Month: March 2020

How to Find the Best New Restaurants in Denver

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Denver.

Denver has long been known for its great food and eclectic restaurants that serve a lot more than just your standard Denver Omelet. But sometimes, it may feel like there are too many restaurants so that you don’t know which ones you should actually check out. (We hear you now—there can never be TOO many restaurants.)

In the past, you may have relied on Yelp or Google reviews as your sole means of finding a good restaurant. But here are five publications that you can check out which also feature great food spots in Denver.

  1. 303 Magazine

This great online publication has sections for restaurants and bars as well as other fun things to do in the Denver area like concerts and art exhibits. The magazine includes reviews of local restaurants, announcements of new restaurant openings (or closings), and special interest pieces about local spots. Currently, there’s a piece on the much-loved Welton Street Café which is being featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network.

  1. Thrillist

Another great lifestyle publication that covers multiple cities is Thrillist. This one has interesting reviews of restaurants as well as suggestions for where to eat such as “The Best Places to Eat in the Denver Airport,” “The Most Fun Sports Bars In (and Around) Denver,” and “Everything You Have to Do in Denver This Weekend.” This is a great way for both the locals or the visitors to plan out their weekend (or vacations) including food and activities.

  1. 5280

This publication has some awesome articles highlighting specific cuisines of the region. In the current listing, you can find articles on “A Taste of Colorado-Mex” which highlights the hybrid of Mexican and Colorado cooking and “How Chef Charles Mani is Heightening the Denver Area’s Indian Food Scene.” The site also has recommendations for high end restaurants if you are looking to check out celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey when they visit the area.

  1. Denver.org

This website is a great resource for those who are planning meetings, conventions, or destination weddings in the Denver area. If you need to recommend restaurants to your guests, then this site has a great rundown including favorites such as Jovanina’s Broken Italian and Woodie Fisher’s Kitchen and Bar.

  1. Eater

Then we have Eater, another lifestyle publication that features the best of a variety of cities. Currently the site is featuring articles such as “The 38 Essential Restaurants in Denver.” But it also contains a “Heatmap” that shows the most popular dining spots in the area.

With so many options to choose from, it may be hard to find the absolute best restaurant for your tastes on any given night. But with these five publications, you can be assured to have plenty of help narrowing down the field.

 

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Spring Cleaning: Best Tricks for Deep Cleaning Your Home

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

Spring is in the air and, even though many of us are ready to dig out of the snows of this winter, that still leaves one dreaded task looming on the horizon—Spring Cleaning!

This is the time when you go beyond that little cursory cleaning you do each week and really get down into the nooks and crannies of your home. But it doesn’t have to be that scary.

Here are handy tips and tricks we’ve compiled that can help you do a really deep cleaning on your home this spring:

  1. Be Meticulous and Merciless — The first thing we suggest is that you be very meticulous and go room-by-room through the house. In each room, create three separate stacks—one to keep, one to donate or sell at a yard sale, and one to toss. Be merciless. If you haven’t seen an item or used it in a year, do you really need to keep it? Toss whatever you don’t need. A decluttered house is much easier to clean.

 

  1. Bathrooms — This is a good place to start with the actual deep cleaning. Spray the surfaces of your tub, toilet, shower, and sink with multi-purpose cleaners that may need to sit awhile to break up the accumulated soap scum. (You can also use diluted white vinegar for an all-natural clean.) Make sure that you scrub these surfaces thoroughly. If you have a glass shower door, you can use a damp dryer sheet to clean it off. If you have a shower curtain, toss it and start fresh with a new curtain and a new look for your room.

 

  1. Kitchen — Now let’s get this one under control. With a spring cleaning, you want to get all of the yearly things taken care of. One of these is cleaning the oven. If you don’t have a self-cleaning oven, put together a mixture of baking soda and vinegar with a couple of drops of dish soap. Let this sit on the tough spots and then scrub it clean. If you have a gas stovetop, you can also coat the stovetop itself with car wax. This way, your regular clean-ups of spills will be much easier. The microwave should also be cleaned, but this one is really easy. Get a cup of water and add a tablespoon of white vinegar. Place this in the microwave and turn it on for five minutes. The steam from this will clean out your microwave so you can just wipe it out.

 

  1. Dusting — Dusting may not be a room unto itself, but it is certainly one of the chores that feels like it. It usually winds up on the top three list of most hated household chores. To help this spring, use these ideas. First, on surfaces that aren’t easily seen, such as the tops of cabinets or tall bookshelves, place a square piece of newspaper down after you dust. This will cover the surface and catch any other accumulations so you just have to change out the sheet of paper every few months and save yourself the dusting for those spots. We also recommend investing in a telescoping arm duster so you don’t have to strain your back.

Finally, when it comes to dusting the ceiling fans, we suggest using a pillowcase. Take the case and put it around the blades of the fan and then simply wipe across. The dust will be trapped inside of the case and you don’t have to worry about raining dust down on your room. And, you can just toss the pillowcase in the washer to clean it off.

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be the pain that everyone thinks it is. If you follow a few basic tips, you can save yourself some sweat and tears and make this year’s cleaning go smoother.

 

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Stress Relief Techniques for Moms

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Motherhood.

Anybody who says that being a full-time mom isn’t stressful is just kidding themselves. Motherhood, be it the stay-at-home or working variety, is one of the roughest and toughest occupations out there.

The demands of being a mom are also aggravated by the unbelievable stress and anxiety that comes with the responsibility. After all, no one wants to be a bad mom and you want to make sure that everything you do is helping to make your child a better person.

But just when you think you want to snap if you have to listen to “Baby Shark” one more time, take a deep breath and realize there are a few ways to relieve the stress and anxiety:

  1. Stay Organized — This stress relief technique is pro-active. You’re less likely to get stressed out if you stay organized and on top of things. By keeping a schedule, you don’t have to worry about rushing from one location to another. You know exactly what is expected of you and you can plan accordingly. This also means that you need to set limits on yourself and your children. You know there are only 24 hours in a day so you shouldn’t try to over-schedule your time.
  2. Meditate — This is a tried and true technique, and it really works. Spend about 10 to 15 minutes each day in quiet meditation. Just let yourself sit in a comfortable position and relax. This can be when you put the baby down for a nap or when the kids are already in bed and you have a few moments before you pass out for the night in exhaustion. Just let the problems of the world flow out of you and relax.
  3. Exercise — No, we aren’t crazy when we say this. Exercise releases endorphins in your body that can help you maintain a relaxed and happy demeanor. We aren’t saying you need to do a full cardio workout for an hour every single day. (Although there’s nothing wrong with that if you can work it in.) Just take 15 minutes during a lunch break at work to walk around the block. This will be hard at first, but with time it will help you feel better and more relaxed.
  4. Bubble Bath — Sometimes the old favorites are there for a reason. Once a week or so, take a half-hour and set it aside for yourself. Turn on some soft music, light a few aromatherapy candles, and relax in a warm bath. Throw in some bubbles or bath salts to help you relax even more. If it helps, throw in a rubber duck. Just spend that time with the door shut and locked and be at peace.

It’s hard for moms to set aside time for themselves in their busy schedule. But if you plan and organize your schedule and learn how to set limits then you will find that you can build more time into your daily life to relax and not feel overwhelmed.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

The Most Effective Way to Relocate

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Real Estate.

Relocating to a new city or even a new state or country can be an exciting prospect as it has the hopes and promises of a fresh beginning. However, it can also be terrifying to many people who have to pick up everything and start over somewhere else.

What makes this transition even more daunting is the move itself—the organizing, the planning, and the packing!

Let’s take a look at ways to make this type of transition a bit smoother with packing and organizational tips that can really help you keep your sanity during this major move.

  1. Get organized — You will just drive yourself crazy with a move if you are doing everything in a haphazard fashion. The good news is that there are a lot of apps and other resources that can help you get organized. You will need to create a timeline or calendar of all of the things that you need to get ready before you start loading a single box into a moving truck. You should also use this time to plan your budget for the move and decide if that budget allows for the hiring of professional movers.
  2. Get rid of “junk” — The next big step in this process is to declutter your house as much as possible. I suggest doing this room-by-room. Go into your bedroom closet, for instance, and start three separate piles. The first will be the stuff you want to keep and take with you. The next would be items like clothes and other things that are in good condition that you don’t want or need anymore. These will be your “donate” pile.

The last pile will be for stuff that you don’t want or need that isn’t in good condition. Just toss this pile straight into the trash. The more stuff you can get rid of, the better because it’s less hassle for you. (You can also toss the donate pile into a yard sale and try to make a few extra bucks before donating them. This money can help buy pizza for your friends as you entice them to help you move.) Once you’ve done the first room or area, move on to the next in a systematic fashion.

  1. Create an essentials bag — When you get to your new location, you will need a few days to unpack your stuff. Pack a bag of the essentials that you will need immediately. This will include 2 to 3 days of clothes, toiletries, your electronic devices and chargers, and other essentials such as medication. If you have children, make sure that you pack one for them as well and include a couple of cherished toys or a book to help keep them occupied.
  2. Stay organized — Once you start boxing things up, be sure to stay organized. Keep a running list of how many boxes you have for each room and put this information on the outside of the box. (For instance, a label might say “Kitchen 5 of 16” meaning that is the fifth box out of a total of 16 that are headed for the kitchen.) This way, you can keep up with everything and know if you are missing any boxes quickly and easily.

One of the most important things that can help make any relocation easier is advanced planning. Trying to throw everything together the night before a move isn’t going to be successful. By staying ahead of the game, you will not feel rushed and frustrated and your move will be a smooth one.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Making Your Home More Sustainable

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

One of the goals of just about any parent is to help make the world a better place for our children. This can be done in a variety of ways. Now, I’m not saying that you can change the world just for your family. But you can make your own corner of that world a bit better than you found it. Part of this is by helping to make your home more sustainable and environmentally conscious.

Here are easy ways you can reduce your carbon footprint by “going green” and making your home more sustainable:

Use Less Energy

One of the first things you can do to be more sustainable will also save you money in the long run. (So, count that as a win-win!) Let’s talk about ways to cut your energy consumption (which in turn will reduce your monthly power bill).

  • Change your regular light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent bulbs. These use less energy and actually last longer, meaning you won’t be adding lots of dead bulbs to the trash heap.
  • When you buy a new appliance, such as a washer or dryer, look for those that are Energy Star Qualified. These can cut energy use between 10 and 50% off a regular appliance. And, in some cases, your purchase may qualify you for a tax credit.
  • Insulate your home to cut down on heating costs and power. This means insulating your attic/basement as well as the walls. Additionally, if you have wooden floors, simply putting down a thick rug can cut down on this as well.
  • Install double-glazed windows with thermal backed curtains. This will help you keep the cold air out in the winter while trapping in the heat. (Conversely, during the summer, it traps the air-conditioned cold air inside while keeping out the heat.)

Use Less Water

Another big area of waste in our homes is water consumption. There are little things you can do around the house to cut down on this, such as:

  • Install low-flow showerheads and low-flush toilets. The showerheads will not only cut down on water usage, but energy use as well since your water heater will not have to work as hard. A typical toilet flush will use six gallons while a low-flush toilet uses less than two.
  • Fix leaky faucets and “running” toilets immediately. This can waste gallons of water each and every day just from a toilet that is not working properly.

Other Tips

There are other areas you can cut back as well. One of the biggest is your use of chemical products to clean your home. Use natural cleansers that do not use these chemicals or you can even make your own cleansers with a few things from the pantry. By doing this, you will not be supporting companies that use chemicals in their products.

Taking care of our environment is everyone’s responsibility. It may not be possible for one person to save the world, but by making some changes to your home, you can do your best to make your corner of the world a little more sustainable.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.