Month: February 2015

New Google App Will Protect Your Kids from Inappropriate YouTube Videos

Are you concerned with what your kids are watching online? The YouTube Kids app, the first Google product built from the ground up, makes it safer and easier for children to find videos on topics they want to explore. It is available for free on Google Play and the App Store in the U.S. The new app is basically a “clean” version of YouTube with access only to family-friendly videos from sources like National Geographic Kids, Reading Rainbow, Thomas the Tank Engine, and more. YouTube realizes every family is different so they’ve built options into the app that help you control the experience for your kids: Timer: Let the app be the bad guy with a built-in timer that lets you limit kids’ screen time. The app alerts your child when the session is over, so you don’t...

Rejuvenate: Reward yourself with a weekend or week-long women’s retreat (+ healthy recipe!)

You know that feeling when YOU do something YOU never thought YOU could? That feeling of accomplishment….That feeling of rejuvenation. That’s what you’ll find at WilderFIT Colorado. WilderFIT Colorado has retreats for people like you. You can choose between weekend or week-long sessions, so they will fit perfectly in your schedule. Check out our website, www.wilderfitcolorado.com to reserve your first choice. It’s time to turn the refreshing outdoors into your very own gym. A typical retreat morning, at WilderFIT Colorado, begins with an energetic power-house breakfast followed by a wake me up PiYo session, venture into the mountains and enjoy a freshly prepared picnic lunch, or experience a heart pumping obstacle course. After returning to the lodge for some relaxation, perhaps even to en...

Colorado’s Sweetest Teeth Shine at The Children’s Museum’s Newest Exhibit

Colorado’s newest dental office caters to an unusual clientele. On any given day, you’ll find toddlers and young preschoolers in lab coats busily cleaning the teeth of a small gorilla with a million dollar smile. The front office, also staffed by the pull-up crowd, happily tap away at a keyboard and answer the phone as well. This innovative dental experience is located in The Children’s Museum of Denver’s Center for the Young Child. For years, parents have taken their littlest ones to the colorful, bright, safe, and clean play area. Now there is a new exhibit to teach and entertain junior dentists with warm, whimsical touches. It’s called The Village of Healthy Smiles. I took my four and two-year-old boys to play there and they had a great time role playing, b...

New initiative gives 4th graders and families FREE ACCESS to national parks and public lands!

Do you love to get outdoors or want to do a better job of exposing your kids to our country’s natural treasures, rich history, and vibrant culture? Now all fourth graders and their families can do it free of charge! To help engage and create the next generation of park visitors (and as part of President Obama’s commitment to protect our Nation’s unique outdoor spaces), he recently launched the “Every Kid in a Park” initiative that will provide all fourth grade students and their families with free admission to National Parks, national forests, national wildlife refuges and waters for a full year starting in the 2015-2016 school year. The initiative will also: Make it easy for schools and families to plan trips:  The Administration will distribute information and resources to mak...

Are YOU Happy You’re Fat?

On February 19th, I was making breakfast for my three kids when a story on the Today Show caught my ear. Being Thin Didn’t Make Me Happy, But Being ‘Fat’ Does. Joni Edelman (can I just call you Joni? We’re friends, right?  We really should be) dared to say what I think a lot of women out there feel: That body image has so much less to do with overall health than it does our mental state.

Denver Deal: Free Days, Redbox, RV Show and More

As a kid, I really loved the snow days. I thought they were great! As a parent, I don’t love them so much. I work from home and it seems to be much more difficult to get anything done on the days that my kids are home despite them being teens and being able to do their own thing. But then again, maybe it is because I am a giant kid too and it is easy to distract me? I have to admit going sledding yesterday was totally fun! Sometimes it’s ok to be an adult on a “snow day” too.  Free Days. Last week, the President announced FREE admission to all National Parks for 4th Graders (and since Colorado has so many of them…Colorado kids win in a big way!). March 1, the Buffalo Bill Musuem admission is free. Tuesday, March 2 the Museum of Nature and Science is free ...

Southwest Vacations: Our luxurious Cancun trip without the expense (get our deal now!)

Be sure to scroll down to see the incredible deal Southwest Vacations is offering at Amazon Local for an all-inclusive vacation from Denver to Cancún starting at just $749! “Who do you think you are, Gwyneth Paltrow?” –My friend Kristy’s response to my family’s 3-night getaway to Cancún with Southwest Vacations®. I can assure you that Gwynnie and I have very little in common unless that means hopping on a flight for a quick, luxurious trip I barely had to plan. The catch: It was all at a fraction of her costs. What Southwest Vacations Does When Southwest Vacations first contacted me about taking a quick trip to Cancún, I was surprised to learn that Mexico and the Caribbean are Southwest Vacations’ second most popular destinations, with Denver as one of the airline’s top departure citi...

The Breakfast Club returns to theaters for 30th anniversary!

Children of the 1980s rejoice: The Breakfast Club is returning to a movie theater near you on Thursday, March 26 and Tuesday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m. In honor of this iconic movie’s 30th anniversary, Fathom Events is bringing back Molly Ringwald “the princess,” Anthony Michael Hall “the brain,” Emilio Estevez “the jock,” Judd Nelson “the rebel,” and Ally Sheedy “the outcast.” This 30th Anniversary release includes the newly restored feature that has never been seen before on the big screen plus a newly remixed bonus content featurette titled The Breakfast Club – A Retrospective that takes a look back at the iconic film. Featuring personal insights from cast members as well as contributions from filmmakers, this featurette is a must see for all Rebels, Princesses, Outcasts, Brains and J...

Foodie Friday: Caramel-soaked chocolate cake with toffee bits recipe

This recipe is in honor of my birthday today! Though my family loves sweets, I wouldn’t really call us cake lovers and for birthdays, we often opt for alternatives like pie. So when my son asked for chocolate cake on his birthday, I groaned at the thought of a slab of cake slathered in uninspired frosting. So, I decided to mix it up. One cake that we love is tres leche, which is about as close to heaven as you can get in the cake kingdom. Essentially you bake a yellow cake, poke holes in it and pour a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and whipping cream until the cake is completely saturated, moist and amazing. I figured I’d do something similar but with chocolate. I baked the cake, poked holes in it and saturated the cake with sweetened condensed milk a...

Join Mile High Mamas for our VIP screening of “Cinderella” (150 seats available!)

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures’ highly anticipated “Cinderella” will be released to the public on March 13, 2015 but we are giving your family the opportunity to join us for a  free VIP reserved seat pre-screening on Thursday, March 5 at 7 p.m. at Colorado Mills theater in Lakewood! That’s right, we have 150 reserved seats up for grabs so be sure to enter your information below. About “Cinderella” The story of “Cinderella” follows the fortunes of young Ella (Lily James, a.k.a. “Rose” from Downton Abbey) whose merchant father remarries following the death of her mother. Eager to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new Stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her daughters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drisella (Sophie McShera) into the famil...

Funny Quiz: Are You Honoring Your New Year’s Resolutions?

1. You vowed to give up sugar. While taking this quiz, you will jot down your answers with: a. A pencil b. You’ll remember your answers c. Your finger dipped in chocolate syrup 2. In 2013, you were going to start running. How many times have you laced up your shoes and gone? a. Huh? I’m licking my score sheet. b. Over ten and it’s only January 15th. c. More than once. 3. You vowed to quit a bad habit cold turkey. Have you slipped-up? Which statement applies?

Denver Deal: Baby Expo, Free Days, Taxes and More

I don’t really “do” TV. But there is one day of the year that I will sit in front of the TV with my computer on my lap. That is the Oscars. My family and I each take our guesses and the person who LOSES the most has to buy ice cream for everyone else when we do our annual summer trip to Crested Butte. My dad has lost for the past three years (we all thought he was throwing it so he wouldn’t make anyone else pay). The Oscars are this Sunday. We have our picks in! Wish me luck…and a triple scoop of ice cream at someone else’s cost!  Free Days. Thursday, February 19 the Denver Zoo is FREE to Colorado Residents.  Colorado Baby And Kidz Expo. Colorado’s longest running indoor family expo is almost here! The 12th annual Parent, Baby, Toddl...