Kid friendly restaurants in Portland

We are expecting friends from out of town, and we are all going to go out to dinner. We will be 12 in all, including the kids, and would love to be able to actually SIT DOWN and eat dinner without stressing over what the kids are doing, or who they are bothering. The guests are all from out of town, from California to New York City, and we'd love to show them a bit of our lovely city - we are after all famous for our amazing restaurants - but as we haven't been anywhere that doesn't have a built in train table in 5 years, I had to ask for advice from the best group of women I know!

Here are some of their great comments:

If your guest are beer drinkers Widmer is a great place to take them. Of course we eat there ALL the time. Jake loves watching the trains and Max go by. They take reservations and I would request something in the back room if you decide to go.You wouldn't be alone but it would be separate from the main restaurant. They have a great kids menu and good food too. It's on N Russell and Interstate.
-Sara

I have never been to Steamers on Sandy Blvd, but the menu looks good, price is reasonable and there are private rooms for 10-100 people!

-Diane

Bumblekiss just off of fremont is pretty kid friendly and small-if you arrange in advance the chef/owner might be able to get your own space-I would think you would fill the place it is so small...otherwise same area is cha cha cha...the one on [NE] fremont, has terrific happy hours and it never seems busy there I would think they could let you have one side and set up toys or something in the front...just an idea-not really the standard known kid friendly places but close and good food-bumblekiss is awesome-all fresh, changing menu, PBRs for a dollar (assuming all friends are not pg as well)
last but I have not been there is that Old Wives Tales? heard kid friendly-no idea about spaces...but supposed to be good. Gustavs is kids eat free on certain days-that means they must be friendly, and last but not least...kennedy school.

-erin

Nicola's (Italian food) in North portland has a little room in the back of the restaurant that we were seated in one time. I think it would accomodate 12 people although I don't know if they take reservations specifically for that room. The food there is great!!
-Heather

Vita Cafe on Alberta is kid friendly but very slow and very busy so reservations are a must. It is mostly veggie/vegan food with only Free range beef bugers for the carnivors.

-Lydia

Fall is really here

SO it really is FALL/WINTER season in Portland. May I just say: UGH!! ?? Rain is pounding and the wind is howling. And I hope we don't have just this to look forward to until JULY. I grew up in Valdez, Alaska where half of the year it was dark - I mean grey during the day and TOTALLY dark when the sun went down around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. So you'd think I’d be accustomed to this kind of weather. But I’m just not. I would go to school in the dark and go home in the dark for most of my life, but for some reason the seasons here seem to weigh on me even heavier. Our goal as a family is to get above the weather in the mountains as much as we can to get that much need energy from the sun.

So to celebrate the hunkering down the rain is causing us today, I thought I’d make a truly winter treat from my childhood and share it with my kids. Even though it is rain instead of snow falling outside, that smell of warming milk on the stove completely transported me. I’m talking about good old Cream of Wheat!! This is quite an endeavor for me for a week day breakfast, so I was terribly proud of myself. I set the table for the kids and me. I put sugar out for them to gingerly sprinkle (yes, I found this at the back of the pantry - NOT a baker). I decided to forgo the typical NO SUGAR rule on breakfast cereal. The milk was set out to cool the toasty cereal. I replayed in my mind the ritual of getting the creamy goodness ready for that first sweet milky bite, imagining my kids LOVING it as much as I do and them looking at me with grateful eyes as they thought about how LUCKY they were to have a warm breakfast on a normal old day. My son doesn't eat very many things, but I was still holding out some hope that this magical breakfast would break through, but he said "no WAY am I trying that. Can I have some sugar on my plate??" Even my daughter who loves oatmeal and tries everything was not impressed. She said "I'm eating it mama! I.... like... it? Can I be done??" So they trotted off, and I sat eating my Cream of Wheat alone in the kitchen. It was still really good, but I think some of the shine might be a little worn.

October's New Years Resolutions

So, as I feel a new beginning, after the show and fall projects, and much soul searching, my 'new year's' goal is to post much more often here. There is so much going on, and I have a constant stream of dialog in my head aimed at posting, but I just haven't put hands to keyboard to get it all down.

We are finally finishing the painting of the interior of our house (this we started before my daughter was born - she'll be THREE in April – how do we get so comfortable with a state of half finished? As I’m painting, every little mistake and smudge just screams at me, but after a month or so I don’t even notice huge patched spots and caulking streaked across the entire hallway and kitchen??) So I'm sitting here in paint fumes and a little scattered, but the FIRST thing I want to mention is this:

I had an incredible team from NW Organizers come help me organize my office, and WOW what a difference in my life!! My 'office' is the 4th bedroom in our house. It WAS the kids toy storage, my sewing area, my computer area, and our catch all of every book I've read, started reading and didn't finish, been MEANING to read but haven't even cracked open, reference book, cook books, etc. etc. They helped me declutter the room, and declutter my HEAD. No kidding. All of those things I was hanging on to, and moving from here to there, and dusting constantly but not USING? GONE. They helped me get all my fabric organized and into bins and in my closet. The kids stuff? OUT. They have their own drawers in the linen closet now. I have to admit that their paper “crafts” are all over the floor in here right now, but once that is gone, my floor space is CLEAR! And once we went through the exercise together, I went on a rampage in our house. We cleaned out the kids’ rooms and organized them. I even cleaned out our refrigerator! What is it about unnecessary clinging to objects?? Why do I feel compelled to hold on to tiny scraps of fabric that are so small I’ll never use them? I actually had an entire box of teeny tiny muslin scraps I thought I’d sew together to make pieces large enough to use. ?? This is muslin that is $2 a yard. And they were taking up an entire corner of my room. Anywaaays (spoken as Bullock from Deadwood), my room is clear, my mind is clear, and I’m ready to go. Give them a call – they can help you, too!

So what began this ramble, is that before I even met with them, Missy sent me an excel spreadsheet for laying out one’s day. I’m actually going to fill it out and try to stick to it. I do have to get my son to school and pick him up at the same time every day, so there is a frame in the chaos. I can do this! Interested in trying it, too? I'm going to try to figure out how to get it on here for you to download! This way I’ll answer email 3 or 4 times a day at designated times, and not all day long as they ding in. I’ll spend some time every morning going over what I have to do today, and some every night getting ready for the next day. My play time with the kids will be WITH THE KIDS, and my work time will be strictly work time. People who know me are laughing. You can’t get there if you don’t try, though right??

Trunk show after glow

After a much needed break from the computer, we are back! The trunk show was a great success. It was a blustery day outside, but it was cozy and warm with beautiful people and their lovely creations. And I can't believe how great the swag bags turned out! Congratulations to all who got there in time to snag one! I'd love to hear: what was your favorite in the bags - and how did you use them? Did you buy some great Christmas gifts at Grasshopper? Did you schedule a sitting with Campbell Salgado? And thank you to the amazing vendors who joined us. It was so inspiring to see all the work they do to make such gorgeous and original products. I went home with quite a few treasures myself! You must check out the links on the trunk show page. And here are some pictures of the great vendors and the seriously, transformed space.

The trunk show

This year's trunk show is going to be so great! We have the most amazing people joining us. I'm just so excited every time I look at the products we'll be showcasing. Please check out the links on our trunk show page here. I plan to do tons of Christmas shopping as well as baby shower shopping! I'm so excited to have pregnant friends again! LOVELY jewelry. Darling clothes. Toys. Journals. Cards and tags. Books. Hats. Maternity skirts. As well as Cat products.

AND. Just wait till you see the SWAG BAGS. V.V.C. as my friend says. very. very. cool. We just can't wait to share it all with you. A little "kick off the season" gift.

Please don't forget to bring non perishable food items!! Let's make sure we do everything we can to keep the Oregon Food Bank stocked up!

Baby Expo

Come see us at the Gentle Birth World Congress! We'll be in booth #420 at the free Baby Expo. Check it out here: www.gentlebirthworld.com and www.freebabyexpo.com

It is very exciting that Portland has been chosen as the site for this gathering. The congress sounds just amazing!

AND, Cat will have all of our lovely things for all to see. We'll be there Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Check the website above for all of the hours.

Preparing for THE trunk show!

We are busy getting everything ready for the trunk show - from press releases to getting flyers printed and at the same time putting the finishing touches on all of our inventory that will be for sale at the show. Splendid wares has some lovely fall clothes and a boiled wool jacket that you just can't live without. In addition, she'll have what is left of her summer clothes at a discounted price. I know my daughter wore her Splendid Wares summer dress all winter last year over long sleeved shirts and jeans. The designs are so timeless, your daughters can continue to wear them next summer as well!

Firecracker Baby has some great new prints she is working with for her famous diaper bags - why did no one think of a machine washable diaper bag before?? She is also sewing up some really fantastic new handbags that can double as a smaller diaper bag with her signature pockets. keep watching the website for new designs.

O'Henry has some lovely new blankets as well that have yet to make it up on the website - there are so many beautiful fabrics out there, and so little time! New this year will be darling felted purses for little ones - from flowers to polka dots to a big smiling octopus! Watch for those on the website soon, as well. I'm also trying to finish a new pattern for a great little ragdoll who is SO easy to make and perfect for using up all those little peices of great fabric you have in your stash.

Ainsley and Oswald have joined our group this year and we are SO glad to have them! They have the coolest I spy with my little eye bags for hours of fun for your little ones, as well as the most adorable little felted animals. PERFECT for stocking stuffers. We are so glad to have Ainsley and Oswald! Check her out here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6688759

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