GOOD TO KNOW

HELPFUL NEWS, IDEAS, AND TIPS FOR COLORADO PARENTS

Make Your Travel Dollars Matter

There’s nothing better than a mini winter getaway to de-stress from the holidays…especially one that also helps send a child with a serious illness to camp. The Inn at Riverwalk, in Vail’s pedestrian village, partnered with Colorado artist Marley Seifert, who designed a mural for the hotel’s Roundup River Ranch Room. Each time a guest stays in the room, decorated with the colorful 92 by 92-inch artwork, 20 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Roundup River Ranch’s medically-supported camp programs. Along with the cheery room, families booking a stay at The Inn at Riverwalk have convenient access to world-class skiing, a heated pool, and a loaded gear garage with all sizes of bikes, snowshoes, and sleds, plus board games, lawn games, and even a Polaroid camera to borrow at no added cost. innatriverwalk.com

Source Help This Holiday Season

To-do lists grow exponentially this time of year and having an extra set of hands to help out is crucial—it might even score you some more time with your kids. If you could use some help grocery shopping, organizing your house before hosting, or finding the perfect holiday outfit, that's where TULA steps in. The Denver and Boulder-based business offers on-demand personal assistants who take on everything from gift-giving and meal planning to decorating and wrapping.

Founded by a working single mom of two, the company strives to take some of the burdens off of busy parents. Here’s how it works: · Send TULA a task request through their easy-to-use app. · They’ll assign you an assistant and sort out your timeline—tight deadlines are no problem. · Enjoy having one (or two, or three) fewer things on your to-do list.

Pricing starts at $50 an hour (two-hour minimum), but subscribing to a monthly package will score you the best rate. tulabalanced.com —Kara Thompson

Teaching Kids To Say Thanks

Young Designer Wins Cirque Dreams Costume Contest

If your child can hold a crayon, then it's time to teach them to send thank-you notes, says international etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore. “It might not be the most eloquent thank you, however it will still be heartfelt if the child created, designed, or made a note, even if it's just on white paper.”

Parents can also write a note to go along with a child's creation. Write something like, “Dear Mom and Dad, we appreciate and acknowledge your thoughtful gift and so does Danny.”

When it comes to an appropriate turnaround time to send a thank-you, Whitmore says that sooner, rather than later, is best. “If a month has passed and you're trying to decide if it's too late, no, it’s never too late. Receiving a thank-you note late is better than not receiving one at all.”

4 SIMPLE THANK-YOU NOTE IDEAS FOR KIDS:

· A two- to three-year-old can color or use stamps on a piece of paper. · A four- to five-year-old who is learning to print can write their name after a message they dictate to you. · Elementary-age kids can write a simple message on a preprinted note card or one that they design themselves. · Kids who struggle with handwriting skills, or have a disability that hinders their ability to write or draw, could type a note on the computer for you to print and mail. —Kara Thompson

And the winner of the Colorado Parent and Gaylord Rockies Resort Cirque Dreams Holidaze Costume Contest is: Northglenn resident Lucy Small.

Out of an array of submissions from kids age five to 12 across the state, a panel of judges picked Small’s colorful “Christmas King and Queen,” featuring a masculine red and green outfit complete with Christmas tree-printed pants, and a feminine ensemble with a poofy blue skirt and multi-colored tiara. “The committee felt that Lucy’s Christmas King and Christmas Queen had fantastic detail for an eight-year-old,” Deanne French, director of marketing at the Gaylord Rockies, says. “She may have a future in costume design!” Small’s brother, Eli, found the contest call in this magazine; he made a copy of the entry form online and they both got creative. Before she knew it, Small’s use of crayon, colored pencil, and sparkles brought her imagination to life on the page.

“I wanted to make the design pop and look beautiful,” she says. “I wanted to make it have lots of colors and textures, plus I love glitter.”

Small won her family a stay at the Gaylord and tickets to see the Cirque Dreams Holidaze performance on December 2. The spectacular performance features acrobatics and highflying stunts with a dreamy, seasonal backdrop and costuming.

“I'm grateful that my brother Eli found the contest and helped me enter it,” she says. “This is my first prize and I'm excited about it! My family has wanted to go [to the Gaylord] since it was built… I'm so glad I get to bring them.”