Living in the Magic
Parenting Boys in Aspen
Raising three boys in Aspen, Colorado has it’s amazing benefits; the outdoor lifestyle, the ability to ski on school days where the high school has an open campus, the quietness, the safety. But living in a mountain resort town also has it’s challenges. Being surrounded by extreme wealth and sometimes over privileged friends can make parenting challenging. On top of that, living in a resort town where marijuana is legalized, and lack of good health care for our children is a scary world to raise children in, especially now that we know so much more about the developing brain.
Under no means do I claim to have all the answers, and the verdict is still out on how we do as parents, but we do have many insightful and useful tips that we learn along the way and hope that we can help our readers gain better insight into the world of parenting. Start here.
[su_heading]A Mother Gives Thanks[/su_heading] If we could, would we raise our children any differently knowing then what we know now? The woman who submitted her story for me to publish to my readers listened carefully as I trepidatiously asked her for more details. I…
It is with bittersweet emotions that I post these pictures taken by Michele Cardamone on prom night 2018. With our boys growing up so quickly before our eyes, I meditate religiously and do yoga to do my best to slow down and soak in…
Parenting Teens in a Legalized Marijuana Resort Town When people think of life in Aspen, some may sneer at thoughts of kids being dropped off at the high school in cars that cost more than thir homes. They may feel envy for families with…
Healing with Horses There are many incredible organizations helping children in our valley, WindWalkers is one of them. Located on a beautiful ranch in Missouri Heights where sage brush infuses the Colorado air, Windwalkers is an equine assisted learning and therapy center where individuals with challenges,…
[su_heading size=”28″]Imagining Life Without Children[/su_heading] When people ask me if I love having children my answer is always conflicted. Honestly, I love having children. It is my vocation, my life, it is what I signed up for. There would be no magic for me…
[su_heading size=”18″]Seeing Aspen Through a Teenager’s Eyes [/su_heading] It has been a long time since I have actually written about the children of Aspen Real Life, as soon as the older ones turned 14, all bets were off. They went from take me, film me, let…
2015 results from surveys given to Aspen High School students reveal that it is time for parents to take their power back.
[su_heading size=”18″]Parenting As We Go Along[/su_heading] Let’s face it, as beautiful and rewarding as it can be to be a parent it can also bite so hard that it wakes you up at 3am in a cold sweat from revealed truths marred by…
Raising a teen in the legalized marijuana state of Colorado isn’t easy, but somebody’s gotta do it!
[su_heading size=”18″]Trying to Survive Without Sleep[/su_heading] Last night I skinned up Buttermilk with my fellow Monday evening companions. We gathered in the parking lot as we put our skins on our skis and stuffed our packs with lights and warm clothes for the descent….
So, here I am with a thirteen year old boy and two other’s following in his footsteps, and I can tell you that my husband and I are NOT prepared. So what to do?
[su_heading size=”18″]A Mommy Gangsta Rapper[/su_heading] A Mother’s Rap Song Why is life so never about me? I take the burden so heavily It used to be so indispensably Only about my individuality But love can be so slippery It’s all about give me, get…
As I think about Mother’s Day, memories come tumbling forth from my childhood and I wonder if my boys are as lucky as I was to have the most incredible mother one could ever have.
With springtime, comes growing boys and feisty behavior. As a mom with two jobs and three kids, it’s not always easy to stay on top of parenting.
The “I Believe in Art” online auctio, featuring 90+ original and unique contemporary artworks — including selections from the renowned art collection of The Little Nell, is underway now through this Friday at noon. The sale showcases artworks by boldfaced names such as Karl Hollinger, Thomas Benton, Mark Cesark, Kris Cox, and Jody Guralnick, among its assembly of dozens of artists who have donated pieces. In the final countdown, there are still great deals on extraordinary art to be found and it’s for a great cause, to help the Aspen Community School build a new school.
I’m thinking that if you are anything like me, too busy to take care of yourself, especially the emotional side, which results in embarrassing breakdowns with strangers, than it is time to take control over our lives and stop being such ninnies. And so, let’s do it together shall we? Let’s trust our intuition and enjoy life while we are in it and not sweat the small things…. no matter how large they feel at the time.
What do you remember from your days of summer as a youth? Are your parents part of your memories? Maybe we should stop working so hard and let the kids do all the planning!
Let’s get back to that word…dysfunctional. Is it me or is every family loud, crazy and disorganized?
Re-entry back to Aspen “Real” Life has been a bit brutal on me. But I am coming out of it and determined to get organized for the remaining two weeks of summer. Not known for being one of those Colorado moms who takes my kids backpacking into the wilderness on a daily basis, I’m devising a plan on how to get revved up and get on it! Help?
As we travel about life, I wonder how many of us are reflective of our Horoscopes and our signs?
When one thinks of spring break in Aspen, images of families smiling on the ski slopes comes to mind. For me? Not so much. The reality is that the idea of getting out of the snow was far more appealing, so off we went to Denver.
It is important to understand why we have aversions and phobias to certain things so that we may try to overcome them. One of my phobias is being in the spotlight, on camera.
Today I will be joining my friend Michael Conniff on The Jerry Bovino Show. Let’s hope I can overcome my fear and show that I have a personality!
The holidays bring a mixed bag of emotions as family comes to town and our work load increases tri-fold over Christmas “break”. And it’s all beautiful, until it’s not. But I’m holding on so far and with a case of wine in the wine rack and cookies baking in the oven, I think it’s going to be a good one.
I know, I know..so many of you are all like, “but I love being with my kids all summer,” and I feel the same way but… and it’s a big but…I also need a break.
Children need boundaries, the question is when do we draw the line and when do we let it stretch a little.
I wonder what kind of damage we are causing when we lose our tempers with our children. Think about it…
It is so hard to say goodbye to pre-school for many reasons but the most important reason is that I will miss the Early Childhood Center and Linda Campbell who made it all that it is.
Do you ever wonder what happens behind the scenes of parents who travel to support their children’s passion for sports?
It’s not always easy to remain positive in these difficult times but children always help to put everything into a positive light.
There is nothing like being wrapped up in the arms of my big, floppy ten year old but soon I will not have this luxury.
All it took was one great goal to motivate the boys to eagerly do their chores
Sometimes, if you have the energy, it is good to stop and spend the day playing with your children, at home.
Does your oldest child give you a hard time when putting him to bed?
Accepting boys and all of their energy is not always easy as a mother but if you don’t accept it then you will be forever fighting it and who wants that?
You wanted a bit of adversity? Well here it is. Read and weep for me my friends, read and weep.
I know that you think you can trust your Tween at home but can you really?
When your children reach a certain age, the old fears you once had mutate into new fears. The chances of their getting lost are smaller but the chances of their getting hurt by their own volition are greater.
My oldest son is teetering on the edge of innocence and as I get a glimpse of his teenage years to come I get more and more worried, especially since he closely resembles yours truly.
I really cannot stand that I am always behind the eight ball so this week I decided to make a concentrated effort to get the meals organized and to wake up early enough to factor in my soft addiction to the internet.
After a summer playing Camp Director, I have decided that next summer will be different. I have done my boys a disservice by mapping out their days.
No longer will I take the responsibility of entertaining them every day and no longer will I be following them around the house cleaning up after them. I will establish a routine now that will hopefully help them with the transition back to school.
About This Post
It’s back-to-school time, and this year Sprite and TwitterMoms have partnered with bloggers like me to share back-to-school tips and tricks, advice, stories and more! Visit Sprite’s back-to-school channel on TwitterMoms to get helpful ideas, learn how to survive the back to school rush, seek out advice from other TwitterMoms and join the conversation. You can learn more about donating your My Coke Rewards Points to support your local school, how to enter for a chance to win some Back to School cash, check out recipes, or even play some fun games. Here’s to a successful and stress-free back to school season from Sprite and TwitterMoms!
Five well needed days without children can be dangerous but it can also help to positively put everything into perspective when they return.
So go ahead: dream up and write definitions for your Five Funniest Momfinitions. Pretty soon we’ll have a whole Momfinition Dictionary!
All parents go through the difficult transition from school to summer. Being a camp counselor is great if you have the organization skills and energy for it. Have you gotten into it yet or are you still struggling?
Children can teach their parents the importance of one on one time. My nine year old son taught me how valuable it is to plan individual dates with each of my boys.
I will now be better equipped to handle the onslaught of emotions that occur after hiking uphill for an hour.
Taking care of chickens is a big responsibility and does not always go in your favor.
As parents, we all need time to escape and reflect upon who and where we are in our lives. Life does not always offer up these opportunities. When a day turns sour, we need to dig deep into our own resources to help us get through it because nobody else is going to save us.
[su_heading]What Not to Do With a Pregnant Mama[/su_heading] What Not to Do With a Pregnant Mama? Don’t breathe on her, don’t look at her, do as she says, and everything will be just fine! The first time we saw our first baby, it was…
[su_heading size=”18″]Analyzing Children’s Dreams[/su_heading] Axel did not like our discussion before he went to sleep. He is socially so different from Brevitt and is quite content hanging with his one best friend and his family. I tried to teach him how to be sympathetic…
[su_heading size=”18″]A Mother’s Love for Her Children[/su_heading] Picking up the boys from school yesterday was different than usual. I watched lovingly as my little weeds emerged from school with backpacks on and friends abreast. They ran up to me smiling and giving me hugs….
Rising to a snow storm, I sluggishly forced myself out of bed keeping my eyes half closed as I crawled on all fours into the bathroom. The full moon had as usual tilted me on my axis and I was up all night writing. Sometimes…
We are not always in the mood to deal with our children but if we can just embrace them, the day could improve.
If we teach our children to reason with one another through rational thought and discussion instead of fists and harsh words we are providing them with valuable skills to help them to survive. Raising our three boys ages 4, 7 & 9, has given…
I am hanging on for dear life to their cherished innocence and love for me. It is flying by way to fast. If I don’t establish a closeness with them now, than what kind of relationship will we have when they are moody teenagers?
[su_heading size=”18″]Living with Boys [/su_heading] The boys worship their dad and follow his lead as he clears 720’s off of every precipice. Or rather, Thumper clears it most of the time. Axel perseveres in manic attempts to clear it and Hootie-Hoo jumps off making all the appropriate sound effects. We travel…
[su_heading size=”18″]Getting Children Up in the Mornings[/su_heading] In order to start the day without chaos, I wake up early enough to get the children’s breakfast and lunch made. It is so quiet. So unbelievably quiet. I’ll just fit in a few minutes of time…
[su_heading size=”18″]Watching Children Grow Into Daredevils[/su_heading] Wednesday’s are Baddy’s evening to be full on testosterone with his friends. In the wintertime they race up mountains on skins as the sky shows off it’s magnificent sunset, skiing down with headlamps on. In the summer they mountain…
January 1st I decided to stop doing everything for the boys and teach them how to clean up after themselves. I am doing their future wives a favor.
[su_heading size=”18″]Teaching Your Children Table Manners[/su_heading] I stopped taking my kids to restaurants for a while after our traumatic experience when fine dining in Florida. My mother and I took the boys out to a little French restaurant at six pm. After a day…
