Wish me luck.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 7:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: School's Out
        

I was a mean mommy over the weekend. I forced my kids to go to the swimming pool.

Every year, we pay more than $500 for a family membership to a local private pool. And every year, I try to keep myself from calculating the per-visit cost. Between work, thunderstorms, trips, and the like, it seems that we end up actually swimming there much less than we envision when we sign up in the spring.

This year, though, takes the cake. We went to swim early in the season, and the water was so cold that the kids were spooked. One of them doesn't even want to swim indoors now.

So when last Saturday reached good old Baltimore levels of heat and humidity, I brought down the kids' suits and told them to get ready for the pool. And they wailed.

Here's the thing: I knew they'd have a good time. But I had to actually tell them that if they didn't go to the pool that day, they'd have to start paying back part of their allowances to offset the money I'd wasted on our membership.

Yes, meanest mommy ever. But it worked. And they had fun.

Now, if it could just get really hot again....

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: School's Out
        

In tough economic times like this, parents look for anything they can trim from the budget without making their kids suffer. Once they've done that, there's a big-ticket item that looms large in some households: private school.

Some families are making the hard decision to take kids out of the private schools they've been attending and sending them to public schools instead. The New York Times had a piece several months ago. Now we at the Sun are looking into the local angle.

If you're in this situation and would be willing to talk with a reporter about your decision to switch schools, please e-mail Arin Gencer.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: School's Out
        

Winter break is almost over, and I'm sure that for some folks, it can't come soon enough. Most school systems around here have been closed since Christmas Eve, but Howard County schools got a jump on vacation and have been shut since Dec. 19.

Once you've gotten through all the holiday celebrating, how do you entertain your crew during a vacation that long? Our reporter Jonathan Pitts would love to talk to Howard County families about what they're doing. If you're interested, give him a call at 410-715-2812 or e-mail him here.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: School's Out
        

It always brightens my day to get a text message at 12:15 p.m. that because of heating problems, school has closed -- at noon.

I rushed to school with irrational visions of my children freezing alone on the corner. Of course, the teachers would never leave them by themselves, and of course, a lot of other parents got the text late, too. We were all running up the hill in a panic with the same crazy thoughts, trying to make last-minute arrangements on our cell phones. And then we found our kids, perfectly happy in their classrooms and waiting for us.

Now I could use a tranquilizer....

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: School's Out
        

As Liz said earlier, it's been interesting to watch kids' reactions to this election -- even the young ones. You find out a little bit about what your children are made of.

For example, my son told me that he had voted for Barack Obama in his kindergarten class election. I asked him why. He said, "Well, he was going to be the winner."

Another 5-year-old I know was stricken that his slightly older sister was supporting a different candidate than the rest of the family.

And lots of kids are interested in going to the polls with parents today. If you're thinking about it, here's the Maryland election page that spells out the rules. And here's a Seattle Times piece on the subject.

If you already got back from taking your kid to vote with you, how did that go? 

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: School's Out
        

Did your mom, dad, or both have a "look" they gave you when you were growing up? A look that made you stop doing whatever you were doing wrong, immediately?

Whoopi Goldberg demonstrates her mom's look on this clip from The View last year that I found on YouTube. She and her co-hosts go on to argue that parents' looks don't carry weight anymore. Instead, we're too busy explaining ourselves.

Discuss.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: School's Out
        

Here's something else that might be fun if you're in town this weekend, again courtesy of Jennifer Choi:

Port Discovery Children’s Museum is launching Robots: The Interactive Exhibition, part of a national tour inspired by the animated film Robots.

Visitors can see how robotic arms and industrial robots function, take a ride on the Crosstown Express, which provides a journey into the world of robotic vehicles, and visit the "Movie Star Robots Hall of Fame," which has a montage of movie and television bots from different eras.

Adults and children can also build or color their own virtual robots in the Robots Explorers and Paint-A-Bot stations. (But will the robots then come home and do my dishes?)

The exhibit is open 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 8. Admission is $11.75 and free for children younger than 2.

(Photo courtesy of Port Discovery)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: School's Out, Things to Do
        

It may not even be spring yet, but parents know it's always later than you think. Time to figure out what your child is doing this summer, especially if you are planning on sending her to camp.

 If you haven't made a decision yet, or you're looking to explore some new options, you might want to check out the annual Baltimore's Child camp fair from 12-3 p.m. Sunday at the Crowne Plaza, 2004 Greenspring Drive, Timonium. (For more information, call 410-367-5883.) You can meet camp directors and collect brochures on different programs. If you can't make the fair, there's a virtual version at the magazine's web site, with listings for more than 300 area camps.

I thought it would be helpful if parents could share some reviews here of camps their children have attended in the past. Which programs did your children love, and why? Which didn't quite work for you, and why not? Please tell us by hitting the blue "Comments" link below.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: School's Out, Things to Do
        

It's official: Schools are pretty well closed down today. (For an updated list, see our school closings database, which can always be found on the right rail.)

For the parents who are supposed to be in the office: Are you going to work with the kids anyway? How do you think that will go?

 If not, whose turn is it to stay home? And how do you decide? Will you be able to bring in a sitter?

And if you were supposed to be home, what are your plans now that you probably won't be driving anywhere?

If you're getting cranky about all this, remember to keep looking at those snow scenes of your cute kids. Thanks to Sharon Pula for sending the adorable picture of her daughters Isabelle (left) and Grace above. And here's a link to another cute pic  Jackie sent of her daughter Sophie.

I'm still accepting photo submissions by e-mail if you'd like to share.

And I'm sure we could all use emergency ideas for indoor activities appropriate for different ages.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: School's Out