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CPSC issues warning about open windows

Filed under: Toddlers, Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Health & safety

After a long, cold winter, the days are getting longer and the weather is finally warming up. Depending on where you live, this time of year can be quite pleasant. Not too cold, not too hot. It's just right for opening up the windows and letting the fresh air blow through. But open windows can be deadly hazards to children and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission wants parents to be aware of the dangers.

Since April, CPSC says there have been 18 incidents of children falling through open windows. Sadly, two of those incidents resulted in the deaths of small children. "We are issuing this warning so parents will take the necessary steps to prevent these incidents from happening," says CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord.

Tips from the CPSC for keeping kids safe when the windows are open:

• For windows higher than 6 stories, install permanent window guards. Below the sixth floor, window guards should be of the type that adults and older children can open in case of fire.
• Install window stops to prevent windows from opening more than four inches.
• Window screens can easily be pushed out - don't depend on them to prevent falls.
• If possible, open windows from the top instead of the bottom.
• Discourage climbing near windows by keeping the immediate area free from furniture.

CPSC Statistics from 2002-2004 show that an average of 25 fatalities a year are attributed to falls from windows. Children under five account for about one-third of those deaths. Don't let your child be another one.

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Hollywood moms strut their swimsuit stuff

Filed under: Just for moms, Pregnancy & birth, Life & style, In the news, That's entertainment

Need another reason to feel inadequate? Well, here's another. USMagazine.com has posted nine pictures of Hollywood moms in their bikinis. Some of them look fabulous. Some of them (Lisa Rinna, anyone?) look scary. Some of them look so good it makes me want to throw up.

I never looked like that in a bikini before I had a baby! Of course, I don't have a personal trainer and work out seven hours a day or get paid to look that good (although my husband says I look that way anyway...I think I'll keep him).

Interestingly enough, some of the moms are younger and some are a little more mature. Poster child for hot mom Heather Locklear is 46 years old. Now, I'm not knocking 46, but that woman's body looks better than those of a lot of teenagers. Also of note is how the gals claim they keep in shape. Whether or not it's true it's nice to think some of them have to work for it too.

Perhaps if the snaps are a hit US will move on to hot celebrity moms in one-pieces. Those can be hot too, you know.

And, by the way? Tori Spelling looks smashing pregnant. She should be that way all the time. Maybe it's the self-tanner but that woman has a glow. Also by the way? That is EXACTLY how I look in my bikini. EXACTLY.

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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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Playing parenting by ear

Filed under: Just for moms, Babies, Toddlers

I am one of those people who thinks it's awful when parents dish out unwanted advice to other parents, or even worse, non-parents, and yet sometimes I can't help myself. The other day I was horrified to find myself telling someone "if there's ONE thing I've learned about parenthood, it's that nothing is predictable! So keep that in mind: just when you think you've got your kid figured out, he'll change EVERYTHING!". Which, god, shut up, self, because I should clarify that the person I was speaking to did not in fact request my One Most Useful Piece of Parenting Know-How, I just up and offered that all on my own, and also, ALSO? I can't even follow my own advice, because even though the whole business of unpredictability is in fact true, I fall into a DAILY trap of thinking I know what the hell is going on in my own household and guess WHAT, I NEVER DO.

Hoo, sorry to go all CAPS LOCK on you, I'm just still reeling from a challenging couple weeks with the kids, where there was illness and then there was crankiness and the baby's started slobberingly gnawing his hands (no teething! no teething allowed! You're only 3 months old!) and wildly gagging on his fingers and I keep thinking he's hungry when he's tired and vice versa and my toddler has been oscillating between extreme cuteness and downright putridness and I feel like I've been plunged into jungle warfare lately, like where are the next round of bullets coming from, NO ONE KNOWS.

I guess it's mainly the baby's presence that makes everything extra crazy, because although Riley's mood can greatly change depending on such intangible factors as the number of oxygen molecules in the room and the position of the planets, he at least sticks to a basic routine of napping/sleeping/eating. In comparison, Dylan's the real chaos factor. Will he nap in short, frustrating intervals, or will he lapse into a comalike state for three solid hours in the middle of the afternoon, causing me to worriedly hold mirrors in front of his sleeping mouth? Will he milk-bong about a thousand ounces at this feeding, or will he daintily sip a few swallows and then loll his tongue out, totally distracted by the beige wall paint? Truly, even when babies start to develop schedules they are still a (pooping) mystery wrapped in a (spitup-coated) enigma.

So even though I clearly need to STFU when it comes to offering Helpful Little Parenting Guidelines, here's the ONE thing I KNOW is true: I am totally winging it over here. Seriously. I've been at this job for two and a half years and I swear it just gets more humbling every day.

What about you? Do you feel pretty confident as a parent, like you've pretty much got your stuff together -- or are you winging it too?

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