15 questions to ask your school Principal

I am absolutely in love with my Son and Daughter's school. I feel good dropping them off every morning because I know they are receiving the best education possible. I'll admit that sending my son to public school next year has me in a bit of a panic. If his current school went beyond Kindergarten, I'd find myself back at work so I could afford tuition. Considering the costs associated with private school, we're going to give public school another shot. I have extensively interviewed elementary school principals in the area and would like to share some of the questions that have been helpful in my interviewing.

1. What is the mission and or philosophy of the school and administration?
2. How does the school rank within the district? What about withing the state? Are there any biases or errors in the state's method of testing and evaluating schools? How does that affect the scores of the school you're interviewing?
3. What is the school's biggest strength?
4. What is the school's biggest challenge?
5. How are students placed in classes? What about placement within the class such as learning groups?
6. What is the average class size? What does the school do to make up for larger class sizes?
7. What is the PTA like? How is parental involvement?
8. How does the school address a child that falls outside the norm? If the child is struggling, what steps are in place to insure that the child doesn't fall through the cracks? What approach is taken to keep an exceptionally bright student challenged?
9. What can your child expect in an average day?
10. What are the learning objectives? What should children know when entering the appropriate grade and what skills should they possess before moving onto the next grade?
11. How does the school handle bullies?
12. What is the Principal's approach to discipline?
13. How does the school prepare the students to be lifelong learners and good citizens?
14. What kind of technology is available to students and staff?
15. What reading and math programs are used? *** This is a really good thing to learn and research later. Understanding the programs will allow you to teach and enrich your children at home.

Next, tour the building. Is this a place you would like to go to school? Is it clean and safe? Are the children happy or does it feel like the military? Are there colorful, educational charts and art on the walls? Do the classes seem to be under control or are they total chaotic? What about the teacher's desk? Is it clear and organized or a heap of papers?

Finally, do your homework before you go. There are several great websites that can give insight about your school. Interview several schools within your district. If local districts allow transfers, consider interviewing outside your district. If, after your interviewing, you still don't feel comfortable with your options, consider researching private and homeschooling options.

http://www.greatschools.org/

http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/summary.aspx?year=2008-09(Washington state statistics)

Cookbook clutter

If you're like most people, you could use an extra cabinet or two in your kitchen. To save space, photo copy the recipes you use most and put them in a binder. Give the cookbook to a friend or donate it. This is also a great idea for magazines that you've had laying around the house for ages.

Reclaim your laundry room

Is your bedroom floor decorated with various, half filled laundry baskets? Do you find yourself frantically digging through clean laundry to find a pair of socks for your kids in the morning? Here is a simple system that worked for us.

Rather than do laundry in two large loads, consider washing according to room or person. To save water, remember to set adjust the settings to the proper load size.

An empty laundry basket or hamper in every room will make laundry a breeze. Wash only one room at a time. Fold the laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer and take it directly to the room it belongs in. Enlist the help of your children if they're old enough to help. It's never too early to start a good habit.

Looking for a great book? Try Jane Porter!

I've decided that Fridays will be set aside for reviews. Today, I 'd like to tell you about a great book. Everyone I have suggested this book to absolutely loves it and continues to read all 3 in the series.

Odd Mom Out, Jane Porter

I love local authors so it should come as no surprise that I instantly fell in love with Jane Porter, an author who lives in Bellevue, WA. Jane has written several Harlequin romance novels but started writing modern day books about the struggles we go through as women and as mothers. I found myself laughing out loud as I read her book, Odd Mom Out.

Are you a mother? Have you ever felt like you're supposed to drive a certain car, wear your hair a certain way, dress in particular styles, attend every PTA and school function on the calendar, cook gourmet meals and keep your home like Martha Stewart? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to show up to one of those PTA meetings in combat boots, a black leather jacket thrown over your shoulder and your harley parked out back? Meet Marta Zinsser from Odd Mom Out. Marta is an advertising executive who moves with her 9-year-old daughter from Manhattan to Seattle. Marta and her daughter find themselves living in an exclusive area of Bellevue, Washington to find that Marta's particular style isn't accepted. Bitchy, backstabbing, insecure women do their best to make Marta and her daughter stick out and feel as unwelcome as the H1N1 virus in a Ped's unit.

Jane does a wonderful job developing her charters and plot. I felt instantly connected to Marta and grew to hate the mothers and other children that seemed to be constant bullies. Marta's young daughter Eva does everything she can to be accepted, to be normal. As Marta struggles to juggle caring for her sick mother, pursuing a career, having a personal life and motherhood, Eva slowly starts to learn that life isn't about being normal but about being true to yourself. This book gently reminds women that it's okay to be unique and to go against the grain.

Check out Jane Porter's website to learn more about her and her books. I highly recommend reading Odd Mom Out, followed by Mrs. Perfect and Easy on the Eyes. Jane will release her 4th book in this series in August 2010.

Eww... I hate meatloaf

"Mom, what's for dinner... ewww! I hate that. I want something else!"

Sound familiar? Does it seem that you have become a short order cook? Your kids want one thing while you and your spouse want something completely different. Here are some helpful hints when it comes to harmony at the dinner table.

• Have your child list his or her favorite meals. Include two of these in your weekly meal plan. If there's something your kid absolutely loves that you absolutely hate, it's okay to make something different for you and your spouse.
  
• Include your kid's in meal preparation even if it's something as simple as setting the table. Involving your kids helps them feel in control. If they are choosing to eat what's put in front of them, rather than being forced, it's going to be a smoother road for everyone.
• If it's on a stick or you can dip it, it's a hit! Veggies on a stick? Veggies on a stick with ranch dressing? What a hit!
  
• Be sure to space out snacks and drinks so your kids come to the table hungry. Try not to give snacks more than 2 hours before dinner.
• Set realistic expectations. If your child tries a few bites of everything, recognize the effort. While I'm not an advocate of deserts every night or a "clean plate club," a small incentive at the end won't hurt.
• Try these fun ideas with your kids to get them involved.

1. Pizza (have your kids make their own pizza, either a large crust or individual English Muffins).
2. Baked Potato night. Have several condiments and toppings available.
3. Pasta night. Make a few different sauces, meatballs, different shredded cheeses, etc. Your kids decide what to top their pasta with.
4. Taco bar
5. sliders (mini burgers) with a choice of toppings and condiments
6. Sloppy Joes or shredded beef sandwiches (put a beef roast in a slow cooker all day with 1/4 cup marinade. Remove the roast and shred with a fork. Return it to the slow cooker with another 1/4 cup marinade and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, slice some baby reds and an onion, season with salt and pepper and saute until golden). Combine it all to serve as hash or serve the beef on Kaiser rolls. My kids loved this last night!
7. Salad wraps
8. Breakfast for dinner (backwards day)

Try shredding some zucchini or carrots into the spaghetti sauces, hamburger mixtures or pizza. Do it when they're not looking and see if they notice! Serving yogurt, applesauce, carrots or cottage cheese as a side will keep the meal nutritious.

What's for dinner?

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?
It's 4:00 and your family asks, "What's for dinner?" You make a mad dash to the pantry and stand there just waiting for an idea to pop into your head... nothing! You turn to the refrigerator and find a bottle of ketchup, some yogurt and some eggs. Your response, "pizza is on the way!"

While it might seem time consuming at first, planning a week's worth of meals and shopping one day a week is the way to go. Here's how to get started.

Create a list of 10-15 meals your family eats on a regular basis. If you don't have this many, just list what you can think of. Here are some of my favorite recipe websites:

• http://allrecipes.com
• http://foodnetwork.com
• http://epicurious.com

There are several ways to do the next piece of this meal planning process. If you're computer savvy and think in Excel like I do, read the following ideas. Otherwise, skip over these to the next bold item.

1. Using excel, make a worksheet for each recipe and put the title on the tab. Insert a blank worksheet in the beginning of your workbook for your weekly meal planning.
2. Make a master menu. Vertically label cells Monday-Sunday. Next to each day/date, list the name of the recipe you'd like to serve. Consider the activities you have that week. If you're going to be home late, consider a crock-pot recipe or something you can prepare ahead of time. ***It's also a good idea to use fresh produce early in the week before it spoils. This is the only time I might make a second trip to the store in one week.
3. Next, copy the ingredients of each recipe and paste them into your worksheet.
   
4. Spend a few minutes at your local grocery store and take note of the store's layout. Write down the aisle headers to better help you organize your grocery list.
   
5. Sort your grocery list by aisle to make shopping a breeze. Using the copy and paste features in Excel will make this process fairly easy.
6. Be sure to shop your own pantry and refrigerator before finalizing your list. This will save you lots of money in the long run.
7. Consult your coupons. Look through the big stack and see if any of the coupons will apply to your weekly menu. Some might start with the ads first, basing the meals off of the sale items.
   
8. Post your menu somewhere in your kitchen. I like to post mine inside a cupboard so it's out of sight. It's important to do this so you don't forget what you bought all of your ingredients for.
9. Don't forget to add the items you'll want for breakfast and lunch. Double check your other supplies like paper, cleaning, storage, etc. and note them on your list as well
   

Technophobes, here's your strategy:

1. Create a recipe book on the most commonly used recipes. Try to include at least 15 recipes so your mealtime doesn't get monotonous.
   
2. Make a master menu for the week by choosing 7 recipes and assigning one to each day of the week. Keep your schedule in mind. If you're going to be late one night, consider a crock pot recipe. ***It's also a good idea to use fresh produce early in the week before it spoils. This is the only time I might make a second trip to the store in one week.
   
3. Start your grocery list by dividing your page into the various sections and aisles of your grocery store. Taking a few minutes to note these aisle headers the next time you're at the grocery store will make this especially smooth.
   
4. List your ingredients according to the sections and aisles of the grocery store.
5. Shop your pantry and refrigerator to make sure you don't duplicate items you already have.
6. Consult the ads to see if any of them apply to your menu for the week. Some choose to start with the ads before choosing the weekly menu.
7. Post your menu somewhere in your kitchen. I like to post mine inside a cupboard so it's out of sight. It's important to do this so you don't forget what you bought all of your ingredients for.
8. Don't forget to add the items you'll want for breakfast and lunch. Double check your other supplies like paper, cleaning, storage, etc. and note them on your list as well.

Making copies of your menus and the coordinating lists can save you time in the weeks to come. Be adventurous! Try to add a new recipe every week. I have 30 recipes I use so we don't repeat very often.

Overwhelmed? Here's a website that does most of this for you.
http://www.e-mealz.com/
If you don't have your own recipes, this site is for you. I have used it for two weeks and I like it. There are a few drawbacks. First, there is a cost. It's not expensive but you will pay $15.00 for 3 months. Secondly, you can't include your own recipes so your lists might need slight modifications if using your own recipe in place of one of the suggested meals. Some of the meals take quite a bit of time. While there might not be a lot of hands on prep, some of these meals require starting them 9 hours ahead of time in a crock-pot or over an open flame. Finally, from what I can tell, you can't swap out recipes if there's one that doesn't particularly appeal to you and your family. The grocery list does list the grocery items with the meals they will be used for so these modifications aren't too terribly difficult to figure out. Keep the menus and be sure to make a copy of your grocery lists before going to the store and covering them in your notes. Keeping these hole-punched and in a notebook will allow you to use them again and again.

Additional ways to save time and keep your refrigerator stocked:

• Hire a milkman. If you live in Western Washington, consider Smith Brothers.
  
• Don't forget your Farmer's Markets and fresh produce delivery. It might be an extra stop but you'll be supporting local farmers while getting the freshest produce available.
• Keep a freezer in your garage. Making double batches of your recipes is a great idea! You never know when a snow storm, or a long day at the beach if you're lucky, might keep you from getting to the store.
• Make a run to your local Costco or Sam's club and stock up on some frozen dinners. Yes, I know, it's not what Martha Stewart might suggest but these meals can save you if you're caught unprepared. We have been pleasantly surprised by some of the newer meals available.
• ALWAYS boil your chicken carcass! This makes excellent chicken broth that's sure to cure a cold. If you're really on top of it, chop up a few stalks of celery, an onion and some baby carrots to make chicken soup. Freeze it until you're feeling under the weather and it will feel just like Mom brought over chicken soup!
• No time to shop? Use your list to shop at an online grocer. Some stores might charge a few dollars for this service but it's fast and easy. It also keeps a person from making impulse purchases. Shopping online allows you to more easily stick to a budget! Most sites total your cart as you go. If a recipe is getting expensive, you can quickly delete the items from your cart and choose something less expensive like a pasta or hamburger based meal. These options usually more than cover the cost of delivery making online grocery shopping worth consideration.
  

Hey Mom! Top 10 ways to take back your morning...

Before I begin, I must say that my heart is with the people of Pune India today. A bakery was bombed over the weekend and 2 of my husband's co-workers were killed. We have a picture of my husband standing in the former doorway of the bakery just a few months ago. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families involved in the terrorist attack.

Are your mornings more about survival than watching the sun come up? Is it all you can do to get your kids fed, dressed and out the door on time? Here are some tips to make your mornings go a little smoother.

Take back your mornings!

1. Hang a rack on the inside of your coat closet, pantry or laundry room door. Hang the kid's coats and school bags on the rack so you know where everything is in the morning. If your kids are little, keeping this rack up high is a good idea. When it's in reach of little hands, coats tend to disappear.
2. Lay out kid's clothes the night before. How many mornings have you spent battling with your 3-year-0ld that wants to wear a sundress when it's 30 degrees outside? Take a few minutes before bed every night and lay out an outfit the two of you can agree on.
3. If you live in a 2-story home, bring the essentials downstairs. As the parent, make it a rule that you personally will be dressed from head to shoes before coming downstairs. Be sure to bring their outfits downstairs with you. It's a good idea to have toothbrushes upstairs and downstairs for the kiddos. I also keep a kit with rubber bands, a hair brush, water bottle and hairspray so I can tackle my daughter's hair... when she lets me.
4. Give each child a clock-radio. Purchase alarm clocks that have a battery backup in case your kids like to unplug them like mine do! Most children wake up better if they do it on their own terms. Set the alarm on radio mode and have it go off a few minutes before you really need the kids to get out of bed. This will wake them up slowly so you're less likely to have a cranky kid that refuses to get out of bed in the morning. As a special note, make sure the clock is set correctly every night and NOT on the weekends!
5. Set deadlines. Time how long it takes to get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, get in the car, etc. Keep this in mind as your morning progresses. Here's an example. I know that it takes my kids about 20-30 minutes to come downstairs and eat their breakfast. I set their alarms for 6:45 and give them 15 minutes or so to adjust to the day. They must be downstairs by 7. By 7:30, breakfast is done and the dishes are in the sink. At 7:20, they get a 10 minute warning, then a 5 minute warning at 7:25. Whatever isn't eaten by 7:30 goes in the sink. I allow a generous 15 minutes for the kids to get dressed. By 7:45, both kids have had their teeth brushed. By 8:00, we're relaxing for 10 minutes. I use this time to review their calendars and make sure their bags are packed. By 8:10, we're in the car and off to school. By setting these deadlines, your morning doesn't get out of control. I hate timers because they create anxiety but it might be helpful to use and egg timer or two the first week of establishing your routine.
6. Get the kids dressed after breakfast and after brushing their teeth. There's nothing worse than being all dressed up only to drop yogurt or smear toothpaste all over your shirt.
7. Do as much as you can the night before. Make lunches, pack bags, lay out clothes, clean your sink and run your dishwasher. Unload your dishwasher as the kids eat breakfast so you have a nice, empty dishwasher for the day.
8. Do you have extracurricular activities? Have a bag ready to go for each activity. Hang another rack on a different door than your coat and bookbag rack. We have a bag for ballet, one for gymnastics and another for t-ball. If feasible, have two outfits for each activity. This way, when you return from an activity, you can throw the dirty uniform/ outfit in the wash and put the fresh and clean outfit directly back in the bag. No more wasted time spent searching for that hat or t-shirt. A shoe rack somewhere in the garage can help keep sports related shoes together.
9. Don't get sucked into electronics! Use your caller ID. If the phone rings, only answer absolutely essential calls. Resist the urge to check your email or jump online.
10. Set up a reward chart. If your kids are not morning people, the previous 9 tips might be easier said than done. By setting small goals for your children, they will be more motivated to cooperate with the morning routine. I've seen some mom's use this chart as a way to earn video game time, an extra story at bedtime or a trip to the dollar store at the end of the week. Remember to keep the goals age appropriate and give them lots of opportunities to accomplish their goals. Do your best not to reward with food.