September 16, 2014

Hiking with a Preschooler: Out of Carriers and Into Independence

As we’ve reached late summer and move into early fall, the feeling of a new season and new (school) year makes me feel like I need to set goals. Do you feel that same? I’m not one to pass-up a fresh start.

One goal that we are currently making a priority is the no-carrier hike for Bergen (3 years old). As I’ve described in our end-of-summer bucket list and recent hike, I’m in no shape to be carrying around a 40-pound little boy, and with a baby on the way, we would love for Bergen to be more independent and build his stamina.

[Read more…]

September 9, 2014

Picture Books to Excite and Inspire Fall Outdoor Play

One of my favorite ways to prepare for a new season is to just immerse myself in all the wonderful things the time of year has to offer. A huge stack of library books does the trick.

Books not only give us ideas for how to best enjoy ourselves outside in honor of the changing weather and foliage, but they also ensure that we don’t miss a thing during this special transition. I hope this list gives you a starting point, or building point if you’ve already started, to form your own collection of favorite fall inspired stories!

[Read more…]

September 3, 2014

Baby and Child Bike Seats: 10 Tips for Successful Family Rides

As we near the end of summer, it’s hard to believe I’m actually looking forward to more bike riding since the temperatures are cooling down a bit. You see, we’re wimps with the heat, and find it more ideal to hit the road when the thermometer reads more like 60s and low 70s rather than the high 80s we’ve had all summer long. Let’s just hope we continue to get a few rain-free days thrown into our mix.

What’s been nice about our family bike rides is that it hasn’t taken much for them to be successful. Making it all work has been fairly intuitive, though admittedly it doesn’t hurt to have an expert cyclist (husband, Slaed) on board. Our experience has been with the Yepp brand of child bike seats using both the front baby bike seat, and currently the rear child bike seat. We’ve broken down our success into 10 tips (some technical, some just practical) in hopes that other families (YOU!) will have more courage (and be prepared) to get out there on the road and enjoy themselves together!

[Read more…]

August 21, 2014

North Cascades’ Thunder Knob: Ignoring the Road Blocks to Outdoor Escape

One recent Saturday, quite a few road blocks stood in our way to ultimately feeling like our time in the outdoors hiking was really worth our great effort of driving 3.5 hours both ways for just a day trip. [Read more…]

August 19, 2014

Savoring the Season with an End-of- Summer Bucket List

We still have several weeks before our little guy embarks on the brand-new adventure of life as a preschooler. I know the summer isn’t really over, not until September 22, and the fun at home doesn’t stop just because someone is in school for a couple of mornings a week.

However, I still feel like it’s necessary for me to make sure that we’re getting the most out of the summer season. After all, as much as we really don’t mind it so much, Western Washington isn’t exactly known for it’s spectacular fall, winter & spring weather.

To accomplish this savoring, I just took a few moments to jot down a quick list. I even consulted Slaed (husband) and Bergen (now 3-years old), so this list reflects all of our contributions. Also, to help with some inspiration, I referenced the The Kid’s Outdoor Adventure Book to make sure that were weren’t missing out on any quintessential summer activities.

When it was all said and done, I came up with 11 items. I made the list last week, and what do you know, we’ve already accomplished several! To see some of those in action, visit our instagram feed. I may have had a certain trip to the coast in mind when brainstorming… Just because we did something once though, doesn’t mean we have to check it off the list and move on, and yes, just because the calendar says it’s “fall” doesn’t mean the “summer” fun stops!

[Read more…]

July 23, 2014

Potty Training for Active Families: Resources to Prepare, Survive and Reinforce+Giveaway!

{Fifth and final post in a series on potty training for active families}

We’re active. Even when we’re not traveling somewhere, we’re off exploring our local area whether that’s just getting exercise through walking, hiking, and biking, getting things done around town, rooting for our favorite home teams, or participating in community events. We like to get out.

Because of this lively lifestyle that we love, visions of serious potty training terrified us. Yes, we wanted so badly to be rid of the diapers. However, the thought of being homebound for a even a few days or a weekend was paralyzing. We dreaded it. Those 3-day potty boot camps (as much as we wanted to be over with quick) just wouldn’t work for us.

So we took our time and figured out an approach that worked for us and allowed us to continue our adventurous lifestyle with just a few changes.

For this last post in the series, I’m sharing resources galore, plus I’m giving away one of these great resources, so look for that at the end of the post! From books, to games, to informative posts from my fellow outdoor and traveling bloggers, I hope to equip families with plenty information prepare, survive, and reinforce their potty training efforts.

[Read more…]

July 18, 2014

Holiday Reset: Golden, CO’s Golden Gate Canyon State Park

Holidays are filled with fun and excitement. They can also be overwhelming. At least for me. Even the ones that are all about celebrating–no crazy obligations, no gifts to buy, no ceremonies to attend, just a lot of gathering with family and friends. It was a 4th of July frenzy for me this year. By late morning on the the 5th of July, I was cooked, and wait, we were actually on vacation! Yes as the cliche goes, I needed a vacation from my vacation.

Lucky for me, a quick respite in the mountains was just a short drive away. I located a state park, and we were off headed for not only a quiet hike (yes, you can have those with a toddler), but a peaceful mini road trip through a canyon inviting us to take in some of the Colorado culture as we passed ranches, trailheads, and distant peaks.

Unfortunately when we arrived at Golden Gate Canyon Park (about 30 minutes from downtown Golden), we knew we didn’t have a whole lot of time. It was already later in the morning, and we needed to get back for Bergen’s nap, and more fun that evening. We asked the ranger at the window for a short, but sweet hike recommendation, and she was more than happy to steer us in the right direction.

[Read more…]

July 16, 2014

Potty Training for Active Families: What to Pack for Travel

{Fourth post in a series on potty training for active families}

So we took our time and figured out an approach that worked for us and allowed us to continue our adventurous lifestyle with just a few changes.

For this fourth post in the series, I’m sharing what we pack when we truly hit the road, and travel away from home overnight, plus just a few quick tips and insights to keep in mind when at the airport and on the plane. Since our potty training journey began almost 3 months ago, we’ve logged 2 road trips to destinations about 3 hours away from home, and one plane trip of about 2 1/2 hours in duration. We are off to enjoy a weekend at the lake (6 hours on the road) in just a couple days, so I’ve got packing on the brain!

[Read more…]

July 14, 2014

Yepp Maxi Child Seat: Family Bicycling Fun

The addition of the Yepp Maxi child seat into our outdoor adventure arsenal couldn’t have come at better time and season. This year’s late spring and early summer in Seattle has been one of the best yet. To be honest, I was worried that we wouldn’t have enough of an opportunity to properly test the seat out during this transitional time. Historically our Junes are gloomy; nicknamed Junuary due to the frequent rain, continued lower temperatures, and overcast skies. Not so in 2014, and we’ve got the outside memories to prove it.

[Read more…]

July 9, 2014

Potty Training for Active Families: 11 Quick Tips

{Third post in a series on potty training for active families}

So we took our time and figured out an approach that worked for us and allowed us to continue our adventurous lifestyle with just a few changes.

For this third post in the series, I’m sharing 11 quick tips for those families who may be taking the potty training plunge soon. Now that Bergen (2.5 years old) is without diapers during the day, we took some time to reflect on what worked and what may have made a difference in his success (and what didn’t) in order to gain some perspective, and pass along a few good tidbits of help.

To learn more about the potty training necessities we bring along in our backpack when leaving the house for training on-the-go, check out the first post of the series. To learn more about the basic potty training steps we took, check out the second post in the series!

[Read more…]

July 7, 2014

Trying New Things: Stand-up Paddleboarding in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Watching friends and those I admire for years now try this new(ish) way of enjoying the outdoors got me super curious. Okay. And maybe a little jealous.

When see others gliding along the water on stand-up paddleboards, the best word that I can think of is cool. The sport just seemed like such a neat way to explore a natural area, have downtime, and get a little exercise all at the same time.

[Read more…]

July 1, 2014

Potty Training for Active Families: Our Basic Steps

{Second post in a series on potty training for active families}

So we took our time and figured out an approach that worked for us and allowed us to continue our adventurous lifestyle with just a few changes.

For this second post in the series, I’m sharing the basic steps we took toward getting our son Bergen (2.5 years old) potty trained during the day. To learn more about the potty training necessities we bring along in our backpack when leaving the house for training on-the-go, check out the first post of the series. Also stay tuned for tips and helpful practices that have come in handy for us along the way.

[Read more…]

June 24, 2014

Potty Training for Active Families: 6 Necessities for Training On-the-Go

{First post in a series on potty training for active families}

So we took our time and figured out an approach that worked for us and allowed us to continue our adventurous lifestyle with just a few changes.

To start, I’m sharing what we needed to bring along with us in order for our little guy (2.5 years old) to be successful and for us to be prepared for both the accomplishments and the inevitable accidents. Stay tuned for more on our process, plus tips that may be helpful if you are thinking of going for it, and losing the diapers.

[Read more…]

May 6, 2014

Tale of the Traveling Sandals: Acorn Vista Wedge Review+A Chance to Win!

Shoes. Always a worry, a question, and a debate in our household when packing for a trip. No matter the distance or destination! How many pairs do we want to bring verses How many pairs do we need to bring? What’s necessary and what’s just overkill? And thinking practically, what’s going to fit in our luggage?

Thanks to the folks at Acorn, who you may recognize as that company that makes incredibly cozy slippers, packing shoes (at least for warm weather travel) just got a lot easier for me.

I was asked to give the sandals a test drive, and the opportunity couldn’t have come up at a better time. The Acorn Vista Wedge (T-Strap) Sandals arrived just before for my 10-day adventure to the Carolinas and Puerto Rico where, along with a few other wearings here and there, I tried them out on Easter Sunday (church and brunch) and for my friends’ wedding rehearsal and dinner in Old San Juan.

About the Acorn Vista Wedge Sandals

The vista wedge sandals are a new line from acorn featuring a 2.5 inch heel made of EVA, leather straps, and a cozy footbed. The sandals come in both a variety of colors from neutral (black or pewter) to a little more exciting (navy/sea or fawn/crimson), and a variety of styles including the T-Strap (my choice), ankle, and 3-strap. The EVA material makes for a lightweight product without compromising stability and the footbed is layered with a leather lining (wicks moisture) and contoured arch support.

[Read more…]

April 16, 2014

Treats on the Trail: Honey Stinger Kids’ Products and Other Snack Ideas +Giveaway

I recently shared 10 tips for hiking with toddlers and young children, and since getting out on the trail whether here in Western Washington or in our travels around the country is our favorite outdoor activity to do as a family, I wanted to dive into each tip even deeper. Over the course of the year, I will dedicate one post for each of the 10 tips to give you more depth and detail into how we put the advice into practice and what it looks like for our family.

Tip #5: Ration Snacks and Use Treats for Motivation.

There’s no denying that my son loves to hike. As I’ve mentioned before, these days, anytime he sees any kind of natural area, mountain, forest, tree, or patch of grass, he asks if we are going to go on a hike. Lucky for us at this point, he’s not picky. Even the little sections of trees around the campsite during our recent trip to the Oregon coast could be considered “hikeable” in his eyes, and he loved exploring under the guidance of his older cousin.

Even with such a great interest though, he still needs motivation, and little energy boosts here and there to keep him moving along. That motivation can come in many forms (extra verbal encouragement, playing a game, shifting his focus to something ahead), but the easiest and probably one of the most successful ways is to offer a treat.

Incidentally, in addition to moving kids along the trail and providing a necessary snack, I’ve also found treats to be a way to prevent the “turn-around meltdown”. You see, Bergen (2.5 years old) loves hiking so much that he never wants to turn around and go back. Loops are great, but not always available, so I’ve finally learned to anticipate the turn-around point, and provide the snack then!

10 Favorite Treats for the Trail

1. Trail Mix

Whether you call it “GORP” or trail mix or some other fun name (I hear that are some great variations in Europe), the basics of this combination of treats is perfect for hiking. Personally, I love a simple mix with raisins, peanuts, and some sort of chocolate. Add in other nuts like cashews, walnuts, almonds, and that’s great too! Other dried fruit (cranberries, pineapple, cherries, etc.) gives some variety, along with add-ons like granola, seeds (sunflower, pumpkin), and pretzels.

[Read more…]

March 25, 2014

Great Outdoors Food: Fuel for Your Next Adventure

We usually straddle our meals for before and after our adventures on the trail and just stick to snacking for a little energy boost. However, seeing some of my fellow hikers’ delicious looking fare and enjoying that downtime in nature, I was curious to see how a full serving of food would impact our hiking experience.

Great Outdoors Food gave us a chance to ease into the idea of packing a trail lunch.

[Read more…]

March 11, 2014

Hiking with Toddlers: 10 Tips to Keep Everyone Happy on the Trail

We’ve come to the point where we can’t go to (or even drive past) any natural area without Bergen (2.5 years old) yelling out in question and excitement: “HIKE???”.

He knows what he likes and that’s getting to be outside on the trail exploring. Whether it’s among the towering cedar trees at home in the Pacific Northwest or the giant saguaro cactus waving from the dusty Arizona desert, on the trail seems to be where he’s most content.

[Read more…]

February 25, 2014

Grow Exploring Book Review: An Outdoor Spin on ABCs and 123s

Bergen (2.5 years old) is in the early stage of being very interested in letters and numbers. On signs and placards at his level with letters big enough for his little fingers to point to, he’ll search out his favorites, and while he’s no where near being able to identify all 26 letters, his curiosity and desire to make connections is helping him make progress.

He also loves counting things. Whether it’s the slices of orange on his plate or the pine cones and rocks he finds in the park, he’s pointing at objects and numbering them in his own little way (accuracy is not a concern of his at this point).

[Read more…]

February 6, 2014

Staying Warm at the Seahawks Parade: How to Layer-up Kids for an Outdoor Event in the Cold

Really I’m just incredibly proud of my hometown team, and I want to show off the support shown by Seattle and the entire state of Washington (and beyond) yesterday at the Seahawks parade. Our team won the SUPERBOWL. That’s a big deal. And I’m so pleased that our entire city thought so too.

[Read more…]

January 28, 2014

Easy Backyard Game: What’s Under the Rock?

Our usual tendency when it’s time to get outdoors is to walk or bike and explore the green spaces and parks of our neighborhood and beyond. It gets us out of the house, providing a change of scenery and of course the possibility of seeing more features and having a grander adventure.

Just in the last week or so though, I’ve realized that there is a little world literally in our own backyard that is also worth exploring and getting to know! Given regular visits and quality time spent back there, I bet we’re more likely to notice seasonal changes and the overall activity and influence of flora and fauna in the smaller confines compared to a larger space. And after all, it’s convenience can’t be beat.

For some reason, when we get back there I feel stifled not having a trail to walk down or something special like a lake or forest of trees to check out. It’s also a possibility that my avoidance has to do with the fact that there is a whole lot of work that needs to happen back there! Either way, I never know exactly how we should be spending our time. Thankfully, Bergen’s (2.5 years old) curiosity came to rescue the other day, and led us to a fun activity or game of sorts.

[Read more…]

January 6, 2014

New Year, New Adventures: Support Your State Parks

Happy New Year!

A fresh new year definitely has me thinking of things I want to accomplish in 2014, but I also can’t help but think about the goals, aspirations and new ideas that began around this time a year ago. One of the goals we made as a family was to visit more of our Washington State Parks.

We kicked the year off and set the goal in motion with the purchase of the Discover Pass. In fact, it was one of my Christmas gifts to my husband, Slaed, but a state park pass also makes a great new year’s gift for yourself or someone you love. So many goals come to mind that it would help with:

Fitness
Health
Travel
Exploring the outdoors
Beginning a new outdoor sport or activity
Education

Our Discover Pass brought us to places all across our Puget Sound region in 2013:

To be honest, we were surprised to learn we only visited a total of 10 state park units, but we did visit several of the parks more than once with Moran being the most frequented. And besides, 10 (+) is a whole lot more than years past.

A side effect of our interest and enthusiasm for our parks is that we now seek out state parks in our travels outside of Washington. Our trips to California, Wisconsin, South Carolina this year all included visits to at least one state park gem.

With a brand-spanking-new pass for 2014 ready and waiting, we’re anxious to see what the year will bring in terms of state park adventures. Looking back on the year, we really didn’t venture past the Cascades to any of the parks in Central and Eastern Washington. Seems to me that a new goal may be taking shape!

Are you motivated to visit more state parks this year? Why? Tell us about the state parks near you!

Come join the conversation! You can keep up to date with each and every post by subscribing to the blog via email. We’d also love to have you join us on all of our adventures by “liking” our facebook page and following us on twitter! If you enjoyed this post, please “like it”, “tweet it” or “pin it”!

December 11, 2013

Holiday Gift Guide for the Young Adventurer

This year more than ever, maybe being the mom to an active, curious and busy 2 year-old has something to do with it, I’m determined to be thoughtful and intentional about my gift giving. This is especially true for the young people in my life and on my list. At the same time though, I don’t want to over-think and make the whole process more complicated than it needs to be thus creating more stress and negating the reason for the season.

I want to give gifts that will be useful. Items that the kids actually need. Presents that will actually make an impact on their lives, help them grow, or help them enjoy the things they love even more. Little contributions that will enrich their lives, feed their imaginations, and allow them to experience the world.

All those conditions made me think of 4 easy categories to help me give great gifts to the little people in my life.

Books

In my humble opinion, one can never have too many books. I love this advice from the master himself:

“Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks.” -Dr. Seuss

My background is in education, and more specifically literacy, so choosing books for little ones comes naturally, but really all it takes is a little browsing to find a book you think will inspire and entertain. Lately during our weekly library visits, while Bergen is perusing a stack of books, I cozy up to a shelf and just explore. I learn about so many titles I never even knew about!

If you have kids in your life that love the outdoors and may even be budding travelers, I put together a list of book recommendations for Junior Adventurers and Wanderlusters.

Gear to Help get Kids Outside

Raising an active boy means I get outside a lot. It’s just what we do, what makes sense, and what all of us most enjoy. But really, I believe it’s essential for everyone, even if it’s cold, rainy, snowy, stormy, all of the above, or anything less than perfect weather.

So where the gift giving comes in is figuring out how to not only inspire your loved ones to get outside, but also keep them warm, dry, or safe from whatever element they need protection from!

Some Gear Ideas:

Rain and snow suits
- Oakiwear Rainsut
Rain boots
Long Underwear
Gloves, Mittens & Hats
Fleece of all kinds
- Kowalli Carrier Cover
Backpack
Water Bottle
Larger ticket Item Adventure Gear for Babies

Some Play Ideas:

Sidewalk Chalk
Bug Box
Balls of all sorts
Heavy duty trucks
Tools like shovels, racks & buckets
Balance Bike

Toys and Supplies to Foster Independent Play and Activity

I recently read a post on the Mama Natural site about raising a low media child, and the list of suggested toys really stuck with me. First I was proud to have already incorporated many of the ideas into Bergen’s play area without even really giving it much thought! Second, I got a bunch of ideas for how to improve and make the space even more beneficial for his development. And finally, I realized these ideas will also be super helpful in choosing gifts for all of the the other little people on our list, which inspired me to come up with these suggestions:

Kitchen Supplies (food, containers, pots & pans, stove, refrigerator, sink)
Dress-up Clothes
Musical Instruments
Blocks of all shapes and sizes
Vehicles (trains, cars, trucks, boats)
Art Supplies (crayons, special pencils, special paper & sketchbooks, paint, clay, brushes, stickers)
Author Kit (blank books, pencils, pens, extra paper, sticky notes)
Puzzles

Experiences

Kids may get excited about that shiny, sparkly (and noisy) gadget, game or toy at first, and play with it for a day or two (or maybe just a couple minutes), but the experiences you can give a child with their family and friends will stick with them forever. The little ones may not *remember* per se, but the time spent together allows for so much more than a toy or “thing” can give. Learning, bonding, peaking interests, inspiring, sparking curiosity, and expanding horizons is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the benefits experiences can generate.

Zoo or Aquarium Membership
Garden Membership (Japanese, Botanical, Conservatory)
Museum Membership (Children’s, Art, Music, History)
National Park Pass
State Park Pass
Sporting Event Tickets
Swim Lessons
Help with a vacation or trip (hotel stay, excursion, restaurant)
Coupon Book chock full of deals on tons of experiences (Chinook Book, Entertainment Book)