Hiking and backpacking as a family is great way to get into varied terrain and wild places that are protected from life’s modern day trappings. Look for destinations that have natural features that appeal to you. I choose trails that weave along lakes and streams. My husband looks for routes with elevation gain. Wherever you decide on, pick a route that fits your abilities so that you enjoy yourselves. Remember to wear good fitting shoes and to bring water and snacks for both the adults and kids. If you have a toddler like we do, this is the age to see if using your Boba’s removable foot straps will make your child’s ride even more comfortable. Each Boba carrier includes two coordinating foot straps that are fully adjustable and that snap on and off with ease.

I would like to introduce you to some wonderful Boba Families who have shared their outdoor adventures with us. Get ready to be inspired by these incredible families and beautiful locations. And now it is your turn to join in the fun, so lace up your shoes, grab your Boba and head for the hills!

“This photo was taken in May 2010 on our first family holiday. We borrowed a friends VW camper van and headed to the lake district for a week. The weather could not have been better despite it raining none stop the week before. This photo means so much to me as it was my husbands first day wearing a proper sling as my husband looks so proud of himself and his boy. He had insisted on taking a mass produced front pack but we hadn’t even made it out of the car park to begin our 8hour hike up to Blencathra (also known as Saddleback) in the Lake District before he had decided it was too uncomfortable (Henry was 20weeks and 16lb) and although skeptical at first when he saw the birdies he agreed to wear it. He ended up carrying Henry on his front and a huge ruck sack on his back, only getting Henry down so I could feed him. There is nothing better than feeding half way up a mountain when the sun is shining and there isn’t a sole to be seen. The Lake District is where I am at my happiest and it was wonderful that we could share our first holiday and first ‘proper’ daddy babywearing experiencethere. I look forward to taking Isaac in November. Throughout the walk, the number of people who stopped us or who commented on the sling was unbelievable. The cutest comment of the trip? A little boy who shouted ‘look mummy, there is a tiny baby in there, doesn’t he look snug.’” • Rachel Coy

“My husband and I do a hike once a week that is 1.25 miles each way with a not-so-gradual incline. The attached picture is my husband wearing our 19-month-old son up to Hanging Lake in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.” • Nicole Newcomb

“I have a Boba 3G in Tweet that I absolutely LOVE!!  We recently went camping in the Santa Cruz mountains in CA and I wore my 1 year old daughter a lot.  We hiked, went to the beach and to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and I would have been lost without my Boba!” • Cori

“Hiking is what my husband and I do on the weekends. Our first date was a lung-busting hike to a high mountain lake, and since then we’ve backpacked and hiked all over Eastern Oregon, as well as anywhere we can find a trail when traveling. When our daughter was born 5 years ago, our hiking life didn’t stop — we just tucked her in a pack. I exclusively breastfed, so snuggling our baby girl in a pack was great bonding time for my husband. She went everywhere with us in hand-me-down external frame backpacks. A couple hours was usually her limit, unless she took a snooze, and snacks are a must! When I was pregnant with my son two years ago, I happened upon a cool-looking pack named Boba. It had good reviews, so I gave it a try. I am SO glad I did. The Boba and babywearing soothed my cranky baby when nothing else worked. My husband, at first, was skeptical of this pack, which seemed so simple compared to those others. He’s a Boba convert. Just the other day, after a tough hike, he said he could wear it for hours and not have sore shoulders (Max might not be that patient, however) and “wearing” the baby so close makes balance a breeze. The key is to find the pack that fits best — and that your child will tolerate! Now our 5-year-old hikes along with us and her brother rides along on his daddy’s back. Snacks and water are always packed, and the occasional stick to wield has helped us avoid a baby meltdown. Our hikes are slower and shorter now, but I hope that in a few years we’ll be able to backpack and camp as a family. I want them to love nature as much as we do!” • Lisa Jacoby

“I remember going to New Paltz, NY as a kid with my family and then started going more often as an adult.  I always made sure to go in October because its absolutely gorgeous up there in the fall. This picture was taken in October of 2011 when my son, Jackson was 14 months old, and the night before we left I found out that I was pregnant. We went to Mohonk Mountain in the Shawangunks and this particular picture was taken at the top of Bonticou Crag trail on the Mohonk Preserve. We always stay at Clove Cottages where there’s limited TV, no computers and no phones in the cottages which is a nice break outside the hustle and bustle of NYC life.  They also have llamas and chickens on the grounds which Jackson loved. I wasn’t then, and I’m still not in the best of shape, so while hiking I was huffing and puffing a little and Jackson found it absolutely hysterical, along with pulling on my pigtails.  We are going back again this October, when my husband will carry Jackson (now 2) and I will wear our daughter Layla who will be 4 months then in ourBoba 3G. We plan to make it a family tradition to go every year!” • Kandice

“My daughter, Makenzie, and I hiking outside Fairbanks, Alaska this summer.” • Nikki Vandiver

“My two-year old son and I with my sister, her two-year old son, her husband and our dad toured the Tsankawi Ruins, part of Bandolier National Monument in New Mexico on a hot day in July. My sister and I never leave home without our baby carriers. Many of the paths at this site, worn into soft limestone by thousands of years of human feet, are less than a foot wide, making the Ruins inaccessible by stroller.  The mesa top can only be accessed by ladder (or rock-climbing, as the ancient people did). I helped my son navigate the first ladder up to the mesa top, but coming down was more precarious, so into the carrier he went and he rode down safely on my back. On the next level, the path wound pretty close to a sheer drop, so much of the time he rode in the carrier for my piece of mind, and later he fell asleep. Both boys loved exploring the cave-houses, and it is something they could not have enjoyed for years to come if it weren’t for baby wearing.We decided to try baby wearing when my son was born, and to wait to buy a stroller when we really needed one. He is 26 months old and 30 pounds now and we’ve worn out the first carrier we bought. We replaced it with a Bobaand still haven’t felt the need for a stroller. It is wonderful to be able to carry a toddler for as long as he needs, to snuggle on the go, and to have the freedom to navigate the Metro, the Aquarium, Anasazi ruins, or wherever the adventure takes us, traveling light.” • Rachel O’Donnell

No matter what winter holiday a family celebrates there’s always one thing in common: parents want it to be a special and magical time for their family, especially for their children. With all the focus on receiving gifts and rushing about, making time for family and remembering what really matters is good for children and parents, too. Times like this are perfect opportunities to create memories that will stay with your child forever. Even simple traditions like decorating a tree will last forever in your child’s heart.

I remember one if my favorite parts of Christmas was digging into those ornaments and decorations that only came out once a year. On a more unique note, every Saturday night in December we would leave a shoe outside our bedroom doors and in the morning there would be a small gift inside. It was usually a pre-Christmas kind of thing like an ornament, a nutcracker or a winter-themed book. This tradition came about because I heard a story about gifts in shoes and my Mom thought it was cute. It grew to become something that we looked forward to every year. This year, try to find a unique holiday tradition that your kids will remember and pass on to their families some day.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Eve Bunting wrote a beautiful book called “Night Tree” about a family who journeys into the forest each year to decorate a tree. They decorate it with food for the animals of the forest, have a picnic and sing carols. When they return home they think about how happy the animals must be to have such a treat. Children will love doing this every year after reading this magical book.

An important way to help kids remember giving and not just getting is to donate or help those less fortunate. There are so many great ways to do this with your children. One good way is donating toys. If your kids are on board with this idea they can choose some of their gently used toys to give to others. Giving new or thrifted toys will work just as well. Also, helping an organization like a local soup kitchen or giving homemade bagged lunches to the homeless is a way to spend time with your kids and help those in need at the same time.

Many parents give yearly ornaments as presents for their children to collect and keep as they grow up. I love the idea of making ornaments every year and dating them. This way you get the memory of making ornaments each year and a collection of ornaments that grows with your child. These cinnamon dough ornaments (my craft blog) would be the perfect start for this tradition.

Winter Solstice celebrates the shortest day of the year. This means that days start getting longer and lighter which has had a huge significance throughout history. No matter what your beliefs, sunshine and the coming of warmer days and new life are always something to be happy about. Talk with your kids about why our ancestors valued the coming of longer days so much. Celebrate the coming of the sun by lighting candles or fires on the night of solstice.

Any tradition you start with your family will create memories to last a lifetime.  Ask your kids what they want to do – you may be surprised with their ideas and enthusiasm.

The idea is simple: before you buy something, ask yourself if you REALLY need it. With the holidays coming up, the practice of unconscious buying will be at an all-time high. One thing you can do to make holiday gifting more intentional and special is to make gifts!

There’s something undeniably charming about a well-made homemade present. Below are five do-it-yourself gift ideas that will surely warm the hearts of lucky recipients.

1. Organic Refrigerator Jam: If you’re new to jarring food, try making refrigerator jam first. No complicated sterilizing or boiling jars!

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/preserved-foods/cooking-by-feel-strawberry-refrigerator-jam-051028

2. Homemade Soaps: Handmade soaps are easy and fun to make. If your littles are out of the “taste everything” stage, they can even join in! Experiment with different essential oils. Every time your gift recipient lathers up, they’ll think of you.
http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/2011/05/apple-soap-teachers-gift.html

3. Photo Books: There are few things relatives, especially ones who live far away from your family, love more than walking down memory lane with your family over photos. They’re easy to create with your Mac or with services like Snapfish.com. If you’re handy with the Exacto-knife, create a scrapbook at home!

4. Art: Create ornaments or handprint plates with this DIY ceramic dough.

http://www.ehow.com/how_11092_clay-christmas-ornaments.html

Use leaves or flowers for intricate designs or have the kids go nuts. Grandma and grandpa will proudly display their creations!

5. Food Gifts in a Jar: These are one of my favorite homemade gifts. Imagine all of the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies or homemade hot cocoa (marshmallows included) attractively layered in a jar! Your little ones will love helping fill up glass jars assembly line style.

One of the best parts about making gifts rather than buying them is that you can do it as a family. Children don’t enjoy being dragged from store to store but they will love crowding around the kitchen table for crafting and baking.

This holiday, embrace the spirit and you’ll find that giving gifts can be just as fun, if not more, than receiving them.

These water felted soaps  from the blog Beckyrose Designs are a beautiful gift for anyone. Plus there are no needles involved so it’s a perfect project for little fingers.

Finger paints are a super easy gift for kids. Check them out on Tiffany’s blog, Easie Peasie.  Best of all, you know all the ingredients are safe for your little one.

This felt flower belt from Cheri on I Am Momma – Hear Me Roar is a cute and easy project for adults and older kids. Pre-made felt is used so all you do is cut!

These framed cut-out hand-prints from the blog Tres French Hens are a sentimental gift perfect for grandparents or other close family.

Make a double batch of these ornaments on Marthastewart.com to decorate your home and give as a gift. You can use any shaped cookie cutters to create custom ornaments

This is a recipe for simple aromatic chai tea with fresh herbs and spices from Wardeh’s blog GNOWFGLINS. I love the idea of packaging them in thrifted cups and jars.

These sorting dolls by Brandy on her blog Gluesticks are SO cute! If you are making them for younger children please use a paint that is safe if chewed on.

These pretzel treats from Goodhouskeeping.com are delicious and look beautiful too! Little children will enjoy helping with sprinkles.

One lucky winner will be given their choice of any one of our Boba babywearing products. If you win, you can choose a Boba baby wrap, the new 3G Boba baby carrier or Boba Pack in any color/print.

This giveaway is focused on appreciating our online community of friends, our extended Boba family. Nowhere is that community more alive and buzzing than on Twitter (though our Boba Facebook Page is certainly a close second!). So to enter, you need simply follow Boba on Twitter via this handy little widget and tell us your favorite family holiday tradition (of course, all current followers will be entered to win, too!).

Best of luck and a very happy holiday season to you all! Thank you for being part of the Boba family.

When I first became a mom 5.5 years ago, I didn’t quite know how to fit my new baby into the busy winter routine. I didn’t realize how much marathon shopping, running all over the state to visit relatives, and my personal stress level impacted my little one.

Today, I’m a much calmer mom and feel more comfortable designing a holiday plan that not only works for me, but respects the needs of my children and brings out the joy of the holiday. There’s so much pressure for families to turn into Tasmanian devils, whirling and spinning about during this special season but there’s also a huge opportunity to show children the simple delights of this time of year.

Five Tips for Keeping the Holidays Simply Joyful

1. Honest Traveling: Don’t get on a plane or pack up the car to visit friends or family without asking one important question: “Do I really want to do this?”. There’s a lot of pressure to go on a world tour to pay respects during the winter months. Travel to places and visit people who will make the holiday sweeter without putting strain on your family. Your immediate family is your primary concern.

2. Remember that Money Doesn’t Equal Love: Children don’t need things, they crave attention and affection. Go easy on the mall this year and focus on either finding or creating yourself just a few truly meaningful tokens for your little ones that will truly add to their lives.

3. Decorate Your Home: Go on a walk with your kids and pick out pine cones, branches, beautiful leaves – anything that represents the season and use them to adorn your home. Create wreaths. Do holiday crafts and hang them in your hallways. Light candles and enjoy how their warm light adds to your home’s ambiance.

4. Make Homemade Gifts: There’s a huge emphasis on buying presents during this time of year. Use websites like Pinterst to find ideas for homemade gifts that the kids can help with! Jam, cookies, homemade soap… the opportunities are endless! Nobody can deny how wonderful it feels to receive and give something created with love.

5. Emphasize the Spirit of the Season: Our kids learn from watching us. If we sing that this is the “most wonderful time of the year” but act like “this is the most stressful time of the year,” they’ll pick up the latter message. Relax, say “no” to obligations that put strain on your home life, sing, enjoy meals together, tell stories about your childhood holiday memories, draw, pull out old photo albums. Have fun.

We hope that your holiday season is full of joy and love!

What a Hoot Owl Hat from SAOL on Etsy.

I love handmade. I love local.

Who doesn’t love a beautiful hand-knit sweater, a table carved from a tree in the woods behind your house by a neighbor down the street, a home cooked jar of blackberry preserves tied up with ribbon by your old Aunt Sue? No one, that’s who! But in this day and age, you may be a little hard pressed to recieve many of these treasures, let alone pick the colors, the size, the oil on the wood, etc. Instead, we do what most of us do and head to a store that sells a lot of options and pick from a collection they’ve curated for us. Boooorrrrrring!

I am a huge fan of shopping at small, locally owned shops and directly from the artists and creators themselves, when possible. Double bonus if the designations handmade and local coincide! When I pay a little more for a handmade something instead of its department store sort-of-look-alike, I cherish and care for it more, am proud to know the person who created it, and smile knowing that my money helps an individual or family keep doing something they love, maybe in my very own city!

So… I love Etsy!

Etsy is a global network of craftspeople, artists, selling collectors and small scale producers of anything and everything – from fingerless felt purple people eater gloves to more glamorous things like a big cowly designer-quality wool cloud neck wrap (a personal fav)!

Tons of you know all about Etsy, but if you don’t, well! Wowzer, there are categories for handmade, for vintage, for supplies (for the crafty among us) and much, oh muuuuuch more – even an army of crafters ready to bid for your custom order project ideas *gasp* *squeal*. And if you, too, are locally-minded with your purchasing dollars, there’s a handy-dandy shop local option to find creators near you! The Etsy Blog is a fab way to keep up with their community of creators and get fresh ideas, too.

So how does this relate to the moms of us, and especially in OCTOBER? Well, two big ways!

1. Etsy Baby Kid Teen Mom You-Name-It Handmade – Funky fingerless gloves included, Etsy gives moms a shopping experience like no other with knitted, felted, sewn, constructed, painted, you-name-it-ed things for baby, child and more. Check out this awesome curated list of young child items curated by an Etsy member called Happy Little Rainbow or just pop on over the the Etsy Kids page.
2. Etsy Halloween – Oh yes! You know how we all spend countless hours sewing and gluing and heaven-help-me-if-this-thing-jams-again-stapling costumes each year? Well there are hundreds of Etsy folk doing that, too! Handmade! Just like you did it yourself, but you get to sleep on October 30th (just sayin’). I tried my hand at a little list curatin’ on Etsy (you should try it – like shopping and pinterest and stuff, with all handmade stuff on a cute page with… well, I digress… I’m sort of an Etsy fanatic, you see). Check out my Oh Baby! Halloween Etsy treasury list (twin set sushi, anyone?).

So, to recap:

1. Get your stuff from Aunt Betty or Grandma Sue (or the sweet girl next door who has a knitting addiction, of course)
2. Make your stuff yourself.
3. Shop for your stuff on Etsy! (Some very nice artist-type person will thank you for it!)

Bwah hah haahh…