I love spending time outdoors with my children. That is one of the main reasons that my husband Al and I returned to live in Montana, so that our children could learn to love the outdoors like my husband and I do. We also wanted them to build skills by being outside and have some wonderful experiences. Al and I both have wonderful memories from when we were kids and teenagers of camping, hiking and free-ranging outside and we both had learned important lessons from those experiences that we wanted to share with our kids as well as create some new memories.
I have lived in small rural towns, big busy cities, in the desert, by the sea and even in the Middle East. And I wasn’t always able to go camping or hiking or even see the night sky or . But I didn’t l and et that stop me from enjoying the outdoors. I found alternative ways to create those memories and experiences. And I want to share that with you, that even though things may get into the way, you can always find a way to be outside and be part of nature, in ways that you didn’t even know was possible.
I work two jobs, have three kids, my husband works out of town and I watch my budget. However, that has not stopped me from taking time to be outside with my children. The importance of being outside, even if it’s just star gazing or bird watching, has had a huge impact on our children and family. Money cant buy the memories or experiences we have had and it definately cannot buy the life lessons learned from being outside.
Until my son was born two years ago, I didn’t realize how much I was missing out on because I was putting limitations on myself and letting things and factors around me influence negatively how much time I spent outdoors. I had a new baby who was a month old and Montana stays chilly even in June. I also felt we were taking the same campoing trips and doing the same outdoor activities over and over again. I felt stuck and frustrated and felt I was missing out and then I had an epiphany.
Why couldn’t I go camping with my newborn? Why couldn’t we as a family try new outdoor activities and explore new areas? There really was no reason why I couldn’t. While everyone else camped overnight, I day camped. While everyone did a 6 mile hike, I stayed at the trail head by the lake. I started researching what other activities and places we could explore within driving distance from our home and took my children to see Highland Games which we had never seen or experienced before. I bought my son a fleecy bodysuit which I found out is called a bunting, which made the nursery rhyme Bye Baby Bunting make way more sense, and he had his first overnight camping trip at two months old.
I want my readers to have that same epiphany regardless of where you live, what you can afford, how much time you have and all the other things that keep you from being outside. I will be sharing weekly posts, activities, tips, gear reviews, recipes and much, much more. I want to show you creative ways for anyone at any age to “Be Outside With No Limits”.
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