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

Best sweet treats around town

June 30, 2009

The Fourth of July weekend is almost upon us and the weather is supposed to heat up! If you're looking for some yummy desserts for your holiday celebrations and want to avoid heating up your kitchen by baking pies or cakes, take a trip to one of these local, independent shops (BUY LOCAL!) Bon appetit and try to stay cool!

Cupcake Jones (307 nw 10th ave) This sweet shop in Portland's Pearl district offers unusual treats with flavors like: Orange Creamsicle, Peanut Butter and Jelly, and Pumpkin Pie. Eat lunch at Whole Foods first or spend the afternoon pouring over books in the children's reading room at Powell's. Come to Cupcake Jones for doggie cupcakes, rBST free dairy, and locally sourced ingredients when possible. Kudos to this business for donating leftovers to a homeless agency. (Justify your cupcake consumption by seeing it as supporting a business who gives back.)

Saint Cupcake (two locations:407 nw 17th ave @ flanders or 3300 se belmont @ 33rd) My daughter and I love to take a special trip to Saint Cupcake to pick out a selection of teeny, tiny cupcakes. Choose from dots (mini bite-sized cakes, perfect for teddybear tea parties) or regular sized. The lemon berry (available only in summer) is my absolute favorite, but selections like the Fat Elvis (banana fudge chocolate chip) or Red Velvet (delish!) are fun too. They will be closing early on Saturday to celebrate the 4th but check with them for Americana-themed mini cakes! (Hit the Avalon and Laughing Planet to make a day out of it)


Voodoo Donut (1501 ne davis, portland or 22 sw third ave) This is a fun place to bring out of town visitors, although be warned some donuts may be NSFCOUR (Not Safe for Kids or Uptight Relatives). The menu offers crazy treats like the Grape Ape, the Dirty Snowball, and vegan donuts (yes, you too may indulge in the glaze without any forbidden ingredients). How about a last minute wedding? You can do that too at Voodoo!

Also worth a visit for family-friendly goodies: Acme Donuts (near SE 30th and Powell) Pix Patisserie (3901 N Williams Ave and 3402 SE Division St.), and Petite Provence (15964 Sw Boones Ferry Road, 1824 NE Alberta, and 4834 SE Division).  Read more...

Top 5 Things to Do in Portland on a Rainy Day (AKA Please Lord, not the trek to OMSI again)

April 17, 2009

Six years of living in Portland with a child has taught me that when it rains, the usual child-friendly haunts fill to ear-shattering capacity and I have grown to avoid them. My daughter came down with walking pneumonia the past two years in a row, and after her pediatrician suggested we avoid the usual suspects, we’ve managed to escape most of the winter gunk going around. Here are five places to try that I can promise won’t be flooded with hordes of contagious kiddos:

SCRAP-2915 NE MLK Blvd. (MLK & Stanton) (Note new location) Closed Mondays/Tuesdays. (503) 294-0769  
Scrap is an amazing clearing-house of supplies for crafting and art projects. Broken down bits of machinery make great “robot brains” as my daughter calls them, or you may want to construct something out of yarn, mat board, or wood scraps. The SCRAP website features a handy inventory of the latest donated items.

Ed’s House of Gems 7712 N.E. Sandy Blvd (503)284-8990  Going to Ed’s House of Gems is a special treat for my daughter. Your little scientist can pick out small shells, rocks, and minerals to embark upon a collection.  It’s possible to get a beginning collector set up for just a few dollars.

Head to Beaverton and spend an afternoon browsing the aisles of Uwajimaya 10500 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale HWY. This Asian market has a huge assortment of fruits and vegetables, (buy some ingredients you may not have tried before to make a soup that you and your child invent) and a big section of origami and paper crafts.

If you’re looking for a sweet or savory treat, throw a coat on over your pajamas and hit the Waffle Window on Hawthorne Ave. (SE 36th Ave and Hawthorne Blvd, around the corner from Break & Ink Café) (503) 239-4756  Get a Three B’s or a Huckleberry Dream waffle and sit in your car and munch while the rains pours down around you!

Why not bundle up in boots and raingear and do some geocaching? You can be fancy and use a GPS, but a plain old compass and city map will help with the outdoor treasure hunt.  Geocaching involves finding hidden spots all over the city (in many neighborhoods across the city, and locating logbooks (many have stamps to collect). You can research everything at www.Oregongeocaching.org .  Read more...

Things You Must Do in Portland Before Your Child Grows Up

by Sarah Gilbert

November 04, 2008

I've lived in Portland most of my life, and though I've traveled and lived in many vibrant, wonderful cities I can't imagine raising my children anywhere else. I can't let my kids grow up until I:
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