Portland Parents

OVO – one week left

2012-05-02T17:46:43Z

Have you seen OVO yet?

OVO is a headlong rush into a colourful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement. The insects’ home is a world of biodiversity and beauty filled with noisy action and moments of quiet emotion.

When a mysterious egg appears in their midst, the insects are awestruck and intensely curious about this iconic object that represents the enigma and cycles of their lives.

It’s love at first sight when a gawky, quirky insect arrives in this bustling community and a fabulous ladybug catches his eye – and the feeling is mutual.

OVO is overflowing with contrasts. The hidden, secret world at our feet is revealed as tender and torrid, noisy and quiet, peaceful and chaotic. And as the sun rises on a bright new day the vibrant cycle of insect life begins anew.

After our chat with Sebastian Sevard, and our visit to OVO, we highly recommend this show. It’s probably the most family-friendly Cirque du Soleil traveling show, and well-worth the price of admission. They leave Portland (and the US) in a week. It’ll take them about 3 weeks to pack it up and ship the show to Australia!

Our second-grader had fun identifying the bugs and was entranced by the acrobatic performances. Our high-schooler was astounded by the performances, and we’ll have to lock her door at night to keep her from running off to join the Cirque. In her words, “better than Harry Potter.” Which, from a bookworm who rereads the series about once a year, that’s high praise indeed. Get your tickets before the show’s out of the country!

Walk / Bike To School Challenge

2012-05-11T17:02:20Z

I’ve been running with our younger daughter to school, she’s biking, I’m running. Twice a week; Tuesdays and Thursdays. This week, due to a snafu with the teenager, we did it today.

I noticed new signs, “Sitton Safe Route” along our normal path. I didn’t point them out to her, though. A few minutes after we started, someone biked up to us and asked if we were there for the “Bike Train.” It turns out that Sitton PTA was working with the BTA (Bicycle Transportation Alliance) for the May Walk/Bike To School Challenge, and every Friday there was a group ride through the streets of St. Johns to the school. Sabin school started this 5 years ago and their Bike Train numbers have scaled from 3 to 100 kids.

Here’s some more information about the bike train, by Ken Convery;

A bike train is just an organized ride to school that students can join anywhere along the route (map will come home too and is attached). Trains will be guided by an adult and will start at 7:30 from two locations. The northern route will start at N Bank St. and N Burr Ave (just in front of George MS) and the southern route will start at N St Louis Ave and N Willamette Blvd.
link

And if you’d like more information about the BTA, here’s some info about BTA programs.

Idina Menzel performing at the Keller

2012-05-03T17:14:58Z

What happens when a Tony Award-winning performer carries her toddler and wears high heels in concert every night decides to rebel and perform barefoot? Find out Sunday, June 3 at 8PM!

You may recognize Ms. Menzel from her performances as Elphaba from Wicked, Maureen from RENT or Shelby Corcoran – Rachel Berry’s mother on Glee. She’s performing a concert that includes lullabies she’s sung her son Walker and her husband Taye Diggs. Joining her on her extensive tour will be both her son and her husband. She’s been performing barefoot in concert since she decided to ditch her shoes and give her back a rest. This has resulted in a stronger connection between her and the stage, her audience and her performance.

Get your tickets at Ticketmaster!

Sebastian Tours with OVO

2012-05-02T17:05:51Z

A few days ago I mentioned Cirque du Soleil’s OVO and encouraged you to take your kids. We were invited to talk to Sebastian Sevard, a violinist. He also plays guitar and the erhu, a chinese violin.

Sebastian grew up in the province of Quebec and started playing the violin when he was 6. He was invited to audition for Cirque du Soleil when he was about 19 and has been touring with them for about ten years. When he started, he was single, but a few years later he invited a long time friend to visit him in Japan and she’s never left the tour. They were married and have two kids, a seven year old (born in New Zealand) and a four year old (born in Portugal).

There are about 120 performers and workers on this tour, with their families, this number goes up to 180. That includes about 25 school-aged kids. Cirque has hired instructors and physicians and other support staff. In fact, Sebastian’s wife was hired as a “guardian” for the kids. The kids in general have a school day from about 9:30 to about 3:30, less for younger kids, and older kids sometimes swap out days performing and going to school. The parents can choose to have the kids taught “bilingual” – some study in Russian and some in French, as well as English. Since Sebastian is Quebecoise, he has opted to have his kids learn French.

Sebastian considers Quebec (province) his home, but when he goes back home, he has to visit his family, his grandparents, all his friends – it’s like another performance. So he doesn’t go back all the time. At home, he has an apartment, a boat and a cabin. For him, going on vacation is probably not going home – he likes to travel, and Cirque shows don’t always go to the cities he wants to visit. For instance, after their performance in Mexico City, he took a week and went to the Pacific coast.

When asked about his kids and parenting them, he encourages routine. “Even if you’re in another country,” Sebastian says, “routine helps the kids feel like they’re taken care of.” I know that when we get off routine, the younger kid seems to worry about what’s going to happen next – so I’m sure he’s right on about the “feel like they’re taken care of” part. With older kids, they encourage “real friends” and “real friendships,” strong bonds between families. And when there’s a birthday, he says, “Everybody is the uncle or the aunt.”

Sebastian hopes that his own kids get something out of this, and learn to find their own passion. He’s teaching his daughter to play the violin. While most Cirque kids seem very social, he thinks his daughter is extra-social and enjoys talking to people and making new friends. And the first pet she pet was a kangaroo.

One of the things he likes about Cirque du Soleil is their valuation of his family. He, personally, puts his family at the top, and under that is his music, and under that is Cirque du Soleil. They basically do the same thing. As we talked about his general day, we found there was a lot of family time; wake up, and work on schoolwork until breakfast, go to breakfast with the kids before school, take them to school, and after school, family time until rehearsals, then the performance and bedtime. With his four year old, school’s out at lunch. Lots of family time and terrific care by Cirque for the kids.

Have you taken your kids? Have you gone for yourself? The show runs to May 20, and you really should check it out!

Keep Our libraries Open

2012-05-02T18:07:47Z

If you’re a parent, you must love our libraries. And you might feel good or bad about the library levy on the ballot. If you’re undecided, please vote “yes” on 26-125. Ballots are due by May 15. I doubt I’ll convince you if you’re already planning to vote ‘no.’

The levy retains the current rate of $0.89 per 1,000 of assessed property value, meaning that this levy does not increase taxes. It replaces the current levy which expires June 30, 2012.

Reading is so important for our kids’ successes. And our libraries encourage them to read, and inflate their brains. Portland libraries provide early reading programs for more than 100,000 children and parents. The library also provides a safe place for kids to go after school. And the library’s summer reading program reached over 98,000 children last year.

This levy also funds important programs for seniors; the home delivery service alone brings over 200,000 books to homebound seniors.

The library is also a great place to use the computers (for free) and search for work.

Please vote yes on 26-125.

For more information, see their site.

Who does not read, lives but one life. Who reads, lives a thousand.

OVO!

2012-05-02T16:33:05Z

Wow.

We were invited to talk to Sebastian Sevard, a violinist who has been touring with Cirque du Doleil shows for ten years. Right now, he’s touring with OVO – which is playing out at the Expo center. until May 20. I’ll be posting some of the interesting things to say in a couple of days, but right now I want you to consider taking your family. Yes, even on a school night. The show is about two hours long and often starts at 8.

I took a seven year old and a fifteen year old. We had great seats, but the Grand Chapiteau tent is small enough that there are no really “bad” seats. The seven year old was silent through the whole show, with her mouth open and her eyes shining. She was entranced by the costumes, the performers, the singing, the music. The fifteen year old was on the edge of her seat. She loved the dragonfly, who was a male performer doing one armed handstands. She loved the moths, who were two people doing rope acrobatics (I’m not sure what the real name for that is).

Afterwards, the fifteen year old said she should have asked how one joins Cirque, and she said it was “cooler than Harry Potter.” Which is high praise coming from someone who has read them every year since she was in third grade, and loves Harry Potter. The seven year old couldn’t stop talking about it, and might, just might, stop crying about spiders every time she sees one.

Definitely consider taking your family to Cirque du Soleil’s OVO performance before May 20. Tickets are available at their site, or I think at the door.

Theatrical Freestyle Motocross

2012-03-16T16:27:34Z

What a terrific phrase! Three words I wouldn’t have put together on a scrabble board.

Here’s what you need to know. Explosions. Lasers. Motorcycle backflips. One show only, March 24.

Some more details: the Nuclear Cowboyz are debuting in Portland. One of the main riders in the show is local Portlander – Beau Bamburg. Among many of his awards Beau is best known for his backflip variations and has competed in four X Games, landing him fourth place finishes in freestyle events! This guy can ride!

More than “just a bunch of people on motorcycles with fire and flips” – there’s a whole story involved. The show is loud and exciting but is appropriate for ages seven and up. And even if you think your kid might not be interested, try it out. Here’s one person’s story about how well it worked out for her family.

Max and Julia’s Race Car Crayons

2012-03-05T22:55:27Z

Well, aren’t those the cutest thing?

You’re looking at “Race Car Crayons,” a set of crayons that can be used as little race cars. They’re made by a couple of kids in Eugene who want to go to DisneyWorld. I think this is a great use of the Internet – teaching kids that working for minumum wage (8.80 in Oregon) isn’t the only way to put money in their pocket. For $5, including shipping, your kid can be coloring and drawing at the same time!

Check them out at their website: www.maxandjuliacrafts.com.

Free Emergency Car Door Unlocks

2012-03-02T00:22:42Z

It’s surprisingly easy to accidentally lock a baby in the car, especially if you’re stressed, distracted, in a hurry, or sleep deprived. And what parent isn’t? Lock-ins happen for a variety of reasons: miscommunication between parents about who has the keys, giving the keys to a baby to play with (and then discovering he will, in fact, push the colorful buttons), having an older child close the door in an attempt to be helpful. However it happened, it’s terrifying to be unable to reach your baby.

If you’re ever in this situation, you’ll be glad to know that Pop-A-Lock Portland, a local locksmith, works with local fire departments to provide free emergency door unlocks whenever a child is inside. The nearest tech will come out to pop your lock 24/7. It’s a completely free service. Here’s all you need to do:

Call 911. They will usually dispatch Pop-A-Lock right away.
Call Pop-A-Lock at 503-241-4922 as back-up. It’s a good idea to program the number into your phone before an emergency happens. The nearest tech will be on the scene in minutes to unlock the door.

There’s more information about the free emergency door unlock program on the Pop-A-Lock Portland website. According to the non-profit organization Kids and Cars, an average of 37 kids have died each year from being locked in ever since car seats were moved to the back. The most dangerous type of lock-in is when the parent doesn’t realize that the child is still in the car, but all lock-ins are potentially dangerous.

Here are some tips for preventing lock-ins:

Carry a spare set of car keys with you. If you don’t have a spare set, take the time now to have one made.
Never let young kids play with car keys. Keep them out of reach at home and when you’re out and about. Toddlers and older kids who are playing with car keys sometimes manage to lock themselves in the trunk.
Put your purse or phone in front of the car seat so you’ll always check the back seat before leaving the car.
Get into the habit of using your remote key fob to lock the doors, not the door lock button on your car door. It’s much, much harder to lock yourself out this way.

Be attentive and be safe!

Dog Park Upgrades

2012-02-22T21:29:22Z

Do you have a dog? Many families do. The TrailBlazers and Banfield Pet Hospital are putting together an “extreme makeover” for one of three off leash areas in Portland.

I’m a fan of the Chimney Park makeover. Chimney Park was one of the first Off Leash parks in Portland and has the largest fenced area (5.5 acres) but it’s not exactly a shining example of what an off leash dog park could be. Maybe some agility training or a rope swing for terriers would be good additions?

On the other hand, Wallace Park is a tiny little section of the park within a fence, and is vital for the mental health of many dogs who live in that crowded northwest neighborhood. It’d be a good choice too.

I’m sure you could make a compelling case for Gabriel park as well, but I don’t know enough about it. Make your case in the comments!

But you must vote here (Banfield Dog Park Makeover) before March 31 to have your voice heard.