Month: January 2014

Fun, healthy ways to mix up school lunches

It’s Monday morning and you’re standing in front of an open fridge with a cup ‘o joe and a blank stare. What to make the kids for lunch is your number one priority, but who has time or energy to conjure up inspired meals at a moment’s notice? You grab what you know, prepare and bag it, and send your kids on their way. This is definitely a common scenario in today’s world but let’s take a moment to realize the opportunity we have at this time to make some changes. According to the CDC, obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States – that’s triple the rate from just one generation ago. Even if your children do not fall within the obesity category, this statistic is an indication of the environment and society that our children are growing up in and it’s our res...

Recipe: Iconic Denver Restaurant Shares Their Delicious Guacamole Recipe for Super Bowl

A delicious homemade guacamole is tough to beat…except for when you make  Blue Bonnet Restaurant’s signature recipe in your kitchen. That, my friends, is called a win-win. This South Broadway Mexico Restaurant is a city icon and is home to over 200 food and drink items, all made in-house, including more than 35 different tequilas, 15 signature margaritas, and every Mexican favorite you can think of. The restaurant is also home to many legendary meals served to Denver Broncos throughout the years.  So . . . what will you be cooking up for your party? The Blue Bonnet has shared one of their football favorites with Mile High Mamas. The Super Bowl is the largest single day of guacamole consumption each year. So however the Broncos perform on Sunday, you will score big if ...

Pregnancy Not Your Thing? You’re Not Alone

 I’m 34 weeks pregnant with Baby #1, and it’s taken me an hour to get the first sentence of this story typed. I blame the restless legs, heartburn, aggressive kicking, baby brain, aching lower back, tiny feet stuck under my ribs and grumbling stomach all caused by this 5 pound tiny human squished in my uterus. While I’m not ungrateful and I don’t love my unborn child any less than other women, I’m going to be honest and admit that I don’t love being pregnant. Gasp!  Over the years I’ve heard many of my friends gush about their pregnancy and about how magnificent each step was and how beautiful they felt. They loved it! Perhaps you have a few friends like that? The ones who talk about how thick and shiny their hair is, the glow of their skin, how each kick they feel is the most ea...

Wit, Wisdom, and Wine: One Woman’s “Confessions of a Mediocre Widow”

While Mile High Mama blogger Catherine Tidd has spent the last few years developing a global online support group for widows and widowers (www.theWiddahood.com), she has also been hard at work on her memoir, Confessions of a Mediocre Widow, which took the number two spot on the local nonfiction bestseller list less than two weeks after its release.  In her first interview with us, she talks about everything from finding humor in grief to dating as a single parent.  And we are excited to be giving away three copies of her book (see below)! Why did you write this memoir? Confessions of a Mediocre Widow is the book I wanted when my husband died in 2007.  I was 31-years-old with three small children and most of the books that I came across were either too clinical/self-help for ...

14 Fun, Crafty and Delicious Valentine’s Day Ideas for February 14

Do you want to have an easy and fun Valentine's Day? Don't miss these fabulous crafts, recipes & gifts perfect for home or your class party.

This Mom’s Take on the 2014 Toyota Highlander and What Features You Will Love (Think: Parallel Parking)

What can moms expect from the 2014 Toyota Highlander? How many juice boxes fit in the console? Can the view through the sunroof really keep the kids from breathing on each other? And just how many cupholders are there?

The Standley Lake High School Tragedy: Sending my kids to school should not be an act of courage

Editor’s Note: Mile High Mamas’ longtime blogger Gretchen’s teenagers had a brush with tragedy yesterday–both are students at Standley Lake High School where a student set himself on fire. Do not miss her must-read post. I set off on this snowy, brittle afternoon to pick up my K-8 kids from school. The roads were smeared with dirty ice and winds shoved the van. It felt precarious, like the whole day, a slick white tightrope between home and my kids, elsewhere. I was glad to get to them, to bring us all under one roof safe again, until tomorrow. I’ve said this before, and the time has come to say it again: It shouldn’t be an act of courage to send your kids to school. A song came on the radio. It was John Mayer’s No Such Thing. It’s about high school and not fitting ...

Backlash against Common Core education standards surfaces in Colorado

Backlash to implementation of new education standards known as the Common Core has begun to surface in Colorado, following about two dozen other states that have raised concerns about both the content and the high-stakes testing that comes with it. A group that describes itself as a collection of concerned moms in Fort Collins has networked with others around the state to express misgivings about the standards, which provide a grade-by-grade framework aimed at improving college and workforce readiness. Critics fear it will foster mediocrity. “The concern was that the Common Core was going to be sort of a race to the middle,” said Cheri Kiesecker, describing the issue that mobilized her and other Fort Collins parents. Those worries turned into a draft bill to put the brakes on i...

Denver Deal: Free Days, Liftopia, Yogurtland and More

Town has been adorned with orange and blue! And if you are like me, you are trying to figure out if you are having the Superbowl party at your house or if you will be going somewhere else. And then panic sets in. I don’t know what to make or what to bring to a party! YIKES. They want me to bring something? I am up for any suggestions, Pinterest ideas or more. I am thinking of taking my new Soda Stream soda maker to a party so everyone will get their own flavor of pop – maybe we can create our own Superbowl Soda! Pre-Broncos Game Fun Is anything more annoying that waiting? UGH! There are loads of things you can do before the BIG game this Sunday! There are free days at The Museum of Nature & Science, Denver Zoo and Colorado History Center, Southwest Airlines Rink at Skyline ...

Colorado Travel: Breckenridge’s Best Winter Activities for Families and My Adventure of a Lifetime!

My husband and I dream of owning a cabin someday and Breckenridge has long been at the top of our list.  Only a 1.5-hour drive from Denver (I-70 traffic snares notwithstanding) this authentic mining town has everything I love: a world-class ski resort, the Blue River (a tributary of the raging Colorado River), an idyllic Main Street, gourmet dining, glittering boutiques, endless hiking possibilities and it is part of an 80-mile network of paved, motorized bike paths that connect other Summit County resorts like Dillon, Keystone, Copper Mountain and Vail. We have spent long, languid summer and fall days in Breck but here’s my confession: we have never been there once the snow flies. And if you love winter like I do, you know that Breckenridge is one of Colorado’s best famil...

Feel-good story: Colorado prison-trained dog turned autistic boy’s life around

Susy Tucker marks the time her autistic son, Zach, began hugging her again — after a lapse of four years — by the arrival of Clyde, a chocolate Labrador trained behind bars by a convicted killer. Within three weeks of Clyde’s arrival at the Tuckers’ home in Colorado Springs, Zach went from petting his dog to wrapping his arms around his mother. It was a stunning moment, one of many to follow. The boy who once grimaced and whined at any skin-to-skin contact had learned the warmth of touching from a dog. Zach and Clyde’s story is one of redemption — of how a rescue dog, a prisoner and a boy learned empathy and understanding from one another. Zach’s parents had run out of ideas and were skeptical when they stepped into the visiting room at the high-security Sterling pr...

Super Bowl Recipe: Cincinnati Chili Spiced With Cinnamon and Chocolate Served Over Vermicelli

I celebrated the Bronco’s road to the Super Bowl along with everyone else in Denver but when they became AFC Champions, my thoughts turned to my stomach. Because the Super Bowl is about three things: football, gazillion-dollar commercials and food. And the top of our menu will be Cincinnati Chili. I know it’s strange to be sentimental about chili but that is how I feel about my friend Eva’s Cincinnati Chili. About nine years ago, I was newly married, new to Denver and had a new baby on the way when we were invited to join a dinner group with some friends from church. And on the menu was none other than her Cincinnati Chili. Over the years, our dinner group of 12 friends have been through a lot together–births, deaths, health crisis, major awards, empty nests and now...