Category Archives: tips and strategies
My not-so-basic rules for hiking with young children
Good news: it’s hiking season. I’m enthusiastic about just about every outdoor activity, but hiking is my favorite. I’m a minimalist at heart, so any activity that takes no equipment other than sturdy shoes, a map, and some water is going to be dear to my heart. I keep a hiking bag packed all summer […]
How to bring the outdoors to Easter
In recent years, I feel like people have been moving away from candy in Easter baskets and moving more towards toys. I think it’s a great idea, but I’m not a big stuff person. I don’t like to collect things or give things or really even get things. Too many things in my house make me […]
How to stop worrying and start enjoying March. Sort of.
“When is spring ever going to come?!” I think I’ve answered this question 100 times in the past two weeks. It’s the curse of March, this impatience for spring. It’s only gotten worse now that someone told my children that March 20th is the first day of spring. (Thanks a lot, teachers!) “Spring comes when […]
A Lifetime of Hunting and Fishing. Or not.
Our son turned five this week and to celebrate we bought him the most expensive present we’ve ever given him. It may be the most expensive gift he’ll get until his high school graduation. We’re not very nice parents. We got him his lifetime fishing and hunting license. We did the same for our daughter […]
Suffering for Art, Or At Least Ice Fishing
“I think I’ll take the kids ice fishing this weekend.” “Okay. Sounds good. I’ll go with you.” He looked at me suspiciously. “Waaait…Why do you want to go?” “I haven’t been in a while and I thought I’d go again. You know. It’s good to try things.” I tried to say it innocently. “It’s for […]
A tale of ice skating and woe
I hate teaching kids ice skating. And I didn’t learn to love it after this experience, either.
Get out and stay out: how to get kids outside
How is everyone’s holiday break going? Everyone cranky and grumpy? Do you have over-sugared children who have been penned in too long? Despite that, are you having trouble getting them outside? Me, too. I feel like a danger with blogs like this, with parenting blogs in general, is creating the impression that the children being written […]