The biggest, baddest listing of Colorado corn mazes, pumpkin patches and fall festivals

Erie Corn Maze

Fall Fest 2010 has 7.5 miles of trail through designs of a bear, a bald eagle and a moose. There are also pumpkin patch hayrides, farm animals, a barrel train, small hay-bale maze for youngsters, facepainting, pedal karts, gem mining, food and more. Open daily now-October 31 on 6728 County Road 3-1/4 in Erie.

AndersonFarms.com for directions, times and prices.

Maze of Mayhem

Haunted Corn Maze open through October 31, dusk-10 p.m. Hwy 85 and E. 144th. $14 adults, $11 military, $9 children. Combination tickets to both mazes are $20 adults, $18 for military and $16 for children.

[email protected]

Corn Maze and Pumpkin PatchCountry Kids

FAA kids cut this corn maze in Byers. It’s at

When you find yourself in times of trouble

When you need help, you run across two different types of people.

People like me, who have to figure out a path from here to helping you before they can say, “Sure! I’ll be right there!”
People like my sister, Tami, who say “Sure!” first and then figure out the how.

Three years ago, Tami called me when her husband, Gino was about to be released from the hospital after a 4-month stay with complete body paralysis and rehab. I had Tami’s car with her son’s carseat and Gino’s wheelchair in it, since I had been watching their toddler son much of the weekend. Her car allowed me to transport Dominic and both of my booster-seat kids, unlike my smaller vehicle.

My family and I had just sat down for dinner at an Italian restaurant. I am embarrassed to say that I asked if we could eat first before exchanging cars with her. I just couldn’t see how I would get a hungry family out of that restaurant without eating. She didn’t need the car seat or wheelchair immediately, so it wasn’t really a problem.

The problem, to me, was that I didn’t immediately say “Sure! Be right there!” I am just not built that way.

Tami, on the other hand, is famous for saying, “whaddaya need? I’m leaving right now.” Then she’d wake her son from his nap (those are sacred!), cancel his gymnastics class, stop at the grocery store and bring exactly the right items you didn’t even know you need, and show up on your doorstep with a smile.

I’ve always considered myself the Selfish One of the family. I am the eldest, and I am the only one of three to experience being the sole center of my parents’ universe. It’s only recently that I’ve been able to put a new spin on that: I’m not selfish, I just have healthy boundaries.

Still, it’s terrific to have a Tami who’s always got your back.

When someone needs you, are you more like Tami or like me?

Image: Sudoku.com

Weekly Event Round-up: Circus, Pumpkin Harvest Festival and More!

Through Oct. 10. The Denver Coliseum becomes a mighty big big-top when the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus present “Funundrum,” the latest offering from “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Designed to mark the 200th birthday of circus founder P.T. Barnum, the show features all sorts of amazing acts: contortionists, trapeze artists, a strongman and, of course, lots of exotic animals. 90 minutes before showtime, ticketholders can meet the performing animals at an open house, then meet the human performers at an “all-access” preshow. 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Denver Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St.; 720-865-2475. Tickets are $22.45-$95.60 for adults, $16.85-$95.60 for kids age 12 and younger. Ticket prices include fees. Buy seats in advance at ticketmaster.com, or call 303-831-TIXS. Learn more at ringling.com.

Sunday. Join thousands of runners and walkers – of all ages – at the Komen Denver Race for the Cure. Choose your own adventure: a 5K run/walk, 5K walk or a one-mile family walk. Entertainment will keep spirits high along the course as it winds around the west side of town. Both courses end near the Auraria campus, where a closing ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, is the featured speaker. 6-10:30 a.m. Sunday. 5K starts at Water Street and Speer Boulevard; Family walk starts on the southeast side of the Pepsi Center. Day-of-race registration is $40 for adults, $30 for kids age 18 and younger and seniors age 65 and older. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit komendenver.org.

Saturday-Sunday. Celebrate the season at Four Mile Historic Park’s Pumpkin Harvest Festival. It’s a classic fall fest, with pumpkins to pick out, scarecrows waiting to be built and, naturally, plenty of caramel apples for snacks. Play historic games and join in arts and crafts activities, or test your love of dessert in a pie-eating contest. The Four Mile House, Denver’s oldest standing structure, will be open for tours as well – see how the Booth family, the house’s previous owners, would have prepared for the harvest season back in the day. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Four Mile Historic Park, 715 S. Forest St.; 720-865-0800. Admission is free. Visit fourmilepark.org for more information.

Saturday-Sunday. Fall means apples are officially in season, and Lakewood is getting in the spirit at Cider Days. Booths will be selling cider by the glass or the gallon, Buy a bunch of apples, or bring your own, and use the festival’s cider presses to make a take-home batch of cider. The fall fun continues with hayrides, live music, a vintage tractor pull and more. Tour the grounds of Lakewood’s Heritage Center, too, and explore historic buildings from Lakewood’s past. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Lakewood’s Heritage Center, 801 S. Yarrow St.; 303-987-7850. Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for kids ages 3 to 12. Learn more at ci.lakewood.co.us.

Monday-Tuesday. Youngsters get an up-close introduction to classical music at the Colorado Symphony Orchestra’s “Petite Musique” series. Each program includes a performance by a 16-piece chamber orchestra and a narrator telling an age-appropriate story in words and music. (This season’s theme is “Buckaroo Jamboree.”) Then it’s time to sing and dance along. The series continues October 11-12, traveling to two new venues. 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Monday and Tuesday. Monday’s performance is at the Colorado Mountain Club, 710 10th St., Golden; 303-279-3080. Tuesday’s show is at Temple Emanuel, 51 Grape St., Denver; 303-388-4013. Registration is $5 for children, $7 for adults; register online or call 303-308-2466 or 303-308-2467. Visit coloradosymphony.org for more information, including times and locations of future Petite Musique events.

Product Revew: Hurtie Hug for Hurt Kids

I usually try and pick edible products or items that might accessorize my or my son’s wardrobe for the product review. This was not the case for October. It’s back to school and I got an adorable e-mail from Katie of Hurtie Hug and I have soft spot for local entrepreneurial moms . . so I agreed to give the Hurtie Hug a whirl. There was no food involved but there was an accessory!

The purple Hurtie Hug ended up sitting on my counter for two weeks, my 1-year-old was not big enough to wear it. He had gotten plenty of bruises, cuts and bumps during those two weeks that would have benefited from the sample product, but alas, I had no need for it. Then I thought; we are the wrong demographic. The Hurtie Hug is adorable and girly, why not see if Emma, my 12-year-old, soccer-playing neighbor could benefit from the product. Ahhhaa.

The Hurtie Hug is the ultimate stylish accessory for the young girl, boy and tween who injures herself during a soccer practice, jazz class, Kung Fu session, Emma informed me. She liked it because it stayed in place and did not allow her ice pack to leak anywhere. Emma also liked how the ice pack did not have to come in direct contact with her skin since it was in the Hurtie Hug pouch. There’s the entire product perfectly explained by Emma!

Basically, it’s a fleece pouch that holds a hot or cold pack for injury.

Denver Deal: Quizno’s Silly Bandz, Sam’s Club FREE Health Screenings, and More!

When you hear the word “deal” what does that mean? Does that mean FREE or is it a HUGE discount from what the average person (or non-MileHighMamas.com reader) will pay for a particular event or meal? I love to get a great deal – but the word FREE is even better! We’ve rounded up a bunch of freebies for you this week…..enjoy!

Quizno’s Silly Bandz!

Not only is Quizno’s offering a free kids meal with the purchase of an adult entree but it also includes a three-pack of Silly Bandz. So get your kids a great meal plus you can add to your stash of Silly Bandz. Choose from space, sports, dinosaur, or rock n’ roll bandz.

Sam’s Club FREE Health Screenings October 9!

Sam’s Club, the membership warehouse, is offering something that you don’t have to be a member to take advantage of! FREE Health Screenings will take place on October 9. The comprehensive screenings for osteoporosis, cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure are valued at $150 – and they are absolutely FREE! No membership card required.

Life As We Know It Movie

Life As We Know It (PG-13) stars Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel as two godparents brought together to raise their goddaughter. Screenings are screening on 9/29 (Co. Mills) and on 10/4 (Pavilions). Get your free ticket at here.

Free Skiing for 5th Graders + more this year!

Colorado Ski Country USA is once again offering the 5th and 6th grade passport ski programs. Each of the participating resorts offers free skiing. Plus, this year for 5th graders who have never skied before, one free ski (or snowboard) lesson including rental equipment is included (lessons are available in January)!

Email me if you know of any great Denver deals!

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You can also follow me on Twitter. If I find a great deal during the week, I’ll tweet it out!

What “DIY” REALLY means

DIY technically means Do It Yourself, but we have other definitions:

D: Dirty, Disgusting, Design, Discoveries
I: Irritating, Impatience, Ingenuity, Inspiration
Y: Yelling.

Yes, our version of DIY pretty much always ends in Yelling.

(This photo was taken in the midst of one of our bathroom remodeling projects.)

The quality and clarity of swear words included in the Yelling phase have changed over the years with the addition of our child to the mix. In years past, we’d joke that we could totally have a home improvement show on television, but it would have to be on HBO.

Now we use this as an exercise for teaching our daughter that it’s perfectly acceptable to disagree with someone you love, and that forms of communication happen in varying decibel levels.

We’ve been working on our house for over nine years. Management put her foot down and sanctioned a mandatory rest-period last year. I didn’t approve any

Pediatric expo lets families test equipment

When a child with cerebral palsy or Rhett’s syndrome outgrows a modified wheelchair or an adaptive tricycle, replacing that equipment costs $2,500 and up.

That puts a strain even on families with generous health insurance plans.

Since most pediatric medical equipment is sold online or through catalogues, families often must buy equipment without a trial run. Those sales are final, saddling families with equipment that may not fit their disabled child.

This Saturday, families will find help at the Colorado Pediatric Durable Medical Equipment Expo and Symposium. There, children can try out different products, including adaptive recreational equipment like tricycles and bicycles.

The equipment on display includes

Denver Aquarium’s Friday Family Nights Offers Great Discounts…and Mystic Mermaids

We may live near the mountains but on Friday nights, the ocean is where it is at in Denver.

Denver Aquarium has introduced Friday Family Nights. From 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. kids 10 and under eat for just $1.99 and the exhibition cost is just $5 for children (both prices are with a paying adult). Also included in this fun night is free face painting for the kids, exhibit scavenger hunts, animal shows and interaction, raffles for prizes and reduced adult exhibit tickets with an Aquarium Restaurant receipt.

Friday Fun

Last week, my family checked out Friday Family Nights. We hadn’t been to the Denver Aquarium in a couple of years and expectations were high–we recently returned from a visit to the nationally-renowned aquarium in Virginia Beach.

Friday Family Nights at the Denver Aquarium did not disappoint.

When we walked in the doors of the lobby, there was a live animal demonstration of an Africal Serval, an exotic cat that is able to jump about five times its height in order to catch birds. The aquarium presents many other animals, birds and reptiles on Friday nights.

We dined with black tip reef sharks, groupers and schooling jacks adjacent to the Aquarium Restaurant’s 150,000-gallon tank. My husband and I indulged in the Mariner’s Mixed Grill: Top Sirloin, Lobster Tail and Grilled Shrimp. My husband and I did, that is. The kids

The Curse of Cinderella…and other satanic princesses

As I’ve watched my two-year-old daughter transform into a three-year-old, the true nature of women has finally been revealed to me. Decades of prior research on the topic have been rendered moot. And as is the case with most enigmas, this revelation turns out to be quite elementary.

As young boys, sure we are exposed to such demons as Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, et al. Later reincarnations of these little devils include the likes of Jasmine, Belle, and Ariel, the most evil of them all. We, the male species, are aware of these characters. We are casually familiar with their tales. But our familiarity is merely cursory. For it’s not until we procreate daughters do we truly get to peer into the eyes of the beast. And it is at that moment that we receive a true level of clarity regarding women and how they have developed into the beings we know today.

Colorado Ski Country USA’s Passport Programs Get Colorado Kids Sliding on Snow

The only thing better than hitting the slopes with your kids is knowing they are doing it for FREE!

Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) announced that its popular 5th and 6th Grade Passport programs are available for the 2010-11 ski season. The Passport programs introduce 5th and 6th Grade kids to skiing and snowboarding by making it easy for those families to access the slopes of Colorado’s legendary resorts. Each of the 21 CSCUSA participating resorts provide three free days of skiing for 5th Grade Passport holders, and four days of skiing for $99 for 6th Grade Passport holders.

The CSCUSA 5th Grade Passport is available to all 5th graders and provides three days of free skiing at each CSCUSA participating member resort. The 6th Grade Passport is packed with value by providing four days of skiing at the same participating CSCUSA resorts for $99, equaling 84 ski days for less than $1.20 a day.

New for the 2010-11 season, CSCUSA is introducing First Class. Available for 5th graders who have never tried skiing or snowboarding, First Class provides registered 5th Grade Passport holders one free ski or snowboard lesson, including rental equipment, anytime during January Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month.

The Passport programs can be fully processed online at www.ColoradoSki.com/Passport. Resorts participating in the Passports for 2010-11 include: Arapahoe Basin, Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain, Buttermilk, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort, Echo Mountain, Eldora, Howelsen Hill, Loveland, Monarch, Powderhorn, Ski Cooper, Snowmass, SolVista, Steamboat, Sunlight, Telluride, Winter Park and Wolf Creek. Also, check out a Breckenridge Ski Resort when it comes time for your next vacation.