Super Bowl spending by fans up this year

Consumers will spend some $11 billion on everything Super Bowl this year, setting a record.

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Super Bowl spending by fans up this year

Stoneworks Climbing Gym

What’s to Love:  We finally returned to The Stoneworks Gym in Beaverton, OR, and I’m happy to report that it’s still the same quality business that it was 3 years ago.  Super… [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

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Stoneworks Climbing Gym

Resolutions Check

We’re nearly a month into 2012, a time when many of us start forgetting our ambitious New Year’s Resolutions, but I’m really trying to keep up with mine this year. It helps that my goals for the year weren’t too lofty to begin with, and a few are so vague they allow for pretty broad interpretation of the word “success.” Here’s how I’m doing so far (in no particular order): 1. Give up the guilt: This is an ongoing goal for me and one I’m sure I’ll be working on for the rest of my life, but I have to say I’m feeling pretty good about my progress so far this year. 2. Don’t let fear stop me from living the life I want to live: Another broad and probably lifelong goal, this one has already come up in the form of a strange and possibly wonderful opportunity which I’m hoping my family can seize next month. (More on that if it pans out!) 3. Find more activities my pre-teen son and I can enjoy together: I bought my son a puzzle over winter break (an impulse purchase as I shopped for holiday trappings) and we had so much fun doing it we’ve started doing puzzles nearly every weekend. Our whole family enjoyed doing jigsaw puzzles when my son was younger, but we hadn’t done one in at least a year. My husband cut a large piece of cardboard so we can move the puzzle off the dining room table every evening at dinnertime, and now we’re back in business. It’s a great way to spend snippets of time together throughout the week/weekend and talk about anything and everything as we hunt for the right pieces. 4. (Re)learn a foreign language: I started an Italian class at PCC a few weeks ago and although I was panicked before the first class (I hadn’t taken Italian in nearly 30 years but I signed up for the second level), it all started coming back to me as soon as the class started and I love it! In fact, when our second class was canceled because of inclement weather, I was truly disappointed! (“You’re disappointed you get a snow day?,” my son asked incredulously!) 5. Learn to make great pie crust: I haven’t started on this one yet, but there’s still time, right? 6. Travel more: I’m working on this one. (See #2, above.) That’s all I’ve got for now, but having written it all down I have to say I’m pretty proud of myself. How are you doing on your resolutions, if you made any? Please share your progress and your challenges in our comments section below -– it might help you stay on track, get back on track, or even make new resolutions for the months ahead!

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Resolutions Check

Holiday Giving Wrap-Up

THANK YOU! Our 2011 Holiday Giving Campaign was a great success thanks to you, our generous readers! We decided to run two campaigns this past year, one through JOIN to help a local homeless family move into stable housing, and one through Mercy Corps to help alleviate the devastating, ongoing suffering in the Horn of Africa. Readers donated a total of $1,875 to our JOIN “Home for the Holidays” effort, which, when added to our match of $1,250, gave us a grand total of $3,125. Our goal was $2,500, the amount needed to move one family into housing, so thank you thank you thank you for helping us exceed that! You also donated $2,010 to the Mercy Corps effort, which we began running in August 2011. We added $2,500 to the pot for a total of $4,510, making ours the fifth-highest earning Mercy Corps Horn of Africa pledge effort. See the results at mercycorps.org . Thank you, and a very happy new year to you all!

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Holiday Giving Wrap-Up

Need a Night Out?

Parenting is the most rewarding job you’ll ever have, but let’s face it, we all need a night off every now and then. If you’re not one of the fortunate few with a steady, reliable babysitter ready to pop over at a moment’s notice, don’t despair. There are other options. In fact, this Saturday there’s a Parents’ Survival Night scheduled at the Little Gym of Lake Oswego , just one of the many Parents’ Night Out events held regularly throughout the area. These events offer kids an evening of active fun with other kids their age -– plus snacks! –- while parents get some much deserved “adults only” time. Here’s a handy list of local organizations that regularly schedule Parents’ Nights Out. (We lifted it from our own, newly updated Family Resource Guide !) In addition to those listed below, some local health clubs, preschools and daycare centers also host Parents’ Nights Out. Clark County YMCA : 11324 NE 51st Cir., Vancouver, Wash.; 360-885-9622; ymca-clarkcounty.org . The Little Gym of Lake Oswego : 17890 SW McEwan Rd.; 503-595-9702; tlglakeoswegoor.com . Oregon Gymnastics Academy : 16305 NW Bethany Ct. Suite 109, Beaverton; 503-531-3409; ogagym.org . The Play Boutique : 464 1st St., Lake Oswego; 503.675-7529; playboutique.com . The Playground Gym : 505 NE Grand Ave.; 503-235-7529; theplaygroundgym.com . Portland Parks and Recreation : 503-823-PLAY; portlandonline.com/parks . Call your local community center for occasional events. Precision Elite Gymnastics : 15507 SE For Mor Ct., Clackamas; 503-659-0095; sunburstgymnastics.com . Rose City Gymnastics Academy : 7056 NE Glisan St.; 503-281-1314; rosecitygym.com . Vancouver Elite Gymnastics Academy : 840 NW 10th Ave., Camas, Wash., 360-834-7424; 117th Ave., Vancouver, Wash., 360-254-7958; vegagym.com . We Village : 424 NW 11th Ave.; 503-935-5590; wevillage.com . Drop-in child care, open late on Fridays, Saturdays, First Thursdays and special events. Westside Dance and Gymnastics Academy : 11632 SW Pacific Hwy., Tigard; 503-639-5388; westsideacademy.com .

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Need a Night Out?

Comedy’s Jeffrey Ross is coming to roast the Rose City

The Roastmaster Jeff Ross has made his name at the Friar’s Club celebrity roasts, skewering the likes of Charlie Sheen, Pam Anderson, Flavor Flav and laying waste to dozens more of his colleagues.

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Comedy’s Jeffrey Ross is coming to roast the Rose City

Portland Trail Blazers 2012

A Portland Trail Blazer game is fun for the whole family! There are many packages and ticket options for families. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

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Portland Trail Blazers 2012

2012 Portland Auto Show focuses on economy

The Portland International Auto Show returns January 26, bringing 500 brand-new models to the Oregon Convention Center and showcasing eco-friendly and economic options.

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2012 Portland Auto Show focuses on economy

Winter Portland Farmer’s Market opens

Portland Farmer’s Market opened a new winter location at downtown Portland’s Shemanski Park Saturday.

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Winter Portland Farmer’s Market opens

Our 2012 Family Resource Guide

Our 2012 Family Resource Guide is on the stands now, with over 50 pages of new and updated listings! It’s the ONLY regional directory of family-friendly activities, destinations, businesses and resources available for FREE! Inside you’ll find everything from Educational Attractions to Visual and Performing Arts to Playgrounds, Public Fountains and Hiking Opportunities to Sports, Gymnastics and Horseback Riding to Family-friendly Restaurants and Cafes to area Farmers Markets and more. You’ll even find a comprehensive list of Resources for Parents and Families . You really should pick up your copy today! (You can read it online , too, but we think you’ll want to keep a copy handy for those “What should do today?” and “Where can we find …?” kind of days.)

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Our 2012 Family Resource Guide

Ripzu Indoor Skatepark

What’s to Love:  On our ever continuing 2011 skatepark tour, we managed to find this gem in Vancouver, WA.  Ripzu has been open about a year and a half, but it seems like a brand new facility… [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

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Ripzu Indoor Skatepark

Resolutions for a Charmed Life

As the new year approaches, many of us have resolutions on the brain. What changes do we want to make in the coming year? How many of our resolutions will we actually be able to keep? My family just completed our annual list making – a Solstice tradition in our house – where we write down what we enjoyed most in the year that’s ending and what we hope to do/accomplish in the year ahead. It’s fun to look back on the current year and remember how much happened, and it’s nice to look ahead with optimism. And while New Year’s Resolutions lists often contain grand goals, it’s helpful to remember that the smallest gestures, when added up, often make the most difference. With that in mind, I’d like to share one of my favorite blog posts from the previous year: “ The Charmed Life Challenge ” from Pink of Perfection. In this mid-summer post, Pink creator Sarah McColl shares a list of small but significant gestures to make life sweeter, more beautiful and more fulfilling. I printed the list (actually a slightly edited version of the list; I don’t wear perfume or lipstick, for starters) and plan to use it to spruce up my own life in the new year. After all, happy mothers make happy families, right? If you have time, read through the list, and “ The Life Seduction Challenge ” on which it’s based. What items spark your fancy? What items would you add to your own list? What big or small changes have you included on your own New Year’s Resolutions list? Here’s to living the charmed life in 2012!

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Resolutions for a Charmed Life

De-stress for the holidays

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De-stress for the holidays