urbanMamas Portland

Do you mind if I have a bit of a rant?

As the news rolls in about melamine in children's candy and I prepare to write a book about "inconvenient food," I consider our society on Halloween. We talked last week about all the ideas for what to give away on Halloween, some of us bemoaned the problem of not being able to hand out homemade treats because of scares (for the record, I heard a piece on NPR in the last few years about how there had been maybe two cases in all of history of people getting poisoned/hurt from Halloween treats -- less than chances that a hurricane will rip through our city).

I've given up sugar and am trying to greatly reduce my children's intake, though I let them eat whatever they get given (within reason) by teachers, relatives, friends. But really, my values these days are "prepare food with love" and I can see no love for anything but profit in the contents of the candy aisle (or the cereal aisle, or most of the aisles in the grocery store). My go-to treats are honey lavender shortbread, hazelnut butter cookies, apple pie (sweetened with maple syrup), sourdough carrot cake, and the standby: homemade oatmeal whole wheat bread with lots and lots of butter and honey. Why would I go to the store, buy something I don't believe in that very well could poison you (if the sugar isn't poison enough -- now that I've given it up even a "fun size" bar would give me a two-day headache), just because my neighbors can't trust ME?

I start to wonder if the proscription against homebaked food has gone on long enough. How did our society become this insane place where we trust a corporation unquestioningly but we don't trust our neighbors? How is it that we have grown so ill-confident of our kitchen skills that we don't even dare challenge rules against bringing homemade food to public school? (Let's leave aside allergies for the moment -- that's not the reason schools banned baking.) Damn it, I trust you to know enough about cleanliness not to get my food all poopy!

So I'm going to hand out lavendar shortbread cookies for Halloween today. I'll have an alternative (we have leftover candy on a high, high shelf) because I haven't yet gotten to the place where I want to force my neighbors to trust me. Next year maybe.

One down, six to go.  Days without buying anything plastic, that is.  Read all about it over on Activistas.  Got any non-plastic Halloween treat ideas (right, no wrappers, no bags)?  Tips and tricks of the plastic-free life?  Do tell.  'Cause even organic carrots with the tops on come with a plastic tag!

Like a knife through the heart my kindergartner said to me the other day, "Mama, you've only been a parent volunteer like once. How come?" Ouch. Well, son, because your dad and I arranged our work schedules to drop you off when school starts and pick you up when it ends (no easy feat) and I really, really hate to say it but there's just not much more time in our tightly-wound work-family schedule for volunteering (even though we both work 75% schedules). And if I take time off work to volunteer who'll be around to hang out with you when school is closed? Over your Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring and summer vacations? 'Cause I surely don't have that many vacation days. Not even when combined with my husband if we never took a day off together. Which sounds really fun, doesn't it?

Yes, I clearly have some unresolved issues here. How could you tell? And to make matters worse, when I spoke with my own mom about it, who stayed home when I was young, she recalled the dilemma, too, but from a different angle. That the working moms rarely volunteered and she picked up the slack. Yikes! Exactly what I fear is happening now. I hate it when other people pick up my slack, but I'm just not sure how many times I can be at school when in my few school day non-working hours I have a 2-YO in tow. You know?

I generally like the idea of volunteering in the school (that village thing), but wonder what is the 'right' amount, and how much we are just filling in for unfunded staff positions. One job our son's teacher needs covered is someone to walk the kids around the building when they are in small groups for reading, because she can't be in three places at once. Another is weekly parent envelope stuffing (my job!), lost & found tidying (me, again), and helping kids check out books during library time (just one librarian and so many kids).

What do you think? I'm new at this, and want to do it right, but feel like I'm not pulling my weight and disappointing my son, to boot. And we're only six weeks into the school year. Still time to redeem myself, right?

An early edition WW in honor of the Halloween festivities....

Thursday

Halloween Carnival: Come support the development of a new, kid-friendly space in the Kenton neighborhood.  Posies Cafe (8208 N. Denver) is hosting pre-Halloween festivities to support their opening, anticipated in January 2009.  Activities will include bowling, fishing for prizes, a big painting project and more.  Wine will be available for adults.  $5 per child (adults are free). 3:00-6:00 pm.

Halloween Haunts Cooking: A workshop in cooking ooey gooey delights, kids ages 7-11 will concoct their own gross & ghoulish fare.  $8, St. Johns Community Center (8427 N. Central). 2:45-3:30 pm.

Music FUNdamentals: Free, Airplay Cafe 10:00 am-11:00 am.

Ladybug Theater: Theater for the littlest ones, the story of Granny and BooHoo Ghost will be non-scary entertainment. Smile Station (8210 SE Stark), $3.50, reservations requested. 10:30 am.

Friday

Story & A Stroll: Enjoy a short guided walk that involves education about bats. Targets kids 3-6, rain or shine. Tryon Creek State Park, 1:00-2:00 pm.

Ladybug Walk: A guided 60 minute walk around Oaks Bottom for preschoolers, no registration necessary, $2 per child. 10:00-11:30 am

Tour of Untimely Departures: For the VERY brave, a chance to be guided through the darkness to specially selected headstones where you'll meet some real characters from Portland’s past who are notorious or met an untimely or unseemly death. Luminaria candles light the path.  This event is marketed as appropriate for all ages. $15 per family,  Lone Fir Cemetery (26th and Stark). 6:00-9:00 pm.

Catlin Gable Rummage Sale: Truly, the mother of all rummage sales.  Leave the kids at home if you can! Parking is $7. Friday-Sunday, hours vary.

Flash Fright Treat Night II: Stop in at this treat-filled Halloween Open House at Black Wagon (3964 N. Mississippi)and photographer Amy McMullen will capture them in all their costumed glory. 4:00-6:00 pm.

Cobwebs, Costumes, Cameras and Kids: Campbell Salgado Studio and SpielWerk toy shop are teaming up, and dressing up, this Halloween to help raise money to fight hunger in Oregon. 2:00-6:00 pm.

Kennedy School Trick-or-Treating: Candy for the kids, libations for the adults, what a great combination. 4:30-6:30 pm.

Saturday

Pittock Mansion Family Fun Day: A day of family fun...vintage tile-making demonstrations, apple peeling on an 1895 apple machine, face painting, and a caramel-drizzled apple tasting, plus Edwardian-era story telling. 11:00 am-4:00 pm.

Can't Sit Still Story Time: It's about time!!  A story time for the kids we love that just can't listen quietly or sitting down.  Makes you wonder what librarian got this special assignment. Thanks Multnomah County Library! Central Library, 2:00-2:30 pm.

Family Halloween Party:  Airplay Cafe is hosting this benefit for the Children's Relief Nursery that includes a costume parade, music, prizes, and coffee tasting for adults. $5 per person or $15 per family. 10:00 am-noon.

Dia de los Muertos Celebration: This Day of the Dead celebtration hosted by the Portland Early Learning Project will honor loved ones that have passed on (bring a photo) with storytelling, crafts, singing, and traditional Mexican music.  Urban Grind Coffeehouse (2214 NE Oregon), 3:00-5:00 pm.

Sunday

$2 Sunday at OMSI: The first Sunday of every month, OMSI is only $2 per person.

Ever since I read a post by one of my fellow Culinate bloggers, who's written a book on dinner coops, Dinner at Your Door, I've been toying with the idea of trying to start a neighborhood group. But I'm shy about commitment (when it comes to other people relying on me to show up on time, that is). Unless my neighbor (cough, cough) starts one, I'm a little reluctant. Lori isn't though: she's ready to go! Can you help her with advice?

I really like to cook but not every night and I am not a big leftovers fan.  I have been talking with a few of my friends about setting up a dinner swap once a week where we portion out the food for each family.  At the moment we are mainly focusing on stews, soups and casseroles.  Does anyone have any experience or suggestions with this? How do you handle special dietary restrictions, storage containers, etc.

We've had a lot to say about the sorry state of our schools' cafeterias, both here and on Activistas, and the criticism is certainly not limited to the Portland Public Schools boundaries; it's a terrible issue nationwide. Movement is slowly grumbling toward a better way, though, and last year the addition of Harvest of the Month (one ingredient per week from local farmers -- this month it's sweet corn on the cob) was, while a small step, still: progress!

This year's small step forward is the Local Lunch: a whole menu, once each month, featuring local foods (defined as Washington, Oregon, and California up to San Francisco -- a generous "local"). The first offering, last Wednesday, was quesadillas with Tillamook cheese and Don Pancho quesadillas. November's offering is barbecued chicken with Draper Valley Farms natural chicken -- yum! I encourage those of you who send lunches with your PPS students to have them buy lunch on these days; or go have lunch with your child. Whole list of dates and menus after the jump.

There Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a consumer advisory earlier this month.

Sherwood brand Pirate's Gold Milk Chocolate coins are being recalled due to the fact that they contain Melamine, the ingredient in milk product that has caused many infant deaths in China. 

These candies are sold at Costco, as well as many bulk and dollar stores. Please make sure to check your child's Halloween candy and DO NOT LET THEM EAT THE PIRATE COINS (you know the ones wrapped in the shiny gold foil) and please let other parents know about this! [Photo from Sherwood Brands]

On mornings like today, I am so ready to wean my 15-month-old, Monroe. I got barely a wink of sleep last night; he nursed unusually often, waking every 15 minutes (or at least that's how it felt) to wail until he got some milk love. He's developed a new habit (charming!) where his hand roams while he's eating, grabbing my free nipple, pinching my stomach, sometimes even hitting me. I'm firm, I say "no" and remove his hand, but it's not a perfect solution.

I haven't even considered weaning him yet, as I'm trying a parenting practice of (within reason) being attentive to the child's needs and attributing biological need to most of his one-year-old desires. The WHO recommends breastfeeding for two years, so I'm still in the zone. And I have no real need to wean, as I had with my other two boys (who both weaned between 18 and 22 months): I'm not away from him for more than several hours at a time (and have no plan to be); I definitely am not hoping to get pregnant again soon; I don't need to take any drugs that might mess with him; and, despite the occasional lack of sleep, breastfeeding is so convenient.

In fact, breastfeeding is fine half the time, I typed this whole post while he nursed happily away. For those of you who have achieved your breastfeeding goals (you know, exclusive for first six months and keep going 'til 12 months), and had no definitive reason to stop: how did you decide when? How many of you have "done" child-led weaning? How did it go? [We've told stories about weaning and talked about weaning a two-year-old previously.]

Halloween is approaching and there are some spooktacular activities going on this weekend.  Check out the Montavilla Halloween Carnival, Tryon Creek Night Hike, and the St. John's Halloween Festival just to name a few.

Friday

Gourdy Pumpernickel's Harvest Surprise: The folks from Mudeye Puppet Company have come up with a new show for fall about a determined but sill farmer who never gives up, sure to entertain all ages. Ladybug Organic Coffee Co. 8438 N Lombard Street Portland, $3 per person.  10:00 am.

Saturday

Portland Farmers Market Great Pumpkin Event: A pumpkin carving contest starting at 9:00 am, culminating in a childrens' costume parade at noon.

ParkFest: This event sponsored by Portland Parks & Rec offers recreational and environmental activities for all ages, workshops, demonstrations, and more. University Park Community Center (9009 N. Foss), 9:00 am-3:00 pm.

Lorna Miller's Little Kids' Jamboree: Join Lorna Miller as she entertains adults and kids with music, rhythm, and movement. Mississippi Pizza (3552 N. Mississippi), 4:00 pm.

Portland Green Parenting Harvest Festival: PGP hosts a fall harvest festival and hoe down at The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island about 1-6 pm! They have booked caller Caroline Oakley and the Foghorn String Band for a good old time square dance, and will have all-you-can-eat corn, tickets to the maze, games, prizes and more!

Lead-Safe Kids Fair: The folks from the Josiah Hill Clinic have coordinated this free resource fair to have all the information in one place to prevent lead poisoning: toy and kid lead testing, info on how to easily reduce the exposure to lead in your home (lead is almost guaranteed in homes built before 1950), free grant resources (up to $10,000!) from the City to reduce hazards, and snacks and activities for kids.  IRCO (10301 NE Glisan), 11:00-2:00 pm.

Sunday

Baby Loves Disco: This post nap dance party features real music spun mixed by real DJs blending classic disco tunes from the 70s and 80s guaranteed to get those little booties moving and grooving. Also present are bubble machines, baskets of instruments, a chill-out room (with tents, books and puzzles), diaper changing stations, and a full spread of healthy snacks provided by Wild Oats (and yes, the bar will be open for the grown-ups!). $12, 12:00-3:00 pm.

Perhaps I am in denial, or perhaps I am uninformed.  But kindergarten has been a complete reality check for this mama.  I'm having a tough time accepting the curriculum and structure of kindergarten.  I am feeling conflicted and wondering if I am the only one with this sentiment.  Two hours of literacy  in the morning, followed by lunch, then more literacy, math, science, 15 minutes of recess, snack, and free choice is a typical day in the life of my kinder child.  Though once a week, there is PE and Art (thank goodness).  Nonetheless, is this curriculum age appropriate? I am reminded that this is not the kindergarten of our youth, but one of the 21st century.  Kindergarten is the new first grade, and with all the pressure of NCLB and schools to succeed gone are the days of play-based kindergarten programs.  Right?  Yet, I am unable to accept that the rigidity is needed or necessary for a 5 year old to succeed in school, whether public or private.  As parents within PPS, are there ways we can provide input on the structure of a program, or is the only choice to look at other programs?  Can we stop and compare notes?  What is the curriculum like at your school?  Or, am I just needlessly worrying? [Photo courtesy of cafemama.com]

Yesterday was my last day at work. It's a complicated story about "not giving 100%" and needing to spend way more of my percentages here at home on my kids. I'm starting a new freelance career that will pay a lot less than my former career, and naturally, includes only the benefit of complete freedom from externally-imposed responsibilities. Health insurance and maternity leave and retirement? I'm hoping my good, nourishing cooking and royalties from my soon-to-be-pitched book will cover me. (It's good to think positive.)

I can't afford Cobra and I think my income will be too high to qualify for the Oregon Health Plan (though maybe I'll be close). We get supplemental insurance through the Army Reserve's Tricare program for $82 a month but I doubt it'll help me without the primary insurance. I'm considering just paying out-of-pocket for services we need (like well-baby visits and the occasional checkup for Jonathan and myself, plus dental visits). Compared to the retail price of health insurance for my family -- between $400 and $1000 a month, plus deductibles and co-pays -- a few hundred here and there doesn't seem that bad. And honestly: I'll bet my out-of-pocket costs with employee-sponsored United Healthcare were at least $2000 in the past year.

Of course, that's assuming that I don't have another emergency like the one where Monroe ended up riding the ambulance to get stitches in his eye. And I have three extremely energetic and risk-loving boys. When I tweeted about my quandary over insurance, I found a few other mamas responded back almost immediately; they, too, were foregoing insurance due to great expense. We've talked before about insurance providers and insurance for pregnant mamas (thank goodness that's not a factor for me right now). While this is a great time to get very, very angry over the state of our nation's health system (John McCain accused Barack Obama's plan of being like England's -- I thought to myself, if only!) -- it's also a time to evaluate the options in reality. For those of you who don't get, or can't afford, insurance through your work or your spouse's work: What do you do?

Update: I wrote a post on WalletPop about "The Gilbert Plan," the way health care policy should be. What do you think about that?

Just kidding.  Well, kind of.  We've talked about our gray hairs and our aging bodies, both of which I've accepted as a fact of life for me. But now, repeated comments by my mother about my quickly multiplying wrinkles have me thinking.

Seems like ever since the third baby was born last year I get a new one every day.  To call them "laugh lines" doesn't quite do them justice. As I ran past a "medi-spa" the other day, I wondered if a laser lift, collagen injection, or a little alpha-hydroxyl could make up for all the years life guarding without sunscreen and scowling at my children. At the very least, the days of my apricot scrub and yellow Clinique face lotion are numbered as I search out a wrinkle-plumping product to invest in.

I know I should just accept my new found wrinkles, and I probably will...eventually. But until then, how do you approach yours?  With love?  Night creams?  Eye creams?  Do you think they work or is it just a marketing conspiracy that preys on the aging phobic?

An urbanMama regular over on Facebook started the conversation and we'd love to hear how some of you are handling the treats on Halloween.  Even though we're a bunch of high-fructose-corn-syrup-phobes, will you be handing out candy?  A bouncy ball?  Maybe organic raisins?  How about some homemade lip balm in a resuable container?  The ideas are endless!  Pray tell: what will you be handing out when the kids come knocking?

We don't make a habit of endorsing candidates or ballot measures, but we're making a special exception for the Portland Children's Levy.  The Levy (Measure 26-94), is up for renewal this year.  It's the very last thing on the ballot and likely to get overlooked, which would be too bad because it's just one of those things we can feel proud our hard-earned tax dollars are supporting. Please, please take a minute to find it and vote YES.

The levy funds the Children's Investment Fund, a wonderful, cost-effective program that, since 2002, has been supporting programs that:

• help children who have been abused,
• help kids in foster care to succeed,
• provide early childhood education and
• after school/mentoring support.   

This levy has supported amazing programs like the Children's Relief Nursery, the Children's Receiving Center, the Salvation Army's Shelter for Women & Children, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Head Start, Portland Impact, the Peninsula Child Center, and a bunch of other programs with proven positive impacts for our city's most at-risk kids.

The levy has helped over 16,000 kids each year since it began in 2002. It receives its funds from a property tax of $0.4026 per $1000 of assessed home value (about $5 a month for the average Portland home).

I spent some time calling voters tonight, asking them to support the Levy, and I must report that no one is against this levy.  The only thing that will keep it from being renewed is the fact that a lot of people just don't know anything about it.  In a contentious election year, it's hard to get a city ballot measure into the dialog.

Please, encourage your Portland loved ones to support this measure. Send them an email, or this post, and let them know that a vote for the Children's Levy is a vote in support of *all* of Portland's children.

Want more information? Check out the FAQ's and Endorsements.   Or contact the campaign directly at (503) 224-6160 or info@childrenslevy.com.

If you're a single mom in Portland, how much does neighborhood choice matter?  We recently received this question from a soon-to-be-single mama.  Any advice for her?

I will very soon be a single mom to my beautiful 2 year old daughter. And i am seeking advice as to what neighborhoods you know of that are safe and secure and have great schools. I currently live in NE Portland but outside of a good school district. I work in the Pearl district, 5 days a week.I would love to get feedback from other moms and if you know of a house or apartment for rent please let me know.

Seems like we've been talking a lot about schools these days, and many of the urbanMamas can relate since our little ones are now entering grade school.  What about the ones that need just a bit more help adjusting to school and are considered special needs.  Lori writes:

My kindergarten son is having a lot of trouble adjusting. In preschool he was the kid who clung on to me or his dad and cried until slowly he became comfortable at his new school. At home he is a typical kid with the normal range of highs, lows, silliness, etc. In kindergarten he is acting up, running out of the classroom, knocking over chairs, potty mouth, kicking and scratching the staff and other kids (this mostly happens when he is very wound up and is being chased to get him out of the room). Short story long, he was suspended for two days and is now in the process of a temporary/long-term transfer to Pioneer. Does anyone have any tips on the program there? Also, any tips on getting him evaluated and finding advocates for him and us during this process. [Photo courtesy cafemama.com]

We know many urbanMamas out there with great style that can help Kimberly who is in need of advice on getting help for her interior design needs.  She emails:

We have horrible style, but a cute house. I can't take it anymore. Actually I have good style in my head, but don't know how to translate it in my home. Major living and dining room help needed. Can you all recommend someone? Maybe some one who know a bit about feng shui too.

Child rearing in itself is difficult, but combined with any disorders and the challenge grows exponentially.  An urbanMama recently wrote seeking advice from other parents who have dealt with Asperger Syndrome in their children.  She writes:

My son (age 6 next month) was diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago by his pediatrician. As kindergarten approached I made an appointment with a psychologist in July with the first available new patient appointment … today. Two hours later after what I thought was going to be a general check in and maybe some parenting tips – he has been diagnosed with Asperger’s (a form of high-functioning Autism) as well. Help. ADHD was a hard diagnoses and I’m having an even harder time keeping from sinking with this one. I am ignorant on it. I don’t know what my next step is as far as finding a great occupational therapist. I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know what works. I am greatly overwhelmed. Does any other mamma out there have experience with this? I can talk to the pysch for as long as I can afford it (literally), but I want and need to hear it from a mom.

I am no finance expert.  But I know enough about economics to be not-so-thrilled with my bank suddenly becoming one of very few large banks in the U.S.  (less competition being not so good for the consumer and all).  I know there are community banks and credit unions and am 100% sure I want to switch.  Not because I think my money isn't secure (grasping the FDIC thing and the max insured amount, which we're well under), but just have an urge to go small, go local. 

Yeah, I'm likely not the first to have this urge, but I'm ready, as complicated as it's gonna be to transfer the whole kit-and-kaboodle (direct deposit, checks, ATM locations & cards, to name but a few). Thanks to OPB's Think Out Loud crew for covering this one from the local angle a few weeks ago.

So my question is this: do you bank at a small community bank that you'd recommend, where you think there is some real, maybe even deep respect for the community, the every-day customers?   Where we can all just fell the love instead of trading each other to hell and back for a buck?  I really, really don't want to undergo this process twice, so I plan to rely on recommendations.  Got any?

Keeping WW short and sweet this weekend, mamas.  Here's a few quick highlights of this weekend's goings on.  For more entertainment for you and the family, check out the uM calendar.

Friday

Toy Swap: Do your kids need some new inspiration of the toy variety? Head on over to Isobel's Clubhouse (300 block of NW 10th) for craft activities and a swap of toys and Halloween costumes.  9:30-11:30 am.

Portland Nursery Apple Tasting: Come taste over 60 different kids of apples and pears!  Apple treats, great music, a kids corner with balloon creations, face painting, a scavenger hunt, and hands-on crafts, plus a harvest sing-a-long with Penny Puppets. Friday-Sunday, 10:00 am-5:00 pm.

Kidical Mass A family friendly bike ride through downtown streets, click link to RSVP for a pizza party afterward. Meet at the N. Park Blocks playground, 5:30 pm (ride leaves at 5:45 sharp).

Laurelhurst Elementary PTA Carnival: This fundraiser promises fun for the whole family: a cake walk, karaoke, clowns, and more. Laurelhurst Elementary School.  6:00-8:30 pm.

Saturday

One Woman, One Vote: Women and elections have rarely been so prevalent, so it's a perfect time to wind back the clock and reconsider what it was like when women couldn't vote, let alone run for public office. Join urbanMamas and Activistas alike to watch this film in the McMenamin's Kennedy School community room  @ 2 PM. 

Lead-Safe Kids Fair: Lead hasn't been in the news for oh, a couple weeks, but it's still an invisible hazard for our kids.  The folks from the Josiah Hill Clinic have coordinated this free resource fair to have all the information in one place to prevent lead poisoning: toy and kid lead testing, info on how to easily reduce the exposure to lead in your home (lead is almost gauranteed in homes built before 1950), free grant resources (up to $10,000!) from the City to reduce hazards, and snacks and activities for kids.  IRCO (10301 NE Glisan), 11:00-2:00 pm.

Penny Puppets: A seasonal show from our favorite puppeteer. Lonley LIttle Pumpkin. Sauvie Island Farms, 110:00 am and 1:00 pm.

Harvest Hoe-Down at Kruger's: Swing your partner, do-si-do, out to Kruger's to see things that grow...plus music, dancing, a bonfire, hayrides, the corn maze, and of course, food & beer. $5 per carload after 6:00 pm. 4:00-10:00 pm.

Sunday

Doggie Palooza: This free, outdoor celebration of all things canine will have demonstrations, venders, and free dog treats! Of course, dogs on leashes are welcome. World Forestry Center, 10:00 am-5:00 pm.

Play After Play: This story from Scotland about a kind beekeeper who befriends a mysterious blue eyed hare. With the help of his bees and his brave heart, he finds a way to free the hare from a spell on All Hallows Eve. $7 per person, free under age 2. Reservations suggested. Saturday 10:00 am, Sunday 2:00 pm.

Every year we talk a lot about summer camps.  And we've talked a time or two about school-year camps for those (many) days off.  A single mama with a kindergartner in PPS wrote us because she  - like many of us  - is wondering how people manage the fact that kids have more days off than parents during the school year.

And while there are plenty of stay-at-home/flexible-schedule parents among us, there are also plenty for whom this is a very real, and often costly, challenge.   So what do you do?  What camps are offered?  How far in advance do you need to plan?  Know of any cheap options?  Do you ask friends to cover?  Family?  Do tell, 'cause there are plenty more of these days off coming....

Help!!

[grout elementary pic courtesy of cafemama, who is always taking pictures}

So head on over to Activistas and jump in, 'cause we're not just blogging on blog action day, we're acting.  Join us in buying a Mercy Corps breastfeeding kit.

In case your eyes don't always wander down to the urbanMama Events list, there are a few things coming up - hope to see you at one or all of them! 

• Chat with Pdx city council candidate Charles Lewis about your mamagenda and what he plans to do about it, this Thursday, 10.16 @ 4:30 pm @ the downtown Peet's Coffee & Tea
• Children's Investment Fund Info House Party this Thursday, 10.16 @ 7:30 pm in NoPo
• Movie group: Let's watch One Woman, One Vote together this Saturday, 10.18 @ 2 PM @ Kennedy School
• Bite your finger nails together with other families on election night, Tuesday, 11.4 from 5 to 8-ish @ the Backspace Cafe in Old Town

Got an idea for a gathering of the uMs?  Send us an email. 

I did not plan this weekend with three excellent outdoor autumnal activities on the calendar.  In fact, when was the last time I planned any weekend ahead of time?  Just not my nature.  And were I a planner, I would never had agreed to hit Kruger's for pumpkins and hay rides, Portland Nursery for music, apples galore and pumpkin painting, and and the Salmon Festival at the amazing Oxbow Park in one weekend.  But we did, and it was super fun.  And all in the sun, no less.  Feeling the love for Stumptown.

What is your family's just-can't-miss fall event or fun family activity in the Metro area?  While I feel lucky and satisfied to have enjoyed these three, I know there are loads more, not to mention fun at-home activities like making apple sauce, collecting and pressing leaves, the list goes on (sour apple dolls, anyone?) 

We finally got our act together and you can now find us on Facebook.  Now what?  We're fairly new to this - as anyone - but we are hoping to use Facebook as another way to stregthen the Portland parenting community created through the urbanMamas Website.  It seems a bit more personable and less anonymous.  We may be using Facebook to set up social events (is it a safer way then being so open on the blogosphere?). 

We hope to encourage new mamas and verterans alike looking to connect or join various groups to interact with one another.  We're just as much a part of this social experiment as you all are, so let us know if you have some great ideas on how we can use Facebook to reach out to each other.  You can find us as the urbanMamas group or if you search for "UrbanMamas Pdx".  We're not certain if the group or person is better for interacting.  Any tips or advice?  How do use Facebook?

Photo courtesy of Amy McMullen.

I love Lisa Belkin for getting the issues on the table, the very public table, even if she can raise my hackles.  This time, she wrote a post titled The Parents Vote on her Motherlode blog at the New York Times.  In it, it is clear that she hasn't met us.  She sums up us parents as voters this way:

Ask people with children what most shapes their worldview, and being a parent would likely be high on the list. And yet we don’t make our political decisions as “parents,” don’t base our vote on the candidates views of how to help families juggle life and work, don’t see parents as an interest group.

Uh, maybe we should email her a link to Activistas?  And she points out, as Moms Rising has been doing recently, that the three debates thus far have not included one single specifically work-family question. Seems to reinforce the premise that we parents don't vote as parents, but rather as our other (ha!) selves. 

Tis the season to be sick!  We can have tons of ideas of how to entertain a sick toddler, but what do we do when we ourselves are sick?  Are there things left undone?  How do we give attention to the kids if we're lying in bed?  An urbanMama emails:

For the last month, it's been one cold after the next in our household. My son is 11 months old and HATES staying at home all day with nobody to play with. But when he's sick or I'm sick, we can't make play dates with friends. I've had a cold with coughing and sneezing for 4-5 days now. We've been reading books and playing with toys and taking the occasional walk, but he's extremely bored and antsy. I foresee a lot of this in the upcoming months. How do you cope when Mama's sick?

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.  If that's true, you could safeguard your health this weekend by checking out the Portland Nursery and New Seasons Apple tasting events.

Friday

NE Moms Playgroup: Nope, you don't have to live in NE to join this group of moms that gets together to play and chat.  Bring a snack to share if you can.  Milagros Boutique (5433 NE 30th), 2:30 pm.

Ladybug Walk: A guided 60 minute walk around Laurelhurst Park for preschoolers, no registration necessary, $2 per child. 10:00-11:30 am.

Dogs Gone Dancin': Have you ever seen a four-legged friend perform a dance routine? If not, here's your chance. See the winning dance routines of Canine Freestyle, meet the dogs, and ask questions. St. Johns Library (7510 N. Charleston Ave), 2:00-3:00 pm.

Portland Nursery Apple Tasting: Come taste over 60 different kids of apples and pears!  Apple treats, great music, a kids corner with balloon creations, face painting, a scavenger hunt, and hands-on crafts, plus a scarecrow contest. Friday-Sunday, 10:00 am-5:00 pm.

Friends of Multnomah County Library Annual Fall Used Book Sale: Great books, great prices, and all for a great cause. 8150 N. Lombard, Friday (members only) through Monday, check website for hours.

Saturday

Thomas the Tank Engine Playdate:  If you've got a train-loving child on your hands, this event might just "bust their buffers".  Storytime, train tables, free coloring books and Thomas trading cards.  All Toys R Us stores, 11:00-1:00 pm.

Parents for Paid Leave Monthly Meeting: Coffee, kid play, and serious grassroots action as this group of dedicated parents work to get paid parental leave passed in Oregon.   Also, they will screen a short documentary about paid leave that was filmed this past summer in Portland, and which features some local Parents for Paid Leave members.  Urban Grind (2214 NE Oregon), 9:30-11:30 am.

Family Dance: Get your groove on (and your caffeine too!) with your kiddo at this DJ spinning, kid twirling, free disco party.  Airplay Cafe (701 E. Burnside), Free, 10:00 am-noon.

Safety Saturday at the Belmont Firehouse: Learn valuable safety lessons and fire department history by exploring the old Belmont Firehouse. Hands on activities include sliding down a fire pole!  10:00 am-3:00 pm.

Healthy Living Fair: Learn how to avoid toxins in common household items you'd never dream might be harmful.  Nena Baker, author of The Body Toxic, will be presenting from her book. Also, free chair massages, free lead testing for children, organic food, and many exhibits.  First United Methodist Church (1838 SW Jefferson) 11:00 am-4:00 pm.

Lorna Miller's Little Kids' Jamboree: Join Lorna Miller as she entertains adults and kids with music, rhythm, and movement. Mississippi Pizza (3552 N. Mississippi), 4:00 pm.

Toy Trains Concert: This popular kid band covers Dan Zanes, Lisa Loeb and other childhood tunes as well as some Beatles, Tom Waits, REM, John Prine. Especially great for toddlers that love to bebop to the music.  Airplay Cafe, Free, 5:00 pm.

Sunday

Family Discovery Sunday: Create new treasures using thread-wrapped combs Free, Museum of Contemporary Craft, 1:00-4:00 pm.

Salmon Festival at Oxbow Park: This Chinook celebrating festival will have educational exhibits, nature walks, activities for children, arts and crafts demonstrations, music and storytelling, horse-drawn wagon rides, a salmon barbecue and food court. $8 per car, Oxbow Regional Park, 10:30-5:00 pm.

It's true - and kind of exciting!  Watch the Al Jazeera English documentary on the need and fight for paid family leave in the U.S.  International audience, local mamas.   

More over on Activistas.  And at Urban Grind NE this Saturday, where we'll be screening it together during our monthly grassroots planning meeting with Parents for Paid Leave.  Join us, but please, no comments on my hair-do, which my husband (lovingly?) calls 'the skinned rabbit.' 

In today's Oregonian, the blaring headline: "Finally, a bumper crop of Portland kindergarteners ... The growing enrollment is welcome, albeit unexpected." In 2008, the Portland Public School district enrolled 3,950 kindergarteners, a 4% increase over 2007 (all metropolitan-area kindergartens grew but Gresham and Lake Oswego). There are all kinds of ways to utilize these numbers; kindergarten enrollment is used to forecast enrollment for all grades (that's obvious!), and it seems to be an indicator of population growth. Due to relatively infrequent census surveys, often localities like Portland are left in a year like '08 just not knowing where the people are.

Silly PPS. I know people here on urbanMamas and elsewhere in the Portland blogosphere have been commenting on the growing population for years. From packed prenatal yoga classes to waiting lists for preschool spots to crowding at Piccolo Park: we've been noticing that Portland is a great place to have babies, and lots of people are doing so.

If I was doing the forecasting, I would have already picked this year to be a growth year, and promised growth in kindergartens for the next 10 years to come. I think 2010 will be a particularly huge one! What do you see in your crystal ball (also known as your neighborhood coffee shop mid-morning)?

International Walk and Bike to School day is coming up on October 8th, this Wednesday. This is a one-time, state-wide event in which many schools participate. 90 schools throughout Oregon are signed up to promote healthy lifestyles by walking and biking to school. For more information on the program, see the Walk + Bike web site.

Are you in?

With three young boys, all who have a distinct love for risk, big sticks, sharp things, loud noises, and anything with wheels, it's amazing this weekend marked my first ride in an ambulance. On Saturday Monroe, not quite 15 months, cut his eyelid horribly after banging two wine bottles together (and I thought I'd got all the recycling out). The sweet, speedy firemen and ambulance techs quickly determined that he wasn't in mortal danger and it was off to the pediatric ER at Legacy Emanuel.

Given that Daddy was away at Army Reserve drill and neither of my sisters were answering their phones, I ended up alone in the ER, holding a loopy bloody baby for hours while I endeavored to entertain the other two boys. I was desperately hungry: I hadn't eaten lunch, my Blackberry wasn't charged and I'd forgotten my wallet in the mess, and besides, you're kind of stuck in that little space when you're waiting for stitches. ("Here, hold my bloody child, I'm off to get some soup!")

So we ate pediatric ER food, which consisted of: Scooby Snacks (really), Saltine crackers, popsicles, peanut butter and jelly. The PB & J were the little single-serving packs, all stuffed with sugar, and I've given up processed sugar; if I have much more than a teaspoonful, I have a hangover for two days. I had a lick of peanut butter and suffered through the next few hours. There wasn't a single option that was without copious quantities of sugar, white flour and/or trans fatty acids. All my biggest food enemies.

I don't judge other people for eating sugar (and boy do I miss Saint Cupcake). But it's widely accepted that large quantities of sugar isn't really great for a body, especially a little one. Especially one in a pediatric emergency room. Would it be so, so expensive just to have a bowl of apples and some organic, natural peanut butter (or maybe sunflower butter for the allergy-sensitive)? Shouldn't healthy food at least be available in hospitals? Really! I don't know what I'm going to do about this yet. For now: I just want to complain. Who's with me? [Photo is of dinner served to me while I was recovering from Monroe's birth, same hospital.]

The American Heart Association recommends, among other things, that children eat...

a variety of fruits and vegetables daily, while limiting juice intake. Each meal should contain at least 1 fruit or vegetable. Children’s recommended fruit intake ranges from 1 cup/day, between ages 1 and 3, to 2 cups for a 14–18-year-old boy. Recommended vegetable intake ranges from ¾ cup a day at age one to 3 cups for a 14–18-year-old boy.

In our household, that's a whole lotta veggie.  We're curious to know: how much in fruit & vegetables do your kids really consume? 

Need help getting fruits veggies into their food?  Check out some great suggestions and offer more up here.

Mamas, we recently heard from an urbanMama who is trying to juggle the cost of childcare with the wages she'll bring in with a new job.  Do you have any advice for her situation?

I started my first day of work today: $10/hr., 3 full days a week, and I have two kids that need daycare.  Obviously, this will be hard to swing, but I have a provider who is willing to charge me $6/hr. for both of them.

However, she wants payment in advance, PLUS a deposit.  At bare minimum, I must pay 75% of my monthly bill on the first day - 50% of this month's bill plus 25% of my deposit (which is equal to 1 month's bill).  I will be making about $800/mo before taxes, and paying $650 of it to her for the next two months.

I know that $6/hr is a steal, but I feel very uncomfortable about the money upfront.  For one - I don't HAVE that money.  I'm just getting back into the workforce!  I will have to borrow the first TWO payments from my parents - who don't have money either and will be paying interest on something they were intending to use this money to pay off - because my first paycheck will be for only 1 day of work, and I will have to wait another 2 weeks - 3 weeks total - to get a substantive paycheck.  By then, I will have already had to pay the first $650.

The good folks at ZRecs have been reviewing kid products for awhile now, but they've really done it now.  Check out their new searchable guide to children's products: 960 of them for starters.  It's called the zrecs guide.  The tool grew out of their reporting on potentially harmful chemicals used in children's products on stheir conumer advocacy blog Z Recommends.  Sort of like Safe Mama but searchable. 

Curious what you think: Does it work well for you?  Contain the kind of safety assessment you care about??  Do tell.  'Cause I'm looking for just such a tool to cut my product research at least in half.  Now if only the good folks in our nation's capital would tighten up our chemicals law... dreaming, I know.

We've chatted before about where to teach the kids to swim.  It's hard enough to find a pool that is convenient and in your budget that offers the kind of classes you like on the right day at the right time, you know?   

But add to that the fact that chlorinated indoor pools can have adverse health effects, and it seems near impossible!  I've heard there are some indoor saline pools in town with children's lessons, but am not sure of their safety, either.  How did you go about making this decision?  Does the possibility that indoor chlorinated pools might cause asthma give you pause, or not?  I'll confess that it gives me pause - after 5 years hauling the kids to chlorinated indoor pools!!  Here's an excerpt from the Enviroblog post I read:

"A 'state of the science' report presented by researchers from premier academic institutions and government regulatory agencies from the U.S., Canada, and Europe summarized findings of 18 different studies that all noted an association between attendance at chlorinated indoor pools and increasing frequencies of allergic disease and asthma.

Similar health concerns are noted for Olympic swimmers, pool workers, and lifeguards who spend a lot of time by the poolside. Moreover, the increased use of swimming pools by the very young has increased their exposure to potential respiratory irritants within the indoor swimming pool environment."

If you are concerned, there are some tips in this post to assess pool health and minimize exposure.  What does Portland Parks & Rec use? 

The rain has begun! There are a number of cultural opportunities this weekend, although some might mean getting a little wet. If you're looking to get out of the way of all those marathon runners this weekend, the Champoeg Apple and Garden Harvest Day is just a puddle away.

Friday

Free First Fridays:  Free admission to the Children's Museum, 5:30-8:00 pm.

Kids Night out at Tryon Creek: Gather for a pizza party, nighttime park explorations, crafts and games. Learn about spider adaptations, habitats and why they are important to our environment.  Also get a chance to get up close and personal with a tarantula! Ages 7-12, 6:00-9:00 pm.

Saturday

Obama Mama Bake Sale: Help raise some dough by baking some dough.  Obama Mamas are trying to raise $300 and you can help by baking for, working at, or buying from the bake sale. 2843 NE 13th @ Stanton.  9:00-2:00 pm.

Greek Festival: This festival of Greek culture, food and music is sure to satisfy all your senses, particularly your taste buds! Kids corner includes crafts, face painting, puppet shows and more. Glisan and NE 31st. Friday through Sunday, check website for schedule.

Music in Action/Musica en Accion!: A freewheeling fiesta of songs, creative movement, comedy and audience participation led by Rich Glauber. Using guitar, accordion and his joyful personality, he turns every show into a community celebration.Albina Library (3605 N.E. 15th Ave.), 11:00-11:45 am.

Sunday

Jewish New Year Crafts and Story: Crafts and a story for little ones (2-6).  Sponsored by the Portland Jewish Academy. Hollywood Library (4040 NE Tillamook), 1:00-3:00 pm.

The Blue-Eyed Hare: Play After Play presents this story from Scotland about a kind beekeeper who befriends a mysterious blue eyed hare. With the help of his bees and his brave heart, he finds a way to free the hare from a spell on All Hallows Eve. $7 per person. Saturday 10:00 am, Sunday 2:00 pm.

Portland Classical Chinese Garden: Free admission from 9:00 am-6:00 pm. 

$2 Sunday at OMSI: 9:30 am-5:30 pm.

Portland Art Museum Family Day: A docent-led tour of the Wild Columbia: Photographs of the Columbia River Gorge 1867-1957 exhibit, family crafts, and story time. Free for children under 17, adults are $10. 12:30-3:00 pm.

Well, those little tykes.  If it ain't the dark, then it's something else, like cows or ladybugs.  Do you have any suggestions for the mama of this suddenly fearful girl?

My lovely 2-1/2 year old daughter is suddenly afraid of things, and by "things" I mean going to bed and taking a bath.

Somehow I have ladybugs in the bath, and she tells me she's afraid. But before she tells me she's afriad I ask her to find some and she can't. "No ladybugs in the bath."  Then, my girl, who has always been totally easy to put down for bed (often telling me herself that she was ready for nap and goodnight), now will not go to sleep in her crib because she is afraid of the cows.  Cows?  Really?  In her 10X12 bedroom?  Seriously. Well, yes she is serious.  I took down a drawing that has been up for months showing a cow jumping over the moon, so maybe that will help.  However, the ladybugs in the bath thing is getting old.  I shower with her to get her clean, but it's a bit like showering with a declawed cat, that's 25lbs and slippery.

In other households, the scary creatures may be ants, squirrels, or pigeons.  Whatever the fear factor, do you have any ideas to get this urbanMama's babe back in the tub and bed, fear-free? 

There's lots going on over on Activistas these days.  Here's a recap for those of you who don't make it over there as often as you might like (out of sight, out of mind!):

• Rachel's Friends Healthy Living Fair Saturday 10.11: Here's a great opportunity to learn about the toxics in our everyday lives, right here in Portland.
• I Heart the League of Women Voters: In addition to its national Vote 411 web site, an awesome online one-stop-shop for all things voting in all 50 states, the local Portland chapter of the League of Women Voters is hosting two free election info sessions  - one on ballot measures, the other on candidates.
• Opting In for a Night Out: Join Us: We've had Amy Richards' book Opting In: Having a Child Without Losing Yourself on our "If We Had Time to Read" list for a while.  Have we read it?  Nope.
• Michelle Obama guest posts on MOMocrats: It's true: mom bloggers gone big time.  Read Michelle's post on MOMocrats on the importance of women voting, and how many sat out the 2004 election. Arrggh.
• Metro Parent talks Politics: Check it out, mamas.  A whole article about parenting & politics, and we're in it.
• Consequences for kids & bankers: Just say no to bailout: It's a rule every parent knows.  When you tell your child that if she continues to squirt Jonas with water she'll have to put the squirt bottle away until tomorrow, she might whine and cry and throw a tantrum (no!).

And much, much more, natch.  Come on over, opine, rant - and if nothing else, watch the V-P debate tonight.  It oughtta be good. 

I know I'm not the only mama out there who's been crazy for preserves this harvest season. I've been jamming (heh) since June and have decided that I have redefined my wealth in the quantity of tomato pints in my pantry. Over the past few months, I've gotten together several times with other lovely mamas to can tomatoes or make jam or pickle dilly beans. Just thinking about it makes me warm all over. Isn't this what community is supposed to be? (And who wants to have a quilting bee?!?)

Tomorrow on OPB's 'Think Out Loud' radio show at 9 a.m., Harriet Fasenfest of Preserve and LeAnn Locher of Lelo in NoPo will be talking with another guest about the resurgence of canning (have you noticed that all the stores are out of canning jars?). In my opinion, doing one's one preserving is not just a way to keep summer around for months longer, and to eat locally, but also to control what goes into my body and my kids' bodies; I'm going to make my own ketchup with maple syrup instead of sugar, for instance, and this year I won't have to worry about BPAs in tomato cans (ack!) when I make pasta.

What do you have in your pantry from this summer's bounty?

This just in from urbanMama Ceri - mom to Cameron:

The crib I bought my son last year in July 07 just broke!  The top rail on the side where it drops down just SNAPPED.  I was leaning on it with my hip to drop the side rails down to put my baby to bed and it cracked.  Now I am going to have to go through weaning him from our bed all over again when we get the replacement crib!  This is the 2nd week for us and it was going great.  Uggg.... It is a Sage Green Jardine Enterprises crib I bought at Babies R Us.  Here is a link to the recall site.  http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08312.html there are about 28 cribs on the list.