Month: July 2009

Mamas’ Weekly Event Round-up

August gets me all panicky about school starting, and how I haven’t maximized the summer or gotten nearly enough done. But August has so much to offer: Produce at its peak at the farmer’s market, the last of the summer concerts, fairs and festivals (except, not this week, sorry! Everybody’s gearing up for the Colorado Scottish Festival next week in Highlands Ranch.), and perfect weather for those final days at the pool. Why can’t I just relax and enjoy August? This is the last weekend for ye olde Renaissance Festival. Also, Rick Springfield is playing at the Hudson Gardens. So. . . And there’s that huge dinosaur thing down at the Pepsi Center. It’s a smidge pricey (by Casa de Jennifer standards), but really amazing. Naturally, you should check before you go, just in case anythi...

Five reasons why everyone (even moms) should be on Twitter…by Julie Marsh

Thanks for Julie Marsh of The Mom Slant for sharing her thoughts about Twitter……….. I’m not what you’d call an early adopter. I got my first cell phone as a safety precaution on my grad school commute through the sketchier parts of SE Washington DC. I joined Facebook in 2007, but deactivated my account shortly afterward and only recently reactivated it. I don’t own an iPhone or a Blackberry. I have accounts with BrightKite and Plurk, but I don’t use them. I finally jumped on board with Twitter after reading secondhand the JnJ Camp Baby tweets about pelvic floors and vaginal prolapse and hair braiding. More than any other social media platform (besides blogging, of course), I’ve embraced Twitter. It’s so simple, and yet it’s so powerful. Here’s how I use Twitter – and why ...

Say it to my face…book?

I consider myself to be rather in-touch with what’s going on around me. I have over 400 “friends” on my personal Facebook Account. I have a bunch of people that I email, instant message/chat, text, or call on a regular basis. I try to stay on top of what’s going on with my friends, and I try to keep them appraised of the situation here. I call, text, or email important things to top-priority people, and most everything gets shared on my blog at one point or another. On the flip-side, I’m easy to contact. I recently got a new BlackBerry, and she rarely leaves my side. I check email, Facebook, and Twitter from my phone. MY. PHONE. My, how times have changed! I have pretty much all the communication bases fully covered. So, imagine my surprise one day when I discover, purely by a random cours...

MobiStories Virtual Mobile Books, Another Way for Your Child Enjoy Reading!

Recently I purchased an iPhone and discovered that my daughter is fascinated by my phone. She enjoys playing kid-friendly games my iPhone which led me to a search for age appropriate books in the form of an iPhone app. I found a wonderful website called MobiStories, which are virtual mobile books that can be read on iPhones and computers. The book choices are listed on the website and are broken down into age categories. The books can be downloaded straight to your computer and iPhone or a DVD can be shipped to you. The website is very kid friendly. My 6 year old daughter was able to watch a short preview of several different books on the MobiStories site. We chose the book she wanted and we downloaded it instantly to my iPhone. Now in addition to playing games on mom’s iPhone, she c...

Surviving the aftermath of Denver’s storm

Allow me to dispel a rumor: I did not cause the horrible storm that ravaged Denver last week. A few so-called friends have accused me of praying it here so as to wipe out my husband’s pumpkin growing season. For those not in the know, I have been christened “The Pumpkin Widow” because I am married to a man who is obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. Or rather, a man who was obsessed because after Monday’s storm, I am sad to say that The Great Pumpkin is no more. In my defense, my children and I were 65 miles away sunning ourselves on the deck at Devil’s Thumb Ranch. Oh wait. The storm occurred at night. I think I just blew my alibi. When I awoke the morning after, I was greeted with a series of increasingly despondent emails from my husband Jamie who had r...

I took 56 pairs of underwear to California

I haven’t counted how many pairs made the return trip. If all 56 made it back, it was a rousing success. If one or two are missing, I won’t be sad. I can’t even make if from my boys’ bedroom to the washer without leaving a trail of the tighties and the whities. If more are missing, I’d like to humbly apologize to hotel housekeepers along the I-80 corridor. You’ve probably encountered worse hotel room stragglers than faded Shrek faces on cotton, however. I bet you have some wild stories to tell. If we gained any? I’ll be gagging myself with a vintage 1982 spoon. I find vacationing with seven children to be challenging, especially when the plan was to drive over 2,000 miles over the course of 12 days. I started mentally packing for the trip months in...

Product Review: Wonder Bumpers

Wonder Bumpers by Go Mama Go Designs are the smart sleep solution and for today’s ultra-modern, designer baby nursery. “Revolutionizing the baby bedding industry, the Wonder Bumpers’ innovative patent-pending design reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), protects your baby’s head and body, and prevents escape artists from climbing out of their crib.” Redefining the traditional, flat panel baby crib bumper that ties to the crib railings, the Wonder Bumpers are a set of colorful, reversible, padded panels that individually zip to each vertical crib rail. Unlike most traditional bumpers that have to be removed from the crib when the baby learns to pull (for fear the tot will use them as a stepping stool up and out of the crib), the vertical design of the Wo...

Mamas’ Weekly Event Round Up

Four words: Colorado Dragon Boat Festival. Head over to Sloan’s Lake and find out what all the fuss is about. The Central City Opera House offers its family matinee program on Tuesday of this week. Take the kids for a mid-week field trip to see Rinaldo, enjoy the mountains, and get a little culture. Also, don’t forget that this weekend is Sam’s Mom Heather’s Courage Classic Ride. If you need an incentive to go to Copper Mountain and cheer Sams’s Mom on, Copper is offering free chair lift rides on the American Eagle lift. That’s pretty cool. Please note, that doesn’t apply if you’re one of those crazies who hauls their bike up to the top, only to scream down the hill inside of five minutes. That’s called “skiing,” and it’s a winter sport. In addition to the sweet chair lift deal, Copp...

Featured Blogger: Jillian Livingston of Is Dis Normal or Dysfunctional

Mile High Mamas would like to share another blogger with you. This time we have Jillian Livingston of Is Dis Normal or Dysfunctional What is the name of your blog? How did you choose this name? Is Dis Normal or Dysfunctional I came up with this title a long time ago as my husband and I were watching our three boys rapping a song to us from our balcony which overlooks the living room. The boys were dressed like a rock and roll band and as they played their air guitars and sang I looked over to my husband and asked him if he thought dis was normal or dysfunctional. How did you get started blogging? I have always been a documentarian, filmmaker, writer and an amateur photographer. The day that Madoff was indicted I woke up and smelled the coffee and went to work immediately. I created a websi...

Metamorphosis

Guest blogger Janalee Card Chmel is co-owner of MA! motherhood with attitude and is a Denver-based freelance writer. She was shocked at the age of 40 to find out she was pregnant. Follow her journey each month. So, as I have documented well, this baby was a surprise. Now, as the weeks pass, I recognize that a huge part of my initial reaction to the news came from a fear of change. I haven’t once feared that I was capable of mothering a third child. Lord, let me get my hands on this beebee and mother it! I love being a mom! No, the deepest fears I’ve faced (and continue to face) come from a fear of change. But the change is happening. It is upon us. And — dare I say it? — it’s rather exciting! For example, we have to remodel part of our basement to continue shoe-horning this family into thi...

Label Your Stuff!

It is my son’s first camp. The suitcase is laying on the bed with the top gaping open as I systematically check off the items on the list which the camp organization recommends. T-shirts, shorts, swimsuit… My son is notorious for leaving stuff behind. It’s like a Hans and Gretel effect: follow the trail of miscellaneous articles and you’ll be sure to find the child to whom the stuff belongs. I just wonder how many other little campers will be the same way. I’ve tried a million methods of marking my children’s belongings and can share with you some things which don’t work well: permanent markers become unreadable on clothing labels, sew in labels can tear off (besides you have to bring out the sewing kit). This year I marked my happy camper’s clothing with a new labeling product made by Lab...

Disney’s G-FORCE Guinea Pigs to take over Ask.com!

My daughter Emma is so excited about the new Disney Movie G-FORCE opening Friday, July 24th. The movie is about highly trained, super agent guinea pigs who must save the world from an evil mastermind. To help kickoff the movie, the G-FORCE Guinea Pigs have joined forces with ask.com to teach children about online education and safe searching habits. The Guinea Pigs will take over Ask.com for 2 days this week, July 23rd and July 24th. Children and parents can go to Ask.com before and after the movie to experience Ask.com’s ‘Smart Answers.’ Kids can find answers to questions such as, “How is a 3-D movie created?” or “Where did Guinea Pigs get their name?” I know Emma and I will be on Ask.com, especially since she is so excited about this movie and lo...