Month: March 2014

Wildlife Experience: Exclusive discount at one of Denver’s best half-day camps!

How does a summer of expeditions, thrilling live animal interactions, Extreme Theater movies, interactive exhibits, hiking, science experiments, games, crafts and MORE sound to your child? Mile High Mamas is partnering with the Wildlife Experience in Parker, Colo to offer you an exclusive discount on their weekly summer half-day camps for kids ages 5-7 that run from June 2-August 8, 2014. With so many summer camps for kids out there, why choose the Wildlife Experience? Their camps are not only fully licensed and have the highest safety rating but they offer three different themes so kids can pick the camp session they are most passionate about!  All nature camps are not only about learning but getting physical with plenty of games to make it fun.  Each day always starts off with ...

Denver kids: be sure to sign up for free access to pools, rec centers

In the first year of the MY Denver Card program, the city says more than 42,000 youths signed up for the free pass to municipal libraries, pools and recreation centers. That’s nearly half of the estimated 90,000 5- through 18-year-olds who are eligible. Denver Parks and Recreation said on Thursday, the one-year anniversary of the program, that its first-year goal had been to sign up 25,000. Parents can fill out applications at any Denver rec center or print one online on Denvergov.org. The city says it will announce more card benefits later this year. Costs for the $1.2 million-a-year program have been covered by voters’ passage in 2012 of Measure 2A, which allowed the city to keep more tax money by opting out of the spending cap set by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. R...

Iconic family-friendly Denver restaurant Casa Bonita celebrates 40 years

When the doors of the legendary Casa Bonita restaurant on West Colfax opened 40 years ago, Marilyn Carmosino was astounded by the line of people stretching down the block. On Thurday, Carmosino, now 67, sat at a table overlooking the cliff diving pool with her 5-year-old grandson as Casa Bonita celebrated its 40th anniversary. “I come because of nostalgia, and fabulous entertainment for the kids all in one place,” the lifelong Denver resident said. Casa Bonita, draped in kitschy Mexican-themed decor, is famous for the same attractions today that it was four decades ago: a trouble-making gorilla, cliff divers leaping from the top of a 30-foot-tall indoor waterfall, the Old West gunfight and many other trademark features. “Forty years in the world of restaurants is like 400...

20 April Fool’s Day Pranks, Recipes and Ideas!

April Fool’s Day is right around the corner! Every year, I start out with good intentions but then I get busy and don’t have time to concoct some elaborate plan of trickery. So, here are some quick, easy and most importantly, kid-friendly ideas for celebrating April Fool’s Day at your house! Want to make it educational? National Geographic shares the origin of April Fool’s Day. 20 April Fool’s Day Pranks, Recipes and Ideas! 1. My kids have never forgiven me for the year when I bought some succulent strawberries and dipped them in sugar…only to find out it was salt. 2. Speaking of salt, sprinkle a bit of it on your child’s toothbrushes the night before. 3. Put a couple of very small drops of food coloring on your child’s toothpaste. They won&#...

Just Like Mom’s: A Quick & Easy Meatloaf Recipe That Your Kids Will LOVE

Warm, filling meatloaf is the classic comfort food.  You most likely have a favorite recipe, whether its a family recipe passed down from grandma, or the kid-approved version that you’ve picked up along the way that you now call yours.  If not, or if you’re just looking for a new spin on the classic this recipe is for you.  With only using four ingredients (salt and pepper are freebies) which you probably already have in your fridge and pantry, this meatloaf is ready from start to finish in only 45 minutes!  

Top Five Memorable Reasons to Spend Spring Break in Steamboat Springs

Once upon a time when I was a Utah-based travel writer, I fell in love with a foreign land of steaming hot springs, world-class mountains, a charming rodeo and 7 miles of multi-use paved trails that wind through downtown along the roaring Yampa River. That was summer in Steamboat Springs and though I’ve lived in Colorado for 10 years, I had yet to visit during the winter. We finally made it happen this week during Spring Break. Five Great Reasons to Spend Spring Break in Steamboat Springs 5) Hot springs. Steamboat isn’t Steamboat without soaking in one of their two natural springs. Strawberry Park Hot Springs’s stone-walled pools 9 miles north of town are in an idyllic forest range and water temperatures range from 102 to 104 degrees. But be warned: clothing is optional after dark. On our ...

Mama Drama: How to Grow Independent Problem Solvers

Dear Mama Drama: (photo credit) I’m afraid I’ve created a monster (or two) by being an overprotective mom. My kids can’t seem to solve even the smallest problem by themselves. If something doesn’t turn out the way they think it should, they fall apart and for every little thing it’s “Mom, mom, mom!” How can I help them become more independent? ~Overprotective Mama Dear Overprotective: Good for you for realizing that you are the link in this chain of helplessness that you have the control to change. It’s hard to admit when our behavior has led to difficult behavior in our children. There are many small things you can do to help your children increase their independent problem solving skills. It just takes a shift in thinking, a lot of teaching...

Girl’s shaved head draws national furor at Grand Junction school

The phone on the front desk at Caprock Academy rang incessantly Tuesday as a flustered receptionist admitted she had given up trying to answer it. The charter school’s website was jammed. So was its Facebook page. The K-12 school was in the midst of a bald crisis precipitated by a dress code gone-wrong. Caprock third-grader Kamryn Renfro had shaved her head over the weekend to show support for good friend 11-year-old Delaney Clements, who is not a student at Caprock. Clements has been fighting the childhood cancer neuroblastoma since she was 7 and is bald from chemotherapy. Caprock administrators told Renfro’s parents their daughter couldn’t return to classes Monday because her bald head violated the school’s dress code. On Tuesday, school administrators relented an...

Denver Deal: $20 Massages, Bicycle Trade-Up, and Whole Foods Class

I was recently invited to a special yoga session at the River Yoga and tasting session with FairLife Milk.(I wore my awesome Soybu outfit). The milk promises 50% more protein and 50% more calcium (and 50% less sugar in the chocolate). Their “Believe in Better” is not only their tag line but something their company really believes in and they take care of the whole process of being dairy farmers from the cow to the milk. My daughter absolutely fell in love with the chocolate milk and giggled on the way home that she was going to “trick her brother into eating something healthy.” I love that my daughter has become my health conspirator – and was actually reading the nutrition label!   Children’s Consignment Sales We have a complete list of all the gre...

Hello Working World, Remember Me? A Denver mom’s reluctant return

Growing up, all I wanted was to be a mom. It was the answer I gave whenever someone asked what I wanted to do with my life. Even through college, honestly. I had a terrible time picking a major because no career path drew me in the way motherhood did. Of course I knew the pay was nonexistent so dutifully went to college and chose a theatre major because it was the only thing I could stand doing with my time. If I had to work, I guessed I wouldn’t be miserable working in theatre, biding my time until I got my big break in the parenting world. Then reality hit when my husband and I were ready to start our family. After a handful of years sticking my feet in stage doors, I found myself happy and comfortable in a reasonably secure theatre job in New York City. Without noticing I was settled in...

Why have a large family? I do it for the buttercream

“Hey, Sam!” the group of boys yelled at my son as he climbed in our van after school. He turned, “Yeah?” One of them asked, “Is that your mom or your daycare?” “My mom.” The three boys started laughing. Sam shrugged and climbed into his seat, having no idea why someone would confuse his mother for a daycare. The side of our van doesn’t sport a phone number and stick figure children promising quality care for ages 6 weeks to 12 years.

Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Maya Exhibit Goes Back in Time

I’m feeling very kid-in-a-candy-store as I push through the door into “Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed,” a massive exhibit in the new wing of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. The familiar, mysterious forms of limestone steps and jaguar masks come into focus as I turn the corner and begin my journey. I travel to the Maya region often — to Belize, Guatemala and parts of Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras. Each archaeological site in these countries is unique: Tikal’s steep temples in the highlands, Chichén Itzá’s wide ballcourt in the Yucatan; Copán, the Athens of the Classic Period kingdoms (A.D. 250-900). Each place has its own history, style, energy and purpose, and to see them all in one place and in relation to each other is a rare archaeological smorg...

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