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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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Giving Back This Holiday Season (And All Year Long)

Written by Marybeth Heckler on December 15, 2019. Posted in Holidays.

It’s become a cliché, but the holidays are truly a time of giving to others. If you remember your Charlie Brown Christmas special, the crass commercialism of the modern world is trying to destroy that spirit.

That’s why it is so important to show generosity to others by giving back. It’s not only something you should do during the holidays but should be a year-round endeavor.

Here are ideas on how you can give back now and all year long:

Quick change — Most of us have that change jar in our house or a cubby in our car where we throw our loose coins. Rather than using this for an occasional soda, take it into a bank and exchange it for hard cash and then donate this to a local charity.

In fact, relabel your change jar as the donations jar and keep putting in extra money year-round. (Another great use for your coins is to take them down to the local Salvation Army bell-ringers and just pour the whole jar in. They’d love to have all of that change at once and you won’t have to cash it in first.)

Volunteer — Another popular form of giving back to the community is volunteering. One of the most popular forms of this is to help out with the local food bank or homeless shelter serving holiday meals. But the reality is that many of these already get tons of help during the holidays.

If you want to assist with serving meals or donating food, do this in the spring and summer when demand is high, but donations are low. Instead, donate your time to a local nursing home. And remember that it’s not just human beings you can give back to. Your local animal shelter would love toys and food for the animals there. You can also donate your time caring for the animals housed at the shelter.

Build relationships — One of the greatest things you can do is to develop a bond with another human being. During the holidays, thousands of senior citizens are alone. Talk to your local senior center and see if they can let you come in and visit with these individuals so they don’t have to be so alone at this time of year.

These bonding activities can include sitting and talking, reading to them, or singing Christmas carols as a family or group. If you develop a connection, you may be able to have them join your family for dinner over the holidays. Chances are, if you try this you will develop a connection that will last long after the holidays are over.

During the holidays, many people get an entitled attitude of “give me more.” But it is also imperative that you give back to the community, especially if you have little ones that you want to inspire to do the same.

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Gardens & Nurseries to Visit in Denver This Holiday Season

Written by Marybeth Heckler on December 8, 2019. Posted in Denver, Holidays.

Winter in Colorado conjures up images of snow-capped mountains and evergreen trees. The last thing most people think of is flowers and vegetation. But there are actually a number of botanical gardens and nurseries that thrive during this time of year.

As part of your holiday activities, here are some of the best gardens that Denver has to offer for you and your family:

Denver Botanic Gardens – This public garden is known for its beauty and the holidays are no exception. Stop by to check out their Winter Gift Market. Here, local artisans can help you find unique gifts for your friends and family. Local craft booths include jewelry, pottery, specialty foods, clothes, antiques, and bath supplies.

Tagawa Gardens – This nursery is known for celebrating the holidays in style with a variety of plants for your home. Of special interest for many people will be the array of poinsettias they have for sale. Tagawa has experts who specifically choose plants that will thrive in Denver’s homes so you know your plant will last with a little TLC.

They’re also the official garden center for the Denver Broncos, so you can be sure to find plenty of orange and blue poinsettias for you football fans. For those who are looking for holiday gifts, you might want to consider an amaryllis, azalea, or even a Christmas cactus, all of which will thrive in the local environment.

The Hudson Gardens and Events Center – This location offers beautiful self-guided nature walks that don’t stop just because the temperatures drop. For the adventurous, you can still walk through gorgeous landscapes to get in touch with nature. But Hudson Gardens also offers A Hudson Christmas.

Here, the landscape is transformed into a winter wonderland with lights adorning the trees and special displays set up to delight the kids. While you are there enjoying the lights, you can also warm up with hot chocolate and snacks. For the young (or young at heart) you can visit with Santa. Be sure to bring your camera to catch memories of this holiday festival.

Nick’s Garden Center and Farm Market – This great local nursery, Nick’s hosts a holiday open house on November 23^rd and 24^th to kick off the season. But if you can’t make that, they still have a multitude of holiday plants and a Christmas tree lot to help you bring the beauty of the outdoors into your home.

For the holidays, Denver can truly be an awe-inspiring place. But the natural beauty of this area isn’t confined to the mountains and forests. These gardens and nurseries can also entrance you with delight this holiday season.

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Holiday Activity Calendar for Families Seeking More Christmas Spirit

Written by Marybeth Heckler on December 1, 2019. Posted in Holidays.

Nobody wants to be the Ebenezer Scrooge in their family yelling “Bah Humbug!” at the thought of Christmas. But with all of the stress of the holidays, it’s easy to find yourself falling out of the Christmas spirit.

Whether you have little ones who still believe in Santa, or you’re older and feel too “grown up” for Christmas, here are activities for you and your family that can put a smile on your face and warmth in your heart:

Advent Calendars — Some of us fondly remember the advent calendars of our youth that counted down until Christmas. Each day, you would open a window on the calendar and get a piece of chocolate. (Always a plus!)

As a family, create your own advent calendar. Tape the “presents” to each day on a regular calendar. (This is great because you can choose your own candy.) If you want to excite the older kids (or yourself), advent calendars have moved beyond the norm.

Try one of these variations:

Funko Pops — These collectible vinyl figures are super cool and can make for a great holiday tradition.
Legos — These super-cool calendars feature mini-figures each day in a variety of themes. Just don’t leave them on the floor to step on them.
Wine — This one is definitely for the adults! But check out a sampling of wines each day to make you warm and festive.

Santa — You’re never too old for Santa. This year, take part in some kind of activity that features the jolly fat man. Start by writing a letter to Santa thanking him for last year’s gifts and dreaming of what you really want this year. Then, make a trip to the local mall and have pictures with Santa.

Yes, it’s still perfectly acceptable to do this even without kids! If your pets are like family, take them as well to the local pet store for their own set of pictures. Finally, spend a day or two before Christmas baking special cookies for Santa and then leave them out on Christmas Eve. Just make sure they are your favorite types so you can enjoy them when the kids go to sleep.

Tacky Light Tour — Some families have turned their homes into the Griswold house from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Round up the family in your mini-van, throw in some blankets and hot chocolate, and drive around watching the Christmas lights. Just don’t forget your camera and a sampling of Christmas music for the trip.

Movie Marathon — Christmas is the best holiday when it comes to movies that warm the heart. Introduce your little ones to classic Christmas movies like the original Christmas Carol or Miracle on 34^th Street.

Of course, It’s a Wonderful Life is also a perennial favorite. After the kids go to bed, check out non-traditional Christmas movies with Die Hard or Love Actually.

Make a late resolution this year to do something special for Christmas. It can be anything as long as it brings happiness, joy, and warmth to you and your family.

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Teaching Your Children How to Be Compassionate

Written by Marybeth Heckler on November 24, 2019. Posted in Motherhood.

In the past few years, bullying has taken center stage as a major problem among our youth. Be it physical bullying in schools or psychological intimidation on social media, this has caused parents, educators, and policy-makers to stand up and take notice.

All of the “zero tolerance” policies in the world, though, will have no impact on children and their behavior unless we begin to teach our kids how to be more compassionate. We have to be able to see our actions and behaviors through the lens of someone else so that we can see how those actions impact others.

Here, then, are ways you can help your child show more sympathy and empathy towards others:

Lead by Example — The first thing you need to do is to show your child how to be compassionate with your own words and actions. Speak kindly and sympathetically of others and try not to be abrasive or critical of others in conversation (at least not within earshot of the kids). Also, show compassion to others in your everyday actions. This can be just as simple as teaching your child to look others in the eye and say “Hello” as they walk by. This teaches them to see others as people deserving of respect, an important step towards compassion.

Volunteer — Another important step in demonstrating compassion yourself is to volunteer your time helping others. Most people think of this as volunteering at soup kitchens and, while that is a great way to help others, you can also do this in smaller stages such as helping a neighbor with lawn work or tutoring kids after school. Your children should see that you are compassionate towards others so they can then turn this into their own actions. You can also introduce them to charitable organizations that seek to help others who are less fortunate, such as Meals-on-Wheels or those who are sick, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Get a Pet — One of the big reasons many people suggest getting a pet is because they can teach your child lessons that will stay with them for their whole lives. If your child has to clean up after, feed, and walk a pet, they learn to care for something besides themselves, a key component in compassion. If you are worried about making a major commitment with a cat or dog, start with something small like a fish.

If the people of the world could learn to be more compassionate, then a lot of our problems would actually fix themselves. But none of this will become a reality until we take the step to teach this to our children and the younger generations.

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Showing Gratitude for Your Living Space

Written by Marybeth Heckler on November 17, 2019. Posted in Homeowner.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and that means millions of people will be sitting around dinner tables to share what they are thankful for this past year. Many will speak of friends, family, and co-workers who have positively impacted their lives in 2019.

But one area you should also be grateful for is your living space—be it a home, apartment, or wherever you hang your metaphorical hat. This Thanksgiving, take the time to show your gratitude for your home by treating it a little nicer. This will not only improve the feelings in your home but also help you feel more at rest and peaceful when you walk into it.

Choose one big project to complete — “Big” project in this case can be a relative term. Just choose one thing that you can do a deep cleaning of to help make your home feel like a better place. This can be something small like cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer or even just a shelf or two in the pantry. Or it can be a complete deep clean of the entire kitchen or bathroom. You can go out and do something that feels truly massive—like cleaning out the garage or attic storage or finally finishing that deck you’ve been wanting for years. Or it can be something as small as sweeping out the entryway, clearing away the cobwebs, and adding a new welcome mat.

Liven up the house — Another thing that you can do is appeal to two huge senses—that of sight and smell. Bring fresh flowers into your home to not only beautify the house visually, but also add some wonderful aromas to your living space. You can also add new air fresheners in each of your main rooms to help give the air a cleaner, fresher smell.

Add an accessory — Another way to liven up your house and show your gratitude towards it is to add one new accessory to your home. This can be a small piece of furniture like an end table—antique stores would be a great place to look for these. Or it can also be as simple as a new throw rug or runner in your entryway, a new lamp for the den, or even just a new tablecloth for the dining room table.

Rearrange and redecorate — Liven things up in your home by choosing one room to rearrange. This could be a small thing, like rearranging the layout of your den or bedroom by moving a few pieces of furniture. Or it can be a total redecoration with new paint and pictures to grace your walls. Whichever you choose, you will see an improvement in your home and your feelings toward it.

This Thanksgiving you should really take just a little bit of time to show your love and gratitude for your living space. By doing so, you can improve your feelings of happiness and joy each and every day.

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Prepping Your Household for the Holidays

Written by Marybeth Heckler on November 10, 2019. Posted in Homeowner.

Just like the certainty of death and taxes, the impending arrival of the holiday season is upon us. While many people dread this time of year because of the stress associated with it, it should be a time of celebration and communing with friends and family.

In order to truly enjoy this season without being stressed out, it’s important to get your household in check before the holiday gatherings begin.

Here’s how you can do everything for the holidays while still maintaining your sanity:

Make a list…check it twice — The first thing you need to do is take an inventory of your home and look for the areas that need to be worked on. You don’t need to clean and overhaul every single aspect of your house. Just focus on those areas that need the work and organization before your guests arrive. This would include high-traffic areas that your guests will be visiting, such as the living room, den, dining room, kitchen, and guest bathrooms (and bedrooms if you plan on having overnight guests). Areas like the garage and master suite can probably be put on the back burner until spring cleaning comes around.

Go room by room — Once you have an idea of what needs to be tackled, then you should go room by room and take care of cutting out the clutter before you move on to the next room. If you have kids, this is the perfect time to clean out all those unused and/or broken toys before Santa brings a fresh load of stuff. An important thing to teach your child is the importance of generosity during this time of year, so be sure to get them to donate their old toys and clothes to those less fortunate.

Clean before you decorate — It doesn’t make sense to put up your giant tree and decorations and then try to clean around it. Instead, get everything cleaned thoroughly before you decorate. This includes getting rid of all the dust, vacuuming, and wiping down walls and baseboards. Sure, these items may not be visible when the decorations are up, but you will have peace of mind knowing that it has been taken care of.

Delegate — The holidays come with a whole extra level of cleaning and daily pickup to keep your house looking great for your guests. Don’t try to do all of this alone. Instead, delegate the jobs to all of the members of your household so that you don’t get burned out doing it all. A chore list just for the holiday season is a great idea for staying organized.

One of the biggest things to remember is that a clean home may be important during your holiday season, but it is not the most important part of the holiday. If you spend so much time stressing about cleaning up, then you won’t be able to actually sit back and enjoy time with your friends and family. That is the truly best part of the holidays and one that you don’t want to skimp on just to keep your house clean.

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How Kindness & Compassion Will Improve Your Life

Written by Marybeth Heckler on November 3, 2019. Posted in Motherhood.

Kindness and compassion are two of the defining characteristics that make us a part of humanity as a whole. It’s actually a natural instinct among people, but some repress this feeling or ignore it because they are not mindful of the world around them.

It is the ability to acknowledge those around you, recognize their needs, commiserate with them, and even to show them compassion and sympathy when needed. But compassion can go beyond helping others—it can also benefit you as well.

Kindness can improve your health — Showing kindness and compassion can help improve your physical and mental health by lowering your stress levels, anxiety, and depression. When you perform an act of kindness, it gives you a positive feeling that translates into these healthy benefits. But it goes beyond that. When your stress and anxiety levels decrease, you can actually see a similar decrease in high blood pressure and an overall improvement in your ability to fight off diseases with a boost to your immunities.

Kindness can improve your personal happiness — One of the biggest benefits is that being kind helps you to feel happier in general. When you are focused on nothing but negativity around you, you tend to fall into a cycle of cynicism and depression. By breaking this cycle to show compassion to your fellow human beings, you are giving yourself a boost to your personal well-being.

Kindness allows you to expand your perspective — By showing kindness to others, you are allowing yourself to see the world from that person’s perspective. As Atticus Finch said in To Kill a Mockingbird, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Showing compassion lets you do that in a real world setting so that you can understand what the other person is feeling.

Kindness can improve the world around you — It may seem like a cliché, but kindness is contagious. If you show others an act of kindness or compassion, they and those around you are more likely to “pay it forward” and share that same action with others. When this happens, you actually help make the world a better place. And who doesn’t want to make the world a little bit better?

Kindness and compassion are two very important traits that need to be cultivated as much as possible. It may sound like a naïve proposition, but if everyone could just go out of their way to be a little kinder, the world would be a better place to live in.

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The Power of a Good Decluttering Session

Written by Marybeth Heckler on October 27, 2019. Posted in Homeowner.

We’re all enjoying Fall but that doesn’t mean you can’t do a little spring cleaning right now. In fact, we encourage people to do this as the holiday season approaches.

Whether you need the room for new toys for the little ones or are feeling cramped just ahead of visiting relatives for the holidays, it’s always a good idea to run a decluttering session in your home. And the benefits go beyond just feeling less packed in. There are actual health benefits to decluttering your home.

The Benefits – We already know the obvious one here: less clutter means less stuff to have to clean and dust plus less stuff to trip over and step around.

But did you ever consider the psychological benefits of a decluttered home? Mentally, having less clutter keeps you less anxious. By looking all the time at the stuff in your home, you may be thinking that you have to clean it or move it or pick it up. With less things to clutter the home, you have less worries.

Also, when you are decluttering your house, we encourage you to donate all the unneeded items. The act of donation shows gratitude and a sense of wanting to help others, not trying to foist your unwanted junk on someone else. So, donating these items can help you with your overall personal outlook on life.

How to Declutter — The best way to do this is on a room-by-room approach. Go into each room with the mindset of getting rid of things you no longer need or want, are broken, or not being used.

The best way to do this is to set up three different piles for your “stuff.” The first pile will be things that you plan to keep. These should be your essentials as well as those personal items that you could never bring yourself to part with. The second pile should be for things that you wish to donate. If you haven’t used it or looked at something in over a year, chances are you don’t need it. Unless it has serious sentimental value (like a family heirloom), then put it in the donation bin.

Reserve the third pile for trash and make sure that this one is your smallest pile. Even if you think it is trash, someone might be able to find use or value in it with a donation. Only toss things in here if they are broken beyond repair or something that no one could possibly want.

Maintaining a Clutter-Free Zone — Once you have your house de-cluttered, try to maintain it as best as possible. A good rule of thumb (especially for kids and toys) is that for every new item you purchase, one old item needs to be donated. This will keep the clutter down to a minimum and help keep your peace of mind.

An uncluttered home is often the sign of a happy soul as it means that you are not letting your personal possessions take over and rule your life and home. By spending some time decluttering your house, you can ensure some peace and calm in your own life.

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Impress Your House Guests on a Budget

Written by Marybeth Heckler on October 20, 2019. Posted in Homeowner, Motherhood.

Benjamin Franklin famously said that “fish and visitors smell after three days.” While Mr. Franklin may have been alluding to the idea of guests overstaying their welcome, many of us love the idea of playing host and welcoming in houseguests for either dinner parties or overnight visits.

But one of the problems with these types of visits is the need to overdo things and try to do “too much” to impress our guests. Here are some tips you can use to impress your guests if you are working on a budget:

Keep everyone entertained — It’s great to think that all your guests will be able to sit around and mingle with lively conversation. But as a host of a gathering, you still need to provide some entertainment for your guests. This doesn’t have to be really expensive. In fact, one entertainment item is making a huge comeback—board games. Whether it’s old favorites like Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit or newer adult-oriented games like Cards Against Humanity, these activities can get people mingling, talking, and laughing in no time with a very small investment on your part.

Spruce up the bathroom — This is where you can really shine with your guests. Add nice fluffy hand towels in the guest bathroom and throw in a scented candle for ambiance and decoration. Hand soaps and lotions are another good choice, just be sure to include a scented and non-scented option for those with allergies.

Keep them eating — The key to a person’s heart is through the stomach and you want to make sure your guests have plenty to munch on. Ask them ahead of time if they have any allergies so you can avoid these foods. Then set out food spots around the house. If you have guests for overnight, be sure to keep plenty of fresh water, juice, and soda on hand as well as snack items in the pantry and fridge. Good options here would be granola bars and cheese sticks. If you are working on a budget, stock up at your local warehouse store and buy in bulk. You can always chow down on the leftovers after your guests leave.

Get personal — If you’re having overnight house guests, a simple and inexpensive thing to impress them is with a personalized note. Simply get a small card or piece of stationery and write a personal note welcoming them to your home. If you really want to make it feel like an upscale hotel, have this on the guest bed which has been turned down with a piece of chocolate on the pillows.

Entertaining house guests doesn’t mean that you have to break your bank. Whether they are coming over for dinner or staying for a weekend, there are plenty of ways that you can welcome them to your home and impress them while still staying firmly on a budget.

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