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ReadySetMom.com  A nicely laid out blog site with lots of news and events for Portland Parents.  Well worth bookmarking and revisiting, as content changes often.

Day Hike Moms A mom-friendly site and group in Portland that hikes about 3 times a month on weekdays.

Metro Parent magazine  A monthly Portland area parenting and family magazine.  Worth a look for it's nice events calendar.  Look for it in the kiddie stores / museums / hangouts.

Portland babyzone.com  Though a commercial site, it does have a nice calendar feature with of lots of kiddo activities around Portland.  If you're feeling "stuck in the rut" and want to try something new with your smallone, this is a good place to start.

Grateful Dads - A San Francisco bay area outdoor father's group (and part of the inspiration for OutdoorDads in Portland).

www.portlandhikers.com  A community hiking site with a forum, trip reports, and more.

www.croc.org  The Columbia River Orienteering Club, a place to connect with the great sport of orienteering.  Think hiking with a map, compass and your brain.  Beginner courses are set up at each meet, and kids love the "find the Easter egg" aspect of orienteering .  Give it a try!

Book - Kidding Around the Gorge, by Jody Barringer and Ruth Berkowitz.  A nice collection of kid friendly trips in the Hood River OR area.  (Some OutdoorDads trip ideas have been known to spring from these pages, hint hint.)

Book - 100 Hikes in NW Oregon, by William L. Sullivan.  The classic hiking guide on hikes within a few hours of Portland, with great hand-drawn maps, history, botany tips, and more.  Get it at most any bookstore, and learn more from William Sullivan's website.

Book - Best Hikes with Children in Western and Central Oregon, by Bonnie Henderson.  If you want to get a bit farther than the Portland metro area, this book has some good options.

Fun stuff - the soaking pool at McMenamin's Kennedy School at NE 33rd and Killingsworth

Fun stuff - the Portland parks and Rec indoor playparks at the neighborhood community centers

Fun stuff - toddler roller skating at Oaks Park

Fun stuff - on a hot summer day, you gotta be at the Pearl District fountain at NW 10th and Johnson

Clark County Fair, the first week or so of August.  Just 15 minutes north of Portland, this is a great rural county fair with loads of 4H animals exhibits, super-yummy-eat-it-once-a-year carnival food, fun rides, lots of animals, and . . . did I mention farm animals?

Do you have extra kiddie clothes or toys?  Rather than giving them to Goodwill, try Fish Emergency Services instead.  Fish gives clothing and food donations directly to the people who need it most, and their executive director definitely does not make a 6 figure income like Goodwill.  They are at SE 14th and Hawthorne in Portland.


(If you know of some good links or fun things to do in Portland with kids, please email OutdoorDads and we'll consider adding them!)