Search Results for: blog the outdoor challenge

The Challenge of Winter Break

It is holiday vacation time, and if you are like many home – based professionals, that means that your children are out of school or home from college. Chances are that you still have at least some work to do. The challenge of holiday vacation is similar to that of spring break and summer vacation, and it has two parts. The first is how to spend enough quality time with your children while still getting some work done, and the second is how to find fun, age appropriate things for your children to do independently or while in the care … Continue reading →

Challenge Yourself

SLR cameras are expensive, so it pays to make the most of all of their features. However, if you are upgrading from a standard point-and-shoot camera, then you might need some incentive to challenge yourself to experiment. Unless you are trying to profit from your passion, pushing yourself to use your camera to its fullest potential takes some encouragement. My advice is to look around at all of the subjects you can capture creatively with your picture-taking tool, and then work on your skills. For example, a trip to a nature preserve yields incredible photo opportunities. Professional photographers can make … Continue reading →

The Outdoor Challenge: Bats, Frogs, and Quiet Wonder

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How are you doing with the outdoor challenge? As the weather becomes more summery in our region, we’re doing quite well. In fact, my daughter fell asleep exhausted tonight because she had been playing outside for almost twelve hours today. It’s yesterday night that I want to talk about, though. Yesterday evening my husband was out. My daughter and I indulged in a ritual that we did frequently last summer. It’s a wonderful way to reconnect with your preschooler in the spring and summer months, even if you work outside the home. I find that working outside the home really … Continue reading →

How Goes the Outdoor Challenge?

A little while back I talked about the outdoor challenge. Simply put, my challenge to you (and to myself!) was to get your child outdoors for as much time as they were spending in front of a computer or a television screen every day. How are you doing? I must confess to flunking the first few days, but I have an excellent excuse. My daughter came down with the stomach flu and it lasted for two days. When she’s sick, she watches more television, although I did do a good job entertaining her with books, naps, and those paint-with-water crafts. … Continue reading →

The Outdoor Challenge

I have a spring challenge for you. As the days begin to get warmer and the snow begins to melt, it’s time for children to head outside. Of course, you may have been playing outdoors all winter, but if you haven’t been keen to embrace chilly weather and heaps of snow, here’s your chance. When the snow melts and snow pants and long jackets are less necessary, this is the perfect time for you and your preschooler to head outdoors. Children these days are suffering from a lack of outdoor time. They sit in front of computer screens more than … Continue reading →

Teen-Friendly Outdoor Fun

Traveling with a teen is not always a pleasant experience. However, if you plan your trip so it (or at least part of it) appeals to your son or daughter’s fearlessness, innate competitiveness and curiosity, then there’s a very good possibility that your weekend together could be one to remember… in a good way. The following activities are ideal for teens, who enjoy spending time in the outdoors and aren’t afraid of physical challenges: ROCK CLIMBING There are numerous state and national parks that offer rock-climbing opportunities, such as Joshua Tree National Park in California and Custer State Park in … Continue reading →

Exercise Challenges: Big City, Little Income

Trying to find an affordable gym membership in a large city like Los Angeles, New York or Chicago can be more challenging than running a marathon in less than three hours. However, you shouldn’t let your fixed income discourage you from exercising; rather with a little creativity you can get in a decent workout without going broke. Here’s how: Look for Seasonal Rates. Select gyms offer reduced rates during certain times of the year. For example, a number of larger gyms (such as Gold’s and 24 Hour Fitness) waive their start up fees for new members at the beginning of … Continue reading →

Saturday Layout Challenge – Inspirations

What a beautiful weekend we are having here in the Midwest. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and it is warm and spring like, finally! All of these nice sights made me start thinking about what inspires me. Why not create a layout about your favorite things that inspire you to be a better person, inspire you to create, inspire you to do whatever it is you do. I am a nature nut, so I tend to get inspired by almost anything outdoors. I thought it would be great if I created a layout showing some of my … Continue reading →

-Monday Photo Challenge – Changing Leaves

Photography Challenges are designed to get you motivated. To get you to think outside the box. These photo challenges have gotten me motivated to look around me and capture much more with my camera than I did before. I am hoping that you are enjoying these challenges as much as I do. Each Monday, I post a challenge that you can choose to do, or you can choose not to do. That is completely up to you. My hope is that when you do the photo challenges, it is getting you to think outside the box, and obviously to take … Continue reading →

The Fitness Blog Week in Review June 9 – June 15

It’s been a long week here, my daughter got over a bad bout with a fever last week and I’ve spent most of the week trying not to come down with it myself. Unfortunately, I haven’t been very successful. Let’s take a good look at the week in review before I take a day of ease on Saturday. Saturday, June 9 Hot summer days are not always conducive to outdoor exercise. When temperatures cruise upwards of 95 degrees, it may be time to investigate Indoor Workouts. Sunday, June 10 Does School-Based Fitness Fade Over the Summer? There is some speculation … Continue reading →