If They Can Do It…

July 24, 2012 at 5:38 am

One of my greatest fears before becoming a parent was that MY life would be over the minute our progeny exited my womb. I was sure that we’d never be able to get outside, adventuring, climbing, camping or hiking like we had before. I have heard so many stories from parents over the years that started with “I used to climb all the time, but then we had kids and…” and you know how that sentence ends, right?

Well, it turns out that sentence ends in a lot of different ways for different people. And while we have slowed down a bit over the last year and half, we have still made it outside, been climbing and had lots and lots of adventures since our kiddo arrived.

Mark, G and Liv the doggie hiking back down to tree-line

And there are plenty of other families out there with surprising endings to that sentence. I have found immense inspiration and tons of helpful information from the blogs and websites of other outdoor-loving families. This is why I built an entire Resources Page into the newest version of this blog. And today, many of these bloggers are listing out their favorite sites for stories, stoke and info on adventuring with kiddos in tow, so I thought I’d do the same.

If you’re wishing you could finish that sentence a little differently than you have been, check out all of these awesome parents who have done it too!

  • Active Kids Club – Our mission is simple… We love to have fun outside with our kids, regardless if it is swimming with manatees in Florida, exploring Central Park in New York or just simply being outdoors PLAYING in your own backyard. We try our best to provide you with the best information about simple outdoor ideas, Fresh Air Living (lifestyle) and Cooking with Nature.
  • Adventure Tykes: Little Feet, Big Adventures – Here you will find motivation and inspiration along with hard won experience to help you engage in outdoor activities with your tykes, such as camping, hiking, rock climbing, biking, picnic dinners and outdoor play. Gear reviews on the latest and greatest gear along with giveaways are featured. We hope you find the information beneficial and inspiring, and that you and your tykes get out and explore the great outdoors together.
  • AKontheGO – Our blog was designed to encourage and promote family travel in Alaska. We are, at this time anyway, the only blog/website with a decided emphasis on family travel in Alaska.
  • Backcountry With The Kids – A blog about our family’s attempt to live an active outdoor lifestyle in order to reap the benefits of fresh air, exercise, a close relationship with nature and time with each other. While our trips tend to take us into the backcountry by canoe, we also love hiking, cross-country skiing, climbing, cycling and any other adventures that come our way. Follow along for inspiration, tips, tricks and ideas!
  • Awesome photo from Backcountrywiththekids.com!

  • The Brave Ski Mom – Family skiing tips, unbiased resort and mountain reviews, off-season biking and hiking. We’re a western Colorado family that has seen it all and done a lot. I don’t just share our adventures. I provide information to help you fuel your own adventure — from skiing to parenting.
  • Bring the Kids – A blog that proves that you can still have adventures after you have kids. We love to camp, raft, ski, hike, and climb and love bringing our kids along so they can enjoy these things too!
  • Climb Run Lift Mom – This is a blog about my ongoing journey to be healthier and fitter and sharing that healthy lifestyle with my children as well. It also chronicles my adventures in the great outdoors and how I share the experiences with my children.
  • Cragmama – An online resource for fellow nature enthusiasts that believe starting a family doesn’t mean the end to outdoor adventures!
  • Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies – Have toddler and have not slowed down! This blog seeks to chronicle the joys and challenges of taking kids hiking, camping, backpacking, skiing and all-out exploring in the Canadian Rockies.
  • Love this photo from Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies!

  • Go Explore Nature – All about connecting kids & families with nature, in your own backyard and beyond. You’ll find everything from tips on bird watching and backyard camping to ideas for backyard nature play. Happy exploring!
  • The Kid Project – This blog is ultimately the product of an ongoing love story and journey. As a family, we want to live an adventure together. We want to play together. We want to live life and grow together. And we are willing to fail most of the time for the times of sweet sweet success. Our goal is to inspire families to get outdoors together, to provide gear reviews [for better or worse], family-friendly locations, posts/interviews from kindred spirits we’ve met along the way and encouragement on the road of parenting.
  • A Little Campy – The Campy Mom’s Guide to Family Camping. From pitching tents to pitching fits. We share camping tips, camping recipes, gear reviews and a lot of laughs. Join us there anytime- around the campfire.
  • Nature For Kids – At the core, we provide encouragement and ideas concerning wholesome outdoor recreation for kids and their parents. But when you break it apart you’ll see lots of photos and a lot of our first hand experiences in the outdoors with our 4 kids, from water and snow sports to biking, hiking, rock climbing and camping. You’ll also see outdoor gear spotlights and giveaways. We like to throw in some outdoor cooking recipes too.
  • A sweet moment from NatureForKids.net!

  • Outsidemom.com – The internet already had “design mom”, “cooking mom”, “coupon mom”, even “tanning mom”. What it needed was “outside mom”. Outsidemom.com is a blog of tips, stories, pictures, activities and random tidbits of information for parents who also love spending time in the outdoors with their families.
  • Skedaddle – Getting the family outside, no matter the weather. Tips on gear, playground reviews in Alaska and articles about making outdoor play accessible to everyone!
  • Tales of a Mountain Mama (Family) – We aim to help inspire families to get outdoors and adventure, even with young children. We share our stories from out on the trails and in the mountains, provide tips and tricks, and welcome feedback from our readers! We also happen to be big believers in the fact that sometimes an investment in great gear is a worthwhile step in helping getting the entire family out. Watch for a diverse make-up of honest gear reviews and giveaways. Finally, we love to feature weekly guest bloggers and experts to round out our own knowledge and experience.
  • Velo Mom – This is the place I share our family bike adventures, highlight inspirational families and kids on bikes, discuss exceptional products, great rides and the latest news.
  • Walk Simply – Our goal is to inspire others to get outside and walk and view the world up close. Topics include: walking and hiking with and without the kids, and is mostly centered in southern California.
  • Kids and Love at WalkSimply.com!