September 21, 2011

Wings and Waves

Wings and Waves is not only the name of a really cool indoor waterpark (attached to an aviation museum no less)…but doesn’t it just perfectly sum up the toddler years?  Sometimes we’re soaring on wings of joy and sometimes we’re riding the waves of toddler tantrums. Last week we were riding the crest and testing our wings in the Freckles/Rocko/Dunk household. Dunk had a great week!  Rocko unfortunately got scheduled for a last minute business trip and had to leave for Cincinnati with less than 24 hours notice. While Papa jetted off into the friendly skies last Wednesday, Dunk and I had one of those really great mama/baby days that seem to happen so infrequently now that toddlerhood has reared its ugly head.  We spent the morning just doing chores around the house, but Dunk got to help quite a bit…and in a rare turn of events, he was actually quite helpful! (Isn’t it funny how most of the time toddler “helping” can turn everything into a hours long project?) We also attended our first tumble and dance class offered at a nearby studio.  Dunk loved it and participated fully…another rarity around here. After dance class, we spent some time at the park and then came home in time for our grocery delivery and to eat lunch and take a nap.  That night I also got a night out for a co-op executive meeting (no kids) at a local bar.  Sure, there was business to do, but also lots of chit chat…and wine! The new babysitter was a hit and Dunk went to bed just a little bit later than normal, but well tired out from a full day of activity. The best part of all this was NO TANTRUMS. We actually managed to string together a whole bunch of days that were stress free (at least until Monday’s double meltdown…but that’s a story for another day).

So what’s with my reference to Wings and Waves?  Well, Rocko’s trip got extended into Saturday and I had already rented a car for the weekend in order to get some errands done, so Dunk and I headed off to the waterpark on a dreary, rainy, Portland kind of day. The park was great, albeit a better fit for a slightly older crowd (maybe preschool age and up).  There was still plenty for Dunk and I to do, but I’m not sure the adult admission price of $30 pp was fully justified in our case.  There is a giant wave pool  and an activity pool for general swimming and playing, as well as a pretty cool play structure, complete with valves and hoses and lots of interactive water features to play with. Unfortunately, the structure also had a giant bucket at the top that periodically dumped a wall of water on unsuspecting heads (Dunk was NOT a fan). Finally, there are a number of large slides appropriate for older kids and a few small slides for the 2-4 yr old set. Dunk takes after his father and was entranced with the video game arcade…it’s hard to convince him that he needs just a few more years before he’ll be able to play those games. My only mistake of the day was stopping at McDonald’s for a treat (mostly for myself)…Dunk got sucked into the morass that is the McDonald’s Playland – a pit of screaming kids, germ-infested and unsuitable for toddlers.  But there he was climbing his way into the tree house while I’m yelling at him “be careful” and “time to go home”.  Dunk has truly perfected the art of selective hearing…funny how every other kid and parent could hear me, but he was oblivious.  I learned my lesson…no more toddler trips to MickeyDees.

However, after a mostly fun-filled week with Dunk, I think my favorite part was picking up Rocko at the airport on Saturday night and listening to him catch up with Dunk.  My heart just melted as Dunk asked Papa, “Did you have a good trip?”  and seeing that little head tucked into Rocko’s shoulder as he said, “I’m so glad you’re home, Papa.  I missed you.”  <Happy sigh>…it’s good to be a family.

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September 12, 2011

Summer, summer, summer…

Ah, where has the summer gone?  As September is ushered in with Portland temps in the 90s (for the first time this year), I’m reminded that I have been seriously delinquent in keeping up with the blog.  Here’s a quick wrap-up of what Rocko, Dunk and I have been up to for the past 2+ months:

  • We spent our first Independence Day weekend feeling a bit nostalgic for the traditions of home.  We got clams and Maine lobster and celebrated at home with a little clam bake (not quite the same as hanging with our friends StevieDee, but fun nonetheless).  We took a walk and enjoyed the playground at Mt. Tabor park and for the most part we missed all of the fireworks and celebrations going on around town (we made a poor choice in our fireworks viewing locale).
  • Portland is full of neighborhood celebrations and street fairs.  We checked out the Mississippi (crowded and hot, but fun), Lents (empty and boring), Alberta (fun to see a new neighborhood that we hadn’t visited until this point), Hawthorne (our neighborhood) and Belmont (also our neighboorhood) Street Fairs.  Dunk is a big fan of the street fair scene, but we’re not exactly sure why.  They are mostly made of up of food and craft vendors, some local music and sometimes a kiddie area.  Maybe he is just a fan of the Hawaiian Shave Ice that is usually on offer.
  • We had a visit from Uncle J (Rocko’s brother) which was fun and disrupting in equal parts.  Dunk had a hard time adjusting to sleeping in our room since we had to displace him from his own room to make room for our visitor.  We’re still working on return to a normal sleep pattern, even now, a month later.
  • We’ve said goodbye to lots of preschool friends as they’ve moved on to new “big kid preschools” for the fall. Lots of transitions for everyone.
  • We joined a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and have been enjoying a much greater variety of vegetables.  It’s nice to have some new and unusual veggies to plan meals around.  We’ve also been able to make some treats, such as zucchini muffins which are a big hit with Dunk.
  • We enjoyed some playdates with friends.
  • I got out to a movie and a haircut and used a babysitter for the first time here in Portland.
  • We played at a nearby pool and enjoyed lots of water fountains.

Our top three things that we’ve done this summer:

  1. Outdoor Movies in the Park Filmusik’s ”Gamera vs Guiron” – this is our absolutely favorite thing that we’ve experienced in Portland since our move…so much fun!  The movie itself is classic Japanese monster movie fare, but it’s taken to a whole new level with live voice acting and a full, live orchestra performing dialogue and soundtrack for the film.  There was also lots of audience participation and a sing-a-long with the Gamera theme song.  We were lucky to have this offered at our local park just three blocks from home.  Even Dunk enjoyed the show, and since Gamera is a “friend to children”, it wasn’t even scary.
  2. Sunday Parkways – this is a super fun way to get a new view of Portland neighborhoods.  We participated in our local neighborhood ride through the SE part of Portland.  We were joined by one of Dunk’s friends and his family. It’s hard to express just how awesome this event is…a loop of streets is shut down to become entirely car free, open to biking and walking traffic only.  We did the whole loop starting a local park and ending at the same location for a picnic lunch from some of the food vendors that were set-up for the day.
  3. Oregon Symphony in the park - a free outdoor performance by the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, capped off with the 1812 Overture and fireworks.  The symphony was amazing! I would even go as far as to say that the 1812 Overture (my favorite classical piece) was just as good as the Boston Pops…heresy, I know, but true. They even included the traditional cannon fire courtesy of the Oregon Army National Guard. The fireworks , on the other hand, were a bit underwhelming and were poorly timed, starting well after the conclusion of the symphony performance. Overall though, it was definitely an event not to be missed.  I’m already looking forward to next summer!

I’ll leave you with a few pictures of our adventures and the hope that I continue with more frequent blog posts going forward.

 

 

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July 5, 2011

Full Value Portland

Many years ago I worked for an organization that developed concept called the Full Value Contract. The basic premise of the FVC (as it is TLA’d for those in the know) is that everyone is “fully valued”. The context is typically a therapeutic group, but make no mistake the goals of the proponents of FVC are far broader… no less than total world domination!

The general concept of FVC is:

  • Be present
  • Pay attention
  • Speak your truth
  • Be open to outcomes
  • Create a safe environment

Nothing wrong with that, you might say…

Well, I’m happy to report in Portland, the FVC is alive and well and integrated into the more progressive businesses. The leading candidate is a grocery chain called New Seasons Market. New Seasons is the kind of store where you can get let your vegan, locavore, or gourmet freak flags fly. But beyond that, it’s locally owned and operated with a strong commitment to giving back to the community. It’s everything I love (in concept) about Portland but taken to the extreme – as revealed by this bat-shit crazy letter sent to a valued ex-patron:

Dear Kristen,
I want to thank you for coming to our Store Support offices to share the details of your difficult, genuinely painful experience at our Seven Corners store. It showed a high degree of trust in Claudia and myself – belief that we would truly hear you.

Indeed, trust is at the very core of this dilemma. Therefore, I feel confident in proposing a clean, simple resolution to a very confusing sequence of events. You deserve a fresh start devoid of uncertainty and mistrust.

I envision that fresh start including a neighborhood store which is not a part of New Seasons Market. I am concerned that returning to Seven Corners (or any of our other stores) would entail continued feelings of discomfort – the sense that you might have to prove your innocence, so to speak. To the contrary, it would be to your advantage to shop or enjoy a meal in an environment where there are no unpleasant distractions. This would allow you to redirect your abundant energies toward your art, interest in working with children, and overall happiness which is of prime importance.

In keeping with this call for a fresh start, we support Miguel’s decision to permanently preclude you from visiting our stores. And, since we are obligated by store policy to call authorities if this request is not honored, we must remind you of this consequence for returning to any of our locations.

I’m very grateful that you voiced your need for clarity so that we could work together toward a positive, concise resolution. Again, thank you for your trust.

Warmly,
Mary Alison Leatart
Customer Advocate
New Seasons Market

See, Portlandia - this shiite writes itself. And there you go… nothing more to say.

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July 5, 2011

Float On

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to try out a float tank at a center here in Portland – FloatOn. Back in the day, we used to call these “isolation tanks”. The idea is to remove all sounds, sights and tactile sensations to enter a meditative state. I’d had an opportunity to try this before several times in the long distant past… but let’s just say those experiments involved other consciousness alterations.

FloatOn has four tanks and three different designs. The tank that I chose is a pretty nice setup with a four foot door where you enter and exit. Often, tanks have a square door at the top of the tank – this makes getting in and out a bit more difficult. The walk-in design was nice. It also means the tank is larger inside as well. The inside of the tank is like any tub enclosure, but the entire tank “room” is heated to body temp. The four inches of fluid you float in is loaded with epsom salts (800 lbs, I was told). The epsom salt keeps afloat and also prevents your skin from pruning.

After a quick orientation and some tips (don’t get the water in your eyes — in fact don’t touch your face), the attendant left me in the private room with some towels and ear plugs. I took a quick shower and decided against the ear plugs. I stepped into the tank, closed the door behind me and turned off the small blue light inside.

The water is body temperature and so is the air around you – it’s difficult to detect what’s in the water and what’s not. I floated a bit and found the tank boundaries as my body settled into the experience. The tank was absolutely silent and dark. I couldn’t tell the difference between open and closed eyes.

My busy mind drifted through various worries and concerns as I lay in the tank and I began to wonder if I had made a mistake signing up for a 90 minute float. How long I had it been already? 1 minute. 10? 30? But soon the thoughts passed and I think I may have actually fallen alseep. When I woke up, I was anxious for a moment, but this too passed.

I didn’t experience any visual or audio hallucinations as some people do when they float. I did manage to connect with the quiet mind for a few fleeting moments. Soon enough, I heard some quiet ambient music. This was the cue from the attendant that my time had ended. I opened the door, exited the tank and took a quick shower to wash off the salt water. My skin felt great and I was very relaxed.

As I exited the shower, I heard an acoustic guitar outside playing “Float On” by Modest Mouse. I thought I might be finally hallucinating, but when I got to the lobby there was the troubadour in the flesh. I enjoyed some nice tea and chatted with some of the other patrons/employees. All in all a very postive experience that I’ll repeat in the not too distant future.

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June 28, 2011

Waterfalls, snow and berries

We had a gorgeous summer weekend here in Portland.  We decided to rent a car again in order to do a few day trips and it was well worth it.  Part of our car-free lifestyle change included budgeting for occasional car rentals, taxis or Zipcars…for the most part it has made more sense to get a car from Enterprise for a full weekend rather than just rent a Zipcar for a few hours (and Enterprise has a neat service where they will come to your house and pick you up…a critical service when dealing with a car seat and a two year old).  A few weeks ago, before summer prices caught up to us, we were able to rent a car for 3 days for a grand total of $60…that would have been just 6 hours in a Zipcar.  As we get into summer high season, car rental is looking a bit more expensive, but probably still worth it so that we can experience all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

Case in point, this past weekend we managed to experience a full range of activities: hike the nearby waterfalls scattered throughout the Coulmbia River Gorge area, travel to Mt. Hood to play in the snow (in our sandals!), and then pick some delicious, sweet strawberries at a nearby farm.  Here’s this weekend in pictures:

View from Women's Forum State Park

Obligatory tourist photo at Vista House viewpoint

The top part of Bridal Veil Falls...spectacular! (And too big to capture without a wide angle lens.)

Multnomah Falls - gorgeous!

Cool tunnel at Oneonta Gorge. This was one of Dunk's favorite stops...he likes to yell, "Echo! Echo!" and "Time Tunnel approaching!" whenever we go in a tunnel.

View from the road as we approach Mt. Hood

Timberline and Mt. Hood summit

"That's cold, Papa!"

Papa and Dunk posing in the snow (with sandals on!)

We forgot the "good" camera on berry picking day so we only got a few good shots with the old one. Here is Dunk surveying the field.

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June 23, 2011

Rose Festival

The Portland Rose Festival (one of the biggest Portland events of the year) has come and gone.  What did we get to see?  The fireworks show on opening weekend? The Grand Floral Parade?  The Starlight Parade?  The Junior Parade? The dragon boat races?  Nope…we went to the Milk Carton Boat Race event hosted by the Dairy Farmers of Oregon at one of the city parks.  Don’t get me wrong, we had fun and enjoyed free chocolate milk and yogurt…and even better, free root beer floats, but it wasn’t the most exciting event I’ve ever attended.  The highlight was watching one of the “model motor boat jerks” fall in the water right in front of us.  Yeah, we’re probably a bit mean-spirited, but no one was hurt and it was pretty funny. (The model boat guys were kind of ruining the main event by hogging all of the pond-side space with their silly hobby boats.)  Here is our day in pictures:

Professional show boat from the race sponsor

One of the coolest homemade boats

Another show boat

One of many "heats" during the race

A model boat enthusiast (not the one who fell in the water)

Mama and Dunk goofin' around

Oh, we also missed the World Naked Bike Ride, but that’s probably a good thing, right?  (NOTE:  Link contains nudity, as you might expect, definitely NSFW…or prudes.)

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June 22, 2011

One year ago…

…we took the first step to one of the biggest (literal) moves of our lives.  It was just a year ago this week that we took our first trip as a family to Portland, OR.  We visited during the first week of summer and were blessed with gorgeous sun-filled days.  We’re seeing a repeat of that weather pattern this year with the first week of solidly nice weather this year.  It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since that visit and more than 6 months since our move.  Time sure does fly!

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June 22, 2011

A trip to the Oregon coast

Another overdue post from the first weekend of June…

Washing up before bed at the Shilo Inn

Last minute, spontaneous trip to the coast…we rented a car on Friday and decided at 5:00 in the afternoon to hit the road and see the coast.  First we headed to Tillamook .  Observations: smelled like cow poop and lowtide (not good), never seen so many cows in such a short drive.  An okay place to spend the night, but I don’t think we feel a compelling need to get back there anytime soon.  We stayed at the Shilo Inn – basic room, decent breakfast, really uncomfortable bed.

After arriving at the fairly late hour of 8:00 pm (late for parents of a toddler), we went for a quick dinner at the Pacific House restaurant .  This scenario would usually result in a toddler meltdown, but Dunk did great.  We found out he loved mussels…at least for that day.  And he indulged in some salad (a rare thing) by pretending to be a brachiosaurus/dinosaur.

Demonstrating his "angry" face at breakfast

After breakfast the next morning, at the hotel restaurant, we headed off down the Oregon Coast Highway 101.  It was a very scenic drive, absolutely stunning in spots.  We made several stops along the way for photo ops and beachcombing.

We finished our trip in Newport , OR, the Dungeness crab capital of the world! (who knew?).  We definitely need to do another trip to this area to see the aquarium.  We got to see seals (or are they sea lions?) and do some walking around the area.  We had lunch at Local Ocean Seafoods – really good but pretty expensive.  Dunk slept through most of it and woke up to finish off our leftovers just before we paid the bill, then it was back in the car for a long ride home.

Gorgeous beach

Cliffs along the shoreline

Seals? Sea lions? Sunning themsleves on the dock below the boardwalk

We wrapped up the weekend by attending a birthday party for our friend’s one year old.  Fun times!

Hamming it up on the stage at park/birthday party venue

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June 8, 2011

Birthday reflection

Ah, birthdays…it’s like a new year in the middle of the year for me…a time for reflection, renewal and resolutions.

Reflections:

I’m feeling sad this week.  Rocko is in Minneapolis for work.  It’s not the first time he has had to travel during my birthday…one year it was Singapore, another year Hong Kong and yet another year Ireland…I guess I should be happy that he’s in the United States and just a short plane ride away. It’s especially hard this year with him traveling because we’re so far from our family and friends.  In years past, I would be able to schedule lunch or dinner with friends throughout the week.  So now, not only am I missing Rocko, but I’m again feeling the poignancy of missing our close friends.

All that being said, we’ve come so far as a family in the past year.  I quit my job just about a year ago (May 27, 2010 was my last day of work) and began the transition to a stay at home mom lifestyle.  It wasn’t easy.  I had to reconnect with my “mom” friends, find activitites to stimulate Dunk and keep us both busy, and learn how to be a housewife even though I hate cooking and cleaning and shopping and pretty much that whole deal (but not as much as a was hating being away from Dunk while working). It’s also been about 6 months since we made our big move to Portland (December 14, 2010).  We’ve made some huge changes in our lifestyle and I’m generally happy with them.  Life is about balance and I think we’re getting there.  I feel like Rocko needs to work on his friendships…it’s so much harder for him to find connections since he is doing the primary breadwinner thing.  I have been able to connect with some of the families at our co-op prechool and I think we’re all beginning to make some new friends.  Hopefully, this summer wiil bring some opportunities for travel in our little corner of the world and a chance to enjoy each other as a family.

Renewal:

Rocko and I need to find a sitter so that we can reconnect as a couple and enjoy some date nights.  I need to find a place to get a massage. It’s also time to find a new primary care physician for myself.  I restarted grad school a few weeks ago and I’m really enjoying the intellectual stimulation.  The class is on Emerging Models in Education and we’ve had some really great conversations about how to improve the education system in the country and we’ve discuused ways to integrate tehcnology into the classroom, particularly relevant given that it’s an online class.  The Positive Discipline parenting class I was tgaking has come to an end and I think I’ve got a lot of new tools in my toolbox to help me deal with the toddler years.  We’ve begun introducing some of the concepts with Dunk andI think we’re seeing some positive results so far.

Resolutions:

We need to start eating better as a family.  Dunk can be a real challenge to feed and I find myself falling back on the easy, reliable stuff, like mac and cheese and hot dogs, way too often. We all need to remember to stop and smell the roses…it helps to have a toddler who wants to dawdle at every opportunity.  This week alone, on our walk to school, we’ve seen a woodpecker mama feeding her babies in a tree around the corner from us and watched some squirrels going crazy  chasing each other around another tree.  Dunk also likes to literally stop and smell the flowers…then he pretends to sneeze. :-)

All-in-all it’s been a good, but very challenging, year.  A little check in on the work/life barometer:

  • Work – Settling into my stay at home mom “job” and my volunteer work with the co-op preschool, and enhancing my future career possibilities with an education updgrade
  • Family – I love my guys!  Dunk is so smart and such a little character.  Rocko has been so supportive of my/our decision to pursue this lifestyle change and he’s been great at supporting my desire to finish my Master’s degree
  • Friends – I’m grateful that we have social media to stay connected to friends near and far, old and new; we’re working on establishing new friendships here in Portland
  • Personal Interests – I’ve been able to find time to read (for pleasure) and fit in my school work, I need to find time to add a yoga or Pilates class so that I can feel better
  • Health – Yeah, this one needs some work…
  • Couple time – Yeah, this one needs some work too…
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June 8, 2011

Memorial Day weekend fun

I meant to post over a week ago to share our Memorial Day weekend fun…then time got away from me and now I have two weekends worth of fun stuff to write-up.

We had a semi-quiet, holiday weekend. It was a little weird not to have a traditional BBQ to attend. We really missed our friends StevieDee…as we understand, it was a perfect weekend in Massachusetts for a lobster bake.

Rocko went for a “float” in a sensory deprivation tank on Friday after work. He’s supposed to write up a blog post about it so I mention it now to apply some pressure.

On Sunday we went to Oaks Amusement Park where the Multnomah County Fair was being held. The park istself was fun for Dunk. It’s like a really big Salem Willows or a really small Canobie Lake.  The fair was pretty lame, but free, so who can complain?  Following are some pics of our serious little man…

Chowing down on some corn on the cob (just woke up from a stroller nap)

First time on a real, live pony...not impressed

Dunk seems skeptical

He really was having a good time...

There's our boy...putting on his fake smile for us

Carousel dragon ride with Mama

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