Where the Deer and the Antelope Play - Living in the USA (visitors welcome)

[SuperBunny]

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

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

Midwest
SuperBunny- Chicago
Dodgykeeper - Dayton, OH
Chocchipcookie - Ohio
MonkeyLover
KickAssAngel - Ann Arbor, MI

Rockies
Alipiggie - Boulder, CO
Ribena

Northwest
AnnieLaurie - Seattle, WA
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
Cosmicdust - East Texas

Canada
Hellish - Ottawa
Shouldlistenedtomymum - Hamilton
Nooka - BC
Jacksmama - Langley

Exotic Islands
Anorak - Bermuda
cp - Trinidad
Barefeete - BVI

Brazil
Albert

Peasoup, you'd probably be able to do that house in CA if you are actually employed from the UK. I know it's not the same as setting up a business here but would at least be a start.

I think snow has less of an impact here. Although I know Obama was rather bemused when it snowed a couple of weeks ago in DC - there was an inch or so & his DD's school closed. School NEVER closes here, not matter how much snow we have. We're used to wading through knee-deep drifts.

I'm a little late getting in on the 100 day discussion but ds1 did it too. He loved it. All of them brought in a bag of 100 things, made a necklace of 100 pieces of fruit loops and all kinds of things.

dodgy, yeah dd had a 100 day party yesterday, except she left her 100 raisins in her bag instead of sharing them! and yep, they all did valentines as well (love the card dilemma). i kind of like all the 'parties' - it is helping her to accpet that we have left behind england

dh has just got on the plane to UK for 10 days. i'm lonely & jealous. he's going back to his uk office, so spending the eves catching up with all our friends, while i'm home alone.

Oh, Kickass, that's hard

I hope he'll bring you lots of lovely things when he returns.

he has half a suitcase reserved for teabags!!
there won't be much time for shopping - first weekend he's going to his mother's, then the next weekend he's closing down the office, so emptying all the furniture etc. then he gets on the plane here again. i've told him he needs tobring dd back a present, but i suspect i'll be buying that for him.
this is my first time 'alone' here though, a bit scary. still, i'm sure i'll manage

yes, but his work will pay for him to go, whereas we'd have to pay for dd & me, plus she's meant to be in school.

just had a 'traumatic' morning at the doctor's. dd has had constipation since sunday, then yesterday she started needing to wee all the time, very urgently (great fun on the drive to the airport with dh) so i got her an appt this morning. the americans are so coy about anything toilet related, i didn't know what words to use, how much detail, they wanted a urine sample, and of course dd coudn't go etc etc. basically an hour and a half of cultural torment & faux pas!! still, things seem to be getting sorted now. i am just letting her watch cartoons whilst i recover & play with my brand new laptop.

Oh, I always find toilet conversations awkward. And I refuse to say poop so that doesn't help.

Hope DD is ok. Funnily enough, my friend's DS had the same thing on Monday.

what's really annoying is that all the medicines to help her are for 6 years & older, whereas she's 5.6. we let her have one tablet on sunday, but i didn't dare keep using it. after the doc said ok, she had another one & now she seems to be fine. if i'd just sent her to school & waited a few hours, i could have avoided it all. oh well.

Miralax is the way to go for constipation issues. It's over the counter. You add about a half capfull to water then top up with juice.

Hi Kickassangel,

How are you doing today? We go home tomorrow and it will be horrid leaving dh again . Last time ds2 was screeching so much at the airport that the security man took us to one side. I thought I was going to be arrested for child abduction, but it was just to let us jump the queue because he was making so much noise .

But we will be back for good in 5 weeks!

That happened to me, Tangarine, when DS was a baby. I got ushered to the front of the immigration queue and received lots of angry glares from other people who had to wait in line. Then the immigration man asked "Is this your baby?" to which I wanted to say, "Um, yes. Do you think I am stupid enough to steal someone else's screaming 4 month old baby who never ever sleeps? Do you want him?" but I think I just smiled and said, yes.

yep, i think i'll get some miralax this weekend, if it doesn't snow too badly. dd didn't want to go out today, she's playing some huge game that involves all her farmyard animals climbing up me & jumping off, then she's going to give them scooby snacks!
we also skyped my parents for ages. dd keeps asking for a baby sister cos she feels lonely!! i have promised her we'll skype her cousins this weekend, but it's hard expalining that she'll never have a sister.
hopefully we'll be able to skype dh & his parents this weekend - they haven't managed to sort it out yet, so he's going to help.

Oh, DS sometimes asks for a sister too. I don't really know how to tell him it is unlikely. Doesn't help that random strangers suggest that he will have one some day, without knowing anything about us.

I am bracing myself for snow. Again.

yep, snow here & i couldn't be bothered to use the snow blower, it's dh's toy really. due to get snow on & off all week.
at least i know, as a medical certainty that there will neve be a sibling for dd, so i can be clear on it. we have spent a lot of time on skype. i have alovely new laptop, so took the family for a conducted tour of the house, including the 'dungeon' we discovered after we moved in!

I always wanted an older brother.

So is banner season going to require breaking out the glue gun??? I'm not crafty and can't remember.

WHAT?
what is banner season?
is it some bizarre ritual from the south, brought on by all that sun? or am i missing another fundamental element of US culture & about to once again mess up (like the gingerbread house, valentines, toilet convos etc etc just keep adding the humiliating examples ad nauseum)

OMG you don't know about banners ?!

Just kidding, I don't do banners either. But cali is really good at it

As far as siblings are concerned being an only has definite advantages. Maybe earlybird could share some of her conversations with her dd?

I always dreamed of doing a China adoption when I was single but I don't think it's going to happen now.

PLEASSE tell me about banner season? i haven't had a note home from school, so assume that i'm exempt? (do i need a ntoe form my mother)
what is it? then i can nod knoweldgeably & make appropriate comments if it comes up