Here is a sample of some of the recent fashion show oddities or next hot trends depending on whom you believe. Enjoy!

by Lani Grass Backstage with Lani  With the national joblessness rate at 9.5%, a 26-year high, many women are looking for a good job these days. Even if you’re not looking for a job, you probably know someone who is. And with rates this high, you should also consider what it will take to keep [...]

by Erika Weisensee Milwaukie mom & writer In the 2008 movie “27 Dresses,” Kathryn Heigl’s character Jane is “always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” She has kept all of those dresses, and in a memorable scene, she tries them all on. Some are hideous and some are just hilarious. I, too, have be

by Elisha Joyce Fully Mulched It’s been a long time since I’ve been in an airport. With three kids, it’s more economical to pile ‘em all up in the car and drive somewhere – so, for the last couple of years that’s what we’ve done: drive to our destinations. This is why when my boy [...]

by Sandy Coughlin The Reluctant Entertainer “Do what you’re good at and everything else will fall into place.” -Willnett Crockett You don’t have to do something perfectly just because someone you know does it perfectly. My friend, Krissy, is an amazing designer. Everything she touches with design turns to gold. My o

Sometimes you see interesting signs when in public.  Story here.

Moments for Mom By Elisabeth K. Corcoran Author of He Is Just That Into You My daughter, who I’ve been writing about in this column for over ten years now, just got her drivers’ permit. I took her to the DMV yesterday and watched her take her written test. We high-fived and jumped up and [...]

Just be Awesome by Jen Rouse The Short Years So here is my goal for the year: just be awesome. And so you don’t think I’m horribly egotistical, let me explain my thought process. “Just be awesome” is shorthand for my bigger goal of being intentional about my life. My version of a WWJD bracelet, [...]

By Erika Weisensee Milwaukie writing mom, “Society is getting ruder.” Every now and then, I hear someone say those words, and it always makes me sad. Clearly, there is some truth in that statement. I see people texting and talking on cell phones in all kinds of inappropriate places; handwritten thank you notes a

The Damage of Thinking Errors…Part One Chantelle K. Dockter MA Licensed Professional Counselor CCCOW Question: I find that I am very sensitive at work or out with my friends if people are talking one-on-one near me, but not with me. I assume they are talking about me and it makes me increasingly paranoid. How do [...]

by Julie Nolta Julie Nolta Design If you’re like a lot of people, you have a room in your home that could really use a makeover, but you haven’t done anything about it because you don’t know WHAT to do about it. You need direction, but don’t know how to find it. The simplest way to [...]

This video made the most popular on the Today show as it shows the most acrobatic canine you will ever see (no exaggeration). Enjoy. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

By Evergreen, Oregon writer Here we have an ordinary mom, Adele Enerson, who turned scenes of her sleeping baby into fun and creative dreamscapes. She created a blog for her friends and family, called Mila’s Daydreams and that is when it all went viral. Now Adele has a book of her photos. more below

Old Rules, New Rules by Lani Grass Backstage with Lani Let’s face it, many of us think we already know a lot about fashion and have heard it all before… But no matter how much we think we’ve learned about style in the past, if we keep using all the same fashion information, it’s definitely [...]

By Erika Weisensee My husband and I have a favorite Mexican restaurant—a place so warm and family friendly and reliably good that we go there all of the time. The owners know us by name and our son is always happy there, munching on their delicious tortilla chips. About a week ago, we stopped at [...]

Valentine’s Writing Contest — $150 in prizes By Oregon Women’s Report Oregon Women’s Report is hosting an exciting Valentine’s Day writing contest with three $50.00 cash prizes for the three top winners. The contest theme is “love” and covers a wide spectrum of ideas from family, kids, relationships, a

by Shannon Ables The Simply Luxurious Life What does an accomplished life look like to the outsider? Oodles of cash? Multiple homes? Being able to send each child to an esteemed college? Or is it something more intrinsic? Something less discernable by the naked eye? As you might imagine, I would wholeheartedly defend the la

Your Personal Trainer: By Olivia C. Rossi, RN, MSN, ACSM The long-term goal of exercise is to make it an integral part of your life. The challenge after getting started is to keep going and to stay motivated. Regular exercise should become a routine, but not routine! Varying your workout not only leads to physiological [...

Good Morning America held a photo contest showing kids and technology, and here are the top winners. The top prize went to the photo showing a father stationed overseas being linked up to his son in their living room. A sign of the times.

By Evergreen, Oregon writer This Target advertisement above (and Nordstrom ad) featured 6-year old Ryan (far left) who has Dow Syndrome. This ad broke barriers and turned heads. It also caught the attention of a father who has a Dow Syndrome son and more dangerously the dad has a blog called Noah’s Dad. The father [..

by Sandy Coughlin The Reluctant Entertainer “Don’t agonize. Organize.” – Florynce Kennedy When things around me are organized, then I feel organized and motivated. On the other hand, when I’m disorganized and surrounded by clutter, well you know the rest of the story. I agonize! When it comes to the kitchen, the f

By Erika Weisense Milwaukie Writing mom, Since first introduced in 2001, Apple’s iPod has taken the world by storm, occupying a huge share of the portable music device market. As an iPod owner myself, I can attest to this modern Walkman’s wonderful qualities: It is amazing to create and carry your own music libr

Olivia C. Rossi, RN, MSN, ACSM Your Personal Trainer: It’s time.  You’re ready, ready to start that fitness program you’ve been thinking about but you’re not sure how to begin. Getting started is often the hardest part because of so much conflicting information and downright misinformation about exe

Setting Manageable and Measurable New Year’s Resolutions {FrugalLivingNW} by Kari Patterson Sacred Mundane We sat on her couch as I recounted my parenting woes. The more I dumped the more I felt overwhelmed. Little things, seemingly unrelated, heaped verbally into the air until I sat in a thick fog of my own creation. I s

I like this photo because it reminds me that just because the days are getting longer, does not mean the days will be getting kinder.  Wind, rain & possible snow  awaits us in the great NW in the next few months.

By Guest Opinion, Oregon writer The video marriage proposal gone bad video has made the top of the news this week with three million hits.  A hopeful boyfriend made the proposal during a UCLA game on the jumbo tron, but things went horribly wrong when she refused and left distraught.    After watching many YouTube video

by Lani Grass Backstage with Lani As you know, not all products are created equal. We all spend a lot of money on products that we don’t really like and stick with the ones that we do. These products below are a compilation of great products that have been recommended to me, that are my [...]

By Erika Weisensee It’s that time of year again. Millions of Americans are promising to get fit, break their bad habits, and spend more time with family and friends. On January 1st, many of us will toss our 2011 calendars into recycle bins, eager to begin the New Year with a fresh start. But the [...]

by Jen Rouse The Short Years It’s the mess, messiest daaaaaay….of the year, here at the Rouse House. Yes, it is the day once again when Mama chucks her sanity to the wind and invites the children to participate in a little tradition called “frosting Christmas cookies.” This is a beloved  yearly ritu

Oregon Women’s Report wants to be among the first to wish you a very special New Year and Happy 2012.  Thank you for your viewing support. Let’s celebrate!