First Time at Summer Camp? – “Later Ma”

I have a teeny little feeling in the pit of my stomach tonight. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt anything quite like it so it’s very difficult to describe but I am 100% positive that it is related to the fact that I dropped my boys off at summer camp today. I’m so excited for them and, despite feeling as if I might vomit at any moment, I know that they are in for a life-changing two weeks at Sanborn Western Camps. From the moment we arrived at their cabins both boys were swarmed by fellow cabin-mates curious to know their names and where they were from. The counselors introduced themselves with a handshake and helped them in with their gear. It’s all a bit of a blur. Well, except for the part where the kid and parent are supposed to embrace in the most desperate of hugs and promise to miss each other and write every day. Or maybe it was just a nice long hug and wave as they watched me drive away.

That part?

Pretty sure it never happened. In fact, it did not happen. Neither version happened.

I knew both boys would be fine, that there would be no tears. I’m a huge advocate of summer camp, a good portion of my work is now centered around summer camps and both boys have been quite excited about being able to head off on their own for the first time. My eldest is a bit miffed that he’ll be gone over his birthday but you’d never know he’d even given it a though by the way he brushed me off as I tried to hug him goodbye. I wasn’t prepared for him to not want to hug me goodbye!

I even said to him, “Let me hug you in here so I don’t have to embarrass you outside with my mama love.”

“Mooooom,” he said as he turned away from me and headed out the door to hang with his new crew.

OUCH.

Too cool for even a secret farewell on his very first time at sleep-away camp? I’m swelling with pride and swallowing tears at the same time. How on earth did my sensitive, feeling, lovey guy suddenly become so grown up??

Henry’s cabin had been our first stop and he had been so darn “Happy Henry” that he literally plopped his things down, claimed a bed (not a shock that it happened to be in the center of the room), hopped up on it and lay back all settled as if he’d been there a million times before. This is my happy guy and exactly how I expected it. I even got a quick distracted hug as he ran off to be with his new friends.

My boys are in a spectacular setting at one of the best camps in the country with camp professionals that I’ve had the great pleasure of getting to know very well since their involvement with a program MomActive streamed live on MomTV last spring. I joke with Ariella that fate brought us together but this is no joke, friends! I know this, not just because Ariella has directly impacted my personal and professional world in more ways than could ever be expressed in one post, but because she was there today and she hugged me. She hugged me hello and she hugged me goodbye. We ate lunch, fed horses, and chatted up the goats, and she hugged me goodbye. In fact, she may have hugged me goodbye twice. She was my surrogate hugger. Tell me that’s not fate.

The reality is, I know that my boys are safe. I know they are well. I also know that I miss them more than they miss me right now! I sure am glad that Baby Bear didn’t get invited to summer camp. I wonder if Henry knows that I’m taking very good care of Baby Bear and making sure he doesn’t get lonely? *sniff*

First Time at Summer Camp? – “Later Ma”

I have a teeny little feeling in the pit of my stomach tonight. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt anything quite like it so it’s very difficult to describe but I am 100% positive that it is related to the fact that I dropped my boys off at summer camp today. I’m so excited for them and, despite feeling as if I might vomit at any moment, I know that they are in for a life-changing two weeks at Sanborn Western Camps. From the moment we arrived at their cabins both boys were swarmed by fellow cabin-mates curious to know their names and where they were from. The counselors introduced themselves with a handshake and helped them in with their gear. It’s all a bit of a blur. Well, except for the part where the kid and parent are supposed to embrace in the most desperate of hugs and promise to miss each other and write every day. Or maybe it was just a nice long hug and wave as they watched me drive away.

That part?

Pretty sure it never happened. In fact, it did not happen. Neither version happened.

I knew both boys would be fine, that there would be no tears. I’m a huge advocate of summer camp, a good portion of my work is now centered around summer camps and both boys have been quite excited about being able to head off on their own for the first time. My eldest is a bit miffed that he’ll be gone over his birthday but you’d never know he’d even given it a though by the way he brushed me off as I tried to hug him goodbye. I wasn’t prepared for him to not want to hug me goodbye!

I even said to him, “Let me hug you in here so I don’t have to embarrass you outside with my mama love.”

“Mooooom,” he said as he turned away from me and headed out the door to hang with his new crew.

OUCH.

Too cool for even a secret farewell on his very first time at sleep-away camp? I’m swelling with pride and swallowing tears at the same time. How on earth did my sensitive, feeling, lovey guy suddenly become so grown up??

Henry’s cabin had been our first stop and he had been so darn “Happy Henry” that he literally plopped his things down, claimed a bed (not a shock that it happened to be in the center of the room), hopped up on it and lay back all settled as if he’d been there a million times before. This is my happy guy and exactly how I expected it. I even got a quick distracted hug as he ran off to be with his new friends.

My boys are in a spectacular setting at one of the best camps in the country with camp professionals that I’ve had the great pleasure of getting to know very well since their involvement with a program MomActive streamed live on MomTV last spring. I joke with Ariella that fate brought us together but this is no joke, friends! I know this, not just because Ariella has directly impacted my personal and professional world in more ways than could ever be expressed in one post, but because she was there today and she hugged me. She hugged me hello and she hugged me goodbye. We ate lunch, fed horses, and chatted up the goats, and she hugged me goodbye. In fact, she may have hugged me goodbye twice. She was my surrogate hugger. Tell me that’s not fate.

The reality is, I know that my boys are safe. I know they are well. I also know that I miss them more than they miss me right now! I sure am glad that Baby Bear didn’t get invited to summer camp. I wonder if Henry knows that I’m taking very good care of Baby Bear and making sure he doesn’t get lonely? *sniff*

I Am Burger Expert! December 9th Webcast to showcase The 5th Annual Red Robin Kids’ Cook-Off Championship

I am preparing my palette and elastic waist band pants for The 5th Annual Red Robin Kids’ Cook-Off Championship tomorrow, Thursday, December 9th. I’ll be joining other Red Robin judges and Colorado-based culinary experts on the judging panel for this year’s contest.  Yes, I, The Bantering Blonde, am a culinary expert of epic proportions… well, an expert in Burger consumption anyway!

10 kid chefs from across the country will compete in the fifth annual Red Robin Kids’ Cook-Off in hopes of having their burger creation named the next grand-prize winner. As part of the competition, all 10 kids will make their burgers for a panel of VIP judges and culinary experts. The winning gourmet burger will be sold in Red Robin® restaurants in summer 2011 to benefit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and featured in a free cookbook available online at www.redrobin.com.

To support the young chefs, Red Robin is featuring the 10 finalists on its website, www.redrobinkidscookoff.com, for fans to view, share with others and vote for their favorite kid-invented gourmet burger.  The kid chef with the most online votes will be named “Fan Favorite” at the Championship event.

By tuning in, you’ll have the opportunity to watch these 10 kid chefs prepare their gourmet burgers in an exciting ‘Iron Chef’-like competition, and see the grand-prize winner and Fan Favorite announced live!

About Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (NASDAQ: RRGB)

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (www.redrobin.com), a casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1969 that operates through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Red Robin International, Inc., has been serving up wholesome, fun dining experiences in a family-friendly environment for more than 40 years.  Red Robin, the “Smiling Burger®” expert, is famous for serving more than two dozen high-quality, Honest to Goodness® gourmet burgers in a variety of recipes with Bottomless Steak Fries®, as well as salads, soups, appetizers, entrees and signature Bottomless Beverages™.  There are more than 430 Red Robin® restaurants located across the United States and Canada, including corporate-owned locations and those operating under franchise agreements. Red Robin… YUMMM™!

Minimum Requirements to listen to broadcast:

The Windows Media Player software, downloadable free from http://www.microsoft.com and at least a 56Kbps connection to the Internet.

If you experience problems listening to the webcast, send an E-mail to: webcast@multivu.com.

Town Hall Children’s Theater Seussical Jr. Delivers Kid-tastic Performance

It was a lovely night on Main Street in Littleton, Colorado tonight – the tree lined streets have been transformed into a twinkly holiday wonderland!

We attended the Children’s Theatre performance of Seussical Jr. at the Town Hall Arts Center. This fun 60 minute production showcases the talents of several local children, teens and adults.  It’s the perfect length program for kids and the fast pace of events on stage kept my kids engaged and smiling throughout the whole performance.

Dr. Seuss fans will love following the adventures of Horton the Elephant as he searches for the lost “Who Clover” and protects/incubates an abandoned egg. Cast member Jona Alonza delivers the most animated and endearing performance of the evening in her role as the very silly, one-feather-tailed bird, Gertrude McFuzz.

The journey from the “Jungle of Nool” to “McEligott’s Pool” highlights Dr. Seuss character favorites such as The Cat in the Hat, Yertl the Turtle, and the imaginative boy Jojo. The colorful set and creatively adapted costume design was everything you would expect from a Seuss inspired production. This was a fun and kid-tastic outing that had us singing and quoting Dr. Seuss silliness all the way home. YOPP!

Thank you to the Town Hall Arts Center for inviting our family to review this performance, we truly enjoyed it!

Remaining Performances:

December 13, 20 & 21 – 7:00 p.m.

December 20, 21, & 22 – 10:00 a.m.

Location: Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 West Main Street, Littleton, CO 80120.

Cost: Adult: $15.00; Child: $10.00

Chowin’ Down With @GlutenFreeGirl, Shauna James Ahern, at Udi’s Gluten Free Foods In Stapleton, CO

Did you know that “The Mile High City” is leading the frontier in gluten free product innovations and start ups with five gluten free companies headquartered in the region? I didn’t until today!

I was invited by one the most popular of these companies, Udi’s Gluten Free Foods, to sample some of their yummy scrummy gluten-free recipes and to meet nationally known author Shauna James Ahern. You may know her as @glutenfreegirl, author of the memoir Gluten-Free Girl, based on her popular blog, GlutenFreeGirl.com.  Shauna was kind enough to take a few moments to talk to me on video and share a bit of her journey after being diagnosed with Celiac in 2005.  She also spoke about Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, a new narrative cookbook co-written with her husband, and Colorado native, Danny (aka “the Chef”).

Shauna is just as full of life in person as she is on her blog, so be sure to keep an eye on MomActive.com for the video, excerpts from the cooking demonstration, and more pictures of the amazing gluten free foods prepared by the chefs at Udi’s Gluten Free Foods in Stapleton.

MomActive will be covering the gluten free lifestyle, including an in depth look at Celiac Disease throughout the rest of November. If you’d like to share your story via guest post or appear on the MomActive MomTV webcast please email me direct at fiona.bryan @ MomActive.com. We would LOVE to hear from you!

Denver Voters ~ Important ET Welcome Wagon Initiative 300

*In all fairness, I feel that I must disclose that I am drunk on the 900 chocolate confection treats I have imbibed on this Halloween night.

I’ve been looking over my Denver Mail-In Voter Ballot this evening….

Before you start chappin’ my ass over the fact that I’ll have to walk it in, let me tell you, I am no amateur. I am the Last Minute Sally of mail in votes. I know exactly where every drop off is and I also know where the “drive thru” drop offs are. I take my vote seriously. I take time to research my vote. I vote when I’m good and ready, and all studied up on whatever good fun our politicians have brewin’ for us.

These midterm elections are big time in Denver, in case you didn’t read my post the other day HERE.

My dilemma this evening falls into the … HUH? category.  Exactly, what does one consider when voting on the Welcome Wagon for ET? I mean, I am a lover of all life forms, and I am sensitive to any “cultural awareness” that ET would call for. I’m just sorta curious, though. Do we see a lot of ET around these parts?

The problem with an initiative like this is that I’m really having a hard time finding good data. There are no good studies to fall back on. No “Citizens for ET” or “Citizens Promoting Anti-ET Sentiment” coalitions to guide me here. WHERE is my PRO and CON for this? How can I be an informed voter without more information?

Apparently we’re missing all the government cover-ups, and this guy says that Initiative 300 will be good for Denver. Oh, and it won’t cost us any money. Well HELLS BELLS people!  It’s FREE, it might even be Buy One, Get One FREE if we vote it in and ET happens to be feelin’ welcomed! Especially if we have a protocol for handing their vehicles.

THE last thing I want is to be culturally unaware when ET arrives.

I’m a proud Denver resident, and I’m probably voting YES on Initiative 300.

Election Day Looms ~ Gubernatorial Goobers in CA and CO Getting Restless

I think politics brings out the worst in people. I hate watching grown people behave like jackasses during election season.

For example, this headline caught my attention today:

Brown says he’ll pull attack ads if Whitman does; Whitman refuses

For realz?

Yes, Jerry Brown has said he’ll stop personal attacks, but only if Meg Whitman does. He won’t pull up his big boy pants unless Whitman pulls up hers.

Tit for tat. Quid pro quo.

So, what does good ole Meggie do? Meg sticks her tongue out and says, “Hell, no jackass!”

This is exemplary of why people hate politicians, and why most sane people would never run for office. It’s a joke and it’s embarrassing. And since when is the race for governor a game of chicken?

I’m watching similar sandbox wars go on in my own state. The Colorado gubernatorial race is extra saucy though because three major-party candidates are running to replace Governor Bill Ritter. Dan Maes is running on the republican ticket, current Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper stomps for the democrats, and Tom Tancredo is running on The American Constitution Party ticket.

Tancredo jumped on board late in the game, after calling for the republican primary candidates to drop out. Republicans were thought to be in position to take back the governor’s mansion but the roster of jokers were apparently dragging those chances down.  Maes won the nomination and refused to drop out. Enter Super Tancredo to save the day!

I just read that Tancredo and Maes met earlier this week. The Denver Post reports that the two sat on a park bench for an hour and a half. I wonder if anyone remembered to bring the bread. Especially if they met at Wash Park, ’cause the Canadian Geese are going to stop pooping all over the paths if we don’t make sure they are given food and a reason not to migrate south….

I imagine the conversation went a little like this:

Tancredo: Hey Dan, that goose looks hungry. Got any bread?

Maes: I really think it’s up to private business to feed their own geese.

Tancredo: Yeah, me too. I was just testing you.  Wait, this is a city park…

Maes: yeah whatever. So wassup?

Tancredo: Well, I was thinkin’ this whole governor race thing is fun and all, but aren’t you ready to give up yet? Our peeps are pissed and they say that Hickenlooper will win if we don’t do something. If you need a job I could probably hook you up with something. Maybe you want to be in charge of the Canadian Geese problem?

Maes: Nah. I mean, even if I drop out my posse will throw another body in the race.

Tancredo: Well, that’s cool. I’m game, let’s get another body in there.

Maes: Nah

Tancredo: Ok. What should we talk about now?

Maes: I don’t think it’s the government’s job to tell you what we should talk about.

Tancredo: uh. Yah, so – I gotta go. I have this thing….

Last month I attended the “Putting Kids First” gubernatorial forum, hosted by the Children’s Hospital, with its partners the Colorado Children’s Campaign, EPIC (Executives Partnering to Invest in Children), 9News (KUSA) and Mile High Mamas.  I found it very interesting but to say it was a snoozer is giving it too much life. (You can actually watch portions of it here) Hickenlooper came off very casual and nonchalant;  I’m not sure he even answered one of the questions posed to him. I could be wrong though, because the tangent train had my head spinning. Dan Maes not only answered the questions, he actually stayed afterward to talk to those of us attending a luncheon.  Tancredo dissed the forum all together for a fundraiser and Hick slipped out before anyone even got a chance to even see him.

I find myself completely turned off by the election process. The headlines are annoying and the people are smarmy.  I can’t wait until next Tuesday is over and the rug rolls up on this edition of Romper Room.

Happy Halloween Coloradans ~ Giveaway ($50 Value) From SmartCo Foods!

All ye ghosties and goblins listen up! It’s that time of year again! We’ll all be doing our best to get fat on 9lb bags of miniature candy bars.  I like to think of it as a pre-holiday warm-up for the coming months of excess. Our friends at SmartCo love to help us get our Spookly on, but they’d also like us to be safe this Halloween. Have you had a chance to visit any of the new SmartCo locations? I’ve become a big fan; on Wednesday I bought three of the most beautifully perfect pumpkins. I almost grabbed a bunch because they were only 2.98 EACH!

In response to my frequent tweet-happy shopping trips SmartCo asked if I’d like to partner with them to share some great safety tips and spread the Halloween spirit with a great giveaway valued at approximately $50!!  Of course, I said YOU BETCHA! Safety first, friends!

10 Tips for Keeping Children Safe this Halloween

1. Keep Your Home Safe – For your own home, candles in jack-o’-lanterns should be off the ground and out of reach. Try battery-operated LED candles for a safer option.
2. Keep Little Ones Close – Younger children should always go out trick-or-treating accompanied by a responsible adult and as early in the evening as possible. Consider also making sure each child has a buddy to hold hands with when crossing the street.
3. Plan for the Older Ones – For older kids who are responsible enough to go out in a group by themselves and who have cell phones, adults should plan a safe route in advance so they will know where their kids will be at all times. Older kids should also be given a set curfew, asked to check in with parents throughout the night and instructed to stay on well-lit streets.
4. Have the Stranger Talk – Instruct your child to never go into the home of a stranger or get into their car. Tell them what to do if a stranger should try to get them into their home or car – scream as loud as they can to draw attention and run away as fast as they can to a safe place.
5. Light is Right – Have each child carry or wear something lit such as: a flashlight, headlamp, glow bracelet or necklace, and/or fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags. Also, only trick or treat at houses that are well-lit.
6. Head out After a Meal – Serve your kids a filling meal before trick or treating and they won’t be as tempted to eat candy before they bring it home for you to check. You can even serve them hearty Halloween-themed snacks at home like mini pizzas decorated to look like mummies.
7. Comfortable Shoes are Key – You don’t want to be carrying shoes or your child, so make sure children are wearing well-fitting, comfortable shoes like sneakers. Light-up shoes add an extra bonus on a dark Halloween night.
8. Avoid Costumes that Drag on the Ground. While cute in theory, costumes that drag or have long tails can trip up little feet, get caught on bushes and be a nuisance.
9. Consider Avoiding Masks and Props – If a mask or prop must be used, let children try on masks in advance to make sure they allow full visibility and breathing. Feel free to cut larger openings to maximize comfort. Only carry flexible and soft props that can’t cause injury if a kid accidentally falls.
10. Dress Appropriately for the Weather – We all know that Halloween in Colorado could mean snow or 70 degrees and sunny, so plan costumes accordingly to make sure kids are comfortable. Always bring an extra layer of clothing just in case.

ENTER TO WIN!!

SmartCo will send one lucky reader all they’ll need to celebrate this Halloween!  Including:

• A trick-or-treat bag filled with candy

• Halloween party supplies

• Pumpkin carving tools

• $25 SmartCo Foods gift card

(all valued at approximately $50)

To Enter: Leave a comment telling me what your Halloween plans are.  Do you dress up? What will your kids dress as?

Bonus Entries (leave one comment for each):

1. Subscribe to Bantering Blonde

2. Follow @banteringblonde on twitter

3. Like SmarCo Foods on Facebook and tell them I sent you!

4. Tweet this: Shop in Colorado? I just entered Halloween Giveaway ($50 Value) from @SmartCofoods & @banteringblonde http://bit.ly/9J38iN

Winner will be chosen by Random.org at NOON Oct. 27th and will receive gift in time for Halloween!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Colorado Red