Monthly Archives: February 2012

Independence Car Care- Arvada, CO — Denver Metro’s FINEST car repair shop!

February 7, 2012auto, consumer, home, moneyauto, consumer, home, moneygetcluedin

Last week I had some issues with my car and took it to my dealer initially to look at and they discovered that it was a minor repair but one that would cost me $xxx amount of repairs. I was shocked at the price tag.

My car is 7 years old so while it is under warranty it makes sense to take it to a dealer but for most of us, those warranties do not cover much or after the warranty period runs out, every little thing starts going wrong. We have been lucky with our Subaru but this time, with this type of repair and the quote I got on the work, it seemed like a lot. We had heard of a local car place near our house, called Independence Car Care that had a good reputation and did a good job for a friend so my hubby called them for a price comparison for the same work. We were quoted over the phone almost half the price the dealership was going to charge us so, we decided to give the new place that came recommended by a good friend a try. And we are quite glad we did! Call them at 303-431-1114 and ask for Doc and tell them I sent you!

This is my testimonial: In this day and age, it is hard to trust car repair places because sometimes they quote you too much, do more work than you asked for, or “find” other things wrong with your car when you go in for a simple oil change or tire balance/rotation. In any case, it is really important to be able to trust your car repair shop and the people you trust your car to. After all, your car is your freedom and it seems we cannot operate without a car in this town.

We took our car in to Independence Car Care and they even gave me a ride back to my house while I waited for the repairs. They completed the repairs and there was still something wrong with it when we test drove it, so they took it back and found the issue, repaired it, and on the snowiest day of the past five years in Denver, drove it back to our house, repaired and ready. Like their owners’ card states, Independence Car Care is about “Quality, Honesty, and Integrity.” Their customer service, communication, and their ability to get the job done right is unsurpassed. And as a testimonial, my husband and I will never take our cars anywhere else! He used to take his car all the way to Louisville to a place he had grown accustomed to while he lived there but no more- he was very impressed with everyone at Independence, their honest work, their reliability and their amazing customer service. In the Denver metro area, if you need a reliable car repair shop, I highly recommend Independence Car Care and definitely let them know that Ratna at Get Clued In sent you!

Disney’s Phineas and Ferb- The Best Live Tour; catch it in a venue near you!

February 5, 2012children, consumer, Disney, entertainment, familychildren, consumer, Disney, entertainment, familygetcluedin

I posted a few weeks back about Disney’s Phineas and Ferb, the Best Live Tour, in Denver, Colorado and despite a snowy weekend, we still got to see it on Saturday, February 4. For those who have read my review on the Wells Fargo Theatre (from when we saw Mickey’s Magic Show) there and the Pepsi Center (from my parking nightmare) know how much I dislike downtown Denver venues and this trip was no exception because it took forever to find the parking garage and the signs do not help AT ALL. We circled several times to find it and then finally did, and as we entered saw a small (itty bitty) sign off of Champa to enter. So warning: if you come from Speer, make sure you turn before STOUT- GPS will always tell you Stout. The elevators at Wells Fargo theater were not all operational which made coming and going difficult but not as bad as last time we went there for the Magic Show. The weather was nicer and so, people parked elsewhere and walked in which was good news for us and made the lines at the pay stalls and elevators a little shorter.

Venue and parking woes aside, we enjoyed the show. Phineas, Ferb, sister Candace, Perry, and the whole gang were there including the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz. It was fun to see it live and the effects were fun. You can see some of the pictures we took at the show. There was even a Bollywood number in honor of their Indian friend, Baljeet, granted it was a little stereotypical and as an Indian-American, I found it a bit odd but it is true to the show so who am I create race-tensions based on a kids’ cartoon? Ha! Plus I love Bollywood music!

All in all, it was a fun live show and the music had my daughter dancing in the aisle! We are a music-oriented family and really enjoyed the songs. My daughter loved the soundtrack which was played during the intermission. The live show is very short so all attention spans can be entertained but even with an intermission, the show is only 80 mins.

The prices for the tickets seemed more reasonable than the usual Disney prices for Princess, and “On-Ice” shows, and the Wells Fargo Theater is a cozy, small venue perfect for an event like this. There really is no bad seat in the house. However, right before the show, Denver got a lot of snow and some fans who had to change show tickets were charged a $5 fee to change to the Saturday 7pm show and I know and heard that this was disappointing to fans who had already spent a lot on tickets. So, perhaps Feld Entertainment can address those issues since this snow storm was apparently the biggest storm like this in February since 1912! So, while main streets and highways were clear, most folks had a tough time commuting out of their driveways and neighborhoods. We did not dig out until almost 11am Saturday and got over 21 inches where we lived and felt lucky we were able to see the show the next day. In any case, if you can, catch this cute show and if you are fans, definitely do not miss it!

For Valentine’s Day 2012 – Make your own Valentines

February 4, 2012blogging, children, family, schoolchildren, family, schoolgetcluedin

Making Valentines can be fun albeit time consuming. I have seen so many neat ideas on pinterest and I got inspired by other friends of mine who make their own cute Valentines. So, we decided to sit down and make a few ourselves for my eldest daughter’s class. She loves to write, loves to stick things together, and cut with scissors. Lucky for me, I had my entire scrapbooking kit still from when I used to do Creative Memories Scrapbooks and photo books so, I just dug in, pulled out three sheets of construction-like, acid-free paper, my cutters (yes, we have all sorts of shapes) including hearts, double-sided tape, and straight edge cutters, photo pens, and we got cracking. It helped that between Thursday and this morning we had over 2 feet of snow… it was time to keep those little hands buys. So, this is how you do it:

(1) Find a base color for the card, we chose yellow, and we did 3 x 3 cards so we cut the paper with a straight edge cutter, and one 8 1/2 x 11 paper can make about 12 cards so you will probably need two sheets of yellow or whatever color you use as your base card color but pick one you can write on and that can be read.

(2) Next, get a heart puncher which has two heart sizes- one big, one small. You can do all sorts of sizes of hearts but the one you write your message in should be the biggest.

(3) You can put the hearts together – two, three or more, write candy-like messages on them, tape the hearts on the card; write the rest of your Valentine’s card. Last, tape something sweet on it – lollipop, sweet tarts, or if you are anti-candy person, try a granola bar, fruit roll up, etc. The sky is the limit. I even considered combining this idea with the one a friend of mine had from pinterest- crayon valentines. That was adorable. So many possibilities and it is always fun to have a personal touch for V-day both for adults and kids.

For fun, we even got creative with the HEART MESSAGES- we made one that said “TWEET ME”, and another one that was spread out over two hearts that said “LIKE ME ON FACEBOOK”. Of course, thankfully my kid is under 5 and still not on twitter or facebook but, very cute and even candy hearts have these messages on them nowadays. What fun! I thank my crafty blogging friends and pinterest for inspiring me and of course, mother nature accommodated us by sending over 17 inches of snow and making all this possible. Happy V-day craft making!

Denver Museum of Nature & Science- New Lizards & Snakes Exhibit

February 3, 2012blogging, children, consumer, culture, entertainment, family, schoolblogging, children, consumer, entertainment, familygetcluedin

The Lizards Are Here! I got to join the Mile High Mamas at this amazing event last night at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and as if the weather wanted us to see these slithery friends, the snow stayed away until it was time to go home. The Lizards and Snakes exhibit is here until July 8 but it is very well done and there is something of kids and adults of all ages and just like when they did T-Rex, you can take a picture of a giant Boa Constructor named Bo eating you alive- now that’s what I call a gobbling good time! (har har)

So, the third floor special exhibit houses snakes, lizards and yes even our friend from Tangled- remember him? Pascal the lizard. No, he’s not a frog! Yes you can meet Pascal and then buy all sorts of fun souvenirs afterwards as well. We got to go tonight which was VIP night and we received a special preview of all the neat things at the exhibit. There is a craft area where you can make your own lizards bracelets- the kids love them especially little ones. Then there is the dress-up area where the kids were going nuts! What fun. You can see my little reptiles here to the right. They really had a great time but wait, then there is something for the man who wants to show off too – can your man lift a 100 lb Anaconda? Well, I sure hope so cause mine can. Most people just walk on it but my husband had to show off. Okay, maybe I asked him to. See, something for everyone.

Then, they do shows too in the play/pretend area, there is a fun show for kids and adults to learn more about their reptilian friends. We had a great time and we are so lucky we get to go back. Did you know, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science does special field trips for schools – they will go out to the schools or have the school trips visit there and the schools get discounts or are free! And get this- if you are an active military member (active means ACTIVE DUTY, GUARD, RESERVES that are active), show your ID card, you and your family – entire family with you get in for free. IMAX and special events are extra of course but to the basic museum (discovery zone, space odyssey and even the Reptiles) part is free!

I really love the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and we go just about every weekend. It is one of the few venues in the Denver area that is pro-military, honors veterans and also gives so much to local schools. They are a great part of our community. I can’t wait to get back there and have some more fun with the Reptiles. Oh and don’t forget as you leave, take a picture with Bo—- if you dare! Have fun and remember the TRex Cafe in the Museum is reasonably priced and very good food- Healthy options too!