ReadySetMom

Tips on tree-lighting ceremony at Pioneer Courthouse Square

Last year I took my family to the tree lighting at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Being one of those religiously "on time" and/or "early" people -- we got there well before the announced start time. It was cold. It was crowded. The kids got very hungry. It finally got going around the time they said, but then there were speeches and talking heads going on and on and on, interspersed with musical numbers. It was far too long for my kids. Sorry to sound like such a crank, but I just wanted to advise that you may not want to arrive right on time and get in the middle of it all if you only want to see the lights go on. If that's more your speed, plan to arrive a good half hour after the festivities are slated to start, then hover around the outside. This year's tree lighting is schedule to start at 5:30pm in Pioneer Courthouse Square. Have fun if you go!!

Media Think survey on kids and media

Media Think, a media literacy organization SW Portland'd Rick Seifert helped start in 2000, is conducting an online survey. They'd like parents to respond to a brief questionnaire about how their families use media. Can you help? Click to give your input to the Media Think Survey. I just took it, and was done in 3 minutes.

Nominations for sainthood

Today I'd like to take the time to nominate Mrs. Kris Moore to sainthood. Kris is the dedicated, hard-working head teacher at Burlingame Cooperative Preschool, where both of my kids have attended. While dropping off my 4-year-old this morning, Mrs. Moore invited my older daughter to stay and be a "big girl helper." You could not have given her anything finer. The love she has for that little school and her first teacher cannot be measured. What a wonderful gift to me as well -- given I had no clue how to keep my child occupied this morning in this long, long week of no school and with a household full of crabby, coughing constituents. Now I can cough, and sneeze and blow my drippy nose in peace for 3 hours. It's the little things in life that make it all worthwhile, no?

Anyone you'd like to nominate to sainthood this Thanksgiving?

Good times at the North Clackamas Aquatic Park

My daughter opted not to have a 7th birthday party this year, choosing instead to have an adventure day with Mom. Hooray! While Dad took Brother for a Max ride to the Children's Museum, she and I headed to the North Clackamas Aquatic Park on Sunday for our very first visit. I'd never even heard of this place until a couple weeks ago, when I was furiously searching online for something that I thought she would enjoy. Bingo. It was fantastic. We spent three hours splashing around and we both had a blast. It costs $10 for adults and $4 for kids ages 3-8 (see more rates). Metro Parent is running a 2-for-1 coupon this month, good through December 31. Locker rental is $1.

If you've never been before, I'll give you the lowdown and what we'd do differently the next time:

School's out Nov 24-28: get out for your sanity!

When there are days off from school as there are this week in Portland Public Schools, it's either a "woo hoo" for those of you who enjoy quality time with your kids, and a "boo hoo" from some of us who excel in other areas (how's that for diplomacy?). I have every right to be firmly in the "boo hoo" category as I have one kid who ended up sick last Friday, and missed school. And one that got sick over the weekend. So our options for getting out to play are decidedly limited this week. Boo hoo!! At least the forecast is sunny and dry, so perhaps we'll take our germy selves over to the park if we can summon up the energy.

• For the rest of you, we were excited to see that the Oregon Zoo will be free on Thanksgving -- so that ought to be a fun way to blow off some steam on the cheap.
• Christmas at Pittock Mansion is up and running. I took my kids to this for the first time last year, and they loved it.
• SCRAP has got some workshops scheduled.

What other fun things are on your radar this week?

Get out and play! Nov. 21-23

All of that holiday stuff is starting to happen -- the Polar Express is running, the Winter Wonderland holiday lights extravaganza has started sucking energy from the grid -- and I've heard rumors that Santa has set up shop at the mall. Can Thanksgiving really be next week? As we say in fake France -- IN-CROY-ABLA!

Monsters, Music and More, Nov. 21, 7pm: Grammy-winning Bill Harley shares stories and music for the whole family. Part of the library's Tapestry of Tales. Parkrose High School, 12003 NE Shaver. Tickets: adults $10, kids $5.

Tapestry of Tales Family Matinees, Nov. 22: Free performances at various libraries around Portland (including Hillsdale, Central, Sellwood and more). Check site for times.

German Holiday Market, Nov. 22-23: Celebrate all things German -- gifts, decor, music, food and crafts -- at the market benefitting the German American School. FREE admission. 3900 SW Murray

Handprint Tiles at Spoiled Rotten, Nov. 22, 10am-4pm: Make a keepsake without all the mess in your own house. $18 per tile. 5656 Hood St., West Linn.

Meet Clifford the Big Red Dog, Barnes & Noble at Clackamas Town Center, Nov. 22 at 11am. Ruff. FREE.

Family Dance at Airplay Cafe, Nov. 22, 10am-Noon: Spin and twirl to a family-friendly DJ. FREE. 701 E. Burnside.

Little Kids Jamboree at Mississippi Pizza, Nov. 22, 4pm: Lorna Miller is a Portland staple in kid's entertainment AND you can drink beer. 3552 N. Mississippi Ave. FREE.

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie, Tigard Library, Nov. 23 at 1:30pm: FREE.

As always, add more events in the comments section!

Peace + pleasure = 3191 photoblog

I used to follow this blog, Little Birds Handmade, until she stopped blogging. Not being a sewing-crafty person I always ogled and fawned over her creations. Then she started a photoblog, 3191, but I only remember to check it maybe every six months. This blog gives me such peace, particularly after a trying day of parenting (see Tuesday's post). She -- Stephanie -- is a mom of two here in Portland, and her photo-counterpart -- Mav -- who lives in Portland, Maine, they each upload a photo every day presented side-by-side. They live 3191 miles apart, hence the name. Neither knows what the other person's photo might be that day, but the photos always somehow just work together. There's this peace about them, this capturing of a moment, and I can spend about 30 minutes looking at months of these photos. Happily, they created a book of the 2007 photos, A Year of Mornings. The 2008 photos are snapshots of evenings, and no doubt a book is to follow. Someone could give me this book for Christmas and make me very happy.

School rules

On Monday, we got some fairly sucky news about a new classroom rule: no more keychains hanging on backpacks in Room 11. For my daughter, life pretty much ended with this decree. She didn't mind so much about the ban on Pokemon cards. Or the "no hats" during class time rule. But this one hit home.

Prior to the keychain ban, you could hear her coming down the hall by the distinctive clinking and clanking of keychains, bracelets and baubles she'd amassed since starting in elementary school last year. We discussed the reasons behind the teacher's new rule: they were creating a distraction to learning. I can't argue with that. Our teachers work hard. So very hard. Dealing with kids showing off their keychains to one another during learning time isn't where they should be spending their time. So, we removed the keychains from her backpack after many tears were shed. We created a chain, and hung it in her bedroom.

Which school rules have been particularly hard for your kids to handle?

Education & Enrichment Fair, Wed. Nov. 19

Metro Parent's FREE Education & Enrichment Fair is tomorrow at the World Forestry Center from 3-7:30pm. Looking for a preschool or other activities for your kids? Chances are you'll find a good fit at this fair, which brings together a wealth of resources for parents. Parking is free, too. 4033 SW Canyon Rd., next to the Children's Museum.

Did you know...?

...that sometimes the Tooth Fairy has so many homes to visit in one night that she'll sneak in during breakfast?

...that a hermit crab could be dead for several days before anyone notices?

...that dead hermit crabs smell just like other dead animals?

...that if you interrupt a certain Burlingame Fred Meyer cashier while she's texting, she'll make you bag your own groceries?

...that a child who isn't dexterous enough to zip his own pants can actually fasten a hair clip to the inside of his cheek?

...that a hair clip covered in saliva is really hard to unfasten?

...that when a first-grader randomly opens Webster's Dictionary, the first word she'll probably see is 'boob.'

...that when a word is repeated over and over again about 500 times it loses all meaning?

...that a large percentage of men who watch NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams apparently suffer from erectile dysfunction?

...that people who tear through the SW Community Center parking lot in pursuit of a front-row parking space are going straight to Hell?

Yep. Glad I could help.