Sauvie Island Farms
August 9, 2010 by Leigh Anne
Filed under places to play, places to see
Summer will unfortunately soon be a distant memory so be sure and take the time to make some great memories with what we have left.
Last week we spent a few hours and make some fun memories out at Sauvie Island Farms.
My daughter was babysitting the two neighbor boys so we took them along for some fun.
The highlight for them was riding the tractor out to the berry patch!
Sauvie Island Farms is a beautiful and magical place. Although you are just minutes away from downtown Portland you feel like you are miles away. I think I may just want to move there.
There is lots to do on the farm and lots to pick!
Peaches are ripe for the picking right now.
The Red Havens are delicious. The trees are grown low to the ground so no ladders are necessary for picking.
In no time at all we had our wagon loaded up and ready to go.
The farm has boxes available to purchase to put your peaches in or you can bring your own containers.
From the peach orchard we hoped on the tractor and headed out to the berries to pick some raspberries and blueberries.
There are also lots of yummy vegetables available for U-Pick as well.
And then there were the flowers – the beautiful U-Pick flowers. How could I go home without some of these!
Well of course I didn’t!
Everyone was friendly and welcoming and we wish we could live there too! There were lots of pumpkins getting ready to ripen in the fields so I know we’ll be back!
Summer Fun Giveaway Winners!
May 24, 2010 by Leigh Anne
Filed under Giveaway, places to play
Thanks to all of you who entered the giveaway for these fun products!
Winner #1 of the Sport-Brella is:
#41 Kathy of Hillsboro
Winner #2 of the Speedminton is:
#32 – Ann Leete
Winner #3 of the Potty Flip and Snack Trap is:
#52 – Jessica Fuhriman
Ladies, I will be in contact to get you your prizes!!
Congratulations and thanks again to all who participated!
Summer Fun Giveaway
May 18, 2010 by Leigh Anne
Filed under Giveaway, places to play
Welcome to the first giveaway here at Homebased Portland!
If you saw the segment I did on KOIN Studio 6 today and this is your first time to the blog I am so glad you stopped by!
I’d also love for you to come on over and visit my other blog: Your Homebased Mom.
On the show today I shared some great new products that will be fun for all your summer family outings.
The best part is – I am giving these products away here on the blog.
You can enter to win just by leaving a comment below.
You can also get extra entries by doing the following:
1. Subscribing to Homebased Portland and/or Your Homebased Mom via RSS or email(one entry for each)
2. Become a friend of Homebased Portland on Facebook
3. Tweet about this giveaway
Please leave a separate comment for each of your entries!
There will be THREE winners!
Winner #1 will receive:
Sport-Brella: retail value: $69.99 www.sklz.com
If you live in Oregon you definitely need one of these! Keep the whole family dry and warm at those rainy soccer games.
It’s also great to use on the beach and has a UPF 50 protection!
Winner #2 will receive:
Speedminton: retail value$29.99 www.speedminton.com
You will also win this fun new family game – perfect for the beach, the park or the backyard.
Speedminton is a combination of badminton and racquetball. The weighted birdies make playing easier than regular badminton birdies. You can even insert glow in the dark sticks to play at dusk or at night!
Winner #3 will receive:
Snack Trap: retail value $3.99 each (two of them) www.snacktrap.com
We all know kids spill! The Snack Trap is an anti spill snack cup. Just fill with your child’s favorite snack and they can feed themselves without the worry of making a mess! It’s spill proof!
Winner #3 will also receive a Potty Flip: retail value 12 for $24.00, www.pottyflip.com
Potty flip is a portable, disposable and biodegradable potty – perfect for potty training!
It’s small and compact and fits easily into your purse or diaper bag!
So be sure and leave a comment to enter and welcome to Homebased Portland!
This giveaway is open until midnight PST, Saturday, May 22.
Cooper Mountain Nature Park
March 21, 2010 by Leigh Anne
Filed under places to play
Are you hanging around Portland for Spring Break?
Need a fun activity to keep the kids from driving you crazy?
Check out Cooper Mountain Nature Park located at 18892 SW Kemmer Rd., Beaverton.
Overlooking the Tualatin Valley the park has 231 acres with 3 1/2 miles of gravel trails.
The trails are very well marked and you may even run into a park ranger who will answer your questions and tell you about the latest wildlife sightings.
You can hike, walk, watch wildlife or simply enjoy the views when you visit but leave your dog at home as dogs are not allowed on the trails.
There is also a nice playground area for the kids.
Cargo in the Pearl
February 16, 2010 by Leigh Anne
Filed under places to play, places to see
Since Monday was a holiday and a sunny day here in Portland it was a good excuse to do a little exploring.
We headed down to the Pearl District of Portland for a girl’s lunch.
After lunch (check out the blog on Friday for where we ate lunch) we headed over to Cargo. None of us had ever been there before but the outside was so intriguing and interesting we had to go in! Cargo is located at 380 NW 13th Ave. in Portland and is open 7 days a week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cargo describes themself as an importer of antiques and artifacts for the home and garden.
The selection is amazing at Cargo and it is huge! You could wander for a long time and still not see everything.
Cargo imports from all over the world but there is a strong asian influence as seen in these beautiful votives.
and other Asian themed items.
If you have ever wondered where to find Chinese Chess pieces Cargo is the place!
Or if you are looking for something a little more French – they have a great selection of Eiffel Towers too!
Wondering what to do with those boxes and boxes of old slides you have? Cargo has the answer! How about a lampshade?
We had so much fun exploring and Cargo is definitely the kind of store you explore! There are treasures to be discovered around every corner!
I found a fun little book on eating and shopping in London that I picked up for my upcoming trip and Tessa and Hannah found spy glasses! You never know what you’ll find at Cargo!
When I checked out they asked me if I wanted a bag and being the good Oregonian that I am I said “no”. But when I saw how great their bags were I went back in and asked for one. They are hand made for them in Indonesia.
Whether you are looking for a fun sunny day or rainy day activity a trip to Cargo is sure to please!
Oregon Museum of Science & Industry {OMSI}
February 8, 2010 by Leigh Anne
Filed under places to play, places to see
Located on the East side of the Willamette, OMSI was founded in 1944 and is one of the world’s leading science museums. It is also home of the Pacific Northwest’s largest planetarium. With 219,000 square feet of science at your fingertips the museum offers educational fun for the whole family. Something I am embarrassed to admit I didn’t know about OMSI is that they are completely non-profit. Committed to educating the public about science and technology, and completely dependent on financial support from you and me! I hope you’ll put the family in the van on a rainy day this season and show your support for this amazing institution. For more information on purchasing a membership, hours and exhibits please visit them here.
Bliss Bakery } Storytime
January 25, 2010 by Leigh Anne
Filed under places to eat, places to play
Bliss Bake Shop is best known for their delicious cupcakes, made entirely from scratch! Located in the Bethany Village Shopping Center on the west-side Bliss was established one year ago by Sarah and Jennifer. Aside from cupcakes that are not only yummy to eat, but to look at as well; Bliss offers several other services to the community. Among them, story-time! I had the opportunity of attending story-time recently and was incredibly impressed by the amount of thought and care that went into it. Our friendly storyteller didn’t just choose a random book off the shelf. She thoughtfully chose a picture book about the great Martin Luther King Jr. The craft she prepared carefully reflected Martin Luther King Jr.’s message that what matters is what is found on the inside of a person. As a mom I enjoyed more than quality time and a cupcake with my toddler, I left feeling a little more hopeful in what mankind is capable of.
Come enjoy storytime for yourself every Wednesday from 10-10:30 am @ Bliss Bakery located at 4708 NW Bethany Blvd Portland.
Also, watch for Wednesday’s feature about Bliss for Valentine’s Day!
Piccolo Mondo Toys
January 22, 2010 by Leigh Anne
Filed under places to play
You may know Piccolo Mondo Toys for it’s wide variety of toys and games for your child, or next party gift. But did you also know that Piccolo Mondo is the perfect place for Family Fun?
I was in the market for a new family game and asked a friend what she recommended. What she recommended was heading over to Piccolo Mondo for family game night and checking out a game or two to try at home. That’s right, I said “check-out” like the library! It’s absolutely free to try it before you buy it at Piccolo Mondo! We had a fabulous time with some age appropriate game on a rainy day and you can too.
Located in the Bethany Village shopping center at 4768 NW Bethany BLVD., #C5 Portland, OR 97229
Portland Children’s Museum
January 22, 2010 by Leigh Anne
Filed under places to play
The Portland Children’s Museum is one of the local “go to” places for families. Located off of HWY 26 at Washington Park, the museum is located right next to the zoo.
Santa left a membership in our stockings last year and we loved popping up there on any given rainy day. My children love everything about the museum but are especially fond of their special exhibits and of course the water exploration area! I love all the entertaining storytellers and musicians that are part of the museums staff to interact and entertain the children. I also love that I can go to the museum, play with my children and not have to clean up a mess when I’m done!
Aside from indoor child friendly exhibits the museum also offers a cafe, art classes, k-5 Opal school, field trips and a place to host birthday parties! Membership is great, if you can swing it. In my stay at home mommy opinion, it more than covers the cost in sanity if your children are the right ages. But if you still aren’t convinced go and check it out for yourself. Many local libraries offer a cultural pass, permitting individual families entry to several local institutions free of charge, once yearly.
For hours and more information on the museum, please visit them here. Also check out TriMet for special offers and transportation to the museum.
Bowling Alleys
December 29, 2009 by Leigh Anne
Filed under places to play
Things have been quiet around here at Homebased Portland. Meg and I are busy enjoying the holidays, traveling and our families – we hope you are too!!
I love the week between Christmas and New Year’s – it seems so low key compared to the busy weeks leading up to Christmas. It is a perfect time for some fun family activities.
Bowling always seems to be on our families To Do list for the holidays. There are lots of great bowling alleys in the Portland Metro area.
Check out this website for a list of Oregon bowling alleys or just google it!
If you have little ones with you be sure and ask for an alley with bumpers – makes for a much more enjoyable experience, even for some of us adults. Another great perk of bowling is you get to wear those cute, stylish shoes!!!
Not only is the bowling fun but many of the bowling alleys have food too – nothing better than bowling alley french fries!
On the westside of Portland you will find:
Four Seasons Bowling Center in Hillsboro
And on the eastside:
Happy Bowling!!
