ML Interest Tag: soak

Swim, Soak and Stay Warm at These Soaking Pools & Hot Springs

by Annette Benedetti

Water play is a favorite family activity, but long after the weather warms, local lakes stay icy cold. You and your little swimmers can enjoy getting wet without turning blue at local and nearby soaking pools and hot springs. Read on to find out more about these heated opportunities where you can relax and soak while your children swim.

photo: Kelly via flickr

Kennedy School Soaking Pool
Grab the kids and a specialty craft cocktail or beer from one of McMenamins Kennedy School’s bars or restaurants and enjoy an afternoon or evening soaking in the outdoor saltwater pool (Note: chlorine is present in the pool). Located in an private outdoor courtyard area, this body of water is less of a swim hole and more of a ceramic work of art. Your tots will love the pleasant temps and friendly atmosphere, which is especially perfect for those new to concept of swimming. The general public is welcome to soak for just $5/person/hour and minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Good news for those living close to the Kennedy school: soaking is free for neighbors. If you have a valid Oregon State ID with your current address stating that you live in the hood, you and your kids can soak all you want without dropping a dime.

If the Kennedy School requires driving a ways, rent a room and enjoy a staycation! Soaking is part of the overnight package.

5736 N.E. 33rd Ave.,
Portland, Or.

Hours: Minors welcome daily from 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Cost: $5/person
online: mcmenamins.com/Kennedy-School


photo: courtesy of McMenamins/Kathleen Nyberg

Grand Lodge Soaking Pool
Located just outside the main building, this pool is surrounded by beautiful rock formations and draping greenery— yet another fun McMenamins offering. While jumping, diving and splashing are not allowed, floating and playing calmly are welcome. Situated in the beautiful Forest Grove area, the lodge also offers rooms, restaurants and entertainment. Families can visit for the day, stay overnight or make a weekend of it.

Along with offering up some good family fun, the pool’s salt water system is said to offer soakers additional benefits including reduced eye irritations (no more tears!) and being soothing to skin and gentle on hair. The pool is also eco and earth friendly.

3505 Pacific Ave.,
Forest Grove, Or.

Hours: Minors welcome daily from 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Cost: $5/person
online: mcmenamins.com/Grand-Lodge

photo: Mike N. via Yelp

Kahneeta
Less than three hours from Portland, Kahneeta is the perfect place to splash and play without getting cold. The warm mineral pool offers young swimmers a 140-foot-long slide to wind their way down or, for the slightly older and braver sort, there is a 184-foot long slide that takes adventurers squealing down twists and curves into the mineral waters of an Olympic-sized hot springs pool.

During the summer, the pool’s temps are cooled to a soothing 88-91 degrees, and during the fall and winter season, you and your family can still get wet and wild and enjoy water warmed to 86-91 degrees.

While Kahneeta is a bit o f a distance from our fair city, it also offers accommodations for a fun overnight stay that includes miniature golf, a picnic day park, basketball and volleyball and more. Rent a room, enjoy fine dining and splash away at this perfect family getaway.

6823 Hwy. 8,
Warm Springs, Or.

Cost: $15/adult (13 & up), $10/child (4-12 years), children 3 & under free
Online: www.kahneeta.com

photo: Wonderlane via flickr

Breitenbush
Located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, Breitenbush is best known as a hot springs retreat for those looking to get away, but with an abundance of geothermal pools and a family friendly atmosphere, it is perfect for the whole clan. Just two hours from Portland, it is a reasonable trek for a day trip for those looking to soak, relax and have fun in a natural setting. Important note: bathing suits are optional, so families uncomfortable with nudity should consider other options.

If a four-hour roundtrip drive seems too long with antsy little ones, reserve one of their rustic, geothermally heated cabins and stay the night or for a whole weekend. Breitenbush also has more to offer than warm water fun—consider exploring ancient forest trails, wandering through stone labyrinths and and dining on yummy vegetarian meals for a day or two. By the time you are done, you will be refreshed and your little swimmers will be worn out.

Breitenbush Hot Springs
Detroit, Or.

Cost: $18-$32/adult, children 4 & under free
Online: breitenbush.com

Does your family have a favorite local soaking pool? Let us know in the comments below.

—Annette Benedetti

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How to Remove Stickers & Their Residue

by Christal Y.

It sticks, it stays and even when you manage to peel off it off, a sticker can leave behind unwanted textures. While we can’t prevent our little ninjas from sticking stickers on walls, windows, glass or tables, we can help you erase any trace so that your surfaces look brand new. Read on for tips on removing sticker residue.

photo: romana klee via flickr

Getting stickers off metal. Peeling off the sticker should be no problem, but the residue is often a surprising task. Use oil to rub away the sticky parts and then wipe away the oil with vinegar.

Getting stickers off glass. Try heating the sticker with a hair dryer (or soaking it in hot water) to get the glue to melt. If it doesn’t come right off, then believe it or not, peanut butter is a tried and true method with saying goodbye to the leftover sticky bits.

Getting stickers off wood. Tackle the sticker with the hairdryer to get as much of the sticker off as possible. Depending on the type of wood you have, use rubbing alcohol (hand sanitizer works too) or eucalyptus/vegetable oil.

Getting stickers off painted walls or wallpaper. Since heat or water might ruin the wall, use a knife or credit card to remove the sticker carefully. Then dab at the remaining residue with masking tape until it’s no longer sticky. Use a little hot water if you need to get the whole process going.

Getting stickers off your kids. A simple bath should work!

What are your tips and tricks for getting sticker residue off? Tell us in the Comments below!

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Parks and Playgrounds that Rule in the Rain

by stephanie booth

True, most Stumptown parents boast an impressively high tolerance to precipitation, but on some dreary, drizzly winter days we all need a bit more motivation than usual to put on our boots and head outside. Here, some of our fave parks and playgrounds to visit with your offspring during the rainy season.

Grant Park, NE 33rd and Grant Place
You know Grant Park for its Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden, playground, off-leash dog park (or all of the above), but follow the path behind Beverly Cleary’s Hollyrood campus and you’ll find a group of towering pine trees that serve as a near-perfect shelter during any downpour. Smaller kids can bring buckets and shovels and dig in the dirt. And it’ll stoke the imagination of older kids who can pretend they’re setting up house/on the run/hiding from parents, etc.

photo credit: John G. via Yelp

Gabriel Park, SW 45th and Vermont St.
What we love about this lush 90-acre park? No matter the weather, you won’t be the only family here. Maybe it’s the draw of the 10,000 sq-foot skatepark. Or the easy trails that wind through a sweet patch of woods. Personally, we think it’s the crazy cool hills that kids love to run up and down, over and over (and over) again.

photo credit: Rafael G via Yelp

Irvington Elementary School Playground, 1320 NE Brazee
Rain or shine, the playground behind this public school is the place to play on weekends. Bike, scoot, and run under the covered area or venture out onto the blacktop where a brightly painted map allows kiddos to jump from one country to another.

Macleay Park, NW 29th Ave. and Upshur St.
This gorgeous, 140-acre park is so dense with Doug firs and western red Cedars that even on the rainiest day, you won’t get drenched, and kids will love hiking into the deep ravines. Park in the Upper Macleay parking lot and it’s only a half-mile trek to the abandoned Stone House, the  oddly enchanting remains of a former public restroom. (We know. That sounds weird, but check it out and you’ll see what we mean.)

photo credit: Sean G. via Yelp

Chimney Park, 9360 N. Columbia Blvd.
Okay, so there aren’t a tremendous amount of trees here. (Translation: you might get soaked.) What Chimney Park does have: Dogs, and lots of ‘em. This 18-acre area is an off-leash, completely fenced-in dog park. You and your little ones can hit the small trail loop while cockers and Labs happily chase and fetch balls beside you. If you’ve got a little pet lover, we guarantee they’ll be too distracted by the canine company to complain about the rain.

photo credit: Josh H via Yelp

Laurelhurst Park, SE Cesar E. Chavez and Stark St.
Paths to run on. Hills to run down. Steps to race up. But perhaps the most important thing you need to know about this lovely tree-filled park is that they have ducks. You can’t feed them, but you can watch them bobbing through the water and quacking importantly, completely nonplussed by the rain. Once you’ve had enough, head over to one of the cafes on nearby Belmont and warm up with some hot chocolate.

photo credit: Crystal D. via Yelp

What’s your favorite rainy day playground? Tell us in the comment section below!

–Stephanie Booth

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Goodbye Boogie Blues

by Jacqui Boland

Junior has got you beat in the booger wars. Every time you attempt to attack the crusty mess on his face, he’s gone like the wind. See, he doesn’t like how it feels when you rub his tender nose with harsh-smelling wipes or a dry tissue and so he masterfully squirms out of your best mommy head lock.

Now, there’s a natural, soothing way to victory: Boogie Wipes are the creation of two Northwest mothers –Julie Pickens and Mindee Doney — who knew the path to cleaner faces was a matter of making a product that attracts, rather than repels, kids.

Like most mompreneurs, their idea came from personal experience. Doney was struggling to treat her daughter’s bad cold by using saline drops in her baby’s nose. When the baby wouldn’t stop screaming, she soaked a wipe in the solution. She was amazed at how it worked and how the baby calmed down. Boogies Wipes are made with natural saline to dissolve mucus. They’re alcohol-free and hypoallergenic, and contain Vitamin E, aloe, chamomile. Best of all, they come in scents like yummy grape juice or soothing menthol and they’re so soft, kids don’t mind if you use them over and over again.

Available at retailers like Fred Meyer, Rite-Aid and Babies R’ Us, Boogie Wipes come in an easy-to-use dispenser pack of 30 for $3.99, which easily fits into a diaper bag. Boogie Wipes

www.boogiewipes.com

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