Some of the most frequent objections I hear from parents when we talk about kids and the outdoors are “he is too young for that” and “there is no way my kid would put up with it!” Couple the objections with the horrible excuses that are so common in the parentosphere these days (“he is just TOOOOOO clingy to do anything”), and it is no wonder that the majority of American kids and parents are overweight and out of touch with the natural world around them. Continue reading “Fear not, my friends”
It seems like every few weeks I get a well meaning email forward that goes something like this –
Wow, who knew! I just heard from my friend that she uses Johnson’s Creamy Baby Oil to keep mosquitoes from biting her kids. She says she put it on her kids and not one mosquito bite!!!! You could see them fly around, but not one landed on them! Just thought I would let all you mommies know!! Plus it smells great and has no chemicals:) -Works for Adults too!!
Dumb emails like this perfectly demonstrate the great paradox of the internet. Someone can send out garbage like this and all of a sudden it reaches a massive number of people and becomes “fact”. Yet with the same ease, all I have to do is Google “Johnson’s Baby Creamy Oil” and the very first result takes me to Johnson’s OWN webpage. On that webpage is a list of ingredients, which I have copied and pasted for you below.
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Cocoglycerides, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Dimethicone, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Mineral Oil, Tetrasodium EDTA, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter Extract, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Glyceryl Oleate, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf
Let me get this out there at the very start -camping with a toddler is no picnic. If you came to this website looking for a foolproof plan that will allow you to take your toddler on a worry free, relaxing adventure in the wilderness, you need to keep looking (and please let me know if you ever find that website!) That being said, with proper planning and a little bit of thoughtfulness, camping with a toddler will be an exciting, enjoyable and transformative experience for you and your little one. Continue reading “Camping with a Toddler”
Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
I will start this review off by saying I am a huge IPA fan. Overall, the IPA style seems to be the ideal outdoorsy beer. IPAs provide a nice punch (higher alcohol content) relative to volume than most other styles, and for some reason IPAs seem to taste better lukewarm than almost any other type of beer. That is what drew me to the Two Hearted in the first place. That, plus the slogan written on the can – “Well suited for adventurous trips to the Upper Peninsula”. SAY NO MORE! Continue reading “Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale”
Many responsible parents struggle with the question of whether or not to take alcohol with them on the trail or to the campgrounds. For starters, alcohol is prohibited in most State and National Parks. It can also be heavy, takes up space and can impair judgement (which is critical to wilderness and Baby Squatch survival). All that aside, there is nothing better in the entire world than a lukewarm beer in the middle of the wilderness (this is a scientific fact) – the novelty of it alone is enough to excite the tastebuds. Continue reading “The Importance of Beer”
The Sasquatch Dad 