2013 - Ground Control to Major Mom

Need to Feed the Masses? Try Cincinnati Chili!

11 November 1523 December 13 by Major Mom

(The recipe is in a link below, I did not re-print the recipe, since it isn’t mine). Do you have a bunch of family members visiting for the holidays? If so, may I present an easy way to feed the masses before you have to ratchet things up for the big Christmas dinner? Dave and … Read more

Colorado Discoveries 23: Denver Chriskindl Market

22 December 13 by Major Mom

The Denver Christkindl Market is an annual tradition.

I feel sort of guilty posting about this event when today is the last day for the season. However, hopefully folks will Google this event in future years and can read about our family’s experience.

The Denver Christkindl Market is an annual holiday tradition in downtown Denver, put on by the German American Chamber of Commerce of Colorado. It’s conveniently located on the 16th Street Mall at Skyline Park, not far from the 16th & Stout Streets commuter rail station. There are many other things to do in the vicinity, such as visiting the Tattered Cover bookstore or going ice skating at the Southwest Rink at Skyline Park.

Oh Baby It’s Cold Outside: Christmas Preparations and a Flooded Basement

20 December 1320 December 13 by Major Mom

I'll bet you want to put on a coat just looking at this, don't you? — I’ll bet you want to put on a coat just looking at this, don’t you?

The picture above is what we awakened to this morning, with 19F temperature. This came on the heels of several pleasant days: the kids could walk to/from school and I enjoyed an outside run.

A far departure from the Florida temperate conditions we had every Christmas.

You won’t be seeing as many “Colorado Discoveries” posts this time of year, mainly because it’s been colder here. We aren’t spending as much time outside.

Colorado Discoveries 22: Monarch Ski Mountain

20 December 1311 December 13 by Major Mom

Just after Thanksgiving our family took a trip to Monarch Ski Mountain in the middle of the state. It was our family’s first trip skiing in Colorado, and our first skiing in nearly 4 years. I wrote about our last ski trip — in IOWA — in 2009.

Colorado has dozens of ski resorts, so as you could imagine, it was tough deciding which one to try first. We had a lot of suggestions to get season passes, but we figured that for 2013-2014 we’d check out several resorts and make a decision for the following season.

Over the summer and fall, I had talked to several Colorado Springs “natives”: our basement contractor, my violin repairman, even Timmy’s 3rd grade teacher. They had all said the same thing: “Monarch Mountain is where the locals go.”

Colorado Discoveries 21: Winter Hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park

07 December 13 by Major Mom

Jacob's smile in this picture make this slippery hike worth it! — Jacob’s smile in this picture make this slippery hike worth it!

On the second day of our trip to Estes Park, we took a hike around Bear Lake. We weren’t sure what we would encounter, since there was quite a bit of snow. It turned out the trail was very snowy, but was packed down enough that we could walk on it okay. We just had to be very very careful!

These signs all over the entrance were rather daunting.... — These signs all over the entrance were rather daunting….

Nebraska Discoveries 22: My last trip to Nebraska…for now.

07 December 1305 December 13 by Major Mom

The Historic Fort Crook Suites are on "General's Row" on Offutt AFB. — The Historic Fort Crook Suites are on “General’s Row” on Offutt AFB.

Just before Thanksgiving I took one last trip to Offutt AFB in Nebraska. This time I was signing out of my unit at STRATCOM. The folks in my office took me out for a nice lunch at Sinful Burger, and I even caught one last Omaha-Offutt AMS chapter meeting to see some of my friends from my time with that group in 2008-2010.

I had been traveling to Nebraska 5-6 times per year in 2011, 2012, and 2013 for my reserve work. Dave had received orders from Nebraska to Florida a mere 6 months after I had been hired locally.

Colorado Discoveries 20: Sledding at Rocky Mountain National Park

07 December 1305 December 13 by Major Mom

You want to see happy kids, take 'em sledding! — You want to see happy kids, take ’em sledding! Better yet, chain the kids together and send ’em down the hill!

The weekend before Thanksgiving, my friend Paige and I took our sons up to Estes Park, Colorado for a long weekend in a cabin.

We stayed at the same YMCA of the Rockies resort we had visited in August 2010. It was just much colder this time.

The cabin was very nice, with a wood fireplace and a bookcase full of boardgames and puzzles!

The highlight of our weekend had to be the sledding trip! We spent two hours at the Hidden Valley at Rocky Mountain National Park. The hill is a former ski hill and the most gentle part of the hill is a well-used sledding hill now.

Major Mom’s Favorite Holiday Cookie Roundup

04 December 13 by Major Mom

I’m a one-trick pony: I make the same cookies every year. I’ve written pretty elaborate posts about them in 2008 and 2011, so this year I just want to round them up for you. Today is the day I plan to address all of my Christmas cards once and for all. This year’s card list … Read more

Those Things That You Don’t Find Out Right Away When Buying a House

15 November 13 by Major Mom

I’ve discovered a couple things about our new Colorado Springs house that we would never have found out when we were house shopping in May.

1.) When the winds are >20kt, there is whistling all over the place. It wasn’t windy when we were house shopping.

2.) Our south-facing windows flood sunlight into family room and kitchen. This wasn’t an issue in the summer when the sun is higher in the sky, but now the sun doesn’t leave the southern sky at all during the day. As much as I love a sunny house, it’s tough to watch TV in the afternoons. Lots of glare. And I understand this will pay dividends when it’s really cold outside, but the sun will warm these rooms.

3.) The house came with a Bosch dishwasher. We needed a repairman recently for it and I had to call 3 repair companies before I could get someone who would work on a Bosch. I didn’t realize they were so complicated.

Being that this is our eighth home since we got married (10 if you count the two other places I lived when we were at Fort Polk), we’ve resigned ourselves to accepting some of the “glitches” we get when we only have a couple days to pick out a residence. Often you can’t know everything with such a short time, when you’re juggling upwards of a dozen houses in one weekend.

Enjoy some anecdotes of things we’d discovered after the fact in our assorted houses.

Colorado Discoveries 19: Eagle Peak, USAFA

13 November 1313 November 13 by Major Mom

Even though it’s mid-November, we have had a nice spell of pleasant weather here, and I’ve been enjoying some hikes in the area. Over Veteran’s Day weekend I did two nice hikes along with another trip up the Manitou Incline. One of the hikes was the most challenging I’ve experienced in over 15 years, back … Read more