Weekend Adventuring Made Easy

         With Summer vacay right around the corner the conversation out on the playground is turning towards vacation plans. Over the past few days I have been involved in a number of conversations with parents talking about the spontaneous mini close to home adventure- of which our family is a huge fan of. Each weekend we really try to get out and enjoy what our beautiful province has to offer- it doesn't need to be a big trip as long as we are outside and together- weekends are sacred.

            To make these short day trips successful there are a few things I have learned along the way- I thought I would share my wisdom- or at least share the things I have learned through trial and error! First and for most my biggest tip is to get up and out the door- if our family isn't out of the house by 10am then our chances for fun in the sun dwindle by the minute. Our family does not idle on the weekends- yes we sleep in and have a big hearty breakfast and then we are out the door!

         Pack lunches, drinks and loads of snacks- there is nothing worse than getting halfway to Squamish and hearing the incessant whinging of a hungry seven year old! We try and mix up our weekend picnics so our kids aren't board by yet another homemade lunch. I like to BBQ enough chicken or meat on Thursday or Friday evening to carry us through our weekend lunches. Small snacks like hummus in a jar and fresh cut up veggies on the go add novelty that they don't see during the week.

         One rule in our family is that everyone carries their own water and snacks- so we have all invested in good quality water bottles that can be filled with ice and water for warm days. A fun and healthy snack like individual trail mix or fruit salad goes into the Littles backpacks- along with their essentials.

         Everyone is responsible for their own gear- each of our Littles has a really decent backpack- into those backpacks goes all of their essentials for the day- a sweater, extra socks, hats, a small toy or drawing materials along with water and snacks. This tip means that Momma doesn't end up carrying all of the things. It also teaches each Little some self sufficiency- if something is missing from their packs there is only one person to "blame".

      Incidentally in case you are wondering these happy pictures were taken the other day out in Lion's Bay- a perfect, tiny sand beach just North of Horseshoe Bay. We headed out there on Father's day where I had an excellent nap on the beach and did some knitting while dear old Dad made sure no one drowned. We hunted for crabs, dug some holes and generally soaked up way too much sun- just the way a beach adventure should be!