Month: July 2016
Summer Fun: Pokémon GO Sweeps the Nation!
Apparently I’ve been living under a rock…or an egg because my friend was the first to tell me about her teen’s new obsession that is sweeping the nation and world! Recently launched in the U.S., Pokémon GO travels between the real world and the virtual world for iPhone and Android devices. Strange as it may sound, Niantic’s Real World Gaming Platform will get your kids outside and exploring, using real locations to encourage players to search far and wide in the real world to discover Pokémon. Pokémon GO allows you to find and catch more than a hundred species of Pokémon as you explore your surroundings. How It Works Pokémon GO lets players catch the monsters in the “real” world. Players’ physical locations are tracked, and when they are nearby a Pok...
Best Copycat Recipes from your Favorite Restaurants
Being a copycat isn’t always a bad thing, especially if it means duplicating popular dishes from some of your favorite restaurants. Food.com has pulled together some delicious recipes. Click on each picture for the recipe.
Summer in the Mountains: Keystone, Colorado
Oh, the heat. The longer I live in Colorado, the less I love summer. Don’t get me wrong, I love the long, lazy days that summer brings but I much prefer the cooler weather that comes with the fall and winter. When the weather heats up, we usually head into the mountains. We like to hike, wander the mountain towns, and find new restaurants to try. The ski towns that we love in the winter offer so much to do in summer, as well. Why Keystone? All of the mountain towns offer many different activities and we love them all but Keystone offers so many activities for free. That is right, free. While many activities do cost, Keystone does such a great job of providing a number of free activities for the whole family. Daily Activities Keystone Kidtopia offers free activities throughout the week for ...
11 awesome events in Denver this weekend
There are plenty of fun events in Denver this weekend that include Catfast, festivals, free days and The Sandlot at Film on the Rocks. Go to our event calendar for the complete listings. Colorado Black Arts Festival at City Park July 8 – 9 Come celebrate the 30th annual Colorado Black Art Festival showcasing the rich and creative talents of local, regional, and national African Americans in art and culture. The three day event will feature three performing stages filled with dance, jazz, blues, soul, reggae, gospel, traditional African drum and dance Free Day at Four Mile Historic Park July 8, 12:00 – 4:00 pm Colorado Irish Festival at Clement Park July 8–10 Experience the largest Irish celebration in the Rocky Mountains with traditional Irish music performances and dancing, Irish dr...
Giveaway: Win Hedgren’s New Boarding Carry-on Spinner
Last Mother’s Day, we received a tip that Hedgren, a popular European bag company, is not only available in the U.S. but is Boulder-based. It was then and there we fell in love with their variety of fabulous totes, colorful handbags, backpacks and travel gear that are perfect for travel, gifts and beyond. Here are a few of our favorite picks. New Hedgren Boarding Carry-on Spinner: This is a new bag in the Hedgren travel gear collection and we looooove the superior maneuverability of the silent double spinner wheels. The bag comes in several sizes but the carry-on size features a separate, easy-to-access compartment that is perfect for storing tech, your laptop, etc. In addition to this carry-on size which fits in the overhead compartment of most airlines...
Deals: Free storytime doughnuts, Lucky Strike and more
I love summer. I like a warm summer evening – and there are plenty of free events to enjoy with the family. Last week my kids and I attended the free screening of Hunger Games at Aspen Grove on the grass right by Alamo Draft House. They had all kinds of fun and free activities from photo booth to archery (it goes so well with the movie theme) and the hosts were dressed up like characters from the movie. There are free movies and activities all across the city even including a screening of Top Gun at DIA! Take advantage of these fun free events. Kids free. Experience the luck of the Irish at the annual Colorado Irish Festival at Clement Park in Littleton from Friday, July 8 to Sunday, July 10. The family-friendly event promises lots of music, food, dance, Gaelic sports, culture ...
10 Ways to Make Your Kids Smile in Boulder This Summer
Frolic on Pearl Street Let’s start off right at Piece,Love and Chocolate on the West End of Pearl Street and then burn off the sugar you all ingested as you make your way east, stopping at the Boulder Book Store to read a book or two, the rock garden play area in front of the Nature’s Own shop (also worth a stop for the huge, animated dinosaur found inside), the squeal-inducing pop-jet fountain in front of the old courthouse, Into the Wind kite and toy shop and the climbable animal sculptures between 14th and 15th streets to end your stroll. Along the way, you’ll see some mesmerizing street performers, balloon artists and plenty of lunch spots. Cool Mom Tip: Your best bets for potty stops are at the public restrooms at 13th and Pearl, Peppercorn (hidden in the back among the table linens) ...
Make Summer Library Visits Fun and Help Prevent the Summer Slide
How do you help to entertain your children during those long, lazy summer days? How do you help prevent the summer slide where students lose some of the achievement gains that they made during the school year? My kids know that we spend much of the summer traveling, hiking, and visiting Colorado spots that are new to us as well as our old favorites. We also spend a lot of time hanging out at the house where they play outside, create things with our craft supplies, and, yes, play video games. In addition to all those fun activities, I try to squeeze in some learning time. One of the ways that I do this is with weekly visits to our library. On library day, we head over to the library and spend an hour wandering around. I found that my kids were getting the same books over and over again. The...
10 Dutch Oven Recipes for Camping or Your Backyard Fire Pit
I have a love affair with my Dutch Oven and I’ve vowed to use it more often this summer–whether it’s while camping or in our backyard firepit. If you’re intimidated by cooking in this outdoor mini oven, no need to be. There are plenty of online tutorials to guide you through but the gist of the Dutch Oven is to place hot coals on the bottom and top to bake in it, or keep coals underneath to cook, just like you would on your stove stop. Here are some delicious recipes to try during your next cookout! Sprite Chicken. After a long day in the outdoors, this cheesy, bacon-filled chicken casserole hits the spot. Get the recipe. Sloppy Joes are a great food when camping and this dutch oven recipe makes them super simple. Click here for the recipe. &nb...
Disney’s “The BFG” is Summer Movie Storytelling at Its Finest
So hold your breath, cross your fingers, here we go! ~ The BFG Imagine your childhood summer movie outings without “E.T the Extraterrestrial,” “Jurassic Park,” the Indiana Jones films, “The Goonies,” “Gremlins,” “Back to the Future,” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” How boring. How uninspiring! What would have been on our lunchboxes or on our t-shirts? Thankfully, Steven Spielberg directed and/or produced some of the greatest family films of our time, staking a claim in our summer memories. He’s back. Now your kids can dabble in a bit of Spielbergian storytelling magic this summer. Disney’s “The BFG” opens on July 1st, 2016. Based on Roald Dahl’s beloved tale, Spielberg’s interpretation stays true to the whimsical, cheeky, perilous heart of the story. There is nothing like “The BFG” in theat...
In Avid Pursuit of the Perfect Summer Camp Adventure
It’s early on Saturday and already I’m on the way out to Chatfield State Park with my kids and stuff for a fun day outside – maybe we’ll do some biking or take a little hike. For lots of other Denver parents, this is probably typical, but I’m not really the outdoorsy type. I don’t know the difference between a canoe and a kayak, and I’ve only once been camping. Besides, what little free time I do have is often spent grocery shopping or cleaning, with the kids intermittently asking for more time on the computer. Still, I want my boys to learn about and appreciate the outdoors, to know that not all life experiences are best experienced in front of a screen. So when I heard about Avid4 Adventure camp it seemed like a great way to get them introduc...
