Dreamin of a White Christmas

In our neck of the woods we usually have a good amount of snow on the ground by now.  This season is off to a slow start.  Last winter was a complete dud bringing us no snow to play on.  We really didn't know how to play in the cold without fluffy white stuff all over the place.  Last year it took us all winter to escape the depression from lack of snow and think of something to do in the bitter cold.

This last week we had out first real winter storm that deposited a couple of inches and Ky insisted of heading out to take advantage of it.

We bundled Ky up in his Esh bunting and let him have at it.  This bunting is really cool!  It is made of windstopper fleece, and you don't know it but the only thing he has on underneath it is his diaper.  He was content playing in the snow for a couple of hours sitting, rolling, and kneeling in it.  Not once did he get cold and when we took it off it was completely dry inside!

Ky's favorite thing to do with snow is just like all other 2-year-olds who live in snowy country.  EAT IT!!!!  We generally have to channel his eating habit to stay with the quality stuff, though sometimes he sneaks in the not so clean stuff.

The other night he found his stroller and begged us on his knees to go for a ride.  Being babywearing educators you can imagine that we really don't use the stroller very often so to go for a ride in it is quite a special treat.  Again he got put into his Esh bunting, bundled up in a blanket, with a heated rice bag for him to cuddle with.  The temps that night were easily in the single digits with the small breeze.  We took one trip around the block thinking he would be done and cold afterwards only to have to peel him out of the stroller after four more rounds!

With our current lack of snow we had to improvise our snowman before Christmas.  We hope that while we are gone celebrating the holidays our home will thoroughly be coated in fluffy white goodness so that we may make a real live snowman.  We look forward to heading out to some nordic trails and getting out in the backcountry this winter.  

Merry Christmas!

From: The Kings

Working with Grandpa

Most people wouldn't allow their two and a half year old to run around the carpenter shop while they are running all of the equipment, but this weekend we did.

Lately we have been preaching on our facebook page about getting your kids outdoors and away from the digital babysitter (TV).  Statistics tell us that children spend roughly 4 hours a day watching television of some sort.  That comes out to be 13 years of watching television non-stop for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!  So, this last weekend Ky got in a full day of unstructured free play in the shop while my Dad and I did some work.

For the most part Ky kept away from the tools and left his earmuffs on.  His big fascination was with all of the sawdust we were creating.  Needless to say we had one DIRTY boy by the end of the day.  We let him pound around with a rubber hammer and draw on the lumber.

We gave him the option of hanging out inside with Grandma and watch a movie, but he held me to my beliefs in wanting to be outside with daddy.  It was great to have him out with us while we worked.  Seldom did he get in the way, rather it was great to spend that day with him even though our interaction was minimal.  He was happy playing and getting dirty while daddy worked.  

A common misconception of playing with your kids is that you have to constantly interact with them.  This is not always true.  A lot of time they are content doing their own thing in your presence with minimal interaction.  The best thing is to just let them be and take pleasure in what they are learning.  At the end of the day you have learned and they have learned.  Nothing is lost and everyone is happy.

-Corey King

Boba Carrier Review and Giveaway

Being babywearing educators we get to use a lot of carriers.  In fact, we own a lot of different types and brands of carriers.  For the past two years I have been in search of a carrier that fit me.  In August we were able to meet the Boba team at a trade show and they were gracious enough to provide me with my very own Special Edition Diaper Dude camo carrier after sharing with them my conversion story and my endless search for the perfect carrier.  Well, I am pleased to announce that my search is over.  We are very impressed with these folks and LOVE all of their carriers.  The Boba Baby Carrier is well thought out and extremely well designed.

Things we love about the Diaper Dude Boba and that set it apart from other carriers:

• Foot straps to help rest weary legs and initiate proper hip positioning
• Infant conversion without needing an insert making the carrier work from 7-45lbs
• Adjustability for mom and dad, infant to toddler
• Pockets, three to be precise!
• Adjustable and removable sleeping hood
• Shoulder strap holders to keep purse or diaper bag in place

As much as we love the Special Edition Diaper Dude carrier the only critique we have for it is that the sleeping hood is to short for a toddler, it only goes half way up Ky's head as you can see in picture of Jentri at the top of the post.  Other than that, we love it!

Boba also has stepped up and made a carrier for the outdoor enthusiest, the BobaAir.  The Air is ultra lightweight, coming in at 0.7lbs and stuffs into it's own pocket for easy storage.  It is 100% nylon and just as adjustable as their 3G line.  We love to take our BobaAir on backpacking trips for kicking around base camp because of its compressibility and weight.

We can see that a lot of love has been put into these carriers and we are excited to be able to share one with you.  Boba has generously allowed us to giveaway one Special Edition Diaper Dude carrier in either Camo or Pinstripe.  The giveaway ends on Saturday, November 24th at midnight EST.

The thoughts and opinions expressed above are our own and in no way influenced by Boba.  We were given a carrier to review free of charge and are grateful for the cooperation of Boba.

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Family Packing into Independence

I have to start this post off by apologizing for being mum this summer.  We were so busy working and playing that we didn't have time to sit down to write about it all.  So, as the season changes and I watch the snow fall out my window I will get you all caught up on our summer.

Toward the end of the summer I grabbed my sister's family together and took them all on a local hike to Independence Lakes just outside of Elba, Idaho.  As a youth I hiked this yearly with my father.  We would use the four mile hike as a means of determining our condition before setting out on our annual 50 mile backpacking trip.  I have a lot of fond memories of this area and was excited to take my family and hopefully continue the tradition with my son.

As many of you may already know we are family ambassadors for Deuter.  Thanks to Deuter and my current employment with the BYU-Idaho ORC I was able to equip our entire trip.  

Multi-day packing with a toddler, or any child for that matter, can be a bit of a challenge.  The child carriers don't hold much gear and require your partner to carry the extra.  For our three day stay our packs averaged out around 50-60 pounds, except for mine which weighed out around 80 pounds with Ky in it.  As you can see we had to get creative with strapping on extras to get the volume we needed, our next pack will be a lot larger than a 45 liter.

 

With having other kids to walk with Ky decided to tackle the trail with his cousins.  Allowing them to get down and hike is important to us.  We feel it gives him a sense of accomplishment and allows him to participate rather than just ride.

On our layover day we decided to hike on up to the upper lakes.  On this hike we utilized our Boba Air, we love this carrier because it is light weight and packs down small.  Though in the photo Ky doesn't seem to like it much, he was in need of a good nap.  The quality of photo is such because in our day hike we allowed my 8-year-old niece to man the camera.  Allowing your child to man the camera can often be fun, it allows for a great discussion later in time when you pull them up and ask what they were seeing and thinking.  

While at the upper lake we basked in the warm sun, had lunch, and skipped rocks on the water.  Ky picked rocks for daddy and got to wade around at the shoreline.  The bandanna on his rear is there to protect our cloth covers.

I guess since I brought it up I will discuss what we do for diapers while backpacking.  We use Thirsties covers with gdiaper inserts, which are 100% compostable.  For wipes we chose some flushable/compostable unscented wipes.  We bought some compostable bags from our Whole Foods store which we would gather the diapers and wipes in and once a day we would head out and dig a big deep cat-hole and burry the entire lot.

Backpacking with children force you to be a minimalist so that you can haul enough gear to keep the little ones comfortable, just make sure to not compromise your own safety and ability to care for your child while out there.  Some of the light weight equipment we love to pack with are hammocks.  ENO does a great job of making lightweight gear that is awesome for lightweight backpacking.

The biggest thing about being out with family is to take time to enjoy each other.  We all piled into one tent to enjoy a friendly card game one afternoon while thunderstorms rolled through.

When all is said and done backpacking with your kids is one of the greatest things you can do to bond with them.  Just make sure to accommodate them and take it at their pace.  The outdoors offer so many learning opportunities that a classroom cannot teach.  

Get your family out there and enjoy the outdoors.  Opportunities like these build relationships that cannot be made any other way.

Guest Post by Cragmama THE GREAT OUTDOORS: A Family Affair

Most of my fondest childhood memories involve the outdoors in some way or another.  Whether it was running through a neighborhood meadow armed with a butterfly net and field guides, collecting worms along the lake bank with my dad before casting our fishing lines, or practicing cannonballs with my mom at the local pool, I grew up spending more hours outside than in.  Now that I have a 2.5 year old son of my own, my hope is to instill a love and respect for the outdoors in him the way my parents did for me.

Unfortunately, images of wet, muddy kids gleefully entertaining themselves in the backyard with nothing but sticks and stones to play with are becoming a rare commodity these days, replaced by a newer generation of overweight, over-stimulated, over-medicated and “under-natured” children watching TV and playing video games.

Something has gone terribly wrong.  Check out some of these alarming statistics compiled by the National Wildlife Federation’s Green Hour Campaign –

§  The average American child spends more than 6 hours per DAY staring at some sort of electronic screen.

§  The childhood obesity rate has tripled over the past 3 decade.

§  The number of children using anti-depressants as well as ADHD medications such as Ritalin are on the rise.

§  Today’s American child only spends 4-7 minutes per day involved in unstructured outdoor play time.

Its pretty scary to think where we as a country will end up 30, 20, or even 10 years from now if we continue to sit on the couch and play video games with our kids rather than exploring nature with them.

Its about more than just “getting kids outdoors.”  Yes, getting outside is the first step, but in order to truly develop a lifelong love for outdoor recreation and an attitude of responsibility and stewardship towards nature, we need to do much more than just push kids out the door and into the backyard while we finish cooking dinner.

It starts with families – a road trip to a national park, a weekend camp-out in the mountains, or even a family bike ride on the local greenway.  Kids are impressionable little people that are eager to soak up whatever kind of learning we throw their way.  If we choose to teach them how to pick out good sticks for roasting marshmallows, they’ll learn that sleeping outside under the stars is loads of fun.  If we teach them that biking through neighborhoods to the nearest ice cream shop is a lot better than sitting in a car in traffic, they’ll learn that they can make a healthier planet by reducing their carbon footprint.

My son Canaan (aka Cragbaby) was born into a family that lives and breathes rock climbing.  He’s been hitting crags all over the Southeast since he was 6 weeks old, and no one could argue that he loves every minute of it.  Does this mean he’s gonna grow up to be the next Chris Sharma?  Who knows, and really, who cares?  The important thing is that our family is outside spending quality time together, and regardless of where he ends up 30 years from now, my prayer is that he’ll be a happy, healthy, and well-adjusted adult with loads of fond memories to look back on when he’s ready to start a family of his own and raise the next generation of outdoorsmen/women.

So I guess you could call this post somewhat of a call to arms – a call for parents to step up and be a good example for their kids.  Our children are looking to us for knowledge, wisdom and inspiration, and they won’t find it if we aren’t willing to bring them along on our adventures and let them explore right alongside of us.  Its time to redefine adventure – no longer is it something dad does Saturday mornings with the guys out at the lake, or something mom does Sunday afternoons on the hiking trail.  Adventure is a family affair – so turn off the TV and get outside!

-Cragmama
Erica Lineberry is the ultimate Cragmama.  Go check out her blog and get some great insight about cragging with your kids.

Guest Post by Timber Dawson

We put the kids to bed in the tent, then walked down to the stream.  It was about a one-minute walk away from camp.  We went down there and sat on the bridge and watched fireflies and talked.  We couldn’t help but reminisce.   Remember that first camping trip we took them on together several years ago?  Holy cow.  That camping trip was miserable.  We’d left for that trip with such high expectations of bringing our kids into our world of camping and sharing our love of the outdoors with them.  They brought us back to the reality of a 2 ½-year old and a 3-month old.  Jaedin nearly drown, Jenacy cried A LOT, and they both didn’t enjoy themselves.  I remember on the last night of that trip we were sitting under a bridge watching glow worms in the mud and we were watching the group of young adults across the river from us laughing and having a blast together.  That river symbolized a very real gap in the no-responsibilities young adults that we used to be, to the parents we now were.  I still vividly remember sitting there and just being depressed.  Our fun camping days were over.

Fast forward a couple years.  There we were again, 2 kids sleeping in the tent, and us on a bridge nearby, watching glow bugs.  My husband and I were each smiling ear to ear and talking about what an amazingly fun day we’d just had!  So many stories of cute things each kid said and did.  Of Jaedin wishing on a star for a pet bat because one flew by right as he was wishing.  Of Jenacy giggling hysterically as she threw rocks in the stream.  Of each of them saying, “Thank you so much for bringing me camping!  I love camping!”  Of Jaedin coming up to me and saying, “This is the best day ever, Mom!”  Of very un-scary scary stories, and of singing silly songs while we hiked.  And two tuckered out kids, happily curled up together in the tent.  I wished that we could go back several years and tell ourselves, "Just you wait!"

There are moments in every family where the shared experience binds you together.  This camping trip was one of those moments.  Five miles of backpacking into the wilderness and an evening of just the 4 of us cooking over a campfire, laughing, cuddling, and telling stories.  That is a night that we’ll all remember forever.   That moment is what being a family is all about.  It was a memory that I will always remember fondly.  Our kids entered our world of wilderness that day, and they’ve never left.

- Timber Dawson
You can check out Timber's blog here.

Review: Mountain Mama Half Moon tee

About a month ago I received a cute little package in the mail from our friends at Mountain Mama.

Mountain Mama Half Moon Tee in Raspberry

I was so excited to find that it was their Half Moon Maternity Tee in a beautiful raspberry color. I was super excited to try it on and it didn't make it another 5 minutes in that package.

This was the first day that I wore it to work. Forgive the crappy picture but it's the only one I have.

Ya see, the very first day that I wore it this puppy got put through the mommy wringer so to speak.

I wore it to work that day and it was fabulously comfortable. I've been having trouble with shirts cutting into my under arms and was supper excited that the Mountain Mama Half Moon Tee did no such thing. It's nice and long so all your parts stay covered and it is SO Stretchy! Honest and truly I've put a watermelon under this shirt and it stretched to fit and bounced right back.

Back to the story. Fast forward to that night after work. Kylan had had a few too many gogurts and threw up All Over Me and the Half Moon Tee :D {not awesome} So it immediately went into the washer and thus this is the only photo that I have of it.

It washed up great. I washed it the first time and laid it flat to dry. There was still some residual throw up on it but after a little shout and a second wash it was good to go. A fine test for a mommy shirt don't ya think? And it passed with flying colors.
 :-D

I love the Mountain Mama Half Moon Tee and I'm pretty sure it can take on anything your little ones can dish out AND it is a must for any woman's wardrobe whether pre-baby, pregnant or postpartum.