Stumptown Mom

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!

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]

A new downtown fountain = more water fun

Another heat wave is upon us -- thankfully not as extreme as the last one.  But it's still hot and we need ways to cool off.  Sadly, the Portland Parks & Recreation summer park programs are over which means no more wading pools.  You can still catch some free family fun time at the pools, but the summer playgrounds are finished.

There is some good news on the water play front.  Portland's downtown has a NEW public fountain that is perfect for playing!  The Bill Naito Legacy Fountain will officially open tomorrow, August 20th with a dedication ceremony at 11:45am.  Kids are invited and encouraged to come dressed and ready to get wet!  There will be Chinese Lion Dancers, music and even ice cream.

The new fountain is part of the revamp of the northern end of Waterfront Park near the Burnside Bridge.  This weekend you'll find continued celebrations for the new fountain and the new home of the Portland Saturday Market.  A wonderful array of multicultural music acts and fun activities are planned.

[thanks Portland Parks & Rec for the photo]

National Parks - we love 'em even more when they're free

National Parks have a special place in the StumptownMom heart.  Oh, the fond memories of that summer spent working at a gas station in Yellowstone National Park -- the geysers, the buffalo, and the crazy questions people asked. (They really did ask how you turn on Old Faithful!)  And nothing says nostalgic summer fun like a trip to one of our nation's finest national parks.

Even in the midst of this recession you can explore our national treasures as this weekend they open their gates for a FREE WEEKEND August 15-16th.  You heard that right, enjoy a national park or historic site this weekend for free.  

How about a quick trip north to Fort Vancouver?  Or to the coast to the Lewis & Clark National Historic Park? Or even farther north to Mt. Ranier?  Or maybe south to Crater Lake?  

Did you know that some National Monuments and other sites managed by the National Parks Service don't charge, ever?  Like the Oregon Caves National Monument or John Day Fossil Beds.  Or the Klondike Gold Rush Historic Park in downtown Seattle.  Search for all parks and historic sites online.  Cool stuff for kids of all ages to enjoy.

[photo courtesy Flickr CC -- StuSeeger]

We're C-R-A-F-T-Y

We're as crafty as ice is cold -- and proud of it.  With apologies to the Beastie Boys, we really do love a good kids craft project.  As adults we don't get enough opportunities in our daily lives to get messy and make something just for the sake of it.  No skills needed.  Having kids is like a license to get gluey, glittery, paint-covered and doused with confetti.  Bring on the crafts!

Where do you get your crafty supplies?  Our drawers over-floweth with stickers and glue sticks and pipe cleaners.  But they don't come cheap.  In times like these, it helps to get art supplies for fewer bucks.  You never know how many of those little googly eyes will end up in that puddle of glue.  So we're sharing our favorite craft supply stockpiling ideas:

• SCRAP - School & Community Reuse Action Project.  Our favorite place to get dirt cheap, wacky, unusual crafting supplies.  Expect the unexpected:  sticker labels from someone's wedding (your kid won't care who Josh & Sarah are, right?!), wallpaper samples, old magazines perfect for collages, unidentifiable plastic doodads, and who knows what else.  Use your imagination and join the fun. 
• Knittin Kitten.  What a fabulous idea -- a craft and fabric thrift store.  You'll find great deals on beads, ribbon, fabric and bric-a-brac.  You might even find the makings of a grown-up sewing of knitting project.
• Thrift stores and garage sales.  Takes some digging but can be worth the effort.  We've found big bags of felt scraps, lanyard makings, stickers and other great treasures.  Tis the season to hit some sales.
• Dollar Tree.  Generally we're not big fans of inexpensive plastic crap, but dollar stores are great sources of art supplies.  You'll find cheap popsicle sticks, construction paper, stickers and more.
• Office supply store sales.  It's back to school time which can mean amazingly cheap deals at those big-box office supply stores.  Stock up when they're on special -- colored pencils, crayons, scissors, paper, etc.

Where do you get your crafty stockpile??

[photo courtesy Flickr CC -- Carissa GoodNCrazy]

Continue to beat the heat

More news just in from Portland Parks & Recreation.  They are extending wading pool hours through Thursday!  Stay cool if you can.

Extended Wading Pool Hours for Wednesday/Thursday, 7/29-30

Alberta: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Creston: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Laurelhurst: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Thursday
Lents Park: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Thursday
Montavilla: 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. through Thursday
Mt. Scott: 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. through Thursday
Rose City: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Thursday
St. Johns Park: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Swimming pools open late

Most Portland Parks & Recreation swimming pools are open until 9 p.m. or later on weeknights. Visit www.portlandparks.org for a full list of pools, hours, and other information.

Spray features in neighborhood parks (available all regular park hours)

Columbia Park, N. Lombard Street and Woolsey Avenue
Essex Park, SE 79th Avenue & Center Street
Earl Boyles Park, SE 112th Avenue & Boise Street
Grant Park, NE 33rd Avenue & US Grant Place
Kenton Park, 8417 N. Brandon Avenue
McCoy Park, N Trenton Street & Newman Avenue
Northgate Park, N Geneva Avenue & Fessenden Street
Peninsula Park, N. 700 Rosa Parks Way
Pier Park, N Lombard Street & Bruce Avenue 
Raymond Park, SE 118th Avenue & Raymond Street
Woodlawn Park, NE 13th Avenue & Dekum Street

Beat the heat with extended wading pool hours

This just in from our friends at Portland Parks & Recreation.  Due to the HEAT WAVE (ugh!) we'll be experiencing in the next few days, they are extending the hours of the wading pools.  Hooray.  

So if you're looking to beat the heat, head over to your neighborhood wading pool for some splashing fun:

Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, 7/27-29 

Alberta: regular hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Creston: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Laurelhurst: regular hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Lents Park: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Montavilla: regular hours, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Mt. Scott: open Monday & Tuesday, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Rose City: regular hours, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

St. Johns Park: open Monday & Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

[photo courtesy Flickr Creative Commons -- hickoryhollow113]

Splish splash we're havin' a blast

Ah, the long hot days of summer.  Popsicles, playground visits, picnics for no reason.  It feels just perfect.  Well, without the sweltering heat it would be perfect (I know, I know, we Portlanders don't have much room to complain, but yet we do).  One way to beat the heat and still enjoy all that nice-weather fun?  Water play!

We've been taking advantage of our neighborhood wading pool this week and with the forecast looking even hotter soon, you'll find us there again.  You might not know that many Portland parks have water features or wading pools that get filled in the summer.  Cheap (well, free actually) distraction that promises good plain fun.

Wading Pools.  Portland Parks and Recreation has a variety of wading pools across the city.  Check out the Summer Playground list to find wading pools.

Splash Pads.  PPR has added new "splash pads" to some parks in the last couple of years.  These have fun, interactive water spraying features.  Our friends at Omamas give us the scoop on splash pads.

Fountains.  Some of our favorite fountains do double duty as water playgrounds.  Jamison Square or Salmon Springs anyone?  See a Portland fountain list online. Outside of Portland, check out Oregon Mom's great list of other fountains in the metro area.

[photo courtesy Flickr Creative Commons - quinnums]

Take in a movie - outside!

What beautiful July weather for getting outside! Just this weekend we took part in the Sunday Parkways in NE as well as a concert in our neighborhood park.  Did you know you can also catch a flick outside this summer?

We're big fans of the fabulous Portland-free-fun blog Around the Sun.  They brings us great info on local free happenings.  And we don't need to research all of the great outdoor movie options, 'cause Around the Sun's already done it for us!  Take a peek at the fabulous options from Portland to Lake Oswego, from Vancouver to West Linn.  There are free outdoor movies for everyone to enjoy.  Some even have warm-up bands!  Goonies, anyone?  Or maybe a sing-along to Mama Mia?  Perfect summer fun.

Links to all of the outdoor movie listings.

[photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons - ramsey everydaypants]