Cross-posted at Daily Kos.

Hello fellow moms, dads and caregivers!

I am back with your weekly parenting news update. Here are some topics we recently discussed here at MotherTalkers:

Surely, Gloria and I are not the only Californians disappointed by the massive budget cuts signed off by the governor. Arnold Schwarzenegger imposed nearly $500 million -- on top of $14 billion in already approved cuts -- for programs that aided children and low-income families. From the Los Angeles Times:

The extra cuts the governor made Tuesday -- $489 million -- took nearly $80 million that pays for workers who help abused and neglected children; $50 million from Healthy Families, which provides healthcare to children in low-income families; $50 million from services for developmentally delayed children under age 3; $16 million from domestic-violence programs; and $6.3 million from services for the elderly. Among other reductions was $6.2 million more from parks, which could result in the closure of 100, rather than 50, of California's 279 state parks.

Shudder.

In related news, I share your frustration on the confusing and slow progress of healthcare reform. Lately, I have run into people who have mixed feelings about President Barack Obama's proposal because they are unsure of how it will affect them. Not surprisingly, I have been reading a lot about a well-coordinated offense mounted by the private health insurance companies. Take for instance the Lewin Group, a "non-partisan" organization often cited in the media that is actually a consulting firm funded by one of the nation's largest insurers. Also, I noticed that a non-profit organization I am working for as a contractor, MomsRising.org, was bombarded with what appeared to be a structured "talking points" campaign as well. Ugh.

In one last piece of "bummer news" -- as I do not want to leave you too depressed this morning -- class sizes are expected to balloon to as many as 45 kids in high school this fall because of the recession and budget cuts, according to a story by the Associated Press.

We had a long discussion on how to get our picky-eating children to eat their veggies. An article in Parenting magazine recommended giving vegetables cute names like "x-ray vision carrots" and "dinosaur trees" for broccoli. What other suggestions do you have?

Here is a quirky story we debated: A Boston cab driver was suspended for three days for not thoroughly checking his van after driving away with a sleeping 5-year-old in the backseat, according to the Associated Press. He was called right away, returned the child to the family who even gave him a $50 tip. The cabbies' union expressed outrage at the proposed suspension saying that the child was the parent's responsibility and not that of the cabby. We agreed that the cab driver did not act maliciously and simply made a mistake. No harm done. Still, what do you think of the cab driver's suspension? Was it warranted?

The website GreatSchools.net had a debate on half-day versus full-day kindergarten.

What else is in the news? What's up with you?