Bad Santa's Festival of the Last Minute

How's this for a fantastic idea: My friend Melina is buying holiday gifts from indie stores and regional artists, giving the business card with the gift. Love the gift- buy more, support the local entrepreneur and economy.

Dylan and I took this idea to Portland last weekend. We needed a little family love, so we went to see his Granpa Jim and Grandma Mary. (I'm grateful that they still consider me a daughter, even though Brian and I were divorced earlier this year.) Weekend treasures included Mary's gourmet cooking, Jim's always inspiring conversation and the wacky goodness of the Portland artist's market. As part of our visit we went to the Festival of the Last Minute.





















My favorite artist was Matt Hellner. I bought one of his Layered Shadow Boxes for my brother's girlfriend, Jess.

But it was the outrageous Bad Santas and a crazy merchant dressed as a bear that made our family gawk and laugh.


Of course, I encouraged Bear Man to chase Dylan.

A Lil' Piece of Americana Isn't Scary

Things I dreaded when "D" started elementary school 5 years ago:


1. The PTA
2. PTA Moms (AND DADS)
3. Becoming a PTA mom

Today the words came out of my mouth, “Oooh my two favorite PTA moms,” as I hugged the most sustainable greenest thumb chickadee I know in Tacoma and the associate publisher of the hippest art mag in the city.

I guess Halloween is an appropriate time to officially overcome my fear of PTA moms, though I’ve yet to become one. It was my costume tonight. And I was in good company. Jess, the cowgirl, confessed the key to being a cool PTA mom is throwing the “F-bomb” around occasionally. I laughed, realizing she’s either normal or we’re both abnormal. Either way she’s my kind of PTA mom.

I had a great time posing for our Americana picture with Cowgirl Jess and Politico Nathe at Dylan’s Halloween Sock Hop at Sherman Elementary. My pose throwing a PTA gang sign is to show that I still embrace diversity as a part of Americana, even if I’m following my other sheeple (and friends) to PTA dances. They’re good people to be a sheeple with- and I Fucking love the kids.

It wasn’t scary at all.

Why are we failing financial literacy?

Financial literacy has come up several times recently among my friends, at work, in grad school, on the news and even at home last night.

Luke is setting up a budget for our family and it even includes the opportunity for Dylan (my 9 year-old son) to earn $25 a week. Along with that we are charging Dylan for rent $5, utilities $5 and food $5. Does this sound drastic? It's actually an innovative approach to teach him about budgeting and self motivation.

And that's one of the reasons we are failing financial literacy. My fellow grad students were shocked and awed when I said the "preachy" credit union approach to teaching financial education is not working. The fact, backed by quantitative data is that bank and credit union educators lecturing students is ineffective.

With both parents and teachers ignoring financial education, presuming the other is teaching it, I don't mean to criticize the only people actively addressing the problem.

I do want to help credit union educators do a better job of teaching financial education.

Education is not just about teaching. It occurs when the result is learning.

Dr. Lewis Mandell is the leading researcher of financial literacy in the United States. While he is currently assessing the outcomes of his 2008 research, the 2006 research was mind blowing. I've attached a link to an online PPT. check out slide 4.

To give credit unions the praise they deserve, the PBS show Biz Kid$ funded by America's Credit Unions does create the needed self efficacy to produce results. It features kids teaching each other with real life examples of kids who own their own businesses.

Kudos to the National Credit Union Foundation who spearheaded the funding of this show. They realized you can't bore kids into learning-so lets inspire them.

Hey Mom I Skipped a Grade!

Dylan's back in school and it’s a brave new year. They decided to put him and a handful of other 4th graders in an experimental 5th grade classroom. The teacher is very engaging. They choose Dylan not because he achieved the highest test marks, but instead because he shows the greatest aptitude. We are hoping the more mature student will increase Dylan’s self-efficacy (motivation).

Open house was last night. The students put mystery notes on their desks with clues about which desk belonged to each of them.

Dylan’s note was the only one that told the parents, “I love you.”

Guess some of that 5th grade maturity is rubbing off on him already.

Honestly it was the “my favorite toy is Bokugan,” that was clue that tipped us off to Dylan’s Desk. It was an unexpectedly sweet night. Dylan’s dad Brian is backpacking in British Colombia with my brother, Jon, but Brian’s girlfriend Emily came to the open house.

Emily and I were blessed with Dylan’s love for us…and Bokugan

The Tall Ships Are Coming!

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Originally uploaded by Tacoma Urbanist

On the heels of my post about the Frost Park Chalk Off, this sidewalk chalking urged on a shout-out for the International Tall Ships Festival here in Tacoma this week.

Oh yes, Tacoma is a cultural mecca. We love our community.

Special thanks to Michelle Merritt in advance for gifting Dylan and I tickets to watch the fireworks from one of the historic ships on the water. You are an amazing woman, friend and we are grateful.