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November 7, 2016

Parents Getaway: Tips for Preparing Grandparents to Care for Kids

Slaed and I had the pleasure of enjoying a kid-free trip to Chicago earlier this month! While we obviously travel quite a bit with the kids, this trip to the windy city was our first parents getaway in over 2.5 years. We traveled to Puerto Rico when I was newly pregnant with Georgia, and learned a lot about the importance of getting away, but this time was a little different.

Bergen stayed with my mom at her home in South Carolina for that particular trip. For this getaway, we flew my mom out to Seattle and she stayed with the kids at our house. She was so kind, gracious, generous, and brave to take on life with our little rascals (5 years and 1.5 years), and we are so thankful!

We did a lot to get ready for this parents getaway, so as we reflect back, I thought I’d share how we prepared my mom (as best we could) for the task!

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October 24, 2016

Troy Sneakers from M.A.P. Footwear Review: Lightweight Shoes for Active Kids

While our kids are active and spend a lot of time outdoors, they are not always on the hiking trail climbing mountains. Consequently, a hiking shoe is overkill for our everyday adventures, but some sneakers aren’t quite rugged enough for our rough and tough kids.

Thanks to M.A.P footwear though, we’ve found a great in between shoe! Bergen has been testing the Troy sneakers from M.A.P. (Motion. Adventure. Play.) Footwear this past summer and early fall. Overall we are pleased with the fit, support, and durability of the shoes.

To give you an idea of our testing process, here are a few details:

Testing Time: 3 months
Testing Conditions: long urban walks on sidewalks, long bike rides, forest school, flat well worn hiking trails, parks and playgrounds
Other Notes: most of the testing has taken place in warmer weather, often worn without socks

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October 3, 2016

World Animal Day: 25 Things Families Can Do to Improve the Lives of Animals

I’m so thrilled to be joining the Dawn Wildlife team again this year (2016-2017) as an ambassador! Long time readers will recall that I represented Dawn two years ago in spreading the word about the work they do to save wildlife. I traveled to Sausalito, California in the Bay area to learn about the dish soap’s role in helping animals at the Marine Mammal Center.

Dawn Day in the Wildlife: Volunteers Make the Difference at the Marine Mammal Center | WildTalesof.com

Sea lion rehabilitating at the Marine Mammal Center Photo Courtesy of Susan Goldman

September 2014: 6 months pregnant with Georiga! Photo Credit: Susan Goldman

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September 23, 2016

North Carolina’s Outer Banks: 4-day Itinerary+Photo Journey

How do you handle the holidays and spending time with extended family? Do you find it tricky to balance and plan? With family spread out in all parts of the country, we try to be pretty intentional with holiday planning. As a general rule, Slaed and I trade off spending the Christmas holiday with our respective “sides” every year. One year we host or visit his family, the next year it’s my family’s turn, with a few exceptions in there for births and whatnot.

This year however the stars were not aligning well in our Christmas planning world for a holiday visit with my family. Thus, instead of December, we opted for September! Instead of flying all over the place during one of the busiest travel times of the year, we all met in North Carolina’s Outer Banks earlier this month.

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September 21, 2016

Lake Chelan, Washington: Things to do with Kids

When I first moved to Seattle so many of my colleagues and students that I taught (I’m an elementary school teacher currently on “sabbatical” raising my kids), raved about this mysterious place called Lake Chelan. Growing up on the east coast, I’d never heard of the area hosting Washington State’s largest lake, but I quickly learned that it was the place to go to get away from the gloomy and gray of Western Washington. Visitors could swim in the water (in summer) and play on the sandy shores, participate in water sports, and generally just enjoy the lake life taking in views of the surrounding mountains and being treated to the region’s natural bounty. I put Lake Chelan on my already long and growing list of places to see in the Pacific Northwest.

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September 19, 2016

Sleep for the Traveling Baby: 5 Must-Have Items

Home or away from home, sleep is extremely important to us as parents. The downtime that occurs between our kids’ bedtime, and when we turn in for the night recharges us, and nap time is as much of a restful, restorative break for us parents as it is for our kids.

Since we have a good sleep routine at home, we do our best to replicate that dreamy environment when we travel. We’ve shared our routines and tips for getting babies to sleep when traveling, so I thought I’d share the specific gear we bring along to help create the perfect snooze situation. Make sure to reference our packing lists as well to help prepare you for your next trip!

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