Month: January 2019

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at the Loveland Sweetheart Festival

The nation’s Sweetheart City, Loveland, Colorado just got sweeter for Valentine’s Day with the launch of the inaugural Loveland Sweetheart Festival – Love, Locks and Light on February 8 and 9 in downtown Loveland.    For more than 70 years, Loveland has embraced sweethearts near and far and invites families and lovers across the world to gather in downtown Loveland to celebrate valentine season with love, lights and free fun for the entire family. Activities (purchase of love locks, luminarias, Snowzilla slide, beer, etc) will be additional cost and some purchases will be cash only. EVENT HIGHLIGHTS Lock your Love with the largest love lock sculpture in the U.S., sitting at over 30 feet. Attendees can purchase and lock their own Sweetheart Festival lock, expressing their lo...

Parenting through poor report cards

January is the start of a new semester at school for most kids and therefore a good time to consider a new way to approach school performance and grades with your child. Many kids come to school struggling with anxiety about their grades. And unfortunately, as The Associated Press recently reported, reports of abuse increase when children get their report cards. At Denver’s Tennyson Center for Children, which helps abused and neglected children, we work with families in their homes and on campus to navigate these stressors and highlight a child’s positive progress in school so that they look forward to school and perform better. We see many children fall into a rejection cycle with grades that starts simply with a parent negatively responding to grades, which can lead to feelings of reject...

Loveland’s Valentine ReMailing Program: What you need to know!

Loveland is perhaps best known worldwide as the home of the “Valentine ReMailing Program.”  Every year, more than a hundred thousand Valentines are packaged inside larger envelopes and sent to Loveland, where volunteers hand-stamp them with a Valentine’s verse and send them on to the intended recipients. The Background Each year a contest is held by the Chamber of Commerce and promoted through through the local newspaper, the Reporter Herald, for residents to submit their designs and verses. A winning verse and design are chosen from all the competition entries and the two are combined to form the ‘Official Chamber of Commerce Loveland Valentine.’ Leading up to Valentine’s Day, the city authorizes the placement of red hearts with sponsored personal messages on light poles ...

Deals: Avalanche Family Night, Elitch Gardens & More

Do you frequent stores that believe in the same thing you do? Do you use Apps that have a similar outlook on the world? I can’t say that I think about it much (although I wish I did). But, I do love Ibotta, the app that helps you save money. They are hosting a party to celebrate saving their customers $500 million!   Ibotta Party. Ibotta is celebrating saving more than $500 millions in savings since the launch. To commemorate they will host an event at Union Station on Thursday, January 31 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. The party will include 500+ balloons each filled with money ($1-$100), cookies, swag, and a photo booth. If you can’t attend the party. There are in-app rewards, chance to be one of five $500 winers, or chances to win  by using #Ibotta500Giveaway on Twitter, Instagram or ...

Mountaineering Weekend at YMCA of the Rockies Brings Front Range Families Together for Fun, Educational Activities

YMCA of the Rockies will hold its 4th Annual Mountaineering Weekend from February 15-18, 2019. Whether it’s your first time out, or your family has camped in national parks many times, this special event has activities and excursions for every level. Located just 10-minutes outside of Estes Park, on 800+ acres bordering Rocky Mountain National Park, YMCA of the Rockies offers families an easy mountain getaway without the ski crowds of I-70. During Mountaineering Weekend, guests will enjoy family snowshoe hikes in the park, winter orienteering lessons, meet and learn about search and rescue dogs, family-friendly yoga classes, ice anchor demonstrations, and the chance to explore a snow cave. ​ Regular YMCA of the Rockies programs will be running throughout the weekend, providing a...

Mighty Mom Won Ultramarathon While Breastfeeding

Jasmin Paris won Britain’s most brutal running race this week — a 268-mile winter mountain ultramarathon — all while the breastfeeding mom was expressing milk along the route! And, not only did the 35-year old small animal vet beat the entire field, she set a new Montane Spine course record by 12 hours, completing the race in 83 hours and 12 minutes. During the race, which covers 43,000 feet of climbing, Jasmin had to carry all of the supplies she needed, and navigate using a map, compass, and headlamp to follow the route that runs along the rugged Pennine Way from Edale in Derbyshire to the Scottish Borders. Jasmin says that her baby daughter, Rowan, helped inspire her to keep going when times got tough. “I did something crazy and entered a race I had vowed I would...

Vaping declared an epidemic among youth: How to talk to your kids

Small kids, small problems. My husband and I regularly reminded ourselves of this during the exhausting baby and toddler years. “There’s nothing they can do right now to permanently mess up their lives,” Jamie would joke. News flash: The teen years are no joke.  Last month In December 2018, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued an advisory about the the dangers of electronic cigarette use among U.S. teenagers. “I am officially declaring e-cigarette use among youth an epidemic in the United States,” Adams said at a news conference. “Now is the time to take action. We need to protect our young people from all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.” The surgeon general’s advisory called on parents and teachers to educate themselves ab...

18 family-friendly events in Denver this week

It’s the final weekend of the National Western Stock Show. Also, don’t miss these fun events for teens, as well as the opening day of Once Upon a Playground. See our event calendar for additional information. National Western Stock Show & Rodeo at the National Western Complex Jan 12 – Jan 27 Bulls and broncs, cowboys and cowgirls – rodeo’s biggest superstars perform amazing feats of athleticism during each performance of this professional rodeo. Showcasing the elegance and athleticism of the world’s top reining horses, the hard-hitting competition of Denver Professional Bull Riders Chute-Out and the Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza, this event has something for everyone. Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns at the Pepsi Center Jan 25, 7:00 – 10:00 pm The Denver Nuggets face off agains...

Denver Public School teachers vote to strike

Denver Public Schools teachers voted to strike on Tuesday after a weeks-long stalemate with the district stemming mostly from a simmering disagreement about salary.  At least two-thirds of the members of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association had to approve of a strike. Rob Gould, the spokesperson for the DCTA, said 93 percent of teachers voted to strike. This is the first time Denver teachers are slated to walk off the job since 1994.  Krystyna Biassou, Janet Oravetz

36 outdoor ice rinks in Colorado

There’s no better way to celebrate the winter season than by soaking in the atmosphere at an outdoor ice rink in Colorado. Whether you’re with your family, friends, kids or alone on your lunch break, take a moment to visit an ice rink near you and become a kid again for a half hour or more. Here’s a map and list of some of the festive outdoor ice skating rinks in Colorado this year. Go to 9News for the full listings. -Alexander Kirk  

Deals: Denver Nuggets and Avalanche Family Nights, Stock Show & More

No matter if you like the outcome or not (or who’s getting to play) the Superbowl is coming on Sunday, February 3. There are some items that often go on sale this next week. If you didn’t get a new TV at Christmas now is the time to get them (several on sale at BestBuy, Target and Walmart), or score a deal on new furniture (Hello new Lazy Boy). You can also stock up on all the party treats – from chips & dips to sodas and beer.   National Western Stock Show. The annual cowboy, rancher and western lovin’ Colorado show is here only through this weekend. Tickets to events can be inexpensive for a full day of fun. ·         Groupon. Snag tickets to events like the rodeos for cheap ($12) plus, tickets include grounds admission. ·  ...

White Fence Farm to Auction off Historic Memorabilia

Do you want to preserve a piece of history? The historic White Fence Farm is auctioning items off after (tragically) closing its doors in December. On Friday Jan. 25, items collected for more than 40 years inside the restaurant will be auctioned off online. People will be able to see the items during inspection the day of and the day before the auction. “Antiques, gift shop items, candy store items,” said Whitney Carloss, Former General Manager. “All of the rocking chairs, the giant rooster on the roof. There have been a lot of people interested in the grandfather clock by our cashier area and the little Humpty Dumpty statue.” Click here to access the online auction and to look up inspection and auction times. -Connor Wist