This post is in partnership with Tide. Last month I shared my Nearly-Blinded-By-Bleach story when, as a tired mom of a newborn, I had an encounter with an unsecured bottle of bleach…and lost. This is one of the many reasons why Tide’s new advertising campaign resonates so deeply with me. It is dedicated to keeping children safe and making parents aware of potential dangers in the home. It only takes a second for an everyday item to become dangerous. Keep these products out of the reach of children. Remember: Keep Them Up, Keep Them Closed, Keep Them Safe. When my kiddos were born, I wasn’t prepared that part of exploring their new world also meant putting everything in their mouths. What I didn’t know is that “mouthing” is absolutely normal, even beneficial, in a child’s develo...
There are plenty of fun events in Denver for the first weekend in April–from the Arvada Kite Festival to free days to the Tulip Fairy & Elf Festival. Refer to our event calendar for additional information and always double-check the event’s website for any changes. 13th Annual Arvada Kite Festival at Stenger Soccer Complex April 2 The Kite Festival includes kite flying (bring your own or purchase one at the event), free kids fun with jumping castles, several face painters, balloon artists, hamster balls and more. Tulip Fairy & Elf Festival 2016 at Pearl Street Mall April 3, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Join the Tulip Fairy as she and her pint-sized helpers celebrate the Tulips that adorn the Pearl Street Mall. The event includes live stage performances, face pain...
*Sorry, I meant shouldn’t Hi, friends! Did you wake up this morning and think to yourself, you know what? I really feel like openly weeping today. Yes? Me too! I have never been an overly emotional person. I mean, I’m not a monster. If you turned on “Homeward Bound” right now, there’s zero chance I’d make it through the ending without sobbing. But something about becoming a parent has made me decidedly more emotional. I’ve cried at cereal commercials! It makes pre-parent sarcastic me so annoyed. It doesn’t help that so many children’s books are tinged with sadness, if not outright depressing. Here, a collection of my favorites for when you really want to confuse your kid by weeping through story time. LAIKA: ASTRONAUT DOG—Who wants to read a sweet story about a puppy? You bet your kid does...
Strong, Confident Women in Leadership Roles are Great Role Models. It is an undeniable fact that kids with positive role models and mentors have increased self-esteem and thus do better in school and have more positive relationships. Studies also show that for girls, having women as role models makes a big difference. On a Girls’ Wilderness Adventure program, all the instructors are women who are outdoor professionals with years of experience – so girls get to see competent, caring adult women in leadership roles every day. Girls see that they can truly do anything when they witness our instructors do all the jobs stereotyped as “for guys,” such as navigating from a map or using technical tools to set up a rock climb. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work. Fueled by ...
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...
What is a good house guest? I had a friend whose plans changed at the last minute. She came to Colorado with her kids. I didn’t learn of them coming until just 4 hours before they arrived (they were driving and they had already been on the road for approx. 12 hours when they texted me they were coming). They stayed at my house (in the snow storm), ate my food, used my TP etc. But this friend NEVER offered to pay anything – including making sure that she told the waitress the ONE night we went out (to Beau Jo’s on the way back from Tubing in Vail where I got her a discount of 50% off!) that the checks were separate. She knows I’m on a budget, she knows I’m a deals blogger (not just because of a lifestyle – but really because I HAVE TO) so am I wrong in thinking that maybe she should have bo...
In the kids’ younger years, they had no frame of reference regarding just how uproarious and embarrassing I really am. Now at ages 9 and 11, those days are over. I suppose I could be The Good Mom and dial it back a little but since I like to have fun, why not have a bit of enjoyment at my children’s expense? When I purged my entire house in January, I stuffed everything in garbage bags but have recently been on an obsessive quest for boxes for my blow-out garage sale next month. There are three options: 1) Buy new. The challenge: I’m too cheap and who wants to waste money on an inanimate object made of cardboard? 2) Stalk Craigslist. We buy quite a few things off Craigslist but I try to avoid it whenever possible. Sure, there are plenty of free boxes posted but...
Did you ever think you or your child would walk into an old car repair garage and be inspired to make art? The Art Garage, located in the Park Hill neighborhood, isn’t just any garage! It is a creative, vibrant space with floor to ceiling chalk boards, cabinets filled with intriguing materials and labeled with vintage signage for a little added charm. The openness of the space combined with the passion of the teachers allows for all types of creativity and artistic experiences. Here, there is no wrong way to create! We offer unique classes that support painting, drawing and sculpting masterpieces of all sizes. In addition to clubs and school day out camps, we spend all year preparing for our week long summer camps. This summer we have some of the most exciting camps we’ve ever offered! Eve...
Mothers of daughters: this is a must-read and captures the depth of the joys and sorrows of mothering our gorgeous girls. Grab the tissues! “She will do amazing things while you are worrying away the time. She will grow milk teeth and then grown-up ones. She will love the things that you hate and hate the things that you love, and you will drive each other mad–all before she learns to drive. You will do amazing things, too. You will learn to need less: less sleep, less care, less time. You will give more. You will not say things that you would almost always have said, just to keep the peace. What hard strength there is, in the measurement of unsaid words. You will be in a hurry, to get to the better times, when the times are worn and exhausting. Then you will hold your breath and wis...
Robot Revolution, the newest awe-inspiring and interactive exhibit from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science opened last weekend after much anticipation. This groundbreaking experience opens our eyes to the capabilities that technology now affords us via robotics while giving us a glimpse into the exciting realities of the not-so-far away future! The exhibit caters to all ages so bring the whole family. We took our five year old boys—this was a snippet of our experience: I knew we were off to a good start when we encountered a life size R2D2 greeting patrons and offering photo ops at the exhibit entrance. I have to admit, it felt a little like a celebrity siting and I think my boys could have gone home happy after that experience alone! But in we went… The exhibit is quite large, be sur...
Coconut and Easter go together like the Easter bunny and chocolate eggs. Your family will love these Almond Joy Bars with Toasted Coconut! [yumprint-recipe id=’98’]
Parents these days have literally hundreds of options when it comes to summer day camps for their kids. How can an overworked and under budgeted mom possibly know if they are investing in the right program? Sure, our camps are affordable and full of fun, learning, and friendship but we want to take it a step further. Our Adventure Architects at Colorado Adventure Point have put together a simple one-question survey to guide parents: “Will this day camp prepare my kids to survive the zombie apocalypse?” With that question to guide us, we have developed a series of day camp programs that we believe qualify us as the best choice to prepare your kids for adventure, no matter what! STEM – Most movies about zombies involve science in some form whether it’s science gone wrong starting the e...