The magic forgetful fairy in Waterton Lakes National Park

February 27, 2014 By

I think I’ve mentioned the amount of stress I’ve been under lately, which has been waking me up at 4:15 a.m. Since I’m not coherent at that hour, I’ve been doing non-essential things like airing out my blog’s draft folder. Here’s a funny post I wrote a few summers ago but never published it.

(For background, you will need to first reread this post whereupon Bode, after a day of camping with The Boys, declared he liked musicals better than camping.)

Setting: Several months later, camping in Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada a.k.a. my favorite place on earth in July 2011.  We cruised the bike paths adjacent to Waterton Lake on Surrey bikes, hiked Bear’s Hump with awe-inspiring views that peered into the United States , played in in the water at glorious Red Rock Canyon,  snuggled up to the ranger’s campfire chats in the evenings and camped a stone’s throw away from Cameron Falls.

I’m aching to go back.

Princes of Wales Hotel

Hiking Bear’s Hump

Riding Surrey Bikes

Navigating Red Rock Canyon in Waterton

Boys will be boys at Welch’s Chocolate Shop

Prince of Wales Hotel

During the midst of our outdoor utopia, Jamie turned to Bode.

Jamie: “Bode, do you like camping or musicals better?”

Bode: “What are musicals, Daddy?”

Jamie: “That’s my boy.”

Filed Under: Bode, Canada, Family travel, Humor, Jamie Tagged With: ,

The win-lose game of motherhood

February 25, 2014 By

Costco funny: “Johnsonville Brats”

My kids are making me drip with sentimentality these days.

Too often it’s easy to poke fun of all the drama of parenthood but my gosh, our latest phase (and that’s what it is–a phase) is full of kindness, funniness, obedience and hard work. I couldn’t love them anymore and I’m so honored to be their mom.

On Saturday, I marveled at how good they’re being lately.

“I have to give a shout-out to Hadley and Bode! We’ve had a busy day and you have been wonderful. Hadley did her chores without being asked, there was no complaining during homework and you both did a great job at volleyball and basketball. I have to commend you on your wonderful attitude lately.”

They beamed as Jamie chimed in: “Yeah, but mine sucks.”

You win some, you lose some.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, Humor, Jamie

Happy belated birthday to me!!!

February 24, 2014 By

My namesake book, as discovered at the thrift store

I’ve had some birthdays that are downright amazing and others that were only so-so.

But there was none worse than my fete five years ago and the little outbreak that occurred.

Head over to Mile High Mamas for a stroll down memory lane.

Hint: LICE.

Filed Under: birthday, Humor

The High-Five Squad Meets Superstar Denver Nuggets

February 20, 2014 By

High-five Squad at the Denver Nuggets game

The kids are both involved in YMCA sports this winter. Bode is playing “Junior Nuggets” basketball and Hadley is in volleyball. Hadley is developing a real love for the sport and I enrolled Bode so he could stay active and be on his friend Sean’s team.

He has the least amount of experience of any of his teammates but here’s the thing about Bode: what he may be lacking in natural skill he makes up for it by his sheer determination to succeed. For his first few games, he hung back taking it all in. But his latest game on Saturday the little dude caught fire–going for rebounds, dribbling the ball up the court and he even scored two baskets which, in 7-year-old basketball, is equal to about 70 points.

He also traveled with the ball about 20 times but we won’t count that.

Occasionally there are a few perks to aligning yourself with the YMCA and last week we cashed in on one of them. Every player in the program was offered two free tickets to a Denver Nuggets game and extra tickets were just $15 so we figured we’d take the kids to their first basketball game for FHE.

Then, it just kept getting better when I received an email from a Nuggets sales coordinator. They’d had a cancellation and they needed 25 kids on the same night we had our tickets to be part of the High Five Squad to welcome the Nuggets onto the court. I, of course, jumped at the chance!

We arrived 40 minutes early, retrieved our free T-shirts and while the parents waited on a nearby platform, the kids were escorted down to the floor where they proceeded to form a tunnel and high-five the Nuggets players as they were cheered onto the court. Both of the kids were near the end of the tunnel and stationed right in front of the camera so their cute faces splashed across the Jumbo-tron a few times.

Of course, I was too slow to capture that because those tall Nuggets kept blocking my view.

As it turns out, the Jumbo-tron is for amateurs. Jamie recorded the game and when we watched it later, we laughed to see that the kids were repeatedly on live TV.

Hadley is to the left of the announcer in white pants and Bode is to the left of her.

We had a  blast in our nosebleed seats as we watched the Nuggets defeat the Los Angeles Clippers. In fact, Hadley was so inspired she announced she now has a new career aspiration. Thankfully, it wasn’t a cheerleader (sigh of relief) but she was impressed with the two sales gals who helped plan the half-time shows and High Five Squad.

“I’d like to work for a sports team!” she said. “It would be a lot of fun. Plus, I like telling people what to do.”

I’ll vouch for that one. Look out, world.

 

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Hadley, Humor Tagged With: ,

Woodward Revealed: Why I’ve Still Got It

February 19, 2014 By

I live a pretty adventurous life. Last week I went to Costco and tried the spicy jalapeno dip. On another day, I blazed pass those annoying lingering parents in the carpool lane despite the threat of death.

Let’s just say the introductory class at the newly renovated 19,400-square foot indoor playground Woodward at Copper Barn at Copper Mountain, Colo. took me to the next level.

If you’ve never been to “The Barn,” it is a sight to behold. Offering year-round Snowboard, Ski, Skateboard, Bike and Digital Media programs, it recently underwent a half-million renovation project that opened up their adventure alley beyond snowboards and skis to include skateboards, BMX and style-style mountain bike. There’s a new beginner foam pit with 2-foot and 4-foot jumps and a pump track designed for the development of park skills.

The staffer I chatted up before our class proudly said many of the Olympians and hopefuls at Sochi had, at one time or another, trained at The Barn. My daughter Hadley and I were in esteemed company.

I was Maui-bound soon. My initial goal walking in there was to play it safe and not break my neck. But when my Hadley and I realized our class consisted of hip 20-somethings?

CLICK TO KEEP READING ABOUT OUR EXTREME PLAYGROUND AND IF I BROKE MY NECK.

Filed Under: Family travel, Hadley, Humor

Bode Miller: How Paintballs Would Have Given Him the Gold

February 18, 2014 By

I was about six months pregnant with Bode when we decided upon his name. We were watching much-hyped Bode Miller bomb out at the Torino Games in 2006. He was a rebel, a loose cannon but something clicked with Jamie.

“What do you think of the name Bode?”

It immediately clicked for me, too.

Over the years we’ve followed Bode Miller’s career with great interest. I’ve never viewed him as much of a role model but his success is indisputable as an Olympic and World Championship gold medalist, a two-time overall World Cup champion in 2005 and 2008 and the most successful male American alpine ski racer of all time. Those are some pretty impressive accolades.

He has become more humble and mellow over the years, undoubtedly due in part to the recent death of his brother, custody battles and knee surgery. But we’ve been really gunning for him during the 2014 Sochi Games. I mean, the dude is 36–practically over-the-hill in ski racing!

His results in Sochi have been disappointing but on Sunday night, we were thrilled when he tied for bronze in the Super G, the oldest American to win a medal in Alpine Skiing.

As Bode was celebrating, he upped the ante.

“Do you know what would make the Super-G even harder? If they shot paint balls at you.”

Tough crowd. But nonetheless impressive.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Bode, Humor

Happy Anniversary to My Love

February 15, 2014 By

I thought I couldn’t be any happier on this day back in 2003.

Eleven years later, I was wrong.

I’m so grateful to be a member of the Dream Team and married to the captain. Happy Anniversary to a kind, patient, hilarious, romantic and wonderful man.

Filed Under: Jamie

I think I can I think I can I think I can

February 12, 2014 By

Life has been busy. I mean, really busy. For months I’ve felt at a crossroads and unsure what to do with my abundance of time so I hiked and played a lot. I’m glad I did because work projects are now in overdrive.

With Jamie’s help, I relaunched Mile High Mamas and our newsletter (I think they look beautiful!), have been slammed with advertising queries, writing campaign proposals, planning events and I just learned that Snowmamas is finally kicking off, which will exponentially increase my workload.

Oh, and on my busiest week maybe ever when I have been emotionally and financially stressed to the max, my computer D-I-E-D. That was an hour after we realized our back-up drive was full so who knows how many files have been lost.

So please be patient if posting here is sporadic the next couple of months as I get everything up-and-running. I desperately need to hire someone but in order to hire someone I need to be making money and that is what all these proposals and campaigns are all about. I’m not complaining and am so grateful people see the value in what I’ve been trying to build for years. I’m  just overwhelmed and waaaay out of my comfort zone because I’ve focused on editorial and social media for years and not marketing/advertising.

You want quotes on guaranteed impressions, CPMs, ROS, Content Integration and Pre-Roll? Well I need you to tell me what the crap all this means?

Thank heaven for Jamie because he’s been doing this stuff for years and has been walking me through my valley of death. At one point (after waking up from anxiety at 4:15 a.m. for the second week in a row), I asked him “Is this what it’s like to be you: all work and no play?”  “Yup,” he stoically replied.

He added “I think it’s my turn to take a “Princess Year.”

Believe me, my wonderful over-worked and infinitely patient husband has earned it.

Filed Under: Jamie

A sucky (yet good) early birthday present from the dentist

February 6, 2014 By

My teeth are a disaster. This, from the girl who didn’t have any cavities all growing up and who brushes and flosses daily. I started having problems on my mission in Switzerland but my downhill spiral began after my pukey pregnancies. A couple of years after Bode was born, I spent thousands of dollars fixing up my mouth–root canals, crowns, you name it.

I haven’t been back since. This is in part because 1) I hate the dentist 2) We’re self-employed and it’s generally cheaper to pay out of pocket than the ridiculous dental insurance premiums and 3) I haven’t wanted to spend any more money on my mouth, especially since we finally paid off our garganuan medical bills.

The kids and I went for a check-up last summer and they had a perfect bill of health. Me, on the other hand? Over $3,000 in work. And so I did what any rational, cheap, dentist-hating person would do: I didn’t go back.

However, the right side of my mouth constantly aches, particularly after I eat sweets like gummy bears. And because no person should have to live a life without gummy bears I went back for Phase 1 of my treatment plan on Monday.

Note: dentists and Mondays go together like fish and water.

One of my pet peeves of dentists is they carry on a conversation as if you can somehow answer back. Mine particularly liked pointing out all my mouth’s shortcomings, observing, “We’ll have to have a conversation later about all this decay and why it’s happening when you’re so young.”  Sure, Dude. Can’t wait for that one.

He didn’t keep me in suspense for long. After fitting me for a crown (nope, not the royal kind), he asked me my age. “I’m 41,” I replied.

“Really? I thought you were 10 years younger!” and he didn’t pursue the “you’re too young to have rotting teeth lecture.”

My takeaway was two-fold. 1) He thought I was in my early-30s (hurray!) and 2) apparently my level of decay is perfectly acceptable for an over-the-hill 40-year-old.

Either way, I’ll take it.

 

Filed Under: Health, Humor

Vicariously Reliving My Former Days of Olympic Glory

February 4, 2014 By

Hanging with Bonnie Blair at the USA House

Four years ago after a whirlwind contest and painstaking selection process, I was honored to be the the Grand Prize Winner of Microsoft Office’s Winter Games Contest and was their accredited blogger at the 2010 Vancouver Games. As an avid winter sports enthusiast, this was a dream come true! For a stroll down memory lane, be sure to read all my behind-the-scenes adventures including how The Today Show’s Matt Lauer stole my moment in the spotlight, what it was like to hang out with Bonnie Blair (the most decorated woman in winter Olympic history) as Apolo Ohno broke her longstanding Olympic record and how I put my foot in my mouth when meeting”The Great One” Wayne Gretzky.

Vancouver was my third Winter Olympic Games. I grew up in Calgary and was thrilled to attend several events at the 1988 Winter Olympics and several years later I lived in Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Olympics. If you’ve never been to the Olympics, I’m here to tell you there is nothing like it and the host country is on fire as it showcases the world’s best competitors.

Do I wish I was going to Sochi, Russia? You betcha and I’ll be glued to the television Feb. 6-23, 2014. During that time, we’ll hear a lot of athlete profiles but what about the mom behind these success stories?  What does it really take to get to Sochi? There are a lot of difficult questions for the families, particularly since most athletes do not make the Olympic team until a month prior. As a mom, how do you plan and what kind of a financial investment is it to see your child fulfill their dream at the Olympics?

So I asked my friend Allison Scott from Colorado Springs, the mom of four-time U.S. Figure Skating Champion Jeremy Abbott.

Q: What does it really take to get to Sochi?

For the families, that’s a difficult question. Let’s break this down. Flights: Back in August, “on the cheap” flights through Kayak were about $1,700 US each round trip with two stops taking a  total of 24 hours.

Hotels (because that’s your only choice) for 10 days: You can’t even GET a price….

Click here to read my fascinating interview with Allison. What do parents of Olympians do about buying plane tickets and hotels when they won’t know if their child has made the Olympic team until only a  month prior? How much is it costing her to go to Russia? These questions and more are answered!

 

Filed Under: Olympics
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