Cargo in the Pearl

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}

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

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

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

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

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:

Sunset Lanes in Beaverton  

Tigard Bowl

Four Seasons Bowling Center in Hillsboro

Valley Lanes in Beaverton

And on the eastside:

Hollywood Bowl

Grand Central in SE Portland

Milwaukie Bowl

Happy Bowling!!

Ice Skating

For the next few posts we are going to share some fun family activities to do during the holiday break.  

Need a break from the craziness of holiday preparations?  Some time to just spend having fun as a family?  How about ice skating?

You can take a break from your holiday shopping over at the Lloyd Center Ice Rink.  Check out their website for hours of public skate and cost.  Skate rental is also available.

If you are not an ice skater but want to learn they offer lessons or you could just rest your weary shopping feet and watch the skaters.  I have to admit I also like watching that big zamboni clean off the ice!!

On the west side of town be sure and check out Valley Ice is located at 9250 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Highway and also the Sherwood Ice Arena located 20407 SW Borchers Dr., Sherwood, OR 97140.

Portland Christmas Tree Farms

Oregon is known for it’s Christmas trees and rightfully so.  Oregon is ranked the top producer of Christmas trees in the U.S. harvesting 6,850,841 trees in 2007!  Among the more popular varieties are the Doug fir, noble fir, grand fir, and scotch pine.  While not everyone comes to our great state to buy their tree, chances are good they are enjoying one anyway!

Among one of the oldest Christmas traditions, cutting down your Christmas tree is a perfect way to kick off your holiday festivities.  Cutting your tree is also great for the environment and our economy.  Both renewable and recyclable, the perfect tree is just waiting to be found!  Everything Northwest has an exhaustive list of local tree farms to help you find the farm nearest to you.  Also check out The Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association.   For more information on local recycling of your live tree, click here.

Lastly, here are a few of our top picks:

Christmas Mountain Choose and Cut 

25470 N.W. Dixie Mountain Road

Scappoose, Oregon 97056

Loch Lolly Christmas Forest

28366 NW Dorland Rd.

North Plains, Oregon 97133

Hagg’s Christmas Tree Farm

18175 SW McCormick Hill Road

Hillsboro, Oregon 97123

FYI Friday – Nov. 13

Need something fun to do this weekend?  If you don’t have anything planned for the weekend or are looking for a fun family outing check here each Friday to see what’s going on!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Oregon Children’s Theater.  Oct. 31 - Nov. 22 at the Portland Center for Performing Arts, Newmark Theater, 1111 SW Broadway, Tickets range from $13-24.00

Rumpelstiltskin – Tears of Joy Theater.  Friday, Nov. 13 through Nov. 29th., Portland Center for the Performing Arts, Dolores Winningstad Theater, 1111 SW Broadway.  Tickets available through Ticketmaster.  Tickets are from $14-16.00.

“Scream! Featuring Goose Bumps” exhibit at OMSI to find out more about our reaction to fear.

Free Family Day at the Washington County Historical Society and Museum, 17677 NW SPringville, Rd., 503-645-5353.  Make Stamp and foil plate prints on coasters and place mats using natural materials such as leaves and grasses. Refreshments served.  Saturday, Nov. 14th 10 am to 2 p.m.

Russian Cultural Fair hosted at Portland State University in the Smith Student Union’s ballroom, 1825 SW Broadway.  A day of Russian music, songs, dancing, food and holidays gifts.  Sun., Nov. 15th, noon to 4 p.m.  Free.

Mama Zen

Today we are excited to introduce you to Mama Zen.   Their tag line is:

~ making a happier world one mama at a time ~

Because we all know “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!”

Mama Zen is located in “The Little Church” at 5137 NE 23rd, Portland, 97211.  They are just one block North Alberta Arts Street at the corner of 23rd and Sumner.

Mama Zen’s mission is to nurture moms so in turn, they can nurture the people in their lives.

Everyone needs to breathe, play and connect but as moms we often forget ourselves as we focus on these elements for our family.  Mama Zen offers yoga, yoga with childcare, children’s activities and classes, after school yoga for elementary ages and “mama spa day”.  All of these offerings are with the same intention;  Mama Zen wants their community to have a place where they can come and connect with themselves and their families.  

 
Mama Zen’s next Mama Spa Day is Sunday, November 1st.  Check out their website for more information and to sign up!

 
You will begin your spa experience with a restorative yoga class that will gently move your body through a healing and nurturing sequence  The class will conclude with an aromatherapy treatment on pressure points.  You will be gently brought back to earth to enjoy a catered tea service of mimosas, warm peppermint tea, and hors d’oeuvres, followed by calming massage and river stone foot soaks while you relax.

In addition to fun relaxing things for mom, Mama Zen also offers children’s classes and is adding even more classes after the first of the year.  The classes are very reasonably priced  – $5-8 per class.
 
Mama Zen is also giving back.  They are teaming up with a local women’s shelter for fundraising in 2010.  They will be donating $1 of every yoga class from 1/15- 4/15 as they help to support mothers that are less fortunate than some. 

Mama Zen is also an advertiser on Your Homebased Mom and we thank them for their support.  We hope you will take the opportunity to check out their website and pay them a visit!

Next Page »