Month: July 2010

Boulder seventh-grader summits all 50 high points

Matt Moniz hiked to Mount Everest base camp in Asia and climbed the highest peaks in Europe, Africa and South America before he did his first Colorado fourteener last year — at age 11. So the Boulder seventh-grader established his reputation for precocity well before he and his father, Mike, tackled this summer’s project: reaching the highest point of the 50 states in 50 days or fewer. Beginning June 3 with an ascent of Alaska’s Denali (the highest peak in North America at 20,320 feet) and culminating July 16 on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea (13,804 feet), they completed the odyssey in 43 days, 3 hours, 51 minutes. That bettered Denver schoolteacher Mike Haugen’s previous “high-pointers” record by two days, 15 hours, 11 minutes. Like last year’s project — doi...

Mama Drama: Sibling Birthday Blues

Dear Mama Drama: I have two girls who are three years apart in age. My oldest daughter who is nine has a really difficult time handling it when it is her younger sister’s birthday. She is always excited about the party and getting her sister a present, but when the day arrives she loses it. She interrupts, makes rude comments, tries to take over opening presents, and becomes obnoxious trying everything she can to pull the attention away from her sister and onto herself. Last year we talked about it before the party and she seemed allright, but she could not seem to handle it in the moment. Every year she ends up making her sister cry and being removed from the festivities. My husband and I are so exasperated that we are contemplating not having her be part of her sister’s upcoming party th...

A Warm Weather Guide to Fun in Denver

Warmer weather is here! As the sun lingers in the sky longer before settling behind the mountains, how should we fill the time? What activities are sure to be a hit? Well, with the help of our readers (yes, that’s you!) Mile High Mamas has compiled a list of fun warm weather activities in the Denver area.  All of these places and activities in one handy list!?  Awesome! Need an idea for an inside activity? It’s here! Need a new outside activity to try? It’s here! See something that isn’t on the list? Let us know, and we’ll add it! Be sure to bookmark this page and check back often! It’s your Warm Weather Guide to Fun in Denver! So, get out there! Try something new! Explore your own backyard and beyond. Indoor Activities: Get in out of the sun (or rain) and have an i...

What supplements do you give your children (if at all?)

When my son was 4, I tried giving him nutritional supplements to make up for his appalling diet. I mixed fish oil into his orange juice. I let him eat candylike gummy multivitamins. And I stirred a chocolate powder containing 31 fruit and vegetable extracts into his milk. It eased my worries, but experts disagree on whether supplements do any good. “An appropriate diet should cover all needs,” said Dr. Steven Daniels, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ committee on nutrition. Parents of picky eaters may be concerned, he said, but the worry “is often misplaced because kids are growing and developing normally.” But how many kids eat an “appropriate” diet? Dr. Kathi Kemper, who chairs the holistic and integrative medicine department at th...

Weekly Event Round-up: Free Scuba Diving, Boulder County Fair & More!

Saturday-Sunday. Colorado is firmly landlocked, but that doesn’t mean we can’t go scuba diving: Give scuba a try when the traveling “Be A Diver!” program visits the Downtown Aquarium. Featuring a heated, 15,000-gallon mobile pool, “Be A Diver!” lets anyone go for a quick dive with the help of a certified scuba instructor. Best of all, the “Be A Diver!” dive is free of charge. It’s all part of the aquarium’s special Shark Weekend — don’t worry, there won’t be any sharks in the scuba pool. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Downtown Aquarium, 700 Water St.; 303-561-4450. Admission to the aquarium is $15.99 for adults ages 12-64, $14.99 for seniors age 65 and older, $9.99 for kids ages 3 to 11. Visit aquariumrestaurants.com for more information. Saturday. Kick off the Boulder Co...

Mama Confessional: How did you keep your kids occupied this summer?

I’d like to say that I’ve taken my kids on outings and that we’ve experienced new and wonderful adventures this month. Wouldn’t it be amazing if I could share of our many hikes in the wonderful Colorado mountains, or perhaps tell of a day spent at the Denver Zoo where we took a picnic and rode the train? Naturally we would skip bird world, because we hate it, and then casually wander over to watch the polar bears frolick while chocolate ice cream drips down our chins. Unfortunately, it would all be lies. I am taking an anatomy class that requires nine hours a week in class, plus study time. We’ve had to stick pretty close to home this summer and sure, while I use words like gastrocnemius in front of the children so they can appreciate my education, they have at times, been bored. They begi...

Denver Deal: Consignment Stores, Take Care Clinics and Museum Exhibits

Back to School time! Yay!  It is back to school time – that means we get to go shopping for new school supplies and great back to school outfits! Consignment Stores I love going through a friend’s closet….it’s the next best thing to shopping for free.  Consignment stores come in a close second to that!  You can find great designer duds at inexpensive prices.  Not all consignment stores offer kids clothing  – but, we have found some super consignment stores with great kids clothes!  Goodwill offers all kinds of clothes and other items (including great accessories too!)  Some consignment stores specialize in children’s clothing and other kids items.  Here are just a few: Couture Kids Boutique or Once Upon a Time in Littleton, Faze Two in Lone Tree,  Petite...

Life wasn’t a bowl of cherries for my kids

On my 18th birthday, I had an allergic reaction to my candle-covered treat. It was cherry pie, my absolute favorite. A few months earlier, I had an allergic reaction to a cherry pie dessert I snarfed during a high school debate trip to Salt Lake City. It didn’t take all the best medical noggins at John’s Hopkins to see what was going on. I was allergic to cherries. My doctor agreed it would be best to stay away from my favorite fruit for the rest of my life. I haven’t had a cherry since. I haven’t been covered from head to toe in hives, gasping for air, since. Except for that one annoying time when I found out I am allergic to Amoxicillin. But who makes Amoxicillin pie? Amoxicillin jubilee? Amoxicillin tarts? I can live without a black forest cake covered in juicy, ...

Beat the Summer Heat and Support The Children’s Hospital with a Dairy Queen Blizzard on August 5

Let’s face it: most of us don’t need an excuse to indulge in a Dairy Queen Blizzard® but this is a great one. On Thursday, Aug. 5, Dairy Queen will host the fourth annual North American Miracle Treat Day, with $1 or more from every Blizzard® sold being donated to Children’s Miracle Network, a nonprofit organization that raises money for children’s hospitals. Proceeds from Blizzard sales in the Denver area will benefit The Children’s Hospital. Last year’s event raised nearly $80,000 in one day for The Children’s Hospital; $4.5 million was raised at Dairy Queen locations in North America. Patients from across the Rocky Mountain region have signed up to make special visits to local DQ locations on Miracle Treat Day in an effort to raise money for The Children’s Hospital. One such ...

Top 10 things to do in Colorado before you die

Imagine, for the sake of argument, that you only had time to experience 10 adventures in this state. What would those journeys – so special to this purple-mountained mecca – be? Following are our suggestions. CLIMB A FOURTEENER At 14,060 feet, Mount Bierstadt (above) is one of the easiest to ascend, with a wide trail that winds its way through swamps, high-mountain meadows and boulder fields. The journey begins at Guanella Pass, just south of Georgetown. If you worry about having never climbed that high before, put your fears aside. There are so many people – from young whippersnappers to truly elderly – hiking on weekends, it looks like a trip to the mall, but they’ll offer assistance if you need it. Long’s Peak by moonlight just might be the ultimate a...

Mama Drama: Extreme Hair Pulling

Dear Mama Drama: I am really worried about my son. He is three years old and has a really hard time handling frustration. When he doesn’t get his way or becomes frustrated with something, he starts pulling out his hair. He has done this so much that he has large bald spots all over his head. I try to talk with him and get him to stop the hair pulling but nothing seems to work. It seems like the more distressed I get about the behavior the more it increases. My husband and I are at a loss. What should we do? ~Pulled Apart (photo credit) Dear Pulled: Your perception that this is concerning behavior is accurate. Hair pulling of this extreme is not typical behavior and should be addressed with your pediatrician as soon as possible. There are a variety of issues that could be leading to this be...

Stay-at-homers or working moms: do you ever envy the other side?

The thing about moms who work outside their homes is that we love to hate the moms who don’t. Not as individuals. But as a demographic of nameless, faceless minivan drivers toward whom we direct a venomous mix of resentment, bewilderment and envy. We spot them in their workout clothes and tell ourselves their days must be so mindless. Every time we mooch their graham crackers, every time we borrow their Handi Wipes and every time we ask them, last minute, to cover for us in carpools, we’re reminded of our own half measures. What a waste of talent and ambition, we try to convince ourselves, congratulating ourselves on our choices. I write this after having spent a week off living like a stay-at-homer. For the first time ever, I got to linger among the moms after drop-off at day ...

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