And so we start Ariel in kindergarten. Tomorrow, anyhow. Today was the Open House so that she could visit her new classroom.

She knows one girl from preschool last year; the rest are new to her. She doesn’t particularly mind, although she was certainly looking out for her other classmates. But with 5 or so kindergarten classes, it’s no wonder that she doesn’t have many preschool classmates in her class.

It’s going to be a switch for me. Making lunches first thing in the morning. That’s going to be interesting.

This morning was a sort of dry run. Got her up this morning just as though it were a school day. Since the Open House started at 8 a.m., we were able to get some practice in getting ready on time. Poor kid just isn’t ready to be perky at that hour. Decidedly dragging.

I know she’s hoping we won’t have to work on her bedtime. One of her favorite shows comes on at 8 in the evening, so she’d rather not have to go to bed sooner than 8:30. But she has been warned that if it is necessary, the bedtime will move!

We’ll be walking to school each day again. It’s a pretty easy walk, although with Gage walking rather than riding in the stroller it takes about 15 minutes to get there, rather than 10. But you do what you have to, and he’s big enough to walk that distance.

[tags]back to school,kindergarten[/tags]

You’re watching the news and they say that you’re going to have a warming trend over the next few days, and you’re already in the high 90s?

Yes, it is miserably hot around here right now.

I remember when I was a kid. My sisters and I always walked to school alone. Even when I was in preschool and my oldest sister was 7. I know there were other daycare kids with us, but I have no idea as to their ages. And in junior high I was riding a bike about 2 miles to school daily.
But now a lot of kids don’t walk to school, with or without their parents. Sometimes it’s because parents don’t feel that it’s safe, or they’re just too rushed. And I think that’s rather a pity.

I walk my daughter to school. For us it’s a must, since we only have one car and my husband uses that for work. But even when we had two cars, I walked her to school last year. We’re just too close to bother with driving in my opinions.

I know some of my neighbors differ on that one. To each their own.

There’s a lot to be said for walking your kids to school, or once they’re old enough, having them walk themselves to school. It’s good exercise, and you can avoid making what for many parents is a very short car trip. This is especially true for stay at home parents who aren’t having to worry about getting to work on time.

It’s just a bit of exercise, for one. Not too hard to do if the school is fairly close. Ours is perhaps a quarter mile as I recall. But I’d walk farther if I had to. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve heard before that cough medicine really isn’t effective for children. But now the FDA has come out with an advisory that you should not give cough medicines to children under two without a doctor’s order.

I think most parents have done this, though. I certainly know I’ve had a simply miserable time getting my husband to understand that these have been shown to be not all that effective, if effective at all, for children. But if he’s the one to buy medicine when they’re sick, it’s a cold medicine that includes something for cough. Probably because it’s so hard to find a plain decongestant now that pseudophedrine is behind the pharmacist’s counter. I miss being able to easily buy children’s Sudafed.

It’s important to pay attention to this warning, however, and I hope labeling on the bottles makes it clearer. Children under 2 are more likely to have complications from cough medicines, including death. And it may pay to keep in mind that some find it dangerous to give cough medicines to children under 6.

My own suggestion would be that if your kids are in those age groups, just get rid of any medications that include something for cough that you have for them. They don’t seem to do a whole lot anyhow. Use a humidifier and maybe a decongestant or fever reducer as necessary. Don’t bother with anything that isn’t all that effective.

[tags]babies,cough syrup,cough medicine,fda warning,family,children[/tags]

With my daughter’s school starting next week, what to pack for her lunch is much on my mind – especially since she loathes peanut butter. Not much on lunch meats either, so I have to get creative. But I also like the idea of having a few things in there. So I thought today I would work up a list for that.

1. Sliced carrots – great snack or part of a lunch, and she loves them.
2. String cheese – a staple last year for her preschool snack.
3. Pretzels – loves them. We get the large kind from Henry’s.
4. Yogurt – I’m thinking this will be a great choice for her.
5. Raisins – a wonderful sweet treat.
6. Apple – she generally prefers whole to sliced.
7. Cucumber sticks – another favorite.
8. Bell pepper slices – she snacks quite well on these.
9. Berries (in season) – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, if it’s in season and pretty cheap, they are wonderful snacks.
10. Cashews – hoping these will work. She likes them well enough, but rarely chooses them for a snack.
11. Applesauce – haven’t used this one often, but it’s very kid friendly.
12. Kiwis – my kids are nuts for these. My daughter even likes the peels. Apparently they’re ok to eat.
13. Cauliflower – she loves this, but only raw. Heaven help those who try to serve it to her cooked.

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