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Embracing Hygge with Your Family This Winter

Written by Marybeth Heckler on October 26, 2020. Posted in Motherhood.

I love different languages and the way some cultures have one word that is almost impossible to translate but can sum up a series of emotions perfectly. One of those is the Danish word “hygge” (pronounced “hoo-ga”).

This beautiful word is meant to express the feeling of a cozy winter centered around family and friends and enjoying each moment of life. If there’s one concept that I can get behind, it’s that.

So here are some ways that you and your family can embrace hygge this winter:

Enjoy a hot beverage together — On The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon was always offering someone who needed comfort a “hot beverage.” But this winter, embrace hygge by sharing a hot beverage with your loved ones. If you can, make it a family affair with your kids making real homemade hot chocolate (with a little dash of chili if you want an extra kick to yours). If hot chocolate isn’t to your taste, brew up a real pot of coffee or tea and skip the instant stuff.

Make a quilt — What is winter if you can’t curl up under a good blanket and snuggle down and get comfy? This year, you can break out the old comfortable blankets and snuggle with family underneath them as you read a book, watch tv, or just talk. But another bonding activity that can be really useful right now would be quilting. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate pattern. But a simple quilt can bond you with your loved ones and keep you warm—it’s a win-win situation!

Take a candle-lit bath — One of the important parts of hygge is that you should not only connect with others, but that you should also be present in the moment and spend some time for yourself. Draw yourself a hot bath complete with your favorite bath salts or foaming bubbles and just relax. Add some ambiance with soft candlelight and gentle, relaxing music. If you are so inclined, bring a good book with you or you can just lay back and luxuriate.

Share memories — Another great way to connect with family while you are stuck indoors this winter is by looking back at old pictures together. Digital photos have killed the practice of scrapbooking and photo albums. But this is the perfect time to print out those favorite pictures and assemble a photo album of cherished memories that you can share with your loved ones.

After the holidays are over and the decorations are all put away, we still have a few more months of cold weather as we wait for spring. This year, spend this time with loved ones embracing the Danish concept of “hygge.”

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Fall Break Staycation Ideas for Families

Written by Marybeth Heckler on August 30, 2020. Posted in Motherhood.

Think back to some of your most cherished childhood memories. I’m going to bet that a lot of them are centered around summer vacations with trips to visit family, hitting the beach, or enjoying amusement parks. And chances are you’ve been trying to recreate those kinds of memories with your own family. But now that the summer is over, it may seem like those opportunities are fading with the heat.

If you want to do something fun with your family this fall but don’t have the time to go on a long trip, consider these staycation ideas in your area:

Fall Festivals & Pumpkin Patches — During the fall, there are plenty of local fall festivals and pumpkin patches that can provide you with plenty of opportunities for family fun. Many of these don’t just have the opportunity to buy or carve pumpkins. They also feature cornfield mazes, games, arts and crafts, and great snacks like funnel cake and hot apple cider.

Haunted Houses — For those with older kids, you might want to check out the local area for a haunted house. Many of these attractions are enlarging over the years from a simple house to outdoor trails through mazes or the woods complete with scary characters ready to give you the chills.

County Fairs — Another great activity during this time of year is annual county fairs that pop up in locations across the country. These fairs, complete with kiddie rides and more exciting activities for the adventurous, are really popular. And you might even want to try one of the scary fried concoctions that appear every year like fried Oreos or even fried bubble gum. (Yes, that’s really a thing.)

Camping Trip — Once the summer heat dips, then fall is a great chance to get outside and do some camping. Whether it’s in a cabin in a state park or just a tent in the backyard, all of these activities let you get back to nature. This is also the perfect time of year for this so that you can enjoy the fall foliage and watch the leaves change colors.

Get Outdoors — Even if camping isn’t your thing, this is also a good time to enjoy outdoor activities. Try hiking a trail or taking a kayak for a short trip around a lake.

All of these activities are great opportunities to build memories and bond as a family. The fall also presents you with staycations that you don’t get to try during the rest of the year.

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Hosting Your Own Outdoor Movie Night

Written by Marybeth Heckler on July 23, 2020. Posted in Motherhood.

Summer has always been when the best blockbuster movie hits would come to a theater near you. Escape the heat and watch superheroes or villains on screen, what else could be better, right? Especially when you’re looking for activities to do with your family.

This summer, everything is just a bit different. Seeing movies in a theater is no exception. But what’s the next best thing? Seeing a movie in your own backyard!

This is a great way to enjoy the weather and get out of the house. It’s a fun activity for the family to enjoy and if you’re careful about social distancing, you could invite a friend or two over.

So, what is needed to have a backyard movie night? Here are a few things to consider:

Equipment – You will need special equipment to accomplish a fun night out watching movies. First, you’ll want a projector. These come in a variety of quality and prices with the cheapest being around $100.

Next, you’ll need a screen to show the movie on. You can find different types just for this purpose online. Some are inflatable while others have poles to put together similar to a tent. These range in price as well with the cheapest being about $100. Depending on your backyard arrangement, you might get away with a sheet draped over a wall or the fencing or use the wall/fencing itself.

You’ll want to be able to hear the movie and that means you need speakers. You can find a variety of loud outdoor speakers online. Some are even waterproof. Prices range from over $100 to much more than that.

Comfort Items – Since this is your home and you want to enjoy it comfortably, you want to think about what you have on hand to help minimize cost. You can use towels or beach/lawn blankets for sitting on the lawn. If getting up and down from the ground is not your style, you could consider an outdoor lounger or use an existing camping chair.

It’s not the movies without popcorn and something fun to drink. So you may want to stock up on popcorn and popcorn boxes as well as your favorite soda or fruit drink. Having a cooler outside with ice will keep you from having to keep going inside to refill empty cups.

Summer Movie Fun at Home Is Possible

Having a fun time with your family is possible this summer. You’ll always remember watching movies with your kids making memories together.

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Ideas for Celebrating National Get Outdoors Day While Social Distancing

Written by Marybeth Heckler on June 11, 2020. Posted in Motherhood.

In Colorado, we are used to being kept indoors by inclement weather. But the temperatures are rising and the days are getting sunnier and many of us are still stuck inside thanks to COVID-19.

The lockdown has already canceled or postponed many activities, events, and festivals. But one that you can still celebrate is National Get Outdoors Day. At a time when many of us are eager to get outdoors and enjoy the warm weather, it is still important to modify this celebration with some simple changes thanks to social distancing guidelines.

What is National Get Outdoors Day?

June is already designated as National Great Outdoors Month, encouraging people to explore the wildlife refuges and parks in the U.S. to appreciate the natural beauty around us. Since 2008, Colorado has gone a step further with Get Outdoors Colorado Day.

This event is held on the second Saturday of June and is a free, family-friendly event meant to promote access to safe outdoor spaces and nature exploration. Generally, activities have included biking, boating, climbing, fishing, hiking, and swimming. Although the COVID-19 lockdown is definitely going to put a damper on the event, it is not going to completely end it.

Outdoor Social Distancing Guidelines

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are 3 major guidelines that would affect Get Outdoors Colorado Day. First, the CDC encourages you, when in public, to stay at least 6 feet from other people. They also stress not gathering in groups and staying away from mass gatherings and crowded places. Ultimately, this means that you don’t want to be in close contact with anyone outside of your family or household.

How to Get Outdoors While Staying Safe

Just because you have to practice social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the great outdoors. First, you can enjoy the outdoors just by going into your backyard and doing a little gardening. But if you do want to venture outside into parks and wildlife preserves, there are still several activities you can take part in while social distancing.

Boating and kayaking can easily be enjoyed while maintaining a safe distance from other people. Fishing has long been a more solitary activity as too many people in one area can scare off the fish. Or, if you want, just go for a hike in the woods and make sure that you steer clear of other hikers by at least six feet. As long as you aren’t clumped up in one area, you will still be following the CDC guidelines.

Just because you have to practice social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Get Outdoors Day. This annual event is the perfect opportunity to shake off that cabin fever and get some fresh air while still staying safe.

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Curbside Celebrations for Those in Denver

Written by Marybeth Heckler on June 4, 2020. Posted in Denver, Homeowner, Motherhood.

While everyone is in lockdown thanks to the current pandemic, it is important to remember that major life events are still going on. And it goes without saying that you should still spend the time to celebrate these events.

Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, or some other milestone, COVID-19 shouldn’t completely take away your ability to celebrate. It just means that you need to change HOW you celebrate the event.

Here are a few ideas for curbside (or online) celebrations for those of you in Denver:

Let them eat cake — There are lots of different bakeries in Denver that are having to adjust the way they do business. Some of these bakeries are offering curbside pick-up for their cakes while others are doing home deliveries. Regardless of which method you use, these bakeries have unique creations that will pick up any celebration. Some of our favorites include:

Mermaids Bakery – This local bakery has a lot of creative creations, but our absolute favorite is their cake made to look like the hottest commodity during the pandemic—a roll of toilet paper. This may sound bizarre, but the artistry is incredible and makes for a unique cake. Of course, they also have traditional birthday cakes as well.

El Antojo Denver – Another unique cake shop offering curbside pickup is Cakes El Antojo. This one has also made some great lockdown themed birthday cakes including one that is made to look like a case of Clorox wipes.

Schedule a parade (or have an online party) — Another popular activity that you can do to help celebrate birthdays and special events is a curbside party. Simply have people load into their cars with signs and balloons showing their love for the person being celebrated and then drive by their home at a designated time. These “drive-by” parties may not be for everyone, so another alternative is an online party. You can have party boxes and favors delivered to your guests and invite everyone to check in on Zoom for an online gathering to get you out of the lockdown doldrums.

Have a drink — Just because you’re on lockdown doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate with adult libations. For such events, you can get alcoholic beverages delivered to your home or schedule them for curbside pickup and take them back to celebrate. Many breweries in the area are not offering to-go options for their specialty beers. Or, you can get a growler of local beer from Craft Alley and have it delivered to your home so you can celebrate with a cold one.

Just because we are on lockdown doesn’t mean that we have to give up on all of the activities that we enjoy. Birthdays and anniversaries only come around once a year, so it’s important to get creative and keep celebrating.

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Backyard Summer Camp for Kids

Written by Marybeth Heckler on May 21, 2020. Posted in Motherhood.

Summer is coming and for those of us who have been tucked away in quarantine, it may seem like we’ve already been on one continuous break with the kids. But, now that distance learning is taking a break, there may be fewer activities for you to keep the kids active. But you don’t want to let them become couch potatoes and video game zombies.

Here are ways to recreate the summer camp experience in your own backyard.

These activities are guaranteed to help you keep the kids from being bored and help you maintain your sanity this summer.

Sprinkler Fun — Let’s start with a tried-and-true favorite from everyone’s childhood: playing in the water sprinkler. This is the perfect way to get cool on a hot summer day.

A DIY idea for this is to make your own sprinkler. Get a 2-liter soda bottle (empty) and poke holes in the plastic with a knife or scissors. Then, attach the garden hose to the bottle and affix it with duct tape. Once you crank up the water, it will come shooting out of the holes and your kids can have fun jumping through the stream.

Soda Bottle Rocket — While you’ve got those empty soda bottles, try this little science project. First, tape pencils to the sides of the bottle so that the bottle can be placed opening down without covering the neck of the bottle.

Then, fill the bottle with vinegar, add baking soda, and then quickly cover the bottle opening with a cork. Flip the rocket upside down so it rests on the pencils and wait for the chemical reaction to shoot the rocket into the air.

Make a Shaving Cream Painting — This one may sound bizarre but hold on a minute. It’s actually a great way to get artistic expression and fun sensory play combined.

Get several cans of shaving cream from your local dollar store. Then, use food coloring to dye the shaving cream into different colors. Set up a tarp in the backyard and let your kids use the colored shaving cream to create pictures from rainbows to sky scenes to whatever their imagination can conjure up.

It’s messy fun, and the tarp can be easily hosed down and reused later if the kids want to try this again.

Tightrope Walking — If you want to help your kids train for a career in the circus (or at least work with their motor skills), do a tightrope play area. If you have two sturdy trees, run two soft ropes between them. It doesn’t have to be high—just a couple of inches.

Then place the second rope high enough for your child to use as a handhold as they walk across the lower rope. If you don’t have a pair of trees, you can also use fence posts or poles in a pinch.

This year, we may still be dealing with a quarantine lockdown in our homes. But that doesn’t mean you can’t let your child explore their backyard and turn it into a home summer camp with these activities.

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Where to Get Delivery for Brunch for Mother’s Day in Denver

Written by Marybeth Heckler on May 3, 2020. Posted in Motherhood.

COVID-19 has already changed so many things in our lives that it’s nice to hold on to some bits of normalcy. This Mother’s Day, it’s not going to be possible to go out for brunch at a nice restaurant or café.

But it is going to be possible to have the brunch brought to you. Most restaurants are staying afloat right now by either offering their own delivery options or partnering with delivery services such as DoorDash and UberEats.

So, this year for Mother’s Day, check out these great delivery brunches in Denver…you can even get them to supply the mimosas!

Snooze Eatery – Snooze has multiple locations that all offer great options for brunch deliveries. We highly recommend the Sweet Potato Bacon Smashup (a mixture of two griddled smashed sweet potatoes with poached egg, avocado, pickled onions, and paprika topped with black pepper maple syrup and bacon). If you decide to go for the flight of pancakes, be sure to try the Blueberry Danish Pancakes or Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes.

Bacon Social House – For now, they are calling themselves the Bacon Social Distancing House and for good reason. This location is offering great bacon options with deliveries straight to you. You can get a bacon flight with an assortment of options including applewood, BBQ, candied, or habanero bacon. Another great option is their Bacon Shrimp and Grits or the Boozy French Toast (made with Grand Marnier and Bourbon Bacon Caramel).

Jelly Café – Jelly café’s motto is “Eat More Jelly” and with the great menu options, it’s easy to see why. One of the more unusual options is the Lavender Blueberry, a serving of blueberry pancakes topped with lavender blueberry preserves. Or if that isn’t different enough for you, how about French toast coated in corn flakes with seasonal berries? One of the perennial Jelly Café favorites is the donut bites that can be ordered in batches of 4, 8, or 12.

Denver Biscuit Company – Our last option is a great choice for those who like homemade biscuits. The Denver Biscuit company has a dozen biscuit sandwich options including the Winona (fried chicken and pimento cheese) or the Colfax A (ham, collard greens, fried eggs, and hot sauce). For something really decadent, try the Shrimp and Grits in a homemade biscuit bowl or the Biscuit Pot Pie.

These are just four restaurants that are offering delivery specials every day including brunch options on Mother’s Day. The quarantine doesn’t have to ruin your special day with your mom and kids.

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Stress Relief Techniques for Moms

Written by Marybeth Heckler on March 15, 2020. 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:

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.
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.
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.
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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Easy Self-Care Routines for Busy Moms

Written by Marybeth Heckler on February 16, 2020. Posted in Motherhood.

If you’re a mom, then you know just how selfless the job can be. Time can seem like a commodity just as important as money or credit.

But most moms also know that they have a tendency to spend their time on others—balancing family, career, volunteering, and the dozen other myriad activities that make up our day.

What usually gets lost by the wayside is time for yourself. And this can be very dangerous. If you don’t take time to care for yourself, then you’re at risk of running yourself so ragged you can’t take part in the activities you are needed for.

That’s why you need to implement these self-care routines to improve your overall health and well-being:

First, let’s talk about self-care for the body. You must stay active if you are going to keep yourself going. Unfortunately, active doesn’t mean bouncing out of the minivan to pick up a Starbucks coffee in between work and dropping off the kids at sports practice. Spend some time each week to just do some kind of physical activity. After you drop off the kids at practice, take a walk around the field or the block. Spend an hour each week practicing yoga. Or you can just spend time at home, outside, doing something physical and a little Zen like working in the yard or tending to a garden.
Next, you also need to keep your mind engaged. Studies have shown that incorporating good habits to keep yourself mentally aware can stave off diseases later in life like dementia. So for now, spend a few minutes each night before bed reading something for yourself or quietly meditating. You can also start keeping a journal to document your ideas and feelings. If you are artistic, drawing or painting classes might help out. (If you aren’t artistic, but wish you were, pick up an adult coloring book that are at every bookstore.) Take some time to work on a jigsaw puzzle or play a board game. (This one’s easy to do because you can get the kids involved.)
Finally, do something nice for yourself regularly that can help you on a personal or spiritual level. Take a class where you can meet new people and experience new things. Have a girl’s night out once a month to just unwind and relax and socialize. Or you can even just set aside an hour each week for a nice long relaxing bubble bath. All of these can help you cleanse the spirit and rejuvenate you for the rest of the week.

Moms have a rough job, but a rewarding one. But you aren’t good to anyone if you let yourself get worn down by doing too much. Take care of yourself as well as your family and you will be better as a mom in the long run.

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Ideas for Closing Out Your Year

Written by Marybeth Heckler on December 22, 2019. Posted in Motherhood.

Before the New Year rolls around and you start trying to keep your resolutions, it’s a good idea to think back on 2019 with some reflections. Part of growth as an individual is to recognize what went well and what didn’t so you can grow from your mistakes.

Here are ideas you can use to close out your year in a positive light:

List your accomplishments — Start off your year-end wrap-up with a list of all your accomplishments. Don’t let any of them slip by, not even the small ones. It could be something as “simple” as organizing your household paperwork or cleaning out the junk room. It can be reading at least one book a week to improve yourself mentally or spiritually. Or it can be major goals like spending more time with your family and friends each month. Whatever your goals were in the previous year, acknowledge the things you’ve accomplished.

Celebrate what you’ve achieved — The New Year is a time to celebrate new beginnings. But also celebrate the things that you’ve done in the past year. If you’ve managed to reach your goals, treat yourself to something special. It can be a night out at your favorite restaurant or a special item that you’ve had your eye on. Regardless of what you choose, it will be able to motivate you to achieve more things in the coming year.

Forgive your own mistakes — Acknowledge that you have made mistakes. But the important thing here is to forgive yourself for making them. A good visualization exercise would be to list out mistakes and missteps you made in the past year. Then take the list and burn it. Don’t linger on your mistakes but learn from them so you don’t repeat them.

Find your joy — Find what makes you happy and embrace it. It can be any kind of hobby or activity. If you like sports and exercise, celebrate that and make it the focus of your coming year. If you are a fan of movies, then make it a goal to go to one a month. Whatever is your source of joy, list it and make it your centerpiece for the coming year.

Set goals for the coming year — Now, it’s time to set goals for your new year. Don’t try to make resolutions since these are easily broken. Just set a series of goals that you want to achieve in the new year such as specific activities you want to take part in.

In the coming year, it is important to set goals for self-improvement that can guide you. This will help you cultivate a growth mindset in everything that you do.

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