The Land of the Free & the Home of the Brave (expats)... All Those in the US!

[UnderRated]

I just finished the old thread by accident

Dooney, sorry to hear about DS health traumas, hope he gets well soon.

Just popped in to say cheerio (it's MrsSprat, in case the festive namechange is too subtle!). Now back in England for the forseeable. I've not posted much, but thanks for being welcoming during my Canuck experience and putting up with my occasional silly questions.

I'm already missing not having 3 24-drugstores, nice sushi, many varieties of squash, nice tap/hairwashing water and pretty leaves. The Dairy Milk is mighty fine though

24 hour drugstores! I'm also missing Tim Hortons doughnuts, but my winter wardrobe is grateful.

Isn't it amazing what people feel the need to stick their nose in and dictate for other people when what the other people do doesn't affect them at all????? Things like that get me really wound up. I think the years and years of religious intolerance I grew up in really polarized me in the other direction now that I'm able to think for myself.

at missing Tim Horton's. Glad you make it back to England safely.

Goodbye MrsS - thanks for joining us. Come back and say hello every now and then, won't you? Good luck with everything. I've never heard of Tim Hortons but it sounds like a good thing!

Good for you cali. I am quite appalled that prop 8 even exists - it's 2008 for goodness sake. Why does anyone give a shit what other people do anyway? Surely these days we should all be allowed to do whatever we want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone? It doesn't make any difference to me who marries. As long as I am not being forced to marry someone I don't want to. I feel very cross about this, actually. Grr

Dooney, why was my local Walgreens selling Jewel milk today? The woman at the till was most confused and wouldn't let me buy it. She wanted to wander off with it until I huffed that I was in a hurry and she finally gave in and let me pay. Very odd...

What is Jewel?

Supermarket. Used to be Jewel Osco but the osco but was the pharmacy and I think they dropped it from the name. Doesn't matter, was just strange and the staff were flummoxed and took great delight in telling me that they don't sell Jewel milk, despite the fact that they had crates of it sitting in the refridgerated section with a huge $2.49 sticker on it

And yeah, I know this is MN and that I should be buying organic milk from my local farm...

Never mind, I figured it out.

DH says that when they get milk, it comes on a truck that is destined for all different kinds of stores, milk is something that doesn't come on a Walgreens truck from a Walgreens distribution center. Everything has a different label, depending on where it is meant to go, but it is all coming from the same spot. He's had some delivered to him that was meant for somewhere else. He always looks inside the crates before letting the milk people leave, because sometimes they give him the wrong milk. He said that is probably what happened, and nobody checked the milk. I'll leave off the part he said about their allowing it to hit the sales floor, though.

Dude, that was taking one for the team. DH has been going on about delivery mistakes, ordering problems, and even about other stores having his workers work their stores when they are on vacation from his store pretty much nonstop since I've asked him your milk question. Boring boring boring

Hello everyone I'm new here (new to the USA not mn). We have just moved from Scotland to a very small town in the mid-west 'We' is me, DH, DD (24mo) and DS (7mo).

I've been an olympic-standard lurker on this thread since I knew we were moving here, so thanks to you guys I came forearmed with thousands of Tetley teabags and a pre-ordered bread machine. But I have a couple of things you might be able to help me with:

1. What's a good nappy rash cream? (I don't think there's anywhere to shop other than Wallmart and Vaseline isn't doing the trick for poor DD.
2. What mobile network/tariff would you recommend if I'd be using it to call locally in the US and the UK the odd time?

If you have a Target nearby and liked Boots, they carry a huge range of Boots products. Not sure about if they carry diaper rash cream, though. I used to work in a pharmacy, and people loved Boudreaux's Butt Paste. I used it on my DD, who had toxic poos, and it seemed to clean them up a lot. I know Rite Aid carries it as basic stock, and if you have other national chains, they are usually able to special order it for you.

I'm not ignoring 2. I've never called the UK in my life, so I plead ignorance.

Thanks Dooney. I've seen the Butt Paste here (but the name put me off) so I'll get that tomorrow. Poos turned toxic here too, which I think sparked it off.

I know, it sounds stupid, and it put me off, too, but it was the only thing that helped in a timely manner with DD. Never had a problem with DS.

Hello MonkeyLover from a fellow mid-westerner

1. We liked the Vitamin A & D ointment but def go to Target and look in the baby section.

2. Mobile phones, depends a lot on the reception where you are. Mine is AT&T. I never use it for calling the UK though - I usually use Skype (although it's been rubbish recently) or MSN messenger for video calls. Or, very occasionally, use the landline with a phone card (from Walgreens)

AT&T have been fine for me - I use it at home and when out and about and rarely have dropped calls. Don't get a RAZR though - mine broke a week after the warranty ran out and when I mentioned it to other people they all said, "Oh yeah, that happened to me too"

East Coast
NannyK - Boston
Twinmommytobe - Boston
MuminCT - CT
Greatgooglymoogly - NY State
Yesthereare4ofthem - NY State
Brooklynmom - NYC
alarkaspree - NYC
MKG - New Jersey
Nooka - NJ
Mummimamma - PA
Twirl - MD

South
Earlybird - TN
jabberwocky - TN
Sunchowder - Florida
Marls001 - Bentonville, AR
Tinpot - NC

Midwest
SuperBunny- Chicago
Dodgykeeper - Dayton, OH
Chocchipcookie - Ohio
MonkeyLover

Rockies
Alipiggie - Boulder, CO

Northwest
dooneygirl - Oregon City, OR

California
SittingBull - nr San Francisco
Califrau - Milpitas
loopsngeorge - Brentwood, LA
Syd - Manhattan Beach, LA
SofiaAmes - LA
LATyke - Redondo Beach

Texas
Texan - Dallas
Tiggyhop - Houston
Vixie78 - Houston
BananaPudding - Austin

Canada
Hellish - Ottawa
Shouldlistenedtomymum - Hamilton
Caribbean
Barefeete - BVI

Bermuda
Anorak

Trinidad
cq

Brazil
Albert

This list is really out of date

Yep, I'm in Arkansas now.

We like the A & D ointment and also Aveeno Diaper Rash Cream. Ds2 has eczema so I have pretty much been through them all

Monkey - another vote for Target. Also if you have a Whole Foods near you they sell Earth's Best as do supermarkets I think. They have a good nappy rash cream.

This thread has suddenly made me realise how wonderful it is to have a potty-trained child. It seems years ago since I had to buy nappy rash cream but was less than a year ago. Life is SO much easier without nappies.

I am suddenly feeling a bit silly and emotional so, in a rather uncharacteristic yet restrained gush, I would like to say how wonderful this thread is and how much I appreciate all of you who post. You are all very lovely and I have really enjoyed 'getting to know' you. Having people who understand the trials and tribulations of life abroad, and having 'natives' who tolerate my our bemusement and frequent occasional rants makes things so much better.

lol. It's great isn't it not having to worry about diapers and wipes at every outing. Been a very very long time for me now - sniff sniff. But don't miss it in the slightest.