Family cross country ski day at Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center
📍 Mammoth Lakes, California
DIY backpacking cup cozy
The mugs we have for backpacking are single-walled. They are great for boiling water in camp, but they aren't so great at keeping drinks hot, especially in the winter. We had some leftover reflectix so we decided to make our own camp mug cozy and it was easy and inexpensive. It works like a charm!
My heart is full finally getting to see Yosemite Valley from Dewey Point. We just finished an overnight backpacking trip out to this lookout, and it was so serene and peaceful. The 7.5 mile trek can be completed as a day trip, but having the opportunity to see sunrise and sunset from the point was magical. #yosemite #deweypoint #yosemitevalley #snowshoeyosemite
Embarking on my first backpacking trip without kids in over 4 years stirs a range of emotions. It was blend of anticipation, guilt, freedom, rediscovery, and longing. The trip turned out to be an incredible experience, and I am grateful for it. I can't wait to take the kids on the same trail someday.
The kids were disappointed to miss out on this big trip, so I set out to find a creative way to share it with them when I returned. I packed a stuffed animal to photograph along the way, having it experience different aspects of the adventure. When I reunited with them I shared the adventure Mickey and I went on and they loved it!
Have you found any fun ways to share your trips with kids when you return?
The gondola is not just a ride up for another run, it's been an exciting adventure for our young kids. This video was the first ride our kids ever took in a gondola. The pure joy and excitement as they floated up the mountain is one of our favorite winter memories.
Taking our kids snorkeling for the first time was a highlight of our trip to Hawaii 🐢
We picked one big adventure on our trip and everyone voted for a catamaran snorkel tour to Turtle Canyon along the Waikiki coast. It was the perfect mix of snorkeling and touring the coast, and the kids loved it!
Marti saw several large sea turtles snorkeling, and while Luke wasn't quite ready to pop on a mask, he loved swimming and sitting on the trampoline nets up front while we cruised the coast.
If you are headed to Oahu there are lots of companies offering tours. We picked one that left mid-morning, which was lovely. Turtle Canyon is open ocean snorkeling so it helped that both of our kids are very comfortable in the water. Even though Luke didn't want to snorkel, he came along with us and just swam around. We saw turtles even from the boat so he got to enjoy them too! If you don't want to get in to swim, we think the boat ride was still absolutely beautiful and relaxing.
🎥 : @insta360 X3
Dirty down is cold down ❄️
Washing down gear with the proper detergent can help revitalize the water repellency and insulating properties so the gear keeps you cozy. 🔥
Tips
🧼Use a gentle detergent that's made for washing down. We use Nikwax down wash direct.
🧼 Front-loading washing machine only (top loaders run the risk of damaging the gear with the agitator. We've successfully used a mesh bag with an agitator but it's risky)
🧼 Wash 2 items at a time
🧼Tumble drying with low heat is recommended over air drying to ensure that the down is dried thoroughly and as quickly as possible. Leaving down wet or damp can compromise the loft of the down. The down will also clumps if it's not tumble dried with dryer balls.
#gearmaintenance #washingdown #downcoat #downpuffer #backpackinggear #skigear how to wash a down coat, how to wash a down jacket
3 scenic places to visit near Mammoth Lakes, CA
☑️Save this post for your next trip
🏔️ All of these locations are kid-friendly. Little Lakes Valley starts at nearly 10,000 feet so be mindful of altitude sickness.
🏔️ The town of Mammoth Lakes is a great base camp for these adventures. There's lots of great restaurants and places to stay or camp.
🚮Practice leave no trace. Pack out trash and avoid overfilling trash cans at the trailhead. We packed out our trash to throw away back at our lodging instead.
@visitmammoth #visitmammoth #therealunreal
The Thule Chariot Cross double is probably our favorite and most versatile piece of gear. It takes the place of 5 different items that we used to have. It's a bike trailer, stroller, running stroller, beach cart, and ski pulk in one.
Helpful info to know if you are considering one:
🚪 It fits through doors easily since it's the same width as a wheelchair. It's much narrower than most double strollers but it's still roomy for two kids.
🛞 The basic wheels included with the chariot do well on roads, dirt, gravel, and even packed snow. There's pretty much no where we can't go with it. If the snow is deep or you are planning to XC ski we'd recommend using the ski kit.
☀️ 🌬️ It has a great sun shade and plastic cover for wind and rain. The plastic cover also works well to keep the kids warm in very cold temperatures.
🚙 It folds and compresses to fit the trunk
⛷️ In this video we are using the cross-country skiing kit to convert from wheels to skis.
One of our favorite places to visit in the winter is Yosemite Valley. The valley with a dusting of snow is surreal. We've been taking our kids every year since they were babies and it doesn't get old. Some of our favorite activities with kids in the winter include snowshoeing, skiing at Badger Pass (Yosemite has a ski resort in the park bounds and it's not crowded), Firefall, and roasting marshmallows at camp in the snow. It just snowed in Yosemite Valley this week so it's looking magical again if you want to check it out! #yosemite #yosemitevalley #yosemitefalls #winterinyosemite
Toddler water bottles with straws are prone to becoming geysers due to pressure changes with flights. Just loosen the lid or leave the straw open to keep the spray at bay.
🦶 Kicking the seat in front can be an issue with some kids. We found that if we took off their shoes they were less likely to do it. We also placed another person from our group in the seat in front of them as well so if they did kick, at least it would be our family's seat.
💺 Car seats on airplanes makes flying so much easier with young kids. Having a car seat on board is safer in cases such as turbulence, but our kids also appreciate their familiar, comfortable seat over an adult-sized airline seat. When they sit in the car seat they are easily able to see out the window too. We also like bringing the seat onboard so we never transfer possession and risk damage to the seats being checked.
Nothing cuter than a little set of helping hands ✈️🧳
#travelingwithkids #travelingwithbaby #flyingwithkids #flyingwithcarseats #flyingwithbaby
What a whirlwind 2023 has been. We loved visiting new and familiar places with our kids, but didn't love how many trips we had to cancel or cut short due to various illnesses over the year. Just comes with the territory of traveling with little kids. Our favorite moment of 2023 was seeing Luke pedal off on his bike for the first time all on his own. We have lots of fun plans for 2024 so stick around for more snowboarding, backpacking, camping, biking, and hiking! #2023recap #familyadventures #familytravel #travelingwithkids #campingwithkids
Homemade kale chips are so easy and taste so good!
The newly renovated Children’s Park in downtown San Diego had a massive makeover, and it's amazing. This park is free!
The children’s play area is made of mostly wood and has lots of unique features like a sailboat that is suspended and rocks side-to-side, a REALLY long slide, climbing sculpture, and it's completely fenced in.
The park has features that are mostly designed for kids 5 yrs and up, so keep that in mind if you littles.
There's also picnic tables, adult exercise equipment, a separate fenced in dog park, and staffed public restrooms.
There's street parking that turns over pretty regularly for less than $2 per hour, or you can park at The New Children's Museum for $8 for members ($16 for non-members). It's a fun-filled day moving between this park and the children's museum to get more bang for your buck on parking. The New Children's is our favorite museum in San Diego.
Features we love in a good camp table
We’ve tried every type of table camping from picnic tables in campgrounds to the smallest backpacking tables. After years of testing, here’s our list of must-haves in a camp table:
-Large enough to support cooking and dining at the same time (because who wants to break down the stove before serving the meal?!)
-Easily breaks down for storage
-Aluminum top to improve durability, clean up, and heat tolerance (plastic table tops just don't stand up to use and abuse)
-Height needs to be high enough to cook but low enough to dine with most camp chairs
Comment "table" if you'd like a link to our specific table.
#campingwithkids #campgear #campkitchen
#campinglife #camptable
The riglet reel is a small accessory that makes a big difference teaching young kids to snowboard. It's basically a tow line that attaches to the nose of the Mini Grom, Riglet, and After School Special snowboards made by Burton. We use it at home to practice getting comfortable riding sideways on the carpet, and it simplifies negotiating little ones around the mountain to maximize fun time. We've tried other leash-type attachments that clip on the bindings, but the riglet reel is easier to use since it quickly deploys and retracts, and it's always there ready to use.
#kidssnowboarding #kidssnowboard #learningtosnowboard #babysnowboarder
Best new parks in San Diego
🛝 Tecolote Shores South, Mission Bay Park: includes zip lines, slides, swings, music area, and it's directly next to another massive park. This park is designed to help accommodate park-goers with disabilities too.
🛝 Children’s Park, downtown San Diego: includes play area, picnic tables, adult exercise equipment, an off-leash dog area, public restrooms staffed by an attendant, multi-use lawn area. Ours kids favorite feature was the floating boat that rocks.
🛝 Wisdom Park, Sorrento Mesa: includes ropes course, a padded turf area that's great for balance bikes and scooters, sand pit, and slides
All of these parks have bathrooms on-site!
