Hi Irina!!!!!!!! It was wonderful to spend some time with you at convention! I worked hard all Sunday and got all the leaves planted. Still have to repot the starter plants. Lots of new stuff! As for the plastic domes, I don't have those (yet), but quite often I will use the plastic, sort of squatty type wine glass size cups for smaller plants when I go away. I just put the solo cup in one and then use another one on top to cover it up, and then tape the sides of the cups since they don't stay together very well on their own. It is a much neater look than the plastic bags actually. Lynn

What a gret idea, i agree too, you and your dh need some alone time and vacation time. i wish it was me! (sorry-lol). we have this organization called Westway, it was started by a church and now is open to anyone, if you can get it!!! i have been on the waiting list for 3 years this march, no i have not had a break at all, so if you can tell them maybe it's a mini vacation for them, maybe they might not give you such a hard time. probably after they've been there afew hours they'll probably be having a great time, it's like when your kids don't want to go somewhere then they get there they don't want to leave. you could also promise mom and dad a special treat when you come to pick them up. we also have a respite care facility where Alz. patients are and anyone who needs a break they can send their loved one there, for us even though it is by our house the 50.00 plus taxes is out of the question per day. things always do work themselves out, enjoy yourselves and tell us all about it when you get back, we need to hear some good things here! it's snowing and blowing up north!!! debbie

We stayed at the Barcelo (The Colonial, not the Beach Club - there are actually 4 Barcelo resorts together) in March. We went for a wedding (so left the kids at home) on this particular trip, but we have stayed at AI resorts with our kids before (they are 11 and nearly 8). Our friends' stayed at the Beach club, and it seemed much busier and noisier than the Colonial. It *was* spring break time though, so perhaps there will not be as many drunken frat boys when you travel, :) Personally, I love travelling to an AI with the kids (we have been to AI's in the Mayan Riveria, Puerto Vallarta and the Dominican Republic; we also have a timeshare condo that is not AI in Mazatlan that we have been to several times). The buffet restaurants always had lots of choices as far as food goes (my son is a picky eater ), with lots of fresh fruit. The beach front buffets tend to carry lots of "American" food (hot dogs, hamburgers etc) that can be a change from the exotic food overload. The fish is always excellent. The entertainment at the Barcelo ranged from hokey-lame to very good. Pick chairs up higher but in the first row for best air circulation and view - it can be really hot sitting with all of those people. There was some noticeable hurricane damage still in evidence on the ride from Cancun to the resort, but the grounds themselves are in quite good condition. When we were there, there was some construction noise as they were rebuilding the pier/headlands. A lot of the actual sand had been blown off the beach, so it was quite rocky in some areas. Bring water shoes or sandals for the beach. There are plenty of chairs everywhere. The 4 resorts together are *enormous* - they must have close to a mile of beachfront, so there is plenty of room to spread out. Personally, I enjoy beach time with a bood and no one bothering me, so it was easy to get lost away from the other people in our group. There were virtually no beach vendors, which I actually kind of miss. I did find the prices for souveneir junk quite high at the resort, and very high on the shopping day we took to Playa Del Carmen. The fancy jewelery factory (don't be fooled by their promises of seeing "jewelery artisans at work" - it is primarily a giant showroom) near the resort actually had not bad prices, but a very small silver selection in comparison to the gold (mucho $$). We probably would not return to this resort again, but only because of the price, as we tend to be three star travellers, LOL. I don't have anything bad to say about the actual resort itself. Carrie

I enjoyed it, but I hope that the heartbreak these women suffered from wandering husbands was not as bad as depicted. I was in college in the Midwest in the early '60s, and cat's-eye style glasses were long gone. The clothing seems familiar. The women's personalities are a little over done for the sake of TV.