Summer Staycation at Gaylord Rockies

Summer break has come to an end for us here in Colorado, but before we got back into the swing of the new school year we took one last vacation. Well, a staycation to be precise!

You may remember that we took a Staycation at the Gaylord Rockies resort in Aurora last Winter. You can see it here. It was such a great little getaway that we decided to do it again, this time visiting in Summer and making full use of the amazing outdoor pool facilities. 

Gaylord Rockies is the perfect location for a Colorado staycation, or getaway if you're not local. It's located close to Denver International Airport making it a great place to spend the night before a flight, or a first destination after flying in to Denver. The resort is huge and has something on offer for everyone. The rooms are lovely, there is a wealth of cuisine on offer in the onsite restaurants (and room service), there are fun family friendly activities for the kids, there's a spa and fitness center for those wanting a little self care, the landscaping is stunning, and last but not least, there are indoor and outdoor pool areas. You know those were the biggest hit with my kids, right?

Colorado Renaissance Festival

This past weekend we did something totally new for us. 

Something that until now was one of those "only in American tv shows and movies" things. 

We went to a Renaissance Festival!

Growing up in Australia, Renaissance Festivals were something that I only knew about from tv and movies. Much like school pep rallies, college sports, trick or treating, handing out valentines to classmates, school science fairs and take your kid to work day, Renaissance Festivals are one of those things that are a part of growing up in America, but totally foreign to anyone growing up elsewhere. I've said it so many times in the past, but one of my favorite things about living overseas is my kids getting to experience things that I grew up seeing on tv but could not experience for myself. It's kind of surreal, but even the littlest differences like school hallways lined with lockers and those big, yellow American school buses make me so happy and make the every day feel like an adventure! 

Anyway, back to the Renaissance Festival...

On Saturday we braved the smoky air and headed to Larkspur, south of Denver, to the annual Colorado Renaissance Festival. This year marks the 44th season of the festival and it returns after a year in hiatus due to you know what. Most Renaissance Festivals around the country did not return this Summer, so I was excited to see that our local festival was back. 

For those of you not in the US, you're probably wonder just what a Renaissance Festival is. Let's take a look...

Denver Art Museum

Summers in Colorado can be pretty harsh, so when we're not travelling we tend to spend an awful lot of time at home hibernating from the heat. It's not my favorite way to spend this big break that the kids get (although I'm sure the kids love all the extra time playing Minecraft) so I'm always on the look out for places to visit indoors. Recently I visited Denver Art Museum for the first time and it was the perfect place to escape the heat for a few hours. 

If you've been to Denver you'll likely be familiar with the Denver Art Museum whether you've actually been inside the building or not. The building itself is a work of art! Located in a prime position in Denver's Golden Triangle neighborhood, the Denver Art Museum is known for it striking architecture with sharp geometric shapes reminiscent of a crystal formation. Or at least that's what it reminds me of! The art also spills out of the building in the form of sculptures including the large dustpan and broom sculpture near the front entrance. 
 

During my visit I checked out three temporary exhibitions including "Each/Other: Marie Watt and Cannupa Hanska Luger", Simphiwe Ndzube: Oracles of the Pink Universe", and "Paris to Hollywood: The Fashion and Influence of Veronique and Gregory Peck". The latter exhibition has since closed, however the other two are still open. 

A Visit to SFMOMA

During our recent trip back to the Bay Area, Mathilde and I spent an afternoon exploring some amazing art exhibitions at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, better known as SFMOMA. 

We'd visited SFMOMA many times in the past when we lived in the Bay Area, so the museum itself was nothing new to us, however with ever new exhibitions on display there is always something fabulous to see, even if you think you've seen it all before. So while Ava and Lola spent a day catching up with friends in Berkeley Mathilde and I took Bart into the city to check out some art.

Keeping up with the kids with Ostinol

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation was provided.

Summer break is here!

That means two whole months of fun for he kids - and two whole months of me trying to keep up with them and their boundless energy! Seriously, why do kids have SO MUCH energy? If only I could bottle up their energy and take it as a supplement. Well, I can't do that but I have found something that helps my aching mama joints keep up with the kids. It's Ostinol Insta Joint. 

As the years have gone by and I've gotten "less young" (we don't need to say old!) I've been noticing more aches and pains in my joints. Motherhood has definitely played a big part in those aches and pains too. Nursing, carrying toddlers, running and playing with kids, constantly bending down to pick up toys and other random things they've left on the floor, sleeping in weird positions thanks to little bed hogs... there's always something to wreak havoc on my joints. 

For the longest time I've just put up with the aches and pains. They're just a part of getting older and being a mama, right? Plus self care isn't always at the top of the to do list. I'm sure that many mamas know what I mean. Self care should be a top priority but it's so easy to let it slip by the wayside when we've got little people to care for. I may not have time to rest as much as I'd like, go out for (much needed) massages, or sleep a full eight hours, but I CAN take a daily supplement that helps minimize my joint pain. Every morning when I drink my healthy green smoothie (or let's be realistic - my latte!) I take Ostinol Insta Joint. 

Taking Ostinol Insta Joint is a simple step I can take to help improve my joint health and I've definitely been noticing the difference. This week I took the kids to a water park on a scorching hot day and they were keen to play in the wave pool. I was looking forward to the cool water but not my knees hurting as I jumped repeatedly through waves. But you know what, even after a few hours of jumping waves my knees didn't hurt at all!

Ostinol Insta Joint is all natural, safe and effective. Thanks to its key ingredient Cyplexinol (a 100% natural protein complex sourced from USDA Certified organic bovine bone) Ostinol Insta Joint helps the body's ability to grow new cartilage tissue to nourish and lubricate. Cyplexinol belongs to a class of proteins backed by over 50 years of scientific and medical research. In fact, it's the same class of proteins traditionally used by orthopedic surgeons to regrow bone and cartilage tissue post-operatively! Ostinol products are made in the USA and have over ten years of clinical success as a natural supplement to support joint and bone health. Ostinol Insta Joint is gluten free, grain free and made from non-GMO ingredients.

If, like me, you want to take better care of your joint health so you can keep up with the kids this Summer and beyond, head over to www.ostinol.com. You can save 30% on each bottle of Ostinol Insta Joint (maximum 5 bottles) with my code MM30. This offer is valid through 9/1/21.

I'm looking forward to a Summer of bike rides, water parks, hiking and all sorts of other fun adventures without joint pain!

Disclaimer: While people with severe joint conditions have reported great response with these products, Ostinol is a natural supplement and cannot encourage discussion that would imply treating, preventing or curing any disease.