The annual Kidsfest sounds like a lot of fun. This year’s celebration takes place at Caras Park on Thursday, August 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Most everything is free, and there will be games, booths, activities and music and more.

Like I said, sounds like a lot of fun. But Missoula Mom won’t be going.

See, I’ve got this gig at the Missoulian that requires me to sit in an office from, oh, 8-ish to 5-ish. If I scramble I can sometimes leave work by 4 – which wouldn’t do me any good in the case of Kidsfest. My husband’s pretty much in the same boat.

So I identified with an e-mail I received this week: “I think you should blog about why the Missoula Kids Fest is held from 11-4 on a weekday when most working parents are unable to attend. It hardly seems to fair to those of us who are not stay at home moms. Just a thought.”

This led me to call up Missoula Parks and Rec Department Director Donna Gaukler to ask her what the deal is, since I seemed to remember that for the first couple years of Kidsfest (like, 10 years ago, before I had children), the festival continued into the evening and didn’t wrap up until about 8 p.m.

Gaukler said the decision to end the festival earlier was made when organizers noticed that the number of participants “significantly decreased” after 4 p.m. The event would go from “about 2,000 to less than 500 scattered all throughout the park” right at about 4, she said.

Gaukler went on to say that she knows times change, and that the department is open to keeping Kidsfest going longer if that’s what people want. She encouraged parents interested in attending the event in the evening to give the department a call – the number is 721-7275 – to let them know. If the department hears from enough people, organizers will consider extended hours for Kidsfest.

I’m guessing it’s too late for this year’s festival, but I for one hope some parents will take a minute to let Missoula Parks and Rec know that even a couple more hours of Kidsfest would help more families like mine participate. Missoula Mom – and especially her daughter – would love to be able to attend next year.

- Missoula Mom

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I’ve yet to come across a term I feel adequately describes moms who have paying jobs in addition to the jobs they have as moms, and moms who don’t.

“Working moms” and “stay-at-home moms” don’t quite work for me, because the stay-at-home moms I know don’t just “stay at home,” and they work bloody hard, too. They just don’t get a paycheck for it.

Does anyone know a better term? What do you prefer to be called (If, you know, you have to be called something)? And are there any similar terms that apply to dads?

- Missoula Mom

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First, please note that tonight’s the night Lowel Elementary School is inviting parents and the general public to meet its finalists for principal. There are four of them: Brian Bessette, Kathleen Dent, Luke Laslovich and Becky Sorenson. Go to the Lowell School Annex at 6 p.m. tonight to meet them yourself.

I also have to lament the sad news that Montana’s ranking in terms of the overall well-being of its children has fallen. We’re now in 30th place, according to the 2009 Kids Count report.

Why so low? Montana does pretty well when it comes to keeping infant mortality low. We have a lower-than-average number of single-parent households. But the number of teen deaths – while falling – is way above the national average.

The Missoulian article also contains a bit of advice for the parents of young children: Keep your little ones in a booster seat or car seat – and in the back seat, even past the age of 2.

In happier news, Watson Children’s Shelter has broken ground on its second facility in Missoula. In honor of this milestone, Missoula Mom offers her hearty congratulations and a sincere wish that the second location never fills to capacity.

- Missoula Mom

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What is the deal with all these little kids carrying around cell phones? I seem to see them everywhere lately – kids my daughter’s age (4 years old), for cryin’ out loud.

I can understand why parents would want to keep tabs on their teens, and to some extent, why they would want to make sure that younger children could reach them at all times, too. But at some point – what point exactly, I don’t know – doesn’t it seem just a teeny bit ridiculous to expect your children to maintain constant contact with you?

Anyway, that’s my RFTD (rant for the day). And now here’s my PSMD (public safety message of the day), courtesy of Nancy White: “11 Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe on Their Cell Phone.”

- Missoula Mom

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So says one of the “mommy bloggers” featured on this MSNBC video clip, which also includes an interview with the Queen of Mommy Bloggers, Heather Armstrong of Dooce.

The clip touches on a lot of the questions Missoula Mom has been asking herself: How much personal information should this blog contain? What’s worth sharing and what’s better left unsaid? How much moola should Missoula Mom demand in exchange for product endorsements? (Kidding!)

Fortunately, western Montana is home to a number of experienced mommy bloggers whose example has given Missoula Mom some assurance that she’ll eventually find her way, albeit probably through a great deal of trial and error (like this writing-about-myself-in-the-third-person thing, which is clearly not working for me).

Near the top of my list of favorite local mom blogs is digthischick, a site that features gorgeous photos and unfailingly insightful notes about one mom’s very full life.

Do you know of any other local mommy blogs? Which ones do you like to visit? Let me know so I can check ‘em out, too.

- Missoula Mom

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Well, whaddaya know? No sooner had I solicited tips on traveling with kids than Families First came through with its Parenting Tip of the Week, via its regular electronic newsletter, “What’s happening at the Children’s Museum”:

“Parenting Tip of the Week

Going on family vacation this summer? Young kids benefit from extra reminders about what is happening next; this will help compensate for the huge change in familiarity and routine.
‘We are going to eat lunch in the park and then go on a short hike to the waterfall.’
‘Tonight we are staying in this campground/motel and in the morning we will pack up and move to a new spot.’
Also, kids from 0 to 100 benefit from a little extra rest time when on vacation – we call it the ‘family nap.’ Let kids know that after they rest there is an activity to look forward to so they have some incentive to temporarily slow down. A little extra reading before hand is quite helpful.

~courtesy of Families First Parent Educator
~Parent Helpline 1-800-346-ABCD or 406-721-7690″

Sign up for the newsletter at the Families First Web site, which also has lots of links to info about the local, totally awesome, Children’s Museum.

- Missoula Mom

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Missoula Mom is back after having taken a week off for vacation. We went here and there, but never more than a day’s drive from Missoula. Good thing, too.

When the little one was a baby and then a toddler, I didn’t dare venture too far from home, mostly because she demanded my full attention at all times and didn’t travel well. That changed last summer when I took her to visit my sister in San Fransisco. We went by train, then flew back, and had a gloriously good time both coming and going.

Last week, we hadn’t quite reached Seeley Lake when, without warning, Willow started screaming and clutching her left ear. We dashed into the grocery store long enough to grab some children’s Tylenol, then turned right back around and drove straight to the doctor’s office (well, nearly straight – we had to stop a couple of times so my daughter could puke), where she was diagnosed with an ear infection and prescribed numbing ear drops. I’m happy to report she recovered just as quickly as she fell ill.

Lesson learned: Always expect the unexpected when traveling with children.

But if anyone out there has any advice as to how I can better prepare my family for out-of-town travels in the future, I would dearly appreciate it.

- Missoula Mom

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First, I couldn’t help but notice some interesting similarities between this letter to the editor in today’s Missoulian and the story of the Bozeman mom who got arrested for letting her kids go to the mall without adult supervision.

In the letter, Robert Sunset decries the sort of changes he’s seen in Missoula that led someone to call the authorities on him for letting his kids (an 8-year-old and his brother, whose age is not provided) walk to the duck pond alone. Sunset told me over the phone that he was watching the kids the entire time from his front porch.

It’s true that roving gangs of unsupervised kids used to be a common sight back in the day – and in many places, especially more rural areas, they still are. Are we erring too much on the side of caution these days?

In other news, the ever-growing Mamalode Web site has a profile up on yours truly. If you haven’t checked out the site yet, be ready to be impressed. It’s got a place to network, a place to note events (not just for kids, either, but for moms and dads as well) and a place to share stories. Oh, and it’s got a link to the entire first issue of the Mamalode magazine for those who haven’t been able to get their hands on a hard copy.

- Missoula Mom

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It must be my day to get press releases about babies from Rep. Denny Rehberg. First there was his note about the Congressional Baby Caucus, below, and now this:

Rehberg Secures $500,000 for Women & Infant Care at Community Medical Center in Missoula

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg today announced $500,000 for the replacement of Women and Infant Care equipment at Community Medical Center in Missoula. The funding was included in the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee bill for Fiscal Year 2010.

“Ensuring a newborn receives the best possible care is one of the most important aspects of modern medicine,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee and the co-founder of the Congressional Baby Caucus. “Funding this CMC Initiative will help ensure that effective pediatric care is available to Montanans.”

Community Medical Center (CMC) is currently in the process of critical service upgrades and replacement of an outdated Women and Infant Care Center. This funding will allow Community Medical Center to acquire up-to-standard equipment that is comparable to infant care units nationwide.

“Community Medical Center is actively working to secure funding to provide a new facility for Women’s and Newborn care services,” said Jean Jenkins the Executive Director of the CMC Foundation. “High risk obstetrical, neonatal, and perinatal care are core competencies at CMC and a much needed service for Western Montana and the region. We are grateful for the efforts of Congressman Denny Rehberg on behalf of our project to build a new facility as we continue to provide excellent medical care to the families in our region. Congressman Rehberg and his staff have worked diligently to support funding requests for this project. With this continued support of $500,000 we are one step closer to a ground breaking in 2010. Thank you for all your efforts on behalf of the mothers, babies and families of Western Montana. “

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- Missoula Mom

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Following is the text of a news release that was sitting in my inbox this morning. I have to admit, my first thought after reading the headline was that our politicians were taking name-calling to a whole new level. So I was relieved to read on and learn that they are not actually launching new caucus for congressional babies.

Here’s the release:

Rehberg, DeLauro Launch Congressional Baby Caucus

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Denny Rehberg (R-MT) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) launched the Congressional Baby Caucus at a briefing focused on the challenges faced by infants and toddlers in military families, highlighting how public policy can support their healthy development.

The Congressional Baby Caucus aims to ensure that public policy reflects the latest research in understanding how children’s brains are shaped and developed, how positive behaviors can be encouraged, and how investments in early childhood create success in later years, as well as that families are supported with what they need to take advantage of the scientific advances.

“Recent scientific studies on young children and their families have demonstrated that there is a disconnect between what we know is good for America’s children and families versus what we as a country do about it,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “For this reason, Congressman Rehberg and I founded the Congressional Baby Caucus, which will champion efforts to identify and promote policies that take advantage of these scientific studies in a thoughtful manner to ensure the affect of policies on infants and toddlers is not an after-thought. Our goal is to focus on the opportunities for Congress to use science to dramatically improve the public policy opportunities for children in this country.”

There are 332,771 children ages 0–3 of Active Duty members. The physical separation from a parent due to deployment can be a loss in itself. Trauma, grief and loss experienced by families of Service members who have been injured or killed, or are experiencing combat?related stress and/or illness, may further challenge the ability to maintain the healthy parental relationships which are essential to young children’s development.

“The first years of life are crucial for a child’s development,” said Rehberg. “The educational, nutritional and emotional nurturing that they receive during these years forms a foundation that will guide the course of their lives. It is crucial that policy makers accept our role in ensuring that every American child grows up in a safe and healthy environment with the resources they need to grow into strong, productive adults. I am proud to be a founding member and co-chairman of this caucus. I have enjoyed working with Rep. DeLauro on issues like Country of Origin Labeling, and look forward to partnering with her to develop bi-partisan solutions to the challenges facing infants, toddlers, and their families.”

More than 30 bipartisan members of the Caucus will be champions for awareness and early investment – promoting that which is best for children, from the get-go, rather than have the effect of policies on infants and toddlers as afterthoughts. The Caucus will focus on a broad range of areas, including nutrition and basic needs for babies; the effects of trauma; federal programs: existing programs like Head Start and Child Care Development Block Grant – how well they are serving infants and toddlers.

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- Missoula Mom

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