Amber | Life Elevated Mom

A Picasso in the Making

May 25, 2011 by Amber

This birthday week is all about Hadley (but if we want to be truly honest about it, our family’s lives pretty much revolve around our little spitfire most of the time.) Between field day today, birthday tomorrow, her birthday party on Thursday and a class field trip to the zoo on Friday, I told her it’s all downhill from here.

Gotta prep her for the fact that in a few years, her birthday will fall during final exams.

I’ve mentioned what a great artist she is. If I had one iota of time and motivation, I’d scan in some artistic renderings she’s done this year–truly impressive. When we were at our city’s library last winter we stumbled upon a painting she did of an abstract owl.

She was thrilled to be on display.

But on Sunday, she obtained a new level at stake conference (a two-hour, semi-annual meeting with all the church members in our area.) Normally I look forward to it but with Jamie out of town in Florida, I dreaded entertaining both kids by myself.

Fortunately, the kids were perfectly well-behaved and drew pictures the entire time. At the very end, I caught a glimpse of Hadley’s latest creation: A beautiful, intrinsically detailed temple in the background…with a big, fat cat taking up most of the foreground.

Because Fat Kitties are nothing if not celestial beings.

Unbeknownst to me, the couple behind us had been watching her progress. When the meeting was over, they begged me to scan in the funny picture so they could hang it on their fridge.

“I’ll do better than that,” I said as I ripped it out of the notebook and handed it to them.

We are not lacking in fat cat pictures at our house. (UNDERSTATEMENT.)

Shocked, Hadley watched the exchange but truly did not come to life until they turned and asked her, “Can you autograph this picture for us?”

I predict a life of incorrigibility after this one.

Filed Under: Hadley, Humor

The Makings of a Fat Kitty Birthday Party

May 23, 2011 by Amber

Hadley’s 7th birthday is on Wednesday. You know those moms who go over-the-top by over-planning their social event of the season everyone will rave about for years to come?

That is not me.

Don’t get me wrong: I love parties and between doing it personally and professionally for many years, I do a pretty good job. It’s just when it comes to children’s birthday parties, less is more.

A few years ago, a dear friend hired a professional party planner for her daughter’s birthday. The company did a marvelous job but guess what: the kids were 3 years old and could not have cared less. In the end–though I think most of us have good intentions–it’s our own needs that often get in the way of how the kids really want to celebrate.

Every year, I let my kids plan their theme around what they love best. For Hadley, it is her beloved Fat Kitty. For months, she has been formulating her games that will include a meowing contest, clean the kitty litter box (blindfolded with cotton balls & Tootsie roll poop) and musical chairs cat beds with the fun twist that the winner will actually be the first person out.

Fat Kitty ain’t exactly fast.

Most people would be thrilled to have a party in their honor but not him. Hadley declared he needed to be featured on her invitation and so we staged a photo shoot with various locations and costume changes.

Disclaimer: No animals were harmed in the making of this birthday card.

The same cannot be said for soon-to-be 7-year-old girls.

Maybe I should look into hiring a professional after all.

Filed Under: birthday, Hadley, Humor Tagged With: Fat Kitty

Race to the finish line

May 20, 2011 by Amber

School is winding down and work is ramping up.

Never a good combination.

Bear with me the next couple of weeks as I juggle Jamie’s trip to Florida, Haddie’s birthday festivities, two field days, work meetings and my own travels back East.

Will balls get dropped?
You betcha.

P.S. Special thanks to my friend Stacey for sending this to me today. Talk about inspired. 🙂

Filed Under: Family, Humor

Why you don’t want to be in our family

May 19, 2011 by Amber

You may have seen those feel-good commercials produced by the Mormon church about the importance of family. We firmly believe family is central to God’s Plan of Happiness and I personally think the reason why we’ve seeing such a moral decay in society is the disintegration of the strong values instilled within the family unit. Families should be there to provide structure, support, balance and love in their children’s lives.

But there is another important role of the family that is seldom vocalized:

They should be there to help with you with all the crummy stuff like assisting with moves, painting and every other undesirable job that should never befall friends.

I think we should totally dedicate a commercial unto that.

As I previously mentioned, Jamie’s brother Chris moved back to Colorado last week. On Saturday after Bode’s soccer game we went to brunch and then Chris needed help unloading his moving truck. Jamie interjected he’d be happy to help but he needed to (what else?) work on The Great Pumpkin before it started raining.

By the time we finally arrived to help unload the truck, this is what we found.

‘Bout time that pumpkin came in handy. Welcome to the family, Great One.

Filed Under: Humor, Jamie, pumpkins

Bode’s home stretch

May 18, 2011 by Amber

With only two weeks left of school, Bode and I are enjoying our final afternoons together. While his sister slaves away in first grade, he and I have been biking to the skate park or have gone on fun adventures to check-out fossils at Dinosaur Ridge.

Yep, those are real dinosaur tracks behind Bode. Both of my kids are dinosaur-obsessed and marvel at being able to live so close to the shores of the Cretaceous Interior Seaway.

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Soccer season wrapped for the season on Saturday. Bode is a great little player and scored yet another goal. The highlight was when Uncle Chris made a surprise showing (he moved to Colorado from Utah this week).

OK, so maybe getting a trophy was pretty darn cool, too.

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Of course as avid fans of the Amazing Race, we had a viewing party for the finale (I’m still waiting for CBS to STOP THE CANUCK DISCRIMINATION so I can participate). By far, our favorite moments were when Zev and Justin (two very hairy dudes) had to get waxed for one of the challenges.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuJA5nihGkI]

OK, so maybe it was just Haddie’s (and my) favorite moment. She rewound it over and over again while cackling evilly. Poor Bode, on the other hand?

He despaired deeply for his fellow dudes.

One of the fun things about Twitter is it’s possible to connect with all kinds of people and the Amazing Race‘s Justin is on it (@justin_kanew). I tweeted that picture of poor Bode and was thrilled when Justin not only retweeted it but said how much he likes both Haddie (the evil cackler) and sympathetic Bode.

Justin doesn’t know it but he’s my “in” for getting on Amazing Race 19.

Filed Under: Colorado

The Pumpkin Man: Back in Business

May 17, 2011 by Amber

I haven’t posted many one-liners from The Pumpkin Man, primarily because we’ve been so entrenched in work that we haven’t had much time to play. (Here’s a recent example).

Friday night was our exception. It was a glorious evening with idyllic temperatures so we decided to ride down to the neighborhood playground and skate park. Because we live perched atop a big hill, the ride back up usually takes a while for the kids. There is a bench at the half-way point that is where we rest. This time as we settled back enjoying the view, I commented,

“This is what I want after I die, Children. A bench inscribed with my name overlooking a lovely place that people can enjoy.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Jamie offered. “How about I just spray-paint your name on this one.”

I hereby vow to haunt him beyond the grave.

When we were at the playground, the kids tore around with some neighborhood boys. One of them is graduating from kindergarten and is a full head taller than Bode. While Hadley inherited the Johnson genes (tall and slender), poor Bode takes after my side of the family (all runts of the litter.)

“Look at how much taller that kid is than Bode,” I observed.

There was a long pause before The Lord of the Gourds finally delivered the ultimate blow:

“If you were a pumpkin, I would not grow your seed.”

Filed Under: Humor, Jamie, pumpkins

Staying in Colorado this summer? Don’t miss my top 10 choices for family travel!

May 16, 2011 by Amber

Staying in Colorado? Don’t miss our top 10 choices for family travel!

Summer is just around the corner and you don’t need to look far to have a world-class vacation with your family. From a new zip line tour to free events galore, we have the inside scoop on All Things Colorado.

Aspen/Snowmass

It may be summertime but Snowmass has returned to the Ice Age with the new Snowmass Ice Age Discovery Center that features the most significant Ice Age ecosystem find in Colorado history (and it’s free). Visit the Snowmass Rodeo on Wednesday nights and sign up your kids for the Calf Scramble. Hike or take bikes up the Snowmass Mountain chairlift or if you really want to try something new, learn how to Stand Up Paddle at the Aspen Kayak Academy. Get inspired at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, a stellar place for kids of all ages to take workshops that include sculpture, photography, painting, beading, and mask-making.

Breckenridge

The big news in Breckenridge this summer is the new Gold Runner Coaster located at the base of Peak 8. A 2,500 foot elevated track loops through the forest giving you the best views at super speed. Each car can accommodate 1-2 people and single rides start at $7 for children age 3-7 to $24 for an unlimited day pass for children. Other Breckenridge fan favorites include fishing or biking the trail along the Blue River, a scenic drive over Boreas Pass road, accessing 1,000 miles of mountain biking across Summit County or hiking Breckenridge’s countless miles of trails or climbing a nearby “14er.” Photo: Carl Scofield

Crested Butte

Hands down, Crested Butte is my favorite summer destination in Colorado. In addition to world-famous mountain biking and hiking (the views from Snodgrass Mountain are second-to-none), don’t miss the Crested Butte Music Festival in July (with free Saturday kid concerts) and the Wildflower Festival (July 11-17) where you’ll swear you climbed onto a Monet canvas of mad, extravagant colors. Crested Butted Mountain Resort’s Zip Line Tour debuts in June 2011 and includes five zip lines and a series of features such as an “Indiana Jones Bridge,” a “Burma Bridge” and a net climb. This is the only guided zip line tour at a Colorado ski resort and will operate during the winter and summer months. Weight requirements are 70 to 250 pounds.

Colorado Springs

We love Colorado Springs staples like the Garden of the Gods Park, The Pikes Peak Cog Railway and Manitou Cliff Dwellings. A fun (and thrilling) new addition is the Cave of the Winds’ new Wind Walker Challenge Ropes Course that is located on the rim of a 600-foot drop into Williams Canyon. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of the top-ranked zoos in the country and just welcomed their first ever red river hoglets. If you need further motivation to head south, Colorado Springs has launched Tank Full of Summer Savings, offering reduced prices on anything from a steak dinner to lodging to an authentic dude ranch experience.

Durango

Durango Mountain Resort is another resort hopping on the very welcome zipline bandwagon and they are debuting the “Purgatory Plunge,” which soars for 420 feet at speeds of up to 35 mph. Cost is $25/person and can be purchased à la carte or at a discount when combined with the summer Total Adventure Ticket. This includes killer activities like the Alpine Slide, scenic chairlift, mountain bike uplift, miniature golf, climbing wall, bungee trampoline and mechanical bull. Durango Mountain Resort also features horseback riding, a Fridbee Disc Golf Course, naturalist tours or gold panning in the Plaza with the Durango Mining Company. Packages start at $97 per person and includes four nights lodging for the price of three, plus four Total Adventure Tickets.

Estes Park

Most Coloradoans know about hiking and camping in glorious Rocky Mountain National Park, biking around Lake Estes, checking out the darling shops on Elkhorn Avenue and tearing around the go-cart tracks. But most don’t know about the Rocky Mountain Nature Association, which offers a variety of half-day courses for kids and grown-ups alike such as geo-caching, animal tracking, stargazing and art sketching as a travel souvenir. Classes are four hours and many only cost between $10 and $15 for children. Festivals abound in Estes Park during the summer–the Fishing Derby (June 4) and Wool Market (June 11-12) are fun for kids and parents.

Glenwood Springs
Take the world’s largest outdoor mineral hot springs pool (Glenwood Hot Springs), add an adventure park built on top of a mountain (Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park), sprinkle in the Roaring Fork Valley’s crimson rocks and emerald forests and you have a memorable family vacation just a few hours from Denver. Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park launched a bungee jumping station this spring–the first in Colorado–as well as a zipline. The attraction joins the newly-opened giant canyon swing, which launches riders 1,300 feet above the Colorado River. The faint-of-heart need not apply.

Grand Junction

There is no lack of entertainment on the Western Slope! If you have dinosaur lovers, get up close and personal at the Museum of Western Colorado’s Dinosaur Journey with dinosaur skeletons or take a single-day or multi-day dinosaur expedition. Bike a portion of the relatively flat 18-mile Colorado Riverfront Trail that winds through picnic grounds, botanical garden, protected wetlands and fishing pier. The area is the heart of Colorado’s agricultural region and fruit stands and orchard tours are in abundance (don’t miss the mouth-watering 44th Annual Palisade Peach Festival Aug. 18-21). For indoor fun, the Bananas Fun Park offers a miniature golf course, arcade, go carts, laser tag and bumper boats, an indoor playland and more.

Keystone

It’s all about the kids with Keystone’s Kidtopia Kids Fest June 25, July 16, 30 and Aug 13. Enjoy gold panning, petting zoo, train rides, caricatures, face painter, balloon artist, midway games, spin art, kids’ show, bounce houses and much, much more! Keystone Kidtopia Music Festival is June 25 & 26, 2011 and features family-friendly live music, an international marketplace and tasty food. Deal: Stay in Keystone for three nights and get the fourth night free at all Keystone lodging operations.

Vail

Just when you thought it wasn’t possible to do Vail on the cheap, think again. Vail Valley is full of free events that are perfect for families in the summertime. Don’t miss the gondola rides for kids, Hot Summer Nights Tuesday Concert Series, guided nature hikes of Vail Mountain, volleyball, bocce and horseshoes at Adventure Ridge, kayak demos and more. Head over to Beaver Creek for the Chef Demonstration series in June, July, August and September in the Bon Appétit tent where you can sample some of the finest local culinary delights…all for free!

What are your favorite Colorado destinations in the summer?

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Some other ideas for fun in Colorado:

The trek with teens

How to hike 14ers

The spiritual sojourn

The low-key car camp

The cultural connection

The fly-fishing jaunt

The western wind-down

The budget birders getaway

The bon vino voyage

The all-in bike outing

The pampering pilgrimage

The way-cool whitewater odyssey for families

Filed Under: biking, Colorado, Family travel, hiking, outdoors

I’m Not the Only One With a Brilliant Sense of Humor

May 13, 2011 by Amber

As I’ve already established on this blog, I’ve been sick a lot lately and my absence has not gone unrecognized at church. A couple of weeks ago, I was getting some reimbursement slips from our clerk’s office when I had a rather enlightening conversation with two of our ward members, Brother Allred and Brother Conley.

Side note: Just writing that we often refer to each other (particularly the older generation) as “brother” and “sister” sounds a bit strange but I assure you it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Especially considering other names people could call you.

Our conversation:

Brother Allred: “So, Sister Johnson. Are you feeling better?”

Me: “Finally. It’s been a rough few months. I have a really low white-blood cell count, which I suspect is the reason why I keep getting sick.”

Brother Conley (who was listening in): “Low white blood cell count? Did you know that Brother Allred doesn’t have any white blood cells?”

Brother Allred: “You’re correct. Mine are ‘all-red.'”

Just one more reason why I’m glad to be back at church.

Filed Under: Humor, LDS

Happy Belated Mother’s Day!

May 11, 2011 by Amber

I had one of my best Mother’s Days on record. It started with breakfast-in-bed, thanks to Jamie and Hadley.

Though I could have done without the wake-up call to receive it (guilty parties, take note). Fortunately, they ended much better with grlled rib-eye steaks for dinner.

I was showered with gifts that included a handmade mug and card from Hadley, a personalized card and photo from Bode and a much-needed Sierra Designs windbreaker from The Honey.

At church, moms were revered, honored, and perhaps most importantly fed pie. I say “most importantly” because a couple of years ago, they attempted to yank this long-standing tradition by instead giving us a nice flower.

It did not go over well.

We’re a “let them eat ~~cake~~ pie” kinda ward.

Following church, I wanted to spend time with my family in a meaningful way so suggested we go for a walk around Evergreen Lake’s 1.3-mile loop. Just a 20-minute drive from our house, this mountain hamlet has long been a favorite skating destination in the winter. We spotted mallards, Canadian geese, Double-crested Cormorant and crawdads.
We threw rocks, marveled at the dam and resolved to return this summer to go paddle-boating.

Possibly my favorite Mother’s Day ever?

I’m so grateful for my mom, mother-in-law and all my friends who are such tremendous examples of how to be a great mom. I’m indebted to my kids for making me one in the first place and for showering with me with affection and recognition.

Now, I just need to figure out how to convince them every day is Mother’s Day.

Filed Under: Colorado, Humor

Fighting Child Hunger in Your Community

May 11, 2011 by Amber

There are many things I loved about my 18-month mission to France and Switzerland but rendering service at the various food banks was one of my favorites. For the entire week surrounding Christmas when I lived in Bienne, Switzerland, we did nothing but service projects that included helping serve dinner on Christmas Eve to homeless people at a shelter.

It was the best Christmas I have ever had.

When I was in Chalon-sur-Saone, France, we volunteered once a week at the local food pantry where I came alive as we entertained and brought a glimpse of joy to its patrons. My missionary companion and I were even interviewed by the local newspaper.

Just don’t ask me what I said. I didn’t understand the complicated words en francais they quoted me as saying.

I guess you could say helping the hungry and homeless is a passion, but one that has been lost since I had children. A few years ago, I volunteered to serve Thanksgiving dinner at the Denver Rescue mission with my kids but they were too young. Same goes for the Food Bank of the Rockies–I learned last week during a tour sponsored by ConAgra Foods that kids need to be 14 years and older.

But I also discovered my kiddos don’t have to wait that long to help. Forty-two percent of those served by the Food Bank of the Rockies are children under 18 years old and this statistic hit Haddie hard.

Ways for Kids to Get Involved:

– Hold a Food Drive in your area.

– Check out this Kung Food Fighters Activity Book.

– Donate a week’s worth of allowance!

– Kids in the Kitchen; Help your parents prepare a meal.

– Have a conversation with your parents about Hunger in Colorado.

– Learn about our Programs for Kids through the Food Bank of the Rockies.

You also have until the end of May to help fight child hunger with ConAgra Foods. When you purchase one of their brands (Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Healthy Choice, Fresh Mixers, Kid Cuisine, Marie Callender’s and Peter Pan), enter the eight-digit purchase code at www.childhungerendshere.com and they will donate one meal to Feeding America–up to 2.5 million meals.

Or make a financial contribution by texting “FEEDKIDS” to 50555 to make a $10 donation directly to Feeding America through June 30, 2011. Feeding America is currently on the ground helping communities impacted by the tornadoes in the South by helping with food, water and household necessities.

To find a food bank in your area, go to Feeding America’s Web site.

Disclaimer: I am participating in a campaign to help end child hunger through ConAgra Foods. All recommendations are my own.

Filed Under: Uncategorized