Hi-Tec Harmony Women's Boot Review + Giveaway!

*Contest closed! Lucky #14 (generated randomly) Princessliak - email me (and check your inbox to claim your boots!  Congratulations!*

I recently realized that I have only ever had two brands of hiking boots.  I have wide feet and can't stand shoes that bother me, so I guess I have stuck with what I know.  Unfortunately, that also means I didn't know what I was missing.  


That said, I also want to showcase a bunch of different gear on the blog because I know that different people have different needs and don't want hear about the same brands all the time. :) 


When Hi-Tec offered to send me a pair of their new Harmony Mid WP (Waterproof) hiking boots, I jumped at the chance (but also warned them I may not be the best subject to test them out because of my wide feet.)  They sent me a half size larger than my normal shoe size (which I actually usually lean towards in hiking boots anyway) and hoped for the best.

I have certainly put some miles on the boots and, as always, this post will be updated as I am given a chance to use them even more in different conditions.

Making Time for the Outdoors.

We are all busy.  Everyone has jobs, family, work, cleaning, bills and things that just have to get done.

Yes, it is certainly cliche, but those things will be there later too.

One of the most difficult parts of getting outside is just getting out the door.  Believe me, I know.  With two kids, it is not unusual for it to take me 45 (FORTY-FIVE!) minutes to get out the door.  Snowsuits, hats, meltdowns, gloves, pacifiers, meltdowns, snacks, KLEENEX! (I have had that yelled at me a lot lately as we fight colds), CHANGE ME! (another fun one), meltdowns, bribes, meltdowns and a huge sigh as we all tumble out the door.

How can it be possible to have time to get outside every day (yes, I even ask myself this question...daily)?  And again, I will say, how is it NOT possible to make the time (for the good of all involved?)  It makes us happier as a family. 

Last Friday we planned a family hike/walk for as soon as Mountain Papa got home for work.  My job was to have myself and the kids ready to walk out the door when he arrived (again, not an easy feat.)  His job was to be home before dark.

We both carried a kid (thank you, Kelty and Deuter!) and spent 45 minutes in the badlands behind our home.  As a couple it gave us some time to decompress from the day (between talking with J and fielding his questions and comments, of course.)  It gave the boys some fresh air and chance to just watch (or sleep).  We are blessed to have such a landscape behind us, but there is certainly nothing wrong with a family walk around the neighborhood (and we have certainly done this too!)

Yes, I should have been making dinner (or planned well enough in advance to have that dinner ready to go.)  Yes, dinner was late.  Yes, I nearly gave up and decided fighting the meltdowns wasn't worth it.  But, the truth is we never regret being out there and things (almost) always calm down once we are.

How do you fit it in?  How do you make getting outside happen amidst the craziness of life? Any tips to share?

This Moment...

*No words necessary, just a precious moment.*

Warm Stuff for Kids + Gear Giveaway

*Contest Closed!  Congratulations to Suzy! (lucky #7!)

Our struggle constantly when we are are outside is keeping the kids warm and making sure they are staying warm.  We invest in great gear for them because we know it will make everyone's day a whole lot better when we are all warm.

Around this past Christmas, I joined in some other bloggers for a holiday gift guide and did a post about some of the gear we really love and think does a good job for our boys.  I wanted to add just a couple more things:

Junior Polar Buff:
I have actually been a big fan of Buff Headwear for a long time now.  I have two of the original Buffs and I wear them nearly daily (for running, skiing, hiking, and bad hair days.)  I am wearing mine in most of the pictures in this post.

The polar buff (retailing for $24.99) is made up of basically a buff (which is a stretchy piece of tubular fabric) + a tubular piece of fleece.  You can fold them together, use them separately (fleece around the head and buff tied together over your hair for a hat), or even wear them inside out if you want.

J wears it as a neckwarmer, but Buff advertises a bunch of other uses:

*Guest Post* Getting Reluctant Kids Excited about Hiking

I am very honored to welcome Rob to the blog today.  He is a wealth of information when it comes to hiking with kids, and the first in a series of dads to join us here (because really this blog is about families, not just Mamas!) Please feel free to leave a comment for him (and us too!)

=) Amelia

Most children will find fun the idea of a hike and explore. Still, kids can be fickle creatures. Their lack of knowledge and experience in the world often makes them cautious about suggested activities. And in today’s video game-oriented, 300-cable channel, Internet-connected world, some kids may be reluctant – or even afraid – to get outside.

You want to sway kids to at least entertain the notion that a hike might be fun. If they hit the trail thinking a long stretch of boredom awaits them, they’ll make the experience miserable for both themselves and for you.

Here are some easy steps any mom, dad or grandparent can take to get their kids excited about being outside.

Your new assistant planner

To entice kids, let them help plan the hike. They can assist in selecting the destination, trace out the trail on a map, choose which snacks to bring, and more.

Coloring pages

For younger kids, find coloring pages about hiking on the Internet that you can print for free. Coloring pages showing children having fun and some of the scenery on the trial often gets kids excited about the adventure ahead. Just type “hiking coloring pages” in a search engine for images.

The Food We Eat: Homemade Pocket Sandwich Recipe

This past weekend we were thrilled to be able to attend the Winter Outdoor Retailers Expo in Salt Lake City.  A maze of incredible gear, like-minded people and fun demos wore us out completely. :)  Watch the blog in the coming months for sneak-peaks and reviews of what we saw (and some super exciting partnerships with other companies.)


Aside from all the excitement of the weekend, however, we spent a LOT of time in the car (thanks to snow and closed roads) and a lot of time on our feet.  We were also trying to do our best to be as frugal as we could and brought a lot of food to supplement hotel breakfasts and one meal out a day (because we were also trying to be reasonable.)  Quite honestly, we pushed our kids to the limit and definitely used snacks to bribe more than once.  


As a family, we try really hard to stay away from pre-packaged snacks that are full of sugar and additives.  Admittedly, I sometimes fail on this as life gets busy, I but certainly try!


Some of our favorite on-the-road snacks (that work well for on-the-road to hike, ski, play, etc.)
- Cut up carrot sticks (with peanut butter if it is reasonable depending on the situation)
- Our favorite granola bars (I make double batches and freeze these for adventures.)
- Apples
- Oranges (I always pack napkins too for these)
- Trail Mix
- Trail Cookies (AKA "Those cookies")
- Goldfish crackers (or something like that) in these cups:

- Homemade "Pocket Sandwiches" (based on a recipe from a dear friend of mine!)

  *These are MUCH better for us than regular sandwiches because of the less-mess factor.  They stay contained and J does just fine holding them on his own.  They are good enough to share....

The Bread Part:

2c.             Warm Water

2tsp.          Yeast

2                Eggs

3 tbsp.       Sugar

¼ c.           Canola oil

1tsp.          Salt

6c.+           Flour (I often use a mix of bread flour and light wheat flour)

Filling (the fun part because it is completely up to you):

Ham

Cheese

Turkey

Mushrooms

Dissolve yeast in water; add sugar, eggs and salt; add oil and enough flour to make a stiff, yet pliable dough.  Cover and rise in a warm place for fifteen minutes.  Punch dough down and divide into 14 balls.

For each sandwich, take one ball of dough and roll into a 6-8”circle on a lightly floured surface.  Place 1 piece of cheese and 1 piece of ham (or whatever you are using) in the middle.   Bring edges of dough together and pinch together over the filling (make sure it is closed well!)  Pat dough to form a bun around the filling.  Place on a greased cookie sheet (or stoneware), 2” apart, and cover with a kitchen towel to rise for 1 hr.

Bake in oven at 350* for 20-25 min.

The pocket sandwiches may be frozen after baking when cool.  I either freeze them all together in a bag or individually wrapped in foil.  Reheat unwrapped in microwave for 1 min or in the oven, wrapped in foil.

What are your favorite trail-foods? Feel free to link up blog posts and recipes!

This Moment...(blast from the past)

*No words necessary, just a precious moment (repeated with a little more baggage nearly 30 years later here)*