The Middle of Everything

WTF is Happening with Kids Menus?

In this episode, we rant (and rave a little) about the best and worst kids menus we have seen out there. While some restaurants phone it in with fryer friendly chicken nuggets and microwave pizzas, others are leaning in to family time with more inventive, healthy and/or experience friendly meals to start our kids on a journey toward more adventurous eating. [https://thatrecipe.com/blog/2013/02/01/bananaswirl/] https://thatrecipe.com/blog/2013/02/01/bananaswirl/In this episode we talk about: Bringing Up Bebe [https://www.amazon.com/Bringing-Up-B%C3%A9b%C3%A9-Discovers-Parenting/dp/0143122967] Jinya Ramen Bar [https://jinya-ramenbar.com/] 15 Chain Restaurants with Kids Menus That Don't Suck [https://www.momtastic.com/food/597335-chain-restaurants-healthy-kids-menus/] How (and Why) Restaurants are Investing in Their Kids Menus - Bon Appetit [https://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/restaurant-kids-menus] Daniel Tiger's Banana Swirl [https://thatrecipe.com/blog/2013/02/01/bananaswirl/]

Air Travel with Kids - Our Best Tips and Tricks

With summer vacations on the horizon, this week we are chatting about air travel with kids. Sarah is taking her first flight with the kiddos this summer, while Claire is a seasoned long-haul traveler, since her kids were toddlers. Claire gives Sarah some of her best pointers on screen time, snacks, and keeping little ones occupied on a long flight - and we also talk about seating arrangements, motion sickness and how to adjust everyone's expectations and roll with the punches.   This week we talked about: Sea-Bands for Kids [https://smile.amazon.com/Sea-Band-Wristband-Anti-Nausea-Acupressure-Sickness/dp/B004L4D0DU/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g3905707922?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&ie=UTF8] Motioneaze Essential Oil Roll On [https://www.walmart.com/ip/Motioneaze-Motion-Sickness-Relief-Topical-Oil-08-fl-oz-20-application/12346124?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1150&adid=22222222227000158291&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40754428952&wl4=pla-78606807392&wl5=9026563&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112549851&wl11=online&wl12=12346124&wl13=&veh=sem&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy-2g2rr04gIVhNdkCh3hKwkKEAQYAiABEgIbpvD_BwE] Dramamine for Kids [https://www.amazon.com/Dramamine-Sickness-Childrens-Chewable-Dizziness/dp/B007TIVLQ8/ref=asc_df_B007TIVLQ8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242003539383&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15969975660314502930&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026563&hvtargid=pla-404766406079&psc=1]

Introducing Kids to Music with Paul Knight, Riverfield Rocks Director

Our friend Paul is the Director of the amazing Rock Band program at Riverfield - producing up to 15 rock bands each school year with kids from 4th-12th grades. This week we chatted with him about ways to introduce your kids to music, tips for starting music lessons, handling recitals, and learned more about the process it takes to put together actual rock bands full of opinionated kids. We also took some great tangents into our first concerts, advice for parents who have kids that want to pursue the arts, and of course, the dreaded KidsBop.

Talking to Your Kids About Marijuana - with Abby Mashunkashey

When medical marijuana was legalized in Oklahoma last year, dispensaries, billboards and headlines started popping up everywhere we looked and became one of those "tough" conversations in many households. When our friend Abby Mashunkashey started researching the subject for an article she was writing, we invited her on the podcast to talk with us about ways to handle the conversation with our kids. Join us while we chat with Abby (with a few cameos by her adorable puppy!) about tips for talking with kids - and other parents - about safety, ways to break the stigma around medicinal marijuana, and our thoughts about some of the problematic marketing around the medicinal herb. In this episode we talk about: Oklahoma SQ 788 [https://ballotpedia.org/Oklahoma_State_Question_788,_Medical_Marijuana_Legalization_Initiative_(June_2018)] THC Universal Symbol [http://omma.ok.gov/thc-universal-symbol] Children's Hospital Colorado, Marijuana: What Kids Need to Know [https://www.childrenscolorado.org/conditions-and-advice/marijuana-what-parents-need-to-know/talking-to-kids-about-marijuana/young-children/]

Severe Weather Prep, Storm Anxiety and Sleep Woes

ince severe weather and school cancellations kept us from recording a new episode this week, we thought it would be appropriate to re-release one of our early episodes on storm prep, our kids storm anxiety and how we handle severe weather. For complete show notes, check out Episode 05!