urbanMamas Portland

It might be 15 degrees cooler than earlier this week, but 90 ain't exactly chilly!  Here's a few activities located near water, AC, or shade to keep you busy this weekend.

Friday

Midsummer Extravaganza:  Cool off at the Salmon Street Springs and also enjoy crafts, a climbing rock wall, tie dye, obstacle courses, and more. Free.  Activities are along Naito Parkway between SW Harrison and NW Glisan. 10:00 am-2:30 pm

Essex Park: This undiscovered park just south of Powell at 79th has a great little water feature.  This Friday, it will also feature the Portland Parks and Recreation traveling climbing rock wall. 10:00 am-12:30 pm.

Games at the Library: Cool off in the AC and join other game loving families for a rousing round of Chutes and Ladders or Uno. Central Library (801 SW 10th Avenue), 2:00-4:00 pm.

Family Movie in the Park: The movie is Zathura: A Space Adventure, pre movie entertainment is The Working Stiffs. Cathedral Park, 6:00-9:00 pm.

Neighborhood Concert: Voodoo Bar-B-Q (zydefunk). Fernhill Park (37th Avenue, North of Ainsworth) 6:00 pm.

Saturday

Mt Tabor Centennial: A weekend long celebration of one of Portland's most majestic parks that is truly worthy of a 100th birthday. Music, kids parade, climbing rock wall, art shows, dog shows, guided walks, and much. much more.  See website for details.

Fremont Fest: The annual event includes a parade (10:30 a.m.), live music, art show, sidewalk sales and carriage rides. The kids zone offers family activities. On Fremont between 42nd and 57th,10:00 am-4:00 pm.

There's a Dinosaur in the Backyard: Join singer/songwriter and storyteller Courtney Campbell in creating, and being characters in Dinosaur in the Backyard, The Dancing Princess and other silly songs. Make a morning out of it and check out the playground and hit Stacato Gelato before you head home.  Sellwood-Moreland Library (7860 SE 13th) 11:00 am-12:00 pm.

Itty Bitty Beach Party: It's a Splash Party for the young... (6 months - 6 years with a parent).  The fun includes: Water Parade, Fishing Pond, Itty Bitty Hula Lesson, Smallest Splash Contest, Penny Hunt, Itty Bitty Water Games, Aquatic Mascot Wader the Gator, and more. $4adults, $2.50 kids (free 2 and under).  Creston Pool (4454 SE Powell), 11:30 am-1:00 pm.

Sunday

$2 Sunday at OMSI: Not a bad price and it's cool to boot.

Jerry Garcia Birthday Bash: A little bit of a drive, but worth it for all this venue has to offer. In addition to the Garcia Birthday Band (1:00-5:00 pm) and the Freak Mountain Ramblers (5:30 pm), there will be roaming stiltwalkers, balloon artists, and a brass band.  Oh, and some pretty tasty beer. Edgefield (Troutdale).

Forest Music: Enjoy beautiful music surrounded by the lush greenery and shade of Tryon Creek. Connie Bieberach (Armonia Latina music), Free, Tryon Creek State Park, 2:00 pm.

Neighborhood Concert:  A winning piano and vocal combo, Michael Allen Harrison and Julianne Johnson-Weiss.  McCoy Park (N. Friske between Fessenden and Trenton).  6:00 pm.

Even though my main preoccupation at the moment is how to perfectly position the fan on my bed to maximize cooling and, until this week, I was busier picking berries than being an activist, there are still a few things to share from Activistas (after a wee vacation from it all).  Here are some:

• Portland says "yes we do" to volunteering.  We already knew that Portlanders like to be involved and help out their neighbors.  We 've got thriving non-profit organizations, neighborhood groups and grassroots movements to suit every opinion.  But now we've got evidence and it's official -- Portland is #2 in volunteering!
  
• How do you create an eco-healthy home? If you're wondering what, exactly, you need to do to get the toxins out of your home, you're invited to join Representative Wu (1st Congressional district) for two hours of practical information and tips from the experts - you'll learn about the health effects associated with household toxic exposures and how to minimize them. 
• Save the date - and your stuff - we're having a garage sale.  If you didn't hear the news over on urbanMamas, get out yer calendar - and don't take that load to Goodwill.  Because on Saturday, 8.22 we're holding a multi-family urbanMamas garage sale. 
• Thank you, Salem, for allowing me to pay for full-day kindergarten.  No really, I'm serious.  While I once griped that I am paying (yes paying) for public school (what would Thomas Jefferson think?), I am now relieved that I am allowed to pay for public school.  Why?
• Health Care Reform Series (Part 1 - What's healthy got to do with it? & Part 2 - Obama).  If you're like me, your inbox is flooded with messages imploring you to support federal health care reform.  The question is, what's actually going on?  I'm not so sure.
• Pregnant & parenting students: Know your rights.  Thanks to one of our favorite organizations, the National Women's Law Center, you can get the full scoop on Title IX and the civil rights it guarantees for pregnant and parenting students.

Are you being an activist this summer?  Following an issue closely?  Are you taking action online - or off?  Or just staying cool in the heat wave - like me.

Is it hot enough for you? Portland is smack dab in the middle of the kind of heat wave that has many of we mamas wilting (especially those of us who grew up in temperate climes, and/or don't have air conditioning in our homes). It's hard enough when you're just you and have to decide how to deal with the discomfort and short tempers of extreme heat; and then comes motherhood and the testiness is compounded. And if you're the mama of three, like me, somehow hanging out beside a pool seems the very least relaxing thing in the world -- you're the lifeguard to three little ones and, eek! Talk about water torture.

There must be a better way! We've talked before about ways to beat the heat, so I've developed a list of some of my favorite antidotes to the hotness. What are yours?

1. The Multnomah County Library. Branches are air conditioned and you can catch up on your Summer Reading if you haven't already sped through the "map" -- or start now if you haven't already! Most branches have computers set aside just for kids with educational games and books; here is a link to story times. Or just sit in a corner and read. Woodstock and Belmont are our neighborhood faves.

2. Wading pools in Portland Parks. While the wading pools' days are numbered (state regulations and concerns about chlorination standards mean that standing-water features are being phased out as of last year), the people at Portland Parks & Recreation work hard to extend hours and open as many wading pools as possible when it's hot. I know from the neighborhood listserv that Creston Park's wading pool is open 11 to 7 through the heat wave; is yours open more hours, too? Let us know!

3. Solpops and make-your-own popsicles. Inspired by Solpops, the fruit-positive popsicles that are sold at many farmer's markets and now New Seasons, I made my own popsicles the other day. Convenience food it wasn't, but I loved the process and the promise of super-concentrated fruity iciness. I made mine by rinsing and pitting (if appropriate) fruit -- I used cherries, blackberries and currants -- and simmering it with a cup or two of water and a half-cup of honey for about 20 minutes. Then I pushed the mix through a sieve (if you don't mind seeds or have fruit that is already peeled, like bananas, you could just mash or blend or Cuisinart it) and poured into shot glasses, putting sticks in once they started to freeze up. When I was a kid we had our own popsicle mold and we froze Kool-Aid: a much quicker and easier method.

I have an MBA, and I've spent some time in the trenches of corporate marketing. I have used the phrases "create buzz," "grassroots marketing," and "target consumer," and I may have put these words on a PowerPoint slide. From time to time, I may have said some things in which I didn't quite believe for the betterment of the company's profit margin. Ahh me! I am the enemy.

Or, I was [insert superstitious gesture here]. Since moving to the "content" side of the online media world sometime in 2003 (as a newish mama), I have become enmeshed in the ever-burbling debate about blogs, marketing, editorial guidelines, ethical standards, the power of disclosure, and where and how bias is appropriate. In 2008 I quit my full-time job and told myself that never, ever again would I promote any idea, product, service, or piece of writing I didn't believe in down to the soles of my soul.

It's hard to draw lines. They're so seldom neat around the borders, when looked at up close; and perhaps I've drawn them in Christmas colors in a world full of folks with red-green color blindness. Not for the first time, in a recent post a mama called us out, asking if we could refrain from writing about things for which we didn't pay ourselves, saying the freebie would necessarily taint our review. Asking us to keep the advertising in the upper left hand column; bringing to our attention the current debate about the FTC's so-called "mommy blogger" rules, a proposed set of standards that would require bloggers (moms and dads and childless folks too) to disclose if they've been paid to write a favorable post.

While there is much debate about the FTC's rules and the tactics of both mommybloggers and marketers who pitch to them -- I'll get to that -- let me just put this line in black: we at urbanMamas have never been paid to post about anything, and we have a strict and long-held policy that we will always disclose any financial payola with regard to a product, service or idea we've pitched.

For many of us mamas, postpartum depression is real and powerful, and we seek any way to ease the symptoms.  An urbanMama recently emailed with some success she had with herbal medicines and wanted to share the experience:

I recently had a bout with postpartum depression and most of the information/advice I recieved pointed me in the direction of pharmaceutical antidepressants.  I haven't taken pharmaceuticals in years and was not going to start then, while I was (sucessfully) breastfeeding a newborn...so I looked into flower essences and other herbal medicine.  These worked so well that I wanted to share my success story with other mamas and see if there are any other mamas out there that have tried these over the pharmies...perhaps this is a discussion group in the making!

Many of us are in lifelong relationships, and our roles as mamas and papas must fit in with our roles as supporters, confidants, best friends, and significant others.  An urbanMama recently emailed, seeking suggestions for supporting her partner:

I am wondering if any urbanMamas can offer advice or ideas for how to support a husband who has hit a particularly difficult and rocky patch.  My husband has been struggling for months (and even off and on for years) with some general dissatisfaction regarding his life and his career.  A lot of it stems from a job that he doesn't like but he feels trapped in for financial reasons.  Some of it could be a version of a midlife crisis.  It has made him very difficult to be around at times, and I am having a hard time not taking it personally when I feel like he is unhappy with the life we have built for ourselves (while I am more or less satisfied with how things are going).  I know he loves me and our two girls (ages 2 and 4), but I am struggling to be patient with this particularly depressed, angry, miserable phase that he is going through.  Aside from marital counseling, which I am sure we could benefit from, how do I help him day to day when I am trying to juggle my own work and home demands?  Any insight?

A sponsor offered a free spot in a mama boot camp class in exchange for periodic posts on the process. Christine is now in her second week; this is her second update. Find the first here.

I'm full steam ahead on this Recess Health Immersion Bootcamp and can I just say I'm loving it. It's true I may be an easy sell, because if we're being honest, this is the first thing I've done for myself since my daughter was born. I even loved getting my BMI measured. Three weeks into the program and my body information has been entered, calculated, given a sprinkle of Internet-magic and voila: I'm armed with information, and lots of it. I know how many calories I burn on any given day, my lean body mass percentage, BMI, percentage of body fat, blood pressure, current weight, and other scientific data that my brain is forgetting at the moment. Based on my test results, I have been given a personalized workout regiment to follow 7 days a week. I've also been given an outline of some healthy food choices. I'm telling you people, if being informed is any part of this battle, I'm well on my way.

Our workouts thus far have been yoga, pilates, weight training with resistance bands, and my personal favorite, Hoopnotica (which is basically hoop-dancing).

It's another scorcher of a weekend.  Be sure to check out Portland Parks & Rec's "Beat the Heat" for tips on staying cool this weekend.  And, plenty more suggestions for events around town at the urbanMamas calendar. 

Friday

Activistas summer playdate.  Join Activistas and the founders of Family Forward Oregon (Andrea & Sharon) to learn about this new organization.  What inspired them?  What are the plans?  What issues will they tackle - and how?  9:30-11:30 AM @ Posie's Cafe @ 8209 N. Denver Avenue (get a map).

Itty Bitty Beach Party.   It's a Splash Party for the young... (6 months - 6 years with a parent).  The fun includes: Water Parade, Fishing Pond, Itty Bitty Hula Lesson, Smallest Splash Contest, Penny Hunt, Itty Bitty Water Games, Aquatic Mascot Wader the Gator, and more...   This event happens at pools all around town on various days, so check your local pool for more info.  Friday, it will be at Dishman Pool, from 12-1:30PM.

Games at the Library.  Drop in to play some board games, including Chutes and Ladders, Apples to Apples Kids, chess and Mastermind. There are lots of board games for preschool on up, so join us for open game play. Children 10 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult.  Central Library, US Bank Room, 2

East Portland Exposition (EPO XPO).   This is a three day community event that will be held at Ed Benedict Community Park, located along SE Powell Boulevard between 100th Avenue and 104th Avenue in East Portland July 24, 25, and 26, 2009. EPO XPO is co-sponsored by all 13 East Portland Neighborhoods. The event will feature free lead testing by Josiah Hill Clinic, numerous exhibitors, lots of entertainment, music, and food, and a wide variety of educational presentations and demonstrations designed to enhance quality-of-life for all attendees. In addition, Funtastic will be having a carnival on their property located across the street. Entry to EPO XPO and the carnival is free-of-charge.  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Summer Concert at Fernhill Park.  Tonight's show features The Valiant Arms (Rock).  Food Vendors include Aladdin's Café, Hot Dog Ernie's, Mountain Ice, Nepo 42, Woodlawn Coffee and Pastry.  Come and enjoy the summer evening with your neighbors.  Friday evening, 6:30PM.

Movies at the Park: "Madagascar 2".  “Movies in the Park” is one of several free programs offered by Portland Parks & Recreation this summer to bring community members and neighbors together to share an enjoyable activity in their neighborhood parks. Popular family movies are shown on a giant, 268-square foot screen with a state-of-the-art sound system.  Movie starts at dark (between 8 and 8:45PM)  Brentwood Park.

Saturday

Itty Bitty Beach Party.   It's a Splash Party for the young... (6 months - 6 years with a parent).  The fun includes: Water Parade, Fishing Pond, Itty Bitty Hula Lesson, Smallest Splash Contest, Penny Hunt, Itty Bitty Water Games, Aquatic Mascot Wader the Gator, and more...   This event happens at pools all around town on various days, so check your local pool for more info.  Saturday, it will be at Mt. Scott Pool, from 9:30-11:30AM.

Green Cleaning Class.  Oregon Center for Environmental Health has launched a hot, new green cleaning class. Come learn to make your own non-toxic cleaners for the kitchen and bath.  Classes are $20 for non-members and $10 for members and require pre-payment. Participants will leave with lots of tips and techniques, and your very own laundry detergent, all-purpose cleaner, and creamy soft scrub for the kitchen and bathroom.  Registration required.

Milwaukie Daze Celebration.  Starting with a parade at 10:30, there will be fun, games, inflatable bouncy houses, Captain Bogg & Salty, and fireworks to end a great day at 10pm.  Come by and enjoy Downtown Milwaukie, 10AM to 10PM.

Division/Clinton Street Fair.  It will be a great time, starting with a parade at 10:45, a lego exhibit, kids bike helmet fittings, pizza eating contests, balloon art, ice cream socials.  Check out the website for a complete line up and head out to SE Division (between 11th and 50th) and SE Clinton (between 14th and 28th) on Saturday from 10AM to 5PM.

Ho'ike and Hawaiian Festival.  Over 8,000 visitors have swayed to the rhythm as hula dancers, Portland, Taiko, Native Tribal dancers, and Polynesian singers filled the park with the heartbeat of their cultures. Arts, Crafts, and food vendors will round out this festival which is now considered the third largest annual event at Esther Short Park. Nominated Outstanding Event by the Clark County Tourism Commission, two years in a row.  Saturday, 11AM to 7PM.

Car Seat Safety Check and Recycling.  Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will check and educate you on how to secure your child, install seats securely and when it is time to switch to the next size seat. Plan 30 minutes per check. Used seats are also accepted for recycling. Legacy Emanuel Hospital, Parking Structure 3, 10AM to 1PM.

Cloth Diapering 101.  Thinking about cloth diapers? Have questions? Have tips to share? Join Milagros' Carrie Countryman for an introduction to cloth diapering at every fourth Saturday at 11 am. This casual gathering is a great opportunity to learn all about cloth diapering, get hands-on advice on diapering choices, etc. It is also a chance to meet other parents who are using cloth diapers or thinking about it.  FREE, no RSVP required!  Milagros, 11AM.

Summer Concert at Rose City Park.  The show features Michael Manning and the Carolina Pump Station (Original Rockabilly).  Food vendors include Burly's Kettle Corn & Hot Dog Ernie's.  Show starts at 6:30PM.

Sunday

Neighborhood Concert at McCoy Park.  Summer concerts continue with Patrick Lamb (R&B to the Max).  Sounds like a smooth way to end a hot weekend.

A sponsor offered a free spot in a mama boot camp class in exchange for periodic posts on the process. Christine is now in her second week; she has been sending in updates on her progress and you'll see the first two over the next two days.

Fitness has been a regular part of my life for the last 10 years.  I discovered it when I was in a rather dark place back in my early 20's, trying to navigate my way though a divorce. I was depressed, lonely and scared. I had moved to Portland to be with my boyfriend (now ex-husband) and while I had a small handful of friends, I was lacking what I needed most -- the close support of family.  I ended up finding solace in exercise and before long I was hooked. I had a five-year love affair with Billy Blanks, of Tae-Bo. I wore those VHS tapes to the bone. Around that same time, my company relocated buildings and our new building (the Fox Tower) had a fitness center that was free to tenants. On the days that I wasn't Tae-Bo'ing, I had the convenience of working out at my lunch hour which was so, so wonderful and easy. For many years I was happy with my fitness level and relatively comfortable with my body.

Fast-forward to today. I'm now a SAHM, with a 16-month-old daughter.

Summer is here in full effect, and our family is finding ourselves out and about more than ever - on foot, on rollerblades, on scooters, on bikes.  We're taking to the streets!  And, from the number of other neighbors we bump into on our travels, it's apparent that we are not the only ones.

With more time spent out and about on the streets, I am noticing the need to learn more about our pedestrian rules and rights.  I notice that many drivers have the habit of rolling right through a stop sign, stopping well beyond the line where they should stop, stopping instead well into the crosswalk area.  It's scary if we're already midway through the intersection!  That car could blow right through one of our little kids crossing the street.

Another common move we're observing is the driver moving into the crosswalk even before we reach the other side.  While I was always bothered by the car that would creep through the intersection the split-second my behind cleared the way, I never really knew the rules on this one. 

It was timely that I came across PBOT's new film to educate us on pedestrian safety.  "Every Corner is a Crosswalk" animates for us ORS 811.010: "Motorists are required to stop and stay stopped for pedestrians in a crosswalk (marked or unmarked) when the pedestrian is in the motorist's lane or adjacent lane".  On our neighborhood streets with one lane in each direction, that would mean that the motorist should remain stopped until my brood and I reach the other side!

What has your experience with pedestrianism been?  Tips and tricks to make sure our kids are safe and responsible on the streets?

Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) says that "72 percent of collisions involving pedestrians in Portland are a result of driver error and 49 percent of pedestrian injuries occur in crosswalks.  PBOT also notes pedestrian injuries are the third leading cause of unintentional, injury-related death among children."  Looking for more pedestrian safety tips and resources?  Check out Portland Bureau of Transportation's pedestrian safety page.

Finally, this Friday, July 24, 2009, tune into KBOO to talk about walking at 8am.  Talk about sidewalk cafes and other obstacles on sidewalks, as well as any other concerns or comments about being a pedestrian.  Guests on the show include PBOT's Pedestrian Coordinator (April Bertelsen) and Sidewalk Cafe Program Manager (Rich Eisenhauer), as well as the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition's Director (Steph Routh) and Board Member (Jeanne Harrison).

Be safe and mindful on the streets!

My first two pregnancies progressed without incident.  And, when considering another child, I would often think: it's not the pregnancy that's the hard part, it's the 18 years afterwards.  In my previous experiences, pregnancy was "easy".

Famous last words.  In January of this year, I started feeling odd, sensing symptoms of pregnancy.  Despite our best efforts to choose the best birth control method for us, we were pregnant with the Paraguard (copper) IUD.  The fact that we were pregnant was not something to cry home about, for we were open to a family expansion one day.  We just never knew it would be while the IUD was still inserted.  (And, by the way, the Paraguard IUD is over 99% effective.)  We couldn't take the thing out and ultrasounds showed the damn T floating pretty high up in the uterus.  We considered removing the IUD with ultrasound guidance, but that seemed not too possible, easy, or safe.  We agreed we should proceed with the pregnancy and just leave the IUD in.  We went through several weeks of research, visits, and consultations with experienced OBs, midwives, and high-risk fetal specialists.  There were fears of pre-term labor and uterine infection due to the foreign body that would gestate along with our fetus.  Because of our history of two full-term pregnancies, we were at a very low risk for pre-term labor, but we would be monitoring it closely.

At 20 weeks, our ultrasound technician stated noncholantly: "Oh, you have previa.  Yup, complete previa."  The OB - not our normal OB, but one of his associates - said: "We recomment complete pelvic rest and no physical activity."  My heart sank.  Up until this point, I was still running and biking to work, and I intended to continue as long as my body felt up for it.  I felt great, especially with the running, so I felt so disheartened by the command: "No physical activity."  Not to mention, my husband and I had just planned a babymoon to Miami for 4 kid-free days!  And, complete pelvic rest definitely interfered with our plans of frequent bouts of intimacy, not to mention it was incongruous with my raging second trimester lustful hormones.

In a follow-up conversation with my regular OB, he tld me he was comfortable with me continuing my physical activity so long as I was painfree, comfortable, and asymptomatic (no bleeding or cramping).  I felt relieved.  Even though we still had to follow the no-[penetrative]-sex rule, I was glad I could still get my running in.  He also mentioned that he believed the previa would shift.  He wasn't worried.

At 24 weeks, we checked the previa again.  Still there.  More pelvic rest.  He still thought it would shift.  At 30 weeks, we checked the previa again.  Still there.  He looked me in the eyes and said: "I don't think it will move anymore."  He recommended one final check at 34 weeks to confirm previa, then to schedule an amnio at 36 weeks to check lung development and schedule a c-section once we confirm the lungs are ready.

This is really when I lost it.  An early delivery?  An amnio?  At 36 weeks instead of 40?  While I know there are more horrific birth and pregnancy stories, I was still disappointed.  My two previous worry-free pregnancies were trumped by this one, for sure.  This pregnancy never afforded too many moments of feeling carefree.  People always ask, "How are you feeling?"  I always respond: "I feel GREAT," even though I'm pregnant with a non-shifting placenta previa and IUD.  My husband tries to assure me: "Don't worry.  It could be so much worse.  It will all be fine."  In the end, of course I know he's right.  Then again, I wish it had gone smoother.

Have you had easy-breezy pregnancies like I did the first two times?  Feeling wonderful, glowy and enthusiastic?  Have you had harder sacrificial pregnancies - maybe put on bedrest or even under constant medical monitoring?  How have you dealt with and accepted your more difficult pregnancies?  How do you ease those worries and convince yourself that everything will indeed be "OK"?

Hoping everyone finds a cool way to relax this weekend!

Friday:

Traveling Rock Climbing Wall: Portland Parks and Rec is sponsoring this nomadic rock wall that promises climbing fun for all kids up to age 18. Brentwood Park (10:00 am-12:30 pm), Montavilla Park (1:30-4:00 pm), and Pier Park (5:00-9:00 pm). Free.

Sand in the City: You don't have to travel to the coast to see sandcastles, 450 tons of sand will be brought downtown for this castle building contest.  Music, food, kids activities and more. Suggested $3 entrance fee ($10/family). See website for event schedule. Friday through Sunday.

Fernhill Park Neighborhood Concert: Norman Sylvester Band (Original R&B). 6:30 pm.

Saturday

Portland by Cycle Ride: A three-mile family-paced bike ride with a puppet show performance by Mudeye Puppets at the end. Trailers and tag-a-longs welcome. Meet at McKennaPark (N Princeton and Westanna). 10:30 am

Roland's Robot Rockalong: Roland will bring his keyboards and show you all the crazy robot songs and sounds he can play. Kids and parents will have a chance to use the microphone and make robot sounds, too. And a robot helper will be on hand to add to the fun! For ages 8 and under. Free, Airplay Cafe. 10:00 am.

Growing Gardens "Wondrous Worms" Workshop: A fun chance for kids and an accompanying adult to learn about red wiggler works, famous for transorming food scraps into fertilizer for plans and gardens.  Participants will learn what makes these works so special through fun hands on activities, stories, and more. Sliding sclae fee: $5-$20. Growing Gardens, 10:30 am-noon.

Itty Bitty Beach Party: Splishy-splashy fun for the youngest set (6 months-6 years). Water parade, fishing pond, penny hunts, splash contests, and more. Adults are 4$, kids are $2.50 (under 2 are free). Montavilla Pool (82nd and NE Glisan), 11:30 am.

Puppet Laboratory: Meet Doctor Partz, who makes dragons out of discs, princesses out of plastic and robots from recycled cardboard. You get an environmentally informative tour of his puppet-making lab and he will show you how to bring your own creations to life with all salvaged materials. Every lab assistant (participant) walks out a certified puppet-maker with the puppet to prove it. Belmont Library 3:00-4:15 pm.

Rose City Park Neighborhood Concert: Quartette Barbette (seriously fun saxes), 6:30 pm.

Sunday

Sunday Parkways: It's back! A 2-way route of city streets open to walk, bike, roll, run, jump & skip - without having to watch out for cars! The 6.6-mile Northeast Sunday Parkways route will showcase the Vernon, Concordia, Cully, Alameda, Sabin, and Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhoods.  The route will also feature the Ainsworth parkway, Alameda bluff and will cross the Alberta, Beaumont and 42 Avenue business districts. Featured parks/activity areas are: Alberta, Fernhill and Wilshire Parks. entertainment and food vendors at various locations along the route. 9:00 am-4:00 pm.

East Portland Community Center Indoor Park: Balls, tumbling, cars, trikes, and more. For kids birth to 5, $1 per child. 740 SE 106th (near Mall 205), (503) 823-3450. Make an afternoon of it and hit the pool before or after. 3:30-5:30 pm.

Forest Music: Enjoy beautiful music surrounded by the lush greenery of Tryon Creek. Innisfree (traditional Irish music), Free, Tryon Creek State Park, 2:00 pm.

Salmon Street Singers: Every wonder what would happen if a group of pre-school teachers got together to make music? This is your chance to find out. Daniel, Danielle and Sarah have been a big hit at Childswork Pre-school and are now performing for all to hear at Airplay Cafe (701 E. Burnside). $10/family. 5:00 pm.

McCoy Park Neighborhood Concert: The Kirk Green Band (Smooth Jazz/Funk), 6:00 pm.

Sometimes it is hard to keep our eyes off the cute youngsters we meet.  But what about our hands?  You just want to reach out and touch them.  An urbanMama recently emailed sharing a couple of recent incidents that made her wonder: how do we deal with strangers wanting to touch our babies or pregnant bellies?  Has it happened to you?  How have you responded?

We all know that babies are irresistably cute, but why is it that some strangers feel entitled to touch them? I had a lady ask to hold my one-month old, and although I politely declined, at least she had the courtesy to ask.  Yesterday, on a downtown street corner, a man reached across with his (none too clean-looking) finger and tapped my baby on the nose.  I was startled and angry but didn't know how to react besides crossing the intersection quickly to get away.  When it comes to pregnant bellies or little babies, how do you deal with strangers who want to get too close and personal? 

Some of us mamas are not visionaries in the garden.  I think I only know how to weed, and I only know where to weed once I am told.  I cannot plan or plot where to plant what.  I am glad I am not alone in my situation.  An urbanMama recently emailed:

After seeing all the gorgeous gardens around here, I have serious green envy. But I know nothing about landscaping, and previous efforts have involved picking plants I think are pretty at the nursery, sticking them in the ground randomly, and seeing if they live (usually not). I'd love some real help making a plan for the garden, with someone who actually knows about plants -- and is especially knowledgeable about low-maintenance, native species and edible plants. In my dream world, the result would look like a wild-ish French garden with flowers and butterflies that I could upkeep myself (in other words, easily). It would be good if that person knows about backyard design, since we could use help with layout, deck, etc.  Has anyone used a great local landscape designer that doesn't charge a fortune?

For those of you inclined to DIY in the garden, perhaps you'd like to peruse How does your Garden Grow?, Part 1 and Part 2, or Veggie Growing 101.

Way back in Spring 2008, we met with city council candidates to talk about the city's policies for families.  We even hosted a mayoral forum to raise consciousness about family issues and hear what candidates were planning to make Portland a family forward city. 

You helped us to create a casual list of priorities that we called "the mamagenda."  We have not forgotten!  Some of the items on that list remain important to us, like: smoke-free parks; affordable, near-work child care; quality after-school programs; support for walking & biking to schools; healthy school lunches at PPS; paid family leave for city employees, and the list (of course) goes on.  Some of these issues have seen progress, others not so much.  It's been a year since all that talk and action.  What's on your list now?  Has it changed?  Is it the same? 

A few urbanMamas have the opportunity to sit down with Commissioner Nick Fish later this week to discuss ways he may be able to help us further a mamagenda.  Commish FIsh (heh!  We just had to ...  it rhymes!) oversees the Portland Housing Bureau and Portland Parks & Recreation.  Are there issues within these two realms that are on the forefront for you and your families?

[Thx to Derek Coetzee & FLickr CC for the perfect city hall image]

We won't list them every weekend, but don't forget about our weekly favorites...ladybug walks, story & a stroll, and the Jr. Ranger program out at Tryon Creek. And even though it's a bit of a drive, we had to mention that the Oregon Country Fair is this weekend near Eugene.

Friday

Itty Bitty Beach Party: Splishy-splashy fun for the youngest set (6 months-6 years). Water parade, fishing pond, penny hunts, splash contests, and more. Adults are 4$, kids are $2.50 (under 2 are free). Dishman Pool (77 NE Knott) 2:00-1:30 pm

Time Out: The Mother of All Comedies: If you're looking for some time away from the kids, you might check out this hit comedy series starring stand-up mom Jacki Kane. Each month, a number of moms present humorous monologues about various aspects of being a parent and a mother. This month, "Dad's Revenge."  $12 at the door or $10 in advance at Brown Paper Tickets. 7:00 pm.

Fernhill Park Neighborhood Concert: Tony Furtado (Contemporary Americana). Food Vendors will include Aladdin's Café, Hot Dog Ernie's, Mountain Ice, Nepo 42, Woodlawn Coffee and Pastry. Fernhill Park (37th, North of Ainsworth), 6:30 pm.

Saturday

New Seasons Ice Cream Tasting: I scream, you scream...especially when it's the tasty organic kind and free! Try soy, hemp, and coconut milk ice creams too.  All stores, 11:00 am-5:00 pm.

Mississippi Street Fair: Fun!!! Music, kids activities (think bouncy castles and games), and food galore. Kids parade starts at noon. Lorna Miller's Little Kids' Jamboree is scheduled at Mississippi Pizza, 12:00 pm. Mississippi Ave between Freemont and Skidmore.See website for schedule of events. 10:00 am-9:00 pm.

Making Pirate Maps: Argh! Artist Sarah Ferguson shows you how to create a pirate map. North Portland Library (512 N. Killingsworth), 11:00 am-1:00 pm.

Set Sail!: A High Seas Adventure on the Creativity Cruise Line. Join Captain Curt for a high seas adventure in creativity this summer. The activities director has lined up tons of fun activities for this cruise – amazing tricks, hilarious puppets, and tons and tons of audience participation. Belmont Library (1038 SE 39th Avenue), 3:00-3:45 pm.

Family Music & Movie in the Park: Bring blankets and chairs and enjoy some free summer entertainment.  Music from 6:00 pm-dusk.  The movie is SpaceJam.  Pier Park 6:00 pm.

Sunday

Itty Bitty Beach Party: See Friday,  Sellwood Pool (7951 SE 7th), 11:30 am-1:00 pm.

Forest Music:  Enjoy beautiful music surrounded by the lush greenery of Tryon Creek. This week hear the sounds of the Westside Singers (showtunes & 40's favorites), Tryon Creek State Park, 2:00 pm.

Entertaining guests can be a lot of fun, but what if you're guests are used to the good life?  One of our readers would like some advice on entertaining her nieces.  She writes:

My brother and his family live in the midwest. My two nieces are seven and nine and to be honest, I've never established much of a relationship with them. Of course a big reason for this is distance but it's also due to the nature of my sister-in-laws parenting style. Both she and my brother are extremely overprotective (read neurotic) and when the girls were little, their parents would never really allow us do things with them alone or get to know them in a meaningful way. As long as the parents were around...well, you get the idea.

So my brother's family will be here for a two week vacation this summer. I really want to make the effort to get to know the girls and establish my own relationship with them. I want to plan a day to take them out just the three of us. Here's my question: these are girls who live very very privileged lives in terms of the kinds of toys/gifts they get and the places they go.

I'd like to come up with a fun idea of what to do without spending a lot of money. They love, love love animals and arts/crafts.

BTW, I'm not the most "creative" when it comes to kids activities (including activities with my own child).

Every summer I look forward (yes, it's true) to Portland's neighborhood garage sales because there's so much great used stuff in one place.  Well, if real neighborhoods can hold such great garage sales, why not our virtual neighborhood?  Plus, this one has an excellent twist: it's a benefit. 

Here's how it works: you donate all that stuff you just don't need anymore and we sell it.  Proceeds will be donated to Family Forward Oregon, a budding non-profit that is likely to benefit all Oregon mamas (and papas) in the years to come. 

• When?  Saturday, August 22nd from 9 till 3
  Where?  Cafe Au Play's excellent parking lot on SE Division & 58th, just across from Atkinson Elementary
• What: Your donated stuff for sale 
• Help! You can donate stuff (save it till August or drop it at one of our drop houses sooner), work the sale, or bake for the inevitable kid-run lemonade stand (or all of the above!)
• Questions?  Leave a comment here and we'll reply, or get in touch directly: activistas@gmail.om

This is just a heads up so you can plan to donate, bake and/or shop.  And of course, help us spread the word in the meantime.  As the date nears we'll provide more details. 

[Thanks to Von Floto & Flickr CC for the plastic sale pic]

I don't think any of my kids were fond of the car seat in the early stages of life. One of our readers recently had a falling out with a family member over letting a her child ride on her lap.  She wants your advice and writes:

I know that many of us mamas have found ourselves in a situation where our child is inconsolably upset in the car seat, screaming, crying, kicking and even to the point of puking at times.  Just writing about it and remembering my first child’s sheer hatred of the car seat makes my skin crawl.  Despite those tortuous feelings, I never considered removing my son from his seat while the car was moving.  Recently I had relatives visiting and to my shock and horror, when their one year old son became upset, his Mom simply unbuckled him and seated him on her lap.  I found myself in a moral dilemma about whether to speak out about what I saw as an extremely unsafe choice, knowing it could have huge implications for our relationship, or just ignore it.  In the end I tried to gently inquire about my safety concern and it unleashed a fury of emotion, resulting in an abrupt end to the visit and a huge rift in our relationship.  After all that I’m not convinced that my speaking out will have any impact on their future car seat decisions and we’re no longer on speaking terms because of it.  Was it worth it?  I’d like to think so, but I’m not sure.  What would you have done?

It's so cliched, but kids do grow up so quickly.  And how many times have we all heard mamas with grown children look fondly at our little infants as they remember that special stage in a child's life?  Betsy emailed us recently to see if any urbanMama's have any advice regarding the sadness she's experiencing as her youngest transitions from infancy to toddlerhood.  She writes:

I have a nearly-three-year-old daughter Kaia and a just-turned-one-year-old daughter Elliot.  When Elliot turned one this year, I felt and continue to feel a huge sadness that she is no longer an infant.  I also realized that Kaia is fast growing up and I can hardly remember her time as a baby anymore.  With both girls, I am experiencing these feelings of mourning (?) - Loss for a time in their lives that I can’t have back and I can’t seem to move past the feelings.  I see the amazing ways they are growing and becoming beautiful human beings and I celebrate each new thing they try and accomplish but these feelings of sadness are putting up stiff competition.  I am trying to allow myself room for my emotions – acknowledging and accepting them.  This is proving to be a very difficult time for me.  I wonder how other mom’s handle this emotional transition from infancy to toddler.

We've had plenty of discussions on slings and baby carriers on urbanMamas, but could it be that it isn't for everyone?  And what do you do when you've tried plenty of variations and they still don't seem to work? Jane emails us with this question:

I hate my Ergo, is that okay for me to say?! It rubs on the back of my arms and feels awful. Like a bra strap that keeps falling down only worse. I wish I loved it like everyone else does. If I have my son on my back we get along just fine, i my six month old daughter is on the front I am going crazy. I have a Moby, a Chicpapoose, a Baby Bijorn, and a Kangaroo Korner. Plenty to choose from you would think. But with the heat and her getting heavier I turn to the Ergo. I don't think of myself as petite and wouldn't describe my shoulders as anything less than normal width. Could I be doing something wrong or do I need to try out yet another sling/carrier?

I've long subscribed to a variant of the theories out of Take the Fight Out of Food, an excellent book I recommend to those who are suffering from food issues. While I don't always execute my theories quite as they're devised in the ideal parenting lab that is my brain (ahh, if only I could be the perfect mama I have designed there!), they've been working pretty well for me. Essentially, the concept is to present a variety of healthful food options, and occasional treats, constantly expose your children to new foods, but never make a big deal out of what they actually eat. Don't set up "good" and "bad" foods; use words more along the lines of "foods that make your taste buds happy" and describe the physical benefits of other foods; protein gives you strength and makes your brain work better, etc. (And along the lines of our sweets conversation, Donna Fish, the author, has a great post on how to handle dessert battles here.)

So I was thrilled to read this interview with Michael Pollan, one of my writerly food heroes, about his now-16-year-old son and his past food issues. He was a "white food eater" when he was young; he'd eat chicken, potatoes, bread, rice, and nothing else. Upon reflection, Pollan believed this was due to his need to reduce sensory input (he doesn't say it, but I wonder if the boy was diagnosed with a sensory integration disorder). In fact, it was his son's "tortured" relationship with food that got him interested in writing about it.

About two years ago, Pollan's son began to suddenly expand his food repertoire, and after working in a kitchen for a summer began cooking seriously, and is now a "food snob" who makes a port wine reduction to go with the grass-fed steak his dad cooks for dinner. (I can only dream.)

It's a relief to a mama like me.

Did you know that motherhood is the single greatest predictor of poverty in old age?  Or that the wage gap between mothers and childless women is now greater than the gap between men and women?  Startling facts that, to me, show a gap between what we say about valuing the work of child-raising and actually valuing it. 

The idea of valuing parents and caregiving is what prompted a few Activistas to kick it up a notch!  So, we're excited to announce the creation of a new, local nonprofit called Family Forward Oregon.  Their mission?  "Inspiring workplaces, communities and policies that value families." 

Family Forward Oregon begins with the basic premise that our workplace and government policies lag far behind the reality in which most families live.  Namely, policies are still built on the assumption that one parent is home full-time with kids.  Obviously this doesn't account for all the co-parenting, single-parenting, and extended family parenting that really goes on.  It also doesn't account for the fact that in most families both parents work outside the home.  And it definitely doesn't account for the fact that most of us (parents and non-parents alike) desperately want some work/family balance.

It's time to value the work of caring for each other.  It's time to end the economic insecurity associated with motherhood.  It's time to develop communities where families can thrive. 

Family Forward Oregon will work to bring our workplaces, communities, and policies forward.  They are creating a movement - and asking you to join them. 

Get involved.  They will be presenting their ideas and soliciting your feedback on a family forward agenda at next week's Social Innovation Forum (hosted by Springboard Innovation). 

Your feedback is essential to creating change for all Oregon's families.  Please come and tell us what you think about where we need to go from here! 

Join us to shape this movement:

Social Innovation Forum on Family Forward Oregon
When: July 8th, 2009 6-9 pm (light dinner provided)
Where: Urban Grind NE (NE 22nd & Oregon St)

Oh bike-loving mamas!  So, there are bike trailers, bike seats, tag-alongs/trail-a-bikes, and - of course - the Xtracycles.  However, there will come a day when we will no longer be hauling our children on the bikes, for they will be riding their own!  Has your child made the hop from being hauled to pedaling on his/her own bike?  How have you handled riding on the roads with the newest of the biking batch?  An urbanMama recently emailed:

I am looking for tips about transitioning to biking alongside your child.  Our 5yo daughter has recently shed the training wheels, and so we're biking more places together, with her on her bike and me on mine.  She's very cautious, so I don't have to worry too much about her veering into traffic or bumping into anyone, but I still am unsure about some things.  I'm sort of afraid, e.g., to ride in the bike lane, but riding on the sidewalk when there aren't curb cuts is a huge pain.  Also, is it safer to ride with her in front of me, or to have her follow me?  I'm sure many of these things I'll just figure out with practice, but I was interested in tips from those who bike with their kids as a way of getting started.

Several months ago, a Brain, Child discussion group was hastily thrown together and ended up a (small) series of one-on-one conversations. But as soon as I picked up this season's issue, I was longing to talk to someone about it. So this time, we're doing it right, with two weeks advance notice (ish) and a proper location selected ahead of time!

Date: Tuesday, July 14, 7:30 p.m.
Place: Rimsky-Korsakoffee House, 707 SE 12th (the red house -- there is no sign)
Do I have to read Brain, Child cover-to-cover? No, but the more you read, the more we can talk. If we get enough "yes" responses, I'll order several copies from the publisher.

Respond, s'il vous plait, in the comments, and I look forward to getting all salon with a couple of other urbanMamas. Some of the articles are on the web site; you can purchase the magazine at several local bookstores and grocery stores.

I have baby shower on the mind of late, as I am well into our third pregnancy (my first pregnancy in Portland!).  So, I am excited at the thought.  I also came across an old thread, wherein we discussed whether it would even be appropriate to host a shower for a second-time mama, to which I say, "definitely"!  As this is our third child, I am not interested in showering baby with gifts.  I am more interested in showering baby with attention as we prepare to welcome him/her into our world.  We recently received an email also wondering about baby showers:

1. As a mama, what was your favorite part of the shower and why?
2. Where there any particular gifts/activities that you really appreciated?
3. Is there anyway to get papas involved?
4. Was there anything that you didn't like about the baby shower tradition?
5. Is there anything you would expect from a baby shower?

Growing up, our backyard featured a great view of our neighborhood's fireworks extravaganza.  We'd have a bbq every year and set out lawn chairs.  Everyone would 'ooooh' and 'aaaahhh' over every bang.  Nowadays, with our kids, I feel a bit less enthusiastic about watching firework shows on the 4th of July.  In fact, fireworks give me great anxiety, but that's a whole other story.

Do you, as a family, do the fireworks thing on the 4th?  If you do, where do you go?  An urbanMama recently facebooked us:

Where do you go to watch fireworks?  We have a 5-year old, and 2 year old twins. We were wanting to go downtown and thinking of taking the MAX, but really don't want to have to go into the large group with all the kiddies.  Any other ideas?