Colorado Renaissance Festival

An every year tradition in my family is to visit the Colorado Renaissance Festival. I remember going as a child and the fun memories have lasted over many years. My Children have such a blast – From seeing beautiful fairies to knights in full armor, they’ve got hundreds of things for children to see and do.

My beautiful Family

But they don’t skimp on pleasing the adults – They’ve got alcoholic beverages from beers, ciders and margaritas for only $4.50! As well as decently priced meals and snacks!

A gorgeous water statue dancing to Lakmé, Flower duet

Now.. Not only do they have fun festival games but they’ve also got camel/llama rides, pirate shows, jousting and royalty parades! I don’t think I’ve ever seen my step-daughter light up as much as when she saw the princesses.. A look I’ve seen before on myself when I too was younger : ❥

My Prince ❥

Hudson loved the beautiful ladies in their fancy dresses (Such a flirt…) but I think his favorite moment was the camel rides.. He lit up like a Christmas tree : ❥

I highly recommend the Colorado Renaissance festival to anyone!! Families, Singles, Adults, ANYONE. You’ll have a blast from the PAST 😉

“Wheeeee!”

(I was compensated for this post, all opinions are my own)

Sprouts Event – Plant Based

As a paleo eater I love all things whole foods – Fruits, Meats and Veggies which are just so important for our bodies! The paleo lifestyle is based on caveman eating – Only things you would have found in nature (Obviously nothing artificial or processed). However, I don’t eat nearly as much meat as my Husband does so plant based eating has always intrigued me! So I went to a Sprouts Event where Dietitian Suzanne Farrell explained the benefits, methods and products that plant based eaters use (and why!)

It was so informative – I learned things I should be adding to my own diet to acquire certain vitamins/nutrients I may be lacking! Such as certain nuts (Almonds and Peanuts) that are amazing sources of protein, foods that provide Omega-3s if I’m not eating a ton of fish (Such as chia/flax seeds and spinach!) and so much more!There were plant based products I never realized were paleo that were so tasty! (Like almond based hummus dip.. It’s SO good! Go to your local Sprouts and search around the hummus area – There are some great options for paleo snacking!)

They were handing out samples of their watermelon to people in the store.. What other grocery store does that?!

I love Sprouts for their deals, their fresh foods and their products’ ingredients but most of all their tie to their communities. They’re always wanting to educate, help and assist everyone who’s wanting to learn about healthier eating! I love Sprouts!

(I was compensated for this post, all opinions are my own)

Happy Spring Y’all!

I love Spring! The trees are blooming, green grass is beginning to show, I get to TAN, and my family and I spend so much time outside together! It’s amazing and I’m so excited it’s finally here!

Now that warmer weather is here I decided it’s time to plan a fun family mini-cation – I think we all could use it! So I went online to Great Wolf Lodge and booked us a room in May which includes full access to their amazing water park! We haven’t told the kids but we’re SO excited to have time for all of us and not have any other worries in the world!

I bought everyone new swimsuits (Got an adorable Mom appropriate swimsuit here, LOVE it.) and now we play waiting game.. But, my Husband and I have something super exciting to look forward to everyday and it’s really fun for us!

You deserve a mini-cation too! Book something for your family or for yourself! Something you can look forward to that excites you for Spring and new experiences!

Massage Benefits

As an active Mom with an even more active little man I am constantly tired (Like any other parent 😉 ) With fitting in exercise as often as I can, getting us out of the house 4-5 days a week for activities and being a house wife I am constantly on the go and although I’m only 26 I feel it catching up with me where I would welcome a nap with a smile and a mini-mom tear.

So I cannot be thankful enough for my biweekly massage. It isn’t just for releasing stress and aches and pains but preventing my pinch nerve problems in my neck that cause my arms to go numb when I over-exert. I’m a parent – I ALWAYS over-exert.Having Bodhi Body know specifically what my problem areas and concerns are make it a pleasurable yet needed appointment. If you’ve got an issue like that I highly recommend you checking them out or if you’re out of state trying your own local therapists. It makes a WORLD of difference!

Also, for those weight loss or strengthening New Years resolutions, when you feel stiff and achy from exercising when it may have been awhile or you’re trying something new it can be so disheartening to get back onto that yoga mat for more! But getting a massage totally works those aches and gets you back and ready for more by the next day!

It’s all around beneficial and I LOVE my massage studio. Stephanie is the best and it’s an adorable yet relaxing environment that puts you at peace as soon as you walk in. Try them out for yourself if you’re in the Denver area! Free 30 minute massage with code SIMPLY .

(I am compensated for these posts and my affiliate code, however all opinions are my own!)

 

Toughest Monster Truck Tour

Hudson has been obsessed with vehicles for a long time.. Right now it’s all about his big trucks!! So we’re REALLY looking forward to April when the Toughest Monster Truck Tour comes to town so he can see them up close and personal!

The Toughest Monster Truck Tour brings only the best and baddest monster trucks in the nation to compete in 3 competitions each night. Only one can be the Toughest!

In addition you might see high flying Freestyle Motocross riders, a giant fire-breathing mechanical dinosaur, ATV/quad racing, tough trucks or a 2,000 hp jet powered ATV!

Tickets On Sale Now! Find more information and view the upcoming schedule by visiting http://www.toughestmonstertrucks.com/upcoming-events/

January 19th – January 20th, 2018 Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Santa Ana Star Center

February 2nd – February 3rd, 2018 Youngstown, Ohio
Covelli Center

February 10th, 2018 Casper, Wyoming
Casper Events Center

February 17th, 2018 Salina, Kansas
Bicentennial Center

March 9th – March 10th, 2018 Saginaw, Michigan
Dow Event Center

March 23rd – March 24th, 2018 Lafayette, Louisiana
Cajundome

March 30th – March 31st, 2018 Stockton, California
Stockton Arena

March 30th – March 31st, 2018 Independence, Missouri
Silverstein Eye Centers Arena

April 13th – April 14th, 2018 Loveland, Colorado
Budweiser Events Center

April 21st, 2018 Grand Forks, North Dakota
Alerus Center

Good Buy Gear

Ever have such an amazing experience with a company that you want to tell the world about them? That’s what this post is about. For parents living in Colorado, you’ve GOT TO TRY Good Buy Gear! They’ve got some AMAZING products with a unique twist. They’re an online infant/toddlers/children’s consignment shop that picks up the items and delivers!!

I had things PILLING up in my garage from the kid’s past bedroom decor, to toys, books and more. I wasn’t having luck on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace and honestly felt uncomfortable meeting people whenever doing a sell without my Husband home – So decided to try something new. I had heard of Good Buy Gear from another Mom and decided to check it out.

They’ve got some AMAZING products at such incredible prices!! I was able to get quite a few gifts for the kids for Christmas but most importantly.. I was able to make some room in our garage! I scheduled a pick-up appointment time to come grab my items and they made it SO easy for me! They did the research for descriptions, they clean up the items if needed AND find a great price to sell it at that people would find appealing (They run the prices/posts by you first before posting them!)

Their Huge Warehouse in Arvada!

This is exactly what adapting to the future looks like! Making a consignment store online with the convenience of delivery/pick up is SO perfect for people who would be using this website – Parents with Busy Schedules!

Try it out!! There’s SO many amazing gifts for your kids AND a $10 gift code (TRYGOODBUY)

I just spent $42 on some amazing gifts!!! 😀 Can’t wait! ❥

Marcella’s Ristorante Denver

Italian food has always been a temptation for me. The smells, the pasta, the marinara sauce. It’s all. Just. Amazing. So when I heard about Marcella’s Ristorante opening in September in the fancy new LoHi neighborhood I jumped at the chance to try it!

As soon as you drive up you’re hit with an absolutely gorgeous view of downtown Denver. (Picturesque place to take anyone visiting Denver for the first time, or anytime!) And an even more stunning scene is when you walk into the restaurant itself. The interior embodies elegance yet the music keeps it hip and inviting. It’s got an upscale feeling without the outrageous upscale pricing – Which is SO nice for families (Especially parents on a date night 😉 )

Marcella’s Gnocchi – Photo by Suzanne Bastien (My Mom who also went!)

I was seated by the nicest hosts we’ve had in awhile and our server Hannah was delightful. The smells instantly made us hungry and we were excited to try it all! But we started with their Tuscan LiMonata cocktails first and fell in LOVE – It was made with their Housemade Limoncello and you could absolutely tell due to the sheer freshness it had ❥

We had some delicious bread brought to our table but when we mentioned our usual strict paleo habits they brought us their gluten-free menu and bread to try. It was SO SO good – And so thoughtful! They’re so considerate they even have a whole different pizza oven dedicated for gluten-free sensitive people so it doesn’t touch gluten!

Marcella’s Braised Veal MeatBall – Photo by Suzanne Bastien (My Mom who also went!)

We decided to next try their appetizer meatball and were blown away. It was literally the best meatball we’ve EVER had. HOW can something be cooked fully yet crumble apart in your mouth?! *Drool*

This definitely excited us for the entree which we decided on their Sicilian Pizza with Banana Peppers added. SO GOOD – And the star of the show?? THEIR BANANA PEPPERS. Never EVER had more fresh tasting peppers in my life. It was crazy how much it happened to stand out against everything else, it just showed how dedicated they are to fresh, real ingredients.

We ended the night with two desserts because we couldn’t decide.. We had their Profiteroles (pistachio, chocolate & honey vanilla gelato, warm chocolate ganache) and Zeppoles (Essentially beignets that you dip in chocolate and my cajun boy HAD to see what it was all about 😉 ) Needless to say we destroyed both desserts WITHOUT guilt!

And this was my SECOND trip here. I had been here previously with my Mom and we got to try some more of their incredible menu items.. It was just so good I had to bring my Husband because he would appreciate it’s atmosphere and delicious foods and he SO did.

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The photos above are some photos my Mom snapped on our last trip through and it doesn’t even capture how delicious these foods looked, smelled and tasted. SO come try it for yourself – You’ll never EVER be disappointed.. We’re already trying to plan another trip down (This time at night because the patio is lit up so beautifully you’ll feel like royalty along with the lights of downtown beside it!)

Marcella’s Denver

1801 Central Street,
Denver, Colorado 80211
(720) 484-5484

(I was compensated with some delectable food in exchange for this completely honest review of their amazing restaurant!)

Elitch Gardens Fright Fest

UPDATE: Booooonus Night Added – Thursday, October 26 Theme Park + Fright by Night OPEN from 6pm – 10pm. Tickets Only $19.99 if booked online for Thursday, October 26 ONLY

My Family is huge on celebrating Halloween. We always have the most decked out decorations, we get dressed up, have spooky music on and watch horror movies all month long!

A new way our family is going to start celebrating is by going to Elitch Gardens Fright Fest every year!! We went last weekend with our kids and had an absolute blast! We had my Mother, Step Dad and my siblings there too which helped the kids be brave! 🙂

Muahahahaha!!

We made sure to get the Fast Passes so we could get on all of the rides quickly (Especially with kids you never know when the breakdowns will occur) But there was fun treats, great food, BEER ♥, pumpkins for the kids to decorate, awesome spooky rides that really gets you in the Halloween spirit and SO MUCH MORE.

We loved it so much we decided we wanted to do a date night so we can actually enjoy some of the Haunted attractions the kids were too scared to try! We’re going on Friday and will be sure to update this post with some photos. We cannot wait!

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Try it out before it’s gone – Ends October 29th! Fright Fest is a BLAST for kids of all ages AND for a date night! Don’t forget, my readers can enjoy an exclusive discount for the Elitch Gardens Fright Fest Combo Ticket $39.99 here!!

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Our date night at Fright Fest was AMAZING. We were missing the kiddos but it was SO fun being able to do any rides we wanted, going through all of the haunted houses and the Seance show (It was SO scary!!).

We had some drinks, a giant delicious turkey leg and shared a ton of laughs (With all the teenagers getting scared by the clown/killer lumberjack guys walking around) and a ton of screams!

We’ll absolutely be back twice a year from now on. Once for the kids and another time for just us – We felt so very connected! Thanks Elitches!!

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(I was compensated for this post, all opinions are my own – We had a blast!)

Feeling Thankful

It’s Fall time – Which is the time where people feel like giving Thanks and feeling grateful (I still feel like this should be an EVERYDAY kinda thing but still I’ll go with it for this post). I have one thing that I feel so very very thankful for right now. And that’s Bodhi Body.

I’ve been really, really sick lately with still no explanation. But, I’ve literally nearly been tested for everything they can possibly think of so at this point I am assuming that I have the incurable Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. My symptoms lately have presented some extreme pain throughout my body (Mainly in my neck/head/back regions).

I was really excited when my appointment finally came up for my massage because I’ve been in so much pain and knew my therapist Tonya could help me out! She started working on me and I could hear the concerns in her breath when she was working on my back and spine. It hurt so good, haha! She focused mainly on my worst concerns and at the end of it I had absolutely NO pain and STILL have no pain!!

She said she found TWO pinch nerves, one on EACH side and there was a huge knot on the top of my spine where my skull met my spine that usually stemmed from jaw pain (I HAD been having jaw pain because I stopped wearing my mouth guard *facepalm*) and after she worked on my jaw the pain in my neck seriously MELTED away.

I never thought that massage could seriously have such a serious impact on my day to day life but I couldn’t imagine my life without it now. I am so, so thankful for Bodhi Body and my wonderful therapist Tonya. They’ve helped a Mama out – I came home with a new sense of energy and postitivty. I’m ready to take on the day and cannot wait for my next massage. TRY massage – TRY Bodhi Body, treat yourself AND heal yourself!

Use my code SIMPLY for a free 30 minutes massage with their amazing therapists!

Thankful,

Karaliz

(I am compensated for these posts, however ALL opinions are my own and are genuine.)

Cusa Tea – Swapping Coffee for Tea!

As y’all know I’ve been struggling with some fatigue for awhile. It comes and goes and I believed it to be a Vitamin C deficiency but have still been super sluggish lately without knowing the reason why, STILL.

When I would wake up in the morning the first thing I would go for is a cup of coffee which in the end left me feeling sick to my stomach and almost just as tired if not more afterward! So I’ve decided to give it up and switch to tea to see if that’ll help at all. And so far, it’s been amazing!

I started drinking Cusa Tea as it’s an instant tea that comes in to-go packets which are so very convenient for a Mom who is always on the go like myself! Not only did I notice my energy levels go up in the mornings but I don’t feel as sluggish afterward and don’t feel dehydrated!

 

I love my Pouchee purse! It’s got the best stevia and tea packet holders 😉

Cusa Tea is a Colorado company based out of Boulder (I love supporting local businesses!) and uses only premium, high-quality teas and fruits without any sugars or artificial gunk you see in other to-go packets in the stores! So I feel great having my toddler have sips! (Cuz you know.. Their stuff is not nearly as delicious as what Mommy is having 😛 )

They have a lovely variety of teas from black, green and oolong tea with varying flavors as well! (So far my favorite is the Mango Green tea! ❥)

I went to a health event recently that said that common coffees could contain Mycotoxins (mold toxins) that could be detrimental to your body especially if you’re sensitive to these toxins, but why would you want toxins in your body anyways?!

So I’m sure I’ll have a cup of joe every now and then but after feeling the way I have sticking with Cusa Tea and Stevia (I use Wholesome’s Stevia packets because of the convenience and it’s just straight Stevia leaf extract, no added stuff!) I’m going to keep staying on track with these in the mornings and whenever I need a midday pickup!

Try for yourself and see if switching from coffee to tea helps you with whatever fatigue, foggy-headedness, or grogginess you’re experiencing! You never know what you could use as an alternative to make you feel like new ☀

(I was compensated for this post, all opinions are my own)