Burr....it was a chilly one today with overcast skies and we were a little antsy hanging out at the house.  So we loaded our biking gear, put on some warm weather clothes (including face masks) and we went for a bike ride.  It was great to get out even if the air was a little cool.  Once we started moving, we didn't even notice the temperature which does lend itself to a few important topics about how to play safe in cool weather.  Look for that page to be created later this winter.

I do not do winters very well even with light and vitamin D therapy and while it's only the beginning of November, I could already feel the effects of winter settling in, making me more melancholy.  However, within a few power strokes on the bike with my family in the great outdoors, I'm feeling good again.  Not only does adventuring with your family create strong relationships, it can even keep the winter blues from running your life! 

Get out and go (just be sure to bundle up)!   

As stated on our home page, I think a family adventure can be anything involving spending time together as a family and the great outdoors.  Well, this past weekend, that adventure took us to my father's farm where we got to hang out with family while enjoying a beautiful sunny weekend in the corn field!  Kenna had her first combine ride and saw how all of that corn gets harvested.  Then the next big experience was a ride in a semi hauling the newly picked corn to the dryer bin.  We took time to wander around the barren field in search of the missed cob or two and had fun picking the kernels when we did find one.  We went on a small hike down Grandma's lane, past the apple and pine trees, onto the gravel road where we marveled together at dried grasses and weeds.

Family outdoor time at the family farm....an adventure of a different kind!

This past weekend, my husband was asked to teach a class about using a GPS and Geocaching to the troop leaders of the Boy Scouts of America in North Central Iowa.  Because Chad was asked to teach, in turn they let us camp and play at their Winnebago camp near Marble Rock, Iowa. 

It was a beautiful location next to a slow moving river and had plenty of places to explore and things to do.  While Chad was off prepping for his class and teaching, Kenna and I wandered through the woods, turning over logs to see what might be under them and finding mushrooms.  It was great letting her lead the hiking and going at her pace, stopping as often as she wanted.  Of course, she found plenty of treasures to carry back to our tent but that made it even more special. 

My knowledge of the Boy Scouts is very limited, but from what I witnessed and experienced this weekend, what a GREAT ORGANIZATION!  The Boy Scouts are not only equipping the boys and the adults with survival skills and knowledge of our natural resources, but they are also imparting confidence and the opportunity for boys to just be boys.  It was wonderful watching the boys be creative with how they were playing in the woods, getting as dirty as they could, running all through the woods, playing together (foreshadowing a future of team work).  The laughter and "I'm tougher than you" conversations made me smile more than once. 

What I discovered this weekend is the Boy Scouts is shaping our young boys into responsible, confident, strong young men with a deep respect of nature.  If you get a chance to become involved with this amazing organization, DO!  You won't regret it!

Finding that perfect car-camping campground can be a challenge (at least it is when you're as picky as we are!).  Where has your family gone to "get away from it all?"  Tell us all about your favorite place, why you like it, some things others might want to aware of, etc. 

For us, deciding where to go can be a bit of a challenge.  We love going to new places and exploring new areas. Because of that, we are always trying to find a place we have never been.  This summer, we developed a fun new trick to help us figure out where to go (click to read our How to Decide Where to Go article), but we want to hear from you. 

How does your family figure out where to go and what to do?  Leave a comment and let us know!

So, you found the perfect campsite, you finally finished seting up, and you just sat down to reflect life's bigger questions while listening to the birds chirp over head.  When all of a sudden, your peace is disturbed by three little words, "Mom, I'm bored."   Read my article, Entertaining Your Kids While Camping for a few suggestions and ideas but I want to hear from you.

What do you do?  How do you entertain your kids while camping?

(Side note: while growing up, you learned real quick to NEVER say those words to Mom.  She found plenty for you to do, and NONE of it was fun!)

I just wrote an ariticle about creating an Adventure Pack for your kids to use while hiking or other outdoor activities.  The pack makes it fun for your little ones because they get to carry something too, and it provides some extra tools for exploring nature a little more in depth. 

When I first had this idea, I hopped online to purchase one.  To my dismay, I wasn't able to find one to purchase that was age appropriate for my daughter.  I also couldn't find any ideas of what to include in one for a 4 year old.  So I improvised and created my own! 

Do your kids have an Adventure Pack?  What would you put in your child's pack?

The word BALANCE has been floating through my head for a while.  Many times we struggle with doing what we should do and doing what we want to do.  Often, we choose what we want to do forsaking the "shoulds."

In the summer and nice-weather times our struggle is choosing to stay at home or leave for the weekend to enjoy the wonderful outdoor opportunities.  At home, we have chores, honey-fix-it lists, gardening, canning, etc. that we NEED to get accomplished, but when the choice comes down to fixing the leaking faucet or biking, we'll choose biking.   It is hard for us to strike a good balance which leads me to my next question.

How do you balance your love for adventuring and the tasks of life?   Send us your ideas!

After working on this website for several weeks now, I am going to attempt to get it active on the web.  Many things are still under construction, but that is alright.  This is a LONG-TERM project.  But I feel a sense of urgency (wow...an old corporate world work term still in my head!) about getting it published today.

With that being said, one of the things I do not have active yet is the email.  This means if you would like to contact us and you don't know us, please leave a comment on this blog.  Stay posted for when we have our email accounts activated (it really is an amazingly tedious process!).

In the meantime...Happy Adventuring!

Perhaps we are safety nuts, but we firmly believe it's better to be prepared than have an emergency with nothing on hand.  As such we keep first aid supplies in every vehicle and every pack.  There are many variations of kits out there and you will hear MANY different pieces of advice on what to carry and how to build your own.  We want to know....

Do you carry a first aid kit?  What's in yours?