Stumptown Mom

The poison center is there for you

Maybe every mom finds themselves in this situation at some point. Your kid has consumed something they shouldn't have.  Yikes.  Having encountered this recently, I can tell you what not to do -- don't wait to see what happens!  Thankfully our little incident was just that - little and nothing to worry about.

But the Oregon Poison Center is there for us no matter what the situation.  Based at OHSU, the Oregon Poison Center is a regional provider of 24-hour poison emergency information and assistance.  

Call 800-222-1222 from anywhere in the US and you'll be directed to your regional poison center.

As they make clear, the Oregon Poison Center website is not a substitute for talking with a trained Poison Specialist.  These folks are so kind and patient on the phone.  I can only imagine the calls they receive!

The website also offers some amazing resources including information on common poison concerns, activity sheets for kids and seasonal poison concerns.  It's not just medication that are a safety hazard, so are household cleaners, paint and even houseplants.  I didn't know that while half their calls come from poisonings involving children under 5, teens and older adults are also at great risk.

Winter fun isn't far away

If you're like me, you miss snow living through rainy Portland winters.  With rare exception - and oh, what fun we had on the one night we had enough snow to make a snowman - our kids only experience snow play when we travel to Mt. Hood or make a long weekend out of a trip to Central Oregon.

Even though it's a drive and sometimes there can be traffic, a trip to Mt. Hood is well worth the hassle.  If your kids are smaller, sledding or tubing is the perfect introduction.  NW Kids Magazine put together a great list of sledding & tubing spots (one's on the WA side of the Columbia).  The tubing locations involve paying to use an official tubing run at a ski area whereas sledding only involves bringing your own sled and hiking up a hill!

Skiing can be another fun kid activity.  We recently took our preschooler out for his first cross country skiing adventure and he loved it.  There are several groomed trails on Mt. Hood including Teacup Lake and the nordic center at Mt. Hood Meadows.  But most of the Sno*Parks on Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens offer cross-country skiing and snowshoeing at no cost (well, you need a parking permit - see below).  Just please, don't walk with your snowshoes on the ski trail!  Kid sized snowshoes and skis are available (even for preschool aged kids) at REI, Next Adventure and other local ski shops.

Downhill skiing, though more of a financial commitment can be a great family activity.  All of the ski areas offer rentals, lessons and kid-friendly skiing options.  

In order to park at a Sno*Park -- including at a ski area -- you must have a valid daily or yearly Sno*Park permit.  Oregon permits are honored in Washington and vice-versa.  Stop on your way up to the mountain as you generally can't buy them in the parking area.

***Always check the weather conditions before you go.  Be prepared for winter driving and stock your car accordingly!

FREE fun at the Chinese Garden through the 11th

 Can you believe it's been 10 years since the recently re-named Lan Su Chinese Garden opened?  Truly an oasis in the middle of Chinatown, this garden is breathtaking in its layout, landscaping and serenity.  You'll never believe all they have fit into one city block!

If you're never been, or been wanting to try it out with kids, now is the time.  To celebrate their tenth anniversary, they are offering FREE admission until January 11th.  So a few more days left to check it out.  We went just yesterday and it was lovely.  With an active preschooler, the bridges and paths were fascinating as were the people practicing Tai Chi.  The free admission left me relieved when the outing didn't last very long.

They've got a whole line-up of special activities during this time.  Make a pit-stop at the Tea House for refreshments.  Be sure to ask the volunteer at the entrance for a kid's scavenger hunt or down-load the pdf here before you go.

Fight for Preemies

Does it make us feel better to know that Oregon's rates of premature birth are better than those of the southern US?  Well, it shouldn't.  We've only earned a C on the March of Dimes' report card.  That's barely passing and our rate of premature birth is still 10.3%!  This is why we're participating in the Fight for Preemies during November, Prematurity Awareness Month.

Did you know that prematurity accounts for about half of hospital charges for infants?  And that the first-year medical costs for a premature baby are ten times that of a full-term baby?  Yikes.  The birth of a premature baby has long-term impacts on the lives of that family and on our health care system.  We all share in those costs (how much have your health insurance costs gone up?).  But monetary costs shouldn't be our only concerns - the emotional toll is great for those families.  

Resources & what you can do: 

• If you're a pregnant woman or thinking about getting pregnant, the March of Dimes offers some great tips and resources for planning and having a healthy pregnancy.
• Give your baby the full 9 months.  Late pre-term births are on the rise and you'll be surprised to know that the brain of a 35 week baby weighs only 2/3rds of a 39 week baby.  Those last weeks make a difference!
• Support the March of Dimes Oregon.  Give financially or give your time.  They offer a NICU Family Support Project at Doernbecher and an online Scrapbook where families can share their NICU stories.
• Precious Beginnings is a great local organization of parents supporting other parents of critically ill infants.  If you're the parent of an ill infant, they can help with support and a free help-line.  They also offer a great list of online resources for families.

[Thanks to Flickr CC - Scott & Justine fromWyo for the photo of a baby born 10 weeks early]

Safety simplified

Don't you wish keeping our kids safe was simple?  From the time of conception, we try to eat our best, do what we can to keep our developing babies safe and then worry all the time when they enter the world.  Then there are baby gates and don't talk to strangers, and ugh, the list is long!

Just the other day I wondered when I could move the preschooler to a booster seat.  And oh, just read that we need a hands-free way to talk on the cell phone in the car starting January 1st.

So I was happy to find this short and simple list of state & local safety laws from Safe Kids Oregon.  Did you know it's illegal to sell a used crib at a garage sale that doesn't meet safety codes?  And that all kids under 16 have to have helmets (not the case in all states!)?  Here are 10 Things Adults Can Do to keep kids safe.  Thanks Safe Kids Oregon for these great resources.

And don't forget the Legacy Safety Store as a fabulous source of information and below-cost safety equipment.  We've highlighted them before but it's worth repeating. You can buy an inexpensive helmet there.  They've also got the store set-up so you can test cabinet latches, window guards and more and get accurate information to keep the kiddos safe.

[Photo courtesy Flickr CC - qwrrty]

Helping single parents find support

We did a post a while ago about resources for single parents. Parenting is a tough job - and they are goin' in alone.  So we were thrilled to see the big article in November's Metro Parent Magazine highlighting resources for single parents to find support.

Read the Metro Parent article starting on page 20.  Are you a single parent looking to connect with others?  Want to find a community of parents facing similar challenges?  Here are the great resources Metro Parent offers up (focused on moms who choose to parent alone):

• Choice Moms is a national online community.
• Single Mothers By Choice offers email lists and newsletters.
• Local Single Mothers by Choice Yahoo Group serving the Portland area.

[Thanks to Flickr CC -eyeliam for the photo]

Fall is here, rain and all

First, our humble apologies for the recent unscheduled break in StuptownMom postings.  We were under the weather and well, adjusting to all of this dark and rain. It's an adjustment, really!  I love fall not just 'cause it brings my birthday  (somehow this doesn't bring as much joy as it used to) but also for the beautiful colors and crisp air.  But all this rain doesn't make it easy to get out and enjoy.

Assuming we get a break in the downpour, now's the time to explore the fall color in all its brilliance.  We might not be New England -- and we don't want their long winters now do we -- but we've got some color too.

Plan a little outing to see the leaves!  Check out this fun Fall Foliage in Oregon blog for info and links to updates on the leaves.  Follow them on Twitter for the latest foliage fun and pics.  Hoyt Arboretum is a wonderful close destination for fall color galore.  Or plan a hike in one of our gorgeous National Forests.  Need some motivation, check out the beautiful fall shots on the USFS website.

Make some fun fall arts & crafts with the kids!  Find inspiration for easy crafts with leaves at Kids Craft Weekly.  Sign up for the e-newsletter to get fresh project ideas in your inbox.  Or find some fun new leaf projects at another fav blog The Artful Parent.

Read a fun fall kids book!  We've got lots of favorites, but lately we've been reading Pumpkin Jack (great composting lesson in there too), It's Pumpkin Time, Barn Dance, The Little Scarecrow Boy, and Leaf Man. Share your fall favorite books in the comments!

[Thanks to Flickr CC - peasap for the beautiful pic.]

It's pumpkin pickin' time!

Fall and pumpkin patches just go together here in the Portland area.  Especially with some of these beautiful clear days we've been having you may be dreamin' of picking a perfect pumpkin.  Local pumpkin patches vary from small, u-pick fields or stands to full-blown pumpkin experiences with hay rides, carnival rides, apple cider and more.

Where's your favorite place to pick a pumpkin?  We've often ventured to Sauvie Island - always beautiful there except when you get caught in one of those pumpkin patch traffic jams getting off the island!

Find a pumpkin patch in Portland or east of the city.  Or Washington County and west.  Weird, but the farms on Sauvie Island actually are listed in both of these places (some of Sauvie Island is in Columbia County).  

Some of these farms even have corn mazes.  Endless fun to be had getting lost in a sea of corn!  See a list (not sure if it's complete) here.

Did we miss a favorite pumpkin or corn maze site?  Leave a comment with your thoughts and ideas.

[photo thanks to Flickr CC - Art Institute of Portland & eyeliam]

Firehouse Fun

File this under "Never Make Assumptions".  A while ago at our neighborhood park, we chatted with a dad who happened to be a firefighter.  I told him we love the Belmont Fire House and he looked confused.  He didn't know about it!  So chances are some of you don't know about it either.

Once a month the Historic Belmont Fire House is open, for FREE, to the public.  "Safety Saturdays" feature fun displays of old fire equipment, a real (though short for kids & supervised) fire pole to slide on and a cool fire truck kids can get in that simulates going out on a call (see the picture above).  It's not a huge museum, but every kid will find something to love.  Sunnyside Park is only a block away - as are some great places to get a snack on Belmont so it makes a nice morning outing.

Safety Saturday @ the Historic Belmont Fire House
Saturday October 10th, 10am-3pm
Free

The mother of all used book sales!

StumptownMom loves books.  You may have noticed.  And we love the Multnomah County Library.  We've talked before about the Title Wave Used Bookstore.  But now it's time to partake in that annual fall rite of passage - the 36th Annual Friends of the Multnomah County Library Used Book Sale.

This is a GIANT used book sale.  The kids book selection is always great and so crowded that you might want to leave your wandering toddler at home.  Go early for the best selection or go on the last day for 50% off!  Either way, you're bound to find books for the kiddos and yourself at rock-bottom prices.

October 9-12
1625 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland
Hours vary so check website for details

Proceeds benefit the Multnomah County Library.  Portlanders love our library (we check out or renew 57,000 books each day!), but did you know they just won a prestigious national award?  It's true - they just won the 2009 National Medal for Museum & Library Services.  Way to go!