Exploring mountains, along with backpacking and camping, provides a great deal of summer fun for many families.  When our daughter was a teen, my husband and I enjoyed many mountain excursions with her, both in our home state of New Hampshire and the Rocky Mountains of the American West.
These experiences made memories we discuss today and share with her children.  Her life situation is different, so that they don’t do much camping, but take day trips in our New Hampshire area for geocaching. 
Each family has its own form of recreation and family entertainment while exploring mountains…hiking, camping, swimming in lakes, driving …read more

As I wrote about our Travel Theme this week, I recalled some of the memorable trips my husband and I made with our daughter.  Some were enjoyable and others weren’t so much fun.  But they all made memories.
When Beth was 10 months old, we traveled by Model A Ford  from Sacramento, CA to Denver, CO.  Jim had taken a new job and parted with our modern car because he couldn’t leave behind the Model A Ford he’d restored.  Even though it was a challenge to travel this way, we look through the photos and recall the lovely countryside in early October and …read more

With springtime come outdoor activities in the northern United where I live.  In other parts of the country, it’s already warm, even hot, so you’ve been enjoying the out-of-doors for some time.  In other countries and the Southern Hemisphere, your activities with your children may vary, but you still might find something of interest in the suggestions below.
States,
 Encourage youngsters to go outdoors if there are safe areas around your home.  If not, see about taking them to a park , a nearby hiking area or national forest.
 Take walks around the neighborhood.  See how everything around you is changing with the …read more

Campers always sell the idea of camping to non-campers by reassuring us about the quality of facilities at whatever location they are trying to lure us to.  But you can avoid leaving things to chance by packing your own Pocket Shower, your very own personal, portable shower.
The Pocket Shower is made out of a heat-resistant waterproof fabric, and built into the base of it is a compact showerhead that works with a twist on/off mechanism.  The twist spout also adjust the water flow, from a weak trickle to full flow.
All you have to do is fill the 10 liter …read more

Spring break fun does not mean you have to spend a ton of money or go on some exotic trip. It doesn’t even mean you have to visit grandma and grandpa, it might be nice though. You can have fun though, even with your kids and keep it within your budget.
Board Game Bonanza- Head to the store and buy a few board games before Spring Break hits. Or if you are lucky enough you may already have a few in your home. We have a DEALS (much like a Dollar General Store) near us and bought a few extra games …read more

Check out my new tent I got this past summer. The thing is enormous. I can stand up in the center no problem. Camping and going fishing with the kids will be something I will miss this winter. But, now we will move on to sledding and making snowmen. I would like to get out more and do some ice hockey. I know they will like it. We have a public ice hockey rink not too far from here.
Here are some pictures of the kids from last winter. My personal favorite is Elizabeth taking the sled and sliding down the …read more