Strong dads needed!

I was in a friends wedding recently and all the bridesmaids were getting ready together.  One of my friends looked over at my small make-up bag and asked, "is that all you brought!?"  I replied, "this is all I own."  I received several strange looks and then my friends resumed their mirror rituals and continued insulting the beautiful faces staring back at them in the mirror and I made a mental note to give my dad a giant hug the next time I saw him.  Let me explain...

Around fifth grade I started waking up to the world of boys.  I wanted to wear make-up so that I could look pretty, but make-up was forbidden in my house.  So being the obedient, perfect child that I was...I spent the night at a friends house, spent all my allowance on make-up and gave it to my friend.  That following week she smuggled my make-up to school in her back pack and I put it on in the school bathroom.  This plan worked beautifully because I arrived home from school exactly thirty minutes before my parents and had time to wash my face before they could see me.  That is until the day my Dad called in sick from work.  Dread filled my stomach when I saw his truck out in front of the house.  Channeling my best ninja skills I made a mad dash from the front door to the bathroom but my attempt was foiled and my Dad caught a glimpse of me.  Please note that I am a child of the 80's and early 90's so my face was most definitely covered with neon make-up...looking back I probably could have assisted in the landing of an airplane with my make-up, hair and outfit.

My Dad could have grounded me for life, made me do ridiculous chores or any number of things but instead he taught me a lesson that I have carried with me every day in life.  First, he made me go and wash my face.  Then he told me to go and stand in front of the mirror for twenty minutes.  The whole time I was in there I was looking at pimples, my ugly eyebrows, my weird nose and so on.  When my time was up my dad asked me one simple question, "what did you see that you liked?"  I gave the typical whiny pre-teen reply, "nothing!  I have such a weird nose..."  So I was promptly sent back into the bathroom for another 20 minutes.  This time I admitted that I have really cool green eyes like mom, they make me feel like a cat at night.  That is when my dad hit me with the punch line:

"Do you know why I hate make-up?  Why would I want my BEAUTIFUL daughter wearing stuff called, 'concealer,' 'cover-up,' 'foundation.'  All these products and their ads make you believe that you are not good enough, that you are not pretty unless you cover-up or conceal the real you.  You are perfect the way you are.  But since you want to try make-up and you think that you have pretty eyes I'm willing to let you wear make-up that highlights your eyes only.  But before you can wear any make-up you have to learn how to apply it from a professional."  Two weeks later I went to my mom's hairdresser received a lesson in color choices and application and I was finally allowed to wear make-up.

My dad could also have easily caved in and allowed me to wear make-up as I found "my personal style" but I'm so glad that he didn't.  Yes my make-up bag is very small because I only wear what I need to highlight and draw attention to the things that I love about myself.  He helped me find confidence during the most vulnerable years of my life.  As a result when I look in the mirror I don't hate my flaws, instead I love my unique beauty.  Dad's please teach your girls that they are beautiful and that they don't need to hide themselves in order to be liked, you will save them from a lifetime of self doubt and loathing.  What you will be giving them is a lifetime spent loving themselves and their unique talents; shiny skin, bulb nose and all!

Quiet nights

After spending the afternoon at a skills camp with my 12U team I rushed home to load the truck. Volleyball is one of my greatest passions and the girls on my team this year are very fun to teach, but having games on Saturdays in September is torturous! I spent half the time split between coaching and day dreaming about my tree stand.  So when the final whistle blew I made a beeline for home and my bow. 

At the beginning of the summer a black bear started making appearances on our trail cameras, often just a few minutes behind the deer. Over time the bear was dubbed "fluffy" and my father-in-law put a bounty on fluffy's head just to get him off the camera and away from the monster buck (take note...stay out of his cameras).  All kidding aside though fluffy is a beautiful bear and we all would like a chance at him. This evening my father-in-law asked I he could take my son with him to hunt for fluffy on the north end of the property while I hunted for the bachelor herd on the south end. My son was excited, but he went over the moon when my hubby told him that he could take the BB gun and shoot during the down time.  

All of our tree stands came with harnesses but none of them come close to fitting a six-year-old. So after several Macgyver ideas (one including a camouflage dog leash and belaying clips) we came to the simple realization that my "lady pro" safety harness fit him well enough to keep him safe. It was very hard to give up my harness. I'm only 5'3 and I swear the "one size fits all" harnesses were made for giants and NBA stars.  None the less, I handed over my precious harness, donned my twenty yards of camouflage harness and swam my way to the south end of the property in a pool of nylon straps and metal clips. 

I wish I had an amazing story to tell about finally having the monster buck under my tree and filling my tag. However, despite the wind, weather and all other conditions a being completely in my favor the only living creatures to bless me with their presence were bees and chipmunks. Even still I would take a quiet night in my tree stand over just about anything else, it's home for me.  Plus the sunsets are way better from halfway up a mountain pine than anywhere else in the world. 

Sadly, I was not the only one who struck out... My son and father-in-law did not find fluffy so he will continue to haunt our cameras.  They did, however, have a great time shooting bb's at a tree near their stand. 

Calling all Mamas

Yesterday morning we took our little guy out for his first hunting experience.  We hooked up with our hunting buddy and his boys for a little family competition.  Our family versus their family on a coyote hunt.  I still don't know the exact terms of the bet as many ideas were thrown out but none were agreed to (gas, lunch, loser walks home...).  Everyone met at our house for pancakes and eggs, I love cooking breakfast for the hunting crew so it has become a bit of a tradition.  We knew that a storm was rolling into the area so we arrived at our hunting spot right at first light hoping to beat the storm and catch the coyotes before they hunkered down.

To get to my husband's super secret coyote spot we had to walk a few miles through grass that was taller than our son (not to mention it was super soggy from three days of rain).  So my husband carried our son and I carried the guns and the pack...we joked that I had the better end of the deal because my pack didn't wiggle or lean over like a sack of potatoes.  On the way in we spotted a mule fawn moving through a little gully just below our trail.  My husband let our son down and they crept up to the edge of the gully to watch the little fawn.  From the moment our little trigger wakes up to the moment that he crashes at night he rarely stops talking or moving (a boy after his daddy's heart), so I was amazed to see both my guys crouched silent and motionless watching that baby frolicking around the gully.

Once they were done watching the fawn we started trekking again until we found a nice outcropping of rocks mid way up a hill that overlooked a large meadow surrounded by dense woods.  This is my husband's favorite spot for coyotes and has already served him well this year.  Once there we used the tall grasses as a make-shift blind and settled in with me covering the left side of the field and my husband covering the right side.  The night before the hunt we had gone to Cabela's to purchase a few extra coyote hand calls and it was then that our son named himself official caller for our team.  He has a real knack for duck calls and so we thought "why not?"  At home he had done a decent job learning his way around the calls with my husband's help.  However, in the blind he decided to try some new tricks (him being a professional hunter and all) and started using the Ki-Yi (by Primos) like a duck call instead of a predator call.  Unfazed my husband joined in with his Hot Dog call (also by Primos) hoping to either salvage the hunt or entertain our son, I love that man!

I assumed that the calling coming from our little crew would scare off every animal within a five mile radius.  So I was shocked when, five minutes into their sweet serenade (heavy sarcasm), a big ol' mule doe came walking into the clearing 300 yards away on my side.  I elbowed the boys to get them quiet and pointed out the doe.  As soon as he spotted her little trigger shouted "shoot her mamma!" and was positively shaking with excitement.  He was very disappointed when I whispered that it was not deer season.  My husband had me sight in on her to see if I thought I could shoot a coyote at that distance.  My shooting sticks (again Primos...if you can't tell I love them!) felt a little awkward so we readjusted our set up.  My son thought that meant that I was going to shoot and was all worked up again; until I put the covers back on my sight.  To cheer him up my husband said, "watch what she does when I blow the coyote call."  He picked up the Hot Dog call and did a perfect imitation of a coyote.  I don't know what my husband expected the doe to do, but I was expecting her to run back into the woods.  So I received quite a shock when she charged right at us!  The more hubby called the faster she came in (Mule deer can really move!) until she was 30 yards away near the base of our hill staring straight up at our little crew.  She sniffed and snorted for a few minutes; realized we weren't a coyote and slowly made her way back towards the gully that the fawn had been in.  I guess she was one protective mamma.  In total yesterday we called in 3 does with the coyote calls but we unfortunately did not see any coyotes.  I wish I had thought to bring our camcorder, those does came in very close and our little guy's reaction to them would have made a great little video.

After only two hours in the field the storm finally made it to us so we booked it back to the truck trying, and failing, to beat the heavy rains.  We came home sopping wet and empty handed
 but with a fun story to tell.  As many hunters know that is the nature of the beast and it's all worth it!  As for the bet...it was a draw, though I still say we won because we had the best story to tell.  Our little guy excitedly told the story to the other team several times on the drive home.  Unfortunately, I fell asleep in the truck (we have a strict no sleeping rule) so I was subject to jokes and small pranks, including having licorice thrown into my mouth as it hung open.  It was all in good fun and I am plotting my revenge for the next trip.

Small moments

In this fast-paced, technology filled world it's so easy to get swept away and miss out on the important things in life.  The joy in this world is not heading up a major company, or getting top scores in a video game; it's in the small moments with your family.  These past few weeks have been super busy for our family between work, school, extra-curricular activities and other obligations.  So last night we declared a family night.  Everyone was home for a dinner as a family (no technology allowed) followed by a movie night.  All of that was nice and it helped us reconnect after a busy few weeks, but the best moment was after the movie when the end credits were rolling. 

Our young son was putting in his best effort to stall bedtime and found a sucker in his father.  He curled up with him on the couch and started telling a story...of course it was a hunting story because this five-year-old boy knows his audience and is a master at stalling bedtime (it's his superhero power)!  Thirty minutes into the story my husband realized that he was being used to get out of bed and the real fun began.  Out came the tickle monster and the two boys erupted in a fit of laughter together.  The image of those two running around the living room laughing and playing will live in my memory forever.  Especially the look on my husband's face when he caught on to the game and my son's face when he realized that he had been caught stalling.  I could have put my foot down ended the hunting story and gotten my son into bed on time, but I'm honestly glad that I didn't.  I sat back to see how long my son could carry on the charade and in return I received a special treat in that fun family moment.  Sure my son managed to stay up an hour and a half past his bedtime and he's a little cranky today, but the memory made last night is well worth a fussy kid for a day.

It's so easy to follow the clock, stick with our routines and fall into the trap of electronics and never-ending work.   I worry sometimes that families are becoming less of a priority and are falling victim to technology and outside commitments.  I'm going to keep last night at the forefront of my mind and do my best to make sure that we unplug for a day and just reconnect as a family as often as possible so that we don't lose sight of what is most important...the sheer joy in small moments with family.

Hiking Elk Country with Kids

This weekend we went out to the property so that we could swap out the memory cards in our trail cameras.  We decided to turn it into a family outing and bring our son along for the hike.  Hiking with kids in elk country can be tricky business, but if you take the time to prepare and pack for the trip things will go smoothly.  Here are my 5 tips for hiking with children:

1. Water, water, water, WATER!
I cannot tell you how many times we have been out hiking with friends and their children only to find out that they did not bring water.  Luckily we always pack too much water so we end up having enough.  Everyone, especially children, need to stay hydrated when out hiking in the mountains.  If kids get thirsty they get whiny and I cannot blame them, I'd get whiny too.  Our friends always say, "it's hard enough to carrying and keeping track of the kids, let alone carrying an annoying water bottle."  I agree 100%, that is why we invested in a few Camelbak water back packs.  They make them in children's sizes so for short hikes we let our son carry is own water.  On longer hikes we don't bring his back pack so that he doesn't wear out early (which usually makes him mad because he loves his water pack and has a serious independent streak).

2.  Bring lots of snacks
While you may be able to hike all day on just your Cliff bar, kids simply cannot.  They need snacks throughout the hike so that they have enough energy to make it all the way, and just like water once they feel hungry they get whiny.  We always make sure to put a few snacks in our back packs, which is another benefit to the Camelbak water packs.  On top of the snacks we also get a treat for our little guy.  This time we packed a little baggie of M&Ms for our son.  We told him that we were going to take a small rest at the halfway point and he could have his candy if he made it there without whining.  Sugar is ok for quick energy, but don't forget to pack protein or something with lots of fiber so that it will stick with them.  Personally I love cheese cubes and apple slices when I hike and the water in the back pack helps keep the treats relatively cool during the hike.  An added bonus to the water back packs.

3.  Have an activity planned
Drop me off in a mountain and I would be the happiest person on the face of this planet for the rest of my life.  However, for kids (and many adults) the beauty of the mountain and the chance of seeing animals just is not enough.  We knew that our hike this weekend would take about two hours so we gave our son a job; official hike videographer.  Part of his duties as our videographer were to get footage of two animals and three different colored wildflowers.  At home we sat down to watch the footage and had a great laugh together.  Most of the footage was 6-10 seconds clips where he announced the discovery of another pile of animal poop (5 year-old- boys, what can I say).  While the footage will never be a world class documentary it is fun to look at together and it kept him entertained for the whole hike.

4. Be prepared for stops and piggyback rides
Little legs are just not strong enough to hike forever.  So we always make sure to stop frequently to give his little muscles a rest.  Make the stops fun and interesting...this time we stopped to take photos of caterpillars, watch frogs hop around, investigate weird looking bugs and so many other things.  This way the kids get to explore the woods around them and stop to rest without knowing it.

 
Anything you can do to make the hike kid friendly and create great memories now will help build a love of the outdoors for the rest of their lives.
Like it or not elk country is full of steep hills and if you want your little one to enjoy the hike you just might have to carry them up the hill when they are young.  My husband and I took turns piggybacking our son up the steep hills this trip.  That way we each had a break from piggyback duties and our son did not burn out on the hike.  Yes it's hard work and I was sweating like crazy on my piggyback hills...but I figured I earned an extra scoop of ice cream for all my work so I treated myself to a root beer float at home.

5.  HAVE FUN!
There are so many wonderful things to see and do out in the mountains!  Take the time to point them out to your kiddos and be goofy (you're in the woods, no one will see you dancing like a fool).  While we were hiking a tiny bright green caterpillar made itself comfortable on the bill of my hat.  Normally I would have flicked it off and moved on, but instead I shouted, "Hey, I have a hitch-hiker here."  My son thought it was the funniest thing ever.  After watching the little bug for a few minutes he set out to find the perfect home for his new friend.  The caterpillar was the same color as some of the bushes nearby so my son looked for the one that matched the bug the best so that he would be camouflaged from the birds and other predators.  Remember, what you've seen a million times they have only seen a few times or never before so stop and watch their faces light up with new discovery.

With just a little preparation hiking with kids is easy,  exciting and rewarding.  Now, by no means am I an expert on hiking with kids (I'm just copying what my parents did for me) so if you have any tips for hiking with kids please add them to the comments section!  Then get yourself and your kiddos to the nearest mountain and have an adventure!