Cragmama

Jun 27 2013

Morning snuggles

A couple of summers ago I wrote a post about camping with infants. But now that I’m the proud mama to a ~~stubborn~~ passionate 3 year old, that old archived camping post is way outdated for our family. Nowadays, nights in a tent look far different than they did back then! In some ways, this makes things MUCH easier (ie, we all get more sleep!). In other ways, some camping activities are a lot more stressful (ie campfires). If your kiddo is one of the lucky ones that got exposed to camping early and often, transitioning to toddler camping is probably something that came relatively gradually. If an overnighter under the stars is something you’ve been wanting to do as a family, but for whatever reason weren’t able to make it happen when your child was an infant, don’t despair! The curious toddler years are a GREAT time to start camping! Here’s a quick rundown of what our family considers to be the most important logistics for a night of tenting…

BEDTIME ROUTINES: For the first few excursions, try to keep your nighttime tenting routine resembling your nighttime home routine as best you can. Having as much familiarity as possible within an unfamiliar setting can go a lot way towards helping your toddler feel safe and secure in an unfamiliar sleeping environment. You may find that the more your family camps together, the more your bedtime camp routine might evolve to be “tent-specific.” For example, at home C always gets 2 books followed by individual snuggle times with Mommy and Daddy. But in the tent we all just lay down together and look at the stars (or if the rain fly is up, look at the silhouettes of the many creepy-crawlies that have accumulated on the outside of the tent!) Top camping hammocks with mosquito net are ideal for it.

LAYERS: Now that C is older, I don’t worry so much about temperatures, since he now has plenty of vocabulary to tell me if he’s hot/cold/etc. That being said, layers still reign supreme! For warm weather camping, C wears wool jammies and socks, and sleeps in a Ducksday Fleece suit. Sometimes we add a blanket. For cold weather camping (we usually go no lower than 35 degrees), we add a wool hat and a down bunting from Molehill Mountain that he wears as a sleeping bag. He has his own sleeping mat, but he rarely sleeps on it, usually preferring to snuggle up next to one of us instead. 🙂

Enjoying a post-climbing campfire in the Red River Gorge

SAFETY: Come up with a set of guidelines for scenarios that might require extra precaution (such as campfires), and be sure to discuss them together as a family prior to your trip. Many of these safety issues are not specific just to camp life, but can be encountered any time your in the woods (or maybe even outside in your backyard). Make sure your child is clear on the rules about touching snakes and spiders (in our household we don’t do it unless a parent says it’s okay), and understands that we don’t drink water from the creek! It’s also never to early to educate your child about poison ivy, oak, and sumac – C is at the stage right now where he announces that ANYTHING with green leaves is poison ivy…

I’ve had more than a few people ask me if I ever worry about C escaping from the tent at night. My answer is always a wholehearted no! Our sleeping arrangement has a parent at each door, and C in the middle, so that he’d have to crawl over us completely in order to even access the door. The only time C is ever alone in the tent is sometimes for an hour or two in the evening if we’re not ready to go to sleep yet (and even then we’re rarely more than a few feet away from the tent – no way he could slip away without our knowing!) As an added safety precaution, however, we always leave the zippers to the doors up high and out of reach.

WHEN NATURE CALLS: If you camp with any regularity with a child between the ages of 2 and 3, odds are good that you will have to deal with diapers, potty training, or potty mishaps at some point on a camping trip. Go often enough and I guarantee you’ll deal with all three! Diapers are relatively easy to deal with, but can get real gross real quick if you’re not prepared. You can never have too any wipes!!! We found it worked out best for our family to have multiple “diaper stations” – one in the tent, one in the car, and a mobile one in the backpack we were using during the day. The majority of the time we used cloth diapers, and found it easiest to consolidate everything from the car/backpack stations into the big dry bag in the tent at the end of each day. For longer trips without access to laundry we’d just do disposables, and made sure we had plenty of Ziploc bags to ward off the stench til we could find a trash can.

When we began potty training we’d bring along the Potette transitional potty along with us (wherever we went…not just to the crag). It’s basically a plastic ring with legs that pop out to make an instant potty! (More on that later in next week’s post about potty training at the crag…)

BOTTOM LINE: If you haven’t already, don’t be afraid to get out there under the stars with the whole family! If you’re really worried about how the night will go, start in your backyard! Remember that with little folk, big adventures don’t always have to be “big.” (Ironically the same is often true for adults 😉 ). Take a chance and enjoy yourselves, and don’t forget to laugh a lot, ~~even if~~ especially if things don’t go according to plan! Oh, and don’t forget your camera!

For the veteran family campers, what tips would you add that I may have overlooked? For newer family campers or those still in the planning phases, what’s been the biggest obstacle so far? And just for fun, what’s everyone’s absolute favorite place to camp?

Soft Star: Minimalist Shoes for Toddlers (and GIVEAWAY!)

Gear Reviews.

66 Comments.

Jun 24 2013

A while back I wrote a post on why you should let your kids run around barefoot. Basically it boils down to the fact that bare feet is what nature intended, and that allowing your child some “sans shoes” time is a key component to healthy foot development. However, unless you spend all your days living in a warm-weathered hippie commune, there will be plenty of situations where appropriate footwear is not only recommended, but required. But just because your toddlers preschool enforces a shoe policy doesn’t mean that his/her tootsies have to feel cramped and restricted all day long.

So what should you look for in a developmentally-friendly children’s shoe? Most importantly, make sure the toe box has plenty of wiggle room (and not just in shoes, but socks and sleeper jammies as well!) Secondly, keep it simple. Steer clear of stiff, bulky shoes with any sort of arch support or molded footbeds. Your child’s foot is soft, pliable, and full of cartilage – and can develop much more naturally with a simple, minimalist design. Basically all your child needs is a thin layer of warmth and protection from harsh and potentially dangerous terrain (ie, hot asphalt, broken glass, etc.)

Not the best of pictures, but it’s the only time he was sitting still!

We recently had the opportunity to try out the Child Ramblers from Soft Star. In short, we love them! Brushed suede on top, and luxurious softness on the inside, these shoes are the next best thing to barefoot! An ankle elastic makes for easy on/off (C can do it himself, which make us both happy!). And a thin, flexible vibram rubber sole means that these shoes perform just as well on the hiking trail as they do on the playground.

You can choose from about a million different color/material combinations on the Soft Star website, but if for whatever reason you can’t find a perfect match, you can design your own, and then the sky is REALLY the limit! And they make shoes in grown-up sizes as well (so in theory your entire family could match 😉 )

I’d be lying if I said the Soft Stars were C’s favorite choice in footwear. In actuality he’d much prefer to go barefoot or wear his $3 dino flip flops from Old Navy (what can I say, he’s just like his mama when it comes to covering up his feet!) But for situations when “real shoes” are a must (ie school, cold weather, etc), C will happily don his Soft Stars without any complaints. And considering how picky this child can be about what he wears (not to mention the intense feelings he has for those crappy dino flip flops!), that’s saying a lot!

So if you’re looking for some minimalist options for your kiddo (or for yourself!), be sure to check out Soft Star. The elves, as they call themselves, provide great customer service and are always available to answer any questions you have on your quest for the best footwear. In fact, they’ve even offered up a $25 Soft Star gift certificate for one lucky reader – to enter just leave a comment below about your experience with minimalist shoes for either yourself or your kiddo (and as always, you’ll get extra likes for following either Soft Star or Cragmama on facebook) And non-parents, don’t forget that they make grown-up shoes too! Best of luck everyone – contest ends Friday, June 28th!

Pooping in the Woods, Broken Bones…oh, and a little bit of climbing too.

New River Gorge. Climbing.

4 Comments.

Jun 19 2013

The Crag-kiddo giving his daddy some Father’s Day love!

Despite how crazy it sounds, that title pretty much sums up our Father’s Day weekend trip to the New River Gorge. Here’s the specifics:

POOPING IN THE WOODS: (Ok, so non-parents you might want to just tune out for this first paragraph…) For the past two weeks we’ve been kickin’ it local style while we went cold turkey with big boy underwear with C, and this was our first weekend trip sans diapers (maybe “sans” isn’t entirely accurate…I did have a large stash of pull-ups in my bag “just in case”). But I am so proud to say that we made it through the entire weekend with NO accidents! While C had figured out #1 within a few days, we left town on Friday with only having one successful #2 (EVER) in the potty. So you can imagine my shock when C took care of business as usual at the crag not once, but FIVE times over the course of the weekend. He went from never wanting to sit on the potty for more than 30 seconds to asking to do it ALL DAY LONG! Apparently he just needed an audience…parents of toddlers, be on the lookout for a potty at the crag post coming soon!

BROKEN BONES: While the former climbing distraction was rather humorous, this one unfortunately is anything but. To keep a rather long story short, a member of our crew decked on Depth Charge Saturday afternoon, fracturing his talus (same bone I broke last year). The opening moves were easy, and Ali opted not to use a stick clip. However, a handhold broke, sending him straight down onto a flat rock. I saw it happen and I’m both amazed and thankful that one broken ankle is the only damage. Thankfully we were less than 10 minutes away from the car (I can’t imagine how we would have gotten him up the Endless Wall ladders…), so we were able to get him to the brand new Urgent Care facility in Fayetteville within a couple of hours of the injury. Ali’s prognosis is optimistically – the fracture is non-displaced, so it is unlikely he will need surgery – just a couple of months with a boot and crutches. Fortunately the rehab exercise was enough for proper healing

Ali in pain but still smiling as he hobbles down to the car!

CLIMBING: Somehow in between all of the potty breaks and hours logged in the Fayetteville Urgent Care our crew did manage to get in some pretty sweet climb time. My highlight of the day on Saturday was a second-go send of Tiggers and Airplanes (5.11d). I’d heard folks rave about this route many times, but the intimidation factor of the roof had always kept me away (that and the notorious stopper crux just before the anchors). But one of my goals for 2013 was to tick some steep roof lines out of my comfort zone, and this route definitely fit the bill! On my 1st attempt I was delighted to find that the roof was way easier than it looked, and I was clean all the way up until the very end…I got my feet high and went big, aiming for a chalky spot. I slapped the chalk but found nothing but a terrible “slimper” (slopey crimper), and quickly found myself dangling in mid-air like a spider. I jugged back up and quickly realized that the slimper was the only option for holds. Once I figured out how to get to it (and then use it), my beta felt solid, but I had my doubts about whether I’d be able to execute it first try on a redpoint run. And sure enough, the crux moves felt substantially harder while pumped, but just when I started to feel the elbows start to raise and the desperation set in, I managed to snag a big NRG fat roll with my left hand and stand up for the send!

Last moves out the roof of Tiggers and Airplanes (5.11d)

Our next day was spent at Bubba City, which I hadn’t been to in years. After a textbook sandbagged-for-shorties NRG reach move spoiled my onsight attempt of Tongulation (5.11a), I set my sights on its neighbor to the left, Likme (5.12a). Now I’ll be the first to admit that no one in our crew knows anything about bolting, but we do have plenty of experience climbing over bolts using almost very similar Static line which we have on the roof of our workspace building, and that is why we all felt like the bolts on this line were in odd places, creating some scary fall potential. After my friend Caleb had some epic stick-clip shenanigans getting the draws in I opted to work the route on toprope rather than lead.

Likme (5.12a)

The moves are fun, and require very intricate beta – mostly involving delicate, technical footwork, with a couple of power lock-offs sprinkled in here and there. I felt much more at home on this type of terrain than on the steeps, so it didn’t take me long to work out the moves on my first run. My second attempt I was down to a one hang (in a safe spot to fall at), so after a lot of deliberation I decided to go for the redpoint. The crux is well-protected, but there’s some serious business in between the 2nd and 3rd bolts – the climbing is only in the 5.11- range but involves some committing moves significantly above and pretty far to the right of your second bolt. While all of this happens high enough off the ground to avoid ground fall, pendulum swinging into your belayer is a definite possibility. Needless to say I was a bit apprehensive on my redpoint run. But I did exactly what my I’d rehearsed on toprope, and made it through the lower sections uneventfully. All I had left was the crux, which I’d always done first go, and felt really confident about…so I have no idea why I fell. This time I had the height, but started falling away from the wall before I could snag the hold. My guess is that I was either too tired or not focused enough to keep my core engaged the way it needed to be to make that move. After an exciting (but safe) fall, I finished up the rest of the route without trouble.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. The adrenalized part of me wanted to pull the rope and try again right away, but we had already stayed later than anticipated, and thunder clouds were starting to roll in. The rational part of me knew I shouldn’t press my luck another time, especially considering the events from the day before. So I turned around and hiked out, thankful that my “failure” allowed me to walk away, and deep down realizing that having a clear understanding of the limits of your personal risk assessment is never a failure, but an invaluable lesson that we can’t be reminded of enough.

While the weekend was full of the unexpected, much of it was still spent laughing and having fun with my favorite people, so in that regard, it was great! My guess is that my friend Ali might have a different perspective though, so feel free to leave him a nugget of encouragement in the comment section below to give him to focus on while he heals up. (And please remember to stay positive – while yes, a stick clip would most certainly have prevented this accident, Ali is a knowledgeable climber who made an educated decision based on his own personal risk assessment – so please keep your comments positive and judgment-free.)

Five Glories of Gardening…with Kids

Homeschooling.

No Comments.

Jun 17 2013

An enthusiastic helper can even make pulling weeds fun!

Growing veggies, pulling weeds, digging for earthworms…the garden is a natural springboard for countless backyard adventures. And the best part about it is that you don’t have to be a farmer or a professional landscaper to do it! In fact, planting a garden is an activity the entire family can enjoy together. If you think gardening with the kiddos might be too much work or that your family’s “green thumb” may have skipped a generation, here’s 5 reasons that will hopefully get you motivated to get yourself (and your kids) outside in the dirt this summer!

1. APPRECIATION OF FOOD – In today’s world of convenience and processed foods, an understanding of where food comes from and the work that goes into producing it is often lost in a bunch of plastic packaging. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important. Growing a veggie or two can go a long way toward lessons in sustainable agriculture. And don’t forget the added benefit that kids are much more likely to get psyched on eating a homegrown veggie than a storebought one.

The perfect snack – straight from the garden and into the tummy!

2. APPRECIATION OF NATURE – I often write about the need to get kids disconnected from electronic technology and reconnected with nature. LINK! Planting beautiful flowers is an easy (and aesthetic!) way to do just that. With a garden comes countless chances for both sensory and scientific exploration – from dirt and compost to bugs and butterflies!

3. LIFE LESSONS – In addition to the scientific lessons surrounding the life cycle of a caterpillar or how a plant grows from a seed, a garden is very fertile ground for deep, meaningful conversations with your child about life, death, and other spiritual matters. Regardless of your religious (or non-religious) affiliation, the newness of spring and dying back of winter are powerful metaphors for life.

4. RESPONSIBILITIES – From an early age children can take pride in their hard work in the garden. Digging, watering, sowing, reaping, and don’t forget the all-too-important skill of WAITING are gardening duties that most children associate more with play than work!

C and his giant bowl of freshly picked salad!

5. QUALITY TIME – While the seeds you sow in the garden will last for only a season, the seeds you sow in your child’s heart will last for a lifetime. Whether it’s digging in the dirt alongside a happy-go-lucky 2 year old, harvesting a crop of corn with a proud and hard-working 8 year old, or listening to the latest middle school gossip from your pre-teen while you both pull weeds, the garden can be a catalyst for family memories that you will always look back on and cherish.

If you’d like to get into gardening but feel overwhelmed, begin with baby steps. Maybe start a small container garden on your back patio, or plant some pretty perennials around your mailbox. Add a little bit more every year, and before you know it you’ll have a yard bursting with color, texture, taste, fragrance, and hopefully…a little adventure! York County Landscapers website will offers many tips on how to make it a lush oasis.

Does your family garden together? Still being relatively new in our Charlotte home, we planted mostly perennials last year and this year added a few veggies – various lettuces, spinach, and peas! Feel free to share your families garden habits (and secrets, if you dare!)

(Bronx Tree Experts LTD has the best tree services in town. Contact them today)

Toddler Bikes and the GOOD Kind of Peer Pressure…

Biking.

5 Comments.

Jun 13 2013

While most of our family’s recreational pursuits tend to revolve around rock climbing, it’s probably also fair to say we’re pretty avid bikers, especially in warm weather. With that in mind, a balance bike was one of the first things on C’s birthday list when he turned 2. For those of you that are unfamiliar with balance bikes, the concept is quite simple – just a bike frame and two wheels – no gears, brakes, pedals, or training wheels. The rider propels the bike forward with his/her feet – at first just standing over the bike and walking, and gradually moving to a gliding type motion with the child’s bottom fully weighting the seat. Eventually the child is able to balance on two wheels and steer, using their feet only to push off for speed. In theory, this makes the transition to a regular bike with pedals much easier than having to “unlearn” relying on a set of training wheels for balance. For some action videos of C demonstrating proper balance bike technique, click here or here.

While C initially tried his balance bike a few times, for whatever reason the concept never really seemed to “click,” and he grew disinterested pretty fast. Though I would bring it up every now and then, I didn’t push, which means that for the past 15 months C’s bike has mostly just been gathering dust in the garage. Meanwhile, C would happily ride just about anywhere in the bike trailer – I think he just categorized biking as one of those things that grown-ups do…But that was before C met “K.”

A new friend for C, K is an almost 4 year old who is passionate about exploring everything on two wheels (the big boy kind, complete with pedals and no training wheels!) On their first playdate, C watched with envy as K biked circles around him (literally!) But the next time they got together, C was ready, and specifically requested that we bring his balance bike along. At first he was a little frustrated, as he was still in the “walking while straddling the bike” stage, so he didn’t stand a chance at keeping up with K. But after a few peer to peer lessons from K along with some good old-fashioned practice, I was amazed at the progress he made in just an hour or so. By the end of the playdate he was comfortably zipping along on his bike, pushing off and gliding along as if he’d been doing it all his life!

Since then, C has been biking like a madman! In a matter of days we’ve done countless laps around the neighborhood, ripping along the road and yard, zooming through puddles and over bridges. He even biked THREE WHOLE MILES along our local greenway path last Friday!

Many times our society looks at the idea of “peer pressure” with a negative connotation. And many times that’s well-warranted. But just as often it can be a very positive developmental experience, especially when it comes to younger kids learning from older kids. C had been exposed to biking from infancy – he knew what a bike was for and all the things a bike could do. But just watching mom and dad do it never sparked a passion. Instead it was the positive influence from a peer that lit a fire under him.

C and K 🙂

I am thrilled about the progress C has made on his bike. Firstly, it provides him with a whole new medium for exploring his world. By the end of our greenway ride, we’d seen bunnies, ducks, millipedes, and even two crayfish! Secondly, his recent successes have brought about a new confidence in his physical abilities. I can tell that he’s proud of himself for learning a new skill (“I’m doing it Mommy, look!”). And lastly, I’m excited at what C’s love for biking might mean for our family in the long-term – whether it’s bike-packing together out West enjoying spectacular mountain vistas, or just ripping some local singletrack together at home. Biking will hopefully be just one of many ways our family will find common ground to stay connected from C’s childhood to youth and beyond!

What lessons have your children learned from (or taught) other children? And how has biking or some other recreational pursuit played a bonding role for your entire family?

Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Tips for Camping with Toddlers

Soft Star: Minimalist Shoes for Toddlers (and GIVEAWAY!)

Pooping in the Woods, Broken Bones…oh, and a little bit of climbing too.

Five Glories of Gardening…with Kids

Toddler Bikes and the GOOD Kind of Peer Pressure…