So we started smelling gasoline coming out ot the car vents and brought it in to the mechanic. After several hours he told B that it would be $2500 to fix all that was wrong. Now, I'll admit, living in NYC my whole life - I trust no one. I have a gnawing feeling that after the thou I spent last month having something fixed, the mechanics punctured my fuel line and cracked something in the front end. Both done subtly so that it would take a month for us to notice anything wrong. Then we'd have to bring it in again and I could never prove it was the mechanics who did it. I can imagine the whole scenario. A week after I brought the car in last time to have the heater fixed and the oil changed, lights started going out - first a headlight, then the dashboard light. And that same week steam was coming out from under the hood. You will never convince me this wasn't done intentionally. I'm finding a new mechanic.

Oh, so B and I are getting a new car tonight. We'll be trading in the old one to put toward something brand spanking new that will not need anything more than gas and oil changes for at least the next 3 years. Then we'll get another brand new car. That's it. We'll feel safe and not have to feel that the car will break down any minute. I researched cars to death, checked Edmunds.com, know our credit ratings, spoke to an auto dealer friend for an hour for tips, and printed out any useful info. I'm ready.

We've been home mostly this week due to the freezing cold weather. Dance is going well. I went to a fundraiser for nationals on Saturday and won a raffle basket full of football/beer stuff. The kids went to CCD on Sunday. J has a new teacher - which she's thrilled about, as the last one was a threatening tyrant who kept telling J she was going to fail. K loves being a teacher's aid for 1st graders and W just has a little playgroupy thing going on with his class of 3-5 y/os.

Did I mention I just sent out my "Christmas" cards last week? LOL. I got them made to say "Happy 2007" with a great pic of the kids on it. Hey, I tried. It was the first time I didn't get the cards out on time. And since everyone asked, "where's your picture this year!", I felt I had to do something. I can check that off my list now.

So, B met up with a friend of mine who's son goes to K's old middle school. She said an 8th grader was found in the school with a gun the other day. And this is what's considered one of the "good" schools. I think I stood there with my mouth hanging open for 20 seconds. You know how they say there are no coincidences? Well what if K was still there and was in the wrong place at the wrong time and just so happened to piss this person off that day? Schools are places full of total strangers that you leave your kids with for 35 hrs a week. Your kids are there learning things you don't know about. And I'm not talking about academics. I don't know about yours, but my newspapers are full of corrupt schools, pedophile teachers/janitors, students stabbed or shot, kids being left on schoolbuses, and how dozens of public schools are failing. Failing?! Betcha can't wait to send your kids there! If K gets accepted (and chooses to go) to the one high school she wants, of course I won't force her to stay home. I will have that knot in my stomach every day, though. And you better believe I will be a HUGE part of everything that goes on there. I worry about it, but I'm confident that this year spent homeschooling will change K's understanding of what school is for, help her learn tolerance and acceptance of different kids, encourage respect for adults, teach her how to speak out for or against issues she feel strongly about, and bring out her enjoyment of learning again. If we can do this, I'll know we accomplished everything.