All those in the US, sign here...

[mamama]

I see all these threads for Aussie people and thought we should have our own thread too. Not sure why, I just felt the need to make us feel special too!

So, who's stateside and where are you?

I'll start:

Mamama - in Chicago

Califrau - we have got a garden but not a mister, yet! . Thanks for the tip. I seriously didn't expect it to be this bad and my DD and baby hate it - hate being stuck indoors and hate being out in the heat. A no win situation! We have mozzies pretty bad here too and I am being bitten alive (at the last count I had 17 bites on my legs). I really don't want to use a deet based product - can anyone recommend a good mozzie repellant?

Twirl - I'd count you as East Coast rather than the South too. But what would I know?!

No idea about insect repellents, I'm afraid. I bet Whole Foods has some deet-free stuff.

You want "Off" - fabbie mozzie repellent. One week in FL no bites. 24 hrs back in CO - three he ho. And we've got West Nile Virus here too. Cobra mister thanks Califrau - might just invest in one of those.

twirl, Maryland is occasionally in Southern Living magazine (the Bible of the South) and dh says he thinks it is south of the Mason-Dixon line which would also make it Southern. You could also call it mid-Atlantic and you wouldn't go wrong with East Coast if you feel more comfortable with that

Okay, I'm spending wayyyy too much time thinking about this

Re: mosquitos - in Louisiana they hang up plastic bags of water which they claim wards off mosquitos. We're going to give it a try this summer. It can't hurt, lol.

I wholeheartedly believe nothing deters mosquitoes in Louisiana. Aside from the ones in Russia, I have never come upon such awful, determined critters. Usually I can get by with nothing, I guess I don't taste very good to them, but nothing stopped them from biting, and I still had welts weeks after we got back. [rant about LA mosquitoes over]

I LOOOOVVVVEE how many of you complain about the heat. I'm awful in it, that's the main reason I didn't make it in Southern Oregon. It is consistently 20 degrees or so cooler up here in the summer. What a difference 250 miles makes. You guys are even worse than I am in the heat, I didn't think it was possible. I'd show this to DH, but he's back to being a hobbit again. Sigh.

BullFrog is a good repellant too. I've heard if you eat bananas it makes you especially attractive to mosquitos.

LOL at all of you and the heat. I'm originally from southern Arkansas. Lots of 100+ days w/ high humidity in the summer - and I went to elementary school w/ no air conditioning! Of course, I am quite old....

hmmm, wondering if i will like the heat in the UK at the moment, its cold and last night was 9 C, could have done with the heating on!

Hi everybody! I'm here too! I have been the quietest (?) Mumsnet member for several years, but I wouldn't have survived motherhood without you. I'm originally from Norway, lived in London between 1999 and 2003, and am now outside Philadelphia in PA. DS 4, DD 1.

Hey there mummimamma! Welcome onboard.

bump

Sitting Bull, you will most likely qualify for dependent childcare credit. Check into it. We got back quite a lot this year on taxes with it.

hi all i'm a nanny and will be moving to ct at the end of august helping to relocate my family from the uk.probably moving to the fairfield area.anyone nearby who can give me some tips on finding a new nanny for them (as sadly i can't stay with them),places to go with a 8mth old and 5yr old in the area or who would like to meet would be great.

Hi everyone, nice to see lots of people here

I am in the process of changing my visa from a J1 to an F1 as I have decided to train as a Paediatric Nurse! My local big hospital has fabulous paeds and neonatal units, and great access to training. So I am going back to school this September hopefully to get an MS in Nursing , specialising in Paeds! Am very excited as although I love being a Nanny, I have reached the top of the ladder so to speak, pay wise and job wise and have been doing this for 10 years. I need new challenges and a more stable long term career, so nursing it is! Its very expensive but in 3 years I will be an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, and APNs have a lot more responsibility here than the Uk it appears. I might stay here and work if I get the chance, or I would LOVE to work in a neonatal unit at UCL or Gt Ormond Street back in London. I feel very optimistic about the opportunities this will give me!

So, is anyone else a nurse out there? Would love to chat!

Sitting Bull I am so glad you're nanny is turning out to be wonderful. As a Nanny the nicest feeling I have is to know I have eased the parents minds and left them feeling confident that I am loving their babies. It's really a wonderful thing

Oh NannyK, fab news.

Can I ask how you are funding it (sorry if too nosey ) - I have been thinking about maybe going back to school over here but cannot work out how to cover the $20,000 a year. Your course sounds like a wonderful one. Well done.

Happy Fourth everyone x

Nannyk - how exciting! You're right about there being lots of opportunities to use that type of degree. Especially with all the minute clinics that are opening now.

mamama - Can you get student loans? I know there are lots of different types available now.

I thought it was breezy enough to counter that temp out there, califrau?

Not sure what it is here but pleasant enough. Dh and ds1 went to watch and I had to make do with what I could see from the front porch as ds1 was sleeping.