http://missoulamom.com A blog for moms and their families Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:06:53 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The latest news release from the Montana Office of Public Instruction trumpets that "Montana Students Continue to Score Higher than the National Average on ACT Exams." That's the headline of the release; the numbers show that the students of the  graduating class of 2010 in Montana who took the tests scored ... http://missoulamom.com/?p=1311 Only two weeks to go until the first day of school for Missoula kids. Like other families, we received a short list of school supplies we are supposed to bring on the first day. For new kindergardeners, like my little girl, the list includes things like a backpack, gym shoes, and ... http://missoulamom.com/?p=1308 First, the warning: There is exactly one month left until Grandparents Day 2010. It falls on September 12 each year; have you made plans to celebrate that special grandparent in your life? I ask because I don't remember ever marking the arrival of Grandparents Day in all the years of my ... http://missoulamom.com/?p=1262 Kate calls me regularly to vent. She rants to me from her kitchen while Skype allows me the visual thrashing of her arms and gnashing of her teeth. My daughter’s life, like most of ours, is stressful. She has just begun a new school year in a classroom brimming with ... http://missoulamom.com/?p=1300 Families First!, the organization that runs the Children's Museum in Missoula, has been hard at work planning a new exhibit for the museum: a kids' grocery store! The new grocery play area will be located toward the front of the museum on West Front Street in downtown Missoula. It's being ... http://missoulamom.com/?p=1297 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 http://missoulamom.com/?p=1293 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 ... http://missoulamom.com/?p=1291 I take pains to be unfailingly, unflinchingly honest with my daughter (within the bounds of age-appropriateness, of course). She believes what I tell her; then again, being 5 years old, she believes almost anything anyone tells her. For instance, one of Willow's friends recently told her that she once caught a ... http://missoulamom.com/?p=1284 It seems a local mom was asked by a staff member of Currents to breastfeed her child in the bathroom this week. The mom protested, but the staff insisted that she stop breastfeeding in public. Knowing her rights, the mom complained to Missoula Parks and Rec, which issued a prompt apology ... http://missoulamom.com/?p=1277 I get regular, always positive news releases on the state of K-12 education in Montana from the state Office of Public Instruction. Often, I dutifully post the releases on this blog for readers. Naturally, I didn’t hear a peep from OPI about this latest news, which is based on a national ... http://missoulamom.com/?p=1273