Category: Motherhood Moments

Motherhood Moments: Here Comes 2015!

2014 was a great year to be outdoors and I’m sure 2015 will be too. Part of the fun of New Years for me is thinking ahead at who I want to be in the coming year, how I want to change and what I can do to make that change happen.

I’m not planning to run an iron man or travel to all seven continents this year but I would like to push myself to experience the outdoors in different ways. Kid friendly ways. I’d like to participate in an outdoors service project. See how far little g can hike on her own. Teach Big E to ride a bike without training wheels. Get both of my kids out on skis at least once a week throughout the season. My goals may not be huge but they’re important to our family. Being outdoors improves my mood, helps us all get some exercise and makes me more grateful for the world around me.

The number one game changer for our Mountain family this year will be the arrival of Mountain Baby in March. Ready or not, she’s coming in ten weeks. How will having a newborn affect our camping, hiking and outdoors plans? I’m not entirely sure.

So far it’s kept me from snowboarding this season, and I don’t imagine skydiving anytime soon, but growing a child, feeling her flutters and kicks has connected me to the cycle of life in a very intimate way. I’m excited to be a mom again and remember the tender beginnings we all had. I’ve already experienced the expansion of love that comes with welcoming a baby into the world. Like the Grinch I expect my heart to “grow three sizes that day” because special things start in small packages. It’s a miracle to be a mom and I plan to treasure the happy moments before the chaos overwhelms me.

So what will your 2015 bring? What outdoors plans do you have and how do you accomplish them with young kids in tow? Leave a comment and let’s start this conversation!

Happy New Year!

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My Best Outdoor Moments of 2014

This year I snowboarded with Olympians, saw the eighth wonder of the world and fulfilled my lifelong wish of seeing a bear in the wild. Our mountain family has done numerous camp outs, hikes, bikerides and other adventures. We’re looking forward to our next adventurer joining our family in March of next year but before we say goodbye to 2014 I wanted to look back at a few of my favorite things. What were your best outdoor moments of the year?

Last winter I loved hitting the slopes with Team Utah Snowboarding and Sundance Resort. Meeting the amazing athletes on the adaptive snowboarding team, as well as the hard core racers on Team Utah’s Boardercross crew inspired me to compete in my first ever banked slalom snowboarding race. It’s great to try new things!

Motherhood had some emotional ups and downs this year as Big E started kindergarten and I found out I was expecting again. Surprise!

Our favorite vacations this year were seeing the jaw dropping wall of dinosaur fossils at Dinosaur National Park, RZRing in Moab, Beach camping in Carpinteria and a couples’ trip to the great state of Alaska. There’s nothing like taking the tots to wild spaces to enjoy all the variety the world has to offer.

As 2014 comes to a close it’s nice to look back and realize that I have spent my time in a way that is important to me. With my family. In the outdoors.

What were your best outdoor moments of the year?

Yummy Yummy! I Love Food!

Given that this week is Thanksgiving I thought it only fitting to express my gratitude for food. I am five months pregnant so food is often on my mind, in my hands, in my belly. The other day as I ate an entire veggie pizza at three in the afternoon I thought about how great it is to eat good food.

I used to work at an inpatient eating disorder clinic where I learned the value of intuitive eating. Eat when you’re hungry. Stop when you’re full. Honor your cravings. It’s amazing that being a little more mindful about food intake allows for a much healthier and happier relationship with it. It’s good to have variety in your diet, including desserts and fried food. It’s best to listen to how your body feels when you eat and evaluate how the food tastes.

I wasn’t always able to do this – in fact just a few months ago the thought of food my my stomach roil. Morning sickness (which is an inaccurate moniker to say the least) morphed my perceptions about food so that I despised it. It was fuel, nothing more. Now I am grateful to have the joy of eating back in my life. There are just too many tasty things out there not to love.

My family is not without obstacles related to food. Big E has serious food allergies to wheat, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts, meaning our family meals have adjusted drastically to accommodate. The stress of stabbing your child with an EpiPen is something I don’t wish on anyone and although it has taken years, we are now at a place where his allergies don’t affect our daily lives much anymore.

There have even been benefits. I learned how to bake gluten free recipes. We eat home cooked meals daily. Since he’s not allergic to any fruits or vegetables we eat more of those than cheap snack foods.

With Thanksgiving just a day away I hope you all can find joy in the food you have to prepare. I’m grateful for our little garden where we can grow our own food and for the amazing variety of meals available in this modern world. What’s your favorite food? Happy Thanksgiving

A Week of Gratitude

This Thursday is Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays. I like that the roots of this holiday are about being grateful, not wearing scary costumes, lighting fireworks or buying lots of gifts. Thanksgiving is about remembering what is most important in life and taking a moment to be grateful.

So this week I want to focus on things that I’m grateful for. I encourage you all to do the same, either by leaving a comment or reposting these posts. Being thankful for the blessings in life is a message that can’t be over done.

The biggest thing I’m grateful for is family. I grew up the middle child of nine and love my huge, loud family. My parents lives revolved around rearing healthy, happy kids and their sacrifice is one worth emulating. Through their example and those of my siblings I learned how to love, share, pitch in and work. Now we are a clan of close to fifty with all the grand-kids and in-laws and get-togethers are always crazy fun.

Although my family of origin is wonderful and taught me many important life lessons, I’m even more grateful for the family I’ve made. Mountain Dad is my partner in life. If I could express how much I love him without sounding cheesy I would. Suffice it to say he’s the best.  With him by my side we’ve had two great kids with a third on the way.

Big E is in kindergarten, a good reader, energetic and full of life. When he learns something new I can almost see his brain make those connections that he will use through out his life. He’s my buddy with outdoor adventures always willing to put a little make believe into whatever hike we’re on.

Little g isn’t really that little anymore. At three years old, she’s making her own decisions about what she wears, what she plays and what she says. She’s learning how to get along with her brother and play make believe. When I look at her smiling face it makes me glad to be a mother.

Being part of a family is the best part of my life. I’m grateful for them every day, but especially around Thanksgiving.