Enjoying the Small Things

Enjoying the Small Things

The Biking Family

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This post is sponsored by Backcountry. 

This past weekend, our family discovered we’ve been missing out big time on something we love–bike riding. It’s not that we haven’t gone bike riding before, but with three growing kids and a hodgepodge garage of their outdoor gear, we never had all the right gear at the right time. Some helmets fit, some didn’t, some bikes were too big, some too small, and Nella had long outgrown our bike trailer meant for babies. So one person would go bike riding–usually me, after the kids went to school now and then, pedaling along our neighborhood sidewalks, inhaling fresh air and giving my legs a break from running.

We upped the biking ante though and straightened out our gear situation with Backcountry last week, checking off all the necessary equipment (helmets that fit–check!, the most perfect bike trailer–check!), allowing us to turn biking into a family activity rather than a single sport. Backcountry is dedicated to helping people pursue adventures outside, and they have everything you need to do it from major gear (skiing, camping, kayaking, biking–ALL the activities!) to packs and apparel.

As fate would have it, when we were ready for our first family biking adventure, Florida’s first cold front of the season came sweeping in, and it was fall perfection.

We trailed as a family along neighborhood streets, stopping at the lake for snacks (don’t worry–no gators), pointing out front doors we loved on houses we passed, and agreeing to bike further than we intended because everyone was so happy.

(These Bern bike helmets! The kids love them–snug, comfortable and cute. I love all the styles and colors available.)

Lainey now wants to know if we can do this every weekend. Watching her lead the trail in front of me–her pig tails swishing side to side as she pedaled–brought back my own memories of biking with my family when I was her age, through Michigan state parks. It was one thing we could all do together, and I don’t know why it took us so long to make it a family activity now.

Brett’s Backcountry button-up, Lainey’s Patagonia shirt

The real game changer is our new bike trailer–easy to pull (only one wheel), and so fun for the kids with its open design.

Nella isn’t ready (or willing–ha) to ride on her own yet, so it’s perfect for her; but all the kids took turns taking single rides in it, and I might as well have taken them to Disney.

Nella’s North Face tee

Later, I took the girls for a long bike ride–6 miles total–to shop and eat lunch as we can bike to a major shopping area without crossing any major intersections. It’s the first time we’ve been able to do this together, and we’re already talking about how next week, we’ll do breakfast, and the week after maybe lunch again–etc., etc., etc. because: Hello, we are now a legit biking family! In fact, I’d like to be referred to as The Biking Family, thank you.

I talk a lot this time of year about huddling indoors and getting cozy, but we are so fortunate to live in a place that makes outdoor adventures so easy, especially this time of year when the weather heads toward its Florida sweet spot, the perfect invitation to get out there and make some memories together.

It felt special doing that this past weekend, and to think some basic gear held us back all this time.

This Fjallraven backpack held everything we needed including my camera, an extra lens and a water bottle (side pocket) for the trip–not to mention the color of dreams…yellow!

Of course, the minute the kids came home from school on Monday, they ran to the garage for their bike helmets, chanting “BIKE RIDE! BIKE RIDE!”

Smith sunglasses, butter-soft pink Alo Yoga pullover.

Working with Backcountry has been such a fun fall partnership for us because it really has ignited in us a desire to get outside and make adventures together–explore our surroundings, try new activities, push ourselves beyond our normal routines. We hiked through Koreshan Park last month, enjoyed a sunset picnic on the beach, and now we’ve rekindled our love of adventuring on wheels. Backcountry’s commitment to helping people make these adventures is evident not only through their products but through their support. They have experts in every activity–former Olympians, athletes and guides with loads of expertise and knowledge–available 24/7 through e-mail, chat and phone to help you find exactly what you need for your next adventure. Plus, a huge selling point for our family–free 2-day shipping on all orders over $50. Even if you’re not looking for major gear, Backcountry has all your favorite brands of stylish apparel and shoes.

…as modeled by our little family huddle.


The girls chose sparkly Vans, I love my Adidas, and Dash’s See Kai Run sneakers slip on in two seconds without a “shoe ordeal meltdown.” I repeat…easy shoes for frustrated 5-year-olds.

Our helmets are hanging in a colorful line-up in the garage now, inviting us to more adventures to which we will enthusiastically answer “Yes!”

Need a few things to get your family adventure ready? Use Code ETST15 for 15% off your first purchase at Backcountry.com!

The Surprising Perks of Giving our Kid a Phone

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First it was the front teeth–the loss of which everyone knows launches a “little kid” into Big Kid, followed by numerous milestones that come far quicker than any of the old ones we used to anticipate. Picture books fold into chapter books, Stride Rites into Doc Martens, play dates into hangouts.

Middle school is, though, by far the biggest change for us, welcoming a whole new world of topics I used to categorize in the “Thank God we don’t have to think about that right now” folder. Thankfully, Brett’s done this before, although I remind him “not with a girl” which puts a little twist in our parenting responsibilities (as would a boy if he had only experienced girls). One of these new “Big Kid” experiences though–introducing a phone–has gone far more smoothly than I anticipated. In fact, it’s brought some unexpected perks.

We gave Lainey her first phone at the beginning of the school year mainly to give her a communication tool being that she was going from the bubble of a well-connected elementary school where I picked her up, dropped her off and always knew where she was and who she was interacting with, to a large middle school and, for the first time, a bus ride to and from school. It felt a little bit like opening Pandora’s Box because I’m well aware of the problems phones can create from safety issues to distraction and less connecting with the real world, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised how great this new milestone has gone. A few observations:

Be a Responsible Parent
We properly prepped for this transition. You wouldn’t hand over keys to a new car to your kid without driver education, ground rules and continued communication about how the car is being used. Likewise, we’ve had to do the same about introducing a phone and staying on top of how and when it’s being used. We have a “no social media” rule until we feel it’s appropriate (and thankfully, she has no interest right now), and we use the Our Pact app to manage screen time (recommended to us from my friend Nici–it’s amazing!) Most important, I feel more responsible to model how I use my own phone now that I have a daughter with one, and I’ve been challenged many times to make sure I’m modeling responsible screen use and talking about it frequently with her.

Friend Network
The best perk, by far, has been the connectivity she has with her friends. This is especially great for a shy kid. There are homework help text loops, friend group encouragement threads (this was the sweetest thing to witness the first week of middle school when everyone was helping each other adjust) and lots of FaceTime chats with her best friend who moved to Chicago over the summer. It’s also less pressure on me to have to arrange everything when they want to get together. We continue to talk about important social phone rules–how not to leave anyone out, how tone can’t always be felt through texts, how not to read into silly things like someone not texting back and how everything we put into the universe–including our texts and silly GIFs–represent who we are. And yes, “in real life” connection is ALWAYS the best way to connect with someone. But the phone has been a really great tool for connection with some sweet friends she might otherwise lose touch with in a bigger middle school setting.

A Window to the Future
One thing I didn’t anticipate is how much fun it would be to text my own kid and hear back from her. It’s like getting to see a different side of her–a more grown-up version and a window into the future of the funny things we will tell each other. I love getting texts from her when she’s on the bus, and sometimes she’ll send me something funny or tell me something that might be a little easier to text than say out loud. The other morning, she got on the bus after a hustled morning that didn’t go as I had hoped, and it felt so good to be able to text her while she was on her way to school and tell her that I loved her, knew she’d do great on that test and that we’d do something special when she got home. And, Lord have Mercy, is it ever nice when we split up in Target to text her and tell her to meet me at the checkout rather than search every aisle for 20 minutes until I find her.

Family Connection
As soon as my family found out Lainey had her own phone, they all wanted her number. She always knew cousins and aunts and uncles loved her, but it’s so nice for her to have her own way of hearing from them. My family is so great at rallying–texting good luck on test days, sending pictures to stay connected, reaching out simply to say I love you. I’ve done the same for my nieces and cousins and love staying connected with them through text threads; it’s so nice to have Lainey join the club.

This new milestone is definitely a learning opportunity, but one we take great responsibility for. Have you introduced a phone to your kids yet? Learned anything important? Regrets, lessons learned? Have a great phone resource or screen time story to share? Do tell!

Harry Potter Movie Night Tradition

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Before I begin, I should tell you that I don’t throw parties or create fall bucket lists or attempt to bring magical moments to our home to be a good mom because I don’t think being a good mom requires any of those things. I don’t even do it to make my kids happy–although that’s a nice little bonus that comes with it. These parties and bucket lists and hours spent icing cookies or hanging floating candles that required 500 pieces of tape and fishing line I never can seem to find (ended up unraveling Brett’s fishing pole)–I do them because they make me happy. Because I’m a party person, and glitter and candles and themed food delights me. Also, I’m a 12-year-old trapped in a 39-year-old’s body, and if I don’t keep feeding the soul of the child, she will likely eat me alive. That said, these parties I share transfer to “You’re a great mom!” only if you mean that I celebrate things I’m passionate about and find ways to bring those passions to life for my kids in the same way that moms who love cooking spend hours in their kitchens, or women who paint give their children memories of a mother who spends weekends crouched over a canvas, adding brush stroke by brush stroke to paint a sun. This is less about impressing my kids and more about inviting them to love something I love and to bring it to life for us all to enjoy. If I had dogs instead of kids, hell yeah I’d be strapping little witch hats on their furry little heads and lining up jars of dog bones for their party treats. Because it’s October, and Halloween is fun.

You know what else makes me happy? Seeing this kind of wonder on my kid’s face.

We started our Harry Potter Movie Night tradition last year and couldn’t wait for October to bring it back this year. The rules are simple–all lights off, candles galore, a fire in the fireplace, a sweet treat Honeydukes bar and a family viewing of Harry Potter.

Guaranteed magic.

The Honeydukes candy bar is, by far, the hit of the night. I start collecting fun candies (World Market has so many!) a month before the party line them up in jars and platters on the counter to create our shop.

To keep the kids from gorging on all the candy they wanted, I priced it all and gave them each the same amount of coins to shop with.

They ended up loving this part–cutest thing ever watching the little ones add their choices up, count out their money, swap things out and continually ask how much more they had left to spend. Kind of like spending prize tickets at Chuck E. Cheese. You know, six hours of contemplation.

Poppa ran the candy shop which means it is highly likely he bent the rules and gave them more than what they had money for.

Butter beer intermission.

Last year, Lainey’s best bud Maggie was part of our celebration. She moved to Chicago this past summer, so she joined us on FaceTime. I had no idea the girls had arranged it, and it was such a delight to look at the counter while the kids were shopping for their candy and see the phone propped up with her sweet face–complete with Harry Potter scar and witch costume–smiling and playing along.

Lainey and Ivy competed in their own scary photo challenge…

…and scooted all the candles (flameless–so much easier with kids!) in a huddle for their Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Bean taste-off for which Dash is surprisingly all in. I won’t even lick a jelly bean for fear I’m going to get dirty socks or spoiled milk flavor. This kid pops them in his mouth, chews and with no facial expression whatsoever, calmly announces “Dead Fish” before spitting the remains into a bowl and taking a swig of water.

For more details on the party, check out last year’s Potter Night. More Halloween fun to come this week, and we are ready! (well, not really but–you know–scrambling around the house scraping costumes together ten minutes before the next event starts.)