Utah Mom Blog & Mommy Blogger | Life Elevated Mom

The back-to-school parent conspiracy and why all moms should have a “Princess Year”

August 27, 2012 by Amber

On Wednesday, I posted the following status update on my personal Facebook page:

It’s my son’s first day of first grade and my first day of both kids in full-day school. Worked, hiked, baked, started a new project and napped. Why didn’t anyone tell me how FREAKIN’ AWESOME it is? #ParentConspiracy

I got 32 “likes” and 18 comments, mostly along the lines of “I’m so jealous” or others like my friend Cheryl who posted: “13 days for me. But who’s counting?”

She deservedly is. She has all six kids in school for the first time.

I consider myself fortunate to work from home while raising my family but it’s meant a lot of early mornings and late nights so I can be present for my kids. Most moms are master jugglers and I’ve had my share of dropped balls.

But what surprises me the most are people’s expectations. “Are you going to get a job now?” “What on earth are you going to do to stay busy?”

Somehow people have forgotten that motherhood and managing a household are full-time jobs.

Last year, my friend Tina bucked the naysayers and CLICK HERE TO READ ON AT MILEHIGHMAMAS.COM

Filed Under: Bode, Humor

A Day of Firsts: First Day of First Grade

August 23, 2012 by Amber

Sweet baby Bode

Back-to-school is bittersweet this year. Sure, I’m looking forward to both the kids finally being in full-day school but also mourning the loss of spending my afternoons with my little buddy, Bode. I say this with every year but I really wish I could just freeze time.

“Freeze” being the operative word, thus meaning it would be winter.

With Hadley already back in school, Bode and I crammed in as much as we could our last day together: Monopoly tournaments, the skate park with our buddies, a fun playdate.

That evening, it was like the night before Christmas and he couldn’t sleep with anticipation so I spent some time in his room. You know those kids who are OCD clean freaks? Mine are the opposite and it looked like a bomb had gone off.

“Bode, we need to take a few minutes to pick up this room. We can’t go to the first day of school with our room looking like this, can we?”

“Sure we can!”

He is called a “lazy optimist.”

The next morning, I woke up early to bake him cinnamon rolls and insisted we snap some first-day shots in the garden. He hates to have his picture taken so I told him to do some funny poses. He tried, he really did. But my friend Susan pointed out on Facebook that he has Jazz hands.

Modeling Grandma B’s back-to-school clothes

I’m not going to explain what that is because my little man’s man would be mortified.

Unless he someday stars on Broadway and we can say it all started here.

By the time we got to school, he had simmered down from his photo shoot and was thrilled with his teacher. Bubbly fun, energetic and beloved, Bode already got to know her last year when he was bumped up to her first grade reading class.

That forced, pained smile means he’s happy inside. Really.

Maybe we should go back to the Jazz hands pose.

Only one of last year’s besties (Nicky) is in his class so he was a bit nervous when we arrived to be surrounded by (horrors) girls. I spotted one little boy in line who had an Angry Bird attached to his backpack and pointed it out to Bode.

That was all he needed.

Thirty seconds later, the dude had a BFF and I’m sure they’re already planning their first Angry Birds in Space playdate.

It’s good to be a first grader.

Filed Under: Bode, Humor

On looking like a doughnut; Haddie’s first day of school

August 22, 2012 by Amber

On Haddie’s last day of her public school last spring, I asked if she was sad to be leaving all her friends. “Yes, but I’ll miss my teacher and Gracie (the class pet hamster) the most.”

She’s not really the sentimental type.

So, I was a bit relieved when she was showing some normal nervousness over starting her new charter school on Monday. We spent some time fixing up the school grounds last week and she got to know her teacher (LOVE HER) but we missed the back-to-school picnic because she was sick.

She was a ball of anxiety when I woke her up the first day of school and getting her out of bed was not pretty.

Fortunately, she cleans up rather well.

In her back-to-school outfit from Grandma B.

As we were leaving the house, I told her to go wash her face because she had dry-skin crusties. She washed and lotioned her face and that is when the freak-out happened, “I LOOK LIKE A DOUGHNUT!”

“What are you talking about?”

“My face. It’s tooooo shiny!”

Now, I don’t eat too many shiny doughnuts and I likely would have blown her off any other day but because it was the first day of school and she’s my kid (prone to irrational freak-outs when stressed), I powdered her face to calm her down.

Upon arriving at her new campus, it was bustling with activity and she anxiously looked around for a friendly face.

She found it when she went to stand in line with her class. She was immediately encircled by three girls who raved about her hair.

I gave them several minutes to connect before walking over to give her the school supplies.

“Mom!” Hadley excitedly said as she pointed. “Morgan was in my first grade class!” Relief.

And so I took some pictures from a distance not wanting her to embarrass her.

I’ll just save that for Day 2 and beyond.

Filed Under: Hadley, Humor

Summer 2012: It’s a WRAP!

August 21, 2012 by Amber

We’re currently in back-to-school mode but I’d be remiss if I didn’t post about some forgotten moments of summer.

Or rather, soon-to-be forgotten because I have the worst memory ever.

Of course, there was our trip to Calgary to visit my family, whom I’m missing like crazy. From My Favorite Ice Cream Shoppe.

Cute cousins

Attacking my bro Pat


Disturbing family pic w/ niece Emily, SIL Jane & creeper Pat

Overlooking downtown Calgary

To my almost-daily bike rides with Dad all over the city. Dude is in his 70s and still cranking out 20 miles/ride.

Not to be forgotten is our better-than epic trip to Disneyland to witness the opening of Cars Land.

‘Twas definitely in the Top 3 Vacations Ever.

And that means a lot because we’ve been on some killer trips.

Like this one to YMCA of the Rockies Estes Park.

We also had plenty of local adventures such as Heritage Square. I did a write-up at Mile High Mamas about it and between the alpine slide, amusement park and new Miner’s Maze Adventure, the kids had a blast.

Water Walkerz a.k.a. “hamster balls” were a hit

The claustrophobic need not attempt.

And then there were plenty of activities with the youth from our church. Every Tuesday night, they congregate for fun or service and my kids are always delighted when I let them tag along.

Like this boating adventure at Chatfield State Park.

Haddie tubing behind the boat w/ her two babysitters

Stomp rocket fun; minor nailing of geese involved

The weather turned really blustery and we were delighted our group of 30 had the beach to ourselves.

Fair-weather wussies.

On another youth activity, we hit Bear Creek Lake State Park for some good ol’ fashioned crawdad fishing, swimming and playing.

Building the crawdad swimming hole

And the scariest of the youth activities: tubing down Clear Creek. The Adventure Kids had a blast navigating the rapids.

Until they rode with me and we flipped backward and capsized. Want to talk about scary mom moments as I tried to swim upstream to collect them? I prefer not to. Big-time #MomFail.

But I made up for it on our final getaway before school at the Omni Interloken Resort in Broomfield where we endlessly played in the pool, fine-dined and scavenger-hunted with their Camp Omni program.

Poolside with the Honey

Snowcones at H2O Pool Bar

And, of course, we have to end with Hadley and Bode’s television debuton 9News.

Dear Denver Summer 2012: You about killed me with your record-breaking streak of 100-degree days in June and July.

But you’re definitely a summer we’ll never forget.

Filed Under: Bode, Family travel, Hadley, Humor, Jamie Tagged With: Denver

Mom Confessional: What I Did (and Mostly Did Not) Learn This Summer

August 20, 2012 by Amber

School starts for my daughter today and I can’t help but reflect back upon the last few months. At the advent of every summer, I make grandiose plans.

We’ll do a different activity every day!
We’ll make lots of new friends!
We’ll engage our minds by daily learning in science, reading and math!

By summer’s end, the result is usually the same: “Yeah, right.”

It’s not that we didn’t learn a lot this summer. I learned:

1) Broken DVD players should be immediately replaced during multi-day road trips to Canada.
2) Husbands should not get two speeding tickets within a half-hour of each other in Wyoming.
2) Every detail of navigating Bowser’s Castle in Super Mario Bros on my son’s Nintendo DS.
4) I need a vacation at the end of summer vacation.

I really did try. A few weeks ago, I introduced my kids to Math Dice, a game I bought at the beginning of the summer. Predictably, my math-prodigy first grader answered all the questions while my math-challenged third grade daughter let him.

I wasn’t fooling anyone. Half-way through our game, she glared at me. “Hey, I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to trick me to do MATH!”

Though she’ll never make it as a mathematician, she may have a future as a private investigator.

The only thing I did really well (besides played, traveled and played some more) was encouraged the kids to read every day. But even that has its drawbacks–it’s called The Day of Reckoning.

In an ideal world, we could go to the library, check out a stack of books and return every last one of them on time.

In my world, due dates are forgotten, overdue charges are heaped up and books are lost.

My end-of-summer tab?

Well, let’s just say I learned something else: I’m single-handedly doing my part to support Jefferson County Public Libraries.

Better luck next summer.

CLICK TO READ ON AT MILEHIGHMAMAS.COM

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, Humor

How Omni Hotels’ Appetizer Changed My Life

August 18, 2012 by Amber

During our fun staycation at Omni Hotel Interloken, we were thrilled to have breakfast and dinner at Meritage, their signature resort restaurant.

We ate a lot. Jamie had the Land and Sea with lobster and buffalo tenderloin while I opted for the 16-spice Chicken with blackberry licorice reduction, green onion mashed potatoes and glazed carrots.

It was every bit as unique and tasty as it sounded.

The kid’s menu had a great variety of food, including Captain Nemo’s Fish Plate (Hadley), Little Paisan Pasta and Red Sauce (Bode) and Yosemite Sam Sliders.

Following the meal, Bode groaned he couldn’t eat another bite but I secretly ordered them a worms in dirt dessert (cookies smashed in chocolate pudding with gummy worms). When our server brought them to the table, Bode perked up and I interjected, “Oh no! But you’re too full to eat this!”

“That’s OK,” he bravely countered. “I CAN MAKE IT!”

What a trooper.

But the appetizer we ordered? I’ve been dreaming about it ever since and the best news of all: the hotel is a mere 15 minutes from my house so I envision many date nights there. The glorious appetizer was Grilled Flatbread Portobello with tomatoes, Haystack Mountain goat cheese, portobello mushrooms, onions and artichokes.

I’m not kidding when I say it was so good it almost reduced me to tears (foodies will understand that rare time when you find a dish that so perfectly matches your palate).

“Jamie, I’m not kidding when I say this is the best appetizer I’ve ever had.”
“Whatever.”
“No, I’m serious. Can you think of anything we’ve eaten that is better?”
“Yes I can. The Blooming Onion at Outback Steakhouse.”

At least one of us has taste.

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

Denver’s family-friendly hotel: Omni Interloken Resort and the local conspiracy

August 17, 2012 by Amber

I’ve lost track of how many times out-of-state strangers have emailed me and asked for advice on vacationing in Denver. Though I can keep ’em busy for weeks with local activities, I always draw a blank when they’re looking for hotel recommendations.

So when Omni Hotels contacted me a couple of weeks ago and invited my family to stay at the Omni Interloken Resort in Broomfield to check-out their new Camp Omni program for kids, I jumped at the chance. The timing was perfect to have a final summer getaway and we prefaced our stay with back-to-school shopping at nearby FlatIron Crossing.

The Local Omni Conspiracy

There’s a conspiracy at Omni and the worst part about it is I was left out.

I’ve driven past this four-diamond, 290-room resort a number of times but with its 27-hole golf course overlooking stunning panoramas of the mountains, I figured it was a hotel that catered to the conference-center crowd.

Oh, how wrong I was.

First, there is Camp Omni (stay tuned for details on that). Second, there are oodles of kid-friendly amenities. When we arrived, their two luxurious outdoor pools were bustling with families as kick-back parents ordered poolside service from H2O or skipped off to Mokara Spa.

I was curious where they were from. Though Broomfield is conveniently located a stone’s throw between Denver and Boulder off Highway 36, it’s not exactly an in-demand destination.

The responses shocked me: “I’m from Erie.” ” Louisville.” “Denver.” “Littleton.” I’m sure there were families from out-of-state there but everyone I talked to was local. One very pregnant mom even opted to skip their annual vacation to Vail so they have a staycation close to home.

“It’s great,” she said. “We feel like we’re a million miles away with the kids and yet we can race home and let the dogs out without springing for a dog sitter.”

Now, that is a vacation.

Camp Omni

First things first, Camp Omni isn’t exactly a camp but rather, a fun promotion designed for families. Upon check-in, each child received a welcome backpacking with s’mores-flavored marshmallows, collapsible water bottle and a lanyard kit.

We were also given a well-planned and easy scavenger hunt, which helped the kids discover the hotel as they raced from clue to clue. The kids had a blast and this is what was included:

15% discount on deluxe accommodations (minimum two-night stay)
Complimentary breakfast for kids 12 and under from the buffet or children’s menu
$10 gift card for kids to use anywhere in the hotel
Camp newsletter with scavenger hunt that is redeemable for a merit badge and ‘dirt & worms’ dessert upon completion
Pre-call from camp counselor (concierge)

Scavenger Hunt

Pricing is from $155 per night (based on two kids per room) and the promotion runs until September 16, 2012. Here’s for hoping they’ll plan to do it again in 2013.

Other Family-friendly Fun

Between the pool and scavenger hunt, the kids were plenty entertained during our one-night stay but that wasn’t all. Every Friday and Saturday night during the summer, they have a “Dive-in” Movie at sundown complete with popcorn.

But there is more. The Omni also hosts the Butterfly Pavilion on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. through September 16, 2012. Kids crowded around the rock-star staffer who brought invertebrate friends to see and touch. They were fascinated by this interactive science education and the highlight was everyone got to take a turn holding Rosie, the Butterfly Pavilion’s famous tarantula.

“Everyone” meaning brave kids. I chose to cower in the background with the other moms.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the Omni’s fine dining and the appetizer that changed my life.

And no, I’m not exaggerating.

A special thanks to Omni Resorts for hosting my family!

Filed Under: Family travel, Humor Tagged With: Denver

Sibling Love

August 16, 2012 by Amber

Turns out, Hadley has been diagnosed with Strep, which means the rest of us have been catering to her every need.

And believe me, they are plenty.

Sick Haddie. Notice Puke Cup above head

On Tuesday, Bode decided he was going to make her double-fudge chocolate chip cookies.

Not because she could eat them.

But because it made him feel better about her being sick.

I like his style.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, Humor

Behind-the-scenes at 9News’ Back-to-School Segment Part II

August 15, 2012 by Amber

If you’re just tuning in, be sure to read Behind-the-scenes at 9News’ Back-to-School Segment Part I.

Despite my best efforts to pull together two back-to-school segments for 9News (and believe me, both segments were a ton of work) one very important thing started unraveling the day prior: Haddie wasn’t feeling well.

I assumed it was because we’d stayed up late at our neighbor’s outdoor movie theater and gotten up early for church but she ping-ponged from OK to worse as she claimed stomach pains. I debated replacing her with her friend but then she’d recover enough for us to see the silver lining and hope she’d be OK.

She wasn’t.

Around 1 a.m. she came into our bedroom claiming nightmares about the sound of necklaces (can you say hallucinating?) so I let her stay. Problem was she thrashed and turned all night and I had to be at 9News by 6 a.m. for my first segment.

Translation: I barely slept.

The plan was for Jamie to bring the kids later for our fashion segment that aired at 8:40 a.m. My first segment on back-to-school products went just swell (find them here that includes the coolest alarm clock) but when I called Jamie to see how she was, he simply said, “Not great,” but that they would be there.

Once they arrived, we hung out in the green room and Haddie seemed pretty OK and my hope was renewed we’d survive the segment.

The Green Room (that is not green)

About 20 minutes before our segment, TaRhonda came to get us and the kids got a little tour of the newsroom. Much to Bode’s delight, he met his celebrity crush, Meteorologist Becky Ditchfield.

Blurry Becky. Apparently I was excited for him

At the end of the segment when Becky was talking to TaRhonda on-air, Becky called Bode “pretty dang awesome.”

Warning: Don’t tease him about it. He starts to blush and roars, “STOP IT!”

Once in the studio, we did a couple of dry runs and all the kids did great.

And then came SHOW TIME! Be sure to check-out the video here (kids’ segment starts at about 4 minutes and for clothing/product info, go here).

Jamie was a stellar stage father, guiding and helping the kids behind the scenes and they were all amazing. Hadley, in particular because she sucked it up and still performed when she felt sick.

Ignore the flash; no time to remove it

Steph was adorable, Bennett was cool but that Bode? For a kid who has a canned smile, the little dude stole the show.

Becky raving how awesome Bode is.

When the segment was over, we were all relieved, grateful and elated with how well it went. As we were walking back to our green room to retrieve our belongings, Hadley confessed:

“I threw up.”

“WHAT? When? Where?”

“Outside!”

I turned to Jamie and he confirmed it. Turns out she was still having stomach problems and the moment they got out of the car upon arriving at the 9News studios, she vomited all over the next parking stall. She recovered enough to perform for the segment and has been down-and-out with a feverish stomach flu ever since.

“Yeah, and Daddy told me not to say anything to you about throwing up until after we went on TV!”

Wise, wise man that Jamie.

And that, my friends, is how you leave your (literal) mark on your television debut.

Filed Under: 9News, Bode, Favorite Posts, Hadley, Humor

Behind-the-scenes at 9News’ Back-to-School Segment Part I

August 14, 2012 by Amber

When TaRhonda Thomas asked me to do a couple of of back-to-school segments on Denver’s top news station 9News, I readily agreed to one but took a big, long pause for the other. I’m fine with pitching products–I’ve done plenty of those on-air segments. But she also wanted me to pull together a fashion show for the second segment. Me? The woman who wears North Face and Arcteryx all winter long?

I reluctantly agreed and admittedly had the most fun pulling that particular segment together. Both were a lot of work–between researching what products I wanted to use, working with the company’s corporate office and then individual stores to get the item and not to mention finding models.

I needed two younger kids and was surprised when both of mine were enthusiastically on-board.

I think Bode secretly wanted to meet Meteorologist Becky Ditchfield (whom he has a crush on).

Next, I recruited Stephanie, a cool sophomore from church was elated to do a shopping spree at H&M (they got to keep their clothes).

But then came the teenaged boy. Turns out most of ’em don’t want to be on TV. Modeling. Excuses ranged from “I have to work” to “I have band camp,” to my favorite, “Ohhhhhh no. I respectfully decline. I could never do that.”

How many teenaged boys even talk like that?

It got to the point where, at a stake BBQ where a number of wards congregated after a community service project that I lamented to Jamie, “I JUST NEED A TEENAGED BOY.”

And then I realized how that sounded.

My friend Lisa finally recommended my guy who was the son of a friend. Bennett is a cool sophomore who didn’t mind basking in the limelight and did a stellar job.

But, of course, there were problems (this is me, right?)

Be sure to read Part II for all the sordid details of the stress…and the puke as my kids made their television debut.

Filed Under: 9News, Bode, Hadley, Humor