YMCA 40th Anniversary Community Day

On Saturday, February 6th, from 10 am to 2 pm the Longmont YMCA will celebrate their 40th anniversary with a community celebration. There will be bounce houses, open swim, prize drawings and, best of all, they'll waive the $50 sign up fee if you join that day! We joined at this event two years ago and have loved everything they offer - the facilities are nice, their Child Watch program has been great for our boys and they even have Parents Night Out events! Click here for more info!

Car Seat Safety

Did you know you can get a free car seat safety check? The City of Longmont provides a car seat safety check point on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at Longmont Fire Department Station 2, located at Mountain View and Hover Street, from 2pm until 7pm. There is no need to make an appointment and there is no charge.

If you have two vehicles, it is recommended that you bring both to the checkpoint. The firefighters are really knowledgeable about car seat safety and have been so helpful for our own family. We visited there before our oldest was born to make sure we had the base to his infant seat installed correctly and learned so much that they don't tell you in the car seat manual. We've gone back each time we get a new seat to be sure it's installed right. It's definitely worth the time!

Also, you can get more free MATT stickers at several locations throughout Longmont. These are the stickers that you put on your car seats so that if you are unable to communicate after an accident they will know important information about your child. We were good about putting these on our infant seats (since we got the MATT stickers at the hospital) but forgot about them when we got toddler seats until we went to the car seat safety check! These are also really important if your child rides in other people's cars (i.e. for carpools) so you can be contacted in case of emergency.

Feeling neglected? :)

Yeah, I took a break for the holidays and then...well...never started again :) haha! But here I am! And here's a last minute tip for a great class...

"Join us for a special donation based Stroller Strides class to benefit There With Care. There With Care is a local non-profit that provides services for families and children going through a medical crisis or a critical illness.
All proceeds from the Winter Festival will go to There With Care and we will also be collecting new and gently used baby items to donate as well. By donating to There with Care, you can enjoy the positive benefits of the hour-long fitness program AND feel good about contributing to an organization that supports families in need.
There will be a silent auction before class and refreshments after class. We will be meeting at 9am and then heading off for class at 9:30 am. So join us for fun, fitness, friends, goodies bags and giving back!"

"Stroller Strides is the country's largest fitness program for new moms. Classes offer a stroller workout that combines power walking/running and intervals of body toning using the stroller, the environment and exercise tubing. It's a great way to get in shape, meet other new moms and have fun with your baby.

Where: Twin Peaks Mall - meet at the Play Area by the food court at 9 am
When: Monday, January 12th!

Visit strollerstrides.net/longmont and come join the fun!"

If I still had a kid who would sit in a stroller I would totally participate! It sounds like so much fun :)

Do you have a picky eater?

Longmont Clinic presents "Healthy Kids - What vitamin and food supplements does your picky eater need?"

Thursday, Oct 16th from 7:00 to 8:30pm at the Longmont Clinic West building

The Longmont Clinic is located at 1925 West Mountain View Avenue in Longmont, Colorado 80501. Their phone number is 303.776.1234.

This seminar is free and open to the public. The instructor is a Longmont Clinic Pediatrician - Heather Moffat, M.D., Board Certified Pediatrician.

For more info or to register, call 720-494-3165.

Longmont Walking Challenge

Registration began today for the Longmont Walking Challenge! Register at the YMCA, Longmont Rec Center, St Vrain Memorial Building, Longmont Senior Center or the Salud Family Health Center. Be one of the first 1500 to register and receive a free pedometer! Track your steps from September 20th to 27th and help Longmont reach 135 million steps that week!

The best part? Registration is free AND you can work out for free at the Longmont Rec Center or the YMCA that week! Yes, for free! And if you join the YMCA that week your $50 registration fee will be waived. All exercise counts (not just walking) so get out there and get moving! There will also be a drawing for a one year membership to the YMCA or Longmont Rec Center.

For more information see this flier or call 303-776-0370.

Protect yourself from West Nile

Since the holiday weekend starts tomorrow I thought it might be a good time for a reminder about protecting yourself and your kids from West Nile Virus! At least one person in Boulder County has gotten West Nile this year so make sure you take proper precautions - wear bug spray containing DEET, dress in long sleeves and pants, avoid being outside at dusk and dawn, and drain standing water! For more information from the City of Longmont, see here: http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/westnile/.

Child Safety Day tomorrow!

From the Longmont Area Vistor Association's weekly newsletter:

Child Safety Awareness Day hosted by The Kiwanis Club of Longmont - this Saturday, April 12th!
Activities focused on child safety, how to prevent childhood injuries to themselves and others. Safety stations relating to Helmet safety, the latest Colorado State Laws, proper use and installation of child safety car seats, pedestrian safety, how to use the emergency 911 system. Completion of all stations children will be eligible to receive free photo ID, emergency information booklet and purchase a new bicycle helmet for a nominal charge of $5.00. Staff from Longmont United Hospital and Pridemark.
Time and Place: 10:00am to 2:00pm; Twin Peaks Mall Center Court
Info: (303) 772-5789 – This event is FREE

YMCA Healthy Kids Day

The Ed & Ruth Lehman YMCA will host Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 12th, from 9:30 am to 1 pm. Healthy Kids Day is a free event for families and is open to the entire community. Activities include a family obstacle course, games and sports, a family cooking demo, and fun pool games. Free healthy snacks will be available at the Healthy Kids Café. Families may pick up a free YMCA Healthy Family Home kit too. YMCA Healthy Kids Day is the nation’s largest health day for children, an annual event that supports the healthy growth and development of kids and families.

Stroller Strides

Stroller Strides, a fitness class for moms with kids in strollers, meets at Twin Peaks Mall on Monday at 9:00 am and on Thursday at 9:10 am. You can visit their website at www.strollerstrides.net/longmont for more information. They also have a group on Meetup.com. Happy exercising!

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! :)

Flu shots

I know immunizations in general are a controversial subject but I'm putting this info out there just in case you want to get yourself and/or your children a flu vaccine this year....

http://www.immunizecolorado.com/ - you can search for flu clinics on this site but the listing doesn't seem very complete to me.

http://www.longmontclinic.com/frame.cfm?section=community - The Longmont Clinic's flu shot info

http://www.rockymountainurgentcare.com/ - I've never heard of this one but apparently they have an office opening in Longmont on December 1st and will start off with a flu clinic. The first 100 people in line that day will get their flur shot for free!

http://www.co.boulder.co.us/health/hpe/iz/clinicinformation.htm - Info on clinics from Boulder County Public Health Dept - these seem to be the cheapest.

King Soopers - The King Soopers search site for locations offering flu clinics

Safeway - The Safeway search site for flu clinics dates and locations

Hope that helps!

Mosquito spraying starts July 19th!

The City of Longmont has contracted to begin spraying for mosquitoes on Thursday, July 19th, beginning at 8:30 pm. Each and every street in the city is scheduled to be sprayed that night so you may want to take some precautions with your kids - don't let them play near the trucks or better yet keep them inside with the windows closed during and after the spraying! Their website says the fine mist is safe for humans but why breathe it if you don't have to? See http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/news/pr/2007/SprayingtoBegin.htm for more info.

Got bug spray?

Yikes! Mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus have been found in Longmont. Protect yourself and your children by avoiding being outside during dusk/dawn hours, wearing long sleeves/pants and applying bug spray often. Check out this story from the Associated Press:

BOULDER (AP) - Nearly twice as many mosquitoes are carrying the virus that produces West Nile disease in the Longmont area this summer.

The number of mosquitoes with the disease is up 170 percent so far this summer and it looks like it's getting worse. This week's count is up 237 percent compared with the same week last July.

Boulder County health officials say infected insects can travel up to 20 miles so it's possible more diseased mosquitoes could start showing up in other areas.

Two human cases of the disease have been identified in the state, one in Logan County and the other in Cheyenne County.

Nationally, a total of 26 cases have been reported in 11 states. South Dakota leads the nation with seven.

(Copyright Associated Press, All Rights Reserved)