Last night, we attended a parenting seminar at the pre-school Munchkin attends (Little Guppy). The topic of the seminar was "Sleep Issues." The seminar was presented by Nancy Birkenmeier from St. Luke's Hospital Sleep Medicine & Research Center, which is one of the largest sleep clinics in the country. There were over 24 people that were signed up for the seminar and I was planning on helping out with watching the kids (ie spend more time with the Munchkin). Only 6 parents showed up (counting me), so I didn't need to be with the kids as they had staff there for that and there were only 4 kids to watch.
Mo and I had attended this same seminar two years ago, when it was presented by Children's Hope International. Nancy had helped us out 2 years ago, when we figured out that Munchkin had some real sleep issues (in addition to other problems). The upshot was that we couldn't address anything else until we tackled the sleep issues first. Sleep issues will exacerbate other problems that a child will have and it is so hugely important that they get enough sleep (not to mention adults really need enough sleep too). Children that are sleep deprived have very similar symptoms as those children with ADHD. The problem that Munchkin was having was that she was waking up multiple times a night and would cry until we went to her and soothed her back to sleep. Neither Mo or I was getting enough sleep by far. I definitely recommend contacting the Sleep Center at Saint Luke's if you have similar problems. Their phone number is 314-205-6030.
Some of the things that came up in the seminar (and I'm typing off the list they handed out):
Signs of insufficient sleep in children:
- Falls asleep in the car, in a high chair, or when watching TV when it is not nap time
- Frequently awakens tired and crabby in the morning and following naps
- Seems irritable, low tolerance, difficult to please off and on during the day, especially between 4pm-6pm. May hit, spit, or bite during this time if significantly sleep deprived
- Appears unusually clingy and will not let Mom out of sight intermittently during the day, especially between 4pm-6pm.
- Has to be awakened most morning, looks as if he could easily sleep another hour
- Often has a very short attention span, can't sit to look at books with parent for more than a few minutes. When sleep loss is severe, appears overactive or "wired".
| Age | Average Total Sleep Time per Day (in hours) |
|---|---|
With most sleep issues children have, the sleep clinic doesn't usually need to see the children. They interview the parents and then develop a set of strategies and instructions for the parents to follow and then provide follow up calls. Most insurance pays for it, so there are usually limitations to the number of visits, the fewer the better. They will see children when they are diagnosed with stuff like sleep apnea, sleep terrors or sleep walking.
Just so you know, winter operation hours have started at Saint Charles County parks and continue until March 1, 2009. All parks, except the Youth Activity Park, will be open from 7am to 6pm during the winter. If you want to use Klondike, Indian Camp Creek or Quail Ridge parks outside of those hours you must obtain a special use permit from the director and rent the Quail Ridge Lodge, Curt Loupe Conference Center or a camping facility. The county operates eight parks. For more information, call 636-949-7535 or visit http://parks.sccmo.org/parks.
And there is a lot of stuff going on this weekend in the area.
Job's Daughters, Bethel 4, will be having a egg, sausage and pancake breakfast at the Applebee's at Olive and 270 (11950 Olive Blvd, Creve Coeur, MO 63141) this Saturday (Dec 6) 8am-10am. I'm pretty sure that Santa may be showing up. Cost is $7 for adults, I'm not sure what the child price is.
Samaritan Lodge #424 in Bonne Terre, MO on Saturday (Dec 6) is having an All-You-Can-Eat-Breakfast from 6:30am-10:00am. Breakfast is Eggs,Sausage,Biscuits & Gravy. $5.00 They say to come early and help them prepare breakfast.
Another Breakfast with Santa, this time at the Lower Level at Memorial Hall-Blanchette Park from 9am - 11am. Cost is $8 per person and it has to be pre-paid. The breakfast is eggs, sausage and biscuits. After breakfast, Santa will meet with each child and even pose for pictures. Some Christmas crafts will also be available. Registration: 949-3372 or online
The Tree Lighting in the New Town neighborhood is on Saturday (Dec 6) 4pm-6pm at the Town Hall. They will have holiday activities for the kids, holiday music, free cookies (provided by Whittaker Homes) and free coffee (provided by Marsala's Market).
And in downtown St. Charles city, the Las Posadas Procession is Saturday (Dec 6) at 6pm. Begins 1000 S. Main - Ends with program in Frontier Park. Mary and Joseph travel along South Main looking for room in the "inn". The evening culminates with a living nativity program and Christmas sing-a-long around the Yule log bonfire in Frontier Park.
Next week, Art Schneider will host a karaoke session at the Brickhouse Bistro on Tuesday December 9, 2008 from 7pm - 11pm. Along with a large selection of music, Art is including Christmas selections. This is a great opportunity to see the changes the ownership have made to the Bistro. Not to mention enjoying Art on stage. (3245 Rue Royale, St. Charles 63301) For more information 636-493-1900
Pinhedz (3212-1 Rue Royale, St. Charles, MO 63301) is supplying anyone who has a competitive bone in their body a chance to snag some quick cash. Yep, Richard Kennison is conducting a pinball tournament for the lightning fingered, flipper flappers at his new place…Pinhedz Pinball Arcade. Call 636-724-7501 for more info.
Details follow for tournament:
1. $5.00 gets your anxious carcass a position next to the machine of the month – Lord of the Rings.
2. Your first game is free…after that, the rest are on you.
3. Play as often as you want in your quest to top the current high score…139,000,000 (Larry Duffy).
4. The high score at the end of December claims the braggin’ rights and collects the booty…which is half of the collective entry fees, an additional prize, and a photo of your mug on the ‘Wall o’ Champions’.
5. High scores will not be recognized, unless you first register for the tournament. No previous high score funny business here…
6. Once you’re registered, you can play towards the high score at any time Pinhedz is open. If you succeed in topping the current high score, simply notify the arcade staff, and your score becomes the new target.
7. Your e-mail address is requested on the registration list allowing Richard to inform everyone of a new high score when someone beats the target score.
8. Anyone can play, so tell your friends… The more who enter, the more booty someone will collect.
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