Katie
Katie moved to Portland from Chicago 5 years ago. She has a 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son as well as a 21-year-old stepdaughter. She is a freelance advertising producer, blogger, and avid school volunteer constantly adjusting to find balance. When she isn’t shuttling kids to sports or navigating college applications she can be found at one of Portland’s amazing coffee shops reading some YA fiction or out for a run contemplating life and why Portlanders don’t like to cross the river.
You can follow Katie on Twitter and Instagram @iportlanded and read her occasional musings on her personal blog at Portlanded.net
An Open Letter to My Daughter Starting Middle School
To My Daughter,
Welcome to middle school. These are exciting years of change and growth. You know you’ll always be my little girl and I will protect you whenever I can. That said, I can't protect...
Camp Tonsafun Is Here to Save Your Summer
Camp Tonsafun is here to save your summer and make a mess of your kitchen... in the very best way possible. When our partners at Comcast reached out to tell me about Camp Tonsafun...
Magical Camps and Some for Muggles, Too
There may still be snow on Mt. Hood, but our partners at Saturday Academy have me thinking about summer already!
Summer planning can be a balancing act. My kids keep saying they just want to swim...
4 Ways Youth Football Surprised Me
My son decided in 3rd grade he was done with soccer and wanted to play youth football. His friends were all sticking to soccer and he still loved to play, but a poster of...
Laundry Care Is Self-Care
I was recently contacted by Laundry Care to try out their laundry service. I was a little reluctant because I'm pretty particular about my laundry and feel like it's something I should do myself....
Portland Father’s Day Gift Guide
Father's Day is just around the corner, and we all know Portland dads aren't just any dads. They work hard, play hard, and dad hard so we've put together some mostly local gift ideas...
That’s it. I’m Joining the Circus!
There are days I feel like I'm walking the highwire balancing school, spring sports, birthday parties, work, and trying to have a life that isn't all about the kids. Since I can't join the...
Exploring National Parks with Kids
I'm making this our year to explore national parks thanks to the 4th grade Every Kid in a Park program. I always enjoy going to state or national parks when we travel, but the annual...
Where Tweens Go to Find Their Balance
It seems like just yesterday I was stretching my daughter like a mini human Gumby in her baby yoga class. In early elementary school, we enjoyed some special time at a Saturday mother/child class....
Five Sweet Ideas for Valentine’s Day
Valentine's Day is a great opportunity to be creative. From turning old shoe boxes into extraordinary Valentine's boxes to stuffing confetti into balloons with a pencil eraser, my kids love making Valentine's Day crafts.
I...