With three young kids, it is no surprise that I am a mom on the go. Our family stays active with a variety of activities, but none more so than our “backyard fun.” My husband and I were both raised in small town Iowa, which means our fun came in the form of backyard shenanigans with friends, family baseball games, and local sports teams. Now as Minnesotans, we have tried to incorporate our small town roots with our current suburban lifestyle. We have learned to embrace each changing season, and create activities that celebrate the joys of all types of weather.
From -20 degree windchill to 100 degree heat, you’ll find us outside. We host pool parties in the summer, a backyard ice rink in the winter, and themed parties to encourage our family and friends to join in on our fun.
Summer Fun
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- Up! Up! And away!
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- Sibling love
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- Big girl can climb the ladder!
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- Cheeeeeeese!
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- Tubin’
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- We love to invite friends over to share in the fun
Winter Fun
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- Look at those smiles!
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- We can even sled on our rink!
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- Fun for all ages
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- Teaching Papa how to skate
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- It’s a break-away shot!
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- You’re never too young to learn hockey
Theme Party Fun – Our First Olympic Party
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- Our first ever Olympic Party was a SUCCESS!!
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- Tug-Of-War
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- Tug-Of-War… Ooops, we fell!
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- Ready to ride!
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- The dads get ready to take on the Distance Medley Event
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- The kids get ready to take on the Distance Medley Event
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- The dads get ready to take on the Distance Medley Event
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- One of our many {funny} events
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- The Opening Ceremonies has to include torches, of course
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- Daddy Bench Press!!!
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- Teamwork
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- One of our teams
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- Homemade hurdles for one of our full family events. From car seats to toddlers, big kids to Senoritas…. EVERYONE participated!
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- Each team brought a dish to share that represented their country.
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- Getting ready to jump in and do “bobs” and handstands for the Distance Medley
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- The Olympic Podium
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- Ready for team standings!
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- Fun on the podium
To follow our family adventures, check us out on Facebook, Twitter, or at our website.
I love seeing kids and families staying active and having fun! That’s one of the biggest things I miss about being a kid is having fun and being active.
I have so many great memories of running around as a kid – Full of laughter and energy!
Movement is so, so important! I sometimes have to shove my middle kids out the door in the winter, as they don’t naturally enjoy cold weather (the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree there!). My oldest and two youngest love to be outside in all weather, fortunately. Even inside, I try to encourage them to do some floor stretches with me or lift weights. This generation has so much sedentary because of screens everywhere that we didn’t have in our childhoods. I feel as if I’m constantly setting limits with those. :-/
Oh SCREENS!!!! I have such a love/hate relationship with them. There are valuable apps/ educational options/ good shows, but I feel like if I give my kids 15 minutes, they ask for more and more (and more and more). Good luck to you, mama!