Free Night at the Children's Museum

The theme of Night at the Museum never stops. The Children's Museum is a great place for kids of all ages. We have spent a lot of time playing on the stage, riding in the bus and shopping at the grocery store. It is pretty expensive for a family of four to get in most days. We have used the Cultural Pass before. ( A post will be coming later to explain what that is.) This Friday from 4-close, Target is sponsoring First Friday. You can go to the museum for free!

Story Time at Pottery Barn

I went this summer to the Pottery Barn story time. It was pretty crowded and we didn't stay long. Now that school is in session maybe it will only have toddlers and not their larger siblings. The bonus about going to this is that there is a Sanrio store at Washington Square.

Where: Pottery Barn Kids at Washington Square
When: September 28 11 am
How Much: Free

Polish Festival

I love food and cultural fairs. The food is always amazing and it is so neat to see dancing and art from around the world. This weekend in Portland there is the Polish Festival. Try some pierogi, kielbasa, and delicious desserts. There is a children's area featuring a bouncy house. When we went to the Greek Festival our kids spent most of the day in the kid's area. So worth the extra money to get them in there.

When: Saturday Sept 25 11am-10pm
Sunday Sept 26 12 pm-6pm
Where:3900 N. Interstate Ave., Portland, Oregon
How Much: Free Admission
Food is extra

The best kept secret in Portland

Family Fun Night

We love the library and it is a great place for cheap entertainment. Tonight at the Hillsboro Main Library they are holding Family Fun Night. There will be board games and a Wii. What a great place to try out new games and meet other families.

Where: Hillsboro Main Library
When: Friday September 24th 6pm
How Much: Free

Alpaca and Sheep and Rabbits, Oh My!

So I may have mentioned a few times that I love knitting. I love everything about it; yarn, fiber, animals, beautiful colors of yarn, patterns, yarn. You get the picture.

Oregon hosts two amazing fiber festivals and one close to home is this weekend. Head down to Canby for the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. There will be vendors selling YARN, fiber for spinning, and everything fiber related. There are also animal barns and auctions. I took the kids two years ago and they loved looking at the rabbits and sheep. Bronson also loved putting his face in the bats of wool and he also tried wet felting.

If you like lamb, and I sure do, this is the time for some delicious eating. The line is long, but well worth it. We tried the lamb stew and lamb sausage, and wow, so good.

There will also be some knitting celebrities on hand. Yes, there are knitting celebrities. The Knitmore Girls from one of my favorite podcasts, Anatomy of Knitting podcast and possible Sylvia Harding.

Where: Clackamas County Fairgrounds
When: September 25th and 26th
How Much: Free (Unless you buy food or YARN)

http://www.flockandfiberfestival.com/

Night at the Museum 2

The free culture train just keeps rolling on. For my friends who didn't want to drive into Portland (you know who you are) check out the Rice Museum and Washington County Museum.

The Nikkei Legacy Center sounds great. It focuses on Japanese American history. If you are looking for a book to read about Japanese American history during World War II check out Nissei Daughter.

If you miss out on this opportunity, Oregon Cultural Days are just around the corner. Hint:More free stuff!!!

Smithsonian Free Museum Day.

Download coupon to visit participating museums free. Area museums include: Oregon History Museum, Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, Rice NW Museum of Rocks and Minerals, Washington County Museum and World Forestry Center.

The following link doesn't work, so just copy it to your browser.

www.microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday

Night at the Museum

If you are looking for a way to get some culture without spending a lot of dough, check out free museum night. This week there are quite a few free museum days. Stay tuned as I highlight the rest.

Free Fourth Friday.

Visit the Portland Art Museum FREE from 5-8 pm. Music, tours.

1219 SW Park Ave. 503-226-2811. portlandartmuseum.org.

Happy Birthday Beaverton Library

If you looking for something to do today with the younger set, head down to the Beaverton Library. It is not a day to splash in the fountain, but a day for music education.

When:10:30 a.m.
What: Oregon Symphony Storytime: Join a flutist from the Oregon Symphony for a storytime and hands-on instrument time. Make a related craft with common household items, too! For ages 3-5. Registration required. Call (503) 350-3600 or visit the Children’s Desk to sign up.

Weekend Fun

This weekend there are so many fun festivals and events to check out. I am very excited for the annual Corn Roast in Forest Grove. I started attending this festival as a child and watched my dad put on big gloves and roast the corn. It is a tradition that I love sharing with my family. Since moving back to Oregon, we make a point of going every year.
This is a picture from 2007. Bronson enjoyed the fire engines.

http://www.forestgrove-or.gov/visitors/attractions-and-amenities.html#FoundersDay

At Hillsboro First Baptist you can check out the Quilt Show. This is a really neat event with beautiful quilts displayed throughout the church. There is also lunch you can purchase in the fellowship hall. Ken always makes delicious food. I will also be selling some of my knitted goodies.

When:Friday and Saturday from 9am-3pm
Where: 2nd and Lincoln
How much: $3


Oktoberfest.
I have never been, but it sure sounds fun.


If none of these events are to your liking check out the Beaverton Old Towne Festival. I was always working when this event was going on, but it seemed to bring a lot of people into town. There is a parade, face painting, treasure hunt and entertainment.

I hope to see you at one of these events!

New Blog

I decided to start a new blog logging all of the free and cheap things to do as a family. The name of my blog is inspired by my dad. He taught us to be very thrifty and it has carried over into our family. I remember going on a date in high school and he handed my boyfriend a coupon for mini golf.

This summer I had the opportunity to stay home with my kids and I was always in search of something fun to do that didn't cost me anything. From shows at the library, food festivals and cheap day trips we had a great summer. In this blog I will write about our adventures and hopefully your family will want to try some of the things we have enjoyed.