Category: Home

grand manan island

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One of my family’s all time favorite vacations  is a trip we went on  two summers ago.  That spring I was playing around on the computer, looking at summer vacation options and came across Grand Manan Island.  I had never heard of this island before and was curious as to where it was located.  It turns out, Grand Manan Island is in New Brunswick Canada off the coast of Maine.  It looked beautiful, rural, and rugged with plenty of outdoor activities, perfect for our family!  I spent a long time researching our trip and finally came up with a plan. Continue reading “grand manan island” →

we’re not lost, really…

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This past Sunday we decided to go on a short hike with some friends.  It was a decent winter day and we were ready for a hike; it had been awhile.  The hike was at  Wildcat Ridge Hawk Watch, a 4.5 mile loop that would bring us through hills and valleys, past remnants of mining, and up to a lookout/hawk watch with great views of the surrounding area.  We met in the parking lot and on went the hats, gloves, and winter coats on top of the two or three layers of clothes I had already made the kids wear.  My husband just shook his head, but you can always take off layers…  Next we got out our Kelty backpack, ready to be used when our youngest got tired, and out came the items from our last hike: 5 rocks, a half empty water bottle, unidentifiable crumbs, and what I think was once a flower; either that or a dehydrated caterpillar.  We then packed it with the essentials: water, granola bars, space blanket, first aid kit, wipes, lighter, and a bag of toys for our geocaching.   I put the 30 pound, childless pack on and off we went on our nice little hike.  But it turns out we had more of an adventure than we bargained for. Continue reading “we’re not lost, really…” →

no salamanders allowed

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This past week has been a rough one with the death of two beloved pets!  About a week a ago we came home in the evening and my oldest son found one of his two sugar gliders, Bailey, dead in the cage.  It was really sad!  Then, four days later my parents took the older three to see a movie and when they returned home their cat Kit was at the front door with completely paralyzed back legs.  It turns out she had a stroke and had to be put to sleep.  Both Bailey and Kit were loved and are now greatly missed.  But this is an unfortunate reality when you have pets; they are so much fun to have and love but you do have to deal with death quite a bit.  We have dealt with this a lot because, really, our house has become a zoo.

Bailey

My husband and I started our marriage 16 years ago with Continue reading “no salamanders allowed” →

what was I thinking

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Late Monday afternoon found me sitting in my car outside a drugstore with scissors, hole punch, a tape runner, and a bunch of Tootsie Pops.  Ever try cutting and taping tiny bits of paper while in the drivers seat of a car?   The steering wheel does make a pretty good desk top.  I finally had to stop what I was doing and just laugh, what was I thinking! Continue reading “what was I thinking” →

finding the line

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This past summer we bought our kids a slackline.  If you are not familiar with it think tight rope only a little wider and with slack or bounce.  We strung the  line between two trees 25 feet apart about 2 feet off the ground and we all attempted to walk across it.  It’s really difficult!  As soon as you put a foot on the slackline, the whole thing starts shaking and bouncing up and down.  For us, making it half way across was a huge accomplishment.  It takes a lot of concentration and core strength.

falling off the slackline

Last year my  two older children also took climbing lessons at a local indoor rock gym.  There they learned proper climbing techniques and were able to practice on increasingly difficult climbing routes.  They absolutely loved it and really want to take lessons on real rock faces.

I am really proud of these accomplishments.  I tend to push my kids to move beyond their comfort zone physically in order to allow them to see how much they really can do.  It’s amazing what they can do and the sense of accomplishment is great to see.  They will climb anything- trees, boulders, cliffs, ladders, all without fear. I might be crazy, but while I would never ever want any serious injuries to happen to my kids, I feel a few bumps and bruises are a good thing because they help alleviate fear and produce stronger, more secure kids.  But my question is Continue reading “finding the line” →

surviving the ski trip

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It is February 4th and I have yet to go snowboarding this season!  How did that happen?  This is the longest I can remember going without boarding since we started years ago.  The reason, of course, is that we have not had winter this year.  It was 60 degrees earlier this week!  But, really, that should not matter because there is snow of some form at the ski resort near us. I need to be honest and admit the real reason, kids!

Jeff and I pride ourselves in the fact that we intentionally did not slow down or change our active outdoor lifestyle when we had kids.  We just slid the kids into our adventures.  But there’s something about skiing with four kids that makes me exhausted to even think about it.  Continue reading “surviving the ski trip” →

virtual vs reality

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I want to go to Torres del Paine national park in Chile.  The park is within Patagonia and was unmapped until the 1930’s.    The landscape is untamed and beautiful; filled with teal-colored lakes, rushing rivers, glaciers, tower-shaped mountains, and fjords.  A trip there would be amazing but not likely to happen any time soon.  So, I sit down in front of my computer in my sweats with a cup of coffee, turn on Pandora, and do a quick search on Bing.  I type in “torres del paine national park” and up pops everything I could possibly want to know about the park.  Pictures-so many gorgeous photographs, maps, the current weather, travel advice, hiking trails, hotels, information on the locals, what animals inhabit the park, blogs from people who have been there, the best local food, etc., etc.  By the time I am finished I know everything about Torres del Paine national park.  I am an expert who has seen all of the best sites and listened to all the local sounds.  I have an understanding of the culture and people and have even purchased some souvenirs.  Then I turn off the computer and go make dinner.

What an amazing time to live!  We have access to the world from our own living room.  But it is also causing us to lose out on so much.  Continue reading “virtual vs reality” →

New discoveries of the old

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looking into camp buildings

Most days I drive the streets of the county I live in thinking of the day’s activities, where we need to go, how late we are running.  Always in a hurry, I give little thought about the surroundings I know so well.  I drive the kids to school, drive around for work, take the kids to their activities, all the while passing homes and farms and buildings and stores without notice.  When we go to a new location my eyes are open taking everything in; it’s all so new and exciting.  “I wonder what that building was originally used for?” or “Where could that trail lead?” or “How old is that house and who might have lived there?”.  But here in my own county I know have seen it all, heard it all, I know the history and events of the area.  I take the kids to a park and they run around in the open field, climb around on the monkey bars, my son plays hockey with his friends, we have a snack on a picnic table without a thought to what might have been there.  I guess if I would think about it, perhaps the playground was once a farmer’s field or a wealthy homeowner’s  property deeded to the town.  But who has the time to wonder about the history of a playground, I need to gather the kids into the car and hurry home to  make dinner!

But, I do love history and this past weekend while searching online for some information about a different possible adventure to take the kids on, I discovered the history of that exact park!  The one mentioned above that I have been to numerous times, talking to other moms while our kids run around and have fun.  They play and laugh and run on the same property where, sixty-some years ago, different children met, only their reason was much more sinister. Continue reading “New discoveries of the old” →