Okay, team, the first forum thread is up and raring to go... all it needs now is you! Please come on over and give us your feedback.... and comment to let me know what you'd like to see as the Topic of the Week!

I admit, I'm inspired to do this by a book I recently read (I'm a librarian! what do you want from me?). I'd like to get a Topic of the Week going in the forums so we can start some heart to heart mom to mom chatting.

We all come from different perspectives and backgrounds. Some of us are new moms, some of us are old pros. Some of us have a lot of family support, some of us are on our own.

I think we could learn a lot from each other...

I know a lot of us are already active participants in various parenting forums. This would be a little different - just taking a moment to look at the question, offer your feedback, and read and/or respond to other's answers if you wish.

I'll give this a couple of days for feedback, and if it looks like it's a go (i.e. I don't hear any noisy objection), I'll go ahead and post the first thread. I have a few ideas tucked away, but would like suggestions for future TOTW's...

So... who's with me?

Me too. The Husband and I tend to dread it every year. Care to brainstorm coping mechanisms with me here for dealing with holiday travel, gift stress, in-laws and more?

Every year I dread Christmas. My in-laws are extremely difficult to shop for, and they always manage to regard their gifts with a certain level of distaste. It's delightful, really.

I would love to make donations in their name and just give them a little certificate or something, but that would lead to endless jokes about "The Human Fund," and I just can't deal with that.

But this year! I discovered two great sources of gifts that = charity + something to unwrap!

The first is http://www.terrapass.com/gifts/. I bought my in-laws a carbon offset for their home, and in addition they will receive a gift box with some environmentally friendly items such as compact fluorescent light bulb and a dispenser for recycled plastic bags.

Secondly, you can donate $25 (or more!) to the World Wildlife Fund at https://secure.worldwildlife.org/ogc/ and "adopt" an animal of your choice. I had a blast deciding which animals to adopt since a $50 donation gets you the adoption certificate and photograph, plus a cute plush of your chosen critter.

So if you are struggling for gifts - especially for older folks who really don't need anymore STUFF - check out the links. The earth will thank you.

I post my whiny, hi I feel sorry for myself thoughts below and my ranking! It skyrockets! Pretty cool...

But it probably has more to do with the fact that my loving Husband joined the Buzz... and promptly ranked everything I do an 8.

Thanks, baby. I love you.