October 2, 2017

Fall Inspired Treats: Peanut Butter Acorns

On one of our neighborhood walks this past week, we stopped at one of our many local Little Free Libraries. While Bergen and Georgia poured over the children’s book selection, I found an October issue of Country Living. Even though it dated back to 2014, I figured that it may still have some fun fall-inspired ideas.

Soon Bergen had taken an interest, and scooted up next to me as I flipped through the magazine. Sure enough, the adorable peanut butter acorn cookies caught our eye, and we began to make plans for a Friday after-school baking session. We are big fans of acorns, and find so much joy in finding them perfectly intact before the squirrels, crows, and other critters get to them!

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September 18, 2017

#AdventureWithThemOnya: Enter to Win an Onya Baby Pure Child Carrier!

I recently posted about the Pure Carrier from Onya Baby, and I’m thrilled to share that in partnership with Onya Baby, one lucky reader will WIN a carrier of their own! As I mentioned in my review, we are so impressed with the Pure carrier, and in just a short couple of months have taken it on countless adventures. Of course, I’ve carried Georgia in the Pure on hikes, but we’ve also explored gardens, visited the state fair, gone grocery shopping, and attended sporting events.

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September 2, 2017

Adventuring with a Toddler: Onya Baby Pure Child Carrier Review (#AdventureWithThemOnya)

“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.” Rachel Carson

Challenge and Toddlers. Like most young tots, our daughter Georgia asserts her opinion and pushes the boundaries. Of course packed in with all that frustrating behavior are moments of pure joy, great accomplishment, and immense pride. However, when we’re in the thick of it, it can be hard to remember that, “this too shall pass”.

Especially in the last couple of months, I’ve lovingly and intentionally tried to challenge Georgia right back. Not by throwing tantrums, whining or making demands, though sometimes I feel like doing that, but by posing small achievable goals. As we adventure about, making sure I’ve built in ways to set-up success, I push her to be more independent, brave, and engaged in our environment.

Presently, Georgia has just two speeds on the hiking trail:

Run. Usually with abandon and no regard to instructions.
Whine, lollygag, and ask to be picked up.

Unfortunately, I never know which speed she’ll choose from day to day! For example, on one of our recent hikes, she took off at the trail head, and her big brother and I had to corral her back in the right direction. Just a couple of days after that incident, as soon as her feet hit the trail at the start of our forest outing, she was upset and refused to move.

Along with patience, frequent practice, and incentives, one of the things that’s helping us on our adventures is a soft-structured carrier, specifically the Pure carrier from Onya Baby.

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August 29, 2017

Late Summer Fun: Highlights from Washington’s Evergreen State Fair

We were supposed to get our back to school shopping done after visiting with family this Saturday, but we somehow ended up at the Evergreen State Fair instead. Those errands could wait, and we’re so thankful for the day of family fun! Since it was a bit spontaneous, there were some things we could have done better had we planned! At the same time though, just by having our act together in other ways, we did a few things right.

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August 28, 2017

Outdoor Mom Academy: 3 Reasons to Join this Impactful 6-week Course

The Outdoor Mom Academy experts, made up of Amelia from Tales of a Mountain Mama, Rebecca from Hike Like a Woman, and Susan from Mountain Mom and Tots are back at it! These inspiring ladies are offering their 6-week course for a second time this fall.

If you weren’t able to join the course when it was offered the first time earlier this summer, this is your chance to get in on all the action, and take advantage of this amazing learning opportunity! I provide a lot the details of the course (though it’s been revamped and updated a bit) in my first Outdoor Mom Academy announcement, but here is the course outline in a nutshell.

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August 24, 2017

Sun Protective Clothing: Little Leaves Clothing Company Review

Would you believe me if I told you that I once got a sunburn indoors? I wish sun protective clothing like Little Leaves shirts and pants were available during my lifeguarding days! Yes, back in college when I was working at the indoor pool during summer break, I had the sliding door behind my lifeguard stand slightly cracked, and that small amount of sun light streaming in burned my arm.

Needless to say, my skin is extremely sensitive to the sun, so protection of vital importance for me and my family. When I was young, before rash guards and swim shirts were a common thing, much to my dismay, I always had to sport a t-shirt over my swim suit at the beach and pool. So heavy and uncomfortable! I had to don streaks of zinc oxide under my eyes to shield that vulnerable area from sunburn.

Technology has come a long way with waterproof sunscreen now available, and more advanced ways of protecting our skin. Little Leaves Sun Protective Clothing is leading the way in developing apparel that helps to prevent the damaging effects of the sun, such as skin cancer and premature aging. Knowing that kids and adults need protection from beyond just water activities, Drs. Carlos and Carley Gomez-Meade created shirts, pants, and hats that have natural UPF protection from the sun.