We moms have been known to repeat ourselves if we think no one heard us the first time. So here I am again, for the second year in a row, complaining about Missoula Parks and Rec’s annual Kidsfest being held at a time when my family can’t attend.

It’s this Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission is free, and a lot of the activities are free, too. There’s music, arts and crafts, a climbing wall, etc. Sounds like a lot of fun, right? Have extra fun for me and my daughter if you go, because like I said, we won’t be able to make it.

Sorry if I sound a little whiney about this. Missoula Parks and Rec does a lot of great stuff for families and puts on other events at other times. This one rankles, though, because it is always planned for a day and time when most parents with jobs outside the home have to be at work.

Last time I spoke to Parks and Rec Director Donna Gaukler about this, she explained that the crowds sharply tapered off after 4 p.m., so it seemed best to end the event before that time. What I suspect, however, is that attendance would sharply rise again after 5 p.m., when a lot of parents would get off of work, go pick up the kids, and head down to Caras Park for some Kidsfest.

It’s worth a try, don’t you think? Next year, pretty pretty please with a cherry on top, move Kidsfest from lunch time to dinner time, and see what happens.

- MM

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Wow! What day is it? I’m still reeling from a long world-class kayak competition and Independence Day weekend, and already I can feel Missoula gearing up to hit me with another crazy too-much-t0-see-and-do weekend.

Friday is the third annual Kiddopalooza (or however you spell it) music festival, which doubles as a benefit event for Families First. Who’s playing? What’s happening? Well, there’s the Sweet Adeline’s Barbershop Octet, Tangled Tones, Wise River Mercantile, a Championship Training Taekwondo Demonstration, Julie and the Wolves, “The Mime” Christian Ackerman, Derailed, Vera, Parson’s Pony Rides (from 6:30-8:30pm), TWO – count ‘em – TWO bouncy houses, a water slide, face painting, a giant sandbox, mini-mobile races (huh?), a Western Montana Fairgrounds Rodeo Queens Rope Course (4-6 p.m.), a gymnastics course, the MCAT Space Taxi, free rides on the Missoula Carousel (7-9 p.m.) and – oh, just go check it out for yourself.

The festivities start at 2 p.m. and end at 8 p.m., unless you count the free carousel rides, which go on until 9 p.m. And since it’s summer, there will still be enough light to run around outside until the kids finally tucker out.

It costs $15 for an all-access wristband; $20 for a wristband with a T-shirt; $1 per ticket if you want to purchase activities individually.

And if the kids have any leftover energy the next day (ha ha – you know they will), there’s the Kids Marathon. Nearly 200 kids have registered.

- MM

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Watson Children’s Shelter is the emergency shelter for children who have been removed from their families, usually because of drugs, domestic violence or other problems no kid should be exposed to.

As most Missoulians are aware by now, the shelter is nearing the finish line for its capital campaign to raise money for a new building. The shelter can only take so many kids at a time, and has had to turn some children away in the past. The new shelter is being planned to make sure that doesn’t happen in the future.

This morning I got a press release from Missoula Baskin Robbins owner Matt Loomis, who announced that his ice cream store on Brooks Street will be hosting its first-ever Watson Children’s Shelter Night on Monday, June 28 from 5-10 p.m. On that night, the store will donate 100 percent of its profits to Watson’s.

This will be the first time I’ve ever marked my calendar to visit an ice-cream store.

- MM

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Every year, the Muscular Dystrophy Association coordinates more than 5,000 volunteers to give more than 4,300 young campers an unforgettable camp experience – for free.

Right now, the MDA is looking for volunteers age 16 years or older – “able to lift and care for a young person between the ages of 6 and 17″ – according to a recent MDA news release.

Admittedly, I paused over the image of a 16-year-old volunteer lifting a 17-year-old camper, but this statement by MDA President and CEO Gerald C. Weinberg got me back on track again:

“MDA summer camp is an incredibly valuable experience for the young people we serve. It’s a week during which they build confidence and independence, and participate in a full range of activities that often aren’t accessible to them.”

While the summer camp is touted as a life-changing experience for campers, the release says that volunteers can expect to gain something priceless too.

The primary responsibility of each volunteer camp counselor is to act as a companion to a camper who has a muscle disease. This means helping campers eat, bathe and dress, plus the fun stuff like arts and crafts, fishing and horseback riding.

The MDA is in the middle of gathering enough volunteers to run its upcoming summer camp at Camp Paxson in Missoula from July 5-12.

For more information or to get a volunteer application, call (406) 655-9000 or visit www.mda.org/clinics/camp.

- MM

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“No child left inside.”

That’s the lettering on the bottom of the new Montana license plates designed by state painter Jamie Hoffman. According to today’s Missoulian story, money raised from the sale of the plates will help the National Wildlife Federation run programs that encourage kids to get outdoors.

“We just want kids to spend more time outside, even if that’s just walking down the street,” Susan Scaggs, manager of operations for the National Wildlife Federation’s regional cent in Missoula, says in the story.

For each plate sold, $20 will be given to the organization for its kids programs in Montana – including the Great American Backyard Campout later this month. That’s taking place June 26-27 at Travelers’ Rest State Park near Lolo. For more info, call Missoula Parks and Rec at 721-7275 or check out the website.

- MM

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Lots of kid-centric activities are planned for Southgate Mall this month.

First of all, the mall is hosting a playhouse AND pet palace auction this month. Bidding kicks off on Monday, June 7, and runs until  June 24, with the final auction event taking place from 5 to 6 p.m. on June 24.

More than 10 playhouses for pets, children or perhaps both will be on display in the mall’s Clock Court area. They were built by more than 30 builders and donated to help raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Missoula.

And this upcoming Tuesday, the mall is offering a free Father’s Day craft for kids.

With plenty of time left before Father’s Day, the June 15 event promises a fun and free – but as-yet unnamed – craft activity for children. It’s part of the regular monthly “Southgate Mall Kids Klub” events held once a month at the mall.

For more info, call 721-5140.

- MM

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Photo by LINDA THOMPSON/Missoulian

Missoulian reporter Jamie Kelly has a story in today’s paper about Julie McLennan and Julie Merritt’s mission to replace the ancient playground equipment at Franklin School.

These moms hope to raise $45,000 to build a fun, safe structure in place of the sturdy metal pipes covered with layers of flaking paint that currently occupy the Franklin playground. It sounds like fundraising is already well underway, with $5,000 raised and a “walkathon,” happening today, promising to bring in a little more money.

If you want to help out or get more information, e-mail “the Julies” at franklinplayground@yahoo.com. If you want to make a donation, write a check to the Franklin PTA at Franklin Elementary School, 1901 S. 10th St. W., Missoula, MT 59801.

- MM

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OK, so perusing numbers from the Census Bureau might not be most people’s idea of a fun Mother’s Day activity, but it is mine. What better way to spend the day than thinking about all the other moms out there in America?

That is surely what Anna Jarvis had in mind when she lobbied for a national Mother’s Day more than 100 years ago. She picked the month of May in honor of her own mother’s birthday, but she always meant for it to be a larger community celebration. That’s why she organized the first public observances in honor of mothers. All our mothers.

That community spirit lives on in Missoula, as evidenced by in the sweet story of “Operation Mom,” in which members of New Hope Christian Fellowship are spending this weekend helping struggling moms get some home improvement projects completed.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 82.8 million mothers in the country. The total fertility rate (average number of births per woman) is 2.1. The most fertile women live in Utah, where the fertility rate is 2.6; the lowest fertility rate, 1.7, can be found in Vermont.

An estimated 37.8 million moms are living with children age 18 or younger – 3 percent live with stepchildren, 2 percent with adopted children and less than 1 percent with foster children.

On the age spectrum, teenagers age 15 to 19 gave birth to 445,045 babies in one year at last count. Women ages 45 to 54 gave birth to 7,349 infants. But the average age of women who give birth for the first time is 25.

As for giving birth, 24,970 babies were born at home and 10,781 were born at free-standing birth centers in 2006, the most recent year statistics are available.

There! Now that you know a little more about the larger mom community, I hope all you other moms out there also feel a little more connected to it on our shared day. Happy Mother’s Day!

- MM

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That’s right, May 7, today, is the offical birthday of the Missoula Mom blog. We’ve been up and running (literally) for one year now.

The very first post, naturally, was a welcome to the community and an invitation to help guide this blog. Now seems like a good time to extend that invitation again. Please feel free to post a comment or e-mail me at oped@missoulian.com and let me know if this blog is workin’ for ya. Have ideas on what you’d like to see more of? Less of? Just let me know.

I’m listening.

- MM

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You can tell summer is on its way because the weekends are quickly filling with things to do. If you don’t already have enough on your plate (ha, ha) or are just looking for fun and meaningful time spent with the entire family, this weekend offers plenty of opportunity.

First, if you see droves of kids outside sans I-pod or other electronic devices, don’t be alarmed. A worldwide virus has not hit. It’s Global Youth Service Day (actually, it goes all weekend, April 23-25). The Governor’s Office of Community Service has a map of activities aimed at encouraging young people throughout Montana to celebrate and help improve their communities. Roughly 2,000 kids expected to participate in our state alone!

If you’re looking to do something a little different tonight, check out the Family Reading Adventure at the Children’s Museum. From 5:30-7 p.m., parents and children will be taking on “The Rough-Face Girl” by Rafe Martin. It’s an Algonquin tale described in reviews as a Cinderella-style story of a girl who competes with her two older sisters to marry the handsome prince – er, Invisible Being. Be aware, though, that this isn’t just a sit-and-read thing. Family Reading Adventures is all about interactivity and participation. It’s free, but you have to register in advance, so call 541-PLAY right away to reserve a spot.

While you’re downtown, you might also want to swing by the Blackbird Kid Shop on the Hip Strip (at 525 South Higgins Ave.) to check out the First Friday display offered by the YWCA Missoula’s GUTS! girls. That’s “Girls Using Their Strengths!” and these young ladies age 9 to 18 have been hard at work on pieces depicting their favorite “sheroes” – female heroes.

Then on Saturday, of course, you won’t want to miss ACROtainment at Hellgate High School. It’s kids, it’s acrobatics, it’s live theater – and shows start at 3 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. You can buy tickets at Bitterroot Gymnastics; call 728-4258.

On Sunday – well, take a deep breath and start stockpiling your energy for the week ahead, because next Saturday, the first weekend in May, is when the Farmer’s Market, the People’s Market and the Clark Fork River Market will kick off the summer season. AND, next Sunday will see the first-ever Sunday market at the Carousel.

It’s shaping up to be another rip-roaring summer. I’m worn out already just from writing about it … but in a good way.

- MM

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