Mississippi Pizza

Could this place get better for families? Only if you need tableside service. The Mississippi Pizza Pub is your sure bet for a night out with your critters, who invariably like pizza, will enjoy the early music and the easy and open atmosphere. Go to the counter, order your slices or pie, have a beer, listen to some local musicians, finish with a brownie, this is laid-back Portland at its very best. We intent to post a review of the monthly feature of Professor Banjo's Old Timey Play party that happens every first Saturday at 4. Might be creepy, might be great.

Kennedy School

The Kennedy School, one of many roadside attractions for the McMenamins empire is a beautifully restored junior high in NE that harkens back to the days when they didn't worry so much about ceiling height and heating costs. It has beautiful gardens, a lovely courtyard, and is as all McMenamin joints incredibly comfortable to explore. One of us were first introduced here through a work retreat (read, indoctrination, in the friendliest of ways) and we came back while hungry and in the neighborhood after a swim at the Matt Dishman. We had tater tots, hot wings, shakes, and two happy kids. Note: there is also a beautiful ceramic outdoor soaking pool here that is open to the public for a $5 fee. We will let you know if it is worth the charge.

CHINESE GARDEN (Chinook Book!)

Happy Year of the Golden Pig. This trip to the Portland Chinese Classical Garden was colored with a longing nostalgia for San Francisco with its vibrant Chinatown and fancy tea houses. We were glad to find the garden (yes, two for one admission, thank you Chinook) was beautiful and imagined it serene with a smaller crowd. OK, we admit, the caucasion volunteers were a bit of a reminder that we were out of the city, and it seemed a bit Japanese, but hey, the lady at the tea house was authentically ESL and we were as stated nostalgic which can heighten the senses to irregularity. The tea and snacks were delecious. The lion dancers for this New Year's celebration were colorful and undulating, a little scary for Ruth, who admitedly scares easy. Georgia thought they were amazing.

TINY, BABY ZEBRAS

Though we've blogged about two-dollar-second-tuesdays before, we still wanted to list this last one, because it marked the first time Ruth saw a real-life zebra since she started calling herself a "tinee zee-brah." She's been on the zebra kick for quite a while now, sometimes refusing to answer to "Ruth," and only listening if referred to as our "tiny, baby zebra." Her Auntie Julie has been speaking to this part of Ruth in immensely effective ways, writing notes -- paeans, really -- to the beauty and wonder of tiny, baby zebras, in particular one that lives in St. Johns. Cards have been appearing in the mail weekly and Ruthie is having me read them to her over and over and over to her. I even got in the act with the other blog last week.

Anyway, I sold it pretty heavily, so I wasn't sure what the reception would be, and Ruth kept wanting to see the bats, so go figure. But the moment was magical. The zebras were amazing and Ruth was struck dumb until she said, "That's me down dere," to my immense delight. Yay Zebras.

Dim Sum Brunch

This weekend is the Jazz Festival in Portland. We love this music, and were flabbergasted when we found a local radio station whose format is all day all night jazz, nothing in SF compares to this tune-in. Of course to participate in the festivities with two little kids is akin to giving up and turning on the radio, but with the help of the internet we found a few free daytime shows and one of them happened to be downtown at Dragonfish, where they serve a dim sum brunch on the weekends.

The food was great, the kids loved the six little delicious offerings (plus rice and soup and edamame, all for under $12 each, where else can you find a brunch at that price?) the service was good, but there was a snafu, and we are inelegant enough to have to report it. When we arrived, the hostess told us, "I don't know if I can get you a table, I mean, people are listening to the music and I can't guarantee you anything." To which one of us replied, "I'm not sure what you are saying, there are no tables, you don't want us to be on a list (there was nobody else waiting) or what?" She did not relent, the conversation was circular: she did not want us there. This is the first time we have actually been discriminated against because of our kids! Wow! So of course we said put us on your list we'll be back in a bit, and we came back and sat at the table and ate great food and enjoyed the guitar and clarinet players while our perfect children acted perfectly (thank God). To which we say to her, whoever she is: cow cow cow moo moo moo.

POWELL'S CITY OF BOOKS

OK, so we're bored, sick of the whole play group scene and want to get out of the freaking house. So, we park at the Interstate Freddies and hop on a MAX to downtown. What will we do there? Go to our famed Village O' Books. This is several adventures in one, as we can talk about the multi-colored dolphins jumping out of the Willamette -- and are being ridden by new imaginary friend/story catalyst, one Freddie Mouse -- the time we fixed our owies at the Kaiser and asking uncomfortable questions about the tweakers ("What wrong wit the man, daddy?"). Then, books, books, books. Half a dozen little tables and four times that many little chairs and more critter books than previously imaginable.

Tomorrow: tiny, baby zeebra.

INDOOR SWIMMING POOLS

The public parks have six indoor swimming pools that provide a great diversion on these grey dreary winter days that otherwise find you trapped in your living room contemplating whether or not you should just give in, tape cardboard to the windows and let your little beasts take over. Georgia loves swimming, Ruth loves bouncing up and down with a float, and open swim and family hours are full of regular folks (don't worry if you are too fat or too skinny, it doesn't count here). Wednesdays from 4-6 p.m. at the Columbia pool are free. Matt Dishman Saturdays 1:10-2 also free. Kids under 3 always free but bring a swim diaper.

KUTS 4 KIDS

Ruth's first real hair cut at Kuts 4 Kids (4423 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd ) was not without tears, but the gentle, understanding and kind woman worked very quickly and we finally have a kid with a nice even haircut that didn't happen while she was being bribed with sponge toys in the bathtub. A few things about this place made the experience manageable: A playroom! -- a little grungy, but who cares; the adventures of Tom & Jerry! -- the cat and mouse duo from thirty years ago smashing each other to smithereens over and over brought laughs out of the tears; Sitting on Mom's lap -- It made it a little difficult when she would duck and hide, but asking Ruth to sit alone for this very scary experience would have been WAY too much. Lastly, dum dum suckers, it required 4 but they worked.

UNCLE PAUL'S PRODUCE (Chinook!)

After lunch at Jam we headed across the street to the tented, open air green grocer Uncle Paul's. We had been here before and loved it, excellent prices, friendly staff and locally grown produce. They have a goofy little fountain that Ruth enjoys, tiny little shopping carts, and a $5 off purchase of $25 or more coupon in the Chinook Book.

JAM on HAWTHORNE (Chinook Book day!)

Lunch at Jam (2239 SE Hawthorne) with our two for one entree coupon snipped out of our beloved Chinook book, was perfect. Timing had us placed between two dining room rushes which provided the ideal booth in the back. Our waitress was open and new, brought Geo a sippy cup and took the liberty of smelling her hair and sweetly saying to her "you smell just like a baby," causing Georgia to fall into a puddle of love. The kids menu is $3 and is nothing like those awful deep fried finger offerings at most places which Ruth won't eat in any case. Peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese, lemon ricotta pancakes with fresh blueberry sauce, some kind of noodle. Our half reuben sandwiches with roasted pepper soup were delicious, Ruth's pancakes were a big hit (and enough for all four of us to share). Stumptown coffee. Total bill for the four of us, plus a fat tip, less than $20.