My title is adapted from my parent’s favorite marriage counsel- those that play together, stay together.  It is derived not from studies or stats but from years of experience.  Years of watching friends married, friends divorced and friends re-married. And over the years it has been drilled into my head too.  I was asked by…

My husband and I love climbing.  And after our second kid was born we got back into it- but climbed only indoors at the gym.  We had written off climbing outdoors for quite some time.  But since moving to Utah- where endless numbers of route are 20 minutes from our front stoop- we wanted to…

Fleece is everywhere.  From cheap fleece pajamas from Target to Performance Fleece from Old Navy to higher priced fleece from say North Face, REI, or Patagonia.  But are they equal?  Will cheap do just as good as the most expensive versions? Fleece is my fabric of choice for layering my kids at night camping.  Also…

A camping breakfast REVOLUTION! Earlier, Hilary Lowe posted an awesome recipe for Easy Breakfast Burritos. Here is another one thanks to Jen Dekorte!  The key points being pre-made and wrapped in foil. Any recipe would probably be great. No prep on those cold camping mornings when it is struggle just to get out of your…

We encountered a new kind of mutant mosquito this weekend.  The kind that can sniff out the one square inch of skin that doesn’t have repellent on it, and bite… Maybe you’ve met them before. They bit through clothing.  They flew up pant legs.  But most of all they like to bite your scalp and…

We were introduced to this campground, located between Solitude and Brighton up Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT by some friends this last weekend.  Bottom line?  5 stars! What to expect: 41 developed campsites, including large group sites.  Popular for fishing, a scenic stream, and scenic driving. Nearby is the popular hiking trail to Silver Lake. Other hiking/mountain…

Located: Between Park City and Heber City, UT off of HWY 40. Admission‎: Day Use $7 – $10 Camping $16 – $20 Payment accepted‎: Visa, Master Card Activities/Services: picnic areas, beach access, boat launch and rental, canoe/kayak, general store, fishing, tent/RV camping, playgrounds. Our adventure at Jordanelle started off a little rough.  A 10 minute line of…

I simply had to share this recipe!  It is quickly becoming our favorite.  Keep chilled in a cooler for a great camping salad or accompany with Tortilla Chips as a snack. 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 tin of black beans, drained and rinsed 1 tin of kernel corn, drained 1/3 cup diced red onion…

One small trick we learned for toddlers is to bring our little training potty – known as the Froggy Potty in our household, with on any camping trips.  A great addition for those toddlers recently potty trained and unable to hold it the 5 minute walk to the outhouse.  Or say the kids terrified by…

(This post has been updated to address some of the concerns parents had in the comments with sleeping a baby in their infant carseat.(September, 2017)) Recently, I was asked by a few friends for any tips on keeping their babies warm at night while camping. This might well be one of the most challenging aspects…

We love our Striders and they go everywhere with us. They are marketed as a “No Pedal Balance Bike” teaching kids to balance and steer before the complicated task of pedaling. We got our first Strider for our son at about 22 months old. One plus: as they transition to pedaling, they never need training…

We have three kids. But the number of kid transportation devices we have is simply ridiculous. We have had: an umbrella stroller, a single jogger and a double jogger, a double sit/stand stroller, two bike trailers, a co-pilot bike seat (kind that mounts behind), a Bjorn, a REI framed kid backpack complete with Camelbak pouch…

Why describe when an image can speak a thousand words! There are few places our Johnny Jump Up hasn’t gone. An excellent entertainer, kid container, keep them out of dirty and happy with a snack item.

Here is the thing I’ve noticed about mothering. Okay, maybe two things…okay maybe three. I’ll try to limit it to three: 1. It is hard and tiring. 2. With it comes an unhealthy dose of worrying. 3.These two things can take over your whole life. This spring I made a choice: to be willing to…

This blog was born out of need…our need to get back outdoors again after having 3 babies in semi-rapid succession and fumbling our way through how to do it. In truth, there is no fail safe bullet list that will make your weekend trip an adventure. However, there are many things we have learned, many…