The August/September issue of True North is on stands now! This back to school issue is full of useful information that is sure to help you get the new school year off to a great start. Check out articles like Emotion Coaching: Making It Through The First Day of School and Homework Wars to help you get your family prepared, and don't miss The Immunization Deliberation. With the ever growing concern over vaccinations and their effect on our children's health, True North decided to dedicate two articles to the subject in order to arm our parenting community with the information they need to make their own personal decisions.

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Submit your ideas for the October/November issue of True North!

We are looking for some great holiday craft/recipe ideas and photos for the October/November issue of True North. If you have some fun ideas you would like to share with the True North readership e-mail them via e-mail to info@truenorthparenting.com.

And don't forget to visit the True North Booth at Fiesta Del Sol!
That's right! True North will be hosting a booth at Fiesta Del Sol, Saturday August 16th downtown Bend in Troy Field. The festival will start at 11am and run until 6pm. The event is free and open to the public. It's a family festival celebrating the traditions of Latin America with dance, music, food, art, and lots of activities. True North will offer a maraca making craft activity for kids and we will, of course, have our latest issue on hand. Stop by, say hi, and meet our staff up close and in person!

True North Sponsors the Cascade Children's Festival!

• Dear Readers,
  
  This Saturday, July 19th, the 20th annual Cascade Children's Festival will take place in Drake Park and True North is proud to be a sponsor of this incredibly fun and very important event. Festivities will run from 10 am to 4 pm. There will be more than 50 booths of activities for children and entertainment including JanellyBean, a Drum Circle, Gotta Dance performances, and more. There will be food vendors, a stuffed animal corral, face painting, and more! Enjoy a day of true family fun. Ticket prices are 50 cents per activity, or have a full day of fun with a $20 wristband. For more information visit Saving Graces Link on our online magazine!
  
  And don't forget to visit the True North Booth! For one ticket your child can get a cool tattoo, you can grab a free magazine, AND enter our raffle. That's right! True North is holding a raffle and will be giving away cool prizes to the lucky winners. Here is what you stand to win:
  
  
  
  
  
  $40 Gift Certificate to go towards a lady's haircut from the Hair Gallery!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Two tickets to the play Birth, from the Better Birth Coalition
  
  
  
  
  
  
  A Mandala Farm organic skincare basket from Rescue Jr.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  A certificate and reusable totes from Stone Soup !
  
  
  
  
  
  1/2 off doula services from Annie at BLISS!
  
  
  And goodies from Bambini of Bend!
  
  
  
  Remember, proceeds from the Cascade Children's Festival will benefit Saving Grace, Central Oregon's only local provider of emergency and prevention services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Working with community support and volunteers, Saving Grace offers counseling, education, advocacy, and shelter for women and children seeking refuge from violence. Now that's a great cause! So support Saving Grace and the most vulnerable in our community and take some time to check out the festival - you won't be disappointed.

Subscribe!

If you would like our bi-monthy print issue to show up on your doorstep Subscribe Now! You can count on information rich articles that will keep you up to date on hot parenting topics as well as the local happenings in every issue.

And don't forget, if you love True North, then support our adverisers because we wouldn't exsist withouth them!

Sincerely,

The True North Team

True North Creates a Sales Team!

True North is putting together a sales team and is looking for ad reps who are as passionate about our mission as we are. This is a great job for stay-at-home parents who want to get more involved with our community while making some extra cash. Pay is based solely on commission and training is provided.

Requirements for this position are as follows:

1. You must love True North and be passionate about parenting!
2. An outgoing personality is a huge plus as our advertisers are cool people who we love getting to know.
3. Enjoy working as part of a team, but be able to manage your own time and leads.
4. Previous sales experience is a plus but not a must.
5. Most importantly, you must feel confident in your ability to represent True North’s mission.

For more information about this opportunity call 541-728-0332 and ask for Annette or send an e-mail to Annette@truenorthparenting.com with “Sales Rep” in the subject line.

True North wants to hear from you!!!!

We know that some of the best parenting advice comes from parents. That’s right! There’s no one better to turn to in difficult times than those who are on the actual front lines learning how to hold it together during the difficult phases all children (an parents) go through. Here is your opportunity to share some of the solutions you have come up with, with the rest of our community. Read the questions below and if you have some words of wisdom, advice, or personal stories you’d like to share, send them to info@truenorthparnting.com and write “If you ask me…” in the subject line:

How do you ease your children out of summer and back into the school routine? Do you have tips on the first day of preschool? Kindergarten? First grade? How about Jr. High and High school? We’d love to hear what works for your family and keep the kids from groaning as school days grow near.

How do you keep the love alive? Let’s face it, with kids, jobs, chores, and all the daily stresses that go along with raising a family…well it can be a little challenging to keep the flame a burnin’ in a relationship. Do you have favorite places you get out to? What do you do when the funds are tight or you can’t find a sitter? Whatever you do, on the cheap, expensive and chic, we’d like to know!

Please note that while all submitted e-mails may be published in both the True North print and online publications, publication is not guaranteed.

True North Parenting hits the newsstands!

That’s right! Our first print issue is out and being distributed throughout Central Oregon at family friendly locations including, but not limited to: the public schools, libraries, coffee shops (Di Lusso, Thump, Bellatazza, Strictly Organic… and more), children’s stores (Tree Fort, Little Ones, Stone Soup, Baby Phases, Leapin Lizards, Addi, Bambini…and more), doctors offices, grocery stores, restaurants, book stores, and spas.

But don’t worry, if you don’t get out much there is also the option to subscribe to our issue online. You don’t have to go anywhere; True North will just show up on your doorstep!

If you love our information rich articles and directory, then this first issue won’t disappoint. And here’s a little hint…check out the contest on our last page and submit your own “Gentle Reminder” photos to win a prize!

And as always, we love to hear from our readers, so don’t hesitate to send us your feedback. Better yet, if you love writing or photography, check out our submission guidelines and consider submitting your work for our upcoming issues. May’s focus is Celebrating Motherhood and June’s focus is Summer in Central Oregon/Celebrating Fatherhood. We’d love to hear your story and/or thoughts so don’t hesitate to send them our way!

March Issue of True North :: Family Travel Fun

Photo by Blink Photography

CURRENT ISSUE
March 2008

Letter From the Editor


out + about
Vacation in your Own Backyard

our community
Wanted: Surrogate Grandparents
A Mother's Story

for you
The Unplugged Vacation: Leaving the Virtual World Behind
Reel Life With Jane: Movie and DVD Reviews
Three Great Books for Preschoolers
Dad's Picks for the Month

great outdoors
5 Kid-Tested Hikes: Hit the Trails with your Family this Spring

health + wellness
What is Your Body Telling You:
Exploring Your Physical and Emotional Messengers
What Every Parent Needs to Know About Water Survival

get creative
Spring Bird Feeder

education
Choosing Quality Child Care:
What to Look for, Questions, and More

ages + stages
Children and Chores: Build Responsibility and Self-Esteem
The Family Road Trip: Childhood's Rite of Passage

base camp
Travel Talk: Important Conversations for Vacationing with Kids

Advertising Sales Professionals Needed

The first edition of our bi-monthly print magazine will be released in early April 2008.

We are looking for ad sales professionals who can help us recruit advertisers for our print and online publications. Sales experience is preferred, but we are open to hearing from anyone with interest.

Compensation is paid as commission based on the total ad sales made. We are offering very competitive rates for our sales team, so please contact us for more information.

For more information about our magazine, please see our website: http://www.truenorthparenting.com

Please email us with your information if you are interested in joining our team!

WinterFest 2008: Don't Miss Family Events!

Upcoming Family Event: Bend WinterFest 2008

Don't miss out on the many FREE family activities going on at the Bend Winterfest February 8th - 10th.

Read more in our article:
>>WinterFest 2008: Don't Miss Family Events

True North February: Approaching Education

Our February edition is live!

Approaching Education
In our February edition, True North explores the many educational options in Central Oregon.

February Features

• Local Resources Help Parents Find Quality Childcare
• Get Educated on Central Oregon's Private Schools
• Starting Kindergarten: A guide to enrollment
• Preparing Your Child for Kindergarten
• Virtual Education Making Inroads in Central Oregon
• WinterFest 2008: Don't Miss Family Events

>>Read More in our Current Issue

True North is Live!

We are very happy to announce that the True North website is live! Read our online January issue. Check out the local Calendar for things to do with the kids. Or use our community Directory to find a new school or doctor.

We will publish a new online edition every month, with new articles from local authors. We will also be adding to our Calendar and Directory every month. So if you know of a great family event or business in the area, please send them our way.

And let us know what you think of the new site!

www.truenorthparenting.com

Thanks for your support,
Nicole and Annette

True North website will launch January 15th!

So, we were hoping to have True North Parenting up and running by the first, but unforeseen forces held us up (Ok, our estimate was a little naïve). Not to fear! We are working tirelessly and are pleased to announce that IT'S OFFICIAL! we will be live on January 15th.

We’ve had a sneak peak at the site and are extremely pleased and excited it share it with all Central Oregon parents. Remember, we are always looking for new articles and pics so drop us a line or send your work our way.

Thanks,
The True North Team

Server migration

Hi,

We're migrating servers right now, so if you're have trouble getting a hold of us please call or use our backup email address: truenorthparenting@gmail.com.

Thanks!

541-728-0332

Nicole and Annette

True North partners with Blink Photography

January 04, 2008

Contact:
Nicole Oliver
Annette Benedetti
(541)728-0332
email

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

True North Partners with Blink Photography of Bend, Oregon

Bend, OR -- True North Publications, which is scheduled to launch a regional online parenting magazine in mid-January, has selected a Bend-based firm as its exclusive cover photographer.

Blink Photography, owned by Anna Spence and Danielle Pratt, features on-location and studio work and specializes in lifestyle portraits. The firm will provide all cover photos for True North, including the website home page, a directory of regional businesses, services and resources due in April 2008, and a print edition of the magazine scheduled for publication in June 2008.

“We chose Blink because it best represents the True North brand – modern, outdoors-oriented and family-centered”, said magazine co-founder Annette Benedetti. “The partnership makes sense from a business standpoint and on a personal level, as Blink is owned by two working moms and creative professionals committed to this region.”

Danielle Pratt, co-owner of Blink, echoed the synergy between the two companies.

“True North’s high quality, informative, and fun publications are going to be a wonderful asset to families in Central Oregon,” she said. “We (Blink) are passionate about family life and found that paralleled in True North. We also take great pride in Central Oregon, and love to support the local companies that better our community, and believe that True North will do just that.

“We’re looking forward to working with the magazine to bring our best to print each month.”

True North is an online magazine dedicated to parenting and other aspects of family life in the Central Oregon region. Following its online magazine launch in January, the magazine’s content will refresh each month with new articles and features. True North welcomes submissions from regional writers and photographers who wish to contribute to the magazine.

See the True North blog for up-to-date information on the website and submission guidelines. Log on to the premiere online issue in January.

Website: www.truenorthparenting.com
Blog: http://truenorthparenting.blogspot.com/