I said it. I invoked Karma as a threat, as an epithet, as a balm for my dignity, wounded by glares and stares and unsolicited advice, whispered indignantly over crossed arms as an entire airport observed my children in full fury. As newbie parents we’d made a critical error. Thinking our family vacation flight would be […]
Bend Nest
Bend Nest is a place to discuss, consider and laugh about all that parenting brings. A quarterly magazine produced by some of the finest writers, editors and photographers in Central Oregon, Bend Nest is smart and informed.
Monkeying Around
When I was a girl, my dad heroically took play time to the next level. Having no backyard, he put a public park-style 10-foot steel slide in the living room of our Portland studio apartment. Though, how he obtained said play aid is strictly classified, I will never forget how much joy that recovered rubbish […]
Nest News
March for Students Downtown Bend became a sea of red on May 8, as local families and Bend-La Pine Schools’ staff members โ all wearing red โrallied together in support of appropriate state funding for public education. Participants marched together in camaraderie to the downtown Bend-La Pine Schools’ Education Center. The joyful rally of approximately […]
Dadding and Chores
When I was young, my grandfather taught me just about everything: how to fish, play golf, shoot poolโand even how to catch a football, even though he had to throw underhanded because he had a bad shoulder. But all this fun came at a cost: I had to learn how to do chores to earn […]
Things I’ve Learned
Carrie has been a teacher, school & district leader, education philanthropist and national non-profit executive. She is currently opening The Haven, a coworking space and social hub “by women, for everyone.” Carrie was elected to the Bend-La Pine School Board in 2017 and is also the President of the Cascade Relays Foundation and the co-Event […]
Excessive Screen Time? Summer Boredom?
Snopocalypse 2019 had you praying to the gods of summer. You swore upon your children’s own lives that you would never again complain about the heat if the snow would just stop. While being faced with walls of snow for an extended period was tough, staring down the barrel of months of keeping the kiddos […]
Vooks Online Streaming Service
Here’s something a little different for families who love books and story time, value reading together but appreciate the added convenience of online streaming. Choosing from a wide selection of children’s titles, Vooks subscribers can listen to books read aloud. Unlike books on tape, children will enjoy following along in the virtual book, flipping the […]
A Lifetime Commitment
There are many children in the world who are born into circumstances that do not benefit them. Maybe their parents cannot support the family, so they grow up hungry, or maybe they are left mostly on their own because their parents are working all the time. Parents may be abusive or pre-occupied with their own […]
Editor’s Note
These days it’s pretty busy in Bend. We still rank in the top 10 fastest growing cities in the nation. With that in mind, you may be a brand-new family to Central Oregon, having just settled in to your new environment. Welcome! With school out (almost), there is ample time to get acquainted. Reading Bend […]
Reading Fitness
Kids who read during the summer months tend to improve their vocabulary and literary competancy, while those who never crack a book may lose skills learned during the school year. Fostering a love of reading is an easy task with so many exciting, fun books to explore. Help your child learn while cuddling up with […]

