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.
I often wonder what it would be like for he who is always so concerned about his little brother of whom he adores, if we played role reversal and were stoned for a week straight. If more of the money from pot sales went to educating our children on substance use and what it does to our bodies. If they were more aware of the … Continue reading Role Reversal
ooooh baby, it has been getting way to serious over here and so I decided to take some time off from parenting and spend the Labor Day weekend gathering some downright entertaining content. It all began What worry is: Worries are movies that you make in your mind complete with images, characters, scripts, you write it, film it and you run it and you watch … Continue reading Worry
Where’d you hide the pot, he shouted out in his sleep. My eyes popped wide open from a deep slumber and I sat straight up in bed, wondering weather I was having another one of my crazy dreams again, or not. Wake up Thumper!? You’re grounded, I said loudly into his 13 year old face. That was the moment we both knew that the innocence … Continue reading Sleeptalk With Me
Since school has let out I feel as though my feet have been permanently planted in the kitchen. I attribute that to my effort to focus on feeding the family less processed food and turning my attention to more whole foods. It’s so much easier in the summer! The problem is that as soon as I’m done with cleaning up from breakfast it is time … Continue reading Feeding the Family
[su_heading size=”18″]Meet The Oldest Boy of Aspen Real Life[/su_heading] Meet Thumper – The Oldest Boy of Aspen Real Life. With him I became a mother, which brought forth a fierceness that I didn’t know I was capable of. With the birth of Thumper, our now seventeen year old son, Baddy and I were the happiest people alive, running to his crib at the first sound of his little … Continue reading Meet The Oldest Boy of Aspen Real Life
Having children impacts our lives in ways that are impossible to predict. In this past year our son’s artistic talents have introduced us to the art sub-culture of our valley, beginning with Axel’s art teacher at Aspen High School, Stephanie Nixon, and continuing on with his being awarded scholarships to take art classes both at The Art Base and at Anderson Ranch Arts Center over … Continue reading How Children Impact Our Lives
Teen Mental Hygiene Through Mindful Parenting I have wanted and needed answers to my questions on what resources and programs are available in our Roaring Fork Valley and in our schools to keep the mental hygiene of teens healthy. I have needed to learn what to do when I question the behavior of my boys, their friends or other adult influencers in their lives. I … Continue reading Teen Mental Hygiene Through Mindful Parenting
Substance Use and Addiction Hello, My name is Ashley Adams and I am a freshman at Glenwood Springs High School. I am reaching out to you to bring up an important and necessary topic where we all need to have a conversation, and this is substance use and addiction in teens and how it affects the family. On May 20th myself along with mom and … Continue reading A Letter From A 15 Year Old About How Substance use and Addiction in Teens Affects the Family
A Mother Gives Thanks 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 appreciated her wanting to tell her story, and I knew that I was venturing toward raw territory when I asked her … Continue reading A Mother Gives Thanks
Arriving in Littleton at 5:30pm, the boys were fed hamburgers grilled by grandpa and ate them in Grandma’s greenhouse encased in glass. As they sat there eating they looked out into her garden sown beloved with her own hands. The windows were bordered by French lace curtains that she bought in Brugge and sewed. Grandma told a story about a book she was reading about … Continue reading Grandparents
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 every moment in time that I am with them, even if it is spent getting reprimanded for lingering too long in … Continue reading Letting Go Of Our Children
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 private jets who fly off on a whim on exotic adventure trips for the weekend, or for the year if their … Continue reading Parenting Teens in a Legalized Marijuana Resort Town
Written by Guest Blogger: Isabella Reynolds Turning 18 in Aspen “Dad, I want to go to Aspen for my birthday.” The facial expression I received in response was essentially what you’d expect from the father of a seventeen-year-old daughter that had never been west of New York. It was August, and I had just come home to Connecticut after living with my grandmother in Cape … Continue reading Turning 18 in Aspen
How do parents get release? It is a real psychological dilemma. Continue reading Are All Mothers Superheroes?
[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 without my children showing me the world through their eyes and helping me to understand the value of nature to a … Continue reading Imagining Life Without Children
[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 me see, to MOOOOOMMMMMMMM! Now they get soooo pissed off if they are remotely aware that I am writing about them … Continue reading Seeing Aspen Through a Teenager’s Eyes
There is a quiet buzz of concern one can hear if one listens carefully enough to the conversations of many parents in our valley regarding the health of our youth. Last year, while on the board for the Valley Partnership for Drug Prevention I tried to start a movement along with the Executive Director, Michael Connolly. We began a Parent to Parent Alliance to … Continue reading Top Ten Ways to Help Keep Your Teen Safe
[su_heading size=”18″]Can True Love Survive Children[/su_heading] Everybody wants to know how to find that true love, but what about finding it and keeping the love while raising children? So far, Baddy and my love has endured the true test of time, from building and then losing a dream house together, to the trials and tribulations of raising boys in “Paradise”. After watching writer Mandy Len … Continue reading Can True Love Survive Children
Nobody told you how difficult it would be raising children, or if they did you may feel that you missed the main message. The ultimate question is, is it all worth it? Continue reading Is Being a Parent a Thankless Job, or a Rewarding One?
2015 results from surveys given to Aspen High School students reveal that it is time for parents to take their power back. Continue reading Talking to our Children About Drug Use
[su_heading size=”18″]Why Children Need Grandparents[/su_heading] It all changed a few summers ago when wanting our then 13 year old to experience the deliciousness of no plans or schedules after all the stresses that school brings, we decided to allow him to truly enjoy long languid days spent hanging with friends. BIG MISTAKE! This is when his desire to completely sever any and all parenting began … Continue reading Why Children Need Grandparents
[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 naivety while in a waking state. First and foremost they are our children. We made them, so we think we know … Continue reading Parenting As We Go Along
Learning how to parent your child with greater ease based on ancient philosophy. Continue reading The Taoist Approach to Parenting
Since it has taken me fifteen years to get to where I am today with my three boys, I thought I might offer you short cuts to save you the time and energy. Continue reading Did Parenting Classes Work For You?
Raising a teen in the legalized marijuana state of Colorado isn’t easy, but somebody’s gotta do it! Continue reading Raising Teens in a Legalized Marijuana State
[su_heading size=”18″]What to do with your kids on a snow day[/su_heading] Yesterday I got the call at 6:00am that it was a snow day and there would be no school. Michele was away watching Devon ski race in the Junior Olympics and Nikki and India were staying with us. I was relieved that I got the call before I made all five lunches. It is … Continue reading What to Do with your Kids on a Snow Day?
[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. The conversation immediately went to how we were all so tired and needed to gather our energy together to hike 2,030 … Continue reading Trying to Survive Without Sleep
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? Continue reading Not All Mountain Kids Want to Ski Everyday
[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 me, do for me How did I assume this role of a lesser degree? But I am going to change all … Continue reading A Mommy Gangsta Rapper
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. Continue reading Letting My Mother Know I Love Her
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. Continue reading Parenting a Thirteen Year Old Boy
A low key Bar Mitzvah in Aspen but still very meaningful and spiritual, replete with beautiful speeches and a video that typified the struggle of nine months of study for an energetic thirteen year old boy. Continue reading A Bar Mitzvah in Snowmass
My son is becoming a Bar Mitzvah today and I am all the wiser. “Adolescence is a period of rapid changes. Between the ages of 12 and 17, for example, a parent ages as much as 20 years.” – Anonymous Continue reading My Son’s Bar Mitzvah
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. Continue reading Attending Cast Calls in Aspen
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! Continue reading School’s out for the Summahhhhh
Let’s get back to that word…dysfunctional. Is it me or is every family loud, crazy and disorganized? Continue reading Dysfunctional Families
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? Continue reading Summer Break Is More Like Breakdown
As we travel about life, I wonder how many of us are reflective of our Horoscopes and our signs? Continue reading I am a Bull in a China Shop
I’ve been getting some feedback that people miss my stories about family living and so as of today, and throughout spring break, I’m going to revert back to the raw and true world of Aspen Real Life, behind the scenes.
Continue reading Parenting Madness Before Packing for a Trip
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! Continue reading Facing Aversions and Phobias
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. Continue reading Surviving the Holidays
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. Continue reading Ready for School to Start
Children need boundaries, the question is when do we draw the line and when do we let it stretch a little. Continue reading Where to Draw the Line with Kids
My little white boy brings it down with his rap song Continue reading Getting Sazzy over a Brick of Shizzle
I wonder what kind of damage we are causing when we lose our tempers with our children. Think about it… Continue reading The Damage We Cause To Our Children
In the end, that’s what it all boils down to. Continue reading Boys Like to Get Dirty!
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. Continue reading Saying Goodbye to Pre-School
Do you ever wonder what happens behind the scenes of parents who travel to support their children’s passion for sports? Continue reading Lacrosse Families
It’s not always easy to remain positive in these difficult times but children always help to put everything into a positive light. Continue reading Not Giving in to Stress and Anxiety
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. Continue reading A Boy’s Embrace
Sometimes we all need a reality check that we are not as connected to our children as we think we are. Continue reading Listening to your Children
All it took was one great goal to motivate the boys to eagerly do their chores Continue reading Getting Your Children to Help
Sometimes, if you have the energy, it is good to stop and spend the day playing with your children, at home. Continue reading Its Okay to Stay Home and Play
Does your oldest child give you a hard time when putting him to bed? Continue reading How to Get Fidgeting Boys to Go to Sleep?
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? Continue reading The High Activity Level of Boys
You wanted a bit of adversity? Well here it is. Read and weep for me my friends, read and weep. Continue reading Be a Stay at Home Mom, or get a Job?
I know that you think you can trust your Tween at home but can you really? Continue reading Do You Really Trust Your Children at Home Alone?
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. Continue reading The Panic Of Missing A Child
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. Continue reading Enjoy Them While They Are Tweenagers
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. Continue reading Oh To Be the Perfect Parent
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. Continue reading Back To School – Routine is Good
There will be one fundamental change on my personal school supply list this year. We will be focusing on being as environmental as possible with our lunch packaging.
Creating healthy lunches that the children will eat and actually look forward is another challenge. Continue reading Back To School – Enable Your Kids To Be Proud Of Their Lunchbox
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! Continue reading Back to School, Not So Fast My Friends!
Five well needed days without children can be dangerous but it can also help to positively put everything into perspective when they return. Continue reading Parents Need Children
So go ahead: dream up and write definitions for your Five Funniest Momfinitions. Pretty soon we’ll have a whole Momfinition Dictionary! Continue reading Funny Kid Expressions
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? Continue reading Camp Mom
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. Continue reading Leave the Siblings Behind
Taking care of chickens is a big responsibility and does not always go in your favor. Continue reading Taking Care of Chickens
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. Continue reading All Parents Need Alone Time
Want to learn how to survive the summer with your children? Follow me as I lead you through our daily adventures. Boot camp here we come! Continue reading What to do with Kids in Basalt
[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 while having an Amnio in the Doctor’s office. “Is that what I think it is” I whispered to Baddy, knowing that … Continue reading What Not to Do With a Pregnant Mama
[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 and friendlier to the other children who look up to him and ask for playdates with him daily. He started crying … Continue reading Analyzing Children’s Dreams
[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. Excitedly they shoved their homemade birthday cards into my face. I told them to wait for Baddy and give them to me … Continue reading A Mother’s Love for Her Children
A diet of nuts, berries and vodka is not always the healthiest way to live. Continue reading Mom Health Food
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 the full moon has me waking the boys to run outside naked at midnight amongst the silhouetted mountains, other times it would … Continue reading Taking Little Children Skiing on Powder Days
We are not always in the mood to deal with our children but if we can just embrace them, the day could improve. Continue reading Being a Mother Can be Frustrating
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 me a completely different perspective on the perplexities of life. I was born the youngest of three girls and boys have … Continue reading Teaching children how to Communicate
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? Continue reading Maximize Child Time Before They Leave You
[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 from BMX park to ski terrain parks replete with full face helmets and pads for every sport. When we are home we … Continue reading Living with Boys
[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 to myself, before making the meals. Next thing I know it is 7:00am and the tornado is about to hit. QUICK…wake … Continue reading Getting Children Up in the Mornings
[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 bike through ridiculously difficult mountain terrain, usually clocking something outrageous like 40 miles and 4K vert. It is amazing that they … Continue reading Watching Children Grow Into Daredevils
It is not always easy to remain calm and patient with children. Continue reading Fighting Depression as a Mother
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. Continue reading Boys Need to Be Trained By Their Mothers
[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 of organizing beach activities we were ready to treat ourselves to a nice meal and be waited upon by a well … Continue reading Teaching Your Children Table Manners
Jillian's Real Life 