Portland Parents

Tomorrow, April 5, 5PM at the downtown Borders (708 SW 3rd Ave; there’s a SmartPark kitty-corner across Third and Borders will validate with a $25 purchase) — the Asylum Street Spankers will be performing bits from their new kids’ album “Mommy Said No!”

Apparently it features “growing up, dreaming big and boogers” … See the Oregonian

Date/time: Saturday April 07, 2007 8:00am to 12:00pm

Location: West Linn High School
5464 west A street
West Linn OR 97068

Cost: Adult $5.00 in advance or $6.00 at the door Child $3.00

Details:
The 31st Annual Peter Rabbit Breakfast benefits the West Linn Community Preschool. There will be a Pancake and Sausage Breakfast from 8:00-11:00am, Photos with Peter Rabbit, Raffle, Silent Auction and Carnival 8:00-12:00pm with fun and games for all ages! To purchase your tickets in advance please call 503-657-5050

Website: www.wlcp.org

Free Music. Micropayments. Internet Tip Jars.

These are things that people have been struggling to bring to the Internet. And yet, you can experience them at many downtown locations.

The poet Billy Collins once laughingly observed that all babies are born with a knowledge of poetry, because the lub-dub of the mother’s heart is in iambic meter. Then, Collins said, life slowly starts to choke the poetry out of us. It may be true with music, too.

What do you do when you hear a street musician? Some people don’t even hear them; some people ignore them, some people listen to them, and some people drop some money for them. Personally, I’d rather give a musician, however bad, money — than any single person asking “spare change?” But I, too, sometimes go on my routes without a second listen.

Consider the Washington Post’s experiment with Joshua Bell. He played for forty-five minutes in a crowded subway in New York DC ( thanks Rhinsker). Over a thousand humans passed him by. How many stopped to listen? How much did his busking earn him?

You might find the article inspiring.

Date/time: Saturday April 28, 2007; 3-7 p.m.
Location: PCC Cascade Gymnasium, 705 N. Killingsworth, Portland OR 97217
Cost: Kids $15; Adults and kids under 2 are free
Details: Fiesta Viva! is a community celebration that features music and dance for kids of all ages. Highlights include fantastic music by David Hall and Cana Son, salsa dance lessons, face painting, book readings, food, shopping and more. Proceeds will go to support teacher development and scholarships at at Escuela Viva, a dual language preschool and kindergarten in NE Portland.

Contact kathleen to find out more.

No School

Open Arms is a parent driven play group, of the Northwest Down Syndrome Association, for children ages birth through five, with Down syndrome and their family. The play group is organized to give parents opportunities to connect with each other on a personal level by asking questions, sharing ideas, and learning from others experience. Open Arms is a fun place where children can play, snack, learn and grow together. The play group instills their belief that parents are the experts and number one advocate of their children.

It’s the third Friday of each month, 10AM – 11:30AM, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1244 NW 39th Ave, Portland OR 97232.( map)

A Message from Open Arms Chair
As a proud parent of a child with a beautiful smile, caring personality, vast array of abilities, bright future, and Down syndrome diagnosis, I would like to welcome you to Open Arms Play Group. My life would not be the same without having a child with Down syndrome or without meeting all of the families that have been involved in Open Arms. If you have recently discovered you are expecting a baby or recently delivered a baby, with a Down syndrome diagnosis, please call or join us at play group. For more information on our organization and ways in which you can become unvolved or donate, please visit the Northwest Down Syndrome website or call (503) 238-0522.

Sunday, May 20th
12-4pm
$65

Come spend the afternoon with talented local children’s photographer Debbie Baxter, learning how to capture unique, memorable moments with your most important photographs. Debbie is a treasure trove of tips and tools for making portraits of kids shine. In this class, you’ll learn how to tell children’s stories through pictures.

Whether you’re photographing kids when they’re wiggly, giggly, and full of pep or in quieter moments, this class will help you be better prepared to capture expressive images. They grow up fast, so don’t miss this great opportunity to refine your skills! This class is suitable for beginning and intermediate shooters.

Call Newspace Center for Photography to register @ 503-963-1935 or go online

Hope to see you there!!

I’m one of those people who likes a wide range of music; everything from bluegrass country to the Eagles, to Quiet Riot and Bach to the Beatles. So Mommy Says No! is a great album for me. It’s put out by the Asylum Street Spankers. They have a wide spread of talents; the songs put out here span from acoustic pop to jazz.

My two favorite tracks on this were “Mommy Says No,” which happens to be a punky rebellion kid anthem of “All I want to do is ( insert fun thing here )” and Sliver- which is a bluegrass cover of the Nirvana tune. And it’s awesome. Mommy Says No will stick in your mind, whether you’re three, ten or thirty- and listening to your wife explain why you can’t take the kids to the park. Sliver puts a whole new spin on Nirvana.

The album is fun, well rounded and good to listen to in the car. Recommended!

Already?

Her task here’s not even half-started!

She’s been here for about two years, the product of a long search. In fact, if I remember correctly, she almost didn’t take the job but had to be convinced with some extra money and benefits. And now, just after she announces some swooping changes to the school structure, she’s leaving for the Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation.

I can’t say as I blame her, it’s a pretty large honor to work for them. But I do believe she’s leaving her work incomplete.

Launched in March 2004, the Chalkboard Project exists to inspire Oregonians to do what it takes to make our K-12 public schools among the nation’s best. Chalkboard aims to help create a more informed and engaged public who understands and addresses the tough choices and trade-offs required to build strong schools. The independent and non-partisan group offers all Oregonians a voice and a role in making key decisions for their schools.

The Chalkboard Project is a non-partisan source for information, aimed at making our schools the best in the nation. You can pick up excellent information here about schools, budgets, and how you can help the schools get better.