Emergency Assistance to Orphanages
 

If anyone could make even a small donation (over the next day or two) for emergency orphan relief, it would be so appreciated. Orphanges in certain provinces in Viet Nam (Hanoi, Bac Giang, Hay Tay and Bac Ninh) have been hit hard by severe cold weather which is helping spread a virulent form of rhinovirus leading to pneumonia. We started hearing about it when adoptive parents were getting word that children referred to them had died. An organized called Ethica (I now the people there well) is organizing the drive to quickly get assistance to the orphanages through its representative in Hanoi. Ethica is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organization and donations are tax deductible. To donate even a small amount, please go to:

http://www.ethicanet.org/item.php?recordid=blankets

Thank you!!! (I just heard back that it has gotten $7,700 in donations and it needs about $9,400 -- so close!)

An old Friday tradition
 

For a limited time only, the Ramone girls visiting baby panthers in Mismaloya, Mexico.


Time has elapsed, removed by RT

My mother died about a week after that post. Obviously, it blows, but I suppose I could be doing much worse. Thanks for asking.

A few thoughts:

The first two years suck. After that, it gets much better. By five, it's really pretty tolerable. Also, during the first two years, and especially the first year, traveling with twins is like traveling with a rock star. Everyone will want to fawn over them while you are trying to wrestle them out of their stroller and into the car/plane/house/daycare. No one will offer to help. It does get better, though.

All across the country are mothers of multiples clubs (sometimes they are "parents of multiples). Find your local one and join today. They'll have lots of useful information about what to expect, and they'll help you out in dealing with the first few months and years. They are often also a good source of gently used clothing and equipment, if that's an issue. I can't emphasize enough how helpful these groups are, even if the bias tends to be toward stay at home moms (if only because they are the ones who have time to volunteer).

Daycare for two will be only slightly less than twice as much as you were expecting for one, unless you were already planning to hire a nanny or au pair.

Read a twins book or two, but don't obsess over the sections on birth defects: yes, twins are statistically more likely to have problems, but it's not like the chances are very high still. That being said, take pregnancy easy and eat well.

Twins can be very, very stressful. It helps to step back and acknowledge that when you are dealing with the other people in your life.

Good luck. I'm not around much, but I still check PMs occasionally.

Since I just remembered I don't need to give a shit about being outed on this board, I'll uncloak to say "thank you."

i read somewhere that twins are conceived most often when the woman doesn't orgasm. support?

How the hell would I know? Little help: what does it mean when they meow?

A large litter?

Hang in there and deepest sympathies on your loss. I have some idea how you must be feeling. When I lost my parents suddenly (in an accident), many well-meaning people said it would take a year before things felt "normal" again. I don't know about that. But I do know you shouldn't put an artificial time frame on it, or give too much credence to other people's expectations. Let it happen at whatever pace it takes.

There'll be bad moments and they'll come at you out of the blue--even after many months. Embrace them. It's part of the healing process....and time does, eventually, heal all wounds.

Best wishes,

CDF

I always thought meow means we didn't give it enough food or something, like it wanted something else maybe.

In order to make this a valid control, you're gonna have to stop fucking the bejeezus out of your cat. Lent is almost over, but it's never too late to start.

Damn Tests
 

So accroding to one of our kid's teachers, at every school in Massachusetts this last half-semester, it was mandated that one-third of the math grade for her class be based on the following two part test question:

"(a) If you work eight hours and are to be paid $95.76, will you be better off if you ask your boss to round your payment?

(b) If the number is rounded, what would it be rounded to?"

My daughter answered no, and her logic was, no, you are always better off being paid what you earn, neither more nor less. She then answered $95.80 to part 2, rather than $96, since they didn't ask for a rounding to the nearest dollar.

She was marked wrong on both questions.

I know the Republicans who require these tests believe you're better off with more money regardless of how you get it, but you'd think they'd at least have the precision to note what they want to round by.

The teacher said many of her best students didn't get this one, and all explained it the same way when she talked to them.

Damn Tests
 

the problem is that math is hard. we had the same thing in 5th grade math.

Q: a block is 2 inches wide, 3 inches tall and 4 inches deep. What is the area?

she said 12, tallXdepth. The teacher said area is always WideXTall.

Yes, that is always what area means.

Lot's of teachers barely get math so they can't really think through tihngs.

Sorry to bounce it back to union people.

Damn Tests
 

Wouldn't you want the area of all the surfaces? I think you're both wrong. It ought to be 2(2*3)+2(3*4)+2(2*4).

Actually, the teacher understood the explanations and would have thrown out at least part (a) of the question and given credit for any right answer on part (b); but education reform rules mandate that the question not only be used but be a very large part of the grade.

Is Spanky going to come along an blame legislative stupidity on the teachers as well?

Damn Tests
 

math in public education is frustrating until the kid gets to late middle school, then the kid can get in advanced math. then come 11th grade they get blindsiding by the SAT and ACT which assume the 11th grader JUST had trig, and bases math questions on that. Meanwhile all these kids in calculus can't remember that shit.

THEN the kid takes the college math placement and they want to put them into trig.

best thing to do is just not listen.