/
Geocaching with Kids, pg. 30
/
Meet Your New BFF, pg. 34
FREE
Back-to-School Health, pg. 26
for the long days and short years
Amanda Wilson, founder of Voxapod, with daughters Hailey, 16, Onika, 9, and Sephina, 6.
Mom's
the Boss
✔raising kids ✔running companies ✔saving the planet PDXPARENT.COM
PORTLAND | VANCOUVER | SEPTEMBER 2018
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
Events are best suited for kids up to 8 years of age.
September 4th Super Hero Play
November 6th Snow Queen
October 2nd Circus Fun
December 4th Elf Workshop
Exit 17 off I-84 • Troutdale • (503) 669-8060 • ShopColumbiaGorgeOutlets.com
Contents
FEATURES Start Up, Do Good............................................................... 14 We talk to four local mama entrepreneurs about their environmentally friendly companies. Story by Sarah Van Buskirk. Photos by Jamie Carle.
Lili Yeo of Beavertonbased GoumiKids, with her daughters Iliana, 8 and Ariana, 7.
No More Sick Days............................................................26 Helpful tips for keeping kids healthy as they head back to school, from a local pediatrician. By Whitney Casares, M.D.
DEPARTMENTS Editor’s Note................................................................... 6 Play Room......................................................................... 8 Great backpacks for hiking with tots, weekending at Mount St. Helens, and female candidates take Oregon by storm. Field Trip.......................................................................... 30 Geocaching with the kids = real life treasure hunt + sneaky math skills! By Julia Silverman. How We Live..................................................................32 One Beaverton family experiences both the pros and cons of our region’s housing boom. By Erin J. Bernard. This Mom Life................................................................34 Say hello to our hilarious new columnist, aka your new mom BFF. By Toni Hammer. Family Supper......................................................... 36 Dining a la Française at Bergerac in Woodstock. By Julia Silverman. Recipe File...................................................................... 37 Two different takes on cool, creamy tzatziki dip. By Judith Rich. Time Out........................................................................... 40 Harvest festivals, the Wild Kratts take the stage, and air show show-offs.
RESOURCES Back-to-School.......................................................22-25 Health & Wellness............................................... 28-29
* cover stories JAMIE CARLE
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Editor’s Note for the long days and short years
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
F
or our third annual issue spotlighting parents in the workplace, we wanted to focus on parent entrepreneurs, who were building businesses they believed in and balancing work demands with raising a family. It’s not an easy path — personally, I don’t think I’d have the guts or the persistence needed to start up a business, watch it thrive, employ others and do my part to save the planet while I was at it. And yet, while researching this story assignment, I was inundated with emails from local business owners/parents who’d heard what we were up to, and wanted to be a part of the story. We could have run a whole issue full of nothing but their origin stories, but we had to whittle it down to four. (Meet our four entrepreneur mothers, and get inspired by their stories in our photo essay by Jamie Carle, and article by Sarah Van Buskirk, starting on page 14). Still, hearing so many stories from local parents who are their own bosses made me double down on my determination to buy local whenever possible, to support the many families among us who are growing their own businesses and making it possible for themselves — and the families of their employees — to live well and give back. I hope you’ll join me! And we’ll be tracking more of these entrepreneurs in future issues — if you’d like to add yourself to the joyfully long list, please do get in touch, at julia.silverman@pdxparent.com. P.S. This issue hits the stands just as many kiddos head back to school. Read Dr. Whitney Casares’ hot take on how to keep your kids healthy in the classroom, and tune in to hear our interview with her on the next episode of the PDX Parent podcast. (If you haven’t subscribed yet, what are you waiting for?)
—
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
This month, only on pdxparent.com: >> Our Oregon Zoo Scavenger Hunt (enter to win tickets to ZooLights!) >> Consignment Sales and Shops
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: We had a hard time picking this month’s cover shot, because there were so many great choices from photographer Jamie Carle! Ultimately we went with this shot of Amanda Wilson with her daughters because it really spoke to the working parents theme of this month’s issue. For more of Jamie’s great work, check out jamiecarle.com.
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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.
the
podcast Find us on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher.
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Play Room
Fall Color Hikes
DAVIDGN
TOP 5 ...
➊ Head to Silver Falls State Park outside of Silverton to gaze at the red alder and vine maple. (The waterfalls are nice, too.) ➋ Right in town, fall color peaks at Hoyt Arboretum in mid-October. ➌ In addition to beautiful changing leaves on the Salmon River Trail near Welches, this is the time of year to watch the salmon spawn in droves. ➍ The Washington side of the Columbia River gorge boasts the gorgeous Cape Horn Loop Trail, where bigleaf maples put on a show. ➎ The Portland Japanese Garden
in Washington Park is a little light on the hiking, but the scenery can’t be beat. Bonus: A scavenger hunt for the littles. — Julia Silverman
Playlist:
New Tunes for Little Ears
Outstanding new kindie music for your every mood.
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Supa Stupefying
La Luna
Blue Skies, Sunny Days
by Mo Phillips
by 123 Andrés
Portland kindie fave Mo Phillips
Drift off to the beautiful,
Frances England’s smooth and
serves up a super fun dance
lulling vocals from Latin-
breezy vocals and lyrics are the
album that shimmies through
Grammy winners Andrés
perfect soundtrack for a great day
genres. Supa Stupefying is
Salguero and Cristina
with your kids. England’s goal with
a club mix that even adults
Sanabria. This sweet
her fifth album for families was to
will groove along to. And the
album of songs in Spanish
provide an “antidote for all the bad
copious cowbell on Disco Hit
provides the right beat for
news out there.” And she very much
#6 (Be My Friend) will make
rocking a sleepy babe off
accomplished it with a selection of
you want to teach your floss-
to dreamland — or calming
laid-back tunes filled with optimistic
obsessed kids how to do the
down an overtired toddler.
and loving messages. At Frances
hustle. At mophillips.com.
At 123Andres.com.
England.com. — Denise Castañon
by Frances England
Gear Guide:
Pack ‘Em Up
Podcasts We Love: Kid
Pleasers
So you’ve already listened as a family to this month’s episode of the PDX Parent podcast? Cool. Try these kid-approved podcasts next.
Try one of these sturdy backpack carriers to bring your toddler along on one of these MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO
popular backpack carrier sports loads of useful features. The kickstand
WNYC
Kelty Journey PerfectFit Elite This
GIMLET MEDIA
great hikes.
Story Pirates Ahoy there, mateys! The only
Fleas So there’s this
Which is better? Pizza
easy-to-adjust belt make
pillaging here is the origi-
dog, Waffles, and a cat,
or tacos? What’s
it a breeze to switch the
nal stories by kids, which
Jones, who live in the
spookier — the Bermuda
serve as source material
same house, and both
Triangle or the Loch
for the crazy crew of co-
think they’re the next big
Ness Monster? Con-
medians and improvisers
thing in podcasts. Hijinks
testants debate these
who spin that inspiration
ensue! From the public
age-old questions,
into podcast gold. On
radio wizards at WYNC;
and kids get to be the
Apple Podcasts, Spotify
find it at wnycstudios.
judge. From Minnesota
and Google Play.
org/shows/fleas.
Public Radio.
pack between parents of different sizes, and the padded shoulder straps make it comfortable to wear even on longer hikes.
KELTY
$259.95. At Bridge City Kid, 8402 N Lombard. Deuter Kid Comfort Air Child Carrier If lightweight is your
top requirement for a
Mount Hood gets all the glory when it comes to the PDX skyline, but Mount Saint
pack, this is the one
Helens, just about a two-
for you. Its design
hour drive away, is a huge
also allows for plenty
adventure in its own right,
of airflow, a plus if you
completely unlike any other
or your kiddos run
destination thanks to its 1980
hot. Parents also
eruption and the aftermath. DEUTER
enjoy the ample
storage. $240. At Next Adventure, 426 SE Grand Ave., and rei.com. Crosslinks Clvr Baby Backpack Cross Country Carrier With a
lightweight frame and budget-friendly price tag, the Clvr carrier is a great option. It features many of the bells and whistles of pricier
If you haven’t taken your kids to Ape Caves yet, this is your chance — the trail features the longest lava tube in the continental United States and even on
Getaway:
Mount Saint Helens
the hottest days, it’s a steady 42 degrees down there. (Pro tip: Bring headlamps if you’ve got them!) Older kids will dig the live seismographs and geology exhibits at the Johnson Ridge Observatory, while little ones will have fun with the National Parks’ Junior Ranger program scavenger hunts and puzzles. Other hiking options include the Trail of Two Forests, which has giant holes in the ground where trees once stood (think the world’s best game of hide-and-seek), the 2.5-mile Hummocks Trail and the
packs, including a sun shade and loads of storage. But
Volcano View Trail, which is stroller-friendly and offers a peek at the mountain. Stay at Eco Park Resort just outside the national park, where you can rent a cabin for four people for $150 a night or pitch a tent for $25. Pro tip: Book one of the family-
while the carrier is lightweight, it is
This Podcast has
Smash Boom Best
lets you easily load your kiddo in the pack, the
CROSSLINKS
friendly horseback riding tours to get a birds-eye view tour of how Mount Saint Helens is returning to life, nearly 40 years after the eruption. For dinner, try the beefy “logger
bulky to store when not in use. $119.99.
stew” in a bread bowl at their Backwoods Cafe. (Don’t worry vegetarians/vegans/the
At Crosslinksmart.com. — D.C.
gluten-free, there are choices for you on the menu, too.) — J.S.
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Play Room Tuesday, September 25 is not just another random Tuesday,
Good Deeds:
not by a long shot. It’s National Voter Registration Day — so why not celebrate by rounding up your kids and running your very own voter registration drive? Pair it with a lemonade stand (or hot chocolate, if it’s rainy out) and set up a table at any intersection near you that receives a reasonable amount of foot traffic. (Pro tip: For maximum impact, take the MAX down to Portland State, or set up
Rock the Vote
near a Portland Community College campus, where you are likely to find a higher percentage of unregistered voters.) In addition to the lemonade fixings, all you’ll need are a big stack of voter registration cards. If you need 500 or fewer, you can get those from your local county elections office. Shooting big? Requests for more than 500 registration cards should go to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office. Do note that those you register will need to provide either an Oregon driver’s license number or state-issued ID number; the last four digits of a social security number will also work. And any completed forms you receive need to be turned into to your local elections office within five days of being filled out, so bring a big manila envelope with you OSCARCWILLIAMS
to hold all those new voter cards! It’s a great way to give the kids a civics lesson about the importance of participation in the democratic process — and their cuteness, plus that lemonade, will help attract more new voters to your table. Win win! — J.S.
Chalkboard:
The year of the woman
56: Number of women running for the state legislature in Oregon « » 38: Number of those women who are Democrats « » 18: Number of those women who are Republicans « » 9: Number of state House or Senate races where both major party candidates are female. POLITICAL PUNDITS across the land have declared 2018 to be the year of the woman in politics, and Oregon is no exception. As November’s elections approach, the local political landscape is full of female candidates to watch, from incumbent Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat hoping to win her first full term in office, to the race between Loretta Smith and Jo Ann Hardesty to become the first female black member of the Portland than Republican ones, by a generous two-to-one margin, some of them in races that have statewide implications. Keep an eye out for Democrat Shemia Fagan’s campaign for state Senate in eastern Multnomah County — she unseated a more conservative Democratic incumbent in the primary, but the traditionally blue-collar district is hard to predict in a general election. Another interesting race looms on the northern Oregon Coast, where child welfare advocate Tiffiny Mitchell is running for an open seat vacated by longtime incumbent Deborah Boone. Her Astoria-area district is historically Democratic, but not by a country mile. Control of the state legislature is especially crucial for both sides this year because it will fall to the 2019 legislature to draw up proposed boundaries for future electoral districts, including, possibly, an added U.S. House seat in 2020 and beyond. — J.S.
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SOURCE: CENTER FOR AMERICAN WOMEN AND POLITICS, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY.
City Council. Consistent with national trends, more Democratic women are running
Ask Dr. Doug
Q
:M y child has a severe peanut allergy, and I'm nervous
A
about leaving her with caregivers, like her teachers when she starts kindergarten next year. Can you offer any suggestions for talking with people about how to deal with it if she goes into anaphylactic shock?
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.
DR. DOUG
: Your big 5-year-old grinning on her first day of school is such a bittersweet moment — how did they get so big? Unfortunately for parents of children with food allergies, this milestone often comes with added worry. Food allergies are common and have been on the rise over the past 20 years. Around 8 percent of children have one, so your daughter likely won’t be the only student with a food allergy. However, there are still plenty of misunderstandings around food allergies, which is why your communication with her school is so important. I would recommend starting with teaching your daughter, calmly and matter-of-factly, that she needs to only eat the foods you give her, and to ask “Does this have nuts in it?” if any snacks are distributed in school. If you are reassuring and calm while discussing this you can help ward off the natural anxieties she may have around school and food. Next, call the school and ask to talk to the administrator regarding their food-allergy policies. Do they have allergen-free rooms or areas? How are staff trained to use epinephrine autoinjectors and is the training current? Educating caretakers how to handle an exposure or a reaction — even before the first day of school — is important so they can take the time to feel fully prepared before they are in charge of caring for your daughter. In order to plan for an accidental exposure, I would highly recommend you fill out an allergy-action plan with input from your pediatrician or allergist. This is a specific plan on how to recognize symptoms of a reaction and how to treat them. The best version is from FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education), found at foodallergy.org. Remember: when in doubt, give epinephrine. Antihistamines like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) only treat itching or hives and will not stop anaphylaxis. A quick poke to save a life is worth it. View this transition as an opportunity for education and growth. Be prepared, but don’t forget to tell yourself (and your daughter!) that you can handle this. Hug her tight the first day of school — she will be graduating from high school before you know it!
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OUR POOLS MY BEST FRIEND Make a splash (or a friend) at North Clackamas Aquatic Park with a wave pool, rock wall, water slides and more! Find your healthy frame of mind at NCPRD.com 12
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Mom's t
Portland’s green, DIY ethos has given rise to that center on sustainability — and leave time
Kori Giudici of Flipside Hats and her son, Moses, stand in front of bolts of salvaged fabric Giudici uses to craft her hats.
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the Boss
moms who have built successful businesses e for their families. STORY BY SARAH VANBUSKIRK PHOTOS BY JAMIE CARLE
T
he Rose City is a haven for makers of all stripes, as well as for those who care deeply about protecting the environment, for the next generation and beyond. Small wonder, then, that our city is flush with inspiring mom entrepreneurs who are shepherding successful small businesses that give back to the earth in a big way. Meet four—from a milliner to a just-crowdfunded menstrual cup maker—who caught our eye. pdxparent.com
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Kori Giudici
> FLIPSIDE HATS
S
ixteen years ago, naturopathic doctor Kori Giudici, then in school, made her first hat out of recycled green velour curtains. She soon found herself selling her eco-friendly, handmade reversible hats in the hallways between classes. She named her growing side business Flipside Hats in homage to her childhood nickname, Flip. “I was always doing things a little differently, was always moving and couldn’t sit still,” says Giudici, now 43. All that energy helped her keep both her medical practice and burgeoning hat endeavor flourishing — until she had her son, Moses, now age 8. “I had to choose because it got to be too much to do both. Focusing on Flipside gives me more time to spend with my family and more flexibility,” she explains. Moses often hangs out at their Southeast Belmont storefront and workshop, which is a close walk, bike or skate from both school and home. Her husband, Jake Giudici, 35, handles the business operations. “I try to support Kori’s creativity,” he says. Both share the mission of a sustainable lifestyle and business. “Over one million tons of excess fabric goes into landfill every day. It’s cheaper to throw it away. But we, and a growing number of companies, are taking that fabric and re-loving it into new goods,” says Giudici, whose stylish, fun, and functional American-made hats were recently picked up by Whole Foods, one of many wholesale outlets. Flipside Hats now supports 11 employees. More than 90 percent of their raw materials come from recycled, repurposed or upcycled fabrics and 13 percent of their profits go to organizations doing good locally, such as Race for the Cure, local schools and OHSU Family Medicine. “It feels good to give back to the communities that are supporting you,” she says. This fall, the Giudicis are launching Portland Hat Company, an eco-friendly, fair-trade venture that will be produced abroad, creating jobs and utilizing traditional fabrics in countries such as Ghana, Morocco and Guatemala.
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Lili Yeo
>G OUMIKIDS
“G
oumikids kind of found us,” explains 42-year-old CEO Lili Yeo. “I think the good things in life tend to do this.” The Beaverton-based business began after she and a good friend were visiting soon after the birth of her first child, Iliana, now 8. (She had another daughter, Ariana, 7, soon after.) “We talked about the struggle to find mitts that would stay on our baby’s hands. We started dreaming about it and wanted to design a product that was good to the earth, beautiful and functional.” So she did just that. From the original soft, organic fabric mitts, which foil infant attempts to scratch themselves, to baby booties, hats and snuggly jammies, Yeo built a company that is about more than just profits.
“As a mom and an entrepreneur, I don’t want my company to be about just pumping products into the marketplace but also something that does good to the planet,” she says. Yeo named the company after goumi berries, little red berries that change the nitrogen levels of plants around them for the better. “Small can indeed be mighty,” she says. Goumikids gives back by donating 10 percent of profits (and 100 percent of all goumigiving print profits) to nonprofit partners that aid survivors of sex trafficking, an often hidden and ignored issue in both her native Philippines and right here in Portland, due our location along the I-5 corridor.
Yeo’s company also strives to be eco-friendly, “making conscious choices across our value chain, using fabric scraps that would otherwise go to waste and actively choosing as best we can. We only have one planet.” She also loves that her two daughters have an engaged mom and a businesswoman role model rolled into one. Her girls tell her they want to create their own businesses one day. “It’s another wonderful benefit for them to see that this is attainable as a woman and as an Asian-American,” says Yeo. “It’s wonderful to walk this journey with them.” pdxparent.com
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Jaime Schmidt
>S CHMIDT NATURALS
W
hen Portlander Jaime Schmidt was pregnant with her son Oliver, now 8, she started experimenting in the kitchen to concoct her own natural deodorant. The ones in the store did not meet her expectations for odor protection, great fragrance or ease of use. “I became very conscious of making sure everything I put in and on my body was pure and natural,” she explains, and the more research she did on conventional deodorants, the more she realized how needed a chemical-free and effective product could be. Her tinkering was so successful, Schmidt started selling her concoctions as Schmidt Naturals, originally packaged in reusable glass jars, at local farmers’ markets. She soon found a loyal, quickly expanding following, drawn in by both her environmentally conscious, cruelty-free, vegan ingredient list as well as the vibrant scents of her products, from Rose + Vanilla to Lavender + Sage. Schmidt, 43, who has earned numerous accolades, including Entrepreneur of the Year from accounting firm Ernst and Young, and Most Intriguing Entrepreneur from investment firm Goldman Sachs, cemented her status as a maker movement icon this January when her start-up was acquired by Unilever. The Schmidt Naturals brand has recently expanded to soaps and toothpastes and can be found at drugstores around the world, but their commitment to eco-friendly sourcing and practices remains stronger than ever. “We believe that no matter who you are, and no matter where you live, you should have access to quality natural personal care products. With this vision in mind, our team advocates every day for increased availability and affordability of our collections without compromising on quality,” says Schmidt. The business, whose marketing and product development teams are housed in a sleek, open office space in the Pearl, is a true family affair with her husband, Chris Cantino, 33, heading up marketing and communications, and their son giving feedback on product scents. “He’s very honest about what he likes and what he doesn’t,” laughs Schmidt. She is relishing the recent shift in her role that allows her more freedom to explore new endeavors, including speaking around the country to encourage other women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. Her advice: “Say yes now, then figure out how.”
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Amanda Wilson
>V OXAPOD
B
y the time Amanda Wilson, 36, hit her 30s, she was fed up with the impracticalities of period care, especially after having kids. “Tampons weren’t getting the job done anymore,” she says. The mother of five daughters (three adopted sisters, Breanna, 22, Alexis, 18, and Hailey, 16, and two biological, Onika, 9, and Sephina, 6) reached out to a scuba diver friend who does 12-hour-long dives; she suggested trying a menstrual cup. Wilson liked the idea but after trying a few of the conventional options she found them lacking. Unsatisfied, Wilson decided to develop her own, geared toward women’s bodies and comfort, using non-toxic materials and leaving the smallest possible environmental footprint — and Voxapod was born. Her research showed that the most prevalent feminine hygiene products contained toxic chemicals and produce copious amounts of landfill waste, in addition to not always working well or conveniently or being affordable. (Unlike Rogaine, razors and potato chips, tampons are taxed as a luxury item in the majority of sales tax states!) “The more I learned, the stronger my desire became to create something better that would not only improve period care but make it more accessible and reduce the environmental damage done by feminine-hygiene-care
waste as well as the pollution done to women’s own bodies by putting toxic materials on such absorbent tissue,” explains Wilson, who has become a passionate advocate for improving period care for girls and women around the globe. She says the issue is deeply intertwined with access to education, opportunity and equality. “Women should have nontoxic, nonplastic, eco-friendly, reusable choices,” says Wilson, and Voxapod, which surpassed its funding goals on Kickstarter and Indiegogo InDemand this spring, is just that. The Voxapod, which is made of medical-grade silicon, can be worn up to 12 hours at a time. Even better, funds from purchases go towards donating the product to girls and women in need and supporting Wilson’s advocacy efforts. The first customers will receive their product in November. “The single most powerful way to impact girls is to keep girls in school and often lack of sustainable period care keeps girls out of the classroom,” says Wilson. Additionally, Wilson seeks to help other female entrepreneurs find their way to the national marketplace through the peer mentorship nonprofit WomenLed, which she launched last year. She believes being a mom can help women become more successful, not less. “I know how to make a watermelon out of a lemon,” she says, “that’s the scrappy skill set that comes from being a mother.”
Sarah Vanbuskirk is a writer based in Portland. She is the mother of five kids, Violet, 15, Charlie, 13, Hank, 11, Noah, 9, and Walter, 6, and is currently working on a memoir. Jamie Carle is a photographer living in Vancouver, Wash. They have been documenting for 10 years and are raising a 4-yearold son, Jaxin. Their focus is showcasing love and connection through visual storytelling. pdxparent.com
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BACK-TO-SCHOOL
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BACK-TO-SCHOOL
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BACK-TO-SCHOOL
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BACK-TO-SCHOOL
Oregon Zoo Scavenger Hunt
on pdxparent.com starting Sept. 1
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A PORTLAND PEDIATRICIAN’S TIPS FOR KEEPING Y
No More It’s back-toschool time and, in my pediatrics office, that means it’s back to a daily parade of sick kids with coughs, colds and fevers. Parents ask me all the time how to help their little ones avoid illness once school is back in session. Here's my best advice for beating back school-borne germs.
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Wash Those Hands! Parents often spend a ton of money on fancy, coldbusting vitamins and supplements, but the best way to prevent catching most school germs is free: hand washing. Teach your kids to thoroughly scrub with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds each time they wash, and to head to the sink before meals, after using the bathroom, and after they cough or sneeze.
keep your febrile child home There is a (very good) reason most schools have a policy that students should stay home from school if they’ve had a fever within the previous 24 hours: When a virus or bacteria attacks the human body, fever is part of the body’s attempt to fight back. Schools don’t want kids hanging out in classrooms while the illness battle is still raging, as the bacteria or virus may make its way to another student in the process. Instead, use the time at home to help your child focus on fluids and rest, so he can re-enter the school environment ready to learn.
tell lice to take a hike Lice are tricky little suckers. They attach easily to the hair shaft and love to hitch a ride on brushes, combs and hats. You can help your child avoid a lice infestation by keeping hairgrooming tools at home and by educating her about not using other kids’ tools (or hats) when she’s at school. Lice symptoms can include an itchy scalp or a rash at the nape of the neck. Wash your child’s hair
YOUR KIDDOS HEALTHY DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR.
Sick Days
BY WHITNEY CASARES, M.D.
often and, when you do, look for small nits (eggs) or lice (the actual bugs). If you do see signs of a lice infestation, start treatment right away to prevent spreading it to others in the classroom.
teach your child about the “cough pocket" When you sneeze or cough, little virus or bacteria particles go shooting through the air. They can travel up to 50-200 miles per hour. In an ideal world, kids would catch all those nasties in a piece of tissue, but youngsters often don’t have that much foresight. Instead show your child how to make a cough pocket with his elbow. Don’t be surprised if this takes quite a bit of reinforcing. Good habits take time!
accept the reality that even the healthiest kids get sick sometimes School is a petri dish of (usually low-grade) disease. Even when we do our absolute best
attend to the basics Our bodies avoid and fight illnesses best when they’re in prime shape. Eating a healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains sets kids up for school and health success. Give your kids plenty of exercise and water, focus on healthy sleep habits,
to prepare our kids to prevent illnesses, they’re bound to have some germ exposures throughout the year. Plan ahead for school-year sickness by establishing a medical home — a health care provider who provides comprehensive, well and sick care for your child — so that, when she’s ill, you’ll know just who to call for reliable advice and trustworthy reassurance.
and make sure they’re up to date on all their vaccinations. When it comes to school health, the basics matter!
Whitney Casares, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.P., is a mom to two young girls and a pediatrician at Pediatric Associates of the Northwest. She also provides online newborn care courses for new and expectant parents at modernmommydoc.com. She is the author of The Newborn Baby Blueprint: Preparing to Care for Your Infant and Yourself, available at Amazon.com for $15.
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HEALTH & WELLNESS
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an accessible and inclusive digital directory
HEALTH & WELLNESS
pdxparent.com/ umbrella a digital directory for the thousands of families throughout the Portland/Vancouver area that require specialized services for their children pdxparent.com
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Field Trip For more ideas for fun outings, visit pdxparent.com / field-trip
Treasure Hunt Get in on geocaching to decipher clues and find fun loot for you and your kiddos. STORY AND PHOTOS BY JULIA SILVERMAN
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O
ne of the great pleasures of living in a city is its unpredictability — you never know what you’ll encounter just around the corner. In Portland, it could be the Unipiper, in full regalia, or a band of urban goats, or a rose in full bloom. And then there are the hidden treasures. Portland has an active and sprawling community of geocachers — puzzle fiends who have posted coordinates and clues online that lead to points around the city, and eventually — if you’re lucky — to a fun reward, plus a notch in your geocaching logbook. (For context: Geocaching.com turns up 6,973 current “caches” around Portland). My 9-year-old twins and I are big fans of puzzle-solving books like The Westing Game and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, so when the chance to go on a real-life puzzle hunt surfaced, we couldn’t resist. First step: Download the geocaching app on your mobile device of choice. Once you’ve logged in, a searchable map will pop up with all of the caches near your starting point, and you’re ready to choose your mission, should you choose to accept it. Pro tips: Each cache that’s logged on the map includes a “difficulty rating” that tells you how hard it will be to crack the clues. One star means easy, five stars means, well, maybe don’t try this one if it’s just you and the kids. Also, check for the size of the cache. A “micro” cache could be simply a tiny magnet, like the one my daughter is holding in this picture. But little kids will likely have more fun with larger caches, generally boxes that open to to reveal small trinkets and prizes (think key chains and fun erasers). There’s also information about the terrain (Flat or hilly? Accessible to all or down a narrow trail?) and comments from other treasure seekers, so you can make sure there’s evidence that the cache has been recently found and is being actively maintained. Figuring out the just-right cache for your family can take some time, so you may want to do your research ahead of time, especially if you’ve got wiggly kids. But once you’ve chosen your adventure, all you need is a notebook and some paper, to figure out clues along the way (and maybe a trinket or two to leave in the treasure box for the next seekers to find). Ben and Elly and I headed to the iconic rose gardens in Ladd’s Addition for our first geocache, which was rated as a medium level of difficulty. We had to circle each of the four diamond shaped gardens to answer multiple choice questions about each one (“Which destination spot is not the name of a rose in the North Garden?” “What color are the love roses?”). Each correct answer was assigned a number — put together, the numbers spelled out the coordinates of the location of the final cache. Figuring out the exact coordinators took some math, and a few wrong turns, but we were elated when we finally found the cache — and hooked! The kids wanted to do another one right away, so we tried a more straightforward one at nearby Laurelhurst Park.
We had the coordinates, and headed straight there — but once we arrived at the designated spot, it was nowhere to be found. A little searching, some army-crawling, and some bush-whacking later, we discovered the cache, pried it open and triumphantly signed our names in the logbook. (Pro tip: This is pretty typical for many geocaches, which are almost always hidden within 25 feet or so of the coordinates. Seek and ye shall find!). Still, though, our day of geocaching hadn’t turned up any of the promised small trinkets that are hidden in the larger stashes, and so we stopped off on our way home to try our luck at one more location. This time, at the Belmont Firehouse, we hit paydirt, deciphering a code, figuring out coordinates to a lock and opening up a treasure box full of kid-friendly loot that had been hiding in plain sight all along.
Julia Silverman is PDX Parent’s editor. She and her twins are looking to level up in their geocaching career, and hide a cache for others to find. Stay tuned — maybe a clue will be hidden in a future issue of the magazine.
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How We Live For more ways families are coping with the housing market visit: pdxparent.com/how_we_live
A Growth Experience The region’s housing boom means more jobs, but it also means soaring costs. Two Pacific Northwest natives weigh in on the pros and cons of progress. STORY AND PHOTO BY ERIN J. BERNARD
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ising rents aren’t just a Portland problem — just ask Pacific Northwest natives Melissa and Roberto Lopez.
After spending a decade immersed in the region’s housing boom, they’ve come to see development as a special kind of double-edged sword. Roberto earns $18 an hour working construction for the high-end apartments — many of them studios and one-bedrooms — sprouting up along Portland’s skyline. The pay’s decent, the work’s steady, and it puts food on the family table. But that same boom is also threatening to push the price of the roof over his own family’s heads nearly beyond reach. The Lopezes currently live in a one-bedroom Beaverton apartment with their four children, Debonaire, 8; Kaliq, 7; Aizza, 4; and Jazzy, 2. Their rent just went up, and another baby girl is on the way. This isn’t the family’s first encounter with development-but at-whatprice. Before the kids came, Melissa and Roberto both worked in Bellevue, Wash.’s booming high-end construction sector.
When their eldest son was born in 2009, they returned to Melissa’s hometown of Wenatchee, Wash. full of optimism, but soon discovered that a North Central Washington tech boom had rendered the community overpopulated and overpriced. So they moved around as their family grew, chasing better work and lower costs. “Every time something affordable became available, people snatched it up by paying more than what was asked,” says Melissa. “That was something we financially couldn't do.” When plans to purchase a trailer in Wenatchee fell through in 2017, they decamped for Tigard, sleeping in a king-sized bed in Roberto’s sister’s house while they job- and apartmenthunted. Melissa found work as a caregiver, but tensions were high, and the couple temporarily separated. With help from the Department of Human Services, the Tigard School District, and friends and family, Melissa finally secured and furnished a small apartment in a quiet complex next to a Beaverton church and got the kids settled.
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. 32
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The couple soon reconciled, and Small signs of hope Roberto found steady construction work. are on the horizon: The money’s good, but Melissa In Portland, a and Roberto realize that the largesse $258 million affordable virtually guarantees an ever-higher housing bond passed cost of living. by voters in 2016 is “It's crazy how much is being built, but it's not affordable and funding the building definitely not for families,” says and preservation Melissa. “Where are families of 1,300 affordable supposed to go when the prices keep housing units, with an going up and there's no money to go anywhere else?” additional whopping “The only way it makes sense to $652.8 million housing be able to afford these [costs] is if bond slated for minimum wage would go up, too,” November’s ballot. Roberto adds. Melissa wishes landlords were held to better account for rent increases and repairs, but ultimately, she says, it’s up to city and state government to regulate the cost of living. Small signs of hope are on the horizon: In Portland, a $258 million affordable housing bond passed by voters in 2016 is funding the building and preservation of 1,300 affordable housing units, with an additional whopping $652.8 million housing bond slated for November’s ballot. Change can’t come soon enough for the Lopez family: Melissa’s quit work to homeschool the boys, and their snug quarters will get even snugger when baby number five arrives in October. Still, they’ve re-signed their lease and are focused, for now, on paying up bills, putting away money, and polishing their credit. So, how do you survive an affordable housing crisis? You stay flexible, says Melissa. And you simply refuse to give up: “Being homeless is not an option, so I am gonna do whatever it takes. It’s my job to keep [my kids] safe and keep a roof over their head, so I’ve gotta figure it out.”
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This Mom Life
Starting Off Right Our new columnist looks ahead to the new school year, and a big batch of changes for her family. STORY AND PHOTO BY TONI HAMMER
Y
ou know when you first meet someone and you have to go through all the small talk, all the insignificant chats about insignificant things, before you get to really know someone? Let’s just cut out that part, shall we? We’ll just start out as best friends and, as my BFF, here’s what you should know.
I never planned on having children. Never ever ever. I even affectionately refer to myself as “the mom who never wanted the job.” Being a mother wasn’t something I was interested in, or even thought I could do, but life had other plans. Sometimes birth control doesn’t work and you find yourself staring at two pink lines, hyperventilating as you cry to your sister on the phone. That evening, my husband, Luke, and I talked it over and decided if the universe thought we could handle being parents, then we’d be the best parents we could be. So now I’m “Mom” to Lily, 6, and Levi, 5. They were born 355 days apart because when the universe messes with my plans, it does so with gusto. The four of us currently live in Beaverton, where I’m a stay-at-home mom, author, freelance writer and professional snack maker. I’m really glad I have all of you to talk to in this space because this year my youngest starts kindergarten, which means I’m going to have a lot more time on my hands. For the first time in six years I’ll be all alone in my apartment on a regular basis and, to be honest, I’m not sure how that’s going to work. I started off on this motherhood journey as someone who never planned on hearing the pitter-patter of little feet, but now I’ve grown quite accustomed to it. And not just the pitter-patter, but the stomping and screaming and laughing and hugging and mess making. It’s a bizarre thing to think about: What will life look like when a stay-at-home mom is staying home by herself while her children are off gallivanting across the playground? I’m hoping it means more time to write, more time to create, and maybe — just maybe — I’ll get around to cleaning my fridge. (I wouldn’t hold my breath on that last one.)
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My family and I are also starting to save up for a house, which is no easy feat in the Portland metro area, so I’m excited to share with all of you how we do life and have adventures on a budget. I’m currently slogging my way through teaching my children how to be content, and even grateful, for what they have instead of sad they can’t have every toy they pass in the store. I’m hopeful that by the end of this year I’ll be able to pass along what worked for us to get that message across so you can start the conversation with your littles as well. The other big idea I want to discuss with my children – though I still need to figure out how – is mental health. I’ve lived with depression and anxiety for most of my life and take daily medication to manage it. I want my children to be aware of the struggles many of us have every day and understand that their mom is not different or less than just because she lives with depression and anxiety. I hope by opening this line of communication early on they will feel comfortable accepting help in the future should they need it. I’m just not sure how to go about it right now so if you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them. You can find me on facebook as Toni Hammer, Writer, on Twitter as @realtonihammer, and Instagram as toni__ hammer (with two underscores). In the coming months, what I most want to do is let you know that you’re not alone in this motherhood journey. It doesn’t matter if you dreamed of having babies since you were a child yourself, or you, too, are a “mom who never wanted the job,” this mom life is both hard and hilarious for all of us. There are days when my children’s giggles bounce off the walls and nights where I cry because I have no idea what I’m doing. Now that we’re best friends, though, I hope the journey will be a little easier for both of us.
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Family Supper
For more kid-friendly restaurant reviews, visit: pdxparent.com/family-supper
Mastering the Art of French Dining For a special meal out that’s still kid-friendly, French-accented Bergerac fits the bill. BY JULIA SILVERMAN
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ortland has no shortage of terrific counter-service restaurants that are great for kids, but sometimes, on a special occasion, you just don’t want to place your order, take a number, and bus your own table. So to celebrate their first day of school this year, my husband and I got gussied up and took our 9-year-old twins to Bergerac, a small, atmospheric, familyowned bistro on the edges IMAGESBYAMY.COM of southeast Portland’s Woodstock neighborhood with a classically trained chef who hails from the Dordogne region in southwestern France. Our kids were — to put it mildly — skeptical. But they brightened up when the waitress bustled over with a special kids’ menu with a coloring map of France on it, including landmarks and key regions. The kid menu included the obligatory macaroni and cheese, but also some decidedly more Francophile options, including a mini croquemonsieur (translation: an extra gooey and delicious ham and cheese), and baked ham with pasta and seasonal veggies. My vegetarian daughter picked the kid-sized potato gratin with a side of fresh green beans after I told her it was akin to the potato pancakes she adores at Hanukah. All the kid menu options are just $6 and come with a complimentary scoop of vanilla ice cream; add on a cup of juice for another $1.50. Her brother was hungrier, and ordered the seared-and-marinated “poulet” from the grown-up menu for $16 — that’s chicken, for those who’ve forgotten their high school French — which he scarfed up, although the onion jam garnish went untouched. I was a little worried about service, as there were several tables that were seated just before us, but things moved swiftly, helped by the $10 cheese, fruit and nut platter we ordered to tide the kids over
before the food arrived. My son tried to hog all of the goat cheese for himself, which was a first. But neither kid would try the escargot that my husband ordered ($10 for six), cooked simply with garlic butter and sided with more bread. I did, though, and the taste brought me back to being 19 in Paris, with a backpack, a hostel membership and a Eurail pass. The menu has a number of other traditional French choices that are rarely seen on Portland menus at kid-friendly establishments, including housemade pâté and duck confit. I had a grown-up sized version of my daughter’s potato gratin ($16), which was so creamy and rich that I only managed to eat about a third of it (she, however, finished her entire smaller portion), but I polished off all of the vinegary side salad accompaniment and jeweltoned ham on the side. Since it was a celebration, we ordered a pot au chocolate for dessert, which is a very French and fancy way to say chocolate pudding. The kids fought for every last spoonful of decadence. There’s no play area, as the restaurant is small, but I did note high chairs and a changing table in the bathroom; there’s also a weekend brunch menu with gentler pricing and pancakes/egg options for kiddos. The owners of Bergerac are parents themselves to two young children, and clearly believe, as is the prevalent philosophy in France, that a good meal can and should be savored as a family. Kids can eat at the table, enjoy a cheese plate, try new things, put a linen napkin on their lap and clink glasses to celebrate a special moment. In oh-socasual Portland, it’s a treat to be reminded of this. Bergerac: 5520 SE Woodstock Blvd., bergeracpdx.com. Reservations recommended.
Julia Silverman is the editor of PDX Parent. She (and her kids) have never met a crêpe they didn’t like. 36
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Recipe File Looking for more kid-friendly recipes? Visit pdxparent.com/recipe-file
Cool as a Cucumber A creamy, munchable tzatziki dip done two ways.
E
very parent knows that kids of all ages are constantly hungry. Mine are no different and often ask “Do you have a snack for me, Mom?” Since I am a big fan of Mediterranean food, falafel with homemade tzatziki sauce is often on our dinner table. The tzatziki sauce leftovers are a great solution to the snack question, since it tastes even better the next day. I recently experimented with a vegan tzatziki option, substituting the Greek yogurt with puréed tofu. It was a hit and again, tasted even better the next day. You can serve both dips side by side with homemade or store-bought pita chips. Vegan, vegetarian or not, the whole family will enjoy this cool, healthy and protein-rich snack.
STORY AND PHOTO BY JUDITH RICH Tzatziki dip, two ways
Directions
Serves 4
Tzatziki with Greek yogurt
liquid)*
1. Combine the Greek yogurt, garlic, cucumber, dried oregano, lemon juice and salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse a few times but don’t purée all the way. It’s good to leave the dip a little chunky.
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
2. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
Ingredients 2 cloves garlic, chopped ½ cucumber, grated (strained of all
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice Salt and pepper to taste
Tzatziki with Tofu
17-ounce container of Greek yogurt,
1. Use same method as above but replace Greek yogurt with tofu. Use generous amounts of lemon juice to break up the tofu and purée all the way.
such as Fage Total 2 percent OR 1 container of firm tofu 4 rounds of plain pita bread Olive oil Salt and pepper *Note: To strain cucumbers, place the grated cucumber into a fine mesh strainer, and allow to drip dry for about an hour.
Homemade Pita Chips 1. Cut the pita rounds into eight wedges and spread out on a baking sheet. 2. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 3. Bake at 275˚ F for 15 minutes, and then let cool.
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
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Time Out
the great outdoors If you loved hitting camp-in music festivals before you had kids, you’ll love the Family Forest Fest. A brainchild of the founder of Hike It Baby, Family Forest Fest gathers families with young children in the great outdoors for a weekend of music, yoga, parenting workshops, outdoor movies, campfire singalongs and more. Friday, August 31 to Sunday, September 2. At Leaping Lambs Farm in Alsea, Ore. Visit familyforestfest.com to purchase tickets. LAURA CASTRO
September | 2018
go. play. explore. PETER ROCKWELL
music at the animal kingdom See summer off in style at the Oregon Zoo, when the Oregon Symphony takes the stage for a special show. Maybe the elephants will trumpet along with the John Philip Sousa number? Members of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony will be on hand for a special pre-concert performance. There will also be an instrument petting zoo for the kids — and every ticket includes zoo admission on the day of the concert. Saturday, September 1. Doors at 5 pm, and the show starts at 7 pm. Tickets start at $35. More info at oregonzoo.org. GLEN BLEDSOE
time machine time Step back in time with your kiddos at the Willamette Living History Lamplight Tour in West Linn. The way-back machine is taking you all the way back to 1913, when horse-drawn carriages were the modish method of transport and barbershop quartets were the height of sophisticated entertainment. In this one-hour evening walk, you’ll meet actors in costume, playing the town’s founding fathers and first ladies, and learn about the history of one of the region’s first true suburbs. Saturday, September 15. Tickets are $25; more info at willamettelivinghistory.org.
comic-con crushing So you don’t think a Comic Con is for you? Check out the roster of guests at the Rose City Comic Con and you’ll realize there will be some serious momcrush material in attendance: Tom Welling of Smallville fame, Val Kilmer (hellooooo Iceman), Chris Sullivan from This Is Us and local author Chelsea Cain. The line starts behind us. (Oh, and for the kiddos, check out Play Fair PDX, it’s more than double the size of last year’s kids’ area!) Friday, September 7 to Sunday, September 9. Oregon Convention Center. Visit rosecitycomiccon.com for tickets and schedule.
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fly the friendly skies
prost! For an Oktoberfest that goes all out, trek to Mount Angel for their legendary German harvest party. The four-day event features several stages of entertainment, food as varied as schnitzel sandwiches, nachos and marionberry cobbler, and of course, plenty of Germanstyle beer. The festival is very family-friendly, with the Friday to Sunday “kindergarten” venue boasting a variety of children’s activities including bouncy MOUNT ANGEL OKTOBERFEST houses, pony rides, facepainting and acrobat shows — all free. Thursday, September 13 to Sunday, September 16. Downtown Mount Angel. Visit oktoberfest.org to purchase tickets for those 21 and older. Free admission to those younger than 21. For an Oktoberfest closer to home, check out the festivities at Stammtisch. They’ll have a street party with a massive biergarten, live music, Germanstyle barbecue, facepainting and games. Friday, September 21 to Sunday, September 23, 11 am-10 pm. Stammtisch restaurant, 401 NE 28th Ave.
The Oregon International Air Show returns to the Hillsboro Airport this month — or should we say, returns to the skies above the Hillsboro Airport? The Canadian Snowbirds highlight this fun family event, which is perfect for plane-obsessed kids and grown-ups alike. Take a spin in a real-life World War II bomber plane, or board a helicopter for a spin above the Willamette Valley, or stay on the ground and check out the cool plane displays. Friday night features fireworks too! Friday, September 28 to Sunday, September 30. Find tickets at oregonairshow.com.
museums for free What’s that? Free is your favorite price? Ours too! So you’ll love this year’s Museum Day Live, sponsored by the Smithsonian, when many of the Portland area’s best museums open their doors for free. You can tour the art galleries at the Portland Art Museum, or visit the Spruce Goose at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, or poke around the Clark County Historical Museum in Vancouver. Find more great museums to visit at smithsonianmag.com. Saturday, September 22.
ST. JOHNS BALLET FOLKLORICO
give it a twirl Multnomah County Library is hosting two performances from St. Johns Ballet Folklorico to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Your kids will be entranced as the vibrantly colored skirts of the ballet folklorico dancers swirl around — these are the original twirly dresses after all! Saturday, September 15, 3:15 pm at Rockwood Library. Saturday, September 29, 4pm at Midland Library. Free..
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PORTLAND ART MUSEUM
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Time Out come one, come all
INNOVATION ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
go wild Martin and Chris Kratt are rock star-level royalty among the kiddo set. Expect plenty of screaming fans when they bring their Wild Kratts Live! show to Keller Auditorium. Martin and Chris will be live on stage, and the rest of the (animated) Wild Kratts team will be on screen as they lead the audience on an all new
Now more than ever, it’s important to teach our kids as much as we can about different cultures. Whether or not you’ve got Middle Eastern roots, everyone is welcome at the 8th Annual Arab American Festival BOB WAYT at Oaks Park on Saturday, September 1, 11 am-7 pm. There are games, dancing, music and crafts from all around the Arab world, plus delicious food. And hey, your kids probably already know how to dab — but do they know how to dabke? Learn how here! Broaden their horizons even more at Beaverton’s annual International Festival, featuring the food, music, dancing and crafts of a multitude of cultures, at the Conestoga Recreation and Aquatics Center on Saturday, September 15, 1 pm-4 pm. You can also learn more about the culture of native Oregonians at this year’s American Indian Day Celebration, on Friday, September 25, noon-7 pm, at Pioneer Courthouse Square. You’ll find drum groups, dancers, and arts and craft tables aplenty. Admission to all events is free.
quest. Creature powers, activate! Saturday, September 29. Tickets start at $36.25, but pricier VIP tickets include a meet and greet with the Kratt brothers and a signed photo, too.
celebrate the harvest Peaches, apples, pears, tomatoes, corn, pumpkins — September’s harvest in Oregon is the stuff of abundance. Come celebrate it all at OMSI’s annual Harvest Festival. Kids can learn all about Oregon specialty crops (think hazelnuts and marionberries), check out cooking demos, pet a llama and groove to some live entertainment. Bonus: There’s a beer tent! Saturday, September 30, 10 am-4 pm in the parking lot in front of the museum. Free admission.
bestest friends
DAVID KINDER
Elephant is cautious. Piggie is exuberant. Elephant is a bit of a worrier. Piggie charges ahead, full steam. Together, they are bestest friends, and they are back at Northwest Children’s Theater for a revival of one of the company’s most beloved shows ever. We Are In a Play! opens on Saturday, September 22 and continues through October 21; see nwcts.org for tickets and exact showtimes. It’s best for ages 3 and up, who will recognize not only the titular characters but also supporting players from one of author Mo Willems’ best-loved series.
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