Friday, November 30, 2007

Letters FROM Santa

We all know about writing letters to Santa, but what about having your child receive a letter from him? I came across this blog post today and thought you might like to read it too! Did you know you can write your own letter from Santa to your kids and have it postmarked at the North Pole and sent back to you? Basically you write your own letter as if you were Santa - reminding the kids to be good, telling them which kind of cookies to leave or which reindeer likes carrots and print it on really nice paper as if Santa had written it himself. Then you put your own address on it and Santa's as the return address, put that stamped envelope in another envelope and mail it to:


North Pole Christmas Cancellation
Postmaster
5400 Mail Trail
Fairbanks, AK 99709-9998


The North Pole Postmaster will cancel the envelope with a special Santa stamp and mail it back to your child. How cool is that? I've heard of people doing a similar thing for Valentine's Day - having their cards cancelled in Loveland - but I never knew about the Santa letters :) If you choose to do this be sure it arrives in Fairbanks by December 15th so that Santa will have time to send it back before Christmas!

Thursday, November 29, 2007

More details about the Celebration of Lights

There was an article in the paper this morning with more details about tomorrow's Celebration of Lights downtown. Here is the schedule:

• 5:30 p.m. — Jester’s Theatre carolers at the Sixth Avenue Plaza; Longmont Concert Band at The Cellar located at Guitars, Etc., 460 Main St.; Storytime with Santa begins at the Used Book Emporium.

• 6 p.m. — Lighting of the community tree at the Sixth Avenue Plaza; free carriage rides begin, running through 8:30 p.m., with stops on both sides of Main Street.

• 6:30 p.m. — Musical performances at St. Stephen’s Plaza until 8 p.m.

• 6:45 p.m. — Longmont Children’s Chorus at The Cellar.

• 7:45 p.m. — Silver Creek High School jazz band at The Cellar.

Refreshments can be found at the following locations:
• Free cookies at Encore Home Styles, 347 Main St.
• A pizza and art party at The Painted Poppy, 338 Main St.
• Chocolates at Mama Mama Maternity, 519 Main St.
• Popcorn and cookies at 2nd Time Around, 332 Main St.
• Hot chocolate and treats at Brown’s Shoe Fit, 373 Main St.
• Hot cider and cookies at Adorn Home and Gift Gallery, 668 Fourth Ave., Unit B.
• Popcorn and music at Rose Buds, 418 Main St.
• Coffee and cookies at High Gear Cyclery, 504 Main St.
• Refreshments at the LCA/Muse Gallery, 356 Main St.

I hope to see you all there!

Ice skating!!!!!

Did you see this story in yesterday's paper about the Roosevelt Park ice rink reopening this year? I actually think it's a poor budget decision for the city and not a great move for the new council members but I can't wait for it to reopen! Looks like we'll be ice skating by Christmas! :)

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

38th annual Santa's House in Boulder

Here's another event outside of Longmont that I'd be willing to drive for :)

On Saturday, December 1st and Sunday, December 2nd, Pi Beta Phi Sorority in Boulder will be hosting the 38th annual Santa's House. Admission is $3 per person and includes so many fun activities - music from Music with Madelyn, puppet shows, storytelling, bake sale, carnival, and, of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus!

It sounds like lots of fun! For more information including directions to the sorority house, check out their website at http://www.santashouseboulder.com/.

Sunflower Farms Sprouthouse drop-ins

An e-mail from Bren Frisch, owner of Sunflower Farms:

"Hey moms...
Through the month of DECEMBER ONLY we will be doing SproutHouse Drop-ins. What does this mean?

Each week I will email the openings for the next week. (anywhere from 2-4 open spaces per week) By returning my email or calling you can have the spot. Cost is $30/per session. You can also email me ahead of time if you have a special request.

This is a great gift idea too! Great time to squeeze in Christmas shopping. Also a great way to tell you friends who may be thinking about enrolling their child and perhaps just want to try it.
Please feel free to forward these emails to your friends or mom groups. These occasional drop-ins will help me fund the make-up day at the end of the quarter.

If you currently have a sprout enrolled and anticipate a vacation or sick day, please write it on the calendar ASAP or call me, or email as soon as you know (even the day before or morning of). I can't tell you how much I appreciate it, because then I can find a drop-in. This will help me continue the make-up day.

BREN's CELL: 303-661-0954

DECEMBER Drop in days currently available:
Monday, Dec. 3 (2 spots) 9:30-12:30
Monday, Dec. 10 (2 spots) 9:30-12:30
Monday, Dec. 17 (2 spots) 9:30-12:30
Tuesday, Dec. 4, 11 , 18, (2 spots) 1-4"

If you're not familiar with the Sprouthouse program (or "farm school" as we call it in our house), check out their website through the link above or look at my previous post about the program. Oh, I should mention this is a drop off program for 2 to 5 year olds. They do have a program for 6 to 9 year olds so if you're interested in that give Bren a call!

Monday, November 26, 2007

Kids ages

I added a poll to the right side of the blog so I can get a better sense for the ages of kids whose parents are visiting this site. There has a been a burst of readership lately and I want to make sure I'm covering the events that are important to you. For example, I posted the CU Science day info even though my kids are too young for it and that post has been getting a lot of hits. Most of the activities aren't really age specific but since I'm a mom of two under 4 the things I post tend to be age appropriate for them. Anyway, cast your vote(s) on the right. If you have more than one child in a category, it's ok, just voting once per age group in your home will give me a good idea. :)

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Black Friday

I love shopping but bargain hunting became even more important and exciting when I became a mom! And Black Friday (the Friday after Thanksgiving) is traditionally a day to find some great deals in stores. There are also online deals to be had on Thanksgiving Day since many stores are making their Black Friday deals available online that day. And you don't have to wait for tomorrow to see the advertisements in the paper! Check out the ad scans at http://www.bfads.net/ or http://www.blackfriday.info/! I'm already planning my route....anyone feel like joining me at ToysRUs at 5 am? Or something a bit closer - Kohl's at 4 am? I haven't decided which one I really want to be there first for! :)

Celebration of Lights

I know I've posted a bit about this before, but here are some more details about the Celebration of Lights to be held downtown on Friday, November 30th:

The Longmont Downtown Development Authority (LDDA) proudly announces the third annual Celebration of Lights! Come to Downtown Longmont and take part in the fun-filled holiday festivities. Merchants will remain open until 8:30pm offering a variety of entertainment, crafts and refreshments and gift shopping opportunities for all to enjoy.

Strolling musicians will entertain visitors as they view the holiday tree and splendidly decorated shop windows.

Time: 5:30p-8:30p, Tree lighting at 6pm

Where: Downtown Longmont, 3rd to 6th streets, Kimbark to Terry Streets.

Info: www.DowntownLongmont.com , 303-651-8484

Science from CU in Longmont

Science from CU presents "Animals and Art: Sharks and Rays!" at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center
Ages 6-8
Wednesday, November 28th, 4 to 5 pm
Longmont Museum and Cultural Center, 400 Quail Road
Price: $10 members; $12 nonmembers
Info: 303-651-8374

Monday, November 19, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to take a minute to say Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm amazed by how many people visit this site and am thankful we live in such a great place with so many kid friendly events and activities :)

Friday, November 16, 2007

Fever, Fatigue, Headaches?

You might have the flu. According to http://www.flustar.com/, almost all of Colorado is in the Moderate zone meaning that doctors are reporting elevated levels of the flu, between 30-60% of peak levels from prior seasons. So, if you're feeling tired, achy and have a fever well, don't breathe on me! :)

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Spring Soccer

Oops! I forgot to post that registration started last Monday for Spring Soccer through the St. Vrain Youth Soccer Association. Visit this site to register your child (born between 8/1/93 and 7/31/04) for soccer! Practices and games take place March through May of 2008. We haven't done this yet but we our friends say it's great!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Venturing out of Longmont :)

I said the other day that even though I intended for this blog to be solely about Longmont events, I think I'd like to change that and at least post events or activities that my family and I would be willing to drive for. Be aware, this does not mean I'm going to post every child friendly event in Colorado (I'm only so dedicated to this thing...haha) but if something catches my eye and I think "hey, we should go to that!" then I'll try to post it here. Sound good? Ok...here's the first round with a bunch of Christmas related events!

First, we really enjoy Zoo Lights at the Denver Zoo (formerly called WildLights, not sure why they changed the name). It's open from December 7th to January 6th from 5 to 9 pm. It's fun to get all bundled up and see the animals at night along with some really cool lights!

We definitely want to go ice skating outside again this year. I have a whole post about this but we'll probably hit either WinterSkate (likely the Flatiron Crossing location) or the One Boulder Plaza ice rink in Boulder.

The 9News Parade of Lights looks like so much fun on tv. I'm not sure we'll brave it this year but it's definitely something for the future! They have two parades - Friday November 30th at 8 pm and Saturday, December 1st at 6 pm.

Another event we probably won't make it to but it looks really cool is the lighting of the Denver City and County building on November 23rd. Over 1 million bulbs are used! Check it out!

We'd also like to go to the Blossoms of Light at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Looking to cut your own Christmas Tree? Apparently there aren't any locations in Boulder County (if you know of one, let me know!) but you can go to this site or this site for more info. I think the closest might be at the Aspen Lodge in Larimer County (just south of Estes on the Peak to Peak highway so not too far away!).

Monday, November 12, 2007

Holiday happenings at Twin Peaks Mall

From the Twin Peaks website:

Santa Arrives by the Polar Express!
November 23rd, Starting at 11:00 AM
Santa arrives by train at the Twin Peaks Mall at 11:00 AM on Friday, November 23rd at his home in North Court by PlayFair Toys' new location!

From 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, Santa's giving out FREE tickets to ride the train! In addition, from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, children up to age 12 can enjoy various FREE holiday activities.

From 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM for a small fee, a face painter from Fanciful Faces will be on hand to transform children's faces with color!

On November 23rd only, adults can register at the Customer Service Center or at participating stores to win valuable merchandise or store gift cards!

Girl Scouts to wrap gifts for holidays!
November
Get all your holiday gifts wrapped and help Longmont area girl scouts to raise money for worthy events! The Girl Scouts will be wrapping gifts for customers again this year at their location in the food court. Hours vary, call Customer Service for specific hours at 303-678-7505.

Santa photos make a great gift!
November 23-December 24
Santa will be at his home in North Court by Playfair Toys November 23-December 24th to hear your child's wishes! Every child visiting Santa will receive a free gift from Twin Peaks!

Photo packages are available starting at just $15.99 and up and make a great gift!

Salvation Army Bell Ringers to come for holiday
November 23-December 24
The Longmont Salvation Army's holiday kick-off is Friday, November 23rd and the campaign will run through Sunday, December 23rd. They will be ringing bells on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at the West entrance by Mattresses & More.

Are you or your service group, business, church, school, or family looking for a way to help less fortunate this holiday season? Each year, the local Salvation Army helps low income families with food, shelter, rent, utilities, and emergency prescription vouchers through funds collected from the annual holiday Bell-Ringing Campaign. Contact Mitzi Wimer at (303) 587-8398 to sign up.

We'll check out the Twin Peaks Santa, but if he's anything like prior years we'll end up going back to our favorite mall Santa at Flatiron Crossing. The Flatiron Crossing Santa has a real beard and really seems to enjoy the children rather than endure them :) Where do you like to visit Santa?

Friday, November 9, 2007

Sunflower Farms Winter Programs

Sunflower Farms has two great winter programs - check them out!

1. SPROUTHOUSE PROGRAM:
This 2-5 yr old drop-off program has immediate morning and afternoon openings beginning Dec. 1! State-licensed. $120 month/one morning or afternoon week

2. AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM
New class now available. Animal farm classes. Sign up for Dec or Jan. 4:00 to 6:00 on Thursdays. Ages 6 to 9; Emphasis on horses. $115 month.

Call Bren for more details. 303-661-0954.
Sunflower Farm is located at 11150 Prospect Road, Longmont, C0 80504
303-774-8001
http:///www.sunflowerfarminfo.com

These classes are so great! The Sprouthouse program is so fun for preschoolers - they get to feed the animals, spend a lot of time outside, do art projects with natural materials they find on the farm (hay, grass, pinecones, pumpkins, etc), have healthy snacks, etc. Check it out!

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Clover Basin Community Park

The city is in the planning stages for a new city park, temporarily called Clover Basin Community Park. It will be located on 80 acres in southwest Longmont with Elementary 24 to its west, Altona Middle School to the east and Silver Creek High School to the north. If you'd like to view the three concept plans and comment on them, visit the city's website: http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/Parks/park_dev/cloverbasin.htm.

The three plans are pretty different so pay close attention - they each have very different layouts and amenities. For example, two plans have a new rec center but take note that there is currently no funding to build one. They all have different configurations of tennis courts, open spaces, ball fields, outdoor pools, ponds, trails, dog parks, etc. :)

America Recycles Day, tour the BC Recycling Center

Here's another activity idea for Saturday posted to a moms' group this morning....

In celebration of America Recycles Day, a Family Fun Tour of the Boulder County Recycling Center is planned on Saturday, November 10 from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. The center is located at 1901 63rd Street in Boulder, just 1/4 off of Arapahoe and 63rd St.

Reservations are encouraged.

The one-hour tour begins in the Recycling Center lobby and will feature a 10-minute video and include an informational tour of the facility. The tour will cover topics such as where does our trash go; how to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost to achieve Zero Waste; how to recycle correctly; and the importance of buying recycled products. Due to the timing of the facilities operations, we will need to start right at 11 am to ensure we see the sorting of cans and bottles. For more information or to RSVP, call 720-564-2223 or you email Stacy Swank Lambright at ssswank@yahoo.com).

I usually try to stick with activities in the city of Longmont but this seemed fun and Boulder County related so I'm posting it :) Would you like to see area activities that might not be in our city? I won't go crazy with them (because really, who has the time?) but if there are any I find interesting enough that I would drive to get there then maybe I'll go ahead and post them....

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Name for Elementary School #24

In case you didn't know, there's a new elementary being built on the southwest side of Longmont - near Eagle Crest Elementary, Altona Middle School and Silver Creek High School. The process of selecting a name for the new school is underway and one mom is blogging about it on this site: http://4deans.blogspot.com/. Check it out and leave a comment if you have strong feelings about any of the potential names!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Do you run?

I don't. :) This is so not my thing but since Kristine asked so nicely in a comment below, here's some info for Longmont runners!

Longmont Running Club
A Saturday group run takes place at Golden Park in Longmont, located west off of Hover at 3rd Avenue. Meeting time is 8:30 AM in the parking lot. Various distances and paces are run every Saturday. [Edited to add info from a comment on this post - there are no dues for this group and you can find more info online here: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/L_R_C/]

Dashing Divas - http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/dashingdivas/

Longmont Runners and Walkers Club - Call Kim at 303-678-6514

Here's a link to a whole bunch of Running Community Links

My only other idea is to contact the Longmont Recreation Center, Longmont Athletic Club or the YMCA and see what info they might have. Hope that helps!

Oh...and there's the 10K Turkey Trot this Saturday morning!

Do any of you run? I mean, for fun and exercise and not just after your kids? :) If you have any info for those interested in running in Longmont please let me know!

Holiday Market at Messiah Lutheran

Just posted to a moms group email list...

Come shop the Holiday Market
*Free admission
*Free 5 x 7 photo with Santa Claus 1-3pm
-prizes
-jewelry, gifts, cards, gourmet, fashion, beauty, books, toys, decor and more...
Shop for great holiday gifts!
Sat. ~ Nov. 10th
9am - 4pm at Messiah Lutheran Church & School
1335 Francis Street (Francis & Mountain View)
Longmont

There's no way anyone will be bored this Saturday in Longmont - did you see all the activities happening that day? Crazy :)

Veteran's Day Parade

Sunday is Veteran's Day but Longmont will host its annual Veteran's Day parade on Saturday, November 10th starting at 11:11 am. The parade will go down Main Street from 8th Avenue to 4th Avenue and then will go back up Coffman Street. According to the article in the Times Call today, at least 4 high school bands will be participating and they're expecting a big crowd turnout!

Monday, November 5, 2007

Election Day

Don't forget that your ballots have to be to the Boulder County Clerk by tomorrow, November 6th at 7 pm. If you haven't already mailed them you'll have to drop them off at one of four locations in Boulder County - see this Times Call article http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=4447 for more information! You can't complain about taxes or leaders if you don't participate so please vote!

Holiday pictures at Hoverhome

Get the family together and have your holiday pictures taken in the antique sleigh at Hoverhome!

Saturday, November 10th, 17th, 24th and 25th from 10am to 3pm (no reservations needed)
Where: Hoverhome, 1309 Hover Street
For more information, call 303-774-7810

To read more about Hoverhome, see http://www.hoverhome.com/

9Cares, Colorado Shares

The annual 9Cares Colorado Shares food drive is this Saturday, November 10th from 7 am to 4 pm. The Longmont location for dropoffs is the King Soopers on Hover and Nelson. This is a great place to donate food, toiletries, clothing, toys, and money because it all stays local! Read a bit more about it and which local agencies are involved here: http://www.9news.com/life/community/events/fooddrive/winter/frontrange.aspx#boulder. What a great way to start the holiday season off right for your kids!