01 Mar
26 Feb
The Evolution of our Family Hikes (Gearing Up For Spring With L.L. Bean)
My boys are darn good hikers. Not that they have a choice. Since Stephanie and I started RVing with them four years ago we have spent over a hundred nights camping, and dozens of days hiking. When they were just one we threw them in the truck, packed up the pop-up camper, and headed to Vermont and Maine for 16 days. We were determined to do some serious family friendly hiking with them, and we did. Of course that meant carrying them in our hiking packs. So we carried them–and we carried them joyfully. After a long winter of... Read More
22 Feb
It Was Spring Today At the Jersey Shore… (Manasquan Reservoir, NJ)
When the temperature creeps up into the 50s during this sort of winter, it is almost impossible to decide what to do with the sunny respite. One feels a certain responsibility to enjoy every single second of pleasant weather. It is no wonder we ended up at the Manasquan Reservoir, knowing that us grownups could enjoy a refreshing walk and the boys would be happy with the playground at the end. It is a wonder it did not occur to us that melting snow pack on dirt paths might not be the perfect date for our jogging strollers. Not to worry. Max... Read More
03 Feb
For Sun and Mud, Thank You Island Beach State Park
It was messy and it was fabulous. We were lucky enough to get some off-season inspiration from a reader, who urged us to head down to the nature center at Island Beach State Park the next time we were hit with some winter wanderlust. This morning, citing a 45 degree forecast as sufficient reason for playing hooky from church, we went to the place that we love in the summer but have never explored in the winter. It is always the simple things that grab the fancy of the young, and the boys could have played... Read More
11 Jan
Where’s Your Winter Wander-land? Breaking out of the Cabin…
We’ve been in a deep freeze up here in the NorthEast and, if your children are anything like mine, things are starting to get a little loopy in the house. I measure my boys’ pent up energy in karate chops per minute and the number has been rising rapidly. So when I saw the forecast for tomorrow, I got excited. It is so easy to settle into ‘inside mode’ during the winter. You can forget that 50 degrees actually feels quite comfortable if you are bundled up and the sun is shining. Jeremy and I watch our weekend... Read More
25 Nov
Competitive Birding: The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
A Day at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Preserve So the government shutdown ended, the National Parks reopened, and we finally got to make our annual trip to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Preserve last weekend. If you think birding sounds boring, then you haven’t done it with preschoolers. After some initial disagreement on the rules of the game–a duck is not a bird…yes it is…no it isn’t, etc– the boys spent the entire eight-mile driving loop diligently trying to spot a bird and then... Read More
12 Oct
