Month: September 2015

Confessions of a 49-year-old Roller Derby Mom

Bat-ass, Pippi Skullknockings, Ho J Simpson, Assaultin’ Pepa, Queen Elizabitch.  These are the kinds of words I throw around my house on a regular basis.  My kids sometimes repeat these names to their friends, teachers and adults they know.  “Where’s Bat-ass? What happened to Queen Elizabitch? Did she break her ankle? Who’s coming over? Ho J?” And that’s just a few of the monikers of the 100 or so roller derby skaters that have surrounded my kids since they were toddlers.  My name is Meghan Dougherty, but I’m known as Undertaker’s Daughter, # DOA, with Rocky Mountain Rollergirls in the roller derby community. Speed bump was the name my daughter was given when she ran onto the track to be nearly skated over when she was 2. Now 10, and my son 12, my kids have grown up aro...

Comparison is the thief of joy: my back-to-school triggers

Comparison is the thief of Joy, -Theodore Roosevelt One of my favorite quotes has come into play for me big time. Here we go… Back-to-school season is in full swing. I don’t know about you but towards the end of the summer I was counting down the days for school to start and now that we’re all settled in it’s so nice to have somewhat of a routine again. I can feel fall in the air and I love this time of year. My boys started at a new school this year, one they’ll hopefully be at for the next 6 years until Middle School. So with any new school comes new territory, new community, new routines, new friends for the boys and hopefully for us too! My husband and I have always looked forward to this aspect of the boys finally being in school! However I noticed something kind of creep up for me th...

God, Gratitude and Gangsta Rap

You would never guess by looking at me, but I can spew N.W.A. lyrics like I grew up on the streets of Compton. Clearly, I didn’t; I’m a suburban white mom but I grew up listening to gangsta rap, one of the (many) ways I impressed my now husband, who IS an actual gangster (not really, but he’s bad a$$, and I’m not embellishing just because he’s my husband). I moved from Morrison, Colorado to Hobe Sound, Florida following the incredibly unexpected loss of my father when I was 11. I went from a predominantly white elementary school (and when I say predominantly, I mean probably 99.99%) to a predominantly black middle school (and when I say predominantly, I mean probably 95.99%). So began my education in gansta rap; suburban white girl listening to ...

Denver Deal: Pan Movie, Free Days, Coffee Day and More

I recently had the opportunity to see the show LookingGlass Alice at the Denver Center (Stage Theater). The show is a family-friendly fun mix of the story we know as Alice in Wonderland – turned on her head. Imagination. Light. Acrobatic. Fun. The show only plays through October 11 – so hurry up to get your tickets! McDonalds.  McDonald’s introduced a new app for customers that delivers advanced capabilities from the convenience of your smartphone. By downloading the new app and registering, receive a national offer for a FREE large sandwich from McDonald’s, while also taking advantage of offers throughout the state of Colorado that are now offered locally beginning September 21st. Available only for the first 8 million downloads.  When you downloa...

Permanent Sterilization for Birth Control: Exploring Your Options

Is your family complete and you are considering a permanent form of contraception? Depending on each patient’s preferences and individual case, one of two options for permanent sterilization is available: the Essure® Tubal Occlusion or laparoscopic tubal ligation surgery. As I tell my patients at at Women’s Care of Colorado, both forms are viable means to achieving the same result. Essure® Tubal Occlusion Over the last 10 years, Essure Tubal Occlusion has grown in popularity thanks to its ease of performance through minimally invasive surgery outside the operating room. Women who choose Essure as an option for permanent sterilization are not anesthetized, only require a few medications for pain management during the procedure and are out of the office in about an hour. With the a...

How a lactation consultant saved my daughter’s life

About 10 months ago, my husband and I were getting ready to welcome our new baby to the world. I remember finishing up my last few days at work before my maternity leave. They were filled with struggling to tie my shoes, fatigue, excitement, and enjoying our lives just being the two of us. We never really thought that adding that one little, sweet, adorable, delicious-smelling baby could effect our lives in so many ways.    As soon as Grayce was born we were all aflutter, with hormones making the lack of sleep not so bad. However, we had no idea that Grayce would suffer from a tongue tie, and all those sleepless hours trying to breastfeed would prove pointless as her little tongue was unable to get her any food.   We watched her in the weeks to follow go from a normal newbor...

Children’s Advocacy Boot Camp

Have you ever wished you had the knowledge and tools to call up your state representative to discuss a health care issue faced by your family or your child? Have you ever wanted to build support within your community or your child’s school for a specific cause related to children’s health? Have you ever felt the need to speak up in a health care setting but not been sure how you would be received? Children’s Advocacy Boot Camp is for you!   Children’s Hospital Colorado is proud to announce its second Children’s Advocacy Boot Camp—a program for adults who want to learn how to advocate for children’s health issues that matter to them. Consisting of seven monthly half-day sessions featuring expert speakers on a variety of advocacy-related topics, Children’s Advocacy Boot Camp will resemb...

Sunday’s rare supermoon lunar eclipse: when it can be seen in Colorado

I’ll admit I’ve become a bit jaded to all the hyperboles surrounding many sky-watching events. “Once in a lifetime!” This phenonemenon won’t happen for another 30 years!”  But the one on Sunday really is truly notable— it’s the first total eclipse that’s also a supermoon and a blood moon in more than three decades. As Space.com explains: “Supermoons occur when the moon reaches its full phase at or near the satellite’s closest approach to Earth, and appears abnormally large and bright as a result. The Sept. 27 event is quite special; the last supermoon eclipse occurred in 1982, and the next won’t take place until 2033.” To get the exact time of the eclipse for your location, the U.S. Naval Observatory’s page&...

13 Delicious Spiced Pumpkin Recipes for Fall

1. Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze If you are an elitist foodie, I don’t know what to tell you other than to check your ‘tude at the door.  We’re going simpleton today…but nothing less than excellent. http://noblepig.com/2008/11/the-pilgrims-would-approve/ 2. Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles Yawn . Pumpkin snickerdoodles are soooo passe but pumpkin snickerdoodles stuffed with cream cheese? Now we’re talking. http://therecipecritic.com/2013/09/pumpkin-cheesecake-snickerdoodles/ 3. Crock Pot Pumpkin Butter Make this for yourself or to give away to your friends. This recipe even includes printable labels for your jars. http://tasty-yummies.com/2014/10/28/how-to-make-crock-pot-pumpkin-butter/ 4. Pumpkin Waffles with Spiced Pear Marmalade I...

Mom’s sweet “Hallelujah” to baby goes viral on Facebook

Who can’t relate to this sweet rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah?”  In a performance that is both incredibly beautiful as well as incredibly funny, Shannon Abbott shares her talents and her insights into the day-to-day life of motherhood. The song exploded on Facebook, receiving over 2.5 million views in a week. “Oh my GOODNESS!!! 2 MILLION VIEWS!!! Unbelievable!” responded the thrilled mom. “I am humbled that this silly little song that I wrote for a silly little talent show in teeny tiny Payson Utah, could bring so much joy to people around the WORLD! It just goes to show that no matter where you are from, or what your background is, we all feel the power of music and the love we have for our sweet children. How blessed we are!&#...

Take the Leap: How I Made a “Great Play” to Start My Own Business

Watch a child at play in our gym sometime and you’ll quickly learn how much fun a simple thing like jumping can be. The child will run at full speed and then leap into the air, hovering for an almost endless moment… only to land safely, tumbling onto the soft mat. The smiles and peals of laughter tell you how much fun making that leap is. In a similar fashion, I made such a leap years ago and never looked back. I was a born-and-raised New Yorker and after college I moved back to the city, working for 19 years as a recruiter, and for 12 of those years in Manhattan. It was fast-paced and rewarding, and there were quite a few things that I loved about it… but at some point I began to feel like I needed something more, something different. It was time for a change, and I myself made that uncer...

My Journey with Secondary Infertility

“I’ve been meaning to tell you, we’re expecting number three!” It had been 18 months since we found out we were finally pregnant with our second child via IVF, and the words still stung. After all the time that had passed, why did I continue having the same gut wrenching reaction to this sort of news? The glowing expectant mother was the mom of my son’s preschool friend. Her two children were spaced almost two and a half years apart, and this new addition would be as well. My secondary infertility trauma kicked in full gear.   Chances are, someone in your life has experienced, is experiencing, or will experience secondary infertility. Perhaps this is you. It is a diagnosis that threatens the emotional and physical well-being of millions of people worldwide, a diagnosis that is not fre...

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