Growing up in a world of adventure.
We travel to Phoenix’ West Valley regularly to visit family, and love to incorporate desert hikes into our days. Over the years, we’ve hiked many trails as a family, and based on our recent November visit, we have 3 HIKES at 3 LEVELS (Easy, Moderate, and Moderate/Hard) to recommend.
Every year we ask ourselves the same question: Where should we go to find the perfect Christmas tree? And over the years, we’ve visited Christmas tree lots, Christmas tree farms, nurseries, and garden centers. There was even a few years in there where we had an artificial tree.
Last year knowing that we would already be south of Seattle (for an airport drop off) right after Thanksgiving, we decided to find a Christmas tree farm south of the city. In my search, I came across Reindeer Ridge Christmas Tree Farm in Auburn, Washington.
Located just 30 minutes north of our home in Seattle, Washington, the small waterfront city of Edmonds, Washington is a place our family ventures to frequently. A quick glance at these quick facts about Edmonds, and I bet you’ll realize why we are so drawn to visiting this special destination.
How do you get your kids to walk such far distances? This is one of the questions we get asked the most! We mention to friends the hikes we go on, and the places we walk to, and they are often very surprised at the mileage our kids can cover.
It obviously didn’t happen over night, but the answer is easy: Routine and Consistency. The number one reason that our kids can walk far distances is because it’s something that we’ve weaved into the fabric of our family. Walking is the main way we get exercise. It’s how we spend time together as a family. We walk to get to where we need to go, we walk for fun, and we walk to stay healthy. We walk to ensure that we have plenty of time OUTSIDE.
We are in the home stretch of winter here in the Seattle area. This is just about the time where we start to get restless, and long for a warm weather destination! Luckily we have a respite coming up in just a few weeks. While spring will bring us more light, new growth, and a little more warmth, the rain will stick around.
When we went to sleep last Friday night, there was a light dusting of snow on the ground. When we woke up, over half a foot had fallen! And snow was still coming down. Here in Seattle, that’s a big deal.
Of course the kids wanted to go sledding, so we turned our usual Saturday morning walk into a snowy adventure. The sledding combined with all the other activities we smashed into our schedule amounted to a pretty fantastic day.
Mount Rainier National Park with Kids: Staying at Paradise Inn (+Video)
Seattle Area Kid Hikes: Lund’s Gulch/Meadowdale Beach Park
Fall Visit to Gold Creek Pond (Snoqualmie Pass, WA) with Kids
Adventuring with a Toddler: Onya Baby Pure Child Carrier Review (#AdventureWithThemOnya)
Adventure Gear: Staying Warm and Dry with Kowalli’s Carrier Cover
Travel Well, Get Outdoors Often: 9 Ideas to Plan an Adventurous Year
Built-in Adventures: Cougar Mountain’s Big Tree Ridge Trail
Wild Tales of…2014 Travel and Adventure Highlights
Bainbridge Island, Washington with Kids: Mother-Daughter Day Trip
Kobe, Japan: Traveling the World in our Own Backyard with Seattle’s 21 Sister Cities
Seattle Scavenger Hunt (with printable) for Kids
Seattle Area Adventure: Play and Eat (and save!) in Green Lake
Seattle Area Adventure: Getting Lost in West Seattle’s Schmitz Preserve Park
Our Midwest Beach Vacation: Exploring Point Beach State Forest in Two Rivers, WI
Dawn Day in the Wildlife: Sea Lion Release
Mother-Daughter Getaway: A Fall Visit to the Charlotte, NC Area
Chinook Book-Seattle and Puget Sound 2014 Giveaway
Christmas in Downtown Seattle: 2015 Edition
Travel by Train with a Toddler: It’s a Toss Up
An Easy Trash Pick-up Walk: Refocusing our Afternoon Walk to do Some Good
How to Make Walks More Fun for Kids
Seattle Rainy Day Trips: Pacific Science Center
Favorite LEGO Creations: BrickCon 2019 +More! (Weekend Day in the Life)
Our Farewell to the Alaska Way Viaduct, Seattle’s Historic Elevated Highway