Photo by: aarmono

There are a countless number of parks within the City of Portland and even more just outside. All of which offer plenty of either on-leash or off-leash areas for pets to enjoy and run free. Amongst these park options:

Pet-Friendly Parks in Portland

1. Forest Park – Located within city limits on the west side of the city, Forest park is comprised of 5,100 acres of trails and greenery. Take your dog out for a jog on a trail or for a casual stroll. Be careful though, Forest Park does require leashes at all times.

2. South Park Blocks – Located in Southwest Portland, this pet friendly downtown park area next to Portland State University is a good place to take a pet that is otherwise locked up in an apartment. Again, leashes required at all times.

3. Waterfront Park – Located along the Willamette River, Waterfront Park has plenty of green space to relax with your furry friend. Leashes required as well.

4. Mount Tabor Park – Located in SE Portland and overlooking the Hawthorne District, Mount Tabor features an off leash area making it a one of the more friendly dog parks in Portland.

Other Pet Friendly Sites in Portland

There are also a number of smaller dog parks scattered throughout the city, some completely dedicated to giving dogs a place to run leash free. Check around your Portland apartment’s neighborhood to find one of these dedicated parks near you.

After you are done with the park life, reward your pet with a bit of the shopping life. Take your pet to The Hip Hound for a variety of doggy goods. Everything your best friend could ever want if available at The Hip Hound, from beds to clothes to food to bowls. The Hound is located off NW Westover road and is available online at.

Remember, the key to keeping Portland pet friendly is keeping your pets in line when they are out and about with you! Keep the leashes on in designated areas and enjoy all of the fun things to do with your pet in Portland.

It’s the holiday season and you’re looking for things to do– hopefully, something with a little more peace, hope, goodwill to men and a lot less bah humbug. Well, you’ve come to the right place my friend. We’ve put together a list of the best holiday events in Portland that will help you experience the true spirit of the season. So, get out of your Portland apartment, grab some family and friends, and make this holiday season one to remember.

Christmas Festival of Lights at The Grotto
What do you get when you combine over 6,000 singers and musicians, 500,000 lights, zoo animals, a Catholic shrine, and a 62-acre botanical garden? Portland’s annual Christmas Festival of Lights at the Grotto, of course.

Since opening in 1988, the Grotto has drawn over 50,000 visitors each holiday season. Set in lush garden surroundings, you can’t help but be swept into the Christmas spirit by the beautiful sights and sounds of the Grotto. From November 28th to December 30th the Festival of Lights will host around150 concerts inside their 500-seat chapel, outdoor caroling, a petting zoo with several cuddly animals, a puppet show, and live theatre performances.

Photo By: Michael Klass

Fred Meyer Winter Wonderland
If you’re in the mood to see some lights, you’ll definitely want to check out the Fred Meyer Winter Wonderland. Held at the Portland International Raceway, you’ll be able to drive your car through the largest light show west of the Rockies. Along this 2-mile light-filled journey you’ll encounter a skiing Santa jetting down an 84-foot ski slope, car-hopping reindeer, animated Dinosaurs and much, much more.

With 40 animated scenes, over 250 vibrant displays, a 200-foot Tunnel of Lights, and more, the Fred Meyer Winter Wonderland has been a Portland holiday favorite since 1993. If that isn’t enough to get you into the holiday spirit, a large portion of the money raised from the event goes directly to charities around the Portland area. You can visit the Winter Wonderland lights display any time between now and January 1st, 2009.

Photo By: Josh Bancroft

Peacock Lane
Located between SE Stark and Belmont St., Peacock Lane is one of Portland’s best-decorated and most visited neighborhoods during the holidays. These magnificently decorated homes have been attracting visitors from all over the city since the 20’s. When you see these Tudor homes in person, you’ll see why. When you arrive at Peacock Lane, you can drive, take a leisurely walk or, for a small donation, ride in a horse and sleigh through the streets. This is one Christmas attraction that is sure to become a Christmas tradition with your family for years to come. The neighborhood lights up from December 15the through the 31st. Oh yeah, and it’s free.

Photo By: Mag3737

Christmas Ships Parade
For over 50 years now, a fleet of about 60 boats sails through the Columbia and Willamette rivers during the holidays. For two weeks, December 10th–21st, this group of marvelously decorated boats parades along the Portland waterfront to the joy of onlookers. You can view the ship parade from many waterfront restaurants, hotels, and parks. Check the Christmas Ships Parade website for route details.

The Pittock Mansion: The Night before Christmas
Once home to Portland pioneers, Henry and Georgiana Pittock, the Pittock Mansion is a frequently visited Portland tourist attraction year round. This is especially true during the holiday season.

Every year, from November 24th to December 31st, this one hundred year old mansion transforms itself into a elaborate, festive, winter wonderland. This year Clement Moore’s classic, “The Night Before Christmas,” provides the backdrop at the Pittock Mansion with each room mirroring a line from the well-known poem. This is a Christmas event people of all ages will surely enjoy.

Photo By: Mharrsch

Photo by: Joits

DO

…Adopt pets after much consideration and preparation. There are many stray and abandoned pets that need a new, caring home. If you’re ready to provide it for them, all the best.

…Make sure your Portland apartment lease allows for pets. Adopting a pet only to have to move or give it back can be a traumatic experience for both pet and owner.

…Adopt a pet through a Portland pet rescue organization. Adopting pets from rescue organizations is an amazing opportunity to reverse the fortune of a deserving dog or cat. Contact a Portland pet rescue organization such as the Animal Rescue & Care Fund, Inc. This is also one of the best ways to make sure that the animal has been medially evaluated, spayed and neutered.

…Adopt a pet through the Multnomah County Oregon Animal Services department. The Animal Service department, or Animal Control as it is sometimes known, is the public organization dedicated to keeping animals off the streets. Animals who are adopted from Animal Services come with a variety of perks such as pet license, tracking microchip, comprehensive health exams and shots.

…Read through the pet adoption tips on the Multnomah County Oregon Animal Services webpage. They offer advice on a number of practical things to consider before approaching pet adoption.

Photo by: Jack Lyons

DON’T

…Adopt a pet on a whim, or because you think it would be ‘fun.’ Too often, people will adopt pets only to leave them uncared for. When this happens, these pets can end up right back on the streets. In cases such as these, the reality of pet care and the extensive commitment were not fully understood before the pet was adopted.

…Adopt just any dog or cat. Different breeds of animal need different types of attention. For example, it would not be a good idea to adopt a large, active dog if you intend on keeping it in your apartment most of the time. In this case it would be best to get a more sedentary breed of dog or cat to match your personality.

Before you bring a new pet home to your Portland apartment, make sure it’s a commitment you’re ready for. A furry companion can be a great addition to your life, but if you’re not prepared, it can be a real challenge.

Photo by: Lorianne DiSabato

• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
• Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving
• Pieces of April
• Miracle on 34th Street
• Trains, Planes and Automobiles
• Home for the Holidays
• Who’s Cooking
• National Lampoon’s Holiday Reunion

You can search descriptions for these movies and rent movies online at Blockbuster or Netflix. Or if you prefer to buy movies, go to Amazon.

Self-esteem is found from within…nobody can give it to you, although certain positive or negative events can make you feel better or worse about yourself.

33 Common Symptoms of Low Self-Esteem

You may have low esteem if you:

• Are not living in the present. You’re always thinking about the past or worrying about the future.
• Always want what’s just out of reach in order to be happy.
• Do things to undermine your own success.
• Put yourself down.
• Avoid real intimacy because you fear people won’t like you.
• Job-hop because you’re unhappy no matter where you go.
• Have a serious addiction, like alcohol, drugs or shopping.
• Don’t trust others.
• Apologize excessively.
• Constantly seek approval and validation from others.
• Neglect your physical appearance.
• Have a strong need for material possessions to show others how important you are.
• Believe you are not good enough.
• Fear new things or change.
• Have a lot of aches and pains.
• Are overly sensitive to criticism.
• Can’t get over a defeat or disappointment.
• Are hesitant to express ideas.
• Put others down or are overly crticial of others.
• Work harder and harder to extract some sort of value from work, but can’t find it.
• Boast and exaggerate, with a need to self-promote any successes.
• Don’t make eye contact.
• Feel hopeless.
• Don’t want to be held accountable.
• Lack energy.
• Are passive.
• Try to portray a false image to others because you don’t like who you really are.
• Lack a supportive network and feel isolated.
• Are anxious.
• See a small task as large and intimidating.
• Believe other people’s needs come before yours.
• Lose your temper a lot.
• Blame others for your problems.

How to Improve Self-Esteem

Thanks to the internet there are many ways to get help without even leaving your Portland home. Here are just a few:

10 Tips for Low Self-Esteem
Building Self-Esteem: A Self-Help Guide
A Guide To Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence

Related Posts:

Are You Happy? 15 Questions to Ask Yourself

Photo By: Flash200

Pick up a Caramel Apple Kit for your kids. This is basically an all-inclusive set with everything you need to make one caramel apple. It’s simply a decorated paint can with an apple, one serving of caramel dip, and a little bag of chopped pecans, or other candy, inside. It’s a wonderful Halloween gift and really easy to make.

Photo By: Megpi

Make haunted Halloween Breakfast foods for the party. Party-goers will love this recipe for jack-o-lantern pancakes. A squeeze bottle of pancake batter that’s been dyed with food coloring is all you’ll need.

A great gift, or maybe a prize for a Halloween game, is the Flying Bat. Powered by two AA batteries, this bat will flap all around your party.

Your kid’s teacher will love a Resin Pumpkin Halloween Train from Terry’s Village. It’s the perfect Halloween accent for a mantle, entry table, or buffet.

Photo By: Carol Browne

Scary Shadow Boxes could be a great party favor for the parents attending your Halloween festivities. Even better, you can get the kids at the party to make this fun craft to give to their parents. Just make sure you have all the supplies on hand.

Make spooky Halloween laboratory jars with bugs, eyeballs, and skulls. It’s super simple and all you need is the jar, food coloring, and whatever creepy contents you desire.

You certainly don’t have to leave your Portland apartment to have an amazing evening on Halloween. Plan something at home in your apartment complex clubhouse instead!

Eating the wrong foods can pose a serious health risk to you and your baby. Eating contaminated food can cause mental retardation, blindness or even death to your baby. Whether you’re going to your favorite restaurant or dining in your Portland home, it’s vital to note these five foods to avoid when you’re pregnant.

Photo by: Vanessa Pike-Russell

Seafood

There are some seafoods you can eat and some you can’t. Definitely avoid fresh seafood, such as fish from fresh bodies of water like rivers, streams or lakes. These fish may be contaminated with bacteria or chemicals. Also avoid large fish like swordfish, shark, tilefish and king mackerel which can have high levels of methylymercury. This chemical can be detrimental your baby’s brain and nervous system. Avoid refrigerated smoked seafood like salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, or mackerel. You may find these labeled as nova-style, lox, kippered, smoked or jerky.

Seafood that’s okay to eat is low-mercury seafood such as salmon, shrimp, catfish and canned light tuna. Limit your intake to 12 ounces per week.

Undercooked Foods

Avoid any kind of raw or undercooked meat, like beef or poultry. Don’t eat raw oysters, shellfish, clams or sushi. Uncooked eggs are dangerous, too. If baking, avoid cookie dough and cake batter until after you’ve baked them. Undercooked food can contain bacteria and viruses.

Deli Meats

Meats like ham, bologna, salami, turkey, hot dogs and sausage can contain bacteria that can cause listeriosis. This bacteria can cause serious health problems, miscarriage and stillbirth. If you must eat deli meat, reheat it until its steaming hot. Also avoid refrigerated pates or meat spreads.

Dairy Foods

Soft cheese is a big no-no. Avoid brie, Camembert, feta, any blue-veined cheeses(like Roquefort). These may contain listeria bacteria. If you do eat them, heat them until they are bubbling hot. A safer choice would be a hard cheese like cheddar. To be safe, all dairy products consumed during pregnancy should say ‘pasteurized’ on the label.

Raw Vegetable Sprouts

Items like alfalfa, radish and clover have a high number of illnesses associated with them. Several years ago, the FDA advised all Americans to avoid eating raw sprouts to reduce the risk of food-borne illness.

Symptoms of bacterial infection include headache, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills, developing 2 to 30 days after you eat contaminated food.

So now that you know what you shouldn’t eat, how do you know what foods you can safely enjoy? Review pregnancy tips online and find websites that show you How to Eat Healthy When You’re Pregnant.

Simple Exercises You Can Do In Your Desk Chair

Photo by: Vincent Ma

Tricep Dips
Sitting on the edge of a sturdy chair, place your hands at your side in a position where you can support your weight. Slowly lift your hips off the chair and lower them towards the ground, bending your arms at a 90 degree angle. Slowly raise your hips and return to a seated position. Repeat 12 times.

Chair Push ups
Using a sturdy chair, place your shins and feet on a chair and your hands on the floor. Your body should be in a bridge position with your hands under your shoulders or just slightly wider. Lower your chest toward the ground slowly then return to beginning position. Repeat 12 times.

Seated Crunches
In a seated position on a sturdy chair, place your hands at your side supporting your weight and with your feet on the floor in front of you. Lift your knees toward your chest, hold for 5 seconds, and lower back towards the ground. Repeat 12 times.

Stretches You Can Do At Work

Photo by: myyogaonline

Torso Twists
To stretch your back, begin by sitting in a sturdy chair facing forward. With your feet planted firmly on the ground, twist your upper body to the left, trying to look behind you. Repeat, twisting to the left.

Leg Extensions
From a seated position with your feet planted firmly on the ground, slowly extend your legs until they are parallel to the ground. Repeat as needed throughout your work day.

Head Rolls
Make a point to stretch your neck and shoulders by making slow head circles, to the right and to the left.

As with all exercise programs, consult a medical professional before beginning. Here are a few online resources with additional exercises and stretches you can do at your desk at work or even at your desk at home in your Portland apartment.

• Suggested Stretches For Specific Aches
• Desk Stretches For The Working Girl
• Yoga at Your Desk

Photo By: Rodefeld

The Portland Farmers Market is actually a collection of markets around the area. Chances are there is one not to far from your Portland apartments doorstep, whether you know it or not. Each of these markets offers fresh produce, fruits, vegetables, bread and other assorted goods. There are a number of times and locations for farmers markets around Portland and each over’s a variety of vendors and foods.

Other Oregon Farmers Markets

The Portland Saturday Market has been around since 1974 providing the downtown Portland area with arts, crafts, food and entertainment of the most independent variety. The market runs from March to December 24th this year and is certainly an event for the whole family. Despite the name, the market is actually open on both Saturdays and Sundays.

Saturday hours are from 10am to 5pm
Sunday hours are from 11am to 4:30pm

Photo By: Aine D

The Saturday market is the place to find locally made arts and crafts, house wares, clothing, and jewelry as well as a variety of fresh food and packaged food. Of all the different Portland kids activities, the market can both an entertaining and educational outing, teaching kids about an alternative style of commerce where people bring the fruits of their labor to buy and sell. The Portland Saturday Market also has weekly concert performances in addition to all the vendors that will be present.

To find a complete list of the farmers markets in Portland and in all of Oregon, check out the site for the Oregon Farmer’s Markets Association. Some of the larger markets have been listed below with their times and locations:

Portland Farmers Market
Saturdays at The South Park Blocks @ PSU
8:30AM – 2PM

Wednesdays at South Park Blocks @ Park and Main
10AM – 2PM

Thursdays at Eastbank @SE Salmon and 20th
3:30PM – 7:30PM

Thursdays at Ecotrust @ NW 10th and Irving
3:30PM – 7:3PM

Hollywood Farmer’s Market
Saturdays at NE Hancock between 44th and 45th
8AM – 1PM

Photo By: Dolanh

Choosing Your Pumpkin

Photo By: Adam J R

The ultimate thing to remember when it comes to pumpkin carving tips is to choose the perfect pumpkin. Smaller pumpkins are harder to carve and can have a denser skin with innards that are more difficult to remove. You want to find a pumpkin that has a large enough surface for your pattern, can sit upright without rolling over and doesn’t have a lot of bruising or damage. A sturdy, long stem is also a plus.

How to Carve a Pumpkin

1. Gather your tools. You’ll need a pairing knife, a boning knife, a marker, a spoon and a bowl for the innards.
2. Cover a flat, stable surface with newspaper or plastic.
3. Use a damp cloth to wipe the surface of the pumpkin clean and pat dry.
4. Draw a circle around the pumpkin’s stem with a marker or pencil. This is going to be the lid of the pumpkin, so make sure you draw the circle big enough to stick your hand in and scoop out the seeds.
5. Insert a steak or boning knife at a 45 degree angle and carefully cut along the circle you drew.
6. Lift the lid off gently and try not to break the stem.
7. Use a large spoon or your hands to scoop out the seeds. Gently scrap the insides to get rid of any hanging pulp.
8. Use a marker to draw your face or pattern on the surface of the pumpkin.
9. Use a fine pairing knife to cut your design or face.
10. While cutting out your design keep your fingers on the outside surface of the pumpkin to make sure you don’t poke through the skin of the pumpkin and cut your hand.
11. After cutting, push pieces into the pumpkin and scoop out.
12. Place the candle inside the pumpkin and light with a long grill lighter. Replace lid.

Photo By: Morganglines

Check out these resources to find some cool pumpkin carving ideas:

Pumpkin Carving Ideas
Free Printable Carving Patterns and Pumpkin Faces
Pumpkin Carving Kits
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin Carving Safety for Adults and Children