mycathouse

My daughter and her friends are attending Walnut Hill Youth Summer Dance Intensive this summer for the second time. Last year my daughter had just turned 11 and was placed in level B, the lowest level. This year she and one other girl from her studio were again placed in B, but then moved up to C1 on the second day, while another girl from their studio, a very strong dancer, was placed first in C2, and then put back into B. So here's the question: I've been told that B is for the youngest/lowest level, then C2 comes next and then D, and that C1 is for dancers who are older than the girls in B, but are the weakest dancers at the camp. Doesn't seem to add up, especially since these three dancers are very on par with each other, and the strongest of the three is one of the girls in C1. Does anyone know how the levels really are set up? It does seem to explain why one girl was moved from C2 not to C1 but to B, but since all three girls are the same age and all very small and so close in strength...well, we're all very confused.

I need a purple cocktail to serve at a cast party for Brigadoon. It doesn't need to be bright purple, but definitely at least have a purple tinge. It's going to be referred to as "Heather on the Rocks", with a frozen version called "Heather on the Hill". I've considered using blueberry juice or grape juice for coloring, but can't come up with anything that will compliment it. Ideas? Variations on existing drinks are welcome.

My daughter is a very serious dancer and dances at a top notch Boston area ballet school. My youngest son started begging from the time he was old enough to ask to take lessons, and when he was five I finally signed him up for a class that meets once per week. He's now seven and loves it! He is an extremely athletic kid who exceeds in everything he does. In addition to ballet, he also skis, snowboards, and plays soccer and lacrosse. He's just one of those happy kids who finds joy in all kinds of activities. The problem is that my parents and many of our friends are appalled that I allow my son to take ballet. They insist I must be forcing him to do it, and that I should let him do more "boy" things. My parents in particular say horrible things to me about it well within my son's hearing range. I keep telling everyone that he has lots of activities, that he choose dance as one of those activities on his own, that he loves to do it, and if he ever tells me he wants to quit I'll let him drop it right away. People are sure I'm "feminizing" him, and they will tell him right in front of me that boys shouldn't dance, they should play football. I've tried to nicely explain the situation to people, but it doesn't get far. I'd hate for him to quit something he enjoys so much because of pressure from other people, but I just don't know what to do. Help!

I'm just learning how to play mahjong and need to buy a set of tiles. It's a very popular game where I live and I expect to be joining a group and playing frequently. I've seen many many kinds of sets out there, and I love the vintage ones. I have seen replacement pieces readily available to fill in the extra jokers that are used these days, so the fact that they only have 144 tiles isn't really a problem. I know many women use sets that have been in their families for years, and it's a common practice to fill in the old sets to bring them to today's specifications.

Here's my issue...what kind of tiles are the best to play with? The hand carved bone and bamboo ones from the 20's and 30's look great, but are the bakelite or other types of plastic better to play with, because they're smooth? Is it better to just get a new set, and if so, who makes the nicest ones? I'm looking to spend less than $500 on a set, and expect to be playing with them for many many years.

My daughter will be 11 this summer, and is looking forward to her first ballet summer intensive. Last weekend she auditioned for two programs, one at Walnut Hill and one at Nutmeg, and was accepted at both programs. Does anyone have experience with one or both of these programs?

I'll be hosting a party this fall with about 60 people. We will be serving food buffet style using large stainless steel chaffing dishes. I need a nice fish recipe that can be made ahead of time with very little effort and can sit in sauce on a buffet table for at least an hour without suffering too much. So, here are the requirements: No shellfish, fast to make, has sauce it can sit in, is an entree and not a pasta dish. Salmon is preferred. Anyone have experience cooking for a crowd like this?

Please don't just send me a link to a site with tons of recipes...I've looked over them and am searching for something easy, tried and true.

I'm also making a roasted vegetable torte that has layers of eggplant and other roasted vegetables alternating with a ricotta cheese filling and tomato sauce, home made pesto tortellini in an Alfredo sauce, and spinach and goat cheese lasagna cupcakes. The fish dish needs to be a low-carb option.

There is a visually impaired woman at my gym who brings her service dog with her. I used to know someone who helped train service dogs, so I'm quite well versed in how they are expected to behave. This woman's dog helps her get around the parking lot (she takes a bus that stops there) and get around the building, but when he's sure she isn't paying attention, he slyly gets away with all kinds of behaviors a service dog shouldn't engage in.

When she is on the treadmill, he'll actually get up and go over to other people hoping to get them to pet him. Everyone tries not to, but the dog is very persistent, putting his nose right under our hands and bumping us with his head. He keeps a good eye on his owner and is immediately back at her side when he sees her feeling for him, so she has no idea he's ever gone. As he leads her through the gym, his attention constantly wanders. He picks up paper towels off the floor and chews them, he sniffs at people and tries to get them to give him attention, and sticks his nose in people's belongings.

Once I chatted with her about him to feel out the situation, and she told me she'd had him for 3 years and how he was such a wonderful companion. I didn't have the heart to tell her that he regularly sneaks away to do things he shouldn't be. He's such a sweet boy, but his attention is so unusually erratic for a dog with such an important job that I'm afraid he'll let her step in front of a bus or car one day. Should I say something or is that being too much of a busy body? I don't know her at all and don't want to upset her, and maybe I'm just over-reacting.

I'm not a meat eater, but my husband is. One of my children is allergic to milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, soy (plus all other legumes including lentils, peas and beans) and a variety of other foods, so there's no way to get protein into her without meat. Anyways, that forces me to have to prepare meat dishes, and then make something else for myself. I feel very torn about it. I hate touching it, and I can't stand watching my kids eat it, but day after day I have to buy it and prepare it. I know my daughter needs it to be healthy, and my husband needs it to be happy, but lately I throw dinner on the table and hide out until everyone else is finished. Does anyone else have this issue? How do you deal with it? I feel stressed and guilty all the time.

I've recently fallen upon thermal cookers, and am intrigued by them. For anyone not in the know, it's basically a crockpot that works like a thermos. There is an inner pot, which you remove, fill with food, and heat to boiling on your stove for about 10 minutes, then you remove it from the stove and place the pot inside the thermal pot. It retains the heat so well that the food continues to cook for hours similar to a crock pot but uses no electricity. Since it doesn't plug in, you can leave it all day while you're out with no safety worries, and it's a wonderfully green gizmo. The top screws down, so it can be taken with you for pot-lucks etc. You can get an 8 L pot for about $220. I know they are used in China, but am having a hard time finding any info on them at all, as to how well they work, what kind of recipes work best, recipes to try, etc. Anybody here have experience with them? They've been around for a while, but I bet they'll be much more popular in the near future.

We eat out very infrequently, mostly out of dietary concerns. Once in a blue moon we will get Chinese food, and I'll order steamed veggies with tofu and brown steamed rice, but on occasion I have ordered a regular vegetarian entree. I was eating in a restaurant with a friend, who is Chinese, and told her no matter what I did, I couldn't make food at home that tasted like it did in the restaurant. I told her the oiliness was different, sort of rich and clingy...dare I say it, greasier, and maybe it was from the type of oil. She laughed and told me she worked in a restaurant in college and they added pork fat to just about everything to give it extra flavor, even the vegetarian dishes. I nearly barfed. I asked the waiter and he confirmed that yes, even many of their vegetable dishes did in fact contain pork fat! I was floored. Is this widespread? Do people who are vegetarian or don't eat pork know that this is an issue? Am I the only person in the world who thought a "vegetarian" dish on a Chinese menu really meant vegetarian? AAAARGH!!!!

I was bullied mercilessly by many of my classmates in junior high and high school. This year is our 20th high school reunion and while I'd like to see some of my old friends and aquaintances, I worry about what will happen if I have to face any of the people who made my life so miserable back then. The bullying was so intense that it has actually continued to affect my self esteem thoroughout my adult life. Will seeing them again help me put the past to rest, or dredge it all back up? Has anyone else had a similar experience and chosen to attend their reunion?

I just got my first droid, and at a loss as to where to find all those free applications everyone talks about. Nothing I've found so far that's 'free' comes without strings attached. I'm on Verizon, and was lead to believe they have a site with free apps, but I can only find ones you pay for, and now I'm wondering what I'm paying an extra $30 per month for.

I was recently given a quart container of homemade sofrito from a friend. So far I've added a little to scrambled eggs, added a bit in some home made tomato soup, and added it to some fat-free refried beans. What else can I use it for? How long will it last in my fridge? What is in this heavenly stuff? It's a brilliant concoction, much like my beloved zhug. I can't figure out why most of my friends have no idea what it is.

My oldest two kids were both out of diapers quite early and by their own decisions...no problems there. My youngest is 5 1/2 and is still both peeing and pooping in his pants. He does it at home, he does it at school, he does it at Grandma's, he does it ten minutes after you had him use the toilet. He will pee in his pants several times a day and walk around with wet, reaking clothing until someone notices...it doesn't bother him in the slightest. Every night he repeatedly pees in his bed, forcing me to wash several loads of laundry a day just to keep up with his mess alone. The doctor says there's nothing wrong with him, he just doesn't care, and that he'll eventually stop. Well, she's been saying that now for years, and there's no end in sight. We've tried bribery, punishment, charts, rewards, severe punishment, ignoring it...nothing has worked. Large sized diapers do nothing...he pulls the tops down a bit and pees directly into his pants or the bed. I've gotten to a point where he is causing me so much stress day in and day out and extra work that I can't even look at him...he's making me hate him. Has anyone else had this issue? He can't go to kindergarden like this, he can't play at other people's homes, we can't go to parties...it's horrific.

My mom always bought all-purpose potatoes and used them for everthing. I find I have limited luck with them...sometimes they fall apart in stews, cometimes they don't, sometimes they're great mashed, sometimes not...I'm befuddled. I would like to start using the right potato for the right job. What is the sturdiest potato for soups and stews? What makes the best mashed potatoes? Hashborwns? Baked? Potato salad? AAARGH!!! Help!!!

I take a low dosage of blood pressure medication daily which lowers my heart rate. I notice at the gym that I can't get anywhere near a normal target heart rate for cardio training. One day I forgot to take my meds in the morning and was surprised to see that with the same speed and incline on the treadmill as usual, I was at 130 BPM instead of my normal 95, and I was able to go much much longer without feeling tired. So here's the real question, is the blood pressure medication keeping me from getting a cardio workout? Am I spending all that time on the treadmill for nothing? The doctor won't adjust my medication, and when I asked her she looked at me like I was an idiot. I spend between 5 and 7 hours a week at the gym, so I really would like to know how a lower heart rate is affecting how effective my workouts.

I can readily purchase boneless lamb roasts that are made from the shoulder, but no leg of lamb as we keeo Kosher. I've found some great sounding recipes using leg of lamb...can I substitute the shoulder roast? What changes would I need to make to the recipe? I know nothing about meat cuts and cooking meat.

We just inherited a Real Meal Easy Bake Oven from friends. I think the portion size and baking time may be different from the original Easy Bake Oven. I would love a couple recipes that aren't for desserts and have been specifically written for the Real Meal Oven. Anybody have some? I was told there used to be a mac and cheese recipe and some kind of a cheesy tuna bake circling around, but haven't found either online. We've already figured out how to make pizza and tiny quesedillas. Thanks!

My older kids are 8 and 11. The other day I was late getting home (car accident on the road) from picking up my youngest from pre-school. My older ones' bus came and they were home for about 15 minutes by themselves. We have discussed in length what to do if this ever happens, safety rules, etc etc. They came in, locked the door, and called me on my cell phone. I kept them on the phone until I rolled into the driveway.

In any case, my neighbor (her daughter is friends with my daughter) found out and was absolutely horrified! She told me if it ever happened again she'd personally call the police! My state has no legal limit for how old a child has to be to stay home alone, so I'm not sure how THAT would go, but I'm very upset that now the whole neighborhood thinks I'm a bad mother.

What are your feelings? Is it totally out of line to leave children that age home by themselves for 15 minutes? My mom left me home by myself for HOURS when I was 8!

I live in a well-to-do neighborhood where people are very generous with Halloween candy. Many people give the kids king-sized candy bars, and those that don't give out full sized ones. We probably have 20 kids in our neighborhood of trick-or treat age, if even that. The problem is, people around town and even from other local towns, are "bussing" their kids in to affluent neighborhoods to snatch up the better goodies. It's been getting worse every year...You see the moms pull up in minivans and 6 kids at a time get out to raid the neighborhood. Last year I was so fed up (we had 125 kids!!!) I decided to switch to smaller candy bars. The kids actually complained, and so I gave them each four or five because I was afraid the little hoodlums would come back and do mischief.

I was thinking, maybe this year I could make a nice bag of treats for each family in our neighborhood and deliver them personally, and just leave our lights off. Would that be tacky? I could just sigh and keep handing out the candy, but it makes me so mad that these parents are teaching thier kids to be so greedy.