i hope it's okay i post this here, but since i know there's some mamas here using government aid, maybe you can give me some advice?
long story short: i had my pg test done at the health dept and after it came back positive i was directed to talk to a caseworker about getting on WIC, foodstamps and medicaid. i talked to her and she was very nice but not very clear about what exactly i needed to do to apply, etc. i left with an appointment made at the foodstamps office which i later had to cancel because i didn't have a ride. as i did my own research, i realized i needed a whole lot of paperwork, (birth certif., etc.) to sign up for stuff, none of which i had. i've been trying to track this stuff down and will be picking up the last of my stuff on sunday so i figured monday i'd call and try to straighten things out.
SO, today, i get a call from a social worker who said she needed to see me and wanted to know if i could come there or she should COME TO MY HOME... i said i could come there, no problem and started to explain what had happened, thinking she was there to help me sort out the ins and outs of the system and how to get the benefits i needed. she gave me the number for someone else to help me with that part and said she wasn't really the person who knew about those things. i told her i'd never done this before and straight out asked her why she needed to see me and what we'd talk about and she totally dodged the question, directed the conversation elsewhere and i got off the phone not really knowing why i need to see her at all. she made it sound like if i didn't go talk to her, she was going to come to me regardless, which i'm not terribly comfortable with. so my question is, have any of you had to go talk to someone like this? what did they want? my guess is since our income is so low that statistically we fall into tons of high-risk categories and it's her job to make sure that there's no domestic abuse, we have enough food, etc. thoughts, experiences, advice would be much appreciated. thanks mamas. 
This is something that the general community can participate in discussion of as government aid and benefits is not a SAHM specific topic. This could go to Mindful Home Management or TAO.
I just got done reading the poor SAHM thread, but wasn't sure if my questions would fit so I'm starting a new one.
Our situation has more to do with the area we are living in. All of our family is around here- my whole support system. But, we live in the Seattle/Tacoma area where a starter house is over $200K, and with that said I think if we stay here we will be renting our entire lives. My DH makes what I consider a good enough income, but he is always stressed because it doesn't stretch far in the local economy and we never seem to get "ahead". I think this has a lot to do with my BIL making a six figured income at Mircrosoft so they can "afford" to live here and buy pretty much whatever they want/need.
Anybody else feel torn between living somewhere to be near family or other important places and moving so that the financial burden will be eased a bit? Being a SAHM is a point that is non-negotiable for us... but it is hard just squeezing by in a part of the country where you drive by affluent people everyday. I'm always stunned by all the new developments with houses starting in the $300K range and I wonder how on earth people make enough money to do that... Of course, there aren't many SAHM that I know of... which to me is sad... sorry to blab... 
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I can see how this might be an issue for many SAHMs but discussion of moving to live closer to family and being able to get ahead and afford to purchase a home is a discussion the general community can participate in. Perhaps Parenting Issues, if talking about moving closer to family, would be a good place for this, or the Miindful Home Management forum.
Hello all! I am trying to learn to be an AP mom (not easy being raised by a CIO mother myself) and I have some questions about how you SAH-AP Moms play with your children...especially crawlers and walkers. Do you let them play on the floor with toys? Or do you just hold them all the time? What interaction (besides feedings) do you do all day?
This is a discussion for all moms and would do well in one of the age-focus forums - Life With a Babe or Toddlers - depending on the age of the child.
I know this is a weight question, but the problem is mainly b/c I am a SAHM. I graze & eat all day, without realizing it generally, and I'm heavier now than I've ever been! 
: When I had my daughter, I went back to school within a couple of months, then school and work - I was only a SAHM with her in the summer and for a few months when I was on assistance, and I did gain weight then too. I lost it all when I went back to college. I'm not about to quit being a SAHM just so I can lose weight again. How do you keep your weight down when you're home all day? I've tried doing my sewing etc., but when I'm chasing a crawling baby it's a bit hard to really get into it. :LOL
Fitness and Weight Management can certainly host this as a general community discussion. Non-SAHMs may have some very good advice.
DS is 2 years and 9 months and has been in a great daycare for a year now. My job ended at the end of Jan. and then I had dd at the end of Feb., and we've kept ds in daycare to keep his routine going and give him something to do besides sit around and watch me nurse dd all day. :LOL But since I don't have a job to go back to, ds is going to leave daycare at the end of May.
Should I have a going-away party for him at daycare? Should I talk about leaving school or just let it go? DS is happy to go to school, happy to stay home...I really have no idea whether he will miss it or not. 
Any thoughts or experience?
Not quite sure where this should go but it is clearly not a SAHM specific discussion. Perhaps the Toddler's forum? Or maybe the Working Moms forum where most of the daycare discussions are hosted would be a good place.
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