May 4, 2012 - Central Hockey League (CHL) Allen Americans Allen, Texas-The Allen Americans Professional Hockey Team announces additions to its ownership and management. These changes are effective immediately.

Mike Modano, considered the greatest American-born hockey player, along with former Dallas Stars, Stanley Cup winning teammates Ed Belfour, Richard Matvichuk, and Craig Ludwig have all been added to the Allen Americans organization. Modano, Belfour and Ludwig have partnered as minority owners with current majority owner Doug Miller, owner Steve Duchesne, and minority partner and Team President, Matt Canavan. Richard Matvichuk will join the Americans in a hockey operations role.

In addition, the Allen Americans announced today that Head Coach & GM Dwight Mullins along with Associate Coach Bill McDonald will not be retained for the 2012-2013 season.

"This was a tough decision but one we feel was necessary," said Allen Americans Owner Doug Miller. "I would like to thank Dwight Mullins and Bill McDonald for their hard work and efforts over the past three seasons. They were instrumental in helping launch and establish our franchise. On behalf of the Allen Americans organization, I would like to thank them and wish them the best."

"Looking ahead to the new season, I am excited to have such a great group of former NHLers joining our staff. They will help take us to the next level in all aspects of the organization including hockey and business operations," said Doug Miller. "The group will begin immediately and one of their first tasks will be to identify and hire a coaching staff to build a championship team for the 2012-2013 season."

The group retains the experience of team owner Steve Duchesne. Duchesne was instrumental in building the franchise and brings a winning attitude and leadership to this already successful franchise. Duchesne played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League that included stops in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Quebec, St Louis, Ottawa, and Detroit. He won a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2002.

Craig Ludwig's experience includes 17 NHL seasons, two collegiate National Championships and two Stanley Cups (Montreal and Dallas). Craig is very familiar with the Americans organization as his sons, Tyler and Trevor, played during 2011-2012 season.

Former Dallas Stars defenseman Richard Matvichuk played the majority of his 14 NHL seasons in Dallas. Richard was most recently an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars Midget AAA team. He was also a member of the 1999 Stanley Cup winning Stars. Matvichuk joins the team as Assistant General Manager and Defensive Coach.

Former Dallas Stars goalie, Ed Belfour, played 18 seasons in the NHL acquiring 484 wins between the pipes, third all-time in the NHL. Belfour won the Vezina Trophy and won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Dallas Stars in 1999.

Finally, the Americans are honored to have Mike Modano as a member of the Allen Americans organization. Modano was the face of the Dallas Stars franchise from the time the team relocated to DFW in the early 90's until he left the organization in 2010. Modano was selected first overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1988 NHL entry draft. Mike is the all-time goal-scoring and points leader among American born players in the NHL. Modano won the Stanley Cup in 1999 as a member of the Dallas Stars.

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Americans Make Changes at the Top

By Ken Mosier, For Real Estate Plus Updated 2:43 PM Friday, May 4, 2012

Ten homes in Huber Heights will be featured in the Eco-Rehabarama Showcase being held in conjunction with the Dayton Home Builders Association and CountyCorps The Housing Source, which uses funds for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

These 10 homes will be unlike any Huber Home you have ever seen. All have undergone extensive rehabilitation and have features sometimes seen only in Homearama homes.

For the first time the Rehabarama is being held outside the city of Dayton.

This is the first time that weve called it an Eco-Rehabarama, which is an emphasis on green remodeling in this case, said Walt Hibner, executive director of the Dayton HBA. Its pretty unbelievable how much (the remodelers) have changed them. Some of these we have done room additions. Some of the Cape Cods, we have taken off the whole roof and put in a second story, and some houses went from three bedrooms and one bath to four bedrooms and three baths.

These arent your fathers Huber Homes, he said.

These homes in the Eco-Rehabarama are off the hook, said Adam Blake, housing development manager for CountyCorp. He explained how the showcase came about. We had already rehabbed 30 homes and we went to the contractors that were doing the Rehabarama and said, Heres your budget. We know how much this costs to do. The challenge for you is to go to your suppliers and your (subcontractors) and get them to play ball on the pricing so that you can make your home outstanding and really showcase your talents as remodelers.

We gave them the budget number for each house and gave the builders and remodelers leeway to get creative with what they wanted to do as long as it ended up being a marketable home, Hibner said. Each builder or remodeler kind of focused on a different theme.

The seven builders accepted the challenge. One added an outdoor living space covered by a pergola; one took the low-VOC/allergy-free route; another turned the top of a story-and-a-half home into a loft area; another put in a sun nook with wall windows as the kitchen was remodeled; and another used reclaimed materials from Dayton homes that had been deconstructed, including constructing custom kitchen cabinets from ash floorboards from a deconstructed home.

New windows, new roof, Hibner said, noting that the Huber 3/8-inch plywood sheeting on the roofs has been upgraded to code. New shingles, new doors. Essentially any framing that was bad inside the walls was redone.

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Ten Huber Heights homes featured in Eco-Rehabarama Showcase in May

May 4, 2012 - Major League Soccer (MLS) Portland Timbers PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Timbers U-23s announced today four additions to their roster for the 2012 Premier Development League (PDL) season. Joining the Timbers U-23s for the upcoming PDL campaign are defenders Evyn Hewett and Reed Matte, midfielder John McFarlin and forward Cam Vickers.

Matte returns for his second season with the Timbers U-23s, while Vickers enters his fourth PDL season in 2012, having played three seasons with the Tacoma Tide. Hewett and McFarlin join the Timbers U-23s following successful freshman campaigns in the college ranks.

Hewett (La Palma, Calif.) played in 11 games (7 starts) and logged an assist as a true freshman in 2011 at San Diego State University. His assist contributed to a 3-1 win over Oregon State University. While attending Kennedy High School in La Palma, Calif., Hewett, 19, was a two-time Empire League MVP and was named first team All-California Interscholastic Federation as a senior in 2011. In 2010, he led his club team, So Cal Brigade, to the Region IV U-17 title.

Matte (Birmingham, Ala.) played in 14 games and logged an assist for the Timbers U-23s in 2011. Matte, 20, has played in 55 career matches at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, recording two goals and four assists over his first three seasons for the Blazers. As a junior in 2011, Matte was named to the All-Conference USA second team and helped UAB reach the C-USA title match and make an appearance in the NCAA tournament. In 2010 as a sophomore, he finished second on the team with four assists and was selected to the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll.

McFarlin (Santa Rosa, Calif.) had an impressive freshman season with Loyola Marymount University in 2011. The midfielder was named to the West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team and was an All-WCC Honorable Mention after tallying a goal and three assists in 14 games for the Lions. A four-year letterman at Santa Rosa High School, McFarlin was named North Bay League and Redwood Empire League Player of the Year as a junior in 2010.

Vickers (Lake Tapps, Wash.) played three seasons with the PDL's Tacoma Tide (2008, 2010-11). During his time with Tacoma, Vickers, 24, appeared in 45 games and recorded five goals and 12 assists. His assists totals ranked among Tide team leaders in each of the last two PDL seasons. Vickers had a standout collegiate career at Sonoma State University, compiling nine goals and 31 assists. He led the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in assists in back-to-back seasons from 2009-10, and was selected to the NSCAA All-West Region Third-Team both years. As a freshman in 2008, Vickers recorded the second-most assists (10) by a freshman in Sonoma State's history.

The Timbers U-23s enter their fourth PDL campaign in 2012 and open the season Friday, May 11, when they play host to Fraser Valley Mariners FC at JELD-WEN Field; kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

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Timbers U-23s Add Four More to 2012 Roster

Queensbury, NY (PRWEB) May 04, 2012

The latest release of Chamilia jewelry is the Garden Party Collection, is a great way to add some wonderful Spring time color to Chamilia jewelry. The pastel colors in the Murano Glass and Swarovski stones really will grab peoples attention when they stop and stare at the latest bead additions. With a mix of floral designs, pinwheels, butterflies, and stepping stones being the core of the collection, there is plenty of new beads to choose from in this release.

The Rose Flutter Chamilia Bead is one of the hottest beads of the collection as many Chamilia fans were looking for a new butterfly bead for their jewelry. The Flutter Bead comes in two colors, a pink rose and sky blue and use stunning Swarovski crystals to add their color. Butterflies are the perfect reminder of the Spring and beautiful weather to come!

The Lace Collection was a part of the Garden Party release which features soft color Murano Glass beads swirled with a cream white lace design. The Chamilia Periwinkle Lace Collection Bead adds beautiful shades of blue with stunning white lace to contrast the deep color. Murano Glass beads are a wonderful cost effective way to add some gorgeous color to Chamilia bracelets.

Chamilia orders at Kerry Lyn's Boutique are fulfilled by the sister company 25 Silver. Kerry Lyn's Boutique is located in Aviation Mall, Queensbury, NY and 25 Silver is located in both Colonie Center and Crossgates Mall both located in Albany, NY. Kerry Lyn's Boutique offers Vera Bradley, Crabtree & Evelyn, Harveys Seatbelt Bags, Baggallini, Bluewick candles and jewelry.

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The Garden Party Collection Brings Spring Time Cheer to Chamilia Jewelry

May 1, 2012 - Northwoods League (Northwoods) Wisconsin Woodchucks (Wausau) - This weeks roster additions look to bolster the Woodchucks depth in both the infield and the outfield. Jacob Jelmini (College of the Canyons) and Eric Filia-Snyder (UCLA) will add to the already deep talent pool on the "Chucks roster.

Jelmini, a sophomore first baseman, will be transferring to the University of Oregon this fall. So far this season at the College of Canyons, Jelmini leads the team, by a large margin, with a blistering .430 batting average. He also leads the team with 9 doubles and 24 RBI, and is second with 4 home runs.

Outfielder Eric Filiia-Snyder is a freshman at UCLA this season. Before coming to the Bruins, Filia-Snyder player for the Wenatchee Apple Sox of the West Coast Collegiate League. He hit .294 with 2 home runs and 15 RBI in 34 games, and was selected to play in the leagues all-star game. Prior to playing for the Sox, Filia-Snyder was a decorated player for Edison High School. He earned league MVP honors his junior and senior year. Never hit lower that .350 all four years, including his freshman year where he hit .500, tying Jeff Kent for the single season school record in batting average, while also setting the school record in hits.

Make sure to stay tuned to Woodchucks.com, as well as Facebook and Twitter, for player updates, ticket information and much more. The Woodchucks look forward to seeing you on Opening Night, June 1st, presented by Delta Dental of Wisconsin.

Also, don't forget, single game tickets are now on sale!! Check out Woodchucks.com for all the details.

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Woodchucks Announce Two More Players

May 1, 2012 - American Association (AA) Wichita Wingnuts WICHITA, KS- The Wichita Wingnuts made three major additions to their roster on Monday, signing outfielder David Peralta, as well as pitchers Edgar Martinez and Luis Chirinos.

The trio played together with the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings last season, helping the club reach the North American League Championship Series.

In his first season as a position player, Peralta hit a remarkable .392 to capture the North American League batting title. Peralta also hit 17 home runs, and ranked fourth in the NABL with 81 RBI in just 85 games played. A left-handed hitter and fielder, Peralta scored 76 runs, slugged 30 doubles, and finished third in the league with a .661 slugging percentage. Peralta had at least one hit in 68 of his 85 games, and collected multiple safeties in 44 of them. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Peralta opened the season with a 14-game hitting streak in which he was 25 for 55 (.455), and went back-to-back games without a hit just four times all year. At the end of the season, Peralta earned North American League All-Star honors and added six more RBI for Rio Grande Valley in four playoff games.

"David will more than likely be our Opening Night right fielder," said Wingnuts' manager Kevin Hooper. He is a great baseball story who is coming off of a tremendous season. He was a pitcher in the past and only started hitting professionally last year, which makes his accomplishments even more impressive. He is very valuable to us as a rookie who can contribute on a day-to-day basis. I'm really looking forward to watching him play."

Peralta originally signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004 as an international free agent. The Carabodo, Venezuela native made his stateside debut in 2006 with the Appalachian League's Johnson City Cardinals where he was 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA in two starts and one relief outing. The 24-year-old returned to Johnson City the following season and posted a 1-5 record with a 5.81 ERA in eight starts and seven relief appearances. Peralta has 64 strikeouts in 62.2 professional innings pitched.

Martinez led the NABL with 20 saves and was named Relief Pitcher of the Year. The right-hander had a 2.48 ERA in 31 appearances totaling 32.2 innings. Martinez struck out 60 batters--an average of 16.5 per nine innings--against a mere six walks, and did not allow an earned run in 26 of his 31 outings. The Valencia, Venezuela native held a 0.00 ERA through his first 14 games, and strung together nine more appearances without allowing an earned run from July 16th-August 17th.

"Edgar is a guy that will add a lot of experience to our bullpen," said Hooper. He has an outstanding resume and will give us another great option at the tail end of ballgames. He has significant time in Triple-A and was also a member of Boston's 40-man roster, which speaks to his ability. I'm excited to see what he can bring to the table for us."

Like Peralta, Martinez changed positions earlier in his career. The 30-year old signed with the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent in 1998, and started his professional career as a catcher. Martinez demonstrated his arm strength for six seasons behind the plate (he owns a 37% caught stealing rate in 291 games at catcher) before completing his transition to the mound in late-2004.

Now in his 13th pro season, Martinez has a career 3.75 ERA with 43 saves in 235 appearances. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Martinez has logged 417.1 innings with 371 strikeouts and only 356 hits allowed. Martinez reached Double-A in just his second year as a pitcher, and spent all of 2007 and 2008 with Triple-A Pawtucket. Martinez participated for the World team in the 2006 Futures Game, and was on the Red Sox' 40-man roster from 2005-2007.

Chirinos was one of the top starting pitchers in the NABL last year. Another right-hander, Chirinos was 4-2 in 18 total games and ranked fourth in the league with a 3.95 ERA. Chirinos also finished fifth with 93 strikeouts and allowed just 75 hits in 82.0 innings of work. A native of Maracay, Venezuela, Chirinos pitched at least 5.0 innings in eight of his 11 starts, and racked up at least five strikeouts in nine of them. From June 4th-16th, Chirinos made three consecutive starts in which he did not allow an earned run, and went on to finish the season by not allowing an earned run in three playoff games.

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Wingnuts Sign Talented Ex-Teammates

The story so far: Mario Beauregard published a very silly article in Salon, claiming that Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) were proof of life after death, a claim that he attempted to support with a couple of feeble anecdotes. I replied, pointing out that NDEs are delusions, and his anecdotal evidence was not evidence at all. Now Salon has given Beauregard another shot at it, and he has replied with a "rebuttal" to my refutation. You will not be surprised to learn that he has no evidence to add, and his response is simply a predictable rehashing of the same flawed reasoning he has exercised throughout.

In his previous sally, he cited the story of Maria's Shoe, a tall tale that has been circulating in the New Age community for decades, always growing in the telling. This story is the claim that a woman with a heart condition was hospitalized, and while unconscious with a heart attack, her spirit floated out of the coronary care unit to observe a shoe on a third-floor ledge. As has been shown, she described nothing that could not be learned by mundane observation, no supernatural events required, and further, that the story is peculiarly unverifiable: "Maria" cannot be found, not even in the hospital records, and no one has been found who even knew this woman. The entire story is hearsay with no independent evidence whatsoever.

Beauregard attempts to salvage the story by layering on more detail. The description of the shoe was very specific, he says, right down to the placement of the laces and the pattern of wear, and she could not possibly have learned this by overhearing staff talking about it because "it would have been difficult for Maria to understand the location of the shoe in the hospital and the details of its appearance because she spoke very little English." This is a curious observation; the claim is that she could not understand a description of the shoe, but she was able to describe the shoe herself to a woman, Kimberly Clark Sharp, who did not understand Spanish.

"When I got to the critical-care unit, Maria was lying slightly elevated in bed, eyes wild, arms flailing, and speaking Spanish excitedly," recounts Sharp. "I had no idea what she was saying, but I went to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. Our faces were inches apart, our eyes locked together, and I could see she had something important to tell me."

The question isn't whether a seriously ill woman with poor command of English could see the shoe; it's whether a healthy, ambulatory, English-speaking woman who has made a career out of the myth of NDEs could see the shoe. Beauregard's additions to the anecdote do not increase its credibility at all.

Beauregard adds another anecdote to the litany, the story of another cardiac patient who was resuscitated and later recounted seeing a particular nurse while his brain was not functional. Seriously more anecdotes don't help his case. He threatens to have even more of these stories in a book he's in the process of publishing, but there's no point. He could recite a thousand vague rumors and poorly documented examples with ambiguous interpretations, and it wouldn't salvage his thesis.

This new anecdote is more of the same. The patient is comatose and with no heart rhythm when brought into the hospital; over a week later, he claims to recognize a particular nurse as having been present during his crisis, and mentions that she put his dentures in a drawer.

I am underwhelmed. I must introduce Beauregard to two very common terms that are well understood in the neuroscience community.

The first is confabulation. This is an extremely common psychological process in which we fill in gaps in our memory with fabrications. I described this in my previous response, but Beauregard chose to disregard it. The patient above has a large gap in his memory, but he knows that he existed in that period, and something must have happened; he knows that he was resuscitated in a hospital, so can imagine a scene in which he was surrounded by doctors and nurses; he knows that his dentures are missing, so he suspects that someone put them somewhere, likely one of the people surrounding him during the emergency. So his brain fills in the gap with a plausible narrative. This whole process is routine and unsurprising, and far more likely than that his mind went wandering away from his brain.

The second term is confirmation bias. Only positive responses that confirm Beauregard's expectations are noted. The patient guessed that a nurse he met during his routine care was also present during his episode of unconsciousness, and he was correct. What if he'd guessed wrongly? That event would be unexceptional, nobody would have made note of it, and Beauregard would not now be trotting out this incident as a vindication of his hypothesis. This is one of the problems of building a case on anecdotes; without knowledge of the range and likelihood of various results, one can't distinguish the selective presentation of chance events from a measurable phenomenon.

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Near-death, rehashed [Pharyngula]

LONDON The Genesis Professionals clinched their second straight basketball title in London after winning the 2012 Kapisanan ng mga Manlalarong Pilipino sa Inglatera (KAMPI) West winter league title against rival squad Stunners, 82-74.

The game between the Genesis and the Stunners last April 22 in Northolt, London was an eagerly anticipated rematch between last years KAMPI West summer league finalists.

Genesis were favorites going into the game despite having parted ways with the majority of their championship winning side in the off-season.

Experienced stalwarts such as former PBA veterans Mike Mustre and Ruel Bravo were replaced by some of the most talented players from both KAMPI East and West leagues.

Genesis rising talent Terence Mustre, son of Mike, was now joined by the likes of last seasons KAMPI West Most Valuable Player (MVP) Stanley Gitau, East MVP Bing Vidad, and a host of players from reigning East champions the Controllers.

Genesis lost only once in the eight-game regular season, dropping their game against Flight Club.

Meanwhile, former two-time champions Stunners were the underdogs, but had a consistent season and were not to be underestimated. Boosted by the addition of regular season MVP Jay Jahnke to their line-up, the finalists lost only once during the regular season against Genesis.

Apart from a few other additions, the main core of the Stunners team remained intact and were eager to get revenge against Genesis. Players like best forward Angel Ebilane, former MVP Jeff de Vera, George Pineda, Patrick Muyot and Lloyd Sambo all stayed to suit up for the black-and-red.

Tip off

Right from the tip-off, Genesis broke into an early lead and forced the Stunners into committing a series of turnovers, which Vidad eagerly took advantage off.

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Genesis win back-to-back West London titles

Another step toward deciding whether to renovate the current Frankfort Community High School building or to construct an entirely new school building was taken Monday night at Paschedag Auditorium.

The Frankfort Community Unit School District 168 board and Superintendent Greg Goins were joined by FGM Architects representatives Greg Brown and Todd Hanger in the second community forum to allow for input from local residents and, in turn, to inform them of several potential ideas for the future of the high school.

Goins and FCUSD 168 Board President Jerry Eader allowed Brown and Hanger to lay out four option plans that have been designed by FGM, ranging from a basic remodeling of FCHS, to a pair of varying renovation plans all the way to the construction of a new school, built in a separate, yet-to-be-determined location.

Option one, the least intrusive of the four, would be a basic remodeling project that would not involve moving of any walls of the building. Classes would continue to largely be departmentalized, while no square footage would added. The classrooms and cafeteria would stay their current size, meaning the campus would remain open during lunch period. The focus of option number one would largely be on aesthetics and bringing the building up to code. All the buildings that make up FCHSthe main three-story structure, the gymnasium, the fitness center and the vocational buildingwould remain in use. The first phase of option one would begin in 2015 and the fourth and final phase would begin in 2018.

"What we mean by a remodel is that we would be addressing the health, safety and welfare items, applicable code items, exterior walls, interior, finished upgrades, as well as mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades," explained Hanger.

The second option, renovation, would involve the demolition of walls and re-planning of the building while, again, keeping all the current buildings in play. Classroom size would be increased to closer to 750 square feet, with some some science rooms to around 1,000 square feet. Big changes in this option are the addition of a media center and increased cafeteria size, which would allow the campus to be closed during lunch, a point in which Goins has been directly in favor of throughout the forums. The construction schedule would be about the same.

"With the renovation option, now we are starting to tear down walls, trying to make classrooms the appropriate size, trying to make the cafeteria larger and trying to make those improvements that were identified," said Goins. "All the changes that would be made in both the remodel option and the renovation option are right here in this physical building."

Option three involves the renovations from option two, as well as additions to both the north side of the high school and Max Morris Gymnasium that total 14,000 square feet. The vocational building would still be used, but the fitness center (housed in the former Teen Town building) would be included in the addition to the gym along with a facility that could potentially house a room for the wrestling team. Brown said parking on the north side of the school would be eliminated to make room for the additions. This option would allow for separate rooms for band and vocal, which are currently housed in the same room on the first floor. Under option three classroom size would approach 775 square feet. Brown said this option could be completed in three phases beginning in 2015.

"This is what I would describe as a real "think outside of the box" concept," said Goins. "What we are talking about here with the renovation and addition is to build back (toward Popular Street) and build up to add more classroom space and have it meet our curriculum needs."

The fourth option is to reinvent FCHS as a totally new structure. The concept involves a a 140,000 square foot, single-story building that would house all of the current buildings that make up the school. The construction would be in a single complex. Vocational classes, parking and, potentially athletic fields and other areas would all be included in the new construction plan. Max Morris gym would remain in use, although practice facilities were included in the concept. A "cafetorium," a combination of a cafeteria and auditorium, would be included in the new building. Construction time is estimated at 16-18 months.

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Future FCHS plans mulled

DIANNE MALEY From Saturday's Globe and Mail Published Friday, Apr. 27, 2012 4:30PM EDT Last updated Friday, Apr. 27, 2012 9:00PM EDT

Jeremy and Kate live in a smallish home in a nice part of Toronto with their two-year-old son.

He has been such a joy that we wanted to grow our family, Kate writes in an e-mail. Grow it they will theyre expecting twins soon. Kate is 36, Jeremy 38. Both work full-time at executive-level jobs.

Everything we have needs to expand with our newest arrivals, Kate says. Our small semi-detached house was tight for three, unmanageable for five, she adds. Our car cant fit three car seats and the costs of daycare or a nanny will be going through the roof!

Fortunately, they earn good incomes and are good savers, Kate says. It looks like we are going to need it. To accommodate the children, they want to move up from their existing house valued at $800,000 to a larger one in the same neighbourhood. Estimated cost: $1.5-million to $2-million. Theyll also need a minivan in addition to their car and a live-in nanny, which they calculate will be cheaper than paying daycare fees for three children.

Longer term, they want to make sure they can pay for their childrens education and extra-curricular activities and still have money to invest for their retirement. Kates income will drop substantially during her parental leave.

Can we afford the size of house that we are looking for without changing our lifestyle and sacrificing our savings in light of the expenses that we will be taking on? she asks.

We asked Stephen Osborne, a financial planner at E.E.S. Financial Services Ltd. in Markham, Ont., to look at Kate and Jeremys situation.

What the expert says

Mr. Osborne looked first at how much Kate and Jeremys expenses might rise. A live-in nanny could cost double what they are paying now for daycare, adding another $13,000 to their monthly bill. Next, he raised their food and clothing budget by two-thirds, or $1,600 a month. While that may seem like a lot for two infants, Kate and Jeremy have little in their budget for future childrens activities sports, music, dancing. Their budget is also light on items such as vacations and dining out, costs that will rise as their family grows older. A second vehicle will add another $10,000 a year.

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With twins on the way, couple want a much bigger house