According to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the U.S. government is poised to spend an additional $1 billion on the development of a vaccine for the H1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu virus. The goal is to have a vaccine ready for October. Billions of dollars have already been spent on the development of bulk ingredients for a vaccine.

The swine flu program is scheduled to coincide with the regular flu vaccine program, and health officials say they may encourage schools as vaccination centers. Officials are hoping to head off a crisis: An estimated one million people have the swine flu virus, and though the disease has only killed 211 people in the U.S. -- a relatively small number compared to the tens of thousands of people who are killed by the regular flu each year -- the fear is that swine flu could become more serious as it circulates. In the event of a pandemic, children especially those with pre-existing health conditions, will be among the first candidates for a vaccine, followed by healthy children.

If and when a swine flu vaccine is available, will you have your child vaccinated?

Here's some good news about kids' eating habits in America: Healthier kid fare such as soup, yogurt and fruit are increasingly becoming more popular at restaurants while orders of less desirable choices like burgers, fries and colas are decreasing, according to recent research from NPD Group, a market research information service.

Researchers think the shift to healthier eating stems in part from changes in kids' taste preferences. Another factor may be that many restaurants, including fast-food outlets such as Burger King and McDonald’s, are offering better-for-you choices such as sliced apples, fat-free chocolate milk, fruit and yogurt.

Whatever the reason, the new trend may prove the old adage that if you give kids healthier choices, they'll eat it. My 8-year-old certainly has an occasional pizza or fries, but since he usually eats a well-balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, it all balances out. And who knows? The more restaurants go healthier for kids, he may even skip the fries and go right for a side of veggies the next time we go out. Well, there’s always the option, anyway!

How often do you let your kids indulge in unhealthier choices like burgers and fries? Have you noticed a change in kids' restaurant menus to healthier food?

Do you go with your gut or follow the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) ratings system when it comes to movies you okay for your grade-schooler? I’m facing this interesting dilemma in my household as the hype builds for the latest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which is rated PG for some violence, language and mild sensuality.

My son turned 8 recently, and he has been immersed in the Harry Potter series. He’s now just started book 6, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Many of his friends have already read all the books, and have also seen the movies. But I’ve held off on the films for two reasons: One, my child tends to get very upset when he sees violent or emotionally-wrenching scenes (I haven’t shown him Bambi yet because I don’t want to have to deal with the emotional fallout that I know would come once Bambi’s mother is shot). And two, I’ve always gone with mother’s intuition about what’s best for my child rather than follow what other parents were doing.

I don’t always go strictly by the MPAA rating. I nixed The Dark Knight (a movie many of my son’s friends have seen in the theaters or DVD), but I did let him see most of Iron Man (I skipped over the scarier scenes, such as when Tony Stark is held by terrorists or when a group of civilians, including kids, are threatened). I read helpful reviews for parents such as the ones from Carey Bryson, About.com’s guide to kids’ movies and TV. And then I make a decision on a movie-by-movie basis.

So while Sam’s 8-year-old peers are flocking to see the latest Transformers installment and are gearing up for the next Harry Potter movie, we are sticking to the movies like Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. There will be plenty of years ahead when he sees violence and gore on the screen. I’m glad he’s sensitive, and I don’t see any reason to rush things for my young child.

If your kids usually spend a little more time in front of the TV in the summer, you may want to pay closer attention to the commercials they watch. A new study has found that watching food commercials can lead to increased snacking in children and adults.

In one experiment, researchers found that kids aged 7 to 11 who watched a cartoon interspersed with food commercials snacked 45 percent more than kids who watched the same cartoon with commercials that were not food-related. A similar study in adults also found a link between watching food commercials and increased eating.

If you pre-record programs, you can always skip over the ads. But if your kids get the munchies after watching food commercials on live TV, give them healthy choices such as fresh fruit or veggies with hummus. Better yet, get them outdoors for some fresh air and exercise!

Have you ever noticed that your kids get snack cravings when they watch TV? Have you experienced this yourself? What are your solutions to combat TV commercial munchies?

Aaargh. First the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a recommendation last year against giving cold and cough medicines to children aged 2 and younger. And the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has said that these medicines don’t work and may cause dangerous side effects in kids aged 6 and under.

Recently, the FDA issued a warning to consumers about Zicam Cold Remedy nasal gel and similar products because they contain zinc, which they say may cause permanent damage to nerves in the nose that are important for the sense of smell.

Because these zinc nasal swabs and sprays were considered homeopathic, they were never required to undergo FDA approval before being sold to consumers. The FDA now says the makers of Zicam must now seek FDA approval in order to continue marketing the products. (The makers of Zicam argue that their product is safe but have agreed to pull the products from the market.)

One thing is clear: we parents need a better system. Years before the FDA and AAP cold medicine warnings came out, I gave my son cold medicine when he was a toddler and preschooler. I’ve also used Zicam kids’ nasal swabs on him when he had a cold -- again, when these products were on the market for years and there wasn’t a peep about potentially-dangerous side effects.

Today, when my now-8-year-old gets a cold, I administer chicken soup, tea with honey, lots of TLC, and nothing else. But in the meantime, I’m always wondering what warnings will be issued next about products we think are safe for our kids.

Do you ever feel our government could be doing more to ensure that the products marketed for kids could be safer? Have you ever used cold medicines and zinc sprays on your kids?

If you are planning to let your kids play with sparklers this holiday weekend, be sure to follow a few safety tips from the National Council on Fireworks Safety. An estimated 16 percent of all sparkler injuries are due to sparklers burning hands and legs, and most of the injuries occur in young children. To make sure your kids stay safe, do not allow kids under 12 years of age to use sparklers without adult supervision and never hold a child while you are holding a lit sparkler. Other important safety tips:

• Teach your child to always stand while using sparklers.
• Never let your child hold more than one lit sparkler at a time.
• Be sure your child wears closed-toe shoes (no sandals); do not allow them to be barefooted.
• Make sure kids drop used sparklers into a bucket of water to ensure it has gone out completely.
• Do not hand a lit sparkler to another person. Give them the unlit sparkler and then light it afterwards.
• Teach kids to hold sparklers away from their body, at least an arm's length away.
• Teach kids to never wave or throw sparklers or run while holding one in their hands.
• Make sure everyone stands at least 6 feet away from each other while holding lit sparklers.

Have a wonderful, safe, and happy Fourth of July!

Since we will be one of the many families I know who will be enjoying a no-fuss (and let’s be frank -- economical) staycation this summer, I’m already lining up play dates in August for my son, who will be finishing up day camp at the end of July.

While my son loves spending time with his friends, he’s also the kind of kid who’s just fine hanging out by himself, reading a book or drawing or making music. And at 8, he is at times still the most contented when he’s snuggled next to me, while we read Harry Potter together. (I’ve gotta admit I’m hoping this will last for at least a few more years!)

But I’m scheduling play dates for those long, lazy summer days of August, when I know my son will say he’s bored, for two important reasons: First, as much as my son and I love spending time together, I’m not always able to play w/ him the way his friends can (I’m not quite able to keep up with the multitudes of Mario Kart Wii character and vehicle names, no matter how much I’ve tried, and I can’t throw a Frisbee to save my life). Second, 8-year-olds can -- and prefer to -- play without a parent hovering right nearby, which means I can answer emails and even do a bit of work in the next room while keeping an ear out for any calls for a snack or needed intervention in an argument about who gets to be which character while playing Star Wars.

So while I’m looking forward to savoring some downtime with my child, I’m also looking forward to those bits of breaks when my son spends some time with friends. As with any healthy relationship, I know that the bond between my son and I will be stronger when we spend some time apart. So this mom’s recipe for a successful summer for my child will be: one part alone time, to read, create, veg out, etc.; one part time with friends; and one part time with Mommy.

The massive news coverage of the recent death of Michael Jackson has got me thinking about how many times my son will discover in his life the complexity of human beings, be they famous, talented and successful heroes or ordinary people like his friends and family.

My son discovered Eric Clapton when he was 3 1/2. We were in the supermarket and "Sunshine of Your Love" was playing over the radio. That was it: Love at first sound. Sam is 8 now, and since that day in the market, he’s feasted on a steady diet of '60s and '70s rock 'n roll: Cream, Led Zepplin, The Who, The Beatles, and of course, Jimi Hendrix.

Given my son’s young age, I’ve had to do a bit of censoring and sanitizing. Clapton’s "Cocaine" is off the playlist, as are songs with profanity and other inappropriate content. And when Sam asked how Jimi Hendrix died, I answered with a vague, "Um, he didn’t take care of himself very well." (Sam knows about the danger of cigarettes and alcohol abuse, but we haven’t had the talk about drugs -- yet.)

And that’s the way it is with so many of our cultural icons and heroes. Whether your grade-schooler’s heroes are baseball players -- so many of whom are now tainted with steroid scandals -- or pop stars who are in the headlines for questionable or scandalous behavior, "to err is human" is a phrase that can be universally applied to all. (Of course, the allegations of child molestation that plagued Jackson are a far cry from self-destructive behavior -- that may have been the most indelible stain on his legacy.)

So when my son asks who Michael Jackson was, I’ll remind him that he was the very talented young man on the Free to Be You and Me DVD, a brilliant musician and performer, and someone who ultimately had trouble in his life.

Have you talked to your children about the death of Michael Jackson? Have you ever had a conversation about the flaws of heroes, either celebrities or someone you know?

More on the death of Michael Jackson:

I love stories like this. Last weekend, a 9-year-old Santa Ana, California boy saved the life of a 2-year-old who nearly drowned in a backyard pool. Apparently, the toddler had taken off his water wings and had sunk to the bottom of the pool when the adults had left the area for a few moments. When Max de la Rosa, the 9-year-old, spotted the tot, he dove in and pulled him out. Then the adults, who heard the commotion, came running and performed CPR and called 911. The toddler is expected to recover fully.

This happy story could have ended very differently had the 9-year-old not been there and acted so quickly. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), nearly 350 children under age 5 drown in swimming pools each year, and more than 2,000 are treated in emergency rooms for near-drownings. In many cases, the children slipped quietly into trouble when adults had left them unsupervised or turned their attention for a moment. That’s why one of the cardinal rules of pool safety is to never, ever, leave kids unsupervised near a pool. Also check out the American Academy of Pediatrics’ list of pool safety tips as well as the CPSC’s essential pool safety rules if your kids are going to be anywhere near a pool this summer.

Related Articles:

I just read a review of a movie called Food Inc. I haven’t seen it yet, but word is that it’s scarier than most horror movies (Halloween? Eat your heart out, Rob Zombie!). If you haven’t heard about it yet, the documentary, by Robert Kenner, delves into our nation’s food industry.

The picture, reportedly, isn’t pretty. Kenner exposes some unsettling facts about what we are eating and how our food is produced and controlled by a few powerful food companies. There’s the requisite undercover footage of the shocking way animals are raised for food. The revelation that much of what we eat and what the animals we eat are fed has been unrecognizably altered -- and rendered unhealthier -- by the infusion of cheap corn products. That even if we don't choose fast food for our families, we are, in fact, still eating food that could be classified as junk food.

This is somewhat familiar ground, covered recently by similar films like Supersize Me and Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I, for one, have been paying attention to the food I put on my table since I became pregnant with my son nine years ago. The idea that I may have to spend a fortune buying exclusively organic or grow my own produce and livestock if I want to be completely free of food that’s been tinkered with, is, to put it mildly, appalling.

But I know my family is lucky to be able to make any food choices at all. Food Inc. reportedly features a low-income family that has no option but to buy fast food because it is cheaper and more filling than produce. That says it all about how wrongheaded our food system has become.

Have you ever had to stretch your food budget by choosing foods that you knew were less healthy? What do you think is the answer to making needed changes in the way we grow and produce the food we eat?

More Thrifty Thursdays Blogs: