Sibling Rivalry Workshop

Are you tired of your kids bickering all the time? PEP, our very own local parent encouragement program, is holding a workshop on defusing sibling rivalry and fights on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at PEP's Kensington location, 10100 Connecticut Ave.

The workshop costs $30 per person or $55 per couple for non-members and $25 per person or $45 per couple for PEP members. Call 301-929-8824 to pre-register.

Traveling Tidbits

Happy Monday after Thanksgiving! I'm back from a fabulous trip to California with family with some tidbits of useful information:

1. At a gathering yesterday, a woman I met shared a terrific story of generosity. Someone freecycled Thanksgiving meal leftovers as dinners for four available for pickup after 2 p.m. (I think this was in Laurel).  While I've got no information on how many takers the Thanksgiving meal freecyclers had, I loved this idea of sharing the wealth of food. Of course, that may be because my sister and I cooked up a feast fit for way more people than we had! Anyways, if you're preparing a large Christmas feast next month, think about sharing your extras!

2. San Francisco airport's TSA family line may have just been the best invention of recent times. I will admit that when I read eons ago that the TSA was implementing family lines at airports, I was a bit skeptical that we'd be stuck waiting in long, slow lines while all those non-kid folks whizzed through security. Instead, we got through easily with little wait while everyone else endured massive lines. The only downside: The TSA security woman who kept asking my kids if they were excited for Christmas even after the kids said they celebrate Hanukkah.

3. Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., really is doable in 12 hours on a Monday. Tiring, yes. Expensive: absolutely. A bit aged: yep. Fast Pass, which lets you sign up for one ride and then go on another while you wait, is quite an improvement from my childhood. The boys' favorites: Tomorrowland's Astro Blasters and Star Tours (a hydrolic Star Wars adventure).

H1N1 December Vaccine Clinics Scheduled

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Sister and I spent the day cooking up way more food than any large group should eat. We're exhausted, but having fun.

In the meantime, Montgomery County has announced two December H1N1 vaccine clinics. Here's the info:

December 2: This by-appointment-only clinic for children ages 6 months to 35 months is from 9 a.m. to noon. Both the nasal spray and the injectable vaccine will be offered; there are 300 doses available. Call 240-777-4040 for an appointment on Monday, Nov. 30 from 3 to 4 p.m.


December 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: This is the first open Montgomery County clinic in quite awhile. Five thousand doses will be available first-come, first-served to the target groups. The clinic will be at the Montgomery College, Rockville Campus, 51 Mannakee St., Physical Education Center.

Weekend Best Bets: Nov. 21-22

Happy weekend before Thanksgiving everyone.

First and foremost this weekend is the Thanksgiving Day parade in downtown Silver Spring from 9:30 to noon on Saturday. The weather should be nicer than most years (a partly sunny day of 59 degrees is forecast), and the parade's always a kid-pleaser.

Farther north, the Sugarloaf Festival at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds will feature artist demonstrations, including glass blowing, copper spinning, ironforging, and pottery and furniture making. The festival, which features around 350 artists, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Heading down into D.C. on Sunday, the Great Zucchini will be opening for Rocknoceros at the Sixth and I historic synagogue. The doors open at 10 a.m. for the 10:30 show. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door.

If you've been considering a Musikids class, Sunday's the day to check it out. Kids up to age 5 can try out a free class between 10 a.m. and noon. MusiKids is at 4900 Auburn Ave., Bethesda. For more information, call 301-215-7914.

Coming Soon:

Is your child a fan of Henry and Mudge? Then you won't want to miss the musical based on the books. It's at Montgomery College's Rockville campus at 11 a.m. on Nov. 28. If this date doesn't work for you, the TheatreWorks presentation of the musical will be at the Lisner Auditorium on the GW campus on February 16.

Dollar Days at the National Aquarium: I've put this information in the calendar over on the right, as well, but whenever you can get into the aquarium in Baltimore for a buck, it's worth the trip. The aquarium's Dollar Days are Dec. 5 and 6. Plan to arrive by 10, as the number of dollar tickets is limited and you can't reserve them in advance.

Friends from New York have all told me stories of watching the Rockettes at the Radio City Music Hall with sparkles in their eyes. Well, the Rockettes are on tour and will be at the Verizon Center from Dec. 18 through Dec. 20 for a Christmas show.

And continuing on the theme of the holiday season, the Washington Revels, which recently moved their headquarters into Silver Spring, is holding it's annual Winter Solstice celebration at the Lisner Auditorium on Dec. 5-6 and Dec. 11-13.

And a note from me: I'll be offline this coming week, spending some time with family. Besides being holiday month, December is also when all the school open houses (preschools, private and immersion programs) get into full swing. I'll have more on that once I return.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

H1N1 Vaccine Updates

Montgomery County has announced another H1N1 vaccine clinic, this one for adults ages 18 to 64 with chronic health conditions. The clinic will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Nov. 24. For an appointment, call 240-777-4040 on Monday, Nov. 23 between 3 and 4 p.m. Callers will be asked for their name, phone number and doctor’s name when making an appointment

In addition, D.C. announced a change in its H1N1 vaccine clinics a few days ago. The clinics, which will continue to serve priority groups for the next two weeks, have moved from school buildings to park and recreation centers around the city. "The move will allows DOH to use larger spaces for giving out the vaccine and provide more indoor space for residents to wait in as the weather turns colder," according to the news release. The next dates are: 5-9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at Kennedy Recreation Center and Hillcrest Recreation Center and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov.21, at North Michigan Park Recreation Center and Bald Eagle Recreation Center.

Teaching to the Test

Last night, I attended Literacy Night at school. The teachers were impressive, the information useful. But this is the second time in about a week (the first being at parent-teacher conferences last week) that I realized just how much teaching to the test is going on.

In kindergarten and first grade, I'd heard such talk from parents of older kids. But other than MSA practice for older kids disrupting the younger ones' schedules, I hadn't really experienced it.

Do you know, for instance, what a BCR is?

The answer: Brief Constructed Response. If you're scratching your head, saying "huh?" you're not alone. Here's how it works. Child reads or is read to. Child answers question. For instance: What is the problem and solution? Use details to explain your answer. The details part is the catch here. Not only must a child be able to identify the information, the child also must be able to refer to information from the text to explain how he knew the answer. Oh, and not too many details, please. The answer shouldn't be longer than a paragraph as it needs to fit in a specified box.

I followed up with kid this morning. Do you know what BCR is? Yes, he said, answering brief constructed response. Do you know what that means, I asked? "No," he said with that deer-in-a-headlights look.

We learned last night about the developmental inappropriateness of memorizing lists of spelling words and how to approach them through patterns. We learned about different games we could play to make reading work fun. We learned about the importance of continuing to read aloud to our second-graders. So, how 'bout those BCR's? They're really developmentally-appropriate, huh?

Our Sweet and Salty Schools

Earlier this month, Hemi Weingarten wrote about one of those things I always think but don't say enough. The food at our schools is not helping kids.

Weingarten's nemesis? Chocolate milk. To be fair, I, too, love chocolate milk. It's not completely banned in my house. Rather, it's a treat here and there, particularly for Nipper, who loves the stuff. But what drives me crazy is walking into our school's cafeteria and seeing the lunch ladies OFFERING chocolate milk to kindergartners. Walk around the cafeteria and you'll see very few children with plain milk. If a slightly different approach were taken, such as giving chocolate milk only on demand with those little ones, I'm willing to hold out hope that fewer kids might spend their afternoons on a sugar high.

That point hopped into my head this morning as I read about a successful breakfast program in D.C., which also mentioned Montgomery County Schools' breakfast program. In the program, some schools are providing kids breakfast in the classroom. Personally, I think this is a fabulous idea and am thrilled the schools are noting officially that kids learn better when they've been fed. (Yes, yes, many of us could have told them that!) But here's what threw me into a tizzy: The meal described is Fruit Loops, milk, juice and graham crackers. I hate to be the person around when those kids come crashing down from all that sugar and those carbohydrates. How about bananas, apples, oranges or grapes anyone? Or maybe a cereal that's not a dessert?

But just look at a few food items on the Montgomery County Schools menu, which does have some whole grain cereals and grains along with oatmeal, and the list is only slightly better: French toast sticks with 8 grams of sugar and 2 grams of trans fat (syrup, by the way, adds an additional 18 grams of sugar); egg and cheese wraps with 490 milligrams of sodium, strawberry milk with 23 grams of sugar. And that pizza my 7-year-old insists on eating every Friday for lunch: 13 grams of fat (4 saturated) and 920 milligrams of sodium (that's almost as much as he should have in a single day!). While such things are fine every so often, our school offers pizza twice a week. And when my son forgot his lunch and ate school food last week, he said he couldn't even find fresh fruit or a simple grilled cheese sandwich to grab.

I know schools have a huge undertaking to feed tons of kids at an unreasonably low cost, but come on. Healthier foods should be in the forefront; the unhealthy ones should be less accessible. Somehow I can't imagine I'm the only one who feels this way. Anyone else?

Montgomery County Schedules Two More H1N1 Clinics

The county has two new H1N1 clinics scheduled for this next week.

The first one is Wednesday, Nov. 18, for children ages 6 months to 35 months old. Only 300 doses are available for this appointment-only clinic, at which both nasal spray and injectable vaccine will be given. Call 240-777-4040 on Monday between 3 and 4 p.m. for an appointment. Obviously, the earlier you call, the more likely it is that you'll get a spot. The county's H1N1 page does not list where this clinic will be located.

The second one will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22, at the Rockville campus of Montgomery College (the physical education building). Vaccines (5000 are available) will go to the priority groups on a first-come, first-served basis. These groups are: children ages 6 months to 24 years, pregnant women, parents/caregivers of children younger than 6 months, Adults ages 25-64 with chronic health conditions, and health care and emergency medical service workers.

In addition, the county now recommends that you bring snacks, water and entertainment for children as you should expect to wait for your vaccine. (And yes, we did sort through all that weeks ago!) When you arrive at a clinic, you should expect to receive a numbered ticket.

Weekend Best Bets: Nov. 14-15

If your child is anything like mine and can tell you the difference between an Allosaurus and a Tyrannosaurus Rex, look no farther this weekend than the Maryland Science Center. Noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday is Dino Day. There will be the typical digging for fossils. Plus, a live reptile show, and dinosaur crafts.

If the rain ever stops, and yes, it's supposed to by Sunday, head on over to the National Gallery of Art Ice Skating Rink. Yes, Wheaton and Cabin John, and even the ice rink in College Park are closer. But there's something magical about  skating outside to music, surrounded by sculpture. Saturday is the outside rink's opening day for the season.

Finally, the Montgomery County recycling center, which is one of those great, little-known spots to bring kids for a tour on an indoor kind of a day, is celebrating America Recycles Day by providing shredding and donation locations on both Saturday and Sunday. Click here for more information.

Coming Soon: Next week is the big Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Silver Spring. And on Nov. 27, the Garden of Lights opens at Brookside Gardens. For those of you with Thomas enthusiasts, a Day Out With Thomas will be at the Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania from Dec. 4 to Dec. 6.

Overheard -- Bakugans

It's Day 2 of half-day school (hence the slowdown in blogging around here). And today is Bakugan play date.

Bakugans have recently infiltrated our house. And the appeal for elementary school boys is somewhat amazing. Little round balls roll onto magnetized cards to open. They battle each other with g forces, ability cards and rather inane rules. Somehow, via basic addition, someone wins and someone loses.

The appeal is universal, whether the child is a follow-the-rules-of-the-game kid or a pretend-play one. Here's how it goes when there are two types together:

Wow! Cool! Can we trade? I really like that one. You can have this one. Wait, no, that's one of my favorites. And on, and on, and on...

Let's play the game ...

This game is too weird. Why do you have to follow the rules?

That's just how the game is.

Well, you don't have to do it that way. This game is too long.

But you're winning. Look, you just won this card.

I just like the Bakugans themselves; not the game.

Next up: Bakugans meet Transformers.

For obvious reasons involving boys and their toys (and yummy pumpkin bread in the oven), Weekend Best Bets will publish tomorrow.

Goodbye, Sniper

Seven years ago, Pumpkin Pie was 2 months shy of a year and just learning to walk. The thought of keeping him indoors rather than out in the world exploring was a foreign one.

The time, of course, was during the Sniper shootings in our neck of the woods. There was a shooting by Michael's, which I think of every time I head over to the craft store in Aspen Hill. There was the constant hunt for THE white van, which, as we know now, was the wrong car.

And there was plenty of fear. Before Sniper, our neighborhood park was filled with nannies, parents and young children. During the Sniper Scare, our large neighborhood park became a ghost town. And still, every day at the usual gathering time, I took my son to the park. Only one other mom would be there, with her son, who is about 9 months older than mine. We'd chat about the usual things. And, of course, we'd talk about the shootings.

What was similar about this mom and me was that we both were journalists. She'd left her job at a major newspaper, I was still embroiled in mine. We wondered if, as journalists, we were less worried than everyone else. Were we simply too cynical to freak out about who could be lurking behind a tree? Were we so used to reading and writing about random acts of violence that when they entered our world, we were too jaded to care?

Whatever the reason, we  were out there, playing and enjoying life, when everyone around us was too afraid to bring the little ones outside. If someone was going to randomly show up at our neighborhood park and shoot us all ... well, we were willing to take that risk.

Eventually, of course, Muhammad and Malvo were caught, tried and convicted. And today, Muhammad was executed for his crimes.

As for my friend and me, we still don't run our lives out of fear. Even though, as it turned out, Muhammad and Malvo likely crossed paths with us way back then. After all, we all exercised at the same YMCA.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Twenty minutes. That's how long you'll likely get tomorrow or Thursday when you head into your child's classroom to chat with his/her teacher.

And as we all know, 20 minutes can go fast. So, here are a few tips to make the most of your session:

• Arrive a few minutes early so you are ready to head right in at your assigned time.
• Plan ahead for what you're doing with your kids. For one conference, I'm doing a parent/kid swap with a neighborhood family. I watch her kids during my conference and vice versa. For another, they'll be sitting outside the room reading books. The National Education Association recommends having your kids attend the conference with you. So long as your teacher is amenable, go for it.
• Be positive and collaborative.
• Write a list of questions for yourself ahead of time and prioritize them in case you run out of time. They can be about anything you're wondering about: Writing skills, spelling, homework, math, social skills, classroom behavior, science and social studies. The more specific you can be with the teacher, the more likely she can give you specific examples as responses.
• If you don't already have it, find out the best way to contact your teacher if you have further questions. Does she answer e-mail promptly? Is a note in the backpack better?
• If your child switches classrooms for one or more subjects, ask to meet with all of your child's teachers.
• Get a plan of action. By the end of a conference, you should know what your child is working on and the steps being taken at school and what you may want to do at home to achieve the goals laid out.
• Take notes and review them later. If anything is unclear afterwards, follow back up with the teacher.

For a list of questions to think about, check out the National School Psychologists guide to parent-teacher conferences or Discovery Education's conference tips.

Beware of Those MacLaren Strollers

Whether you've recently purchased a Maclaren stroller or inherited one from a previous parent, the recall that's expected to be released tomorrow is one to keep an eye on. News reports today are saying that the company is planning to recall 1 million strollers that have been manufactured between 1999 and today because a hinge on the side of the stroller can and has amputated little fingertips.

"The hinge is on the side of the strollers and there have been incidents with children getting into the strollers as well as when they're already seated in the strollers," ABC News reports.

The company, according to these reports, plans to send hinge covers to stroller owners.

3 p.m Update: Here's the link to the recall on the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site. The affected models, according to the news release, included Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller. For additional information, call Maclaren USA at (877) 688-2326 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the company’s Web site at www.maclaren.us/recall

Montgomery County's Next H1N1 Clinic

Pregnant women have another shot at getting the thimerasol-free H1N1 vaccination shot in Montgomery County. This one will be on Thursday, Nov. 12, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. by appointment only. For an appointment, call 240-777-4040 between 3 and 4 p.m. today.

D.C. Scales Back H1N1 Clinics

D.C. reported yesterday that it has vaccinated more than 11,000 people and still has enough vaccine to host more vaccination clinics for priority groups. However, the city is scaling back the number of clinics and will start to distribute the vaccine, as more becomes available, to pediatricians, family physicians and community health centers. There will still be 5 clinics per week for those of you planning to get the vaccine soon.

Meanwhile, there's no new word in Montgomery about more vaccine becoming available. As of Oct. 30, the CDC reports the following number of doses shipped to our area: 49,000 to D.C.; 306,900 to Maryland and 489,700 to Virginia.

In addition, the flu is widespread in nearly every state.D.C. is one of the few places where the virus is localized versus widespread. More and more, it seems like most folks will get H1N1 before they have a chance to get vaccinated, as David Brown reported in The Washington Post yesterday.

Weekend Best Bets: Nov 7-8

Happy November, everyone. The leaf pickup signs have started to show up on poles around the county, so I'm sure many of us will be raking and piling.

Playing in our big piles is one of the boys' favorite things to do. Of course, that doesn't make it easy to actually get the leaves to the street, but hey, isn't that what fall is all about?

For those non-raking hours, there are plenty of activities going on -- if you can stand driving after all the ongoing traffic light problems, which still haven't been fixed as of this posting.  Here's a link for up-to-date information from the county on that one.

First up, is the Montgomery Child Care Association's 5K and Wacky Run off of Needwood Road in Rockville. Proceeds from the event benefit the Montgomery Child Care Association’s Family Emergency Scholarship Fund, which provides temporary tuition assistance to MCCA families who experience a sudden financial hardship.Last year, the run raised about $8,000, according to its Web site. For the fun run, kids are welcome to come dressed in costume. There are three courses in the event: a flat/obstacle course, a 1/2 miler with a hill and the 5K. The signup deadline is by midnight tonight, so go sign up NOW! Here's the link.

Lego Master Build: Lego has FINALLY come close to our neck of the woods, namely to Anne Arundel Mills. Anyone who stops by the store Friday through Sunday can help build a 12-foot-Christmas tree out of Legos. So, for those of you who celebrate Christmas, it should be fun. Too bad, they don't have a menorah in the works, too.

Barrio Grrrl! for ages 9 and up is on stage in the Kennedy Center Family Theatre through Nov. 15. Here's The Washington Post review. And here's information on the show from the Kennedy Center, including a link to buy tickets.

Pumpkin Chunkin':  It won't be often that I recommend a long drive for an event, but this one at Great Country Farms is sure to be a hit with most kids. You can let your jack-o-lantern loose on the Zip Wire Sploosh or drop it on the Silo Drop. Address: 18780 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont, Va. Admission cost: $8. Here's a link for exact times for each activity.

Do you know of another good event this weekend? Please add it in or e-mail me at mocomoms@gmail.com.

What To Do With That Extra Halloween Loot

After one of our early Halloween years, when Pumpkin Pie came home with a pumpkin filled with loot that weighed nearly as much as he did, I implemented the Halloween candy limit. That year, he picked out a few and I told him the rest was going to kids who didn't get to trick-or-treat.

So, yes, as my husband often reminds me, I lied and I'm not allowed to do it again. When I brought a huge container of candy in for my officemates, they thought I was the meanest mom ever.

Well, now, there are better things you can do with all that extra candy (presuming you don't want to eat it all yourselves). Here's one option:

Donate to the Troops: MoverMoms is collecting candy through Nov. 7. Drop-off locations are at:

• Bethesda home at 7101 Loch Lomond Dr., now through Nov. 7,  any time of day 
• Potomac home at 11110 Candlelight Lane, now through Nov. 6, any time of day
• Potomac home at 9504 Falls Bridge Lane, now through Nov. 6, any time of day  
• Chevy Chase home at 7202 45th St., now through Nov. 6, any time of day  
• Allentuck Landscaping Co., 24320 Frederick Road, Clarksburg, now through Nov 6, 6:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Anyone know of any others?

Cold-Weather Birthdays

Pumpkin Pie's birthday is about a month away; Nipper's is at the beginning of January. And so, the planning starts, along with my envy for all you folks who can plan for outdoor birthdays in the spring and summer.

Now that I'm on my 8th year of planning these things, I've had plenty of time to research birthday party options:

The Rough and Tumble Party

Gymnastics places around the county will rent their space for birthday parties. Parties at Silver Stars in Silver Spring and Bowie start at $305. MarvaTots off Randolph Road in Rockville is slightly less expensive at a starting price of $250. Of course, you could have the tumbling come to you, via the Tumblebus. Cost: 275.

The Sports Theme

Would you rather some other kind of sports theme, preferably at a lower cost? Well, try the bowling lanes at White Oak (minimum cost of $80). We hosted a party there once and have been guests at several others. The kids always have a blast. Another new find, thanks to mom Joan, who had to make a last-minute switch to an indoor venue recently: Extra Innings in Laurel. Parties start at $110.

Science and Nature Themes

These are the choices of both my boys this year. The Audubon Naturalist Society charges $200 for members, $250 for non-members. Mad Science starts at $240.

Bringing the Theme Home

Given that I'm not working right now, I'm not really into spending a lot to celebrate a kid's birthday. In fact, even when I was working full-time, I really wasn't into that. And so, we've traditionally brought the desired theme home in some way. There was the Frog and Toad year, when we read "The Button" and sent the kids on a scavenger hunt around the house looking for things (goody bags: Frog and Toad books). Last year, Nipper wanted to honor his two favorite animals: red-eyed tree frogs and cheetahs, and so hubby made frog and cheetah balloon animals that we hung around the room. And we played games like "frog, frog, cheetah" (yes, duck, duck, goose renamed). I managed to make the best looking frog cupcakes ever for that one. The rock theme involved finding geodes to crack with the kids and making homemade catapults  (paint stick, spool and duct tape) to launch ping pong balls into a basket. A friend has successfully hosted two Lego parties by buying bricks at the Lego store (Note to readers: The Lego Store is hosting a grand opening at Anne Arundel Mills this weekend). Kids pick topics to build from a hat and keep their topic a secret. Once all is built, there's a big guessing game around the table of what the challenge was. Party favors: What the kid built. Another past success: making play dough from scratch, playing with it and sending the stuff home

And so, not surprisingly, I'm now researching science activities to do with a bunch of 7 and 8 year olds and nature activities for 5-6 year olds. Suggestions anyone?

High H1N1 Vaccination Clinic Marks for D.C. Again

Despite the sporadic difficulties last week at Wilson High School and the long waits at Hardy Middle School for those tooling around town looking for H1N1 shots, D.C. is still scoring the highest marks on their H1N1 clinics from area moms. Here's the word from two moms who headed over to Coolidge High School on Saturday:

Emilia: "I took my 2 1/2 year old to Coolidge to get her shot. The volunteers were very helpful and the process was organized. We had a bit of a wait since we went around 10:30 a.m., but otherwise we had a pleasant experience. I'm also 4 months pregnant and got my shot days before at Kelly Miller Middle School in NE. I was 11th in line and I was in and out in less than 30 minutes."

Lisa says she "went to Coolidge High School with my kids on Saturday about 1:30 and we were out by 2:00. There were lots and lots of health workers. They had flu shots and mist for ages 2-24 and pregnant women. They ask for address, etc., but do not require you to be a D.C. resident. It was an easy experience.

The set up is in the new gym -- walk past the football field to the end of the parking lot -- and you will see the health workers."

Finally, Andy reports that McKinley Tech "was amazingly well-organized. People

were explaining things constantly, helping guide us, and we got to sit down in an

auditorium to keep things neat and keep people from shoving. It worked very, very well." Andy's wait time start to finish was between 35 and 45 minutes.

Anyone else want to report on their experiences? I'm all ears. Please post them in the comments or e-mail me at mocomoms@gmail.com. Here again is the list of D.C. clinics. And while it's not ideal that many MoCo moms are heading into the city for vaccinations, the city isn't turning people away. Here's what the city had to say about it last month.

Finally, many thanks to Montgomery County Health and Human Services public information officer Mary Anderson who posted in the H1N1 blog comments last week about the frustrations everyone, parents and health workers are experiencing in the county.