September 24, 2014

Savoring the Season with a Fall Bucket List

When I took the time to sit down to compile our end-of-summer bucket list, I wasn’t sure if it would actually work for us. To be honest, I thought we might get around to a few things here and there, but ultimately would be left with some disappointment.

Not the case!

Maybe my doubts helped to drive the force of accomplishing or rather getting to enjoy each of our items, but I’d also like to think that creating the plan gave us a road map to navigate our way out of summer. Choosing items with each family member in mind also gave us some guidance on those occasions where we may have been stuck with the question, “What should be do this morning, afternoon, evening, etc..?”

A quick wrap-up post will come soon so you can catch a glimpse of all the end-of-summer fun, but in the meantime, since our first “go-round” went so well, we’ve created a fall bucket list! Included in the list are nature and outdoor focused activities that we would like to get to this season.

With our great Pacific Northwest region in mind and with the help of the Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book, for a little more inspiration, we came up with 10 things that we think will allow us to completely savor fall. You’ll also hopefully notice that they all involve getting outdoors in some way or another. We want to make sure that the inevitable rains don’t keep us from taking advantage the beauty and goodness of fall in the Seattle area.

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September 19, 2014

Magical Moments We Can Make Happen: Seaplane Take-off on Orcas Island

When you see that a magical moment just on the horizon, you’ve got to take action.

Make it happen.

Don’t think, just go.

As we were leisurely packing things up in our rental house on Orcas Island on the morning of our departure, such an opportunity came our way.

A seaplane landed in Cascade Bay just across the way. And as we learned from our few days, as well as just being the Pacific Northwesterners that we are, it’s inevitable: If a seaplane lands, it’s surely going to take off again. They just don’t tend to hang around long.

We made a mad dash to the dock: Shoes, leashing up Norman and throwing on coats to shield us from the sprinkles happening outside. Thankfully we were already dressed and raring to go, otherwise it may have been more of an ordeal and knowing.

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September 16, 2014

Hiking with a Preschooler: Out of Carriers and Into Independence

As we’ve reached late summer and move into early fall, the feeling of a new season and new (school) year makes me feel like I need to set goals. Do you feel that same? I’m not one to pass-up a fresh start.

One goal that we are currently making a priority is the no-carrier hike for Bergen (3 years old). As I’ve described in our end-of-summer bucket list and recent hike, I’m in no shape to be carrying around a 40-pound little boy, and with a baby on the way, we would love for Bergen to be more independent and build his stamina.

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September 11, 2014

Catch-up Hikes: Denny Creek Water Slide Trail near WA’s Snoqualmie Pass

Catching up with friends and family over coffee or a meal is nice and all—I love a fresh steaming hot cup of coffee and food always seems to be on my brain, especially these days. A couple weeks ago though, I realized there’s an even better way to reconnect when it’s been a while since you’ve seen your loved one (or even if it hasn’t actually been that long)…

Go Take a Hike!

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September 9, 2014

Picture Books to Excite and Inspire Fall Outdoor Play

One of my favorite ways to prepare for a new season is to just immerse myself in all the wonderful things the time of year has to offer. A huge stack of library books does the trick.

Books not only give us ideas for how to best enjoy ourselves outside in honor of the changing weather and foliage, but they also ensure that we don’t miss a thing during this special transition. I hope this list gives you a starting point, or building point if you’ve already started, to form your own collection of favorite fall inspired stories!

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September 3, 2014

Baby and Child Bike Seats: 10 Tips for Successful Family Rides

As we near the end of summer, it’s hard to believe I’m actually looking forward to more bike riding since the temperatures are cooling down a bit. You see, we’re wimps with the heat, and find it more ideal to hit the road when the thermometer reads more like 60s and low 70s rather than the high 80s we’ve had all summer long. Let’s just hope we continue to get a few rain-free days thrown into our mix.

What’s been nice about our family bike rides is that it hasn’t taken much for them to be successful. Making it all work has been fairly intuitive, though admittedly it doesn’t hurt to have an expert cyclist (husband, Slaed) on board. Our experience has been with the Yepp brand of child bike seats using both the front baby bike seat, and currently the rear child bike seat. We’ve broken down our success into 10 tips (some technical, some just practical) in hopes that other families (YOU!) will have more courage (and be prepared) to get out there on the road and enjoy themselves together!

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