Going to school in Montana it took a blizzard for school to be cancelled. Here in the south if the weather even says that something may happen, we aren’t sure yet but there looks to be something blowing in, then school shuts down. A dusting of snow is a big deal. No bread and milk for miles and people hole up in their homes and wait out until the weather turns back to the upper 40s. I say this only in jest because living here and knowing that the roads here turn treacherous very quickly and staying off of the roads until they are clear is a good idea. But this Montana girl still has to chuckle a little I just can’t help it. Notice the difference in weather in both mine and Sierra’s write ups this week!

Given a snow day with my kiddos and me off of work what ever can this momma do after being holed up for a weekend? Go for a hike you ask??? Of course what better way to stretch your legs. My kids have grown up playing in the woods. They were both carried in a backpack hiking, camping, huckleberry picking etc. They are no stranger to it. There was a point that they reached where they wanted to just stay home and play with their toys. That is why this momma started bribing her kids. Yes I do and I have no shame in it.

I’ll take you to your kind of playground for a little while if you will indulge Harley (our four legged family member) and me for a little play time in our kind of playground.

That works wonders!! The whining I find quickly subsides as soon as they step foot onto the trail and I very rarely now need to bribe them to go. They may still whine a little bit before going but as soon as they are on the trail it’s done. They like to mountain bike much better ,than to walk on trails.

I enjoy watching my kids in the woods. Gavin likes to hit trees with sticks. Ok, be a boy all you want in the woods!! Climbing trees, running and looking for bugs he is all boy. Although he looks like he isn’t doing much other than playing he is incredibly observant. He had us looking at a bird’s nest neither Aislynne or I would have seen, we pay more attention to the ground. Aislynne is more a silent observer. The things she finds interesting and she notices I find fascinating to pay attention to as well. Caterpillar bite holes in leaves, lightning hollowing out a tree, different patterns in the bark of different trees. She hiked while making a snow man this time around. There were patches of snow where she could make a big enough section and pieced it together as she went. The wood here is fun to look at all of the different types of trees and the way the bark looks. There are lots of questions and there are perks to living in this day in age. Everything is a touch screen away. Google is our best friend. I have learned so many things in the last few years having kids than I thought I ever would, and most of it is about bugs… It has made me want to further my education to know more about what I am looking at while in the woods as well!

I should tell you the point of this long winded story now. My point is get the kids out. Don’t let whining detour you from fun and fresh air. They will love it.

He hurt his knee 😦

Make a game of the outing. Pick themes for your hikes. This summer our theme was “Waterfalls” all of our hikes that we went on had a different waterfall. We even drove into North Carolina to find a waterfall that we could walk behind. My nieces and nephew were with me so it made it even more special during the summer. That was fun for all of us we got our hike in and got to play in the water. Given Georgia is very hot in the summer that was a must!! Secret tip: Hike with a friend with kids. You can hike much longer if your kids are entertained by other children and they don’t even notice. Point things out and get them to try and tell you what it is or look it up together. Not in cell service make sure to take a tablet and pen write things down you want to look up. Plan trips together. Go to your local library and check out hiking trail books. Do give in to them though when they are ready to turn around given it is a reasonable hike, it will make them want to go more if they know they know they won’t get overwhelmed every time you go out. Every now and then you do find yourself with a kid on your back but if it was a good hike then having one hitching a ride was worth the trip.