April 23, 2017

Hiking with Kids: Arizona’s Cave Creek Regional Park

During our annual visit the Phoenix area, between watching our Mariners in Spring Training, visiting with family, and enjoying the break from gloomy Seattle weather, we always make time for a family hike in the desert. So far, we’ve hiked in the White Tank Mountains, around Lake Pleasant, and explored Glendale’s Thunderbird Park. Each of these hikes have allowed us to connect with natural environment that can often get overshadowed by the flurry and excitement of travel (combined with suburban sprawl).

On our most recent trip this past March, we ventured northeast of Phoenix to Cave Creek Regional Park. In anticipation of visiting the area, I often scope out new (to us) parks by simply pulling up our location (the Peoria area) in google maps. I then pore over the the screen, zooming in and out, looking for green spaces.

When I find one that looks interesting, I find the driving distance and time estimation. Our general rule considering the ages of our kids, and the goal to be back for afternoon nap time, is to choose something within a 45 minute drive. Cave Creek Regional Park definitely fit the bill!

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March 27, 2017

Stonz Wear: 3-Season Outdoor Gear for Kids

With winter recently coming to a close, you might not be interested in cold weather gear. However, if you live in a region still experiencing chilly temperatures or want to plan ahead for next fall and winter, you’ll want to consider Stonz Wear.

Stonz Wear is a children’s outerwear brand featuring cold (wet and snowy) weather accessories. They specialize in boots and mittens, and we particularly love the story of their origin. Try as she might, Stonz’ founder Lisa Will, could not keep her young son’s feet warm. She wanted to shoe or boot that would protect those tiny feet from the cold AND stay on, so she got to work designing and creating her own.

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March 23, 2017

Mounthaven Resort near Mount Rainier National Park

Imagine waking up and stepping outside your front door onto a covered porch. In front of you, a babbling stream greets you, bringing an overwhelming sense of peace to your day. Surrounding you from above are towering evergreen trees helping you to feel centered even though tasks, responsibilities, and to-do list items try to impose.

Then as your eyes dance from the calming water to the majestic trees, you realize that the entire area is covered in a blanket of fresh white snow. Truly a winter wonderland that, despite the chill in the air, feels like heaven.

Sounds like a dream, right? Well, this is actually what we experienced just a few weeks ago during our stay at Mounthaven Resort near Mount Rainier National Park.

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March 9, 2017

First Family Snowshoe Adventure: Mount Rainier National Park

With a toddler not keen on snow and cold weather, and a preschooler who’s never strapped on snowshoes, I wasn’t sure what to expect for our first family snowshoe adventure. Bergen, our 5-year old, loves hiking, and has been climbing mountains with me since he learned to walk. But snowshoeing?

I foresaw him getting frustrated with the plastic clodhoppers and throwing them off in disgust. Then after being relieved of the clumsy feeling, he’d end up sinking in three feet of accumulated snow. All the while, our 2-year old would grow tired of being carried in the backpack. I envisioned her whining, screaming, or worse throwing a complete tantrum no snack, treat, or lollipop could pacify.

No, that’s not exactly how our first family snowshoe adventure transpired. It ended up being a whole lot of fun for most of us, but it wasn’t without a few bumps! To give you an idea of our set-up, here are a few nitty-gritty details: Slaed has his own snowshoes, I borrowed a pair from a friend, and we rented a pair from REI for Bergen. Georgia was carried in our Deuter Kid Comfort 3 for the 3-mile trek. We chose to hike along the Wonderland Trail (Longmire to Cougar Rock Campground) for it’s easy terrain, pretty views along the Nisqually River, and easy accessibility from Mount Rainier National Park’s south entrance.

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February 28, 2017

Cold Weather Packing List for Families with Babies and Young Children

We still have another month of so left until spring begins, so instead of retreating indoors waiting for better weather, we are embracing it. We’ve actually had some snow days here in Seattle, which is pretty rare for us, allowing us to pile on our cold weather gear and head outside to play.

In addition to enjoying the cold and snowy weather “in our own backyard”, we also recently headed to Mount Rainier National Park for a snowshoe and sledding adventure. A lot goes into planning and packing for a trip like this, so I thought I’d share our Cold Weather Packing List geared toward families with babies and young children. Georgia, our 2-year old, is particularly sensitive to cold temperatures, so we have to be extremely careful and intentional when dressing her to head outside.

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February 20, 2017

If I Were a Whale by Shelley Gill: Book Review

Here in Washington State, whale watching season is starting, with gray whales in March, April, and May, followed by orca whales from April through September. It’s even possible to spot humpback whales in the Puget Sound region!

One of the best areas for whale lovers to spot these traveling marine mammals is around the San Juan Islands. We haven’t gone on a specific whale watching tour yet, but we did spot a few whales as we were waiting for our ferry to arrive on Orcas Island several years ago. Even viewing these creatures off in the distance is thrilling. I can only imagine the delight when we actually get to see one up close (hopefully some day)!

According to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation group, “There are around 90 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, known collectively as “cetaceans”. I had no idea! I honestly thought there were just a dozen or so until I read, If I Were a Whale by Shelly Gill. If I Were a Whale takes readers on an imaginative journey through the world’s oceans discovering what it’s like to be one of these fascinating swimmers.

What we Love about If I Were a Whale

The book opened up our eyes to the incredible amount of whale species in the world! It sparked us to do more whale research spurring on even more learning.
Fun and easy to understand facts and information about whales are sprinkled throughout.
Rhyming text makes If I Were a Whale a joy to read!
Detailed and attractive illustrations seem to capture the essence of each whale featured. I especially love the pages with pops of background color.

Info to Know:

You can purchase If I Were a Whale (approx. $10) directly from Sasquatch Books or from our Amazon Affiliate link!
Other great books from author Shelley Gill:
Other great books from illustrator Erik Brooks

Do you have a favorite type of whale? We’d love to chat about it in the comments!

Disclosure: Thanks to Sasquatch Books for providing me with a copy of If I Were a Whale for purposes of review. All opinions expressed here are my own. Affiliate links to our Amazon store are also used. If you purchase the book through our link, we’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

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