Last week, I decided to bring my kids.
You can find out when the Oregon Senate and House convenes here.
Pro-gun protestors brought guns to the State Capitol in February. Last week, I decided to bring my kids. We walked through the Capitol, visited the office of our state senator and then sat in the gallery to watch the senate hard at work. My youngest was fascinated to watch the voting. We hope to return before the session is out for another lesson in democracy.
You can find out when the Oregon Senate and House convenes here.
0 Comments
My family's evening out included: Salemites can enjoy all this (and many other vendors) every Thursday night, 4pm to 8pm, through September. It's strawberry shortcake time at E.Z. Orchards. Yep... the Shortcake Stand is selling a bit of early summer heaven. Half an order was plenty for my eight year old and I to share. Just like the classic apple cider donuts, it makes for a yummy family snack. After eating our fill, my family went into the Farm Market to get a few items. I like looking through this market as much as I like purchasing items. Somewhere between the strawberries and the celery, my oldest son spotted at Dragon Fruit. This was the first time we'd ever seen this food item and so immediately added it to our basket. Returning home, I searched the internet to find out how to serve this fruit. Then, before slicing the fruit open, I asked each boy to predict what it would look like inside. Both boys were surprised when I unveiled the true center. I scooped the fruit out and sliced it up for tasting. Close to a kiwi/per combo, I wouldn't say that this is a new favorite, but we were all glad we had tried it. Thank you to EZ Orchards for expanding our culinary world!
The only thing I love more than libraries... are more libraries! Thanks to DIY wonder-woman Jessica, Salem has another library. Her "Little Library" project is one part literacy-education, one part community-building, and three parts awesome-Do-It-Yourself. They say that you should "be the change you want to see in the world" - well, Jessica is a 'doer' who (without a doubt) is making Salem better. Read all about it here! After hearing about this South Salem gem, my boys and I stopped by yesterday to "Take a Book - Leave a Book" on Summer Street. We left three paperbacks in exchange for three new treasures. My boys immediately devoured the texts, so it looks like we may revisit Summer Street soon. What are you reading these days?
Perhaps you might want to stop by Salem's newest library: It's little in size, but HUGE in heart! I have boys that need to move AND I have a husband that needs to move. Not a family who spends much time on the couch, we’re always on the lookout for active family outings. So... we were happy to find that Roller Skating has returned to our home town. While the era of the neighborhood roller rink has passed, The Hoop in south Salem does open its doors each Friday night for families who are ready to roll! Starting at 6pm and continuing until 9:30pm, Skate at the Hoop offers classes, birthday parties, and free-skate. Skates can be rented for just $5.50. (Rumor is that Saturday night skating will be available in March 2013).
We took the whole neighborhood over Christmas break and had a great time. Kids, teens, moms and dads were all enjoying the music, lights, skating and games. Our young boys gained balance and confidence with every new loop around the gym. No experience or grace required – this is just a chance to move! Knowing where you are going is often the hardest part of the journey. As my children have entered school, I've worked hard to show them how the skills and knowledge they gain now, can help them later. Math helps in cooking. Reading and writing help you communicate and learn. Music feeds the soul. I've also been talking to my boys about the schooling that comes after high school. Want to be an engineer? There's a college for that. Want to sail the ocean? You can make that your career with an oceanography degree. College offers specialized classes for whatever it is that your heart desires and the fun of dorm life, campus activities, and study-abroad are a true gift. Here is Salem, I've made sure my boys spend time on the local University campus: Guest speakers, concerts, art museum, the campus green space. This past summer, I also made sure they saw the beauty that is: Ford Hall. Ford Hall is the most recently built building on campus and as home to the math department - is uber cool. A few of its highlights include: Willamette University has a variety of great children's programs as well - both during the school year and in the summer. The ultimate planner -- I have to say: It's never too early to think ahead. Three cheers for Gallagher Fitness in Salem for organizing Friday night fun in downtown Salem. After catching a brief bit of the Amazing Race TV series last spring, I’ve been looking for a race(-ish) event within an urban venue for our family. A few options quickly emerged (Urban Dare and The Great Salem Race), but for one reason or another these programs didn’t quite for the bill. Then we found ‘On Your Feet Friday' in our very own backyard. Hooray! Here's how it works: Folks gather in the parking lot next to Gallagher's between 5:30 and 6pm to sign-up and receive their 'passport.' This shows all the groovy downtown spaces you must visit before 7pm. Next - folks run, jog, walk, skip and dance about downtown Salem. In the crowd you'll find serious joggers, walkers, families with strollers, and just about everything in between. All this fun is then followed by prize raffles. The more stores/attractions/viewpoints you visit - the better your chances of snagging a great giveaway. At last month's event, we visited these great local stores -- and stopped for ice cream too (The ice cream wasn't on the official program, but it was along our route and screaming our name)! Overall, I'd say 'On Your Feet Friday' offers the very best in downtown energy, family friendly exercise and urban fun. This event is also for a great cause!
Many, many moons ago (when he was a bachelor) my husband lived in Spokane. Taking an alternate route home from Yellowstone, we stopped in Spokane to get a glimpse of his old stomping grounds. I’m not sure exactly what I expected to find in Spokane, but I (honestly) didn’t have particularly high hopes. We pulled into town with hotel reservations and a plan to leave early the next morning. Instead, we stayed past lunch and found a new favorite, downtown hotel and park. Lodging: Usually when traveling, I look for a hotel with two things: a pool for the boys and a business center for me. After a long day’s drive – I can check my work email, while Dad and boys exhaust themselves in the pool. By 9pm, we’re all happy and tired. However, when making arrangements in Spokane, our hotel choice was all about location, location, location. Well... location AND price. I wanted a hotel that would allow us to walk to Riverfront Park, but needed a room that would not break the bank. I found Hotel Ruby through an internet search and decided that to take the risk, fully hoping that “boutique”, “recent remodel”, and “locally-owned” would add up to something interesting. We weren’t disappointed. Here are just a few snapshots of the trendy, hip hotel that served as our home away from home. Riverfront Park:
A fabulous public park is like a piece of art. A great park includes a mixture of colors and textures. It often tells a story sparked by a bit of inspiration. The designer must employ time and care in the details of the creation. What joy it was to find that Riverfront Park in downtown Spokane has all these things. Built for Expo ’74 of the World’s Fair, the park has things-to-see, things-to-do, beautiful strolling pathways, and treasures around every bend. The public art in the park ranges from a gigantic red wagon (slide included), building blocks (see below), a trash eating goat-sculpture (sadly out of order on the day we visited), and a long line of iron men (and women) running in a race. While the playground in the park is very small, the carousel, gondola, suspension bridge, and splash fountain provide more than enough fun to fill the day. Tucked behind North Salem High School, is the Friends of Straub Environmental Learning Center. This community gem offers a monthly Nature Kids class that is both fun and educational for children grades 2-5. My sons attended 2 of the classes this year and enjoyed both. First, we attended a talk about urban wildlife given by the Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center. Turtle Ridge rehabilitates injured, sick or orphaned wildlife in the Salem area and brought several birds that have recovered from injuries. We also attended a great hands-on class that explored all things wormy! As well as learning about the role of worms in our local ecosystem, my boys constructed their own worm condos. It was good ol', dirty, fun-filled learning. Classes in the Nature Kids Youth Naturalist Series run monthly, throughout the school year, and are free of charge for those interested. A great educational resource for families, you can check out the offerings on the web or by calling 503-391-4145 for more info.
|
On the Go
Categories
All
|