Before I type anything else, I want this to be known: I am so proud of my kiddos AND of myself!
We participated in our fifth Hike It Baby 30 Challenge this month, an initiative to get families to spend more time outside. These challenges are always so fun for us, because we keep a detailed record of all the memories we're making. I don't always keep track of how long we're outside on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis -- but I always do during challenge months. This particular challenge was our most successful one yet, and I'm still AMAZED at our incredible results!
We opted for mostly walks around our neighborhood to log our miles, but we did adventure to a few trails -- even one that we had never explored before! And when we weren't racking up mileage, we were posted up in the back yard or at the park, playing our hearts out. The weather this month has been so great, which definitely helped us surpass our goal in such a huge way.
The challenge, itself, is this: hike/walk/bike 30 miles with your kids and/or spend 30 minutes outside 3 days a week with your kids. For us, we logged a total of 51 MILES between the trails and the pavement AND spent a whopping total of 136 HOURS outside during the month of April! WOWZA!! That time outside breaks down to an average of 4.5 hours of outside time each day. I'll say it again -- I am just so proud of us!
Our days are not perfect by any stretch of the word, and sometimes I am literally pulling my hair out between the whining and fighting over things and general chaos that comes with being with your kiddos all day every day. But even on the days where the LAST thing I want to do is pack up and go somewhere, even if it's just to walk to our local library, I try my best to remember this: they are worth it, and so am I. These challenges are more about fun and adventure than anything else, but through them I hope that I'm helping cultivate a culture in our family where we are comfortable with challenges, being mindful of all the beauty around us, learning from our mistakes, and celebrating any and all progress we make. I, also, hope that they look back one day and have no doubt that everything was motivated by love.
I've been called crazy for taking two little ones hiking regularly more times than I can count, but that doesn't bother me a bit. I love it, Braxton loves it, Bethany loves it -- and that's enough for me to keep on keepin' on!
Basically, in "Mommy terms," the trails are my Target.
*Gasp!*
To me, hiking is so much more than just hiking. It always has been, and I suppose it always will be. I grew up playing outside for hours and hours with friends, and I'm grateful that my kids will, too. As long as there is a great big world to see, you'll know where to find us most days. We've got the "near" part pretty well figured out, and my hope is that we are able to expand our horizons and get to the "far" part as they continue to grow. Whether it's to the back yard or to the other side of the world, this truth doesn't change: there is beauty all around us.
Trail Hikes: 4
Trail Miles: 8
Total Miles: 51
Total Minutes Outside: 8,170