The Natural Candy Store: Organic Candy

October 31st, 2011

I am a firm believer that dyes, such as those used to color candy, wreak havoc on my kids’ health. At the very least, my kids seem crankier than they do when we “lay off” the candy. Unfortunately, most of the candy available at your typical grocery store are packed with those dyes. Welcome, the Natural Candy Store.

I had received a gift card for the Natural Candy Store, an online only store, and have been waiting for the perfect time to use it. Well, there’s no time like Halloween to get a fresh dose of candy, especially candy that is free from those nasty dyes and preservatives.

Organic candy!

Organic candy!

I love hard candy, so that is primarily what I bought. Although the Natural Candy Store does have a wide selection of candy choices, such as chocolates, gummy candy, and jelly beans. The candy comes numerous natural flavors, such as berry, cinnamon, ginger, coffee, tea, and wine. Really, there is something for everyone. The Natural Candy Store even breaks down their candy and shows consumers whether it falls in one of a few categories, such as organic or for special diets, like gluten-free, kosher, allergen-free.  There is even candy that is designated that it was made in the USA.

For my recent purchase, I bought two organic grape bat-shaped sucker, a bag of organic gummy worms, a bag of organic lollipops, and a bag of cinnamon-flavored hard candies. The kids really like the grape suckers, the lollipops, and the gummy worms. I felt better giving those candies to them because they were organic and made from organic sugar cane and organic grape flavoring. I enjoyed the spiciness of the cinnamon hard candies, as well. I’m looking forward to checking in to see what types of Christmas candy they offer to consumers – it’s only a matter of time!

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Estes Park Running of the Bulls – A Three Year Tradition

October 20th, 2011

For the third year in a row, I’ve run a 3.75 mile race in Estes Park, Colorado called the Estes Park Running of the Bulls. Although the name may conjure up images of chaos in the streets of Spain, it actually refers to the elk that seem to take over the lively mountain town. The elk can be seen everywhere – from grassy knolls along roads through town to Hole 5 on the golf course.

The elk call Estes Park home.  It's best not to get too close, though.

The elk call Estes Park home. It's best not to get too close, though.

The race route circles Lake Estes, a large lake within the city limits. It is a fun course, complete with beautiful views and a few decent hills. Since it is in altitude, it adds a special challenge for many people. The money raised by those running the Estes Park Running of the Bulls goes towards a wonderful organization, Partners Mentoring Youth. After the race, runners can venture into town and attend the annual Autumn Gold Festival – beer, brats, bands, and a 3.75 race – seems like a perfect day to me!
And we're off - with Longs Peak as inspiration.
This year, I managed to shave a few extra minutes off of my time from last year and many, many minutes off of my time from the year before that. Although I didn’t place in the top three in my age group, I did place in the top ten. I’m glad to see that I’m improving, even if it’s just a few minutes at a time!

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Product Review: Rocky Mountain Organic Meats

September 28th, 2011

Rocky Mountain Organic Meats recently contacted me to see if I would be interested in trying a selection of their organic, grass-fed beef. I immediately accepted the offer and a few days later a freezer box full of ice-cold meat arrived on my doorstep.

Fresh organic beef, delivered to my doorstep!

Fresh organic beef, delivered to my doorstep!

The meat was expertly packaged, complete with enough dry ice to keep everything fresh for shipping it on even the hottest days.

The first night, we decided to try some of the organic, grass-fed ground beef and make hamburgers. As I opened the package of ground beef and began to add some seasonings and form the burger patties, I immediately noticed something different from my typical store-bought ground beef. The meat was bright red all-the-way through the package.

The grass-fed ground beef from Rocky Mountain Organic Meats is red, through and through.

The grass-fed ground beef from Rocky Mountain Organic Meats is red, through and through.

Many times, after I’ve purchased meat from the grocery store, I have noticed that the external portions of the meat may be red, but the center of the meat is often brown in color. The freshness of the organic ground beef alone sets Rocky Mountain Organic Meats above the rest.

These burgers didn't shrink when they were cooked - delicious!!

These burgers didn't shrink when they were cooked - delicious!!

Needless-to-say, after we made the patties and put them on the grill, they made the BEST hamburgers that we have ever had!!

Perfection!

Perfection!

In fact, my 5-year old ate an entire burger, with all the trimmings, without a morsel to spare!
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As a mom to two young children, I am always searching for the best foods to serve to my family. As with many families, my children love hotdogs. I often cringe at the thought of serving them, since they are packed with chemicals. Luckily, Rocky Mountain Organic Meats will now fill our hotdog niche! Their hotdogs are 100% organic beef. They contain no chemicals, no animal by-products, just organic, grass-fed beef. The best part of all is that my kids like them even better than the ordinary, chemical-laden, mystery meat hotdogs.

Rocky Mountain Organic Meats also has a selection of organic beef jerky and beef snack sticks. We brought the organic honey beef jerky with us on a family hike and it was a huge hit. The organic beef snack stick quickly became my 5-year old’s favorite after-school treat. As his mother, I felt great serving him a snack stick with some fresh fruit or veggies – a great combination for a growing child. Both are now family favorites and we plan on snacking on them while on the ski slopes this winter!

I could go on and on about the rest of the meats that I tried from Rocky Mountain Organic Meats. The organic beef breakfast sausages had an amazing flavor. I served them to my kids before school and they have been asking for the “yummy” organic sausages for breakfast ever since. The steaks at Rocky Mountain Organic Meats are unlike any other. They are tender and delicious. We shared the organic beef summer sausage and the organic garlic sausage with friends and we all agreed, there’s no turning back – we MUST order our meat from Rocky Mountain Organic Meats!

After sampling a wide range of products from Rocky Mountain Organic Meats, I knew that their meat was among the best I had ever eaten. I began to wonder why? After reading some documents from the USDA, the Mayo Clinic, the Organic Trade Association, and a few others, I learned that everything is different with organic meat. For example, the cattle eat an organic, grass-fed diet, they are not given antibiotics or hormones, and they have better living conditions than conventionally raised cattle. The cattle are not confined, but have access to pasture. In the case of the cattle used by Rocky Mountain Organic Meats, this means the cattle have access to the wide open spaces of northern Wyoming.

Wide open spaces, certified organic pastures

Wide open spaces, certified organic pastures

To me, these differences are significant - as a mom they are differences that I cannot ignore.

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Sun Valley, Idaho

September 6th, 2011

Last summer, we ventured into the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho and explored the town of Sun Valley. We were not disappointed. As a result, this summer, we headed back to the Sawtooth Range and back to Sun Valley. Again, we were not disappointed.

We are drawn to these jagged peaks, the Sawtooth Mountain Range.

We are drawn to these jagged peaks, the Sawtooth Mountain Range.

Although there are countless beautiful condos and hotels, we opted to camp for five nights in a campground outside of town. We set up our camper in a secluded spot backing the Big Wood River and then let the adventures begin.

Our campsite was nice and private. Perfect to cuddle up with the pup!

Our campsite was nice and private. Perfect to cuddle up with the pup!

We wanted to revisit some of our old favorite stomping grounds, but we also wanted to expand our horizons and have a few new experiences. Let’s start with the old favorites…
1. Leroy’s Ice Cream – Anyone who goes to Sun Valley MUST try Leroy’s Ice Cream in the heart of town. Not only is the ice cream delicious, the money goes towards a good cause. Every time I go there, I find myself ordering the same thing, root beer ice cream. I think this is for two reasons: 1.) You can’t order root beer ice cream just anywhere. 2.) They NAILED it – it tastes just like a root beer float!

The best ice cream EVER can be found at LeRoy's.

The best ice cream EVER can be found at LeRoy's.

2. Dinner at the Sun Valley Inn – We love their burgers and their coconut shrimp. We also love to order escargot from The Ram. Even our five year old loves to eat the pesto covered escargot – it is a real treat! Afterwards, the kids love playing in the gondola!!

Getting ready for ski season!

Getting ready for ski season!

3. Ice Skating at the resort – or at least, watching other’s ice skate ;)

Of course, we must try new things too…
1. Norton Lakes – Last year we hiked up to Baker Lake, a beautiful lake just outside town. This year we wanted to see even more terrain and se opted to hike to Norton Lakes. I was so proud of my kids – at 3 and almost 5 years old, they were able to hike all 5 miles without any problems. As long as the snacks kept coming, they were as happy as can be.

Norton Lakes...yes, there were fish there, too!

Norton Lakes...yes, there were fish there, too!

2. Dog Park – Sun Valley doesn’t have an official dog park, but they have the BEST unofficial dog park I’ve ever been too. I will always be thankful to the woman at the Visitor’s Center who directed us towards it. As owners of a Weimaraner, no amount of hiking will ever suffice…she needs more, more, more exercise.

The best unofficial dog park in Sun Valley - our pup is now spoiled, since no other dog park can compare!

The best unofficial dog park - our pup is now spoiled, since no other dog park can compare!

3. Grumpy’s – I know, it is a landmark in Sun Valley – as it should be. They have the best burgers, a great beer selection, and a fun atmosphere. We did laundry while we had a burger and drank a beer. Yes, they have a Laundromat, too!! Can’t wait to head back to Grumpy’s in the winter for our après-ski!!

We spent 5 nights, 6 days at Sun Valley. While hiking, dining, and shopping took up a bit of our time, we also spent hours each day fishing and sitting around the campfire.

We love fishing - the fish were biting, too!

We love fishing - the fish were biting, too!

There’s nothing better than throwing a steak on the grill after a busy day and following it up with a chocolaty s’more.

Chateau Briand - so yummy on the grill!

Chateau Briand - so yummy on the grill!

My five year old has already said he wants to go back to Sun Valley for a week next summer. I think we’ll likely make that happen!!

Mountain Mama Marathoner!!

Mountain Mama Marathoner!!

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Flaming Gorge, Wyoming

September 1st, 2011

This summer we packed the family up and headed out for a few weeks of camping in the great outdoors. Our camping trips are always a good way for our family to regroup, reconnect, and relax.  Over the course of the next few posts, I’ll share a bit about our trip.
 

The Flaming Gorge area has beautiful rock formations!

The area has beautiful rock formations, too!

One of our favorite stops as we head west is an area called Flaming Gorge in southern Wyoming. Although we had camped here before, we were truly able to see where the term “Flaming” comes from in Flaming Gorge. The horizon was a blaze of colors – orange, red, yellow, pink. Absolutely beautiful!!

The gorge really looks like it is flaming!

The gorge really looks like it is flaming!

Flaiming Gorge National Recreation area enters into both Wyoming and Utah. Coming from Colorado, we typically remain in the Wyoming segment, but I’d love to explore the Utah segment, as well. The campground is about 20 miles or so off the interstate, but it is so worth the drive.

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The Tempo Run

August 24th, 2011

Here’s to faster running!! I’ve always said I was going to train with tempo runs scattered through my training schedule. In fact, I’ve actually written out schedules where the tempo runs are clearly marked. Then, tempo run day arrives…and I don’t do them. I guess I wasn’t mentally or physically ready to take that leap…until NOW!

Today I completed my first 30 minute tempo run. It crossed my mind to do something else instead, but this time I realized that I really DO want to get faster. I googled the words “tempo run”, made sure I knew what the heck I was doing and headed off to the treadmill.

I broke the run down into three segments: 10 minute warm up, 10 minute run, and a 10 mintute cool down. For the warm up and cool down, I set the treadmill at 4.5 mph. I admit that sometimes I’d bump it up to 5 mph during those times, too. Then for the 10 minute run I set the treadmill for 6 mph. I was able to maintain it for the entire 10 minutes…and it felt GREAT! Mind over Matter!!

Looking forward to a successful training season and a faster half marathon!!

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Product Review: MuscleCare

June 14th, 2011

I recently received an email asking me if I’d like to sample and write a review on a topical pain relief product called MuscleCare. I was happy to try it out and was even happier to discover that I truly love this product. MuscleCare was developed by a Canadian chiropractor and is perfect for people who engage in sports, such as running, or even those who have joint pain from arthritis.

I reach for MuscleCare after my long runs!

I reach for MuscleCare after my long runs!

Although I had been using it regularly for my training runs because…well…because it just feels so good, I recently ran the Estes Park half-marathon. When I was finished with the hilly route, set at around 7700 feet, I really needed MuscleCare. I used the roll-on ointment on my knees, my calf, and even my lower back. I immediately felt relief. The menthol, eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, and camphor provided a feeling of coolness, while the other ingredients went to work to rejuvenate and repair my tired muscles and sore joints.

I love using MuscleCare on my knees.

I love using MuscleCare on my knees.

I applied it several times after the race and by the next morning, when I would typically be feeling the true pains of a hard-run race, I felt virtually no pain at all. I know that I will continue to use MuscleCare during my training and after my runs. It works and it works quickly. I highly suggest MuscleCare for anyone who wants to treat muscle or joint pain efficiently, effectively, and naturally.

It's therapy for my muscles and joints - especially after a long run.

It's therapy for my muscles and joints - especially after a long run.

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Skiing as a Family – At Last!!

March 22nd, 2011

Skiing is a huge part of who my husband and I are. When we had our first child, we had visions of hitting the slopes every weekend – just like old times. Well, we quickly found out that skiing with a newborn wasn’t quite as much fun as we had hoped. Sure, we made it up the slopes a few times each season – but nothing like we had done in years gone by. Last year, when our son turned 3, we bought him skis. (You can read about that in a separate blog post.) This year, we bought our two year old daughter skis. As a result, we were finally able to ski as a family!!!

Our daughter LOVED her new pink helmet – who wouldn’t?!

Relaxed and enjoying a day on the slopes!

Relaxed and enjoying a day on the slopes!

She seemed at ease on the slopes at Eldora Ski Resort. And, like her brother, her favorite thing to do was to go fast. My son, who is four years old now, seemed to fall in love with the chair lift. He was able to hop on and off of the moving chair with ease.

Heading up the chair lift!

Heading up the chair lift!

Although this season is almost over, we are already looking forward to next season!! Skiing as a family is the BEST!!

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The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley

March 8th, 2011

I am a big fan of culture. I love anything theatrical or artistic and, as a result, I want my kids to appreciate those things, as well. We have made small steps to ensuring that our kids love the arts, but we hadn’t approached the realm of the theater…until now.

The Arvada Center for the Arts is currently presenting “The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley” in the Children’s Theater. The one-hour production is based off of the series of books about a boy named Stanley who goes on global adventures. His adventures begin after he becomes flat when his bulletin board falls on him.

We went to see “The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley” with several of my son’s friends from preschool. They all seemed to really enjoy it, as did the moms in our group. Even my 2 year old daughter sat in her chair, enthralled for the entire 60 minute performance. The play was lively, funny, and entertaining. A few of the jokes may have gone over the 4 year olds heads, but were not missed by older members of the audience.

We did not purchase reserved seats, but only general admission, so we were not entirely sure where we were going to be sitting. We could have been in the last row, along the side of the theater, or spread throughout….but…we were actually placed in the very first row!! Seeing the kids’ faces light up as we took our seats was priceless. I think it also helped to keep them focused on the show…there was literally nothing in front of them, except the actors, the stage, and the props.

I highly recommend “The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley” for most children. I think a good rule of thumb would be, if your child can sit through a Disney movie, then she will be able to sit through this play. It really IS that captivating!!! Tickets are on sale through April 16th, but it is best to call early.

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Ice Skating on the Lake in Evergreen

February 27th, 2011

On Saturday, we tried something new - ice skating on a mountain lake!  We headed to Evergreen, Colorado for a day of fun with our kids and some good friends.  The weather was amazing, a slight breeze…not too cold and not too hot.

Ice skating on the Evergreen Lake was an amazing experience - I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to get fresh air while they exercise. We rented skates (that were actually comfortable to wear) and purchased a day pass at the lake house next to Evergreen Lake.

My 4 year old had taken ice skating lessons this winter, but he found lake skating to be completely different. Unlike rink skating, the ice on the lake often had bumps and ripples - it is ice skating in a natural setting - how it was meant to be. My 2 year old had not taken lessons, but she has had the desire to skate for months. She immediately took to the skating motion and would have skated for hours, if my back would have held up. (Bending over to help her maneuver across the lake can be a “back-breaking” experience).

I even had the opportunity to do a few laps on my own. There may be no better exercise than ice skating. I saw people of all ages enjoying the lake. Skaters, hockey players, there was room for everyone. Interestingly, people were even able to skate while they pulled a sled with kids on it – now that would be a real workout. There was a mom on the lake, as well, skating while she pushed a stroller across the ice. I had never thought of that before. She certainly gets a gold star for “thinking outside of the box” – these are things that are usually not allowed at an indoor rink.

My kids are still fairly young. As a result, we took periodic snack breaks. The Giant pretzels sold at the Evergreen lake house are delicious – I highly recommend them. We simply sat on the picnic table, listened to Bob Marley play, and snacked on warm, salty pretzels. As the kids regained their strength, we’d head back out for a few more laps on the ice.

I’m looking forward to our next trip to Evergreen. It looks like it may close for the season on March 1st, 2011. Since I did see quite a few cracks in the ice, I’m not surprised. Spring is fast approaching and the activities at Evergreen will move from ice skating to hiking.

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