANGE the cutoff date, so ALL our children are in line with the rest of the country. But this IS California and we seem to beat to our own drum.....

You are not alone... the school districts in Northern California are going through similar issues! The whole state of California is MESS - when it comes to funding education. What a shame for our state and children!

I love this post on so many different levels. We are Jewish and at the age of ten, my daughter is finally attending Hebrew and Sunday School. We were conflicted if we wanted to send her... but finally felt it was right to give her a Jewish identity. Though we still struggle with our decision. Fortunately, she LOVES hebrew school - which frankly, shocked us. It is wonderful that your daughter can create suck a strong Jewish identity at such a young age.... jill

Amen Miss Lori.. and so eloquently said!

If I won the $200 gift card to Staples, I would purchase the same two items - since we seem to lose them in our house (or the kids just hide them for fun!). Tape and staplers. If I could share my dream holiday gift, it would be a vacation with my family. A MUCH NEEDED vacation...

I am now a HUGE fan of MUNDANE moments.... Heck, I know long and embrace them! Thanks for the comment and kind words. Jill

I am so in awe of the Stanford Birthday Celebration party/picnic. I hope my mom decides to attend next summer!

Hey Linda. What I learned from these past two weeks: The doctors know a LOT ... but there is a TON they don't know. Never give up fighting or hoping! Miracle can and do happen!

Thank you Amy! I am so glad you brought this topic day to our attention.... it made me feel REALLY hopeful, and I needed that! Jill

Thanks Lori for your kind words....and please, don't weep! She is doing MUCH better :)

Yes... the grass is always greener on the "other" side. I totally can relate to what YOU are feeling... and what is going on with your relationship with your spouse. The SAME EXACT THING happened to ME! I was miserable working full time, so I decided to leave my high paying job/career and became a full time stay at home mom. After a few months, I was insanely jealous of my working moms.... and then angry at my husband for having a "life" at work. Lunches, meetings, assistance, time to think about something other than a crying baby. It took me some time... but I was able to create a part time gig that helped with balancing MY LIFE. It is just a matter of finding that right opportunity and drawing clear boundaries. When I am at home... I AM AT HOME WITH MY CHILDREN. When I am at work, the kids are in school or I have child care. Is it perfect??? No.... life is not perfect. There are hiccups along the way. There are times when I wish I was with my kids more often. There are times when i still wish I worked full time.... Good Luck... and thank you for sharing!

I love this post... for so many reasons! First, i am the person who has plain, white china. I picked it out over 10 years ago, and to this day, I keep building on the "white" theme. But... I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my grand parents china. I mix and match it with the white plates ALL THE TIME! I also love going to estate or garage sales, to find unique pieces for bargain prices. I even started a collection of tea cups... and I am not exactly sure why... because I don't drink tea that often, or have "tea parties". Though I do love displaying them in my china cabinet - which I also don't think many people use any more.... but I do.... every day! Thanks for writing this post... and reminding me that I really DO LOVE MY grandma's china!!!

It is so strange how we all deal with grief. Like Nicole, I was sheltered from grief as a child. No "real close" losses in our family. Then, a year and a half ago, my mother was diagnosed with leukemia and then had to have a marrow transplant. I had to seek counseling for panic attacks and did everything I could to not go on antidepressants. I was so sad, so angry, so scared...... It took a toll on me physically and emotionally. I still feel the battle wounds of hearing the diagnosis and then dealing wtih the treatments. I never knew that grief could hit me so strong. Shouldn't it happen to someone else? I thank you for sharing this post. Grief and sadness hit us in so many different ways. I understand... life isn't always perfect or even good or fair. You actually sound very, VERY strong..... Jill Asher

I know a little girl who died (YES, DIED) of chicken pox. She was a few weeks away from being vaccinated (just brought to the US after being adopted from China). She was one years old, and about to receive a vaccination, when she caught the chicken pox. A few days later, she was in the hospital with seizures. Then, she died. For those of you who do not vaccinate your children, you put the rest of our kids at risk. I certainly understand if there is a medical reason for your child NOT to be vaccinated.... there are always extreme cases....and I certainly embrace getting vaccinated on a slow schedule. My younger daughter always reacted poorly to vaccinations, so we spread them out. But to take a hard stand and encourage our population NOT to be vaccinated... well, to me that is irresponsible and dangerous. Both for your children, and mine!

Thank you for writing such a brave post and sharing such a personal and tough situation on SV Moms Blog. Sadly, I can share your feelings, as I have watched a family member relapse and return to rehab quite a few times. Alcohol and drug addictions are so tough on the individual and the family that loves him or her. Just know that you are not alone.... and that relapse happens more than not. Hopefully, your Father will be able to take rehab seriously.... and then come out and become active in AA. For many, that is the only way to stay sober. He is also fortunate that his family is there for support. As family who loves him, you want to help.... and what we learned is that we can be there to love and support him. But as a family, we also learned that we could no longer enable his addiction. And that was one of the toughest things for us to do... because loved ones simply don't know what to do, and at times, it is easier to enable and make excuses for the addict, than confront him and force him to rehab. By the way, the fact that your father willingly went to rehab is a great first step.... and you should take this as something positive. Big Hugs... I know this is really tough for you and your family. Jill

Michelle. BOTH alcohol and marijuana are gateway drugs. If you go to any rehab clinic, you will see the MANY who are there because they started smoking pot. Believe me, they are there..... along with the alcoholics. Incredibly sad. Incredibly frustrating. No simple answer.....

Geekmummy. My fear is that so many additional people will need rehab, that the money earned from taxing marijuana will go to their care. And here is something else to mention. Our court and prison system is full of drug addicts. And most of them do NOT receive the care and therapy that they need to recover. Sadly, I also know way too much about this, as well. A lot will depend on what state someone is arrested and then convicted.

I certainly appreciate all the responses. I wanted to address a few comments. First, Governor Schwarzenegger asked us to talk about the legalization of marijuana - not alcohol. So that is what I did. Alcohol is absolutely a gateway to other drugs... but so is marijuana. Probably, more so if it was legal. Debate me all you want in the comment section on this ... I am just sharing what I learned from experts that help addicts each and every day. Let me be clear. I really enjoyed smoking pot and it never led to addictive behavior for me personally. I could handle it. But after so many years observing a family member who started with marijuana and then jumped to other harmful drugs, I see the affects that it has on someone who has the "addictive" gene. I see how it has ruined years of his life. I see how he struggles to stay sober. So yes, I have become a lot more conservative in my thinking. I have lived it. I know the harm it can do to someone and a family. For everyone here who thinks that drugs should be legalized - I challenge you to spend time in a rehab clinic. I challenge you to support a family that is torn apart because of drugs. I challenge you to attend and AA meetings.... and then come back and say that you still support legalizing a substance that destroys lives. Again, I see your points. If I didn't experience all of this first hand, I would be rattling off everything you are saying. I wish there was a simple answer.... It's just that legalizing something that will lead to drug addiction for SO MANY people scares the hell out of me. Especially because I have seen it first hand. I don't mean to sound like a Preacher.... I don't mean to judge. I even see your points and many are absolutely valid. That is why there is no simple answer here. Please... keep the conversation going! It is important that all our voices be heard. Jill Asher

Debbie. Thank you for sharing this....

Hey Michelle. I do see your point.... and yes, I am tightly wound up on this one - especially since I was so involved on NO on PROP 8 here in California. I see the pain that it has caused so many in my community. I will also have to respectfully disagree about my analogy about slavery... I know many people who are affected by the anti gay sentiments who feel like they don't have the same rights (and they DON'T) as heterosexuals. But I do find your post humorous! :) ... and I am really glad she didn't win!

I just sent this post on to my husband... I also dig watching dads with their daughters..... I smile, too! Great post!

RANT TIME! Ok, I am not going to be politically correct here.... or maybe I am? I found her answer beyond insulting. And yes, maybe I am overly sensitive to her comment. I live in the state of Calfornia and I took part in rallies and online efforts for NO on PROP 8. I am not gay, but I believe that every person has the right to marriage and the benefits that come to that license. The votes were close and I was deeply saddened for my state, my community, my friends, my family members that are now discriminated against because they are in a same sex relationship. Believe me... I can go on and on why this is discrimination... but I will save that for a post. I can be respectful of someone who disagrees with my point of view.... but not someone who is representing MY COUNTRY and MY STATE... and I am shocked that Perez Hilton didn't go bonkers right THERE when she answered the question. (Perez, so glad you made your video after the show!) Did you not know that the audience was BOOING her response? Even if she did not believe in same sex marriage, she could have said ... leave it to each state to decide. She knew she made a HUGE mistake with such a STUPID answer (see, I told you that I was not going to be politically correct). Some day, our children are going to look back on the decisions we made... and shake their heads in sadness - like we do with slavery. How can we, as a country, be so intolerant to one another? And how in the world can we (meaning, the state of California/my home state) have someone like Carrie Prejean represent us? Ok, I know I won't be very popular with this comment... but I felt I needed to say something....

I attended the meeting last night at Duveneck, and here is what I took away.... (disclosure, I am just beginning to learn about EM/Chicago Math). Let me start with the positive. It is apparent the Dr. Skelly empowered a group of parents and teachers to review a wide range of math curriculum's, approved by the State. The group was made up of teachers and parents. Based on their experience by looking at the materials and trying it out in a select group of classrooms, they feel positive about EM/Chicago Math. Anytime a group of teachers is passionate about their education materials and the subject, this is a good thing. The EM materials (at least from what I saw) seem to be top notch. I can see that our teachers would be "fired up" to use this as a tool to teach our children math. Alright... so let me voice my concern. We have over 60 contributors on SV Moms Group from NJ and Chicago - where this curriculum is implemented. Yesterday, I sent an email to our group of mom bloggers (writers) and asked for their feedback on EM. You can see from the above comments.... and I received many private emails. Not one (I repeat, not ONE SO FAR) has giving rave reviews about EM. Most of them talk about "spiraling" - which I think means.... Teachers move on to a new concept, before the child grasps the basics. These kids are falling behind at alarming rates. In addition, parents are supplementing with tutors or math classes after school to "undo" what has gone on in the classroom. Either you are "ok" with it... or hate it. Also, districts throughout the country seem to be dropping EM like hot cakes! Dr. Skelly did address this issue, saying that Palo Alto does have the funds and staff to train our teachers to teach this curriculum. School districts without adequate funding or resources to educate their teachers on this program won't (and haven't) succeeded. Again, I am coming in to this late in the game. Honestly, I did not pay much attention to this change - because I do trust our administration and teachers. Our experience with the PAUSD has been excellent... But I must admit (listening to the crowd of parents last night at Duveneck).... that there is reason for us (the parenting community) to pause and take a deeper look at this decision... since it will effect our children. My final question - which did not seem to get answered last night.... Why is our district wanting to change our math curriculum, when we already have some of the top scores in the state (and Country)? Why not stick with what is currently working? Especially to a program that is so controversial? It certainly would be great to hear from parents AND teachers that have positive experience with Everyday Math.

UPDATE, UPDATE, UPDATE.... New Jersey DMV is beyond evil. I FINALLY got through to the Newark Municipal Court, and they DID receive my payment. HOORAY.... HOWEVER.... I called the NJ DMV to confirm that this ticket is OFF my record, and they HUNG UP ON ME... b/c I could not verify my Wayne address (that is in their system). I lived in Wayne when I was six years old, but the address they have is NOT (I REPEAT NOT!!) the address I lived in... So... They won't clear my information. They told me to write a letter (huh???? a letter, to who????).... So .... I am now trying to call back and have been on HOLD FOR ONE HOUR! ONE HOUR I REPEAT... ONE LONG HOUR.... and will try to speak to someone else, b/c I have NO IDEA what to do. Anyone reading this with the NJ DMV? CAN YOU PLEASE (I AM BEGGING) HELP ME??? I am beyond frustrated! Thank god I left NJ!