Tag: 2016

Plan the Perfect Picnic + GIVEAWAY

Only 1 more day to enter! Giveaway ends March 29th!

Spring is here! And for my mountain family that means picnics. I’m not sure why eating outdoors is more fun than eating indoors but with the warm sun and a place to play, it’s a great way to spend time outside with the tots.

A picnic can be as simple as sitting on the grass, eating a sandwich, but I’ve found that the right gear can make the experience SO much better. This is especially true with a son with food allergies. Since Big E is allergic to wheat, eggs and nuts we always bring our own food. And sometimes that requires good planning and good gear.

This week I have challenged myself to plan the Perfect Picnic. I figure I’ll need a few practice runs so for the next three days I will be eating outdoors and posting about it on instagram, twitter and the Mountain Mom and Tots Facebook Page. I invite you join me. Tag @mountainmomtots in a photo of your perfect picnic so we can share the outdoor dining love.

As part of the Perfect Picnic challenge I will also be reviewing some of our favorite picnic gear and hosting GIVEAWAYS! I contacted all of the companies featured here to request items to review and giveaway. I’ll tell you why in the pages that follow.

What makes a good picnic? Sunny weather. Tasty food. Good company. I can’t help you with the weather or company but perhaps some of the reviews these next three days will help with keeping your food tasty. What will your next outdoor eating adventure be?

Monkey Mat

This portable floor folds up small so it’s easy to take anywhere. We used it all last fall and have already put it to good use this spring. And now there’s a quilted version that’s included in the giveaway below! Woohoo!

Read my full review here. You have until March 29th to enter.

To- Go Ware

What better way to pack a picnic than to stack your food all together? To-Go Wareis a great eco-conscious brand offering renewable bamboo utensils and food grade stainless steel to promote Zero Waste habits. I was inspired to incorporate more reuseables in my life recently and these To Go Ware Utensils and 2-Tier Stainless Lunch Boxare the perfect way to pack a picnic. Follow them on instagram at @togoware!

Now’s your chance to win the perfect Picnic Package. Be sure to scroll to both screens and come back tomorrow for another Perfect Picnic Post and GIVEAWAY!

You have until March 29, 2016 to enter. Be sure to enter Day Two and Day Three Perfect Picnic Giveaway too!

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Go Green for St. Patrick’s Day!

Thursday is St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday not really worth celebrating unless you’re Irish or want to be. Normally I don’t think much about March 17th except to dress my children in the obligatory green. But this year I decided that instead of just wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day, I would Go Green by doing a little something for the planet.

At the park last week, my Mountain Fam explored the river. The water bubbled, birds chirped and the adventure would’ve been perfect except for one thing. Trash.

Beer cans, food wrappers, an old shoe, a discarded shirt, even a broken bundt pan were left on the ground. With the snow melting, previously covered litter is coming to light and it’s pretty gross.

A few years ago my husband started a group titled WTF!?! It had a membership of two, myself and Mountain Dad and it was committed to picking up trash along trails when we went into nature. WTF technically stands for World Trash Federation, but mostly it describes our reaction to the bags of garbage we hauled away.

Several years have passed since I thought about WTF, but Thursday I’ve decided to revive the group and invite some friends to join. And by some friends I mean everyone on the internet. That’s you.

Thursday March 17, 2016 I invite you to Go Green for St. Patrick’s Day! If cleaning up litter doesn’t suit you, do something else. Buy reusable produce bags at the grocery store. Start a compost pile in your backyard. Plant a tree. Plan a garden. Contact your state representative about an environmental issue. Whatever it is, make this Green loving holiday work for its national importance.

If you’re in Utah County and want to join me on a  Hike it Baby Go Green hike there’s more information here. Whatever you choose to do with your St. Patrick’s Day please let me know. I’d love to hear all the Go Green for St. Patrick’s Day projects!

Is it Spring? Make Up Your Mind Already!

In Like a Lion, Out like a Lamb. March means spring in Utah. And that means sun. Or snow. Or both.

I love that first day of the season when I don’t have to bundle myself and my kids into snow coats, hats and mittens. I love feeling warm sun on my face after months of chilling wind. I love having picnics with my tots at local parks. But the beginning of spring also means the end of winter. No more snow for sledding, snowboards or nordic skiing. No more snuggly nights by a fire or beautiful snow covered pine trees.

I love spring, but I hate that it means winter is over. Living in the mountains makes that two way pull even stronger. At my house, snow still clings to the ground and Sundance Mountain Resort is open for business. The snow will fall and I’ll get some great turns on my snowboard or get out on the flats with the We! Ski Kit.  Then the sun will shine and I’ll crave to go play at a park with my kids or break out the bikes. Just twenty minutes down the canyon daffodils are poking through the dirt and city parks are busy with laughing kids.

It’s hard to flip from cold to warm weather activities. It’s hard to bundle up with scarves and mittens one day, and find all our bike helmets the next. But this season, instead of being annoyed I’ve decided to embrace the change. Sure being prepared for cold and warm activities means the skis and baseball gloves are all pulled out of the garage at the same time. Yes my son has gone to school with either too much coat or not enough. It’s hard to balance some of the aspects of changing seasons, but what a blessing to be able to ski in the morning and bike in the afternoon. There’s not many places in the world where I can comfortably do that. Utah is one of those places.
In the past I’ve considered this shoulder season the ugliest season of all. The snow is gone but the green hasn’t come in yet. Now I’m more nuanced in my opinion. Yes, the majority of my surroundings are not as beautiful as they are in deep summer or winter, but there are still pockets of gorgeous everywhere. Driving down the canyon I can enjoy the pine tree sentinels on the side of the road. Playing by the river I can watch the currents in the water. The jagged rocks on a recent hike reminded me of the beauty of non growing things. And it gave Little g a great place to climb. There is beauty all around, even on early spring days.
The return to warm days is gradual. I can embrace that and appreciate all the opportunities it gives me.

Get Outside with Burley’s We! Ski Kit

The rest of the country may be ready for spring but around here I’m clinging to winter with everything I’ve got. Sure I like warm weather and pretty flowers as much as the next person, but the advent of spring means snow will melt away fast. No snow means no skiing or snowboarding!

I’ve loved snowboarding on my own this season and skiing with Big E and Little G. But Baby L got none of the winter sports love. She was always left with a babysitter.

As any breastfeeding mother knows, it’s hard to get out with a baby in tow. At eleven months, Baby L can’t even walk yet, let alone ski, snowshoe or sled. That’s why I was so thrilled to try out the We! Ski Kit and D’Lite Bike Trailer that Burley sent to review. It meant that I could finally get outdoors with the baby and share what I love most with everyone in the fam.

Certain gear opens up a whole world of opportunities. That’s what the We! Ski Kit is for us –  a ticket for outdoor freedom.

Wrangling Equipment

The We! Ski Kit is compatible with Burley’s D’Lite, Cub, Encore and Solo trailers. Skis attach as easily as the wheels, with a quick push of a button. Lightweight poles connect the trailer to a padded waist strap the skier wears.

Wrangling equipment is a huge hassle on any outdoor adventure. Scratch that, any outing ever. I feel like I’m constantly hauling stuff in and out of the car, but certain features of the D’Lite and the We! Ski Kit  made this headache a little easier. 

All Burley trailers fold down easily, although sometimes setting it back up takes some upper body strength. Attachment poles disconnect at the midpoint and the waist band for easier storage. Plus they’re surprisingly light. I could barely feel them when I strapped in.

Even with all of those features the set up, strapping in, connecting and securing takes time. Baby L hates it. She cries while I frantically buckle, zip and cover her then clip in, connect and adjust myself, but once we’re on the snow it’s a whole new experience. Cries are replaced with sounds of contentment and eventually she’s lulled into a calm sleepiness.

I Am Not a Horse

Using the We! Ski Kit made me feel a little like a horse pulling a carriage. I’m okay with that. At least horses get out of the house and away from doing dishes all day. 

The waist strap felt comfortable and surprising light, but pulling that much extra weight is not easy. Adding 65 pounds of children to a strenuous workout made for a lot of huffing and puffing. It was much easier when I just took the baby instead of both Baby L and Little G.

While skiing with the We! Ski Kit I had a little problem with physics. When I started sliding too fast down a small incline with the weight of the trailer and kids pushing me I couldn’t stop. I’m an intermediate cross country skier at best, being out of practice with last season’s pregnancy and this season’s infant. So it wasn’t a huge surprise to me when I fell.

But it did surprise Little G.  Little G, who is not all that little anymore, couldn’t buckle right with her bulky coat in the way. I have since figured out how to do this (Note – spend some time with the equipment before heading to the trail) but at the time I fell, so did Little G. Almost out of the carrier.

Burley folks are probably rolling their eyes at me. It says in no uncertain terms to buckle your child and put the cover on to avoid just this scenario. Luckily we were going slow enough that she didn’t get hurt, even when I fell again ten feet later. But she did walk the rest of the way back to the car.

Pros of the We! Ski Kit

  • Lightweight
  • Easy ski attachment
  • Simple installation
  • Light feel when connected
  • Freedom to get outdoors

Cons of the We! Ski Kit

  • Price $199
  • Cumbersome set up
  • The front of the carrier plunges when not connected to the waist making loading kids tough.

I love the freedom the D’Lite and We! Ski Kit has given me to get on the snow. We need the outdoors on a daily basis around here and Burley has made it much easier to get outside. 

 

 
This post includes affiliate links. I receive a small commission if you purchase something by clicking through these links. Also, Burley sent me the D’Lite and We! Ski Kit to review. I love them for it.