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Halloween Activity Idea List for 2019

Written by Marybeth Heckler on October 13, 2019. Posted in Holidays, Motherhood.

October is on its way and many people are already looking forward to the coming of cooler temperatures and chilly autumn nights. But if you’re like a lot of us, October gets you thinking of one thing—Halloween!

This is the holiday that lets you get your scare on and enjoy the creepier side of Denver. Let’s take a look at some of the best activities for adults and families this year:

Elitch Gardens Fright Fest — This popular theme park is already a family favorite. But in October, the park stays open late for Fright Fest, featuring a series of haunted houses (including a circus themed one, so beware the creepy clowns) and a “fully-immersive” ghost story experience called Séance. These activities require an adult over 18 to accompany the kids and are only recommended for those 12 and over.

Denver Zoo — If you are looking for something better suited for the little ones, then consider the Enchanted Hollows at the Denver Zoo. It features an immersive art walk along with other fall time family favorites, such as pumpkin carving and cornhole. Older kids and adults can try out the ax throwing, and everyone can enjoy the “Scary-oke” sing-along.

Pumpkin Nights — Another family favorite is held at the Adams County Fairgrounds. This event features 3,000 hand-carved pumpkins on display, as well as many more Halloween displays on hand to entertain your family. The festival also has outdoor movie screenings, bounce houses, a fire show, and snacks when you work up an appetite.

Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas — Don’t let the title of this one fool you. Tim Burton’s film classic has become a perennial favorite for fans of both Christmas and Halloween. This year, the Colorado Symphony will have a screening of the film complete with live orchestral music. This one is sure to be a blast for movie and music fans.

Denver Botanic Garden’s Corn Maze — A favorite for those who like their fun a little less scary is the corn maze at Denver’s Botanic Gardens. The seven-acre corn maze is a great place to get lost and explore. And, if you do like a level of creepiness, then come back in the evening for the After Dark Corn Maze and Dead Zone Scream Park.

Denver Zombie Crawl – Halloween without zombies? Celebrate the living dead by dressing up as a zombie and coming out for the party which features vendors, a costume contest, and a physical challenge for teams called the “Organ Trail.”

There is plenty to do this October to celebrate the creepiness of the Halloween season. So whether you are an adult who enjoys being scared or a family that just likes a little bit of spookiness with your fun, there is plenty to choose from.

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Family Fun Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day

Written by Marybeth Heckler on March 14, 2019. Posted in Holidays.

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner and even if your family isn’t Irish, you can still have some fun celebrating this event. Unfortunately, many of the celebrations set up in local communities may be centered around green beer and may not be very family friendly. If you have kids, here are some family activities you can do on your own to help get out your green and celebrate.

Parade—Most kids love parades and the St. Patrick’s Day parades in most major cities can be a huge production with marching bands, floats, and Irish musicians. If you live near a place that is scheduling a parade, be sure to check it out.
Treasure Hunt—You can get a jump-start on your Easter Egg Hunt practice with a St. Patrick’s Day themed treasure hunt. Head out to the yard and hide gold coins from your leprechaun’s pot of gold. Then turn the kids loose and let them track them down. As a bonus, you can hide something special as the big prize for the lucky child who finds it.
Holiday Cookies—Baking together is always a great idea. You can make easy “leprechaun gold” cookies by baking sugar cookies and adding a little yellow food coloring for the right gold tint. If you want to get creative, switch it up for green food coloring and get some shamrock shaped cookie cutters to make a variety of cookie types.
Craft Bracelets—If you own a rainbow loom or something similar, you can spend the day making green friendship bracelets to give out on St. Patrick’s Day at school or daycare.
Do some Research—Fun…research? Actually, yes. You don’t have to be Irish to spend this day talking to your kids about your family heritage. This is the perfect time to do a little online research about your family’s origins. And who knows—maybe you can trace some of your ancestors back to the “Emerald Island” itself.
Movie Night—How about a themed movie night to wrap things up? It’s a bit of a lost classic, but Disney’s 1959 Darby O’Gill and the Little People is a great family classic about Irishman outsmarting a group of leprechauns. Adults can also be on the lookout for a very young Sean Connery is this film that is based on a beloved children’s book. If you get a chance, you can even tuck the kids in with an Irish folk tale as a bedtime story.

St. Patrick’s Day is a great opportunity to have some fun with your family. Take some time to do an activity or two this year with your children to celebrate this special day.

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Why Moms Should Take Time to Be Creative

Written by Marybeth Heckler on March 7, 2019. Posted in Holidays, Motherhood.

If you spend any time on social media, you can often be in for a very humbling experience.

Many moms look at their peers on Facebook and Instagram and marvel at the creative work that they can accomplish while the rest of us are still trying to get a latte to jumpstart our mornings. But it doesn’t have to be that way, nor should it be that way.

March is International Ideas Month and March 8^th is International Women’s Day. Let’s celebrate both of these events together with a look at why moms should take the time to be creative.

The need for inspiration—One of the difficulties of being a mom is that you often feel like you are stuck in a world of little kids with no time for yourself or adult conversations. (There’re only so many times you can sing “The Wheels on the Bus” before you snap!)

By expressing yourself creatively, you can get back in touch with a side of yourself that you may have thought went away when you gave birth. If you feel like your creativity has been pushed to the backburner, then spend a day reconnecting with your creative side. Visit a museum or take a walk alone in the park. Send the kids off with the grandparents and spend the day listening to old music or writing poetry. Whatever inspires you and moves you emotionally is a great choice.

Take a class—You may be delighted to discover that there are many resources in the community for expressing yourself. If you live in an area with a small community college, you may want to take a class in photography, art, creative writing, or even cooking. (Anyone who has watched an episode of Chopped can attest that food can be a great way to be creative.)

But you don’t have to set aside that much time for your creative side. Have a girls’ night out at your local “wine and art” shop in order to get together with others, have a glass or two of vino, and then paint something that you can take home and put on the wall.

Beat the baby blues—Postpartum depression is a very real thing that affects thousands of women each year. But one way to fight any type of depression is with creativity and expression. Even if it is nothing more than keeping a journal of your thoughts, you are enabling yourself to express your ideas. This can help keep you sane when the challenges of motherhood start crowding in.

This March, spend some time caring for yourself for a change and learn how to express your creative side. If you get in touch with this key area of your life, you will find your mood elevated and your home life much better.

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Getting the Most Out of Your Local Library (Library Lovers’ Month)

Written by Marybeth Heckler on February 21, 2019. Posted in Holidays.

February is designated as Library Lovers’ Month to encourage people to visit and support their local public and school libraries. Too often, it seems, people think of a library as one thing — a repository for books. But there’s a lot more happening at your local library than you may know about!

Let’s take a look at some of those materials and activities you can take advantage of this month (and for the rest of the year).

Go Digital—If you’re a book-lover, then obviously a library seems like heaven on Earth. But even the best library can’t house everything. That’s why many libraries are now offering digital book services such as Overdrive for your tablets and e-readers, including the iPad, Kindle, and Nook. These services allow you to download eBooks, audiobooks, and even graphic novels and videos straight to your mobile device so that you can read them at home or on the go.
Ditch the Paid Online Services—Another service offered by most libraries is a great array of audio-visual materials. Are you tired of what’s on Netflix or Hulu? Then check out the library and browse its selection of DVDs. Along with the standard blockbusters, there’s usually some obscure foreign films as well as many classics. Are you getting tired of paying for Spotify or Audible? Libraries also offer audiobooks as well as CDs or albums that you can check out and take home.
Get Social—Many people think of the library as a place where you can’t talk or, if you do, not above a whisper. But the library is actually a great place to become socially active. Most libraries offer different kinds of social gatherings, including story time for kids (also known as break-time for moms) as well as other events such as film screenings and more. They may even have meeting rooms available for rent if you need one for your business or social group.
Get Financial Assistance—The library can also save you money! How, you ask? Well first, they offer tax information for free and allow you to print out tax forms and complete them at the library. Many libraries also offer free tax returns for Senior Citizens and for those who need assistance with the EZ forms. Libraries can also help you earn money by holding programs such as job fairs and career counseling.

If you aren’t sure what programs are available at your library, then take a visit today. Talk to a librarian! They aren’t the stodgy “No Talking!” stereotypes of old. Much more often, librarians are happy to help you learn more about their programs and offerings.

Great Valentine’s Day Date Ideas

Written by Marybeth Heckler on February 14, 2019. Posted in Holidays.

It may be a Valentine’s Day cliché, but I’m guessing there aren’t many of us ladies who don’t love an entire holiday built around chocolate and roses, right? But the holiday can also create a bit of stress, especially on guys, to make sure they get all the “details” right.

We all know about the overpriced candlelight dinners that are supposed to be the epitome of romance. But that isn’t the only type of Valentine’s Day date that you can have. Here are some options that can be just as romantic and fun as anything else you may have done before:

Couple’s Spa Day—If you really want to focus on taking care of yourself and your partner this Valentine’s Day, then you might want to consider a couple’s spa day. Before the guys start crowing and complaining, there are plenty of men who enjoy getting a pedicure. If that idea doesn’t fly, there are other options such as a couple’s massage. Imagine how stress-free you will be after getting an hour-long massage with your partner while in a calm and relaxing environment.
Get Crafty—Remember how you used to make a homemade gift for your parents for Valentine’s Day? Now you can do something together that lets you make something for your loved one. One of the biggest trends today is art studios that offer classes, usually with a nice glass of wine or two to loosen you up artistically. It started with painting classes, but now you can do everything from candle making to pottery throwing. And if you do take a pottery class together, you can always try to recreate that famous Patrick Swayze-Demi Moore pottery scene from Ghost.
Skeeball—I’m not sure if you ever had the joy of buying a stuffed animal with tickets from a skeeball game. Relive some of that this Valentine’s Day by heading out to an adult arcade. (There are several chains out there nationally with Dave and Buster’s being one of the most popular.) Go out for a night of cheesy video games and skeeball and when the night is over, cash in your game tickets for a small Valentine’s present.
Go stargazing—Here’s another pop culture date idea—if you remember Ross and Rachel’s first big date on Friends, he took her to the planetarium at the museum. If you live close to a planetarium, go for a stargazing date. Many planetariums also offer laser light shows set to music which can be a mini-rock concert with some of the most beautiful images in outer space.

This year, you don’t have to do the same old thing for Valentine’s Day. With a little bit of creativity, you can make this year not just romantic but also fun.