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School district drops Mondays to save money

Filed under: In the news, Education

What's the easiest way for public schools to save money? How about to not have school in the first place? That seems to be the growing trend, anyway. Our own local district will be shutting down on May 30th this year, a full two weeks earlier than usual. Last year, they took a three week winter break to save money on heating.

But a Minnesota school district is taking it a step further and eliminating Mondays from their schedule. The move will cut 23 days from the school year and save the district $65,000, mostly in transportation costs. The district even says it won't be turning on the heat for those who use the buildings after hours. This is Minnesota, folks...bring a sweater. And a space heater.

I don't want to be a killjoy to all the kids and teens out there planning their future three-day weekends, but I'm not sure that these drastic sort of cuts are the best way, educationally at least, to cut costs. An hour tacked on to the end of each school day doesn't translate to 23 days of instruction. That said, cuts like these are what keeps school districts afloat and people employed. You know what they say about desperate measures, and for many school districts, these really are desperate times.

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Kids and clutter

Filed under: Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, Chores, Resources

Got kids? If you do, chances are you have clutter too. Many parents, myself included, follow the old 'forest for the trees' principle--if you concentrate on the kids' stuff, you can't see what a mess your whole house actually is! Well, now perhaps it needn't be that way. An interesting article from the San Mateo Daily Journal helps put matters into perspective.

Kids, they say, seem to have the most stuff. Between what they bring home with them from school or the yard or wherever else, along with all the gear necessary to raise a wee one (not to mention the things the child simply HAS to have because everyone else in his or her class has one), it's more stuff than a parent can ever imagine having had as a child.

Conversely, the kids usually get the smallest rooms in the house, save the bathroom. All that stuff in such a small place is going to make clutter, or spill out everywhere else and clutter that space too. If you're like me and live in a small space to begin with, the tips in the article, such as using clear (labeled!) plastic bins and making sure you get furniture that serves more than one purpose (see: my pack and play is a bed and a place to play) might be just what you're looking for--amid all the clutter, that is!

Pic of what would look like my fridge if it were covered with baby stuff instead by Wm Jas.

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Stay-at-home mothers as temporary workers

Filed under: Just for moms, Money & work, In the news, Playground bureau

Companies are starting to realize they have overlooked an untapped source of help for emergency projects: the stay at home mother.

Educated and professional women who have opted out of high profile careers are being broached by businesses through flexible staffing networks (like Momcorps or Flexibleexecutives) to take on temporary or emergency projects, some of which can be done at home.

The company gets workers who know what they are doing and are willing to do it for a fraction of the going rate, and the women keep their career skills sharp, get a taste of something besides the daily grind of home responsibilities, and some even use the temporary employment as a stepping stone to re-enter the workforce.

While it is fantastic that opportunities beside selling overpriced candles or makeup exist for SAHMs, it is a little disturbing that these jobs are offering rock bottom hourly wages and former executives are snatching them up. Is it a sign of hard economic times or because SAHMs get so accustomed to being overlooked that they'll accept anything?

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Mother in deadly MySpace hoax indicted

Filed under: In the news, Playground bureau

The mother alleged to have come up with the juvenile plan of creating a fictional MySpace account to keep tabs on what another girl was saying about her daughter that resulted in the teen hanging herself has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

Lori Drew has been charged with on one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to get information used to inflict emotional distress on Megen Meier.

Continue reading Mother in deadly MySpace hoax indicted

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Image of the Day: Blur

Filed under: Image of the Day

The leaves, the swing and the blurred child in motion make me feel incredibly nostalgic for my own childhood. Thanks to Xenub for a great way to end the week.

If you'd like your own picture featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr Pool - We'll highlight an image every day. Remember: we're on the lookout for shots with interesting backgrounds, cool angles, or original composition. Be sure to read the intro on our main Flickr page for more information and limit your uploading to 5 photos per day.

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Firstborns really do have to break-in their parents

Filed under: Siblings, In the news

I've been feeling kind of bad for my three-year-old lately. This year, my older kiddo picked up a lot of new activities, most of which toddlers are not invited to participate in. She started preschool, began a dance class, and this spring, started playing soccer. On Saturdays, my three-year-old whines, "I don't like soccer games." She's tired of being a tag-a-long.

But while I'm feeling sorry for my baby, Newsweek tells me that it's my firstborn that gets the short end of the stick. It's a commonly held tradition that firstborn kids have to "break in" their parents, and therefore have to live with stricter rules and harsher discipline than their younger siblings. Recent research backs up this folklore; older siblings are less likely to make mistakes because they are used to being held up to higher standards, while younger siblings are more likely to be risk takers.

Trying to apply these findings to the people I know, I can't really find a pattern. I know a lot of firstborns who are risk takers (and mistake-makers), and plenty of family "babies" who live comfortably inside their comfort zones. Yet, among my own children, I can see a hint of it. And looking at my parenting techniques, I just might recognize a little of this in myself.

What about you? Do you think you were treated differently by your parents because of your birth order? Do you see that in your own parenting?

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