Search Results for: blog hiking into summer

Simple Summer Fun

In just a few weeks, schools across the country will be out and kids of all ages will be looking for summer fun. For many parents that means draining their wallets to pay for expensive overnight camps or organized sports’ activities, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Keeping kids entertained doesn’t have to put a strain on your household budget. After all, activities such as hiking, biking and picnicking are extremely affordable if not flat out free. Just take precautions so that your outdoor fun doesn’t turn into a summer disaster. For example, there are tens of thousands … Continue reading →

Hello Hiking!

Today kicks off National Park Week; time to lace up those boots, head outside, and reintroduce yourself to fresh air and sunshine. Hiking is also a great way to work off some of those unwanted pounds you may have packed on during your winter hibernation. What’s more, you can do so without breaking the bank as National Park Week yields free admission to more than 100 parks which typically change a fee to get in. If you are looking for the perfect spot to get your springtime hike on, consider the following: The Appalachian Trail: Known as the granddaddy of … Continue reading →

Hiking Safety

After going hiking today with one of my hiking buddies, I started thinking about hiking safety. There are several things to take into consideration. Sun Safety Sun can damage your skin, even when it is cloudy and you think you won’t get burned. Wearing sunscreen is a must! I recommend keeping a small container of sun screen in your car or hiking backpack. Stores like target sell small, convenient tubes of sunscreen or you can squeeze some into a reusable liquid container. I also like to add a light colored hat and sunglasses when hiking in the summer. Since the … Continue reading →

Fall Weather Equals Major Hiking

I know it may sound crazy, but I prefer fall weather over summer. I especially love to hike and do other outdoor workouts in the fall when the weather is cooler and crisp. Summer hiking tends to be more popular. My favorite hiking spots are far more crowded in the summer months than the fall months, making it hard to even find parking. However, fall hiking is by far my favorite time to hike. I like that it is cooler, less crowded and just a more pleasant way for me to get exercise. When I hike in the summer I … Continue reading →

Top Summer Health Risks Part 2

Last time I talked about two top summer health risks, how to prevent them and how to treat them. While we tend to think more about preventive measures in the winter during cold and flu season, we should also be prepared to combat the health risks of summer. Summer will be a lot more fun when you can avoid getting sick or injured. Here is the rest of what you need to know to keep yourself and your family safe. Poison Ivy (and Poison Oak, Poison Sumac) No one wants to get the itchy and sometimes painful rash that comes … Continue reading →

Making Summer Memories

Time is ticking for work-at-home moms, who desperately try to generate an income in the hours that their children are in school. In a few short days, summer vacation will be here and routines and schedules will be replaced with utter chaos. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a little… or not. In any event, as we kick-off the Memorial Day weekend, I thought it would be apropos to remind overworked and underappreciated parents that your kid’s childhood is disappearing right before your eyes. Soon that chubby baby will be a terrible two-year-old, who morphs into a sassy six-year-old, and then … Continue reading →

Ideas for Summer Fitness

It’s time to start thinking about summer fitness. It’s the perfect time of year to try something new and to really enjoy the outdoors. One of the best ideas for summer fitness is swimming. While having fun, you get in a really great workout. Get in a few laps, play some games in the pool with your kids or join a water aerobics class. There is nothing better than a day of splashing in the sun. But don’t think of swimming or water sports as something relegated to a pool. What about some adventure kayaking or canoeing? If you are … Continue reading →

Summer Vacation from Hell

The next time you feel like complaining about how your summer vacation was marred by delayed flights, flat tires, crabby kids, and horrible hotels, consider the hell a Nevada mom endured while taking a camping trip with her 11-year-old son last week. What started off as an innocent overnight trip with her son and their dog to Death Valley National Park, quickly turned into the worst summer vacation in Alicia Sanchez’s life. The 28-year-old mom was just released from a Las Vegas hospital where she was being treated for severe dehydration. Now Sanchez must return home to bury her young … Continue reading →

Inexpensive Summer Getaways

You know the travel industry is hurting when you can find roundtrip non-stop flights from Chicago to Honolulu for around $500. I paid more than double that amount for my ticket last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. Bottom line: If you haven’t been able to score a sun-sational deal on a summer getaway, then you simply haven’t been looking—at all. Perhaps, you can’t afford to take an extended break from work. If that’s the case, then consider soaking up the summer sun during a long weekend away. So what if you can’t take two … Continue reading →

Summer Fun for Kids in the Great Outdoors

I may be the only one in our entire county who is not praying for rain right now. Farmers need the precipitation badly and others are bemoaning the drought-like conditions as well, but I couldn’t be happier for the streak of cloudless days we’ve been experiencing. If you have kids, then you have to admit it’s much easier keeping them busy during the summer in the great outdoors than holed up inside. This summer we’ve tried to spend as much time outside as possible. We’ve been strawberry picking, biking, swimming, and hiking… and we have the souvenirs to prove it. … Continue reading →