Our wild little family is growing and things around here are about to get even more adventurous! Yes! We are expecting our second baby in December, and we couldn’t be more excited (and maybe a little terrified).
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.
Stuck in Defeat: Moving Past Trail Running Excuses
My run had barely started, and I was already feeling defeated.
On my last trail run after just a mile or so climbing, my mind was out of the game. It wasn’t that my body couldn’t continue. That would have made more sense. My head was the one telling me to stop running, and just hike for a while. I started making excuses. Not enough sleep. I must not have properly fueled even though I’d enjoyed 2 big pieces of toast, an egg, orange juice, and coffee before heading out. Maybe that beer after the soccer game the day before was too much.
I just wasn’t that into it.
Keeping Kids in Nature: 8 Ways to Make Time for the Outdoors
Guilt. That’s the feeling that was creeping up inside and pestering me about spending time outdoors with Bergen (2.5 years old). Thinking that just wandering around experiencing nature is an avoidance or even a luxury. It’s an extra saved only for when we have time.
Shouldn’t I be worried about and occupying myself with more important things? You know, household stuff. Maintenance. Organization. Cleaning. Just getting things done.
Yes, those are valid concerns, but after listening to an inspiring talk by Richard Louv, and diving into his book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, I’m convinced that my instinct is correct. While spending time outdoors is indeed a pastime, it’s not just a way to pass the time. It’s serious business, and our health depends on it.
According to Louv, TIME is one of the top reasons kids are kept from nature. Many of us struggle with finding enough hours in the day to accomplish all we want to accomplish, so I thought I’d share eight ways we create more outdoor time for ourselves and our son.
Built-in Adventures: Cougar Mountain’s Big Tree Ridge Trail
In search of a new pair of trail running shoes to take me through my training and ultimately another half marathon completion, Bergen and I found ourselves about 30 miles east of our Seattle home recently.
Sure we have glorious mountain views here in the city of both the Cascades and the Olympics with Mount Rainier and Mount Baker popping out on particularly clear days, but when you venture further out you can find yourself with mountains practically falling on top of you.
And that was the case the other day. In Issaquah, Washington, where we were shopping, the surrounding mountains are unofficially called the Issaquah Alps with some of the more well know hills being Cougar, Squak, and Tiger mountains.
Walking over to our lunch spot on a fabulously clear day, Bergen (2.5 years old) looked up at the sky and all around, and asked, “Hike…?”
Notes from a Blue Bike: Journey On and Live Life with Intention
Home may be where the heart is, but on the open road lie your five senses, and when you return to your heart, you’ll better see, smell, and hear. -Tsh Oxenreider Notes from a Blue Bike
Validation. We’re doing something right. A family further along, having lived through our current season of life has given me inspiration to journey on. But now, even more, I know that I need to be careful in my choices.
Yes, forge ahead, follow your heart, just go, but also…stop and think, and as the sub-title suggests live intentionally.