Portland Parents

December 6, 9-4.

Not only a great place to peruse the local unique gifts like handbags, ceramics, jewelry and candles, but also some great wine samples, seasonal music and some delicious refreshments.

Come check it out– check out their site at FAIS-PDX.

I wanted to like this book. Kathleen Bryan’s use of stained glass as a container or structure for magic is refreshing. The characters are interesting. The structure of the plot is interesting- not too unusual, and yet different enough from the normal “princess has to leave the kingdom and return to save it” sort of thing that this story is.

However, the caste system and some of the mythology in the book got in my way. On the one hand, the two protagonists “could never marry” and can even travel together because nobody would expect them to be close to one another. While this isn’t that big a deal, it whacks you over the head several times. And on the other hand, “the young god” sacrificed himself to “bind the serpent” and three days later his tomb was empty. Yes, this “young god” is a Christ figure. These two problems come together interestingly enough, however.

The magic of the Knights of the Rose, the beautiful stained glass, is as structured as the society is rigid. And this solidity or structure is what is allowing the Serpent to get free. Only “wild magic,” the magic of the Mother and of nature can save the world. In a similar respect, we can easily envision this shattering revelation to affect the love between the two protagonists.

The book is well written and an enjoyable read. When I was a kid, I didn’t pick up on the Aslan/Christ connection in the books of Narnia. It’s possible that kids won’t see this as blatantly as I did. I still recommend it, although not as warmly as some other books.

“Smashies” is a delicious way to get your kids their fruits! It is an all-natural line of organic apple sauce that comes in a revolutionary pouch. No mess, with an easy to open screw on cap, they are a great way to keep a nutritious and fun-to-eat snack at your fingertips. Each pouch yields 1 serving of whole fruit and is packed with antioxidants and Vitamin C. There is no added sugar or high fructose, and it’s low in calories and all natural.

You can probably find them at the Whole Foods.

In good news to parents everywhere, and especially this parent here in Portland, Kellogs announced that they will be purchasing the recipes and trademarks of Mother’s Cookies. It plans to bring back many of the popular cookies.

Hurray!

This was a great story.

First, you should understand that I like stories about superheroes. I like superheroes. However, I abhor flawless heroes. I can’t stand the “I can fly, I have super speed, you can’t shoot me, I’m super strong” hero that can whip anything into shape and has no problems at all. I’m looking at you, Supes.

Thom Creed doesn’t have that problem. His father, a hero, was kicked out of the Legion and is a pariah. He (Thom) has some great powers, but can’t really control them yet, and they trigger epileptic seizures (of the flashy grand mal variety). Oh, and he’s gay, and like all teenagers, he longs to be in love. And his mother left his father when he was younger.

This kid has some major problems in his life. To help him overcome them, he meets up with some also challenging friends. Scarlett, whose fiery temper (and power) are a mask for a serious problem. Ruth, in her words, a “tough old broad” who can see the future.

There are two kissing scenes in the story. One of them is mildly integral to the storyline and the other is the payoff for the love interest. I’ve read some romances, but never read a romance with less kissing. The kissing didn’t bother my 11 year old. But if two guys kissing offends you, then you should probably avoid this book. Also, non-pc means to describe gay guys are in the book; I consider one of the words used to be a cussword (it begins with f and can also mean a bundle of sticks for a fire).

What was more offensive to me was the smoking; it felt like a lot. On one hand, Ruth is a smoker. But she can see the future and knows that she won’t die because of smoking. The cigarettes are kind of integral to her character sketch. She’s the kind of tough old bird that won’t stop smoking, won’t wear her seatbelt, favors her middle finger, has a rough tongue and tells the truth. And yet she has a heart of gold. Another character that smokes … she could not have smoked but it would have made Ruth stand out as different more. And her smoking shows some changes in her that if I go into very deeply will reveal the character. Finally, Scarlett smokes once or twice, but it seems to be part of her tough girl image.

However, the smokers aside, I really, really liked this book.

The characters are well rounded, and the real characters are for the most part not too stereotypical. Except for Ruth, but everyone needs a golden hearted crone. The unreal characters; Justice, Uberman — they are the kinds of heroes I hate. But they’re really only peripherally in this story, and I can overlook their superiority. In fact, most of the “A-list heroes” are shown to be flawed and are poster kids for “sometimes super-human is less-than-human.”

Thom’s teenage angst is portrayed well and in expected boundaries. His planning to run away from home is spot on and I have to say probably what I would have done in the same circumstances. There are some unknowns; I didn’t know who “Dark Hero” was until late in the story. There were three options who stood out in my mind (I was making the assumption that Dark Hero’s civilian identity was already in the book). The pacing of the book is excellent.

With the smoking and the kissing, it’s probably not a book for a younger kid. But if your kid can read romances and her world isn’t shattered by two guys kissing, I recommend this book.

Making quality shared parent/children’s music like the Asylum Street Spankers, the Not-Its have been making fabulous music in Seattle. Now they’re coming to Portland. They’ll be playing at the Mississippi Pizza Pub (3552 N Mississippi, across from the Rebuilding Center) at 4PM on December 6. Don’t forget the $5 per family admission fee.

Here’s a link to a video of them at an ice cream store in Seattle, performing B.A.T.H.

Have you already gotten your Christmas Tree (if you don’t do Christmas trees, feel free to ignore this question). Allow me to recommend “Genetech” christmas trees at 1600 NW Skyline Blvd. There’s a huge variety of beautiful trees, from tiny little two foot shrubs all the way up to some sky-scratching behemoths that even Clark Griswald would pale at.

And they’re all $20.

Hours are weekends, 9AM to 4PM, so go soon. You’re running out of weekends.

We were at the Holiday Expo yesterday, and our four year old really took a shining to these BeatBuckets. Basically, they’re a special lid for a 5 gallon (round) bucket. You might have one or two of the buckets around, in which case you just need the lid and drumsticks. The price on those at the expo was $15; it was marked as a special price for the Expo, so it might be somewhat more.

You can also get the whole package (ie, drum head, bucket and whacker things) or the deluxe (the whole package as well as a strap for carrying in a parade).

While the buckets were loud and sounded kind of like some kid banging on a bucket, the guy playing them was pretty good. If I had the spare money I certainly would have thrown some at him.

Snow fell today in most, if not all, of Portland. We’re in St Johns and I can see at least one whole inch of accumulation. This has the possibility of bringing Portland to a crashing halt.

Unfortunately, it’s a busy season. If you’re not up at the Zoo looking at Zoolights, you’re at the river watching the Christmas Ship Parade. If you’re not at the river, you’re at Peacock Lane. If you’re not at Peacock Lane, you’re at the Grotto. If you’re not at the Grotto, you’re downtown at the Pioneer Courthouse Square tree.

It’s a crazy time, but one we’re having fun doing, right?

• ZooLights
• Christmas Ship Willamette River schedule.
• Peacock Lane
• the Grotto
• Pioneer Square

And if you’re stuck home with the kids tomorrow; make a vat of hot chocolate and play some Xbox with them!

In case you didn’t get the automated phone call tonight, PPS Schools are closed tomorrow 12/15. Source.