In the if-you’re-not-outraged-you’re-not-paying-attention department, the Associated Press reported yesterday that a Wal-Mart worker was trampled to death the day after Thanksgiving, when shoppers, looking for “Black Friday” discounts, broke through the doors a few minutes before the 5 am opening.
The saddest thing about this news item is that the crowd was not waiting in line for food or water or some other necessity – they were hoping to get big discounts on flat screen TVs, lap tops, digital cameras and the latest gotta-have toys for their kids. More…
Category: Metro Parent // Posted on November 29, 2008 // Leave a Comment
We’re really big on family traditions here at Metro Parent. We agree with the experts fully on this one: Whether based on generations-old practices or spontaneously created when you did something fun once and it stuck, traditions have many benefits – from making an event or season cherished and more meaningful to causing the family unit itself to be feel unique and special.
During the months of November and December, my immediate and extended families observe many traditions. One that I’m pretty sure most of you reading this have NOT made an annual family observance is this quirky practice: Every year since my sons were around the ages of 12 or 13 or so, we’ve been watching the movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” on Thanksgiving Eve. More…
Category: Metro Parent // Posted on November 25, 2008 // Leave a Comment
More than 1,600 kids are enrolled in before and/or afterschool child care at PPS elementary schools. Is your child one of them? If so, PPS would like your input. More…
Category: Metro Parent // Posted on November 24, 2008 // Leave a Comment
It’s raining, it’s pouring, you and the kids are … abhorring another Portland downpour? Wet weather need not precipitate an indoor deluge of boredom and lethargy. Yet, we parents habitually shoo children inside when those familiar, grey, nimbostratus-saturated skies show up. More…
Category: Metro Parent // Posted on November 20, 2008 // Leave a Comment
I’m going to embarrass my children by showing up at their school cafeteria on Wednesday, Nov. 19, to buy the school lunch. If you have kids in Portland Public Schools, please consider doing the same.
On that day, PPS will be serving their second Local Lunch, made entirely from ingredients grown in the area. More…
Category: Metro Parent // Posted on November 16, 2008 // Leave a Comment
I’m addicted to books, especially children’s books. Every time my son brings home a Scholastic Book Order form (once a month or more!), we go crazy. The problem is we struggle to find room for the new books when they arrive. The shelves in his room are jam-packed and so are the shelves in the living room. More…
Category: Metro Parent // Posted on November 12, 2008 // Leave a Comment
Does your family sit down for dinner together most nights? Mine does, and despite the challenges over the years, it’s finally starting to pay off.
Now that my kids are 8 and 10, we actually have conversations at the dinner table. More…
Category: Metro Parent // Posted on November 10, 2008 // Leave a Comment
Say it isn’t so!
Just when I’d finally convinced myself that my lack of organization, my general acceptance of chaos – in my workspace and, yes, in my home – was merely another quirky yet harmless aspect of my personality, along comes a study that implies that my lax housekeeping skills may be hindering my kids’ reading skills. More…
Category: Metro Parent // Posted on November 3, 2008 // Leave a Comment
