With a name like Gretchen Yoder, I’m pretty sure it is no surprise that I have gone to more than my fair share of Oktoberfest celebrations. While most people believe that these parties are for beer swelling adults, I must say that the mountain towns are doing a fantastic job of making the parties family [...]

Are you a mom who has a job outside the home? What do you do when you are a professional with outside responsibilities as well as a mother? If you are considering asking your parents or in-laws to help with the childcare, make sure you think it through and discuss it before taking the leap.
I [...]

**CONTEST CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNER EMILY MOOTZ!**
Surprise! Tomorrow is September! Where did the summer go? Here comes a new season and a whole lot of new fun to be had! There’s a new Fall Festival destination in town, a new place to create new traditions with all the fun of pumpkins and corn mazes and [...]

This Friday through Monday. Bring an appetite—for everything—to the 27th annual A Taste of Colorado. The summer-ending smorgasbord features dozens of styles of cuisine from nearly 60 restaurants, all peddling their wares in Civic Center Park. There’s something for every taste, from high-end treats by the Ritz-Carlton to good, old-fashioned barbecue. Choose your own culinary [...]

It doesn’t matter if your kindergartner goes to school half-days or full days. It doesn’t matter if they went to preschool for 2 years or it’s their first school experience. The transition can be difficult, baffling, but fun. Our sixth child, Beatrix, just started kindergarten two weeks ago. Thankfully, I know some of the issues [...]

One day before a 7.0 earthquake laid waste to Haiti last year, a shipment of humanitarian aid, including 450 stuffed animals, cleared customs in Port-au-Prince.
Pure coincidence, but the timing couldn’t have been better, says Wendy Clark, the Littleton woman who founded Loving Hugs Inc., the Colorado nonprofit organization that sent the toys.
During the earthquake’s aftermath, [...]

From sales to events this weekend is packed full with fun stuff going on in the Mile High City. Visit the Taste of Colorado, see a concert at Red Rocks (will I see you at Zac Brown Band?), take one last summer trip to the mountains, shop until you drop at the Mile High Marketplace [...]

On Friday, my 7-year-old daughter did not come home on the bus as expected.
In a frenzy, I tore over to her school and was terrified when the staff was unable to locate her. “Haddie’s teacher said she got on a bus but we’re not sure which one,” they assured me.
As I was conjuring up [...]

Aloha, Disney! The Walt Disney Co.’s new upscale, beachside Hawaiian resort Aulani opens Monday, thousands of miles from the nearest Disney theme park. And while Mickey Mouse​ and friends can be found on the property, Hawaii’s culture, history and natural beauty are the biggest stars.
“The resort is not a replication of any of our theme [...]

Life sometimes gets in the way, as I’m sure most of you are aware of. But when it comes to a child’s education, removing roadblocks is a necessity.
When my 6-year-old brother Simon was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on June 16, 2011, our family had to adjust to a new “normal.” With countless doses of [...]