Mexico On My Mind!

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A little under 3 weeks ago I returned from an amazing trip with 3 of my long time friends to the Cancun area of Mexico. We had such a great time! We stayed at Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar in Playa Del Carmen. 

Beautiful Resort Grounds and Lobby Areas

 

Peacocks were only one of the many different kinds of wildlife we saw on resort property. We saw Coati, cats, parrots, turtles, flamingos, peacocks, and many other types of birds

This was my 1st time staying at an all inclusive resort. I have been on two cruises, which have all inclusive food and our cruise excursion to Cozumel had all inclusive food and drink, but each place is different. Here at the Iberostar properties if you are staying at the Beach or Del Mar side you can book 2 a la carte restaurants for a 4 night stay. We chose Japanese hibachi based upon online reviews and it was delicious, the best meal of our trip! The 2nd a la carte we chose was The Brazilian Rodizo. It was okay but nothing amazing. We ordered room service once for desserts and wine and that was a lot of fun and a tasty treat. We booked a room with 2 beds at the Beach side but they put us in a room with 1 bed so we ended up moving to a room at the Del Mar side near the lobby. We were near the Del Mar lobby buffet so we ate every breakfast there. The food was satisfactory. Nothing amazing but a huge spread and since it was all you can eat you can keep going back until you find something you like. For lunch we either ate at the beach or the pool buffet until the last day. The food at the pool buffets was definitely not as good as the lobby buffet. We had a really nice lunch at the Beach side lobby buffet our last day. We weren't that impressed with Star Rock Cafe or the Taco place in the shopping center but did have yummy crepes and coffee at the shopping center.

Japanese Hibachi, delicious food and entertainment

Parasailing, one of many activities they had at the resort

Jumping for joy! We love the beach!

The star of the resort, a gorgeous soft, sand beach. We could have spent all day relaxing on the beach

Our room was quite a walk to the beach but the grounds were lush with vegetation and gorgeous and we didn't mind the exercise. There were snacks, a bar, and bathrooms right at the beach. Depending upon the time of day the beach could be crowded but with a little persistence we could always find 4 lounge chairs. Each day there were different activities at the beach. We participated in yoga on the beach on day and Zumba on the beach another day. Both were a lot of fun. We also heard staff rounding up guests for pick up soccer and volleyball games. The water varied from very rough to fairly calm when we were there. The sand was very soft and never hot. There were hammocks near the beach and outdoor beds so plenty of space for relaxing. was seaweed but it wasn't overtaking the beach. There were rocks in some areas but the lifeguards kept swimmers to one area where there were not rocks.

Our 2nd favorite spot, the gorgeous pool. It was huge and had sun loungers, spa jets, quiet areas, and multiple swim up bars.

Swim up bar!

The pool area was a huge surprise just how vast it was. It wasn't super wide at spots but went through the property almost as a river. The pool started with the hot tub at the far enter in a covered area. and went most of the way to the beach. There were a lot of comfortable lounge chairs and shade by the pool, outdoor beds, and areas to relax. As you got closer to the beach there were bathrooms, swim up bar, ice cream counter, sun loungers, and jetted area of the pool. One pool was a little more lively and had the games and activities at it. One day we watched guests compete to try to stand up on a surfboard and jump over a rope strung across the pool. That same day they gave a short dance lesson by the pool. Plenty to keep you busy if you like to be busy. Plenty of opportunities to relax if that is what you prefer.

Best of friends on vacation!

The best part for me? Getting uninterrupted time to catch up with my girlfriends. I have known these ladies for 20 or more years but life has taken us all different directions and it is not often that we get to really catch up. The fact that Cancun has a direct flight from Denver and Minneapolis makes it as easy as getting to the east coast. Going through customs as quick and easy and we had arranged to a bus to take us to and from the airport with cheapcaribbean.com when we booked. Rain was forecast most of our trip but we only had one downpour and a couple short sprinkles. Mostly we had gorgeous sunny and 80 degree weather. We truly had an amazing time and I know it won't be a question of it we'll be back but when we'll be back!

10 Disney Dream Insider Tips - Disney Cruise Line

We spent an amazing 5 days on the Disney Dream last month. It was a wonderful family vacation! This was our 2nd Disney Cruise Line vacation. Disney fans love planning so I wanted to share my insider tips for the Disney Dream.

1. Figure out when your online check in window opens and be ready! You must be paid in full and then first time cruisers can check in 75 days ahead, Silver Castaway Club members (1-4 cruises) can check in 90 days ahead, Gold Castaway Club Members (5-9 cruises) can check in 105 days ahead, and Platinum Castaway Club Level (10 cruises or more) can check in 120 days ahead. The most important thing is to grab an early Port Arrival Time (PAT), book Princess and Frozen Meet and Greet tickets (limited quantity), book Palo or Remy, and book shore excursions (don't sell out as fast typically). I put in just the basic info to grab a PAT and then go back and add flight, transportation, and passport info later. I also registered my son for the kids club online and was able to skip that line in the terminal. Print your paperwork when you are done. 3 days or less before your cruise you cannot make changes online or print documents again so make sure you print before then. If you forget the documents you can still check in, it just speeds up the process.

2. Each adult can carry on 6 cans/bottles of beer or one bottle of wine at embarkation and at each port. This is the policy as of October 2017. Save a little money and bring your own wine or beer.

3.Pack a day bag with swimsuits, important documents like passports/birth certificates and medicine, and give the porters the rest of your luggage. Your room won't be ready until 1:30pm but boarding usually starts around 11:30am. We always head straight for Cabanas for a yummy lunch at the outside tables and head straight for the AquaDuck water slide and pools. The day we embarked the pool deck was HOT so flip flops or sandals are handy.

4. Go to the spa raffle on embarkation day (3:30pm) for us. Not only did several people win $50-$100 spa gift cards, at the end of their quick presentation they ran $100 off special on the bliss package (hot stone massage, scalp massage, foot rub, and facial). I wasn't planning to book a spa treatment but did for the 1st night between dinner and the show and had an amazing 1 hour and 45 minute service. So relaxing! 

5. Book Palo brunch for your sea day. It was amazing! The food was so delicious, the service was great, the view was nice, and the adult only atmosphere was wonderful. Brunch on a sea day means you don't have to miss any of your evening meals and you don't have to worry about excursion timing. The Palo Lasagna, Veal, and Chicken Parmigiana were all some of the best food I have ever had. The cold buffet and desserts were pretty great too. Yum!

6. Check out the Midship Detective Game on deck 2 or deck 5. This wasn't overly promoted but it was a super fun game. I played one night with hubby and our 5 year old. My kids ended up doing all 3 missions over the course of the 5 days.

7. Play family Bingo! It may seem expensive or lame but it's not. It is a ton of fun. Even my teens loved it. Photographic evidence below!

Teens smiling at bingo!

8. Castaway Cay, a Bahamian paradise! I love Castaway Cay, my favorite port. So gorgeous. My insider tip is run the Castaway Cay 5K, it's a ton of fun. If you have kids too young to run, don't worry, the kids club on the island opens early just for them. Bring your swimsuits with you and change into your swimsuit after the race and enjoy a relaxing beach day. We found on the Dream, where there are more passengers than the Magic, the first family beach near the climbing structure was less crowded than the 2nd family beach near the Pelican Plunge water slide. Take time to ride the water slide, especially if you have small kids, they can ride a big water slide with a life jacket on. Adults, I highly recommend checking the kids into the kids club on the island for an hour and having lunch at Serenity Bay and enjoying some adult only time. Even more beautiful and peaceful than the family beach area.

Serenity Bay adult only beach at Castaway Cay

9. Room Service, use it! The cheese plate and the cake of the day are two of our favorites but you know what we loved this cruise? Pre-ordering room service breakfast the night before. Just hang the door hanger found in the desk drawer out the night before with a 30 minute time slot you select. I chose the time my alarm was set for and woke up to hot coffee, donuts, and fresh fruit. My 5 year old asked if someone would bring him donuts in bed once we were back home. Sorry buddy, real life isn't anything like a Disney cruise!

10. Dress up for events! Depending upon your itinerary you may have a semi formal, formal, pirate night, Halloween night, or other special night. My advice is dress up and participate! When else do you get to go all out and have fun? Our 5 day cruise had a Halloween night, a pirate night, and an optional semi formal night. We participated in them all! 

Semi formal night

There are pirates out in those waters!

Kids during the Halloween on the High Seas Celebration

Prince Eric and Princess Ariel

There were several times during our cruise where I looked over at hubby and said, "is this real life?" Our whole trip was amazing and we can't wait to do it again!

Run For Your Life

Want to win a 5 pack class pass to be used at any participating Fit4Mom location (Greater Denver, North Metro Denver, and Northern Colorado franchises)? Head to Facebook to enter! Giveaway ends 5/12!

Fit4Mom is an organization near and dear to my heart! I have never been athletic or much into working out but in 2010, when we lived in Maryland I heard about a Couch to 5K at our local running store and I signed up. Something in me changed! I set goals and beat them! I loved socializing with the other participants and successfully ran my 1st 5K race that summer.

The next fall I signed up for their 10K training and ran my 1st 10K race and just kept on running! In 2011 when I got pregnant with our 4th child, I knew I didn't want to lose this fitness I had built up. I was determined to run as far along in my pregnancy as I could manage. I ran until about 24 weeks when a cold snap hit Colorado and I was starting to really show.

The problem with stopping running is it is hard to get back into it! During our 2011 move from Maryland to Colorado and my subsequent pregnancy, I never did find a training group that was my speed. Then came a baby who never slept and was very high needs and running and exercising did not happen for this mama!

Two of my friends, who didn't know each other both opened Fit4Mom franchises in the area. I checked out their openings but I wasn't sure it was my thing. One of the owners, Darcy Peters, persistently encouraged me to sign up for the Fit4Mom marathon and half marathon training. If she didn't persist I would have never said, "yes"! A marathon seemed beyond my reach but with some time, a lot of hard work, and some encouragement, maybe, just maybe I could run a half marathon. 

That was December 2013 and I am currently training for my 4th half marathon! Running is my outlet. It keeps my mind clear when my world is chaos. It keeps me exercising. It keeps me connecting with other moms. It keeps me setting goals and working towards them. It keeps me doing something for me and me alone.

Fit4Mom was the group I needed. It was structure, it was accountability it was experienced coaches, it was friendship, and it was encouragement. I would have never crossed those finish lines without those ladies who logged all those miles along side with me. We have laughed and shared way too many TMI moments. There is something about running together, where you just bond. Running friends are the best friends!

May 2014 Colorado Half Marathon Fit4Mom Team

In May, 2014 I successfully completed my 1st half marathon, the Colorado half marathon. I started my race with all my teammates but one teammate stayed with me the entire race. She likely could have finished several minutes ahead of me but she never left my side. We finished together and it was an awesome feeling to have accomplished something that many people will never come close to!

My 2nd oldest and my youngest cheering Ginger and I on the race course

Happy Finisher!

I took a short break from training but started back in July to train for the Denver Rock n Roll half marathon in October. Fit4Mom was there again, along with my awesome teammates and friends. Training for a half marathon, you log a fair amount of miles over about 4 months. Not only did these ladies faithfully show up each week for our long runs, we often met up once or twice during the week to get in our shorter, midweek training runs. 

The Denver Rock n Roll half I was on pace with a great friend of mine, LeAnn. When she struggled, I encouraged her along, when I struggled she encouraged me. I beat my 1st half marathon time by several minutes and came in about 2 minutes under my goal. I was a happy runner!

Fit4Mom Northern Colorado Denver Rock n Roll Team!

LeAnn and I proudly holding those medals we earned!

After almost 10 months of training I was getting mentally fatigued and needed a break. A lot of my team mates went on to train for the 2015 Colorado Half Marathon but I needed a break. Darcy Peters, the Northern Colorado Fit4Mom franchise owner encouraged me to try a BodyBack class. I was hesitant to say the least. I had come to love running but don't love exercising otherwise. I had never dieted but becoming healthier and losing weight was appealing. Plus I loved these ladies and two set dates each week to see my mom friends sounded like a bonus!

From the end of 2014, all of 2015, and the beginning of 2016 I took 3 sessions of BodyBack and I came to love the HITT style workouts. The diet part was hard for me but I saw results! My family loved the dinner recipes and some are still in our regular rotation. It was awesome to do assessments at the beginning of BodyBack and measure how fast you could run a mile, how long you could hold a plank, etc. and then at the end of the session seeing how much you had improved. Then there is the before and after photos and inches and pounds lost. I always saw great results and it was awesome to do it in a supported, fun atmosphere, with women who had become my friends.

Then these crazy friends of mine, talked me into a race I thought I'd never do. Horsetooth Half Marathon. Those of you not from Fort Collins may not realize but this is a tough, tough race! You run up a mountain, partially down, then back up another mountain. I am social person and once several of my friends who I had made through Fit4Mom committed to Horsetooth Half I signed up. The training was great. Yes, lots of cold days in January and February but we were ready to race. The day of the race it was snowing like crazy, blowing sideways, not the type of weather you want for a big race you've been preparing for 3.5 months for. With my Fit4Mom teammates and friends, Joni and Dara by my side, the 3 of us crossed the finish line of the Horsetooth Half Marathon. I am still so proud that despite that weather, all 3 of us finished! It wasn't our fastest half marathon but we ran a half marathon, up a mountain, in a snow storm. There was nothing we couldn't accomplish!

Still smiling after a snowy and hilly Horsetooth Half

Fit4Mom isn't just running training or BodyBack, it is friendship and support, and healthy lifestyles and healthy families. Their flagship class, Stroller Strides allows you to workout while you bring your baby in the stroller with you. They also offer Fit4Baby, pregnancy fitness and StrollerBarre, classes for moms with baby. I have so many great memories with these ladies. Not only of running and exercising together but of ladies night out and fun times together.

One year Fit4Mom had a team at the Color Vibe 5K

Being part of the Fit4Mom family the past 3 years changed me and my approach to fitness. It has grown my love of running and it has shown me that I can dream big and accomplish those dreams. There is nothing I cannot do if I put my mind to it and work hard towards my goals. 

Another bucket list item, hubby and I climbed not one but two 14ers

Want to learn more about upcoming Fit4Mom events?

Greater Denver event- Anniversary Class for all mamas at all locations to attend 

https://www.facebook.com/events/418331361857974/

North Metro - Stroller Strides Lafayette Grand Opening at Waneka Lake Park

https://www.facebook.com/events/765420033639358/

Northern Colorado - Mother's Day 5K

https://www.facebook.com/events/615751518635929/

All opinions are my own and based on my own experience participating in Fit4Mom programs. I was compensated for my time to prepare this post and share it via social media.

Go Toddler Go!

I was given the opportunity to review the Bobux i-walk shoes. i-walk shoes are the perfect shoes for toddlers. The i-Walk line is made for toddlers who are confidently walking and are perfect for running and jumping. Bobux makes tennis shoes, sandals, and boots, making it the perfect shoe for every season. Bobux i-walk shoes are available in toddlers sizes 4.5-11.5 (U.S. equivalent). 

Orion is 3 years old and I have always chosen to purchase him 1-2 pair of quality shoes at a time rather than 10 different pair of shoes to match everything. He's a boy so 1 pair of tennis shoes, 1 pair of snow boots, and 1 pair of sandals. Between those 3 pairs we can get by all year.

Bobux is based out of Castle Rock, Colorado and I love the opportunity to work with another local, Colorado company.

i-walk Attica Flame

Fun, orange and gray shoes

These shoes didn't disappoint! Orion was so excited to put them on and run, run, run. Orion has been wearing them daily for the last couple weeks to preschool both for outdoor playground time and indoor P.E. time and they are working great and holding up well. 

Buying shoes online without trying them on first can be tricky. I used the Bobux i-walk sizing guide provided on their website. Orion measured 6 1/4 inches but I decided to go with the size 27 because he had outgrown his last pair of tennis shoes in 9.5. The 27 is a bit big and the size 26, which was recommended by the sizing chart would have fit him perfectly. My advice is go with the measurement size even if it doesn't correspond to the U.S. shoe size you typically buy your toddler. Even being a little big Orion has been able to wear the shoes just fine and they'll end up lasting him longer.

Happy boy modeling his new shoes

Watch Orion run in his fast, new Bobux shoes!

Check out Bobux's website for their full selection of shoes for babies and toddlers. You can also follow Bobux on Facebook where they partner with other companies each Friday for Friday Freeday giveaways.

I was provided this pair of shoes at no charge in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Valentine's Gift

Valentine's Day, it seems like it's a holiday that people love or hate. On one hand you have people who are hopeless romantics and love to celebrate love! On the other hand you have people who don't like Valentine's Day. They think it is a commercial holiday or they're single or have lost in love. 

Nate and I fall somewhere in the middle. With my birthday falling exactly one week before Valentine's Day we don't often do a separate Valentine's celebration. With 4 kids at home, sneaking away for 1 day in 1 week is about all we can muster. We will often do a big birthday/Valentine celebration in between my birthday (February 7th) and Valentine's Day. We even got engaged on February 10th 9 years ago on one of our birthday/Valentine's Day dates. 

This year our Valentine's gift came a little early. In looking for unique and fun gifts I cam across this fun site: www.uncommongoods.com There were so many different things: Valentine's gift here, anniversary gifts for him that would make great Valentine's gifts here, or anniversary gifts for her that would make great Valentine's gifts here. There were so many fun things it was hard for me to decide. Uncommongoods endeavors to feature unique designs and handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment and without harm to animals or people.

Scratch Map packaging

Instructions

Scratch Map laid out

I decided on the scratch map because I have a bit of wanderlust. Travel makes my heart happy and I can't wait to see more of the world. I am always planning our next trip. Right now we have a March National Parks camping trip, a July National Parks camping trip, and a Disney Cruise next January, already planned.

Ready for fun

Before the scratching began

A lot of my travels have been within the United States with the exception of Mexico and the Bahamas. I do plan to visit all 50 states and want to add many more countries to my list of places visited. 

Hard at work

Revealing all the places I've visited

Orion was excited to hear about all my adventures

It was so fun to think about all the places I have visited. All the different states. We even had to pull out a road atlas and think about a few. That is a lot of blue showing in the United States. It looks like I need to plan 4 road trips to hit the rest of the states I haven't been, Northwest, Great Lakes, Southeast, and Northeast. Can't wait for that to happen!

Western hemisphere has a good start

So many states!

I can't wait to get the scratch map from Uncommongoods put up in my loft so we can scratch off our adventures as we take them.

I was compensated for this post by Uncommongoods and provided a product for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Fitted Sheet Battle is Real!

So easy, a 3 year old can do it all by himself!

The battle is real! Fitted sheets can be a real pain, especially if you have a racecar bed like my toddler or even a crib or bunk bed. With the racecar bed I literally have to climb into the bed, struggle with the mattress, sometimes even pull out the entire mattress. What a pain!

Orion's racecar bed

I recently learned about a product that makes changing fitted sheets a breeze. QuickZip makes sheets that zip on and off for easy changing. The idea is simple, there are two pieces: a base and a zip on top sheet. The base should never really needed changed. If the zip on top piece gets wet or dirty, simply zip on a new one. How much easier is that? Especially in the middle of the night, which is when it always seems like kids sheets need changing.

So soft

The sheet we received was a super soft, white minky fabric. All my toddler keeps saying is, "Mom, my sheets are SO soft!" He loves them. The bed still looks neat, and clean. The sheet fits well. The sheet is also safe for infants and toddlers. It cannot just pop off.

Bed is all made up and ready to go

Close up of the soft minky and zipper pull system

The zipper and zipper pull are both sturdy and can withstand toddler style tugging and pulling (as you saw in the video). We've only had the sheets a couple weeks but I would think they would last for a long time. If you are frustrated with trying to wrangle your fitted sheet onto your crib, bunk bed, or specialty bed, like Orion's racecar bed, this is a great solution. Orion and I are very happy with his new sheets. Visit the QuickZip website for more information about how to purchase the QuickZip sheets. 

Ready for a night of racing!

Disclosure Statement: I was paid for this post but all opinions are mine only.

Mount Bierstadt - 1 Nate and Michelle - 0

Climbing a fourteener was something on my bucket list. For those of you not from Colorado that's a 14,000 foot tall mountain. Some of these mountains take skill, like Longs Peak. Others like Mount Bierstadt take an early start, some stamina, and the will to finish. Nate and I decided it was best to attempt without the kids so we arranged for all 4 kids to spend the night with my mom. It was Orion's first overnight away from home without mom but he did great.

We found this cute little European hotel in Georgetown which operated like a bed and breakfast. The view was nice, the rooms were lovely, the service was excellent, and the homemade croissants and fruit for breakfast delivered to your room were amazing. We had a nice dinner down the road and sat on the balcony drinking wine, listening to the stream. So nice to be kid-free for an entire 24 hours. 

We arrived at the trail head at 8am and it was packed. I never thought I'd be hiking with so many people but the weather was lovely and it was probably one of the last weekends of the year for hiking fourteeners.

Nate all ready to hike

 Even the bottom of the trail was beautiful

I was thankful for the boardwalk through the thickets. It was very muddy and wet at the bottom.

There were a lot of hanging lakes

Getting rocky and steep

Taking a break

Despite our best efforts and 6 hours of hiking we didn't make it to the top. The 2nd half of the trail was very steep and rocky. Imagine stair stepping for hours at high elevation. Needless to say we didn't hike very fast. About 3/4 of the way up we heard thunder. The clouds were gray and looking ominous but we were hoping to beat the storm. After the 2nd clap of thunder we decided to call it a day and turn back. It took us a couple hours to hike down. We didn't want to get stuck in a lightning storm up above tree line. We were both pretty disappointed but don't worry we'll be back next summer. Instead of 8am start we'll be at the trail head at 6am. Hopefully with an earlier start we can beat any afternoon storms. Still a lovely day in nature with my husband so I can't complain.