The holidays are upon us, and while the snow has yet to paint our mountains white, I have still started my Christmas shopping. This year, instead of a normal gift guide, I wanted to focus on companies  and organizations that also give back to communities in need or for causes that are significant to the…

In the wake of the 2016 Presidential Election, I find myself having many different emotional responses. We don’t comment often on politics around here. My husband often teases me that I couldn’t be any less political than I am. I’d rather be skiing, or hiking, or paddling. But the events of the last 24 hrs have…

Dear parent, Are you ready to get a bit touchy feelly with me? Just the other week my dear friend mentioned to me, “I feel like such a fraud. I mean you get outdoors all the time with your kids.” Internally I chuckled. Um. No , I don’t. At least in my opinion. See I…

Every November, social media becomes flush with “Thankfulness challenges” and similar sentiments. And honestly, this year I internally thought, “Here we go again, how trite.” And how wrong of me! For if there is one thing in life I seek to be, it is a person full of gratitude! Thankfulness is never overused, unoriginal, or…

I am a Colorado native, and so I have very dear memories of traveling to the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool from my own childhood. It was where I learned to swim around age 2. And where I first experienced a tube slide. So naturally I counted down the weeks till I was able to introduce…

When you find something you love. Stick with it. It is true in all realms, but especially women’s clothing. These words are something I believe strongly in and I feel so lucky to partner with a company that is only getting better with time. This is my second year as an ambassador for Aventura Clothing….

Today I want to share some tips on fitting your kid for ski boots. Obviously, any one of us can drive down to the local ski shop and have a skilled salesperson do it for us. But if you are like us, and trying to get the family skiing on a dime, we rely heavily…

I pedal easy on my stationary bike, people still trickling in before class starts, but it is almost go time. It is my second time to this spin class and I love that, so far, it hasn’t been crowded. Only 5-6 people for a room filled with 20 bikes. I hate when it gets all stuffy and…

Every fall, as the Wasatch starts to light up gold and red, we receive a long list of inquiries on the best places to go for Utah’s fall foliage. So I figured I’d attempt (I am sure it isn’t “all”) to get them in one post. This includes hikes, popular and not so much, trail…

School has been in session for how many weeks now? Five? That must be why I feel like I can finally take a deep breath. The end of summer, school shopping, diving into a new schedule, new sports, new teachers… all of it sweeps in every year and creates havoc in our home. For a…

September is baby safety month and we are joining Owlet Baby Care and 30 other bloggers in sharing our tips for keeping your baby safe in all aspects of life. If you have been following the “blog hop” for the month of September and came here from yesterday’s post “Ten More Things No One Tells First…

  The forecast calls for clear skies and dry roads, but instead we are met with deep grey clouds and rain pounding the windshield. So much for a clear forecast, I think. I hope it breaks just enough for us to get the tent set up and stuff stowed inside. Days before, we packed the Xterra…

The sun is nearing the horizon and the sky has lightened to a pale blue. The mountains hold mist in their laps as they wait for the heat of day. The bright moon that spent the night hanging next to Bugaboo Spire has moved on and the glacier sits below, a silent sentinel slowly creeping down the…

We don’t do a ton of sponsored posts around here. And my bar is pretty high when it comes to products we would use and buy with our own money, without being coerced by some company. However, recently we were approached by Sharpie (yes, the marker company) about their new product – Sharpie Extreme. See,…

I did something new today. OK. Not totally new. I flipped over a queen and moved it on to the black king and remarked to my husband, “I don’t think I’ve played a game of solitaire since before I had kids.” And so I sat in the strong sun, surrounded by mountain peaks and played…

The Sawtooth Mountain Range lies in central Idaho, not far (approx. 45 minutes) from Sun Valley, Idaho. It is a jagged and rough mountain range, dotted with deep and clear lakes, abundant wildflowers and towering summits. The Sawtooths are also decently accessible and super family friendly both for backpacking and car camping. Though I’d certainly suggest…

A while ago we made the great transition from our heavy and cumbersome Canon DSLR camera body and lenses to the Sony A600 and new lighter lenses. It wasn’t a change made quickly and to be honest I am still adjusting. But in the end I just wasn’t bringing the camera gear on adventures as…

The sun is blazing here in Utah, with no sign of stopping. So naturally we are looking for a way to cool down but remain active. So why not head on over to the Utah Olympic Oval for a Learn to Skate camp? While my kids have ice skated a few times, they haven’t spent considerable…

When it comes to sun protection, our preference over sunscreen is simply to keep the kids covered (ie. hats) during the hottest parts of the day. But we learned early on that not all hats are created equal. Some are sized better, stay on well, provide greater shade, and are cooler. Sunday Afternoons is our…

I was thinking back a few years… to a time when my largest battle was trying to keep sunglasses on my infants and toddlers. We tried everything, the bungy strap, the velcro strap. In the end we had the best luck with the Julbo Looping 3. Next we moved onto the cheap $5-$10 sunglasses found…