Walk on the Wild Side

Sometimes I need to hit the reset button. The stress overwhelms me, I'm snapping at everyone and I'm just not happy.

Ever since I lived in Salt Lake City as a teen, I have loved spending time in nature. Hiking in the mountains, writing bad poetry in memory grove, skiing down a powdery slope all recharged my soul. 

I was so excited to take my family there a few summers ago. I really wanted to share my favorite places. 

I have so many great memories of going to antelope island and the canyons around Salt Lake City.

Hiking is a passion of mine.

I'm sharing that with my son, too.

Luckily for us, we have some great areas in South Dakota to go to, and I don't have to go to Utah (although I would in a heartbeat)

The black hills have some great opportunities

As do the badlands. I'm very blessed to live in an area where there are a lot of outdoor opportunities.

I love newton hills state park. My son goes there frequently with his Boy Scout troop. It's about a half an hour from our house, but a world away. Even on a cloudy day, it's gorgeous, lush and green.

My favorite place is even closer to home. We love to go to Good Earth state park, which is about 15 minutes away. There's something about hiking, being in nature, that restores my soul every time.

A Forest

Today is Arbor Day. It started 135 years ago, as a special day for tree planting. It has evolved into a chance to help balance our environment visually and more. It's the last Friday in April, and coming on the heels of earth day, it can be lost in the sauce. It's more than just planting trees, it's about a sense of community. The Arbor Day Foundation (www.aborday.org) has some great tips on promoting it in your community.

Right now, Arbor Day is a welcome holiday in Sioux Falls thanks to a freak, spring ice storm and subsequent blizzard (check out some great pictures here http://mommydomchronicles.blogspot.com/2013/04/ice-ice-baby.html). Many, many trees were damaged by inches of ice. Unfortunately, due to the fact that it snowed inches as recently as Monday, it's not a good time to plant since the ground still is partially frozen!

Since we can't plant, the boys and I will celebrate it other ways. The City parks department did cancel the official event at Great Bear due to weather, but that doesn't mean we can't hike! There are amazing trails at both Blood Run and the Outdoor Campus. We can also go to a local nursery and look at trees. Best bet for bedtime-read a book on trees.

You can even make a tree out of recycled materials. Using materials from Starbucks coffee sleeves, construction paper, glue and some pinking shears you can make your own (earth day approved) tree.

There are lots of ways to celebrate Arbor Day with your family.

Far Behind

Spring has sprung.
This past winter was quite mild by northern plains standards, but the whole it's spring concept makes me positively giddy!
One thing that I love almost as much as fall foliage is the renewal in march and April. This year, I'd love to go up to Great Bear or Palisades State Park with the family and just wander.
I love hiking. Despite almost 30 years of it, I'm still definitely an amateur. I like to compare it to a walk in the woods.
A slow stroll on a well planned path.
I really want to share my love of the outdoors and the exhilarating feelings I get with my family. The joy I get from being in the woods, surrounded by nature is astounding. I remember years ago, coming to a clearing out of the woods and seeing a herd of deer. It was mesmerizing.
That is what I want to nurture in my son.
He has been exposed to nature education since he's been in my life. We are very fortunate to have the Outdoor Campus (http://gfp.sd.gov/outdoor%2Dlearning/outdoor%2Dcampus/) here. Little Man started with the sprouts program in preschool and has continued to today. He has learned about animals, habitats and more. Thanks to them, we snow shoe, cross country ski, kayak and ice fish.
When I need my hiking fix, I take to their trails with the puppy dog. We have logged many miles through the woods and prairie. For the most part, it is peaceful with just natural distractions for the puppy (every so often, another dog may dare to visit our trails).
I have been deliberate and diligent in introducing my son to the great outdoors. I want him to appreciate nature as much as I do, and to conserve it as a result. There is a spiritual component as well. A clearing in a forest can be equivalent to a soaring cathedral. A waterfall is a conversation with G-d. Sunlight streaming through the trees is like a hug from the Creator.
When I hike, it's a moving meditation. A silent prayer. The rest of the world is far behind.

Meat is murder (hey its a Smith's song)

My son proudly announced that he is a vegetarian today. We were in our local answer to whole foods, pomegranate market, and he made the declaration to the world.

I had to smile, and breathe a sigh of relief.

For years he's been doing food therapy to "encourage" him to eat meat, as well as some other foods. Success has been fair to middling on the other foods-and a catastrophic failure with the meat. His birth parents were vegan, and while you can raise extremely healthy vegan kids, you really have to put a lot of thought into it. They didn't, and he was underweight & was nutritionally deficient.

It's a matter of.finding other protein sources or combining foods to make a whole protein. It's actually rather easy to be vegan now, as compared to when I first went veg 20+ years ago. There are all sorts of frozen dinners, and commercially available products, which makes it easy.

Heck they even have vegan bacon.

We, even as a joke, bought the biggest carnivore I know-the Big Man-vegan bologna. He dutifully ate it but I don't think he liked it.

He will never be persuaded to lead a meat free life.

When I first went veg, I was in college and I didn't really know what I was doing. I didnt know about combining foods or complex proteins. I thought cheese pizza & French fries counted for healthy choices.

In addition to growing up, I've learned a lot about being vegetarian. One is how to answer people's prying questions.

No, those are not leather shoes. No its not a leather purse. Yes I only use products that were never tested on animals. Yes I recycle. Yes I support cleaning up the environment and sustainable farming/fishing/etc. Sure I'm kind of a hippie, but a post punk one.

I'm not crazy about all of this. I prefer natural cleaning products because it reduces chemicals in the home-including our pets & our kiddo. I try to limit ingredients I can't pronounce because who knows what kind of damage it does to us. I prefer to eat stuff that I can recognize. I dont want my son to have to consume pesticide residue if I can help it.

But overall, I'm just a mom who wants what's best for her kiddo.