Films in the park and ethnic fests are just a few of Colorado’s affordable events
Guest Blogger | May 26, 2012 – 6:41 am | 2 Comments

Summer in Colorado can be a season of sweet savings — especially for those who think ahead.
Free and affordable activities abound, in the cities and in the high country. But the clock is ticking. With about a month left until the official summer solstice (June 20), the time is now to plan to spend the [...]

Read the full story »
Activities

Check out Denver’s guide to activities, craft ideas, Steve Spangler Science experiments and so much more!

Events

Stay in the know of family-friendly Colorado events with our weekly event round-up. Published every Wednesday.

Family Travel

Check-out oodles of adventures in Denver, why YMCA of the Rockies is one of Colorado’s most fun and affordable vacations, Cheyenne Mountain Resort’s summer line-up in Colorado Springs and Captain Zipline in Salida.

Mama Drama

Need advice on how to handle parenting challenges? Don’t we all! This column tackles YOUR behavioral and medical questions. Also find tips on healthy living.

Mama’s Product Picks

We receive hundreds of press releases every month. Find out what products made the cut and are mama- recommended.

Activities, Colorado Livin', School »

How to turn your kids’ summer boredom into blossoming brains
May 25, 2012 – 6:24 am | 2 Comments

How to turn your kids’ summer boredom into blossoming brains

Hard to believe it’s almost done. My daughter is headed to fifth grade. But there’s no time for nostalgia – I’m too caught up in the whirlwind that is the end of a school year.

Then there’s the long, looming summer – a vast expanse that sounds great in theory – until it’s here and your kids are bored and they’re on the way to losing a good chunk of what they’ve learned this year.

To help you keep the learning going over the summer months, I’ve collected some great ideas and resources from the awesome cast of experts at EdNews Parent.
Read the full story »

Summer fun in Colorado high country already here
May 24, 2012 – 6:42 am | No Comment
Summer fun in Colorado high country already here

Every lap around the sun is different.
By now, just about everyone recognizes the night-and-day contrast between spring 2011 and spring 2012. From last year’s summer that nearly never happened to this spring’s incomprehensibly early thaw, Memorial Day weekend is about to rediscover its reputation as the unofficial kickoff to the Colorado summer. Especially in the [...]

Win 2 tickets to AMERICAN IDOL LIVE! Tour
May 23, 2012 – 7:00 am | Comments Off
Win 2 tickets to AMERICAN IDOL LIVE! Tour

Are you an American Idol fan?
Well, July 14, 2012 will be your lucky day because the AMERICAN IDOL LIVE! Tour 2012 will be at the 1stBANK Center in Broomfield, CO at 7 p.m.
The AMERICAN IDOL LIVE! tour will showcase this season’s talented top 10 finalists. AMERICAN IDOL LIVE! gives fans the unique [...]

10 Ways to Spend Quality Time With Your Kids
May 23, 2012 – 6:00 am | 5 Comments
10 Ways to Spend Quality Time With Your Kids

We asked Dr. Harley Rotbart, Professor and Vice Chair of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Colorado, and the author of No Regrets Parenting – Turning Long Days and Short Years into Cherished Moments for Your Kids, for advice on spending the right kind of time with kids.
What is “quality time?”
I define quality time as meaningful [...]

Top 10 Things That Smell Better Than Your Teenaged Son’s Body Spray
May 22, 2012 – 6:50 am | 11 Comments
Top 10 Things That Smell Better Than Your Teenaged Son’s Body Spray

I don’t know what Santa was thinking. Maybe he had sleigh-lag resulting in a lapse of judgment? He gave our 13-year-old son a gift set featuring a very popular body spray. Our son was bestowed with body wash, deodorant, and spray in a scent called Dark Temptation. He was happy with the gift, but seemed [...]

New Colorado test on newborns identifies, could save “bubble boy”
May 22, 2012 – 6:30 am | 7 Comments
New Colorado test on newborns identifies, could save “bubble boy”

Patient zero needs his binky. Jagger Kiersch, crying intensely and sweating profusely as nurses pierce a vein on his head, is the first victim of “bubble boy” disease discovered since Colorado began a new testing regimen. But his parents feel as lucky as a family pinning down the arms of their wailing baby could feel.
On [...]

Win Dad a Family Vacation to YMCA of the Rockies!
May 21, 2012 – 6:15 am | Comments Off
Win Dad a Family Vacation to YMCA of the Rockies!

If there is an affordable, fun family vacation that rivals YMCA of the Rockies, I’d like to know about it.
Since I moved to Colorado almost 10 years ago, we have had a family reunion and multiple trips to both of the YMCA of the Rockies’ Colorado locations.
As new parents with an irascible, insomniac toddler, [...]

Weighing in (literally) on HealthOne’s Red Rocks Fitness Challenge
May 21, 2012 – 6:00 am | 2 Comments
Weighing in (literally) on HealthOne’s Red Rocks Fitness Challenge

I am on week three of the 90-day HealthONE Red Rocks Fitness Challenge, which runs until July 28, 2012.
My New Year’s resolution was to get in fantastic shape and though I’ve been working out every day, I’ve wanted to kick it a notch. That notch-kicking came in the form of working out with professional trainers [...]

Volunteer Opportunities for Kids This Summer at the Denver Rescue Mission’s Pizza Farm (and more!)
May 20, 2012 – 7:00 am | No Comment
Volunteer Opportunities for Kids This Summer at the Denver Rescue Mission’s Pizza Farm (and more!)

We live in a beautiful city, but as many of us drive around Denver, we see people asking for spare change, jobs or help. Do your kids ever ask questions about the homeless or why there are kids living in shelters? Do you know how to answer?
For 120 years, Denver Rescue Mission, along with support [...]

Screenwriter Terri Miller Talks With Us About Encouraging Imaginitive Storytelling For Kids
May 19, 2012 – 1:00 am | 1 Comment
Screenwriter Terri Miller Talks With Us About Encouraging Imaginitive Storytelling For Kids

Have you ever wondered if your child may have a natural propensity for writing? We talk with Denver native Terri Miller, a mom and successful screenwriter, about her life as a writer and ways you can identify and encourage your child’s gifts for storytelling.

Mama Drama: Direction Following Folly
May 18, 2012 – 6:40 am | 4 Comments
Mama Drama: Direction Following Folly

Dear Mama Drama:
My three-year-old son struggles with following directions and becomes stiff and unresponsive when he doesn’t want to do what is asked of him. We end up either letting him get away with not following directions or having to physically force him to follow them. Neither strategy is really working and he tends to [...]