Kisses

Things have been kind of rough with my 5-year-old son Declan lately. He has done a lot of growing up this summer, which has been both good and bad. He’s always been a very sensitive, thoughtful child – so to see a wild streak finally emerge is disconcerting. Who is this child leaping off the couch? Who is this child throwing a punch at my husband? Who is this child willfully sticking his chin out at me and stubbornly stomping around the house!?!?

But at the same time – seeing him stand up for himself also brings a level of satisfaction, a level of relief! It shows me he is *not* so defenseless out there in the big, bad world. Even though he is pushing back against ME, and it is driving me CRAZY.

Where is that sweet, sensitive soul? I know he still there. He is just coming into himself too. Which is ALSO pretty awesome to watch.

What’s In It for Me?

The only time I’ve been to Vegas was when my soon-to-be in-laws took Kyle and me there in January 1997. It was loud and smoky and bright. In every single casino. Even the ones that were high-end. Total overstimulation, just like with babies. But I couldn’t scream my head off until someone took me into a dark room and rocked me until I fell asleep. So I enjoyed what I could – the shows, the food, the people-watching. But that wasn’t enough to entice me to return.

Since then, we’ve visited Atlantic City twice, as well as a few Indian-run casinos in Oregon while visiting my in-laws. The trips to AC were birthday presents for Kyle, who enjoyed playing poker at the Trump Taj Mahal. Kyle also played poker at the casinos in Oregon, while I searched for the nickel slots. I did play poker myself one evening in AC, which is probably the most entertaining game for me. If you understand the game, can control your reactions, and can read other people relatively well, you can spend an evening playing low-stakes poker without losing your shirt (if you lose anything at all). But I certainly don’t enjoy it the way that Kyle does.

I can understand the appeal of playing poker with a group of buddies, as many guys like to do. It’s male bonding – a guy’s version of Ladies’ Night Out.

How a lemon car can teach you that your marriage needs more spice

We bought a brand spankin’ new car last week.

Before you send your congratulations, know that this was like those “Oops!” pregnancies and our purchase was unplanned. I am not quite sure how it happened; I wasn’t even ovulating at the time.

From the moment of ~~conception~~ purchase a few years ago, we have had problems with my husband Jamie’s Jetta. But the past month has been a non-stop stream of breakdowns. The car, not me. Mostly.

We had planned to trade it in next year but we were stressed about all the nickles, dimes and dollars we were pouring into its repairs. The worst part of all is the mechanic could not ascertain the problem.

And so we had a tough decision: sustenance for the children or a new car.

Please send food.

I have never made a huge decision so quickly. Well, with the exception of

Exclusive Mile High Mamas Giveaway: 10 Seats for the Fly Me to the Moon Screening

Congratulations to Mary Elizabeth Graff, winner of our ultra-cool Alpha Buddies shirt!

[photopress:FlyMeTo.jpg,full,pp_image]With my recent travel perils, the last thing I want to do these days is fly.

Unless, that is, it involves Fly Me to the Moon! In the first animated film ever shot in 3D, three young flies set off on a courageous mission to become the first insects on the moon by hitching a ride on the historic Apollo 11 space flight. Based on the actual transcripts and the original blueprints from NASA, the film’s stunning visuals and meticulous attention to detail introduce a whole new generation to the awe-inspiring achievements of the space program’s most momentous mission.

Fly me to the Moon opens in theatres August 8 but Mile High Mamas has 10 seats that are exclusively reserved for your viewing pleasure at the pre-screening on Saturday, August 2nd at the AMC Westminster Promenade at 10 a.m.

To enter, simply email us at [email protected] with “Fly Me to the Moon” in the subject line and then let us know who you would bring on this space adventure. The contest deadline is July 31, 2008. Note: Please do not enter if you are unavailable to attend on August 2.

Two Women, One Daughter, One Great Event

Lori ~~ignores her two kids~~ blogs from a NW Denver suburb. Weebles Wobblog chronicles her attempts to live mindfully; Drama 2B Mama recounts her infertility and adoption journeys; and All Thumbs Reviews gives sassy purchasing advice on everything from hair decor to refrigerators to wine — essentials for a Mile High Mama.

If I call her “my daughter’s other mother” it may seem different from what it is.

I met Crystal because we each had a problem. Mine had nooks with crannies, and hers had crannies with nooks. Our oddly- shaped problems fit together, and we became each other’s solution.

Seven years ago, I was experiencing the famine that is infertility; Crystal was dealing with the feast that is an unintended pregnancy, while living in an untenable situation.

In a way, we share a daughter.

It might seem normal for the story to have ended back where it began — with a tiny, squalling baby. One of us leaving the hospital with Tessa, and the other going home empty-armed. A winner and a loser.

But nothing about our situation has been “normal.”

Fall Children’s Consignment Sale Schedule!

You asked and Mile High Mamas answered! We have compiled a comprehensive schedule of this fall’s children’s consignment sales, many of which are just in time for your back-to-school shopping.

For those not in the know, these consignment extravaganzas feature children’s clothing from newborn to size 12, maternity clothing, car seats, cribs, bedding, feeding supplies, high chairs, potty chairs, bouncy chairs, swings, strollers, toys, books, videos, etc. at a fraction of the cost. Most of the sales have a nominal entrance fee and have half-price deals on the final day.

And did I mention killer deals?

Also, if you have items you want to sell, many of these sales are looking for consigners so checkout their individual Web sites.

So, forward this link to your friends and make a day–or a couple of months–out of hitting the following sales together….

BREAKING NEWS: Chaos Ensues as Johnson and Children Are Grounded in Canada an Extra Day

**PRESS RELEASE**

(Calgary, AB Canada, July 21, 2008) — Amber Johnson made a failed attempt to fly solo with her two children back to Colorado last week and spent an extra day recovering at her parent’s home in Calgary.

“I thought the flight to Calgary was bad enough,” Johnson grimaced. “I mean, it was such a headache when they lost Bode’s reservation and we then got stuck in the plane on the runway for hours on end. I thought it could not get worse.”

Sadly for this mother of two, it did. Johnson showed up at the Calgary airport with Hadley (age 4) and Bode (age 2). All went smoothly with check-in and security, after which time Johnson set the children loose to play in the terminal’s play area.

What happened next will go down in the record books as the worst luck ever experienced at an airport within a week. “It was boarding time and we leisurely made our way back to our gate,” Johnson said. “That is when they told me a bird hit the windshield of our plane, causing it to divert and land in another city. Our flight was canceled indefinitely.”

Johnson says instead of rebooking their flight, Canadian law required them to

“G” is for “Giveaway”–Alpha Buddies’ Cool Shirts!

Congratulations to Karen Jones, winner of our Healthy Summer gift basket. Stay tuned for next week’s giveaway: a $100 gift certificate for Best Buy!

[photopress:BobMarlet.jpg,full,pp_image]Are your children getting a little rusty with their alphabet during their summer break? Expose them to Alpha Buddies’ ultra-cool line of shirts to teach them that âBâ? is really for Bob Marley.

Alpha Buddies creates unique tee shirts by uniting all of the designs with the common theme, “A is for Apple.” Only instead of this conformist approach, they focus on timeless school-themed subjects such as literature, music and art, as well as an “Inspiration Break” to rejuvenate the mind.

They screen print their shirts locally in Denver

Mama Blogger of the Month–Laura from Twinfinite Chaos!

[photopress:lalagirl.jpg,full,pp_image]What do you call a household with two sets of twins under the age of five? Twinfinite Chaos, of course. Join us for our interview with our Mama Blogger of the Month who is a sleep-walking mama of five!

Tell us about your “Twinfinite Chaos” clan.

Well, we’re a family of seven, which is just crazy to me. Even though they’re all mine, I still find it hard to believe there are five kids under this roof! My oldest, Kayley, is 13. We have boy/girl twins, Pablo and Mallory, who will turn 5 next month. We also have fraternal girl twins, Lexi and Nikki, who are 3 1/2. My husband Paul is a civil engineer and I’m a stay-at-home mommy.

How do you best handle all the chaos?

The key to keeping a lid on the chaos, at least in our house, is having a specific routine and schedule in place. We literally have a laminated schedule on the kitchen wall

Love and Marriage–The Perfect System

We have a weird dynamic in the house. MRS handles pretty much everything: pays the bills, buys the girlsâ clothes (well, organizes everything relative to the girls), does the laundry, cooks, travels a ton for work, puts up with my crap, and (aside from that special week that rolls around every month) is a damn fine wife.

So hereâs the rub, her ultimate contradiction; she either canât, or refuses to, put anything back in the same place twice.

If I had a nickel for every time she said, âWhere are my sunglasses?â? when weâve gotten in the car, wellâ¦Iâd have a bunch of nickels.

Iâve had to learn to channel surf telepathically because that stupid clicker has never sat in any one location a second time. (((Side note: someone please come out with a 4 or 5 tuner DVR in a hurry. MRS has so many shows set for series recordings ((hardly any of which she will ever watch (including eleven different versions of Law & Order that air in perpetuity on seven different networks)) that any time I attempt to change the channel, the DVR just prompts me, DONâT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.)))