MamalodeA blog for moms and their families
August 31st, 2009
Missoula Mom is already seizing up over the fact that her wee one will be starting kindergarten in just one year. Meanwhile, she’s carefully watching those parents who drive their kids to school or walk their kids to the bus stop, wondering how they ever manage to make themselves let go of those little hands.
She’s also working hard at being an extra careful driver, and not just in school zones.
Here’s to another great, safer-than-ever school year!
- Missoula Mom
August 19th, 2009
As a consequence of her unusual fascination with the Census Bureau, each day Missoula Mom receives dozens of e-mails containing long lists of numbers and data conveniently arranged by calendar topic.
That is how she learned, just before Mother’s Day, that there are an estimated 82.8 million mothers in the U.S., and that August was the month with the highest number of births in 2006.
Anyway. The Census Bureau’s latest list centers on a back-to-school theme. Here’s a by-the-numbers roundup of stats Missoula Mom found especially interesting, edited waaaaaay down:
“$7.6 billion – The amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2008. Only in December were sales significantly higher. Similarly, sales at bookstores in August 2008 totaled $2.4 billion, an amount approached in 2008 only by sales in January.
76 million – The number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2007, from nursery school to college. They comprised 27 percent of the entire population 3 and older.
11 percent – Projected percentage of elementary through high school students enrolled in private schools this fall.
12 percent – Percentage of children 6 to 11 who participated in lessons, sports and clubs as of 2006. Lessons include those taken after school or on the weekend in subjects such as music, dance, language, computers or religion.
67 percent - Percentage of children 6 to 17 whose parents reported that their kids often like school.
19 million – The projected number of students enrolled in the nation’s colleges and universities this fall. This is up from 13.5 million 20 years ago.
15 percent – Percentage of all college students 35 and older in October 2007. They made up 36 percent of those attending school part time.
98,793 – Number of public schools in 2006-07. In 2007-08, there were 28,218 private schools.
4,352 – Number of institutions that granted college degrees in 2007.
3,970 – The number of public charter schools nationwide in 2006-07. These schools, exempt from selected state and local rules and regulations, enrolled 1.2 million students.
7.2 million – Number of teachers in the United States in 2008. Some 2.9 million teach at the elementary and middle school level. The remainder includes those teaching at the postsecondary, secondary, and preschool and kindergarten levels.
3.3 million – Projected number of high school diplomas that will be awarded in the 2009-10 school year.
3.2 million – Number of college degrees expected to be conferred in the 2009-10 school year.
- Missoula Mom
August 19th, 2009
The Children’s Museum in Missoula regularly hosts a “dad’s night” that invites fathers to spend an evening socializing with other fathers – and let their kids mingle, too.
And if that’s not enough incentive, take note that it’s a totally free event – and food is provided.
The e-mail from Families First promises plenty of “interactive entertainment and good old fashioned playtime,” with food from Mackenzie River Pizza Co. and entertainment provided by Tangled Tones Music Studio’s Matt Nord and Caleb Van Gelder.
But you have to sign up before you show up. The next Dad’s Night is tomorrow night (Thursday) from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and word is that there are still a few slots open. Call 541-7529 to register to attend. The Children’s Museum is located at 225 West Front Street.
Any moms needing a night off might want to make sure this info makes its way into the hands of the dads in their lives.
- Missoula Mom
August 18th, 2009
I well remember having my daughter’s car seat inspected by the technician at Community on the day we brought her home from the hospital. At the time, it felt like a test that would reveal whether Charlie and I would be the sort of parents who could keep a child safe – or if we were hopelessly inept and it was just a matter of time before we broke her.
I’m happy to say we passed with flying colors. But as someone who has struggled mightily with her daughter’s five-point harness, its seat-cover straps and that blasted headrest anchor for nearly five years, Missoula Mom is always on the lookout for car seat tips. (And frankly, I still haven’t figured out what to do with that last dangly thingy.)
Just like our kids need regular checkups, our children’s car seat skills can benefit from checkups too.
So I will plan on making it to the Child Safety Seat Checkup on Saturday, August. 29, at Community Medical Center (located at 2827 Fort Missoula Road), where I will pester the experts with questions about whether that dangly thingy is really necessary, and do French fry smears and juice stains pose a safety hazard?
“This is a free event that checks safety seats for recalls, correct use & installation,” according to Lindsey McCurdy, who is coordinating the child safety check program at Community Medical Center. McCurdy, who is also a “child passenger seat technician” (cool title alert!), explained that at the event, all the seats will be “checked by certified passenger safety technicians.”
To make an appointment, call Kara at 327-4313. For more information on child passenger safety, check out Safe Kids Worldwide.
- Missoula Mom
August 18th, 2009
The Missoulian has the story of Mountain Home Baby Boutique on today’s front page.
Mountain Home in Missoula is a place that supports teen moms during one of the most trying times of their lives. It gets a lot of donations in the form of baby clothes and accoutrements, so a boutique selling gentle used baby stuff really just makes sense. And really, isn’t most baby stuff gently used? The little sprouts grow out of everything so quickly.
It’s a particularly important time for Mountain Home to be raising a little extra money, given that it’s planning on building some new transitional housing for its young mothers.
The new shop is at 105 S. Third St. W. if you want to check it out. It’s open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and some Saturdays. Call 541-4663 for more info.
- Missoula Mom
August 17th, 2009
Missoulian State Bureau reporter – and mom – Jennifer McKee is currently investigating and planning to write a story on a subject of particular interest to Missoula Mom: child care.
From the sketch McKee’s drawn for me, it promises to be a fascinating article. It would be more fascinating still if some readers of this blog were willing to share their stories. For starters, I know some of you recently underwent the harrowing experience of trying to find a new day care after it looked like the Growing Place was going to close (that was before the YMCA agreed to take it over).
So I hope you’re willing to take a minute to contact McKee. She can be reached at (406) 447-4069 or at jennifer.mckee@lee.net.
- Missoula Mom
August 10th, 2009
A recent note from E. Blake Nicolazzo – call her “Blake” – alerted Missoula Mom to an upcoming buy/sell opportunity for children’s clothes and gear. Blake’s holding it on Wednesday, August 19, so this should give you plenty of time to sort through those closets.
If not, fear not. Blake’s planning to host similar events roughly twice a year, to take into account all that seasonal clothing that always seems to pile up during the off-seasons. In fact, she’s planning a buy/sell event for women’s clothes to take place about a week after this first one.
According to Blake’s e-mail, she’s looking for “nice items in great condition that are freshly cleaned and ready to be tagged and sold.
“If you want to come and buy, just show up at The Loft, above The Dance Collective on Main Street August 19th at 6:00 sharp – shopping will last for two hours only.
If you’d like to sell items at the event, please call me ASAP to make an appointment for Tuesday, August 18th, also at the Loft, to meet with me for sign up. The split is 60 percent/40 percent- you keep 60 percent of the purchase price of each item you sell.”
You can contact her at blake@blakenicolazzo.com or 493-6696.
- Missoula Mom
August 7th, 2009
Looking for an out-of-the-ordinary rainy day activity? Know a kid who’s interested in forests, fires, firefighting – or maybe just wonders why Missoula’s skies are sometimes smoky? Take her to the Missoula Smokejumpers Center for a free three-hour learning experience through the center’s Junior Smokejumper Training Program.
It’s the center’s first summer running the program, which was patterned after a similar one in West Yellowstone. The program in Missoula has already seen about 100 kids come through, and will keep hosting sessions through the end of August, or as long as there’s interest, according to Molly Cottrell of the Missoula Smokejumper Base.
Cottrell, who is overseeing the Junior Smokejumpers, said that the program is designed for kids ages 6 through 12, but children of any age are welcome. She offers the program Monday through Friday, with a session in the morning and another in the evening – but asks that parents sign their children up for a session beforehand, as she doesn’t conduct the program on days when no kids are signed up.
Through the program at the visitor’s center, located at 5765 West Broadway Street, kids will meet a meteorologist in the National Weather Center as well as a real live firefighter, run through a set of physical fitness exercises akin to those performed by smokejumpers (weary parents are free to sit this one out), get a tour of the base and learn about the different kinds of tools and equipment used by firefighters (and what kid doesn’t love parachutes?), and even try on a junior-size smokejumper suit (so bring your camera!).
Here’s the number to call to sign up: 329-4934.
- Missoula Mom
August 6th, 2009
The Missoulian reports that “Cindy Christensen, formerly the principal at Lowell Elementary School, will be the new principal at Russell Elementary School” and that “Missoula County Public Schools District also hired Brian Bessette as the new principal at Lowell, pending his release from his current contract as principal of Bonner Elementary.”
But you’ll have to read the whole story to track all the people changing positions from school to school. At this point I think some sort of flow-chart would be helpful.
It’s much simpler at the Missoula County Public Schools District board of trustees, where Shelly Wills was unanimously elected to fill the seat left vacant when Kelley Hirning resigned. Wills has less than a year left to get her feet under her before the next school board election.
- Missoula Mom
August 5th, 2009
Camping! Fishing! Swimming!
Boring?
Not by a long shot. Summers in western Montana offer a bounty of delights to keep children occupied on a daily basis, and Missoula especially has a host of summer programs, camps and projects designed to give kids that extra burst of knowledge and experience that can turn a passing interest into a beloved lifelong hobby.
For instance, as an aside to her reminder about Fall Family Fest, Missoula Parks and Rec communication specialist Becky Goodrich told Missoula Mom that in addition to all the usual classes and lessons for children, the department offers kids’ photography classes too.
But that’s just the beginning of a long list of fascinating – and rather unusual – children’s activities available right here in Missoula.
Mismo Gymnastics , for one, offers children’s parkour classes, “which I believe is the art of jumping off stuff,” Goodrich explained helpfully: “(Wikipedia says: a discipline that appeared first in France, more similar to a martial art than to a sport, focused on moving from one point to another as smoothly, efficiently and quickly as possible using the abilities of the human body. It is built on the philosophical premise that any obstacle, physical or mental, can be surpassed.)”
And there’s martial arts, like taekwondo and aikido.
There’s even fencing, offered through Missoula Youth Fencing.
“I would really like to get the word out about fencing to help expand the program,” Goodrich says. “It’s for 5 through adult, coached by guys from the UM Fencing Club… it’s a great sport, especially for kids who are not really into team sports.”
I’m sure there’s even more out there, and I’ve love to hear about them. What are your children into, and is there a class or activity tailored for their interests? If you know of any other favorite or unusual children’s activities in western Montana, drop me a line and I’ll share them here.
- Missoula Mom