PDX Parent November 2018

> Laotian Street Food

> Kid-friendly Baking Classes

FREE

> Holiday Events + Gift Guide

for the long days and short years

Kids ♥ Museums

Your guide to the NW’s best

Peter Cho of Han Oak with son, Francis, 1

Soup’s PDX chefs On share family recipes

for the holidays

PDXPARENT.COM

PORTLAND | VANCOUVER | NOVEMBER 2018

Adventure Club FOR KIDS

IT’S FREE!

1st TUESDAY of EVERY MONTH • 9AM - 10AM Inside the Food Court

Kids will enjoy meeting a new character each month, fun activities, dress up, snacks and more!

2018 SCHEDULE

November 6th Snow Queen

December 4th Elf Workshop

Events are best suited for kids up to 8 years of age.

Exit 17 off I-84 • Troutdale • (503) 669-8060 • ShopColumbiaGorgeOutlets.com

Contents FEATURES Family Meal.....................................................................................................................16 Three local chefs — and their families — invite us into the kitchen to share some favorite holiday recipes. By Irene Tejaratchi Hess.

A Solid Start................................................................................................................ 22 Rice cereal’s got competition: The new ways PDX families are introducing solid food to their babies. By Judith Rich.

DEPARTMENTS Editor’s Note.............................................................................................................6 Play Room....................................................................................................................8 Top 5 places to get your grilled cheese on, a foodie getaway to Seattle and kid-lit picks from Portland Book Festival authors.

Field Trip.....................................................................................................................26 Finagle some bagels at Cookshop in SE Portland, plus more kid/parent cooking classes around town.

By Denise Castañon.

How We Live...........................................................................................................28 Living that #vanlife in the Pacific Northwest, with a baby on board. By Erin J. Bernard.

This Mom Life........................................................................................................ 41 Settling into the school year, with a few speed bumps along the way. By Toni Hammer.

Family Supper...................................................................................44 Laotian street food + an uncrowded play area = jackpot, at Cully Central. By Julia Silverman.

IRENE TEJARATCHI HESS

16

Recipe File................................................................................................................45 A fresh new take on an old standby, with zucchini noodles and cheese-stuffed

BONUS SECTION: KIDS ♥ MUSEUMS..................................................................29-40 Portland Art Museum.......................... 30 Oregon Zoo...................................................... 31

End of the Oregon Trail Interpretative & Visitor Information Center..................................36

Oregon Museum of Science

Evergreen Aviation &

and Industry................................................... 32

Science Museum........................................37

Portland Children’s Museum.........33

Columbia River

Oregon Historical Society.................34

meatballs. By Judith Rich.

Time Out..................................................................................................................... 46 Hip-hop Nutcracker, Veterans’ Day parade, Turkey trots and more.

RESOURCES

Maritime Museum.................................... 38

School Open Houses.................................................................................... 12-14

Gilbert House Children’s

Family-friendly Dining......................................................................................... 25

Rice Museum of Rocks

Museum..............................................................39

& Minerals..........................................................35

Hands On Children’s Museum.... 40

Shop Local Gift Guide............................................................................. 42-43 Holiday Highlights......................................................................................... 47-51

* cover stories pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

5

Editor’s Note for the long days and short years

I

know I am not the only parent who is seized by more-than-occasional fears that I’m doing this whole raising kids thing all wrong. (Right? Tell me I’m right.) It hits me at unexpected moments, like on a recent drive home from my son’s fall baseball Little League game. It had been another rough one — he struck out, and after pitching one good inning, gave up a ton of runs during his second inning on the mound. He told me later that he’d started purposely throwing balls, just so the other team’s players wouldn’t get another big hit off him.

The thing is, Ben likes baseball. His coaches have consistently remarked on how hard he tries, which for us, is all that really matters. So seeing him give up that way was a punch in the gut.

In the car on the way home, I started to spiral. What if he never found a passion, something that he loved? (Other than watching random YouTube videos of gamers playing Zelda, Breath of the Wild, which isn’t the kind of thing one would put on a college application someday.) Wait a minute, though — he’s just JULIA SILVERMAN a 10-year-old kid. Shouldn’t we just let kids be kids and not push Ben, at center, celebrating after a them into a pigeonhole, at such a young age?

Little League win.

These two ideologies are in conflict, but they somehow both seem right to me. I want my kids to find the things they love to do, and try to do their best at those things, whatever they may be, but I also want them to have fun, be kids and not grow up too fast.

This Thanksgiving, I’m going to try for a reset, and be thankful for more than just the fact that we get a five-month break from Little League. I’m thankful that my kids are happy and healthy and might even consider eating some of the super-delicious holiday recipes that local chefs shared with us as part of local photojournalist Irene Tejaratchi Hess’s feature, which starts on page 16. I’m thankful that sometimes with my help, and sometimes despite it, my kids are finding their own paths, in their own meandering ways. Wherever they are going, they’ll get there (Right? Tell me I’m right).

I’m thankful I’m along for the ride.

—

This month, only on pdxparent.com: » Free things to do in November

» Winter break camps

» Rainy day fun

PDX Parent P.O. Box 13660 Portland, OR 97213-0660 Phone: 503-460-2774; Fax: 503-331-3445 Publisher Rose Caudillo, 503-460-2774 publisher@pdxparent.com Editor Julia Silverman, 503-922-0893 julia.silverman@pdxparent.com Managing Editor Denise Castañon denise.castanon@pdxparent.com Art Director Susan Bard Web Director Michelle Carew, 503-914-6151 michelle.carew@pdxparent.com Calendar / Newsletter Editor Amy Conway calendar@pdxparent.com Customer Accounts Manager Christie Kline, 503-810-9817 christie.kline@pdxparent.com Distribution Coordinator Melissa Light melissa.light@pdxparent.com Senior Account Executive Ali King, 503-331-8184 ali.king@pdxparent.com Account Executive Kristy Olsen, 503-914-6481 kristy.olsen@pdxparent.com Account Executive Jill Weisensee, 503-309-8272 jill.weisensee@pdxparent.com Web Administrator Casey Rhodes casey.rhodes@pdxparent.com President Keith Goben, 503-460-2774 keith.goben@pdxparent.com For distribution issues, e-mail us at distribution@pdxparent.com For calendar submissions, e-mail us at calendar@pdxparent.com PDX Parent is published monthly by Metro Parent Publishing, Inc., and is copyright 2018 Metro Parent Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

PDX Parent is distributed free of charge throughout the Portland, OR / Vancouver, WA metropolitan area.

PDX Parent reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason. Distribution of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised herein.

On our cover: This is the fourth time that photojournalist Irene Tejaratchi Hess has shot the cover of our food issue, and as always, it was hard to choose just one from the great pictures she got while photographing chefs Peter Cho, Loretta Guzman, Keacean Phillips and their families. See more of Irene’s photography and videography work at irenehess.com.

6

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

On our internal cover: Hopworks Urban Brewery, fondly known as HUB, has attained legendary status among Portland families for its great kids menu and super-fun play areas. For the cover of our food issue, we asked photographer Sunny Mancuso to photograph kids grabbing some grub at the HUB on Southeast Powell. Sunny is a mom of three and knows how to put kids at ease during a shoot.

She captured this terrific shot of 3-year-old Cruz chowing down with a dino. See more of her work at

sunnymancusophotography.com.

PDX Parent does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex or sexual orientation.

Although every effort is taken to ensure the accuracy of published material, Metro Parent Publishing, Inc., and its agents and employees cannot be held responsible for the use or misuse of any information contained herein. The contents of PDX Parent and its website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or treatment.

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

7

Play Room

➊ If you haven’t taken your

Spots for

kindergartener to eat The

Kindergartener sandwich on

Grilled Cheese

the converted school bus at The Grilled Cheese Grill, what are you waiting for?

NE Alberta at 11th Ave.

➋ Olympia Provisions and

Tillamook Cheese’s Melty &

TOP 5 ...

Meaty food truck at Pioneer Courthouse Square features a basic grilled cheese for your kiddo and more interesting combos for your grown-up palate.

➌ Try

a fun spin on a plain old

grilled cheese with a kids’ pizzadilla at etc …eatery in SW Portland. Bonus: Great play area!

➍ Sneak

some extra protein into your

CARLY DIAZ

toddler with a grilled ham and cheese at Clarks Bistro & Pub in Hillsboro. (Play area here, too!)

➎ Wait, a $3 grilled cheese? Yup, Brunch Box in downtown PDX has one, along with some

monstrously messy sandwiches for parents. — Denise Castañon

big names on the local and national food

Kids to Know:

foodies for a cause

scene to contribute recipes. Portland chefs such as Jaco Smith of Lechon, and Alex Yoder of Olympia Provisions pitched in, alongside national food activists like Michael Pollan, Thomas Keller and even former First Lady Michelle Obama.

The girls tested the recipes, gathering

Back when she was in sixth grade, 15-year-

to cook and eat together. They also wrote

old Brooke Abbruzzese learned about the

the introduction and headnotes, and

bushmeat trade (the illegal overhunting

worked with a photographer on food styling

of wildlife in African forests and savannas)

and food photography. Three years later

and how baby chimpanzees were left

in December 2017, when the girls were

motherless by hunters, and knew she had

freshmen in high school, their cookbook,

to do something about it. She talked to her

Saving Pan, was published. Abbruzzese

friends at Beverly Cleary K-8 in Northeast

finds it hard to narrow it down to a single

Portland and soon McKenzie Tell, McKenzie

favorite recipe from the book. She says

Caldicott, Matisse Nash, Talia Baskin, Hanna Stokes, Maeve Larco,

she makes the soba sensation, berry smoothie and lime tofu

Emma Francioch, Charlotte Stoeger, Ruby Cooper-Karl, Maya

wraps most often. Since publishing the cookbook they’ve raised

Rashid, Martha Bukeley and Willa Gagnon were working with her

more than $10,000 for the Jane Goodall Institute’s Tchimpounga

to compile a vegetarian cookbook that would raise funds for the

Sanctuary. Craving a copy? Find Saving Pan at A Children’s Place

Jane Goodall Institute’s Tchimpounga Sanctuary. The girls asked

in Portland and online at savingpan.com. — D.C.

Get one of Brooke’s favorite recipes at pdxparent.com/soba-sensation

8

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

Playlist:

Good Deeds:

feed the dogs Portland’s a great town to raise kids, but it might be an even better town to raise dogs. (One metric to consider: the seemingly endless number of doggie hotels with

Tasty Tunes

Feeding kids — did we realize it’d be such

punny names. Virginia Woof, anyone?) If you love dogs and kids, take the littles to

a hot-button topic and all-consuming task

one of the Pongo Fund’s upcoming Kibble with your Kids events. What’s the Pongo

before we became parents? Gunnar’s

kids will be repacking bulk bins of donated dry dog food to be redistributed to needy

Food brings a little levity to the subject.

Fund? It’s like the Oregon Food Bank, only for (you guessed it) dogs. You and the families with hungry pets. It couldn’t be more family-friendly — the dog lovers at the Pongo

Madsen’s kooky new album I am Your The album’s songs don’t just focus

Fund promise coloring sheets and/or

on favorites that

nap time for any volunteers who

go into your kids’

need a break during their shift,

tummies, but also

plus tours of their super-cool,

dive into the topic

state-of-the-art mobile veterinary

of food waste with

hospital. Best of all, there are no age restrictions for volunteering — but

the hip-hop tinged Shelf Life and The

events do fill up fast, so keep an eye on

Doors-influenced Egg

their Facebook page at facebook.com/

Salad in the Sun, which tickled my funny

ThePongoFund. Kid volunteering shifts are

bone. I also appreciated the addition of

posted two to four weeks in advance, and

Frances England’s ethereal guest vocals

take place at the organization’s food bank at 3632 SE 20th Ave. One note: Dogs can’t come along — after all, they might eat the merchandise. — Julia Silverman

to City of Sardines. Play I Am Your Food for your kiddos and you may not need to bribe them with the promise of dessert to get them to just eat a few more bites. — D.C.

Yes, there are some big-ticket

Pike Place Market for lunch at

new(ish) attractions in Seattle

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese,

that warrant a family road trip

where kids will love seeing the

up Interstate 5, like the Seattle

cheese-makers at work. Prefer to

Great Wheel, the giant ferris

stick closer to the Seattle Center

wheel stretching out over Elliott

because you want to check out the Marvel exhibit at the Museum

answer to the London Eye,

of Pop Culture? No problem —

and the Living Computers Museum + Labs in the SoDo neighborhood, with interactive exhibits on everything from virtual reality and self-driving cars to throwback computers from the earliest days of home desktops.

Getaway:

Foodies in Seattle

BEECHER’S HANDMADE CHEESE

Bay that is the Pacific NW’s

just walk a block or two to the supremely kiddo-friendly Skillet Counter, where the children’s menu features an upscale PB ‘n J on brioche with the crusts cut off.

If you’ve still got room at dinner, check out James Beard-winning chef Ethan

But aren’t fun excursions like these (or maybe even a visit to the

Stowell’s new foray into Mexican food in the fam-friendly Fremont

jungly gardens inside the rad new Amazon Spheres, available by

neighborhood, Super Bueno. (Try the chilled watermelon with

reservation only, every first and third Saturday of the month) really

pop rocks for starters and the jackfruit taco, too.) As for where

just a chance to work up an appetite? Start your gastronomic

to stay, the Silver Cloud Inn in the South Lake Union nabe is

tour of Seattle at Geraldine’s Counter in Columbia City, where

centrally located and has a heated indoor pool, handy for doing

the melt-in-your-mouth French toast is locally, and justifiably,

some laps to work off all that tasty grub. Oh, and on your way

famous. After clambering over the fantastical new Artists at

out of the town, have one last foodie fling at the Oberto Jerky

Play structure at the Seattle Center, catch the monorail to

Factory Outlet in Beacon Hill — fuel for the trip back home — J.S.

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

9

Play Room

Bookshelf: Portland Book Festival Picks

For more info on the festival, head to page 46.

Kim Tano and Richard Corbett, the children’s book buyers at Powell’s Books, Portland’s iconic independent bookstore,

are (big surprise) huge fans of the Portland Book Festival, set for November 10 at the Portland Art Museum and environs. Check out their recommendations from the headliners, then have these great kid-lit authors sign your family’s copy.

AGES 4 AND UP:

AGES 6 AND UP

AGES 8 AND UP

Cycle City, written and illustrated by

Princess in Black and the Science

Amulet: Supernova, written and

Alison Farrell

Fair Scare, written by Shannon Hale Part picture seek-and-

needles

in Black is

Elephant as

awaiting

back, and

she journeys

the next

this time PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

it’s mayhem at the Interkingdom science fair.

install-

Kibuishi. In this eighth installment, central character Emily is under

about seeds and plants. But when a

two, the author lives in Portland and owns

arrest, and has lost control of her

surprise goo monster makes an appear-

a tandem, a box bike, a longtail, a unicycle

amulet, while her brother embarks

ance, the princess swings into action,

and a trail bike. $17.99.

on a journey to space to meet with

aided by a few key scientific principles.

the resistance fighters who might

$14.99.

be their last, best hope to save the

Libba: The Magnificent Musical Life of

Elizabeth Cotten, written by Laura Veirs,

written by Mac Barnett

Portland-

kids’ book

Laura Veirs

November 2018

|

teenager

for no

who

Her Royal Majesty, the Queen of England. He’s tasked with finding her royal coronation spoon, and thwarting a bunch of Russian secret agents in the process. Great for graphic

HARPER TEEN

less than

novel lovers! $12.99.

pdxparent.com

a young

as a spy SCHOLASTIC BOOKS

CHRONICLE BOOKS

10

story of

undercover

of the most

11. $17.99.

passionate

he was

Cotten, one

Train, which she wrote at the tender age of

tells the

a writer,

of Elizabeth

and is best-known for the song Freight

free verse

became

biography

musician who grew up in North Carolina

written in

Barnett

beautiful

a self-taught

This novel

author Mac

penned this

Cotten was

Elizabeth Acevedo

beloved

musician

in America.

The Poet X, written by

Before

based folk

folk musicians

planet. $12.99.

Mac B Kid Spy: Mac Undercover,

illustrated by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh

celebrated

popular series by Seattle-based author Kazu

was just there to present her poster

encounters is riding a bike. No surprise part

the wildly Amulet

Sure, our fair heroine

part one — just about every creature she

ment in

SCHOLASTIC BOOKS

through CHRONICLE BOOKS

pins and

Princess

Ella the

No surprise,

been on

Black. The

tale follows

grandmother.

have

Men in

this adorable

to see her

erywhere

Forget the

find book,

on her way

Kids ev-

LeUyen Pham

book, part

Cycle City

illustrated by Kazu Kibuishi

and Dean Hale, illustrated by

discovers slam poetry.

As she tries to find a way to express her thoughts, she chafes under her strict mother’s religious beliefs. $17.99.

Pay Attention:

Culture Wars The culture wars come to Oregon this month, with hot-button ballot measures focused on two of the country’s most divisive issues: immigration and abortion. First off, backed by a conservative local group that wants much tighter restrictions on immigration comes Measure 105, which would repeal Oregon’s status as a sanctuary state. Oregon has had that status since 1987, limiting the financial cooperation of local law enforcement with federal immigration officials. The state is not alone, either — other such “sanctuary states” include California, Colorado, Vermont, Massachusetts, Illinois and New Mexico. Opponents of the proposal say it could lead to more racial profiling on the streets, with officials able to demand documentation from anyone at any time.

Proponents say it would simply bring Oregon in line with federal expectations.

Also on your ballot, Measure 106, which would ban the use of public funds for abortion.

The measure includes an exemption for medical necessities, or to comply with federal requirements.

Groups campaigning in favor of the measure are taking pains to point out that it is not an outright ban on abortion in Oregon, just a change in funding.

But opponents, including Planned Parenthood of Oregon and NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon, said the measure would unfairly eliminate the rights of public employees and Medicaid recipients to get

Ask Dr. Doug

Q

: My 9-month-old baby has pretty bad eczema. Is it painful? She

A

seems to be scratching all the time, even at night when she’s trying to fall asleep. Is there anything I can do to make this better?

: A dermatologist friend of mine likes to call eczema “the itch that

rashes” and I agree. Babies and children with eczema can be pretty miserable, and it absolutely can impact sleep, mood, and even attention spans in older kids. This time of year, with the cold, dry air, it often gets worse. The good news is with consistent skin care, eczema can be a manageable condition.

Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, is very common, affecting around 15 percent of children. It can be as mild as a few itchy patches on the hands and elbows in the winter, or as serious as an inflamed, scaly, oozy rash on the face and body that flares up year-round. It usually shows up by 6 months of age, and tends to get better as kids get older. The exact cause isn’t known, but genetics play a role. Eczema often goes along with other allergic issues like asthma, seasonal allergies and food allergies.

Those who suffer from eczema have skin that doesn’t keep water in and bacteria and irritants out as well as it should, causing inflammation and itching. Scratching only makes the inflammation worse.

So how to make it better? I break it down into two parts: hydrating the skin, and controlling the inflammation. Plain water baths and moisturizers are the first line of defense. The frequency of bathing probably doesn’t matter, as long you use plain water and a non-soap cleanser on just the dirty bits at the end of the bath. Soap is not your friend. After the bath, pat dry and within a few minutes apply any prescribed ointments, followed by sealing them in with a thick layer of moisturizer. The thicker the better — I like Vanicream, Cerave, Eucerin, Aquaphor or Vaseline. Coconut oil will make your baby smell delicious, but is not thick enough to be a good moisturizer for most cases of eczema.

The best medications to control inflammation are steroid ointments like hydrocortisone. I tell parents to use these twice a day until the skin is smooth. When used as prescribed these are safe and they work — it’s like putting out a fire. Once the skin is smooth, keep moisturizing, twice a day, every day. Antihistamines can also help with itching and sleep. In some cases, food can be a trigger for a flare up, but getting overzealous with elimination diets can cause more harm than good without a clear history.

As always, make sure you talk to your pediatrician about recommendations unique to your little one. And enjoy some moisturizer massage time with your baby!

the care they choose. That’s about 350,000 women, state. — J.S.

★

★

★

★

★

★

★

★

★

VOTE by or before

Tuesday, November 6

Dr. Doug Lincoln practices general pediatrics at Metropolitan Pediatrics in Happy Valley. He is board certified in both pediatrics and preventive medicine, with special interests in helping parents meet their breastfeeding goals, caring for neurodiverse children with behavioral health needs, and advocating for children via teaching and policy. As a dad of two boys, he understands the joy and hard work that comes with parenting. Find out more about Dr. Doug and Metropolitan Pediatrics at metropediatrics.com.

pdxparent.com

DR. DOUG

or one-third of all women of child-bearing age in the

|

November 2018

11

OPEN HOUSES

12

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

OPEN HOUSES

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

13

OPEN HOUSES

14

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

>H oliday recipes from three local chefs, pg. 16

> The rise of baby-led weaning, pg. 22

> Bagel-making at Cookshop, pg. 26

> SE Asian grub + a play area in Cully, pg. 44

> New twist on spaghetti and meatballs, pg. 45

O

UG

HT TO YO

U

B

SUNNY MANCUSCO

R

Y

B

The Food Issue 2018

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

15

Family Meal

F

ood does more than nourish. It connects us to our culture, creates good memories, and can even bring us closer to loved ones who have passed.

And for so many of us, making and serving food to our families is a daily expression of love. That’s why we are so thankful that three local chefs shared their beloved family recipes with us. These are the recipes that summon nostalgia and fond memories for them, along with wonderful tastes. Sure, busy parents can’t dish out meals that take hours to prepare every night (If that sounds familiar, check out Chef Keacean Phillips’ weeknight baked chicken recipe on page 20.) But once in a while, it’s good to take that extra time to prepare a special meal with your family and remember that food isn’t just calories and fuel, it can be love, too.

16

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

Off the clock, l share tradition recipes STORY AND PH

Peter Cho of Han Oak, 511 NE 24th Ave.

local chefs nal holiday

HOTOS BY IRENE TEJARATCHI HESS

PETER CHO’S RICE CAKE AND DUMPLING SOUP This is a soup traditionally eaten to celebrate New Year’s Day, and time with family. As a chef, I am always working on the holidays. But we always find a way to have New Year’s Day off and that means my mom cooks for us. I also love the added bonus of making dumplings with my mom, which is super nostalgic for me. — Peter Cho 5 beef bones (oxtail is preferable) 2 pieces konbu (dried seaweed, also called kombu) 2 tablespoons dried anchovy Salt and black pepper to taste Dumplings* Rice cakes** egg and scallions for garnish Directions: 1. Cover bones with 8 cups of water, enough to fully cover.

Bring to boil, then simmer for six to eight hours.

2. Remove from heat and steep the konbu and dried anchovy as it cools for one hour.

3. Strain through a fine sieve to remove solids. You can pick the meat off the oxtail and use in the soup. Season to taste with salt and some ground black pepper.

4. Bring the seasoned soup back to a boil, and drop in your dumpling and rice cakes until dumplings start to float — that indicates that they’re cooked. Slowly pour 1 beaten egg into broth and stir gently for an “egg drop” presentation. Serve with scallions as garnish.

P

eter Cho of Han Oak has racked up a pile of awards, from being named one of Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs

in 2017 to being nominated for a James Beard award as one of the Pacific Northwest’s best for his take on modern Korean food.

But his real goal is to balance the long, late hours of a chef’s career with raising his two young children, Elliott, 3, and Francis, 1, with wife Sun. Their solution? Blending their family home with

*You can purchase fresh or frozen dumplings at most Korean markets, including H-Mart in Tigard, Beaverton and Southeast Belmont Street in Portland. Or, if you want to make your own dumplings, check out the recipe Cho wrote for Food and Wine magazine: foodandwine.com/recipes/pork-and-chivedumplings

their warm, open restaurant space — eating there feels like being invited to a dinner party at the home of some of the coolest kiddos on the block.

** Can be purchased at any Asian market. You can use either the coin-shaped variety or the rice sticks. pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

17

18

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

Loretta Guzman of Bison Coffeehouse, 3941 NE Cully Blvd.

L

oretta Guzman opened Bison Coffeehouse in the Cully neighborhood in 2014, fulfilling her dream of opening a café that celebrated Native foods and culture. The name for the coffee shop first came to her in 2008 when she was battling cancer, and had a dream in which she came face to face with an enormous bison. Today she’s in remission and Native art hangs on the walls of her shop, which serves coffee roasted by native-owned company Tribal Grounds, and beef jerky made by the members of Guzman’s own tribe, the Shoshone-Bannock, along with other local treats. She credits her family for supporting her along the way, and her daughter, Charlomiya Cunningham and 2-year-old grandson, Harlin Alvarez, often help out in the kitchen.

LORETTA GUZMAN’S HUCKLEBERRY-SAGE SCONES I make huckleberry-sage scones along with my daughter Charlomiya and grandson Harlin.

Huckleberries are the official berries for the state of Idaho. I am a member of the ShoshoneBannock tribe, from Fort Hall, Idaho, and sage is sacred to our people in our daily lives.

When they come out of the oven, these tasty scones are similar to the Bannock bread that our people ate during their travels before there were reservations. — Loretta Guzman 2 cups flour cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder teaspoon salt ½ cup butter 1 cup huckleberries* 1 egg cup heavy cream For drizzle topping: 1 cup powdered sugar 2 teaspoons of water 1 tablespoon finely chopped sage mixed with 1 tablespoon water Directions: 1. Butter a sheet pan, and preheat the oven to 325˚ F. 2. Mix together the egg and the cream in a medium-sized bowl, and set aside.

3. Next, mix together the dry ingredients — flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt — and set aside.

4. Cut cold butter into little cubes, and combine it with the dry ingredients, then add in the berries, and stir to mix.

5. Add in the egg mixture, and mix until fully combined.

6. Flour a cutting board, and turn out the dough onto it. Roll it out into a circle about one inch thick, and cut out into seven triangle shapes. Place the scones on the prepared sheet pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or when the top turns slightly brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Allow to cool, then mix together the drizzle ingredients, and drizzle on top of the scones. *Fresh huckleberries can be picked along trails around Oregon and southwest Washington in the summer months, especially around the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in August and September. In the off-season, you can order frozen huckleberries from oregonmushroom.com. pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

19

Keacean Phil of Jamaican Homestyle Cu 441 N Killingsworth Ave.

L

ike so many Portland-area chefs, Keacean Phillips’ restaurant started as a food cart, back in 2014. Caribbean food isn’t very common in Portland, and she immediately found a niche audience for her savory jerk chicken, oxtail stew, goat curry and fried plantains. The food cart was successful enough that she was able to open her restaurant in the heart of Portland’s historical black community in 2016. But that wasn’t her only baby that year; she also gave birth to now 2-yearold son, Hasim Ransom. Hasim and his older brother, 13-year-old William Smith, are being raised on the bright flavors of sunny Jamaica, a fitting antidote for drizzly, gray Portland.

KEACEAN PHILLIPS’ HOMEMADE BAKED CHICKEN I chose this recipe because it’s pretty easy and quick and doesn’t require much of my attention. Once I put the seasonings on, all I have to do is put it in the oven and wait. It takes 45 minutes to an hour, so I can focus on doing something else while dinner is in the oven. As a single mom and entrepreneur, I have to be able to multitask, so when I’m cooking at home, I prefer to prepare easy and simple dishes.

I also chose this dish because my mother would prepare this meal for us most evenings when we got home from school. She passed away in 2015. It was my favorite meal growing up because of the love I tasted in it. Now I can pass that on that tradition to my boys. — Keacean Phillips 2 green onions, diced ½ of a yellow onion, diced 2 carrots, diced 2 cloves of garlic, diced Habanero pepper, diced A pinch of fresh thyme, or to taste, finely chopped 1 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon salt ¼ cup ketchup 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts Directions: 1. Mix together the spices, the ketchup and the diced up vegetables, and pour over the chicken in an ovenproof serving dish. o

2. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 F, and enjoy. Serves 4 people.

Irene Tejaratchi Hess is a documentary photographer and filmmaker. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her son and husband. A short film that Irene and her son collaborated on recently played at the Portland Ecofilm Festival, and can be seen at PDX Airport’s one-of-a-kind microcinema.

20

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

llips

uisine,

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

21

a W

hen it comes to feeding your baby, it seems that everyone has an opinion.

“Just put some rice cereal in her bottle,” or “Mash up ripe bananas with oatmeal and cinnamon,” or even my personal favorite, “Just be careful not to give her a big piece so she doesn’t choke.”

While the people in your life who (mostly) have the best intentions can’t always hold back their opinions, it’s important to remember that there’s no one “right” way to feed your baby.

What it really comes down to, experts and parents agree, is what works best for you and your child.

Fostering Independence with Baby-Led Weaning A popular buzzword in Portland’s parenting circles, baby-led weaning seems to be on the rise. Corey Fish, M.D., a local pediatrician at Pacific Crest Children’s Urgent Care, says he first noticed the trend shortly after completing his residency, and hearing “more and more from parents that they were choosing to skip the traditional way of SARA BENNETT CROWLEY introducing solids and [instead try] a baby-led weaning approach.”

The phrase “baby-led weaning” was first coined by Dr. Gill Rapley (a Ph.D. who has studied infant feeding methods) in her book, Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods “as an approach to introducing solid food where baby is allowed and encouraged to self-feed solid finger foods instead of receiving purées via spoon.” For some parents, this approach induces severe anxiety, and images of a choking baby. But those who choose to embrace it say they have powered through these initial fears in exchange for giving their children the choice to control their solid food experience.

Carley Stead, 26, who lives in Milwaukie with her family and is the mother of 14-month-old Harlow, describes it as “an independent 22

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

choice” and something Harlow “has a lot of fun with.” Despite initial misgivings about baby-led weaning, Stead, a former child care educator, says she’s glad she chose to stick with the approach.

“She’s been a foodie from the beginning,” Stead says. “She likes a variety of foods and we don’t have to sit there and feed her.” Another big advantage of baby-led weaning for the Stead family is that at the dinner table, they can all sit together and eat, instead of sharing the task of feeding baby.

As for dining out, the Steads just bring along a divider plate and cup when they go out to eat, and Harlow shares their food — no need to bring separate food, or worry about mashing up restaurant food at the table.

Portland parents dish on how they introduce their babies to the joys of solid foods. BY JUDITH RICH

When a Traditional Approach Does the Trick There are still lots of parents out there that like to take the traditional route to baby nourishment, with soft purées of fruits, vegetables and proteins leading the way. For this cohort of parents, the “soft, mushy stuff” seems to do the trick, resulting in enjoyment, triumph and sometimes even faster growth for their kiddos.

For Sara Bennett Crowley, 35, who lives in Southeast Portland, giving her 12-month-old daughter Maggie soft solid foods was vital to her growth. Sara recalls her doctor suggesting they get more “aggressive” with solids due to Maggie’s lower-than-average weight.

After 3 months of trying various soft, pureed solid foods in the form

of proteins, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables, Maggie’s weight increased more than 40 percentage points — putting her on track with the national average for girls her age.

But taking a more traditional approach to SARA’S ROTISSERIE feeding baby doesn’t have CHICKEN PURÉE to result in boring food.

Start with a high-quality As Crowley points out, rotisserie chicken from there are lots of ways the grocery store and to incorporate colorful, strip off all the meat. flavorful and creative Reserving small pieces food into your baby’s for finger food, make a diet. “A typical daily meal starts with something like quick purée by tossing scrambled eggs, chicken the meat and skin into liver pâté, mashed peas, a blender with a little or a sweet potato with butter and splashes of butter,” she says. bone broth to desired Making otherwise consistency. Then, pop bland foods taste more the carcass into an flavorful and hearty is InstantPot immediately something that Crowley with veggies for bone does on the regular, broth (cook for 120 adding “high-quality minutes in pressure healthy fats such as cooker mode) or freeze avocado oil or coconut oil” it to be used later. One to foods like beets, apples, avocado, and even puréed chicken makes two to chicken. three weeks of protein.

For dining out, Crowley said she often makes Maggie a “bento box of food” that they take along with them. And though she’s never met with any complaints from restaurant owners, she isn’t shy about asking for any additional items that Maggie might require, like a healthy side dish, fruit or an avocado.

“A little bit of this … a little bit of that” While some parents are partial to one kind of feeding approach, many families blend different feeding styles and adapt the parts that worked for them and their children. For 33-year-old Northeast Portland resident Jenna Moran, the mom of 11-month-old Tobin, it’s not about how she feeds her son, as “everyone eventually learns how pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

23

JENNA MORAN

to eat,” but more about “influencing him to try a broad range of foods from different cultures and flavor profiles.”

While she and her partner give Tobin pretty much everything except for honey and spicy foods, they let texture lead the way in how he eats it. “When the texture is right, we’ll let him feed himself, but when it’s not realistic (such as with hummus or oatmeal) we’ll give it to him with a spoon,” Moran says.

Kristen Zimmer, 34, who lives in Southeast Portland and is mom to 10-month old Noa and 3-½-year-old Leila, says a hybrid strategy worked well for her family. “We started with a few spoonfuls of puréed sweet potatoes or oatmeal a few times a day and it has evolved into three meals a day with quite a bit of solid food and a good variety,” she says. Playing around with texture, Zimmer sometimes turns to silicone feeding pacifiers (Lullababy makes a great option), which store food inside of them that Noa can “work on” at mealtime or when the family dines out. “They’re great for teething, too,” Zimmer says, relieving sensitive gums with something natural.

Another benefit of this approach, say Northeast Portland residents Oscar Murden and Bethany Gumper, the parents of 14-month-old Maxwell (and 3-year-old Milo) is the independence it fosters and the dexterity it builds. After taking a more traditional approach with Milo, both parents agree that they prefer mixing in baby-led weaning with Max.

Doug Lincoln, M.D., a pediatrician at Metropolitan Pediatrics, Happy Valley (and author of PDX Parent’s monthly column, Ask Dr Doug!), encourages parents to “trust your intuition when it comes to feeding your baby. Aside from avoiding choking hazards, there is not one right way to introduce solids.” He’s also a fan of simple, natural foods as first options and advises parents to try “veggies, fruits, cereals and meats” first. “Save the chicken pad thai for when they’re a bit older,” he advises.

For parents who are eager to try baby-led weaning, Dr. Fish recommends that food is “either soft enough to be mashed between the roof of the mouth and tongue or hard and tough enough that small chunks cannot be bitten off that might clog the airway.” He also recommends staying away from foods with tough skins and says you should not cut hard or rubbery foods (carrots or a hot dog) into coinshaped pieces.

“Regardless of which feeding method is chosen, I like parents to know that they should offer a single new food at a time, and wait a few days before introducing a new food,” says Dr. Fish.

What the Experts Say Since each child’s nutritional needs and preferences are so unique, pediatricians don’t recommend any one approach, but they’re always there to answer questions. “Probably the most common question I get from parents is around coughing and sputtering when first introducing solids. I typically tell parents that babies have to learn to eat much like they have to learn to do everything else and that a little coughing is part of the learning process,” says Fish.

BETHANY GUMPER

Judith Rich creates kid-inspired recipes and writes about her family’s dining out adventures in the Portland-metro area in her blog, Eaty Pie, eatypie.com.

24

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

good deeds with great kids

cares

FOOD + DINING

We want to make sure all families get enough to eat this holiday season!

Bring the kids and come volunteer with us on November 10 at the Oregon Food Bank.

For ages 6 and up.

Find out more at pdxparent.com.

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

25

Field Trip

just dough

Get your hands messy and bake something delicious with the kids at Cookshop in Southeast PDX. STORY AND PHOTOS BY DENISE CASTAÑON

W

hen my now 6-year-old daughter was a toddler, it was no problem to get her to help in the kitchen. These days it’s much harder to tempt her away from her Incredibles LEGOS to come and cook with me. My 3-year-old son still loves to push a chair over to the counter to help me pour in ingredients whenever I’m baking, but even he is not as enthusiastic as he once was. That’s where I was hoping Cookshop’s Baking with Kids class could help us out.

Cookshop is a new cooking school in Southeast Portland that offers a range of classes for kids, adults and families that build kitchen confidence.

I signed us up for a Sunday morning Baking With Kids class focusing on bagels, something we’d never attempted to do at home.

When we got to the storefront, we saw lots of other families wanted to get in on the baking action, too. Around 15 kids total came out to make bagels. The class is aimed at kids ages 5 to 12, but younger kids were welcome as long as they were supervised by an adult (and there was no extra fee for the adult). Parents of older kids were free to stick around or leave and come back at the end of class. Since 3-year-old Cruz would be attending, I planned on rolling up my sleeves and pitching in.

Our instructor Meredith Mortensen, who is also the owner of Cookshop, smartly had some dough already prepped so the kids could get started right away. Shaping bagels turned out to be much easier than I thought. Mortensen showed us how to roll the dough into a ball, then use our thumbs to create a hole. In no time, my kids were

26

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

rolling bagels like pros. Shaping (i.e. playing with) the dough was their favorite part. (Until it came time to top the bagels.)

Mortensen then walked us through the process of mixing the dough with clear instructions, but when it came time for me and my kids to head to the smaller table and start making the dough, I realized I’d been more focused on keeping my kids in line than taking in the information. I wasn’t the only one. Another mom admitted she couldn’t remember what to do either — even though we had both just heard the instructions. But it was fine, we flagged down Mortensen and got a recap. We found the right bowl of flour to add to the stand mixer and had the kids take turns dumping in the salt, yeast and water, yielding a second round of bagel dough for shaping.

After the second round was shaped, Mortensen showed us how to “give the bagels a bath” in simmering water laced with baking soda. She did all the dunking of bagels to keep the kids from extremely hot water.

And then she let the kids choose their toppings. I asked if Mortensen had any Kosher salt because Adela loves salt bagels; she brought out pretzel

The details: Cookshop Baking with Kids classes are $24 for one child, or $40 for two. (Mini pies are on the menu for November’s Baking with Kids class.) Cookshop also offers a number of afterschool and weekend family cooking classes. 2627 SE Clinton. portlandcookshop.com.

salt, which was even better. Adela was suitably impressed and specifically told her dad about that detail when we got home. Adela and Cruz also put poppy seeds and ground-up, freeze-dried blueberries and raspberries on their bagels. This was their new favorite part. (Until it came time to eat the bagels.) Once all the kids finished topping their bagels, Mortensen popped them in the oven.

Overall the class was quick-moving and fun, even if it felt a little chaotic since I was wrangling a 3-year-old. Given that backdrop, I very much appreciated Mortensen’s super calm and unruffled vibe. When kids got a little too close to the pot of boiling water on the stove or the super hot oven, she quietly, but firmly, gave helpful and specific directives, “When I have the oven open, please stay back by the island.”

That calm demeanor is definitely something I will try to emulate the next time I am baking with my kids at home.

In the end, and perhaps predictably, my kids’ ultimate favorite part of the class was eating the bagels. When we got home we split them open, toasted them and slathered them with butter. (We even chowed down on some the next day, too, since Mortensen gave us the additional unbaked bagels to bake at home.) And all of us agreed they were pretty much the tastiest bagels ever. And I hope the next time I ask my kids if they want to bake with me, they will remember that something you make yourself tastes extra good and rush to the kitchen.

it

Get Cooking: More tasty classes for kids in PDX From burgers to sushi, The Merry Kitchen offers a wide range of drop-off classes and winter break camps. You can also book a private family cooking session. Themerrykitchen.com.

Feed the Mass is a nonprofit that offers low-cost cooking classes. Check out their family sessions and “little chef” classes for ages 4 and up with a grown-up. Feedthemass.com.

Nic & Fig’s in Lake Oswego has classes for makers of all stripes, but offers unique cooking classes for treats like sour gummies and “cheeseburger” cupcakes for ages 8 and older.

Nicandfigs.com.

Managing editor Denise Castañon might even attempt to bake some bagels with her kids for her extended family over the holidays. pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

27

How We Live

Road Rules Two parents, a baby and a German Shepherd climbed into an RV. Find out what happens next ... BY ERIN J. BERNARD

BRITTY MURAWINSKI

For more ways families are dealing with our housing market, visit: pdxparent.com/how_we_live

T

28

eagerly exchange ideas and encouragement online, especially on heir story started typically, with a serendipitous Tinder swipe to Instagram. the right, but when it came time to plot the course of their lives They’re still perfecting their approach. It costs around $900 a together, Danny and Britty Murawinski, ages 32 and 27, opted for a month to park their RV, pay utilities and cover the loan payment — far less ordinary route. cheap but not negligible; laundry is a perpetual puzzle, especially They connected over a shared desire to live nomadically from when you cloth-diaper; and things in an RV tend to break. that very first date at Hopworks Urban Brewery in 2014, Britty “Every time we drive, it’s the equivalent of putting a house through Murawinski recalls: “I said, ‘I want to live in an RV, travel around the an earthquake,” says Danny Murawinski, who’s learned to fix country and raise a family on the road. And Danny said, ‘Are you generators, fridges, faucets and pipes. serious? That’s my dream, too!’”

But mobile living also encourages simplicity, with an active From there, things moved fast. Within three years, they had lifestyle standing in for an overflowing toybox. Jude first slept moved into an RV with their German shepherd, Wy’East, gotten through the night while the family was camping under the stars at engaged, and become unexpectedly pregnant. the Painted Hills.

A surprise baby only deepened their wanderlust, and they knew Their ultimate Adventure Parenting goal: to travel full-time, from dealings with the online RV community that other parents working completely remotely. They’re making inroads on that cultivated similarly nomadic ambitions. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, dream with a nascent e-commerce baby clothing venture, Jude Bug. we’re gonna be one of those families!’” says Britty Murawinski.

Its flagship product: a smarter, simpler onesie, easier to put on and “[Having Jude] actually gave us more of a drive to keep up the remove. traveling.”

Where to next? They’re considering a 12-cities-in-12-months And so, four days after Jude’s birth last spring, they set out on expedition that would begin in the Bay Area before winding through their maiden voyage as a family of three: a six-week, cross-country through Texas, Florida, Maine, Illinois and Montana. They also dream adventure from Portland to the East Coast to visit family. of eventually trading asphalt for ocean and moving into a sailboat.

By Jude’s one-week birthday, they were halfway across the Wherever this journey leads, the United States; by two months of age, Jude had Murawinskis are out to prove that visited 25 states.

Connect with the Murawinski Family! parenthood is just the beginning of the Now they’re back in Oregon, parked on a adventure, regardless of whether your two-acre farm in Boring. Britty’s blogging about Instagram: @newfamilydream home has wheels. their lifestyle, plus working as a doula, lactation Youtube: New Family Dream “We’ve talked to so many parents consultant and nanny in Portland; Danny is who just had a baby and said, ‘I’m too a Lyft driver, digital marketer and occasional scared to go camping,’ but sure enough snowboard coach. And they explore the Pacific they went and did it and came back, and it wasn’t terrible!” says Britty Northwest whenever the desire strikes, which is pretty much weekly.

Murawinski. “Our ultimate message is: You can do it — and it can be The Murawinskis call it “Adventure Parenting,” and the ethos is really fun.” attracting a ballooning audience of curious parents, with whom they Erin J. Bernard is a freelance writer and editor living the dream in Northeast Portland, where she resides with her husband and their bossy 2-year-old daughter. She spends her (nonexistent) free time eating tamales, scoping out garage sales, and blogging about the creative life at ejbwritingstudio.com.

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

❤

y

y

kids MU S E UM S

c

❤

y I

M Gi

A

next

PDX Parent’s Guide to

Fun, Educational, Kid-friendly Museums

* m❤ aT

N

iO

n

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

29

Portland Art Museum Why Kids ♥ It Talking about what they see and what they think.

Trying their own hand at sketching.

Why Parents ♥ It Time to connect with kids and family in a environment that encourages observation, reflection and conversation.

MUSEUM INFO Address: 1219 SW Park Ave., Portland, OR 97205 Website: portlandartmuseum.org Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday: 10 am-5 pm; Thursday-Friday: 10 am-8 pm; Saturday-Sunday: 10 am-5 pm.

Admission: Kids 17 and under are free. General admission: $20; seniors (ages 62+) and college students: $17.

Additional admission access offers available — visit portlandartmuseum.org/plan-your-visit/ admissionaccess-programs.

Free/Discounted Days: Free First Thursday: every first Thursday of the month (5 pm-8 pm); $5 After 5 pm: every Friday; quarterly Miller Family Free Days (dates vary).

Museum Café: Museum Grounds Inclusivity Information: portlandartmuseum.org/plan-your-visit/accessibility

SHARE YOUR SELFIE Snap a pic and share it

with us at #kidsheartmuseums, #portlandartmuseum.

Robert Melee Sculptures

Special Events for Families/Kids: Family tours, Sundays at 12:30 pm.

Baby Mornings, the first Thursday of each month, starting at 10 am.

Reciprocal Memberships: Enjoy reciprocal admission to select art museums

around the county when you become a member at the Friend level and above.

Get Social: facebook.com/portlandartmuseum | Instagram: @portlandartmuseum Twitter: @pdxartmuseum

Dan Flavin Neon

These colorful statues

by Robert Melee that preside over the outdoor sculpture mall look like a million melted crayons!

This piece is a visitor favorite.

Have your littles strike a pose in front of it for a cool lighting effect.

Robert Melee (American, born 1966), Her Leaving, 2008, enamel paint on bronze.

Dan Flavin (American, 1933-1996), untitled (to Donna) 2, 1971, fluorescent light.

30

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

Jeppe Hein, Please Participate This new neon installation is both beautiful to look at and inspiring to read.

Jeppe Hein (Danish, born 1974), Please Participate, 2015, neon tubes and transformers.

Kehinde Wiley This commanding Kehinde Wiley piece may look familiar. The artist is the same one who painted Barak Obama’s official portrait.

Kehinde Wiley (American, born 1977). Indio Cuauhtemoc (World Stage: Brazil), 2017. Oil on canvas. Collection of Arlene and Harold Schnitzer.

Oregon Zoo Why Kids ♥ It What could be better than getting up close and personal with some of the most amazing animals on earth? From watching Lily the elephant swim in her pool to racing a cheetah to standing like a flamingo, kids never tire of interacting with their favorite wildlife.

Why Parents ♥ It The zoo is the perfect outing! Kids can expend some energy playing in nature, and have their minds engaged while being delighted by wildlife.

Parents love getting

MUSEUM INFO

outside, the variety of food and beverage options

Address: 4001 SW Canyon Rd., Portland, OR 97221

that appeal to both kids

Website: oregonzoo.org

and grown-ups (including Oregon beer & wine!). There

Hours: Opens at 9:30 am. Closing times are seasonal — see website.

are plenty of indoor viewing

Admission: Seasonal prices — see website.

Free/Discounted Days: $5 per person admission every day for qualifying families. See oregonzoo.org/ForAll.

options as well, so the zoo is appealing no matter the weather.

Zoo Cafés: Yes, multiple.

Programs for Homeschoolers: Downloadable grade-specific field trip activity guides available.

Camps/Classes: oregonzoo.org/camp Special Events for Families/Kids: Many! Check the schedule at oregonzoo.org/events.

Reciprocal Memberships: Limited — see website.

Get Social: facebook.com/oregonzoo | Instagram: @oregonzoo

SHARE YOUR SELFIE Snap a pic and share it

Twitter: @oregonzoo

with us at #kidsheartmuseums, #oregonzoo.

Predators of the Serengeti Take a selfie with the lions and cheetahs behind you.

Steller Cove See the seals gliding through a sunlit pool.

Elephant Plaza

Family Farm

Watch the Asian elephants have a slam-dunk pool party.

Document your condor wings or meet the goat kids.

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

31

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry ( OMSI ) Why Kids ♥ It See what outer space looks like, make goo in crazy colors while wearing fun goggles, design your own boat, launch a water rocket. A day at OMSI is always a new adventure!

Why Parents ♥ It A day of play at OMSI is fun, and key to early childhood development.

Exploring, observing, and asking questions through hands-on science activities helps young learners develop

MUSEUM INFO

critical skills for the future,

Address: 1945 SE Water Ave., Portland, OR 97214

including problem solving, communication, attention to detail, and a love of learning.

Website: omsi.edu Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 9:30 am-5:30 pm. Closed Mondays.

Admission: General admission: $14.50; youth: $9.75; seniors: $11.25. Free for members.

Free/Discounted Days: $2 general admission on the first Sunday of every month.

Museum Café: Theory (restaurant), and Empirical Café (coffee, pastries, snacks).

Reciprocal Memberships: Association of Science – Technology Centers (ASTC).

SHARE YOUR SELFIE

Get Social: facebook.com/OMSI.Museum | Instagram: @omsi | Twitter: @omsi

Snap a pic and share it

with us at #kidsheartmuseums, #omsi.

Giant OMSI Located near the OMSI north parking lot, this pictureperfect spot is where memories are made.

32

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

Exploring New Galaxies Ever wondered what you’d look like with a space suit on?

Now you’ll know!

Portland’s Biggest Instrument You can see it from the Portland skyline, but did you know you could also make music with OMSI’s smokestack?

Goggles? Check!

Who knew safe science was so Instagrammable?

Portland Children´s Museum Why Kids ♥ It With endless materials and activities for children to explore, the museum is a perfect place for children to engage in playful learning experiences as they imagine, design, invent and create.

Why Parents ♥ It Visiting museum exhibits can help children develop innovative problem-solving skills, feeding their love of learning. Grown-ups can enjoy playing right alongside their children, nurturing their own curiosity, creativity and empathy.

MUSEUM INFO Address: 4015 SW Canyon Rd., Portland, OR 97221 Website: portlandcm.org Hours: 9 am-5 pm Admission: General admission (ages 1-64): $11; under age 1: free; seniors (ages 65+): $10; military: $9.

Free for members.

Free/Discounted Days: Admission is just $3 per person between 9 am - noon every second Sunday of the month. Once you’re here, stay to play all day!

Museum Café: Yes! 9 am-4 pm.

Camps/Classes: Yes! More info at portlandcm.org/visit/camps-classes Inclusivity Information: portlandcm.org/join/family-access-program Special Events for Families/Kids: Special events every day!

Get Social: facebook.com/portlandcm | Instagram: @portlandchildrensmuseum Twitter: @portlandcm

SHARE YOUR SELFIE Snap a pic and share it

with us at #kidsheartmuseums, #portlandchildrensmuseum.

Photo Op Take a photo of the whole family in our iconic photo frame before you start your adventure at Portland Children’s Museum!

The Market Food Truck What’s a visit to Portland without a food truck selfie? Snap a picture of your culinary creation in The Market, our garden-to-table exhibit.

Clay Studio Your child’s imagination will soar with open-ended sensory exploration in our Clay Studio.

Don’t forget to snap a photo of the finished piece!

Zany Maze Tour Zany Maze and be sure to get a photo with the garden as the backdrop! While you’re there stop and smell the flowers and herbs, touch soft plants, and visit the Bee Hotel.

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

33

Oregon Historical Society Why Kids ♥ It With three floors of exhibits featuring ancient artifacts, digital interactives, and hands-on games and activities, the Oregon Historical Society brings history to life for kids of all ages!

Why Parents ♥ It The Oregon Historical Society’s permanent History Hub exhibit tells stories of the diverse people and events that have shaped Oregon history. It’s designed for kids, by kids, but there’s so much to learn for the

MUSEUM INFO

history buff of any age!

Address: 1200 SW Park Ave., Portland, OR 97205 Website: ohs.org Hours: Monday-Saturday: 10 am-5 pm; Sunday: Noon-5 pm.

Admission: General admission: $11; ages 6-18: $5. Free for children ages 5 and under, and all Multnomah County residents.

Reciprocal Memberships: ohs.org/join/reciprocal-membership.cfm Get Social: facebook.com/oregonhistory Instagram: @oregonhistoricalsociety | Twitter: @OrHist

SHARE YOUR SELFIE Snap a pic and share it

with us at #kidsheartmuseums, #oregonhistoricalsociety.

Board Game This interactive game can be played solo or with the whole family. Players journey through Oregon history in the shoes of one of six different individuals.

34

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

Abigail Scott Duniway’s Typewriter This typewriter is one of many artifacts in History Hub. It belonged to Abigail Scott Duniway, a leader in Oregon’s suffrage movement, which gave women the right to vote.

Stand Up for Fairness This section of History Hub asks students to think about ways that they have stood up for fairness in their school or community. Using sticky notes, visitors can add their voice to a display in the exhibit.

Book Nook The History Hub “book nook” is the perfect way to cap off your visit.

Reflect on what you have learned by reading more about the different cultures that have shaped Oregon’s history.

Rice Museum of Rocks & Minerals Why Kids ♥ It The inside of the museum is home to sparkling crystals, rocks that glow under ultra-violet light, giant thunder eggs, fossilized dinosaurs and their poop. The outside of the museum has lush green lawns and room to run! Plus, every kid leaves here with a free rock from our rock pile.

Why Parents ♥ It The museum is located in the historic home of Richard and Helen Rice.

An outstanding example

MUSEUM INFO

of mid-century modern

Address: 26385 NW Groveland Dr., Hillsboro, OR 97214

architecture, parents

Website: ricenorthwestmuseum.org

marvel at the building as much as the collection of

Hours: Wednesday-Friday: 1 pm-5 pm; Saturday-Sunday: 10 am-5 pm.

Admission: Ages 18-59: $12; ages 5-17, and military/veterans: $8; Seniors (60+): $10. Free for members and

children 4 and under.

Free/Discounted Days: Free: Northwest Fossil Fest by North America Research Group on the second Saturday

in August. Washington County Library patrons can reserve a Cultural Pass to Adventure for free admission for two individuals. Discounted: Thunder-Egg-Stravaganza and Summer Festival.

fine minerals, appreciate the science exploration focus, and love our picnic area and outdoor space.

Programs for Homeschoolers: Yes! ricenorthwestmuseum.org/education/small-school-home-school-tours/ Special Events for Families/Kids: Mystery Mineral Day (last Saturday in February); Thunder-Egg-Stravaganza (Saturday before Easter); Summer Festival (first weekend in August).

Reciprocal Memberships: Portland Attraction Marketing Alliance — ricenorthwestmuseum.org/membership

Snap a pic and share it

Get Social: facebook.com/RiceNWMuseum

with us at #kidsheartmuseums,

Instagram: @RiceNWMuseum | Twitter: @RiceNWMuseum

Opal-filled Thunder Egg The largest opal-filled thunder egg found to date is from Oregon.

SHARE YOUR SELFIE

Basalt Column Columnar basalt is common around the volcanoes of Oregon and Washington.

#ricenwmuseum.

Gibeon Meteorite

Alma Rose Rhodochrosite Touch a 210 pound iron meteorite from outer space.

Save the best for last and head downstairs to the Master Gallery and see the Alma Rose.

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

35

End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive & Visitor Information Center Why Kids ♥ It Hands-on activities bring the Oregon Trail to life. Kids can pack a wagon, dress up in pioneer clothes, sign a land claim, and make candles, butter, rag dolls, and other crafts they are welcome to take home!

Why Parents ♥ It Historically clothed interpreters and the 25-minute feature film Bound for Oregon help visitors experience history for themselves. Exhibits made in partnership with Oregon Black Pioneers and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde share the authentic stories of diverse Oregon Trail pioneers. An on-site state and county welcome center can help parents plan their next outing with lots of information on other

MUSEUM INFO Address: 1726 Washington St., Oregon City, OR 97045 Website: historicoregoncity.org Hours: Monday-Saturday: 9:30 am-5:00 pm; Sunday: 10:30 am-5:00 pm. Last admission at 4 pm.

Admission: General admission: $13; seniors (60+): $9; youth (13-18): $9; children (4-12): $7. Children 3 and under, and active military personnel (with ID), are free.

Free/Discounted Days: Use the Clackamas County Library Cultural Pass for free admission for up

interesting sites in

to two adults and six children.

Oregon City and beyond.

Museum Café: Gift shop includes a variety of local snacks and beverages.

Programs for Homeschoolers: Customized packages available.

SHARE YOUR SELFIE Snap a pic and share it

with us at #kidsheartmuseums,

Special Events for Families/Kids: Heartstrings musical duo performances monthly; check website for details and other events.

Reciprocal Memberships: Clackamas County Heritage Council sites, such as Philip Foster Farm, Museum of the Oregon Territory, and more.

#historicoregoncity.

Hank the Buffalo

Just how big are buffalo? And why on earth would children on the Oregon Trail gather their poop? These are questions Hank the Buffalo can answer for you, if you pet him nicely!

36

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

Prairie Schooner The wagons that brought the pioneers across the Trail had to be sturdy to survive the 2,000-mile trip! See for yourself in the exhibit and consider what you would have packed in them.

Land Claim Office

This is where pioneers had to complete the paperwork to receive 640 acres of free land — 1 whole square mile! This is the main reason people decided to cross the Oregon Trail.

Heritage Garden This heritage garden grows the kinds of plants many pioneers brought with them as seeds or clippings. It is maintained by the Master Gardeners and has the official End of the Oregon Trail marker.

Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum Why Kids ♥ It The museum strives to ignite a passion for aviation and space exploration in youth through interactive displays such as our Titan II Missile launch room, various flight simulators, and static air and spacecraft displays.

Why Parents ♥ It There’s something for everyone — interactives for kids and adults, two giant buildings packed with air and spacecraft, a large-format movie theater, and more than 250 experienced volunteers who

MUSEUM INFO

bring displays to life. The museum offers a variety of

Address: 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, McMinnville, OR 97128

experiences, providing a

Website: evergreenmuseum.org

family-friendly outing that

Hours: 9 am-5 pm. Closed Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

can be enjoyed by all ages.

Admission: General admission (ages 17-64): $27; seniors (ages 65+): $24; kids (ages 5-16): $19. Children younger than 5 and active military personnel (with ID), are free.

Free/Discounted Days: Veterans Day: Veterans plus one guest receive free admission.

Programs for Homeschoolers: Every month, our education department hosts Home School Days focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Camps/Classes: Visit evergreenmuseum.org/educational-programs

SHARE YOUR SELFIE

Reciprocal Memberships: Association of Science – Technology Centers (ATSC), Portland Attractions Marketing Alliance Reciprocal Membership Program.

Snap a pic and share it

Get Social: facebook.com/EvergreenMuseum

with us at #kidsheartmuseums,

Instagram: @evergreenmuseum | Twitter: @evergreenmuseum

#evergreenmuseum.

DC-3 Tour Area One of the greatest aircraft ever built, our DC-3 has flown more than 15 million passenger miles.

Tours available.

Titan II Missile This former satellite launch vehicle stands in launch position in our Space Museum building. Don’t miss the control room experience located beneath it!

Mercury Capsule Exhibit Kids can interact with a mock-up of the capsule, then see Serial Number 10, one of 20 real capsules built for the Mercury Program.

Spruce Goose The crown jewel of our museum was intended for troop/tank transport during World War II. Step inside the cargo area of the largest aircraft at that time. pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

37

Columbia River Maritime Museum Why Kids ♥ It Kids love our hands-on experiences, including a green screen where they can give a weather report.

Families can also tour a decommissioned floating lightship.

Why Parents ♥ It “The initial displays of ships with hands-on for the kids was great. One display goes into details of the USCG rescue school and boats, which was very interesting. We had no idea the Columbia River mouth area was so dangerous. The back half of the museum was great to tie in the history of navigation with practical tools of shipping,

MUSEUM INFO Address: 1792 Marine Dr., Astoria, OR, 97103

technology, etc. Kids loved

Website: crmm.org

the FLIR display. Parents will

Hours: 9:30 am-5:00 pm.

appreciate its ‘right size’.”

(Eric W., TripAdvisor).

Admission: General admission: $14; seniors (ages 65+): $12; kids (ages 6-17):$5. Kids under 6 and active duty military: free.

Free/Discounted Days: November 4 is Community Day at the Maritime Museum! Admission is free with a donation of canned goods or cash to the Clatsop Community Action Regional Food Bank.

Programs for Homeschoolers: There are several options for onsite programs for homeschoolers.

View all education programs online at crmm.org/maritime-museum-school-offerings.html

SHARE YOUR SELFIE Snap a pic and share it

with us at #kidsheartmuseums,

Reciprocal Memberships: The Columbia River Maritime Museum works with the Portland Attractions Marketing Alliance to offer reciprocal admission privileges for one month during the year. View the schedule at crmm.org/maritime-museum-events.html.

Get Social: facebook.com/Columbia-River-Maritime-Museum Instagram: @columbiarivermaritimemuseum

#columbiarivermaritimemuseum.

Why Don’t I Feel Well?

Seasickness certainly spoils a perfectly fun boating trip. It’s really just motion sickness, like getting carsick or when you feel queasy after a carnival ride.

38

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

What’s the Weather?

Try giving a weather forecast!

There will be three scenes, including the five-day forecast, “live” from the South Jetty, and the regional conditions.

U.S.S. Knapp Explore the bridge of the U.S.S. Knapp, a Fletcher-class destroyer.

After decommissioning, the entire bridge was donated to the museum.

Weighing in at 13 tons, she was barged down the Columbia River from Portland.

Take the Helm This towboat wheelhouse is specially designed for travel on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. It sits high atop the towboat, giving the captain a clear view beyond the barges ahead.

Gilbert House Children´s Museum Why Kids ♥ It Ready, set, play! Our 20,000-square-foot Outdoor Discovery Area will delight your senses as you climb, dig, slide and explore! Step inside to find 15 hands-on exhibits, where you can role-play a variety of kidsized careers, create a work of art, or take part in an engineering challenge.

You’ll find endless hours of entertainment, just for kids.

Why Parents ♥ It A short hop from Portland, Gilbert House offers a unique family experience, providing hands-on learning

MUSEUM INFO

and discovery through exhibits that inspire creative

Address: 116 Marion St. NE, Salem, OR 97301

play in the areas of science,

Website: acgilbert.org

technology, engineering,

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 10 am-5 pm. Summer hours: Monday-Sunday: 10 am-5 pm.

art, and math. Watch your little ones develop new

Admission: Ages 2-59: $8; seniors (60+) and military: $7; children under 1: free. Free for members.

interests, engage with new

Free/Discounted Days: Free admission on February 18, Legacy of Play; June 24, Summer Block Party.

technology, and gain a new perspective on the world

Programs for Homeschoolers: Yes! Please visit acgilbert.org/homeschool-adventures

around them.

Camps/Classes: Yes! Please visit acgilbert.org/classes-workshops Special Events for Families/Kids: “Noon Year’s Eve” celebration, December 31. Check our event calendar for more seasonal activities: acgilbert.org/event-calendar

SHARE YOUR SELFIE

Reciprocal Memberships: Association of Science – Technology Centers (ATSC), Travel Passport Program.

Get Social: facebook.com/gilberthouse | Instagram: @gilbert_house

Snap a pic and share it

Twitter: @Gilberthouse

with us at #kidsheartmuseums, #gilberthouse.

VetClinic

Be a veterinarian for the day!

The Vet Clinic will spur your child’s imagination with an exam table, colorful kennel, washing station, X-ray viewer, and a reception desk for secretarial work.

Lights!

Camera!

Action!

Step into a production studio just for kids! Explore our new green-screen technology as you act or perform in a variety of digital environments. You can even view yourself in real-time on a digital monitor.

Farm to Table Plant and harvest your own crops, gather your own eggs, serve up a farm-fresh meal, and milk Annabelle, the Gilbert House cow!

Salem Station Explore different modes of transportation as you navigate, explore, and construct.

Engineer a bridge with magnetic wooden blocks, create your own town at an interactive table, drive a bus, or enjoy the electric train! pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

39

Hands On Children ´s Museum Why Kids ♥ It

150 interactive exhibits including Emergency!, Ballcano, art studio, MakeSpace and twostory climber. Wonder awaits in the Outdoor Discovery Center featuring Lighthouse Lookout, Trike Loop, Children’s Garden, Northwest Naturalist Cabin and more! Don’t miss special event dates during spring and winter break weeks, Summer Splash!

Festival, Boo Bash, and “Noon Year’s Eve” Party.

Why Parents ♥ It

Washington’s awardwinning museum on Olympia’s waterfront, adjacent to WET Science Center and a plaza with a 250-foot interactive stream. Near Farmer’s Market, Percival Landing and the downtown.

Beautiful, clean facility featuring yummy fresh food in the café. Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence and winner for Best KidFriendly Fun in the Best of Western Washington!

MUSEUM INFO Address: 414 Jefferson St. NE, Olympia, WA 98501 Website: hocm.org Hours: Monday–Saturday: 10 am-5 pm; Sunday 11 am-5 pm.

Admission: General admission (ages 2-64): $13.95; seniors (65+): $11.95; military / foster family / first responder (with valid ID): $11.95; babies (0-23 months): free. Free for members.

Free/Discounted Days: Free First Friday Nights, 5 pm-9 pm. See hocm.org for more.

Museum Café: Yes! hocm.org/cafe Programs for Homeschoolers: Yes! hocm.org/field-trips Camps/Classes: Yes! hocm.org/camps Inclusivity Information: hocm.org/sensory-friendly-events

SHARE YOUR SELFIE Snap a pic and share it

with us at #kidsheartmuseums Eagle’s Nest Challenge yourself! Explore a two-story climber and enter a lifesized eagle’s nest 20 feet in the air! Spot the eagle flying in, and then come swirling down the stream slide into Puget Sound Gallery.

40

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

Special Events for Families/Kids: Summer Splash! (June-August),

Boo Bash (Saturday and Sunday before Halloween), Noon Year’s Eve (December 31).

Reciprocal Memberships: Yes! hocm.org/membership Get Social: facebook.com/handsonchildrensmuseum | Twitter: @HandsOnMuseum Cargo Ship Captain a two-story cargo ship and explore Puget Sound sea life up close as you crawl through the hull. Operate a crane on the port’s working waterfront, and make and float your own boat!

Lighthouse Lookout Climb the giant 32-foot lighthouse and get a birds-eyeview of the Outdoor Discovery Center, complete with mama and baby orcas, Puget Sound driftwood fort construction, trike-and-hike loop, and more!

MakeSpace Let’s make something!

Children and their parents can design, tinker, experiment and create using hot glue guns, hand tools, electric scissors, circuits, silkscreen presses and more!

This Mom Life

W

e’re supposed to so much about him that be best friends, they wanted to get him y’all, but no one told me on the right track as soon how hard the transition as possible. I thought to kindergarten could be. about how thankful I was Last year, my daughter that he even has a school waltzed into it with ease. to go to, a bus to ride, and Sure, we had some tears a lunch in his backpack and tired tantrums from when he gets there. the exhaustion of the Rough as the transition early morning schedule, was, the situation but by and large, she could’ve been a lot worse. took to it just fine. We Not being one to miss only ever heard good a teachable moment, things from her teacher, I stole another idea she did and said all the from the same book right things, and was — Being Thankful by like a mini Mary Poppins Mercer Mayer — and — practically perfect in had my children each every way. create a “thankful rock.”

This year, my son, They each picked out a however, is having a rock from around our rough time. I’m talking apartment complex “teething baby wakes you and got to coloring and up for the day at 4 am painting. While they and you’re out of coffee got their craft on, we and your car’s in the shop talked about not only and the dog ate your debit what we’re thankful for, card so you can’t even go but why gratitude is so buy coffee” rough. important.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY TONI HAMMER On day two, I got a call I’m grateful that that he got kicked in the face by accident because he crawled into his because of where we live, I’m able to take my kids on adventures friend’s bathroom stall once he was done with his own business. On even though I’m unable to drive. Because my husband got a job out in day three his teacher called, asking me to help remind him at home to Beaverton, I get to live mere feet away from one of my best friends. keep his hands to himself while she worked with him at school. And We have a roof over our heads, an obscene amount of fruit snacks in on day four, because of some poor behavior and disobedience, I got our pantry, and a bathroom with running water that is clean when called into the principal’s office. company is coming over.

My daughter said she was thankful for her friends at school and In my entire elementary school career, I never even saw my all of her art supplies. I heard that as, “I’m thankful for other people principal’s office. Let alone in kindergarten. On the fourth day of the that love me as much as I love them and the ability and instruments school year. to create.” My son, my sweet boy having a rough time, said he was Rough, I tell you. thankful for a playground to play on and that he finally got to be in So, yeah — the transition was hard on all of us and there were kindergarten. Despite the difficult time he and I were having, he still many moments when I felt like the world’s worst mom because he’s was so excited and joyful as he looked toward the adventures that lay my spawn and I created him so therefore everything is all my fault. ahead of him. I took a cue from him and chose to trust him and I am so One night, though, I was reading to my kids the books they picked happy to report that things have gotten much, much better for all of us. out for bedtime stories and by a serendipitous stroke of luck it was That’s not to say things have been perfect. We were still getting about a little boy learning to be thankful. I know gratitude is all the calls from the assistant principal well into October. But life isn’t about rage these days, and this is so cliché with Thanksgiving coming up, being perfect — it’s about progress. I’m thankful I can confidently but it really helped this tired mom. say he’s making progress in school and I’m making progress in I thought about how thankful I was that my son was making communicating with him. And in a few weeks we’ll both be making friends so fast that he had no personal boundaries with them. I progress on some turkey and pumpkin pie. Happy holidays everyone. thought about how thankful I was his teacher and principal cared

Silver Linings Playbook A rough start to the school year turns into a chance to count a family’s blessings

Toni Hammer and her family live in Beaverton. She spends her free time avoiding deadlines, drinking too much coffee, and wondering why she can’t sleep at night. pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

41

SPECIAL ADVERTORIAL SECTION

SHO P

AL C LO

Give stuffies that save the planet! The stuffing and fur of the Pluff Recycled Plush Animals are made with recycled bottle fiber. Plus, they are colored using eco-friendly dyes and processes. Available in elephant, giraffe, tiger and wolf. $17.99 each.

Oregon Zoo oregonzoo.org/visit/gift-shop ‘Tis the season for the festive Jellycat Robyn Reindeer! Jellycat’s soft plushies are made with quality and style — and have earned the love of countless families. Start the holidays

Show your love for all things

with Kids at Heart at Neighborhood Toy

local with original designs

Store Day, November 10, and Little Boxes

created by Salty Raven.

November 23-25!

Inspired by our beautiful state,

Kids at Heart Toys

they make great gifts for all

kidsathearttoys.com

ages. Screen printed by hand in

3445 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

Portland, they are the best way

Open Monday-Saturday, 10 am-7 pm;

to show some state love!

Sunday, 10 am-6 pm.

Presents of Mind presentsofmind.tv

What’s a gift that lasts 362 days, good in rain or shine, and brings the sciencefueled fun for every season?

An OMSI membership, of course! For a limited time, save 15 percent on all levels of OMSI membership.

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

an ice-skating season pass to enjoy unlimited admission to Christmas in the Garden, indoor ice skating and skate rental for the duration of the event. The festivities go until December 31.

(Offer valid:

Passes start at $30.

11 / 23 / 18 – 1 / 1 / 19.)

The Oregon Garden

OMSI

christmasinthegarden.com

omsi.edu

42

Celebrate the season at Christmas in the Garden at The Oregon Garden in Silverton. Get

Silverton, OR

What does the beautiful HABA Kullerbu City Stroll play track build? Fine motor skills, concentration and imagination.

Think wooden train meets large marble run. Lots of ramps and curves challenge three little speedsters around the track.

Ages 2 and older. $99.99.

Mudpuddles mudpuddlestoys.com

Bigfoot has never been so cuddly! Pick your size of Bigfoot plushie by Squishable and give someone special the joy of cuddling up with the Pacific Northwest’s undefeated hide-and-seek champion!

Presents of Mind presentsofmind.tv

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

43

Family Supper

Alright stop … and tuck into legit Laotian street food at Cully Central.

STORY AND PHOTO

BY JULIA SILVERMAN

Rice, Rice Baby

For more kid-friendly restaurant reviews, visit: pdxparent.com/family-supper

U

44

sually, when a new restaurant with a play area opens up in Portland, families are all over it like, well, white on rice.

Cully Central, a Laotian street-food joint and bar located in a fully transformed strip club in its namesake (and, yes, gentrifying quickly) neighborhood, is an exception to the rule. The space has flown slightly under the radar since it opened early last summer; when we walked in at about 6 pm on a recent Friday night, there were still empty tables to be had, though several families had already settled in for their meal.

You can’t miss the supremely Instagrammable chalkboard wall anchoring the spacious play area, which contains a toy kitchen, train tracks and a toy bin with blocks and books. Look around a little more and you’ll spy high chairs, board games for kids big and little, and a roomy outdoor patio with giant Jenga, firepits and a Frisbee golf cage.

My kids were endlessly amused by the hilariously throwback music videos that were playing on a TV above the bar — think Vanilla Ice doing whatever that was in an abandoned warehouse. (According to published reports, the owners of Cully Central have also paid for a full season’s worth of televised Blazers games, even the non-home games, making it an especially good hang for Rip City fans.)

You’re sold, right? It gets better: The food is genuinely good, particularly if you’re already an enthusiast of southeast Asian cuisine. Fans of Pok Pok and its legions of imitators will recognize and enjoy Cully Central’s puckery take on papaya salad for $7 (Pro tip: I like spicy food, and the mild level was about all I could take; progress further at your peril) and the perfect portions of steamed sticky rice that come with just about every meal. You order at the bar from a laminated menu that’s got pictures of each dish for the uninitiated, and take a number; the food came pretty quickly, within 15 minutes or so. I hope they print up another menu or two, as we hogged the single copy for quite a while, which could get annoying if there’s a long line.

My daughter had the vegetarian version of the restaurant’s signature Nam Khao ($10), lettuce-wrapped crispy rice that comes studded with fresh herbs, veggies, flecks of coconut and a hot pepper or two — one of which she unfortunately bit into, with predictably miserable results. It was OK, a few bits of sticky rice soon helped cool things down.

My carnivorous son ordered what I thought was the best plate of the night — tender chunks of grilled brisket with a smoky tomato dipping sauce, sided by sliced cucumbers ($10). He traded me for pieces of my sesame-seed flecked Laotian beef jerky ($10). I regret not ordering an extra to-go portion — it would make a great proteinheavy after-school snack. For kids who are less adventurous, there is a gently priced, somewhat incongruous bar menu of staples, including corn dogs, fries and tater tots, all for about $5.

Local beer dominates the alcohol list, with Hood River-based Pfriem, Astoria’s Buoy Beer and Bend-based Crux on tap at the time of our visit, along with local favorites like Ecliptic and Breakside.

We couldn’t resist dessert, and tried both of the menu’s sweet offerings — the deep fried bananas in eggroll wrappers, drizzled with chocolate syrup and dusted with powdered sugar and the sweet coconut rice with chunks of fresh mango, $3 and $5 respectively.

The bananas weren’t a hit with our crew, but we polished off all the slightly syrupy dessert rice. Afterwards, we lingered for awhile to finish our game of Apples to Apples; Cully Central is the kind of unhurried place that invites that kind of time-taking. But any restaurant with food like that plus a play area isn’t going to stay undiscovered by the hordes for much longer.

4579 NE Cully Blvd., facebook.com/cullycentral. Monday-Friday, 11 am-10 pm; Saturday, 11 am-10 pm; Sunday, 10 am-9 pm.

Julia Silverman is the editor of PDX Parent. When she runs out of fish sauce, she has to restock immediately, in order to feel that all is right with the world.

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

fu 3 tablespoons ketchup 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper 1 pound of organic ground beef 4 medallions of ovoline (fresh mozzarella cheese), halved and then quartered

Looking for more kid-friendly recipes? Visit pdxparent.com/recipe-file

A

1 egg

OT

ICH

2 garlic cloves, minced

PH

HR

¼ cup breadcrumbs, such as Panko

Recipe File

D IT

½ cup onion, chopped

ND

Zpaghetti & Meatballs

love a classic spaghetti and meatball night as much as the next parent, but I’m also keen on keeping things new and interesting. I recently tried out a new version of this dish, using zucchini noodles, or “zpaghetti” as it is known in our house, in place of traditional pasta noodles. (They are also known as zoodles.) I was glad to find that the kids enjoyed eating them as much as they loved making them!

A key piece of equipment you’ll need to make your zpaghetti is either a Spiralizer or a hand spiral slicer you can get at your local

Ingredients

YA

JU

I

Mini Meatballs Serves 4

STOR

BY

ative to a k n r idte l fr a i n

sic.

O

clas y dl n e

Target, Fred Meyer or Walmart. I’ve seen alternatives out there for less than $10. (And if you are short on time, New Seasons, Whole Foods and other stores carry “zoodles” in their produce sections.)

In terms of preparation, I recommend making the meatballs first, as they take a little longer to cook. Saving the noodles for last is a good idea, as they not only cook quickly but you’ll also ensure they stay nice and warm before topping them with mini meatballs and sauce. Feel free to add your favorite fresh herbs such as basil or parsley on top.

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400˚ F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Zucchini Noodles 3 medium zucchini (the noodles will reduce quite a bit after cooking)

2. Mix together first seven ingredients, onions through black pepper.

1 tablespoon olive oil

3. Add in the beef until well incorporated. Shape into 1 - 1½-inch balls.

Store-bought marinara sauce

4. Make a small indentation in the balls and stuff the mozzarella in the middle. Make sure the cheese is fully covered by the meat. Place meatballs on foil-lined baking sheet.

5. Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Salt and pepper to taste Handful of fresh herbs, such as basil or parsley, coarsely chopped 1. Spiralize the zucchini into thin noodles.

2. Heat large pan with the olive oil until hot.

3. Add zucchini and cook for about 1-2 minutes for al dente texture.

4. Serve immediately and top with mini meatballs, marinara sauce and fresh herbs.

Judith Rich creates kid-inspired recipes and writes about her family’s dining out adventures in and around Portland at her blog, Eaty Pie, eatypie.com. pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

45

PORTLAND VETERANS’ DAY PARADE

Time Out

those who served Salute our former servicemen and women at the Portland Veterans’ Day Parade in the Hollywood

NORTHWEST FILM CENTER

director’s cut Come catch the next great American film director on the way up. The makers whose films are showing in the juried Fresh Film Northwest series, a part of the Northwest Filmmakers Festival, are all between the ages of 13 and 19 years old. And they all hail from the Upper Left — Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and British Columbia.

Saturday, November 3, at Whitsell Auditorium inside the Portland Art Museum. Visit nwfilm.org for showtimes and ticket prices.

neighborhood of Northeast Portland. Marching bands, car clubs, Royal Rosarians and more brave the weather to honor those who have served. Monday, November 12, 9:30 am. The parade will begin at NE 40th Avenue and NE Tillamook Street and ends at Sandy Boulevard and NE 48th Avenue. Free.

walk it off If you’ve hit the Strut Your Stuffing 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, you won’t feel guilty about getting that second slice of holiday pie. The race starts at the Northeast Community Center and winds through the Hollywood District and Grant Park.

All ages are welcome and runners/walkers get an embroidered beanie and post-race treats. Thursday, November 22, 8 am. 1630 NE 38th Ave. $25 for adults, $15 for ages 6-17. Kids 5 and younger are free.

Register at necommunitycenter.org.

the biggest book block party The festival formerly known as Wordstock is now the Portland Book Festival, and that’s not the only change you’ll find when the West Coast’s biggest and best literary celebration returns to the Portland Art Museum and environs. New this year: An expanded kids area with crafts, book signings and readings from beloved authors like Shannon Hale and Mac Barnett at the Oregon Historical Society. (Grown-ups won’t want to miss the blockbuster events, including bona fide movie star and author Tom Hanks’ Q and A, or an appearance by Broad City star Abbi Jacobson.)

Saturday, November 10.

Admission is free for kids ages 17 and younger, and $15 in advance for adults, $20 at the door.

9 am-6 pm. More info at PORTLAND BOOK FESTIVAL literary-arts.org.

nutcracker in a new key

November | 2018

go. play. explore.

JEREMY JEZIORSKI (PORTLAND’5)

46

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

Maybe The Nutcracker is a family tradition in your house, but you’re looking for a new spin on it? Look no further than the Hip Hop Nutcracker, which takes Tchaikovsky’s classic score and sets it in 1980s Brooklyn. Think classic breakdancing, deejaying

by MC Kurtis Blow, an onstage electric violinist and a trip not to a fairy wonderland but to an NYC disco. Two performances at Keller Auditorium, Tuesday, November 13 and Wednesday, November 14, both at 7:30 pm. For tickets, visit portland5.com.

HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

For more on the best places to eat, shop, play and have fun with kids around Portland visit pdxparent.com

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

47

Time Out

$ /pdx_parent/

the sounds of peru

PIONEER COURTHOUSE SQUARE

turn on the lights

! /pdxparentonline Get social with us!

A switch gets flicked in downtown Portland, Lake Oswego and Vancouver the Friday after Thanksgiving at tree lighting ceremonies. At Pioneer

If the kids in your life are teasing for a trip to Anaheim or Orlando (or Paris or Hong Kong! Dream big, kiddos!), they’ll love this magical, Mickey-infused performance from the Oregon Symphony. Sing OREGON SYMPHONY along with the score from favorites including Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Aladdin, The Lion King, and more, while scenes from the movies play on the big screen. Saturday, November 24 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, November 25 at 2:30 pm. For tickets, visit orsymphony.org.

Courthouse Square in downtown Portland and the corner of 5th and A in Lake O, the festivities kick off at 5:30 pm. In Vancouver’s Esther Short Park, the fun starts at 4 pm. Each tree lighting ceremony has its own activities, from singalongs to band concerts to choir performances. Friday, November 23. Free.

48

JIM GARRISON

music with mickey

|

( @pdx_parent % /pdx_parent/

|

Two of our favorite performing arts organizations — Teatro Milagro and the Portland Baroque Orchestra — are teaming up this holiday season for a concert designed especially for families. Featuring Latin American music from the 18th century, audience members will be taken on a journey through Peru. The story is told through words and song, in English and in Spanish, and tickets are just $5 per person.

Friday, November 16 and Saturday, November 17 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, November 18 at 3 pm. More info at pbo.org.

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

a million points of light It wouldn’t be the holidays in Portland without the return of ZooLights, one of the metro area’s collective favorite traditions. The million-and-a-half lights go up on Wednesday, November 21, and continue through the beginning of 2019, with a few days off here and there — the full schedule is at oregonzoo.org. Value nights, with reduced admissions prices, are November 26 and 29, December 3-6 and again on December 10-13. (Additional discounts available for families who are eligible for government assistance; find out more at oregonzoo.org/zoo-all.) Pro tip: Don’t forget to take MICHAEL DURHAM public transit to the Zoo for additional ticket discounts!

HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

49

HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

50

November 2018

|

pdxparent.com

HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

pdxparent.com

|

November 2018

51