One year ago: we lived in a different house, a different state.  Now it seems like a different world.  So many years come to an end, and I am amazed [disgruntled] at how little has changed in my life.  This year I am amazed [loving] all the change.   We talk alot about our adventures…

When I became a mom, winter brought a whole host of worries. See, babies cannot really tell you when they are cold. They are also much more difficult to keep warm when outdoors, because unlike us, they aren’t skiing or snowshoeing or burning massive amounts of energy. Here is what works for us: JJ Cole…

We’ve made the short trek up to Alta the last couple weekends to take the kids skiing. It has been a blast and there were lots of other parents joining us on the endeavor with their kids. All ages, all sizes. Some parents cheered us on, mentioning how they didn’t start their kids till they…

And the winner is comment #3: Amanda Kelly! You will be contacted shortly. Congrats from our house to yours! -the Ericksons  

Call it a small pet peeve, call it a large one. Probably a large one…here it is: I hate it when people are fake. Similarly, I hate the thought of presenting an image that is incomplete or misleading. And here is the thing. In this place called the Internet we can manufacture an appearance. We…

We went up to Alta Ski Resort this morning. And this time our 5 year old asked politely, “Can you please not forget my boots this time?” Check. Boots in the car. In fact, the only thing I forgot was my sunglasses. But that seemed minor in comparison to last time. The best part of…

I snapped this shot as the sun emerged over the horizon, on our 14 hour road trip to Oregon.  We’d been on the road for 3 hours, survived black ice (and I do mean survived), beat out a snow storm, and fought the nausea that accompanies early morning hunger. Overall our trip went smooth. I…

Here is a little secret…as parents, we have made probably half of the mistakes in the book, and the other half we’ll probably encounter in the next 18 years. I am not trying to berate us, but here is something I learned quickly about kids: there is a lot of grey, and not a lot…

In honor of black friday… Lets face it, while the outdoors are generally free- the gear needed to enjoy them is not.  In fact it can be quite pricey.  And as we’ve added kids into the mix, we have added a whole new level of cost to our adventures.  Kids can be hard to gear…

Christmas comes every year and grandparents start asking what to give the kids, and I start wondering what to do after I’ve given them all my ideas.  This year I made a list of useful things – not to expensive – that the kids would love but also satisfy some need in their outdoor gear….

Labor Day weekend. 5 minutes prior we pulled into the parking lot at the ‘Bread Loaves’ area in City of Rocks National Reserve.  The kids were running everywhere, climbing the rocks, throwing the rocks, and generally gleeful to be out of the car. The moms and I made a collective sigh and huddled up to…

I loving asking my friends this question: What are your favorite outdoor baby items?  “Why” you ask? Because even after 3 kids I still learn of new things I’ve never even heard of before.  Like the Bug Band.  This last summer a good friend of mine wrote a review on them.  I had never even…

How often do you spend all week coming up with an outdoor adventure plan, spend Friday night packing for it, and spend Saturday morning urging your not-so-excited kid out the door? They are reluctant. They want to watch Saturday morning cartoons. If your family was a ship- they aren’t on board. I know this kid…cause…

Solitude Mountain Resort opened last week and being that we are 1. excited to see the snow again or 2. insane…we decided to take the kiddos up and check it out. We’ve never been to Solitude- so we had no clue what to expect. It was also the kid’s first day on skis this season….

Sometimes I think of giving up. Perhaps it is a day where I’ve failed. I’m frustrated with my kids and yelling. The kids have reacted equally, and emotions spin around like an F5 tornado threatening the small towns that make up the sinews of our family. Perhaps it is a day that everything has gone…

that made a summer I will never forget… Antelope Island, UT Anibel (age 4 in photo) climbing at Red Rocks, Salt Lake, UT Peek-a-boo fun! Refreshing Esme at Lower Emerald Pools, Zion National Park, UT Abishai, age 3, sweating it up in the hot sun! Canyon Rim Train, Zion National Park, UT Skipping to the…

Here are some tips to help to get your younger, and possibly a bit sheepish, kids climbing and having fun doing it: 1. Fix a rope to their back for lowering. Have the kid drag up an extra rope tied to their back.  This is helpful for those kids who have a little trouble with…

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…