Let’s Get Our Kids Outdoors!

:: Let’s Get Our Kids Outdoors ::

One of the greatest gifts of having this blog, for Nicole and I, has been the online community of other bloggers we have met in the past eight months. Not only have we gathered helpful advice and guidance from these accomplished women… we have also been exposed to their wealth of knowledge and talent through reading their personal posts, freelance writing pieces, and photography. It’s been incredibly inspiring!

One of our favorite local bloggers is Michele from Fun Orange County Parks. In addition to her amazingly helpful blog {where she highlights local places to play & explore}, she also contributes thought provoking articles to the OC Family Magazine. This month her story made the cover {Congratulations, Michele}! I was thrilled when contacted by her a couple months ago when she asked permission to use bits and pieces of my post {Family Time} to quote in her article! 

 

{click the image above for a digital version of the July, 2013 issue of the OC Family magazine}

 

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Quest for a Simple Life {revisited}

 

A few months ago, when I wrote, “The Quest for a Simple Life” I wasn’t sure if there would be a part two. Both Husby and I felt in our hearts that there was a different path our family was to pursue… a risk to take with greater rewards in the end for our family… but we didn’t have any definitive plans. We knew we just had to trust… and do the “foot work” {as one of my best friends explained}. So, that’s exactly what we did. In the past six months, we’ve taken two long road-trips to Mammoth Lakes and five trips to our local mountains. At last, our path was revealed! I’ve been so eager to share with you our plan… along with the excitement {and uncertainty} that lies ahead for our family of six.  [Read more…]

Family Time

 

:: FAMILY TIME :: 

I’ve been having a hard time accepting how much time my family spends away from each other… whether it’s Husby at work for days at a time at the fire station, or just the kids weekly schedule with school and other activities. As much as I try to soak up quality time with my family during the week, it never seems like we get enough. Our schedule seems consumed by the runaround schedule of drop-offs, pick-ups, homework, and other obligations…. as I guess it would with four children.

So… just over a week ago, Husby and I decided to forget about the never ending to-do list at home and take our two youngest to the beach while our older boys were at school. It seemed horribly wrong to leave Ryan and Seth out of the fun…. but I reminded myself that they had this alone time with us when they were little, too {right?}! We packed up a picnic lunch and headed to one of our favorite secluded spots in Laguna Beach….  

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