Utah Mom Blog & Mommy Blogger | Life Elevated Mom

The Dos (and mostly don’ts) of letterboxing

August 9, 2010 by Amber

I have always been intrigued by treasure hunts. The prospect of discovering something valuable and cosseted is exciting to me. From the moment I first watched The Amazing Race, I was hooked. Following clues and traveling the world would be a dream come true.

Getting lost in umpteen countries is not.

My kids and I recently watched a movie that got me excited about doing my own treasure hunt. One option was geocaching but it does not hold much allure for me.

This can be attributed to the fact that I cannot operate a GPS.

I had heard about letterboxing so figured it would be the next best thing. Not familiar with the concept?

Letterboxing is an activity that combines the elements of puzzle solving and orienteering. Letterboxers hide notebooks and a stamp in waterproof boxes in publicly accessible places and post clues to finding the boxes on Web sites such as letterboxing.org or atlasquest.com.

Once the box is found, letterboxers stamp the notebook with their personal stamp and also record it in their own log.

Anyone can hide a box, post clues or just do their own sleuthing. I thought it was a great way for families to discover their own backyard because pretty much anyone can interpret the clues.

Unless that someone is me.

I did my research. I chose my trail name (letterboxing identity), bought a personalized rubber to imprint the log book and also my own sketch book so I could keep track of the many imprints I was going to collect during my lifelong letterboxing career.

Then we attempted to find our first clue.

And yes, I did say “attempted.”

I had talked up the process enough that my kids were psyched and my husband Jamie was cautiously optimistic.

He is, after all, married to me and is well-versed in catastrophic situations.

I searched online and found a fun clue about a kitty’s journey through my city to land at one of our favorite parks. We followed his trail and tracked down the exact tree where the letterbox was allegedly hidden.

It was nowhere to be found.

After an exhaustive 10-minute search, we finally gave up. Disheartened, we slunked away. It was our first – and final attempt – at letterboxing

It was quite possibly my most short-lived career yet.

Filed Under: Humor

A Day in the Life

August 7, 2010 by Amber

Candy-cane-colored water tower walking, rainbow marveling and cloud watching.

Ice cream eating, craft making and water fighting.

Just an average magical day at Grandma’s in Utah.

Filed Under: Bode, Family, Hadley

Pi*mp My Ride

August 6, 2010 by Amber

The good news:

The kids and I are road tripping to Utah in this glorious Lincoln MKT.

The bad news:

I have to give it back next week.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

How Puerto Rico’s Final Moments of Magic Literally Took Flight

August 5, 2010 by Amber

Old San Juan was one of the many highlights of our Puerto Rican vacation.

And that is saying a lot for a non-shopper like me.

Following an over-indulgent Puerto Rican lunch at Raices restaurant, Hadley and I explored the quaint shops located on narrow cobblestone streets as we eavesdropped on a medley of foreign tongues. The area’s flat-roofed brick and stone buildings date back to the 16th and 17th century when Puerto Rico was a Spanish possession.

Old forts still stand sentry over the city but none is more impressive than Fort San Felipe del Morro. Perched on a bluff overlooking the ocean, “El Morro” is touted as the oldest Spanish fort in the new world and was built in 1539 to control entry to the harbor and protect San Juan from attacks. The charge is $3 per adult over 16.

Even though six-year-old Hadley was not interested in the details of this National Historic Site, she was enraptured by the 360-degree views on the top floor that encapsulated San Juan. A wide swath of ocean-blue spanned so far that you’d swear you could see the curvature of the earth.

Those were my words.

Hers: “Wow!”

A popular family activity is kite flying on El Morro’s vast lawn. A kaleidoscope of kites danced to the wind as children laughed, tugged and raced against a backdrop so surreal you’d swear you had been dropped in a postcard.

Despite our best efforts (that even included recruiting a few locals), our kite would not take flight for more than 10 seconds.

This is not surprising to anyone who has read my past exposés on kite-flying.

Undaunted, all the moms and children cooled down with Piraguas (ices).

As we reluctantly packed up our belongings later that evening, Hadley stood on our wind-whipped balcony. At that raw hour, it was tough to distinguish ocean from sky. The reflection from the Marriott’s white lights pierced the ocean’s black. Our perch almost seemed to shake but then I realized it was just the air vibrating.

An idea took flight.

I grabbed our grounded kite and hurled it into the void. It dropped out of sight and then, almost as if it was mustering up courage, it swooped higher and higher.

Hadley squealed with delight as I marveled at the kite that had finally taken flight to sketch our good-byes in the sky.

Better [very] late than never.

==================

Just tuning in? Be sure to read 1) Almost Reaching Perfection at the San Juan Marriott Resort, 2) Puerto Rico: Food, Moms and Fun (Did I Mention Food?) and 3) Pool, Beach and Food: Three Essentials to Any Tropical Vacation. I participated in a trip sponsored by the San Juan Marriott. The views expressed are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Family travel, Hadley, Humor, travel Tagged With: Puerto Rico

Pool, Beach and Food: The Three Essentials to Any Tropical Vacation

August 4, 2010 by Amber

We interrupt The Great Pumpkin updates and my foray into national television to return to our regularly-scheduled posts on my mother-daughter trip to Puerto Rico with Hadley. Tuning in late to the party? Read Almost Reaching Perfection at the San Juan Marriott followed by Puerto Rico: Food, Moms & Fun (did I mention the food?)

The beach, pool and local fare are the focal points of any tropical vacation and the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino does not disappoint. We checked into the hotel at night in a downpour. When my daughter Hadley woke up the next morning, she was ecstatic to discover our hotel room overlooked Condado Beach.

“I thought it was just a big, open field last night!” She squealed.

“We’re not in Kansas anymore, my dear! “I proudly retorted.

Never mind that we never actually were.

The Pool

Our itinerary allotted two blocks of time to explore the beach and pool. On the first day, San Juan was wrapped in a seamless blanket of moisture. On the second day, it was hot and humid.

This woosy Canuck will take the rain any day.

I was admittedly a bit worried to go to the pool first. A few years ago, my family went to Mexico and my kids never wanted to venture out to the beach because of the pool. Sure enough, Hadley immediately fell in love with the Marriott’s waterslide in the Main Pool and the fountains in the Kids Pool (with water depths ranging from 1 1/4-3′).

I fell in love with the Pina Colada Smoothies at the swim-up bar.

We all have our priorities.

I struck up a conversation with a mom who grew up in Puerto Rico and now lives in Florida. She brings her kids back every summer but always stays at the Marriott even before going to see their grandparents because the kids love the pool and activities.

You know it’s good when Grandma plays second-fiddle.

The activities to which she referred are housed in the towel hut by the pool. Guests can check out fun games that include a Giant Connect Four, Frisbee, Giant Tick Tack Toe, Giant Dominoes, Bowling for Kids, Beach Volleyball and numerous board games.

There is also a different activity schedule posted poolside each day for adults and kids that include Arts and Crafts on Saturday & Sundays, Cookie decorating, Bingo, Yoga lessons, Zumba, Beach volleyball, Limbo for the Kids, face painting and more.

Beach

Much to my delight, Hadley loved Codondo Beach as well. Protected by a natural rock barrier, the beach is modest and undercrowded.
(Photo courtesy of Have Baby Will Travel because, if you will recall, my camera got unceremoniously dumped in the ocean)

Haddie and I built lumps of sand we passed off as sand castles, drank a gallon of salt water as we catapulted over the swells and munched on crunchy coconut ice cream intermixed with sand, sunshine and happiness.

Food

I fell in love with Puerto Rican food. These tropical masterpieces’ roots are infused in cooking traditions from Spain, Africa, Amerindian Taínos and heaven.

Trust me on that latter locale.

Raices

I have been obsessed with plantains since I discovered them on my honeymoon and Raices restaurant offered satiation at its best. The lively atmosphere is a bit touristy but they do a great job incorporating local customs with the colorful decor and staff uniforms.

Our appetizer plate, Boricula Festival, gave a great sampling of indulges that include cassava and cheese fritters, fried corn stick, fried cassava stick and plantains.

Mofongo is Puerto Rico’s signature dish and is a must-try for first-time visitors. Served on a bed of mashed plantains you have a choice of succulent beef, chicken or seafood. Raices’ version was the best I ever had.

OK, it was the only one I’ve ever had.

But I just can’t imagine how it could get much better.

Jam

Another must-visit restaurant is Jam. When my daughter and I walked into this ultra-cool and modern eatery, I immediately identified everything she could destroy in the room. It’s tough to say who was more delighted to discover the kid room tucked away at the back of the restaurant with toys and movies.

The extensive children’s menu included a number of drink selections (“Kid Tails”) dedicated to the younger set. Haddie sipped a Chocotini (chocolate and white milk with spiraled syrup in a martini glass) and dined on grilled churrasco strips with crispy tostones (fried plantains).

The moms sampled a number of different dishes, my favorite being a veritable cup of heaven: white bean soup with truffle oil. Pineapple Buanelos rolled in sweet coconut with Puerto Rican rum sauce topped off the gastronome evening.

Ristorante Tuscany

Ristorante Tuscany is the San Juan Marriott’s formal dining enclave and boasts a specially designed menu of Northern Italian cuisine fused with Latino culture. It was a perfect send-off for our farewell dinner.

Photo credit: Travel Mamas. Pictured: Corinne from Have Baby Will Travel, Colleen from Travel Mamas, Kara of Diamond PR, Debbie of Delicious Baby, me and Julian, the raw-meat-eating man child (see sordid details below).

The Marriott does not offer on-site kids clubs except during the holidays so attentive, nurturing and fun Nanny on Call PR was brought in to throw the kids a Pizza Party in an adjacent room.

While the kids played games, watched movies and had their hair French braided, the moms dined on dishes such as Pear and Gorgonzola Salad with Fiocchi Pasta, Fettucine Michelangelo and Grilled Filet Mignon with Barolo sauce.

Julian, the San Juan Marriott’s Director of Marketing, delighted us with tales of the Marriott dynasty and his Australian upbringing. He divulged that as a young child, his mother often served him raw strips of beef for snacks.

Good thing Puerto Rico is much more civilized.

Be sure to check-out my favorite moment of the entire trip!

Filed Under: Family, Family travel, Hadley Tagged With: Puerto Rico

Snooked Again: How a Reality TV Star Stole My Moment in the National Spotlight

August 1, 2010 by Amber

I was in New York City last weekend presenting these family travel products on the Fox Network’s morning show, Fox and Friends.

I know. I’m still shocked they would even allow The Amber Show to be broadcast nationally.

Grant, a publicist in Arizona, arranged the gig after I appeared for his clients on the Tom Martino Show. He claimed my fun interaction with the hosts and thorough presentation of the products far surpassed anyone he has ever seen. He promised that when he booked a national segment, I would be his top choice.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him that my smooth performance on the Martino Show was the exception, not the rule.

This is me we’re talking about.

Grant was true to his word and he flew me to New York City on Friday. I had just one day to prep and did not even see most of the products until I arrived at the hotel the night before I was supposed to be on-air.

I was just a wee bit stressed out.

I stayed up late that night assembling everything in a cram session that would have impressed any college student. After just a few hours of sleep, I groggily arose at 5:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m. Denver time) and hauled my lot to the FOX studios by 6:30 a.m. Laura, the segment producer, and her intern helped me setup.

From there, it was onto hair and make-up where the artist professed I just needed a touch-up on the latter but the former looked absolutely perfect.

I must admit I was having an embarrassingly good hair day.

I waited in the green room until it was my call time, uncharacteristically calm. The production staff put me at ease and Clayton (one of the co-hosts) had just had a baby so the ambiance was celebratory. What could go wrong?

An inebriated New Jersey woman, that’s what.

Throughout the show, they heavily teased a story about a floozy from MTV’s Jersey Shores named Snooki who had been arrested for disorderly conduct. Evidently, Snooki’s drunken escapades were big news.

By the time co-hosts Dave and Clayton got around to my segment, time was short. I had humorous anecdotes and compelling entrepreneurial stories that would have moved anyone (even Snooki) to tears. But it didn’t happen because my 5-minute segment was slashed in half. This happens regularly in TV but I was frustrated that the producers had not told me. Otherwise, I would have ensured that all the products were quickly highlighted instead of getting abruptly cutoff after only presenting three.

When it was over, I stood there in disbelief. My feelings were reminiscent of when I scored the most prominent spot in the TODAY show crowd at the 2010 Vancouver Games. I was ready for my moment in the national spotlight…until Matt Lauer stood smack in front of me.

Though trust me: it’s much worse to get hijacked by someone named Snooki.

Filed Under: Family travel, Humor

Taking a toothless bite out of The Big Apple!

July 31, 2010 by Amber

I am currently in New York City and will be appearing on Fox and Friends this morning.

The night prior to flying out, I dreamed that the family-travel products I’m promoting didn’t arrive in time.

Oh, and that my front tooth fell out.

I’m totally gonna nail this.

Here is what I’ll be talking about:

1). Sport-Brella
At the park, beach, pool or campsite, the SKLZ Sport-Brella gives you instant protection from the sun, rain, and wind with its domed shape, side flaps and 125 SPF. Its umbrella action open mechanism allows it to be set up in just three seconds and fits the whole family. Includes top wind vents, side zippered windows for efficient airflow and additional visibility, internal pockets for gear and valuables, convenient carry bag and tethers/ground stakes for use when necessary for additional stability. $69.99.

2). Safety Turtle

The Safety Turtle Wireless Wristband Alarm, is an ingenious combination of wireless signal-outfitted wristbands and a wireless base station receiver that sounds an alarm the instant a child or pet falls or ventures into water. Ideal for vacations to places with pools and/or lakes or for residential and public pool environments. The base station can be positioned anywhere between poolside and 200 feet away from the pool (depending on model desired). Safety Turtle retails for $235.

3). Infant Cruizer
The Infant Cruizer makes going anywhere with baby a breeze, whether around town or traveling. The Infant Cruizer transforms any infant carseat into a comfortable stroller. Attaching easily to any infant carseat, it safely holds it in place with a secure click and lock system and features sturdy, all-terrain tires, one-handed maneuvering and telescoping handle height. Simple to attach and detach, functioning just like the infant seat’s base. The Infant Cruizer eliminates the strain and inconvenience of trying to not wake baby during transfer from carseat to stroller, lugging around a heavy carseat by hand, trying to fit a bulky stroller into a car, or settling on bringing a less comfortable stroller to save space. Retails for $149.99.

4). My Royal Heinie Daypack
The My Royal Heinie Daypack is the best combination of affordability, functionality and style in a diaper bag. It is also the only diaper bag fully equipped with a built-in Smart Wipes Dispenser on the market. Just load a stack of wet wipes right into the heat-sealed pocket in the front of the bag and quickly access wipes with one hand when diaper duty calls! My Royal Heinie Daypacks can be personalized with a name or monogram. Additionally, it has great features like a stroller attachment, included changing pad and well-designed pockets for bottle/sippy cup, cell phone, personal items and more. $34.99.

5). Treasure Chest Pets
Treasure Chest Pets are the first and only organizers that make putting things away fun and a great way for kids to keep their special things safe. Designed to look like cuddly stuffed animals, each TC Pet has a magnetic, detachable, pillowy stuffed animal head and stuffed animal bodies that contain external and internal compartments for organizing and storing children’s (and grownups!) treasures. Treasure Chest Pets are a great way for kids to keep their special things safe. Six different stuffed animal designs to choose from in 3 three different styles – Accessory Chest Dog and Accessory Chest Pig have a hidden drawer and two secret pockets on the outside, along with secret pockets in both ears. Treasure Chest Monkey and Treasure Chest Cow have one gigantic pocket inside that opens like a treasure chest. Media Chest Bear and Media Chest Horse have a secret pocket inside the head and 3 compartments in the body to store CDs, DVDs, speakers/cables, MP3 player and more. $19.99.

6). SillyBibs
SillyBibs are 100% silicone bibs, a non-toxic alternative to the various plastic and vinyl bibs on the market. 11 different animal shaped styles, including Hippo, Elephant, Frog, Tiger, Cow, Shark and more, make SillyBibs the cutest and most fun bibs on the market. Each SillyBib has an adjustable neck and nifty crumb-catching pocket . Can be safely washed in the dishwasher or easily wiped clean. Rolls up for easy storage. 100% silicone lets parents rest assured their child is not being exposed to lead, BPA, phthalates, latex or PVC, as with other products on the market. For children from 6 months and up. $8.99.

Filed Under: Humor, travel

When a Mom is The Great Pumpkin world record holder

July 29, 2010 by Amber

We interrupt our regularly-scheduled travelogues of our glorious trip to the San Juan Marriott in the Puerto Rico to bring you The Great Pumpkin updates.

For those new to this blog, my husband Jamie is O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D with growing The Great Pumpkin. Just the other night, I was reprimanded for running out of bleach. Now, if the dear man was waxing ambitious and helping with the laundry that would be one thing.

But the bleach is to help kill bacteria on The Great Pumpkin’s vines.

Don’t be shocked. I’ve become acclimated to compost tea, fish, seaweed and blood meal concoctions gurgling on my front porch.

And the latest measurements of the beast? Approximately 358 pounds with a 111″ circumference and it is gaining approximately 25 pounds per day.

The sport of giant pumpkin-growing (yes, they consider it a sport) is dominated by men but last year, Ohioan Christy Harp came out of left field to clinch the world record with a pumpkin that weighed 1,725 pounds.

She is doing amazing things for women’s libbers.

Soon thereafter, she announced she was pregnant and would not be defending her title. However, she has still continued to grow just for fun. Jamie sent me this little gem yesterday. Remember Anne Geddes’ famous baby pictures?

This is a giant pumpkin-grower’s version.

Pray for that child.

Comments temporarily closed due to lame Asian spammers.

Filed Under: Humor, Jamie, pumpkins

Puerto Rico: Food, Moms and Fun (Did I Mention Food?)

July 28, 2010 by Amber

I expected to have a great mother-daughter weekend at the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino with Hadley. I did not anticipate falling in love with Puerto Rico’s culture, scenery and food.

Believe me, I have the extra pounds to prove that latter point.

(At least two of those pounds can be attributed to Puerto Rico’s signature dish Mofongo, a mashed mound of plantains into which a combination of seafood, meat, or vegetables is added.)

The great thing about Puerto Rico (besides the food–did I mention the food?) is it feels like an exotic international adventure with all the conveniences of home that make traveling with kids a cinch.

As an unincorporated territory of the United States, Puerto Rico uses U.S. currency, locals speak English and Spanish, there are no roaming charges for most cell phone providers and Americans don’t need a passport.

They’re pretty swell to Canucks, too.

Puerto Rico is also resplendent with local culture. Latin music fills Old San Juan’s cobblestone streets, culinary delights ooze with flavor and the white-sand beaches host families and sun worshipers from all over the world.

Rio Camuy Cave Park

Puerto Rico’s rainy season is in October, May and evidently whenever I visit because it was downpouring when we arrived.

The excursion I most looked forward to was a trip to Rio Camuy Cave Park. This is the only place in the world you will find an extensive cave system with a tropical underground river thundering through it. With three crater-like sink holes, two caves and a trolley that descends into a sinkhole, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Or in my case, an ain’t-gonna-happen one.

Much to my dismay, the caves had to be closed due to copious amounts of rain.

Museo de la Bilia’s Indoor Playground

Kara (the publicist who arranged the trip) scrambled to switch our itinerary and arranged a visit to Museo de la Biblia. As one whose Spanish proficiency is limited to Dora the Explorer tutorials, I thought this was some kind of Biblical museum. I could not have been more wrong.

Though there was a whole lot of kid-worship going on.

My fellow travel bloggers (Corinne of Have Baby Will Travel, Debbie of Delicious Baby and Colleen of Travel Mamas) and I trailed our little ones as they euphorically tackled the aquarium, dinosaur exhibit, miniature golf, small amusement rides, video games and and lunched at the affordable pizza parlor. There was even an ice-skating rink in the tropics. The price was reasonable, too: $20 for an all-inclusive pass.

While I certainly would not consider the Museo de la Bilia a destination unto itself, it was a fantastic rainy-day activity.

Unless you walk outside and discover it had been sunny the entire time you were indoors and it then proceeds to rain when you were scheduled to go to the beach that afternoon.

Evidently, Puerto Rico’s weather did not take our itinerary into consideration.

Stay tuned for details of the San Juan Marriott’s glorious pool and why a rainy day at the beach is better than, well, pretty much anything. Be sure to also read my first post, Almost reaching perfection at the San Juan Marriott Resort.

Note: I participated in a travel blogger press trip sponsored by the San Juan Marriott. The views are entirely my own and I was not compensated in any way.

Filed Under: Family travel, Humor, travel Tagged With: Puerto Rico

Little Kickers, Big Parent Dreams: The Art of Surviving Summer Camp

July 26, 2010 by Amber

I am a soccer mom.

Or at least I really want to be. After a failed attempt at introducing my daughter Hadley to soccer a couple of years ago, the dream was dead. I vowed I would only enroll her again if she asked.

That blessed day came a couple of months ago. Within an hour of her proclamation, I had her enrolled in a clinic to hone her skills, was counting down the days until I could register her on a team in the fall and had already plotted out her college team.

Evidently, I don’t do “casual” well.

The Little Kickers clinic consisted of an adorable yet eclectic crew of 4-6-yr-olds. Some wanted to be there, others looked around like they’d landed on another planet and a few deserters simply hit the playground. Coach Robin instituted some rules including “No carrying the ball and no sitting down in soccer.”

Talk about a hard-core boot camp.

The coach was overwhelmed by all the kids so I offered to help, which allowed 3-year-old Bode to join in the action. For seven classes, they did fun drills, learned to dribble and bonded during rain storms.

Well, most of them. The playground deserters and alien planet kids had long since dropped out.

The final day was the ultimate showdown: kids vs. parents. There were about nine kids vs. six grown-ups. One of the dads even showed up decked out in his cleats.

I didn’t have the heart to break it to him that we were playing a bunch of preschoolers.

It was the kids’ first “real” game and they traveled in swarms. With no less than five kids attacking the ball at a time, they were their own worst enemies and the parents barely needed to play defense.

I volunteered to be goalie and vowed to let one of the kids score. As luck would have it, Hadley got a breakaway. When she was a few feet away from me, she wound up. And then wound up again. I knew I had to make it look convincing with this much of a build-up,

And convincing I was. When she finally got around to kicking the ball into the goal, I hesitated just long enough before diving in a move so credible you would have sworn I was in the World Cup.

Hadley went on to score two goals and her brother melted down because “da kids aren’t sharing.” In the end, the parents let the kids win. I was thrilled for their victory until Hadley started smack-talking on the drive home.

“Hmmm. I guess the grown-ups aren’t so good, after all.”

I grimaced and took it but rest assured, she’s going down in Little Kickers II.

And I may even wear my cleats for the occasion.

Filed Under: Humor