In this weeks’ Nickell’s Bag, Missoulian arts and entertainment journalist extraordinaire Joe Nickell describes how his 3-year-old son landed a role in “Madama Butterfly.”

And thus, a star was born. Break a leg, Julian!

- MM

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LUNAFEST, the festival of “short films by, for and about women” kicks off in Missoula tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Wilma Theatre. And, of course, its lineup includes several films of particular interest to moms.

“Roz (and Joshua),” for one, is about a woman who dreams of being reunited with her son. In “Omlette,” a mom wrestles with finances in a changing economy. And then there’s “The Kinda Sutra,” which promises to tackle the topic of how babies are made.

That’s only a quick look at the 11 films featured in the festival. There’s also a film directed by Missoula’s own Hasalyn Harris – a news anchor for KECI – and Login Modine. 

Proceeds from the festival, which cost $10 ($5 for students) will go to a good cause – the YWCA’s GUTS! girls leadership program and the Breast Cancer Research Fund.

Call 543-6691 for tickets.

- MM

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The Missoulian’s own Joe Nickell tackles the subject of crying babies and squirmy toddlers at formal music venues in today’s Nickell’s Bag. “Music may hath charms to sooth the savage beast; but it won’t shush the baby,” he says, and Missoula Mom is inclined to agree.

- MM

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A fellow mom just passed along word of a promotional code good for $7 off tickets to the Harlem Globetrotters’ upcoming stop at the Adams Center on the University of Montana campus.

The April 14 show in Missoula is part of the basketball stars’ 2010 “Magical Memories” World Tour, and kicks off at 7 p.m.

“These shows are so much fun and our kids (and us) love them – they’re very kid-friendly and good for kids of all ages – even kids as young as 2 (our youngest gets a kick out of the games!)” wrote Lisa, mom to 4-year-old twins and a 2-year-old.

The promotional code is MOM. Please note that restrictions apply. Ticketmaster has tickets available at http://ev10.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventList?groupCodeARTS&linkIDmontana&shopperContext&caller&appCode.

- MM

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Missoulian reporter Michael Moore’s story about children and media literacy struck a chord with me this morning. As surprised as I was to learn that children have witnessed an estimated 16,000 murders on TV by the time they are 16 years old, I was less shocked to learn that kids in my daughter’s age range (2 to 5 years) spend more than 30 hours a week in front of a screen.

In fact, I’ve run the numbers for my family in my head countless times, and by my estimation, my daughter spends roughly one hour a week on the computer (using the “Paint” function, primarily, but also watching short video clips with me and looking at photos from friends and family) and about 10 hours in front of the TV.

That’s less than what the article cites, sure, but it’s still a lot of TV time. And I confess, most of it is not exactly “educational.” For every ”Dog 101″ we watch together, there’s at least two ”Spongebob Squarepants.” And what’s more, a good portion of that TV time is filled with commercials my little girl finds almost as fascinating as the shows.

A few months ago, she started asking for every product she saw advertised: “Can I have that? Will you buy me one of those?”  And so we started talking about the purpose of commercials and how not everything you see on TV is the same as it is in reality.

My daughter has gained some understanding, I can tell, because she made the connection between the commercials on TV and the money in our bank, and has grasped the fact that if we bought everything we saw advertised, we would have no money left.

So now, she asks if she can have them for her birthday.

- MM

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March is Women’s History Month, March 8 is International Women’s Day and tomorrow, March 6, is the day of Missoula’s third annual Women’s Fair.

The free event is open to all ages and offers a variety of exhibitions, booths, activities and other entertainment “covering every aspect of a woman’s life,” according to the Web site. Oh, and did I mention the bachelor bid?

There’s also a “Baby Sitter Speed Dating” thing happening, which sounds like it works just like other speed dating operations only it’s aimed at matching parents with potential babysitters.

Check out the Web site for more info, or better yet, just show up at the University of Montana Ballroom on the third floor of the University Center between the hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and see for yourself.

- MM

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Today, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that next week, it will be announcing (that’s how it works, folks) that it is launching a new public awareness campaign geared toward children.

It’s called “Children Count Too,” and it’s all about the need to make sure every last one of the nation’s  babies and little kiddos are counted on the 2010 Census.

It’s so important, in fact, that Nickelodeon is partnering with the Census to run a TV spot featuring our favorite explorer, Dora (who is described by the Census folks in grown-up terms as ”the popular children’s character on the network’s award-winning animated preschool series,” for those of you who didn’t know).

Since the announcement didn’t specifically mention Dora’s sidekick Boots, I can only assume she will once again be joined in her newest quest by her beloved monkey friend. But I shudder to think what might happen to any census information in their possession should Swiper make an appearance as well.  

- MM

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Here’s an interesting letter to the editor that will appear on the Missoulian’s Opinion pages within the next few days. It’s about one Missoulian’s experience at the recent Missoula Symphony Orchestra performance – and how that experience was dampened by auditory interuptions from the audience’s youngest members.

His comments are aimed at us, fellow parents, so feel free to agree, disagree or otherwise comment on it here.

- MM

“This past weekend Missoula had the fantastic pleasure of hearing Robert McDuffie perform the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with our own Missoula Symphony Orchestra, and those of us who attended got quite a treat in his performance. I hear much was made of the fact that McDuffie was playing on a $3.4 million dollar Stradivarius, a noteworthy anecdote certainly. And he made it sound amazing, without a doubt.

“But there was something that did not sound amazing, especially during whisper-soft, unfathomably high harmonics, expertly executed on a one-of-a-kind instrument by a caliber of artist Missoula rarely enjoys.

“Screaming babies. And chatting toddlers. And gurgling infants. Not once, not for just a moment, but for nearly the entire 35-minute concerto. By the end of the last movement, most seem to have been removed from the hall, but sadly, the parents didn’t seem to realize that screaming in the lobby of the University Theater can still be heard quite easily in the hall.

“Why are there infants and young children at a symphony concert? I know babysitters are expensive; so stay home. Your kid does not care that the violin cost $3.4 million, they certainly don’t care about how beautiful the music is, and taking them to the symphony will not make them into geniuses. All it will do is diminish the listening experience for the rest of us, and for you. How on earth could any parent actually enjoy a concert when they’re constantly having to shush their 4-year-old, or walk out into the lobby time after time with a screaming baby?

“You decided to have a kid. One of the things you now get to not do is go to concerts, for at least 10 to 12 years. Please, for the sake of the rest of the audience, stay home.”

Sean Barker,
Missoula

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Mamalode reminded me that “Annie” is coming to Missoula! The production, the play, the EXPERIENCE – “Annie.”

You know the story, right? Little red-headed orphan girl adopts shaggy dog, wins over curmudgeonly rich guy, becomes a pawn for no-good crooks intent on getting rich guy’s money – shenanigans ensue!

The tour arrives in Missoula on Tuesday night. Tickets are reportedly still available starting at $22 each.

My favorite “Annie” number? “Little girls.” Cracks me up.

UPDATE: Mamalode is giving away a “family pack” of tickets (that means four of ‘em) to Annie.
- MM

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One very important weapon that should be in every parent’s arsenol is a good sense of humor. The ability to laugh at the strange things you find in your child’s diaper, the skill it takes to pull a kiddo out of a meltdown by suddenly talking like a pirate, making the choice to get goofy when things are getting too serious – all can make daily life with our zany little offspring just a little bit easier, and a lot more fun to boot.

Parents in need of a laugh themselves can get a good dose of “mom humor” on Feb. 6, a Saturday, at the Roxy Theater when Teresa Waldorf and Ann Szalda-Petree open their stand-up comedy routine to audiences in Missoula.

For $20 in advance or $25 at the door, the evening’s entertainment includes appetizers, a cash bar, an auction and, of course, “The Ann and Teresa and Ann Show,” a bit described as “stand-up comedy including game show segments, original parenting songs, and humorous parenting tips.” The doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Call 721.7690 for tickets, or check out the Families First Web site, www.FamiliesFirstMontana.org, for more info.

- MM

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