Shanti, thanks I will look those up!
I can't really go no-poo. I look awful when I do that...my hair is already unruly and when I do the no poo thing, it gets looking like a whacked out Qtip on a bad day. Frizz ball city. Very unattractive. 
) and sort of comb/scrape the crust off. This will hurt ds a little, but the cradle cap will be soft by then and should scrape off pretty easily. Then shampoo as usual. If I do this once a month now and then it keeps the cap away ... from my dd2 (4) who also still has it. Cradle cap is a fungus and the tea tree kills it. As for other products, Ive read that sodium laureth sulfate (which is in 98% of shampoos, and gives them their sud) is very drying and can be irritating to some people. However, people like it b/c it gives them the feeling that they are getting their hair clean. Ive used shampoo without it and it felt weird (not to have the bubbles ), but didnt make my hair look weird. Maybe that's a start. \
Sparkle, don't replace the windows yet. Get that window film stuff from 3M that you put over the window and then blow dry it to make it fit. We used to use that whenever we moved into a (drafty) apartment rental in Boston during our college/early marriage days. It isn't very attractive but it does the job.
Thanks for the olive oil/tea tree recommendation. I do have special tea tree shampoo (from the health food store) but not sure if it has SLS or not. I have been so bad about going back to the crap stuff from CVS just due to money. Sigh. Need to start cleaning up the act, literally.
Coconut oil is a wonder! We use it for everything around here. Val had really nasty scalp issues when we were in AZ. I would rub coconut oil in her hair, comb out the dry stuff, then wash her hair like normal in the tub. It cleared up really quick. It's also a great conditioner before a bath/shower too and wash as normal. It leaves our hair really shiny. I just started no poo'ing here for me. Hard water makes my hair greasy. A baking soda mix in water is helping but not a ton. Does anyone else have other ideas?
Holding Zub in my love and prayers. There are many here supporting you mama and unfortunately many who know loss as well. We love you, mama and are thinking of you!
Thanks for thinking of me. I am unbelievably sick still and I can't wait to feel physically better. I'm scheduled to have a D and C tomorrow morning. I went to meet with the surgeon this morning and I had to take DS, and I got there and the Dr. canceled the appointment. After a lot of sobbing they at least scheduled the procedure without having the pre-op. It's the same surgeon as before. What a difficult day. I spent mostt of the day crying in my office, followed by a terrible class where I really felt as though I must be losing my mind.
Jaygee, so sorry for your double loss, too. It does give me hope that it's possible to have a healthy pregnancy after 2 losses. It's so hard to comprehend how this could happen twice - to see the heartbeat twice and to then have a silent miscarriage twice. Feel so lucky to have little Rafi, and thank goodness he is such a big baby still.
All about me, as usual. One day I will be a better dingo.
Big long reply yesterday was deleted by the loveliest of toddlers. I gave up for the day at that point!
Zub, wishing you a gentle day tomorrow, and hope that getting beyond the nausea helps you get closer to a place of healing. Big hugs.
RM, congrats on the amazing half!! 
real, and bec, congrats on your races, too. Real, I love the idea of running with my oldest- the race I did last had a 3K fun run that some of her classmates did, but I can't get her interested. She doesn't like competition, and can't be convinced that it's just for fun.
Aaaand, I forget everything else I wanted to say! (Should have taken notes...).
Je parle francais, e un po di Italiano. I did French Immersion through grade 12, then Italian for a first year university elective. I won an award for free tuition for the second year Italian, so dropped stats to take a second year (this is why I am taking stats now...though I don't really regret the decision- I think I've used Italian more than I would have stats in the past decade). My french and italian get terribly scrambled at times.
RR- Had a lovely one hour run in the trails yesterday. After the race, the hills that I normally do felt quite tame. After the run we did a ton of work in the yard: turning compost, moving soil out of planters and finishing getting the garden winterized.
NRR- The weekend was busy: 6 year old b-day party went smoothly, visit with husband was good (and LOTS of good conversations about the "state of the union"), the house and garden got organized. The kids are now having the very predictable difficult day after he left first thing this morning, especially the youngest who has been hanging off my leg most of the day. Husband won't be back for 4-5 weeks now, so lots of time to settle back into our routines and to continue figuring out where things stand. Oh, and the last minute (and oh god I hate procrastinating!) stats assignment from last week? I got a 96 on it- I guess I work well under pressure, but I'm going back to my usual routine of submitting a few days in advance from now on. Especially since the errors were silly things that I would have caught on my usual second look over.
Zub. Be gentle with yourself, and lean on us as much as you need. Don't feel an ounce of anything but love and support for making it about you right now.
RR: I did shoulders and a 5k walk this morning, and then spin for tri class this evening!
Sparkle, poppy took our FS around SFO and Oakland with her ds and dd. They photographed really cool stuff, not your "typical" shots. My dd is doing her own (as the kids all do in class here), so we took FS to the beach, the mall, and a few other places. This weekend, we cut out a paper abaya and scarf and took her along for Eid al Adha. She has to present hers this week. For me, it has meant a lot of downloading and moving files, that's all. But we did take some funny pics, like FS diving with the sculpted divers in the waterfall fountain at the mall, and FS lounging in the pool. (Laminated.) Also, a dear friend just announced she is taking a solo vacay to Santa Fe. Don't know when, but I am jealous! And agreed with Nic. The window film ain't pretty but makes a huge difference (if you can keep small children and cats from sticking fingers/claws through it).
Nic, I've never been good with no-poo. I'm sensitive to certain smells, and my own head is one. Maybe that's weird, but it's true. Good luck figuring it out.
MelW, glad hub's visit was good. I know the potential for upheaval insanity. I live it. I hope the talks continue to lead down a mutually satisfying path. It can be tough.
RM, agreed! Amazing half! Great work!
Hub's off to Abu Dhabi today. He invited us to ride along, but his mtg is in an industrial block and I'm really not keen on navigating a city I've never driven, with kids in tow, to kill time while he does work. And it has now rained two mornings in a row here. Be amazed. It actually smells sort of clean-like. Hm. Half of me is hopeful we might have a green and lovely winter, the other half is afraid we just used up our two annual rainfall days.
In other news, heard back from the credit union but I'm not crazy about the terms they want to offer. We've never done anything unconventional, mortgage-wise, so an ARM sounds like crazy talk to me, and the intro rate is a full % point higher than the going rate for fixed 30-years. All because I'm over here right now? Hm. We'll see what a bank says next. I have a few days to figure it out, IF the offer's even taken seriously. It's really low. 
Jo, deep breaths. It will work out the way it's meant to.
Okay, help. Apparently dh's holiday thing is a black tie 'night at the opera' affair. I have NOTHING to wear that is remotely appropriate. He offered to go shopping with me for something nice. I need something modest (i.e. covered) but I also want it to be elegant and sexy. Where in the heck am I going to find such a thing? I hate shopping for myself. Hate. Hate. Hate.
Nic, what size are you? I have a floor length dress that'd work - it's a deep purple, almost midnight blue color - velvet/velour on top and long skirt with net overlay. The dress is tank sleeves, but it has a matching velvet/velour jacket with a single button on top. It's very formal and classy. It's a 6, but my regular pants size is 10, and I usually wear more of an 8-10 in a dress so I think it's a little vanity sized. I'd be happy to send it to you if you'd like it - I love it, but I bought it for a formal affair a couple years ago, and prolly won't need to wear it again. I bought it at Bergner's. You might try there or Nordstrom if you are going to shop for something. Or, consignment shops. I know from shopping for dd that they are showing more short dresses these days, so finding something longer can be tricky.
We got back from Ohio late last night, and I took the day off work today. I've been super lazy - but it's been forever since I had a day off to just be home alone!
Hi Jen! Thanks! I'm an 8 so it might work for me. Can I borrow it? I'll send it back in great shape, I promise! I'll pm you my address and pay you back for shipping.
oops double post
Or, consignment shops.
I was going to suggest this, too. Our consignment shops always have a full rack of the very dressy dresses, all styles. Do you have any good consignment shops in your area?
jo, thinking of you and of your offer. May everything fall into place for you.
nic, I hope Jen's dress works for you!
RR- Nothing today, but I have a master plan for a week with an hour daily of exercise for marking week next week. Kids are going overnight to their uncle's on Saturday (my first night by myself in over six years!), so I hope to do an hour run each on Saturday and Sunday, still figuring out Monday, bootcamp on Tuesday, runs Wed & Thurs (kids in daycare and I be flexible about work hours), and bootcamp Friday. Now just to see if I can do it.
In other running news, I found this photo of me from the trail run on Oct. 30th. I'm smiling!
NRR- Childcare nightmares today- my sister was coming home from a visit from Vancouver, and was supposed to take the kids at 3 so I could work this evening. Her bus back from the ferry was scheduled to arrive at 12:30, but didn't leave until after 12, then had mechanical troubles and went back to the station, and she didn't get in until 6:30!! I took the kids to a friend's house, then had grandma pick them up after work, and she had to take both of them to the violin group lesson from 6-7 (which is terribly late for a group of 5-7 year olds, but especially bad to add a toddler to the mix!). All was well, but I spent far to much time phoning and texting and co-ordinating everything.
Zub, I'm so sorry about having to have another D and C. I can't imagine how you must be feeling, and I hope you give yourself time to heal and to grieve. I'm thinking of you.
I've lost track of everything at the moment. I'm in one of those funks. You know, the kind that doesn't really have a reason? The weather is great; I've been running a bit and doing tons of yardwork so our yard looks good. I'm keeping up on housework and the kids' schedules. But I really just feel as though I'm drowning, or just on the brink of everything completely exploding. I don't know why that is, and I don't know how to fix it. I find myself counting down the days to the end of the school year, when things will slow down and I can relax. I need a different strategy for keeping things together, I think.
But in actual running news, I'm doing the bridge run in Newport, RI this weekend. It's 4.2 miles over a bridge that people are never allowed to cross on foot. My dad and DH's aunt are running it, too, so I think it will be fun. My mom, who is in good shape but has never been a runner, said that she thinks she's going to try to run this year so next year she can do it, too. The thought of my mom taking up running--
makes me so happy.
Okay, off to get DD on the school bus and DS to the doctor for the stomach pain he's been having. Constipation? Strep again? See my anxiety level rise.
La - When things get busy, my anxiety rises, too. Right now, I'm staring down the face of all of our regular activities, the holidays, 2 out of 3 kids' birthdays and retail during peak season!! I have had one of my days' off cancelled this week, and another one rearranged. I was sort of needing that time to get my house in order, as it is always on the verge of collapse and chaos. My 2 older girls have Speech Challenge this weekend, where they need to memorize poems and present them to a small group (public speaking with no competition). Emily has hers memorized, but her presentation is pretty repetitive and sing songy (only important, because it makes it tough for me to listen to over and over again!) and Katie is doing The Raven, and is still working on getting the last 5 stanzas memorized!! This is kind of how she rolls with these things (it doesn't come together until RIGHT before), but it causes me stress, and then I try to hide that from her (she doesn't need my baggage), and that causes me MORE stress!!! All this to say, I get it! And, don't really know what to do about it short of quitting work, withdrawing the kids from all activities and generally becoming a reclusive hermit (which, of course, has it's own set of problems!).
Nic - I hope Jen's dress works for you! It sounds beautiful. I know I am focused on accessories right now because of my new job, but if you have a store like Charming Charlie, it might be a perfect place to get earrings, necklace, bracelet and the like! Oh, and we need a picture of you all decked out!!!
Mel - What a cute picture!!!
LaLaLaLa, hoping it's something simple. I know funk and a drowning feeling, and neither is good for the peace of mind. For a while, I'd wished my mom would pick up running. But it's not in the cards. She's not a believer. 
Enjoy the unique perspective of the bridge run. I'm sure it will be a good time.
Nic, drjen's dress sounds very nice. I'd probably hit up consignment, too, or find a way to avoid the thing altogether (my usual MO). In fact, dh was at his work party at the boss's house until midnight last night. It was obviously SO not my thing, but I definitely felt pangs of just wishing I could get out of the friggin house in an evening and forget a little about the day to day here. But your thing actually sounds like it could be fun--and perhaps also a networking opportunity for you. So enjoy!
Hub was home today so I didn't get out to run. Instead, I stayed home and did nothing. At all. He went to the doctor's and I did some laundry, then I made a big couscous for dinner, and eventually we got our crap together enough to book a week in Istanbul. We have flight reservations and a hotel reserved (which looks nice in a quaint, not fancy, not at all Dubai way). Weather is the wild card. Still have not heard back from anyone back home re: offer and lending questions.
Also, considering bagging the job thing. I mean, if a company takes more than a month to sort out the relatively simple legal details of one part time employee, what am I to expect in terms of getting PAID?? Also, seems the hiring manager and the team are on perhaps different pages, or maybe have entirely different hymnals. I talked with their current writer today and came away with a feeling that this isn't the direction I want to push myself. As good as the money is, I'm doubting the organizational fit. I feel like I'm struggling so much already, I don't know whether I have room in my mind to spare.
Just swept, vacuumed and mopped the house. So, while I have not worked out, at least the floors are clean. They had been filthy. Now that we can open windows, things will get dusty even faster. But at least we have a breeze.
Mel, you gorgeous woman! Lovely photo.
I had my D and C yesterday and the surgeon was a little worried that it could have been a partial molar pregnancy. I am just hoping that this is not the case. But this morning I woke up with the most awful neck and throat swelling, likely from the intubation (which they had to do because I had been throwing up). So I'm off work, not able to drink or even breathe deeply!
I just wish I could fast forward the next few months.
zub, I was thinking of you all day yesterday. I spent the morning with a friend who was waiting for a phone call from her midwife about bloodwork results- which confirmed her second miscarriage since September. She has had a feeling all along with both pregnancies that things weren't right (as you have, right?), and has been told that the criteria for "recurrent pregnancy loss" is three miscarriages, so she doesn't qualify for further bloodwork/investigations. She's feeling heartsick that she might need to go through this all again before she can get the answers that she needs. I hope that you get answers, and sending you lots and lots of virtual hugs!!
Oh bec and Lax4, I long for hermit days, too. I really think that I should hibernate in the winter- at least a little bit! Good luck with your stresses and busy-ness, and may your anxiety stay in check. And enjoy the bridge run, La!
jo, cleaning your house and making dinner is hardly doing *nothing*! (If it is, do you want to come and do nothing at my house for a little bit 
?) The inability to get things done for hiring you sounds so frustrating, though perhaps for the best...
My job interview today is still unconfirmed- since it's supposed to be in two hours I'm guessing it's not happening. I've been getting a lot of work done from home, and will head up to my (far) office that is closest to the hospital, just in case I get a last minute call. I know that this was busy week for the manager, and she was trying to find someone to be the second person on the "panel". My experience with hospital job interviews in my career have been pretty pathetic:
One interview with no questions other than whether I thought I would like the job
One over the phone with no questions other than confirmation that I was available for the start date (this in the great nursing shortage of 2001, when they paid me for 15 weeks of full-time specialty course: tuition, books, and full-salary with only a phone promise to stay for a full year. The HR person forgot to have me sign the paperwork and I never mentioned it, though I did stay for five years!)
Another interview where they flew me from Vancouver, BC to Oregon, paid for my hotel and the manager/interviewer had not seen my application and thought my name was Melissa (it's Melanie). I asked several questions, she asked none, then they had me do a drug test and sign paperwork. I'm still convinced they flew me there for a very expensive drug test!
Contrast that to my job in public health nursing where I answered several questions, worked through a case study, etc.
Follow Mothering