October 14, 2007
Must See in Portland

Southeast

Eats:
cup & saucer cafe
3566 SE Hawthorne Blvd
503-236-6001

Pok Pok
3226 SE Division St
503-232-1387
Thai

Nostrana
1401 SE Morrison St
503-234-2427
sit outside and order the margherita pizza with prosciutto

Shops:
Spielwerk Toystore
7956 SE 13th Ave
503-736-3000
Best selection of wooden toys

Mother Nature's
2627 SE Clinton St
503-230-7077
eco-friendly newborn and kid items

Haggis McBaggis
6802 SE Milwaukee Ave
503-234-0849
croc pit kids can play in while looking parents look for shoes

Activities:
Zenana Spa
2024 SE Clinton St
503-238-6262

OMSI


Northeast

Eats:
Vita Cafe
3024 NE Alberta St
503-335-8233
Kids eat for a $1 from 5-7pm

Staccato Gelato
232 NE 28th Ave
503-231-7100

Laurelwood Public House and Brewery
5115 NE Sandy
503-282-0622
Great play area for kids

Shops:
Mimi & Lena
1914 NE Broadway
503-224-7736

Office
2204 NE Alberta St
888-355-7467
retro school supplies and fun

Grasshopper
1816 NE Alberta St
503-335-3131

Activities:
Kennedy School
5736 NE 33rd Ave
503-249-3983
Tuesday mommy matinees


The Pearl District

Eats:
Sip & Kranz
901 NW 10th Ave
503-336-1335
Playroom!

Hotlips Pizza
NW 10th Ave & Irving St
503-595-2342
1890 landmark

Shops:
Cheeky B
906 NW 14th Ave
503-274-0229

Posh Boutique
1038 NW Johnson St.
503-478-7674

Activities:
Jamison Square
NW 10th & Johnson St
Great park with wading fountain

Powell's Books
1005 W Burnside St
503-228-4651

Posted by kjohnson at 07:42 PM
Special touches for Birthdays

1) Monarch for the day - Have child make a custom crown out of card stock displaying their age and they can wear it all day, basking in the greetings they receive. Plan dinner menu, ignore chores. One idea was to give the kids a budget and let them plan their perfect day.

2) Celebrate birthday week - a sample may look like: week starts out with a homemade happy birthday poster and the telling their birth story. Each day after that the family gathers for one special treat, game night, a movie, dinner out, etc.

3) Wake to Cake - Everyone digs in on the bed after lighting candles and singing.

4) Hide a prize in the cake - Poke a peanut, piece of chocolate or soft candy into the cake before frosting it. Whoever finds the nut wins an ice-cream outing with dad.

5) Collect Well Wishes from family and friends - Have a party tablecloth that people sign/decorate every year with markers and stamps.

6) Decorate a doorway - You can write out a message on a plastic tablecloth cut it into strips and hang it in the bedroom doorway (can use a tension rod).

7) Tape and Watch Birthday Interviews - Create a video scrapbook by taking out a child's take and with the camera on records the childs goals, friends adn party plans as well as the highlights of the last 12 months. Then start the tape from the beginning and watch the back to back interviews.

8) Give a Shared Experience - one family doesn't give presents. The child can choose a special activity that he or she would like to do with the family.

9) Honor their accomplishments - one family creates a big poster for the birthday boy listing the special things he did that year.

Posted by kjohnson at 07:21 PM