Mamas: how often do you shower?

We really got the conversation going earlier in the year when we affirmed our varied bathing schedules for the kids.  As I sit here unshowered, I realize that there are many days when I will skip the shower.  There can always be more dishes to be done, laundry to fold, food to make, that can trump the bathing ritual, which is a daily one for many.

How often do you mamas get around to showering?  Is it a must-do every day?  Do you skip it every once in a while?

What's for breakfast?

We've talked about what's for lunch and what's for dinner, but we haven't yet talked about what's for breakfast.  Allison emails:

How about some thoughts on breakfast foods for the kiddos that are healthy, yummy, easy, and/or portable?  I need some motivation and ideas to get out of the carb-heavy breakfast rut that we're currently in.

What are your standby nutrious easy fixes for busy mornings?

What's Up @ Activistas?

Over at Activistas we've been busy lately, even created a mailing list so you can get periodic updates of get togethers and important action opportunities.  Details & sign-up here.  No need to worry about us filling up your inbox, 'cause while we're long on ideas and inspiration, we're short on time.  You know how that goes.  But it's a great way to stay current - on the off, off chance you don't visit the site multiple times daily! 

Greeting friends: do you kiss, hug, or just wave "Hi"?

When I was growing up, I was told to greet all my parents' friends with a kiss.  Even if they weren't blood relatives, all of my parents' friends became my "uncles" and "aunties", and we addressed them as such.  In our culture, it had a lot to do with respect for our elders.

When our first daughter was born, we modeled the same thing nomenclature and practice: all our friends were her "uncles" and "aunties" and got a kiss on the cheek when greeting "hello" or "goodbye".  Perhaps by virtue that we now live further from many of our closest family friends, we find that we have nebulous greeting practices.  Most often, we greet friends with a nice wave and open arms, not necessarily a full-out hug.  Exchanging cheek kisses doesn't seem to be a practice among our friends here in Portland, and - although hugs are very welcome all around - it just seems like a bit much sometimes, even with our BFFs.

A few weeks ago, we saw many famiy friends at a mini-reunion.  Kisses to "aunties" and "uncles" were abundant.  I realized that I missed that intimacy, tradition and culture of greeting friends with a kiss.

In your family, do you greet friends with a kiss, hug, or a wave to say "HI"?  How do your kids greet their friends and yours?

Smoking at the Park: Would you ask them to stop/move?

Three weeks into July, we finally made it to a concert in the park.  We were all comfily situated on our blankets, our family and our family BFFs.  We had plenty of food and drink, and we were all happily listening to music.

It occurred to us that we had some neighboring picnickers who were smoking: due 11 o'clock and 2 o'clock, both sets within about 2 or 3 of our picnic position.  The 11-o'clockers were smoking from their picnic blanket.  The 2 o'clockers were a batch of standing viewers, who eventually moved.  As a former smoker, I am less bothered about the smoke near me.  As a mother, I am completely bothered by the smoke near children.

We know that our public playgrounds and Pioneer Courthouse Square are protected no-smoking areas, thanks to a Portland City Council measure that is about a year-old.  There are no rules or laws that prohibit smoking in our parks, to our knowledge.  Of course, there is common courtesy.

Have you encountered smokers in the park?  Have you used your words to ask them to kindly relocate?  Or, would you hang tight and perhaps relocate yourselves for a bit?

Parents for Paid Leave: Show Support & Get Updates

The local grassroots group Parents for Paid Leave is biggering itself this summer.  Truth is, numbers speak volumes to legislators, so they've set up an e-mail list that can count supporters.  And while you may get an update or two, there's no worry about filling up your inbox.  No time for that, mamas.   They're too busy strategizing and meeting with potential partners and state legislators.  Go, mamas!

So, if you support the idea of a paid family leave program in Oregon, step right up so we can show that there's a whole lot of us who think the time has finally come for paid leave.  We're pretty glad these mamas are working so hard on this.  Rumor has it new volunteers are VERY welcome. 

Sign up for the mailing list here.

Where can you find family BFFs?

We all know, mamas: raising a family takes a village.  The support around us can really help us get through the tough moments: when we are sick, working late, or just plain ol' tired.   Many of have moved here from afar with very little support in place.  All of us are parents, and we had to start somewhere when we - as new parents - started making other friends who were also new parents.  After five years of "family dating" and meeting new families, we know there are at least a couple of families out there who we can call on to watch our kids in a pinch or to hang out with late into the night (kids playing while parents banter).  We like to think we could ask them almost anything to help our family in a time of need.

When we think about how we met these families and when we think about how close we've gotten with some of these families:

• One family, we met on craigslist.  We were looking for a nanny-share four years ago, and they posted an ad.  We invited their family over for a playdate, and the rest was history.  We ended up sharing the nanny that summer, but we've also shared many a memory since then.
• One family, we met on a yahoo-group.  The mamas met first, for a run.  After connection was made, the mamas planned another activity: papas and kids meet for coffee playdate while mamas go for a bike ride.  Now, the papas call one another more than the mamas.
• One family, we met through school.  About a week into first grade at our new school last year, we had an impromptu dinner on a Friday night at our house.  Kids played and we talked until probably 10-11pm.  Now, if we're up at their house that late, we opt to spend the night so we can watch movies & make breakfast together.
• One family, we met through email.  They were moving here to Portland and we had just moved a year before.  We shared thoughts on daycare.  Now, we share thoughts on relationships and home improvement contractors.

We all need the support from other families as we move onward with the challenges of rearing our little lovelies.  Do you have a family that you'd consider your family's "Best Friend(s) Forever"?  How'd you find them?

WEEKEND WARRIORS: July 18-20

A shout out to the mamas whose kiddos are vacationing without them this weekend (okay, yes, I'm green with envy). But for the rest of us, here's a smattering of extracurricular activities for the weekend. In case you're looking to get out of town, there is some festival fun to be had.  Check out the Robinhood Festival in Sherwood, da Vinci Days in Corvallis, the Portland Highland Games, and the Gorge Games out towards the Dalles.  Also, if you love garage sales, you've hit the jackpot this weekend with the Concordia, Sullivan's Gulch, and Brentwood Darlington neighborhoods all holding neighborhood garage sales.

Friday

Story & a Stroll: Enjoy a short guided walk that involves education about crayfish. Targets kids 3-6, rain or shine. Pre-registration required. Tryon Creek State Park, 10:00-11:00 pm.

Sand in the City: More than 450 tons of sand will be sculpted into giant sculptures before your very eyes. Friday through Sunday, 10 am-4:00 pm

Itty Bitty Beach Party: Water fun for the littlest pool goers (6 month-6 years, with parent). Includes a water parade, penny hunt, splash contest and more. $3.25 adults, $2.00 kids, under 2 free. Dishman Pool. 11:30-1:30 pm

Kidical Mass: Once again, kids and families will take over, uh share, the streets of downtown.  Meet at 6:00 at the BTA world headquarters (233 NW 5th Avenue)for bike decorations, safety reminders and chit chat, then leaving at 6:30, wind through downtown ending up at Ben & Jerry's at about 7:15 pm. 

Saturday

Itty Bitty Beach Party: A splashing good time for the 6 month-6 year old set (with parent), including a water parade, penny hunt, splash contest and more. $3.25 adults, $2.00 kids, under 2 free. Creston Pool  11:30-1:00 pm.

Downtown Street Fair: A celebration of the transit mall with a festival of music, sales, crafts, and food. 5th & 6th Avenues between SW Washington and Taylor.  11:30 am-8:00 pm.

South Tabor Neighborhood Festival: Music, crafts, games, clowns, food, and fun. Clinton Park (Woodward & SE 57th). 11:00-3:00 pm.

Gardens of Eatin': Join celebrity chefs for a feast of the senses and a bundle of tips for growing and eating beautiful, delicious, edible plants. Join local chefs from Nutshell, Nostrana, The Dundee Bistro and Nick's Italian Café to cook (and taste) a harvest of local organic foods you can grow yourself at home. Highlights include growing for the grill, unusual herbs, local berries, flower drinks and more. FREE, but advanced registration required (location provided at that time).  10:00 am-12:00 pm.

Sunday

McCoy Park Outdoor Concerts: Django’s Cadillac (hot swing) and hands-on art activities for kids,  6:00 pm. 

Midsummer Night at Lone Fir: Not to be confused with Doug Fir of course, this evening of live music and performances will share some interesting stories of those who are buried at this inner-city cemetery (SE Stark and 26th). Bring picnic and something to sit on.  Suitable for all ages, $15 per family. 5:00-8:00 pm.

Tryon Creek Music in the Forest:  Come hear  music performed by Millenium Woodwind Quintet. FREE, Tryon Creek State Park, 2:00 pm.

Activistas Summer Playdate ~ Friday 8.8.08

It's been too long since we've talked activism, hasn't it?  If you, too, are ready to talk about workplace (in)flexibility, the lack of pad family leave, or the plethora of toxic products on the shelves, join us to rant and figure out how to change it all.  'Cause over at Activstas, we actually think we can.  We might be crazy, but at least we're optimists.  Hope to see you  - and the kids - there.

Cutting Coupons in the Internet Era: Do You?

When I was in middle school I gave my Mom a 'coupon caddy' for her birthday.  Just what every mother wants (second best to the microwave bacon cooker my dad got her - eek).  Details: it was a beige felted coupon holder with dark brown animal pictures on it.  Oooohhh, so womanly.  But she used it.  And I used it.  Wondering what on earth I'm talking about?  A coupon organizer for the mom purse, of course.  We cut, we filed, we saved.  It was our frugal way. 

But in 2008, we Google, we print, we stuff in our purses and hope we find ourselves in the grocery store with the coupon when we need that item - tall order!  Time to resurrect the caddy, me thinks.   So it came full circle today when I opened the mailbox to find an envelope from my mom with a newspaper about CouponMom, aka Stephanie Nelson.  Ever visited?  The article says that some stores look down on internet coupons as fraudulent.  As a very online kinda mama, I'm wondering how this modern schtick really works.  Worth it?   The solution to our rising grocery costs???   I'm all ears, mamas, 'cause I've got coupon caddy on the brain.

To be free!: What to do when kids are away

Kate, an urbanMama of three boys (almost-6, almost-4, and a three-month old), has had a busy year, relocating to Portland, starting at new schools, and potty-training.  She emailed with a unique and an almost-enviable situation. 

I'm in need of some Portland-mama wisdom.  My two oldest boys left for NY for 2 weeks to visit their grandparents.  After sobbing all the way home from the airport, my husband and I got home and realized we didn't know what to do with ourselves.  Besides staying in bed and having sex, renting movies and reading books, we couldn't remember what we did in our pre-kid life.  (Granted, we still have the 3 month old with us, but going from 3 kids to 1 baby is--for us--almost like being child-free again.) 

It's funny, I always fantasized about having alone time again, and now I don't know what to do with myself.  The sex, movies and books can wait until nightfall--I want to take advantage of the wonderful summer weather?  What would other urbanMamas recommend doing in Portland, for someone who is new to the area and hasn't explored much beyond the kid-friendly parks and zoo?  We are on a budget, but not having to feed the kids for two weeks does give us some wiggle room--what are some favorite (vegetarian-friendly) restaurants, day trips, must-see Portland sights?  Help an (almost) kid-free mama find something to do!

The Summer, Parks, Fun, Sun is a good start, as well as digging up stuff on a daily basis on the urbanMamas calendar.  What things in specific do you think she should put on her list of things-to-do over the next two weeks?

Have you made plans for NNO 2008?

This year marks the 25th Anniversary for National Night Out, an evening designed to build community and:

• Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
• Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs;
• Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and
• Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

In years past, neighorhoods throughout Portland have celebrated National Night Out by organizing block parties, ice cream socials at the park, bike rides, group walks and just getting out and meeting our neighbors.

This just in from my neighborhood association:

The deadline to register your National Night Out party is coming up quickly! National Night Out parties can be planned for anytime between August 2nd and August 10th, although the great majority of the parties are planned for National Night Out itself on Tuesday, August 5th this year (always the first Tuesday in August). The website link for NNO information, party ideas and registration is www.portlandonline.com/oni/nno or you call register by phone at 503-823-4064. The deadline to register is July 22nd.

What are your plans for National Night Out?  What neighborhood activities have you participated in the past?  We're dying to come with great new ways to meet new neighbors: what are your suggestions?  A BBQ in the park?  Maybe a potluck in the neighbor's front yard?  A lemonade stand!  A neighborhood jam session on the sidewalk?  A dance party?