Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Portland, OR

I admire, but do not own, the mainstream parenting books. Instead I have a shelf full of quirky ones that nonetheless change things in my house. I'd included books such as Little House in the Big Woods on my list, for instance: by reading this book I developed my mantra, "would Ma Ingalls have worried about it?" (especially good when applied to things like whether your baby has enough tummy time). Here are a few books that gave me a new way of looking at my role as mama:

• Take the Fight out of Food by Donna Fish. Though this book often focuses on the parent who struggles with his or her own weight, it's useful even for parents like me who are more concerned with getting their children to eat a variety of foods and cheerfully feed them whole milk and butter by the cupfull. Essentially, Fish argues that parents should teach children that there are no "bad" foods; that foods should not be offered or taken away as punishment or reward; and that we should just chill out and stop worrying that our kids are going to be eating nothing but chicken nuggets when they're 40.
• Momfulness by Denise Roy. Don't learn how to put your kids to sleep or how to potty train them; learn how to be more present and "momful" with Denise Roy's great meditations, exercises and stories. It's a great read when you want to scream at your kids, and the chapters are blissfully short to allow you to drink it up in teeny doses. Warning: you may cry.
• The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule. Soule helps you think about how to set up an art corner, enjoy your children's expressiveness, and let everyone create something, every day.