photo opportunity

If you want a great photo location with Baldy in the background, then the Nordic Clubhouse (down Sun Valley Road, past the resort) is an ideal spot.  Plus, you can have a little nordic skiing adventure, some delicious lunch (surrounded by great views) and some outdoor wear shopping done.

Or, perhaps this post is just about posting a cute photo of my kids!

Great blog!

Check out this inspiring blog by a friend of mine (and a local family). I'm in awe of their commitment, especially with two young children.  Huge kudos to them and thanks for inspiring me to further support our American economy!

www.buyamericanforoneyear.com

Cupcake decorating

The Community Library in Ketchum is hosting a cupcake decorating party today for wee ones starting at 4:00 pm. Supplies on a first come, first serve basis.  Sounds yummy!!

Pray for snow!!

Spirit of Idaho Award

The Spirit of Idaho Award is an award for anyone in Idaho that inspires everyone they come in contact with by "Demonstrating Extraordinary Faith, Love and Courage". 

It was created by the Mrs. Idaho staff and is in honor of a friend who passed away this summer from cancer. She was the mother of two young daughters and was a wonderful lady. The award will be presented at the Mrs. Idaho America pageant in Boise on February 12th.


You can email mrsidahoteam@yahoo.com with the person you would like to nominate and a message telling them why this special person deserves this award. The winner of this award does not have to be involved in pageants and can be a man, women or child.

Infant and Toddler Assessments

Region 5 Infant Toddler Program with be having an assessment day for babies on up to 3 year olds on January 27th from 10am-2pm at St. Charles Catholic Church in Hailey.

Children will be assessed in the following areas:  speech/language skills, walking skills, play skills, motor skills, and social-emotional skills.

Also, they will have a wide range of professionals on hand to answer your questions.

Walk-ins are welcome, but to secure an appointment please call Marcy at 1-800-432-3255

Pets make better people, better people make better communities

Above quote taken from the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley's brochure and it is so true!

This past weekend, we adopted the most wonderful kitten from the animal shelter and our home and our hearts are filled with more love than we could have ever imagined.  Who knew that such a tiny creature could make such an impact on an already established and happy home?  

As I have stated before on this blog, our local Animal Shelter is such a loving and caring place for homeless animals, but they are always seeking homes for their dogs and cats.  If you are interested in adopting a pet and making your day even more brighter, then please consider your local animal shelter first.

Aiken (our 10 year old lab) meets his newest kitty sister, Annie (4 months old).

Snow shoe race for kids and adults

 On your mark, get set, SNOW SHOE!

From the YMCA's website:

Kids Kilo Snow-shoe Fun Run!

The Y's Kids Kilo Fun Run will take place on the White Cloud Loop Nordic trail Saturday, January 29th. A great kick-off to the Nordic Festival, this fun-filled family event will provide post race cookies, hot chocolate, and fun! Snowshoes will be provided on a first come first served basis. There will be three different age-appropriate heats. Each child will receive a racer bib and finisher medal. Be sure to stay after and enjoy the snow themed activities! Don't forget to dress warm! Pre-registraion required for the $10 entry fee. Race-day registraion: $15/child. Call 727-9622 today to register!
Ages: 3-5 yrs, 6-8 yrs, and 9-12 yrs
Dates: Saturday, January 29th
Contact Danna at 928-6710 for more information 

Preschool Open House this Saturday

With all of our snow on the ground (but we are still praying for more snow), it's hard to believe that we should even be thinking about next school year. Yet, that exciting time has come.  

Community School, in Sun Valley, will be having their ECC (preschool) and Kindergarten Open House on Saturday, January 22nd from 10am-12pm.  Come check it out, ask questions and re-discover how great it is to be child.

Click HERE for more information on Community School.

Yet another reason Sun Valley is tops for everyone (especially families)

Ice skating cutie, Evan Lysacek, recently rated his top 10 places to ice skate.  Since he is the pro, then he must know!

Our wonderful town made the list! Check it out HERE

Ice sculpture fun

The Sun Valley Resort's ice sculptures are better than ever this year.  Just imagine a huge ice slide that even adults can slide down (trust me, I had to try it!).  Your family will have so much fun checking out all of the ice sculptures while creating a fabulous photo op!

While you are there, you could even stop by the pond in front of the resort and feed the hungry ducks. You will be VERY popular!

1 + 1 = 2

This is what you get when you combine a husband who got his degree in Civil Engineer and a wife who got one of her degrees in Physical Education (note: he is no longer a civil engineer and I am no longer a PE teacher)......

A family snowshoe adventure with the Chariot Stroller being pulled on a sled and being used as a carrier for our snowshoes, other outdoor equipment and a kid (or two).

Our Chariot Stroller was one of our greatest investments as a parent. We have used if for the last 6 years and use it year round---for walks around the neighborhood, on bike rides, on community fun runs and even for snowshoeing.

Things to do around Idaho

We are in the middle of winter, surrounded by snow for a long time.  While you may be enjoying all the winter sports, like we are, you may be itching for something new and cool to do with your family.  This website offers great family activities to do around our neck of the woods and all around Idaho.  I'm already planning our summer activity list!

www.visitidaho.org/thingstodo/

Healthy families does make a healthier Idaho

Did you that 27% of Idaho's children (ages 10-17) are obese?  31% of our nation's children are obese. Obviously, these numbers are WAY to high.  One in three children are obese and are set up for a lifelong battle with various issues, including a higher risk for diabetes.

Starting healthy eating habits with our children and getting them active in the great outdoors lowers their chance (and yours) of becoming obese.  Grab an apple and head outside today!

Family night activity

Looking for something rad to do on Friday night with your family?  Then drive on over to the Sun Valley Skating Center (at the Resort) and watch the Sun Valley Suns hockey game. The game begins at 7:00 and tickets are $8 at the gate.

Family time

The family that stays active together, stays together.

If you are looking for our family, or most local families, on the weekends, just head over to Dollar Mountain.  It is the winter social scene.  While our oldest son is partaking in the Spud Ski School (highly recommend it by the way for ages 5 and up), my husband and I ski with our two youngest on either the chairlift or the magic carpet ride.  

SV Company has taken Dollar to a whole new level with their terrain park (and sledding hill). It is still a great family mountain, but now adds more excitement and challenges for all ages.

Since hot chocolate breaks in the lodge are quite mandatory, I decided to sneak away from my family for a really quick snowshoe adventure on the White Cloud trail (awesome nordic skiing and snowshoeing trails). 

So, while I was doing this.... 

it was fun to watch the action on Dollar, where my family was.

Then, it was back to my skiing with the family.  

It's a good life!

Raising healthy kids

Living in Sun Valley, where everyone seems fit and healthy, we sometimes forget that there is a childhood obesity issue on the rise in our country.  Creating healthy active and food habits at a young age, helps set your child up for success in the future.

Click HERE  to read a great article on how to get your child to eat more fruits or vegetables.

Happy 1 year anniversary!

One year ago, I created this blog and boy, oh boy, it's been fun and amazing to watch it develop, grow and inspire all over the country and even all over the world!!  Thank you to all of my readers and to all of my sponsors (listed on the left sidebar)!

New Sponsor!

A special thank you to Shane Kinman of Kinman Design for providing me with killer graphic designer work!  I'm being with joy because of him!

The simple things

Christmas break is coming to a fast end.  Lunch boxes are packed (saves me a lot of time and sanity in the morning) and snow clothes are in backpacks all ready for the early morning tomorrow.  That two weeks sure went fast, but as I look at it closely, we sure crammed a lot into that time.  Safe driving to all of you tomorrow on the cold, dark morning.

We are such an outdoor family, but we have recently discovered a new family favorite indoor activity that has helped us during these cold days:  playing cards.  Such a simple and cheap game that has entertained our family for hours.  Every night, we gather around the dinner table and play a round of War, Go Fish or Old Maid.  The best part, some mornings, when the kids would wake up before us (pure joy!), they would stay in their rooms playing cards together.  Heavenly!!

 

2011 is a going to be a GREAT year full of lots of family activities!

Update to missing dog

Thank you for to all of you for your concern and hunt for our sweet dog. I am beyond happy to say that she is home sweet home. As a friend said, maybe she wanted to ring in the new year with a big adventure. She is skinny, cold, and a little off, but we are bombarding her with lots and lots of love. Time to wipe away the tears and begin the new year.

We think Calle ran away when the fireworks began last night. Like most dogs, she is terrified of fireworks and we think she ran away out of fear. Plus, the cold probably made her a little disoriented. Lesson learned.

A big thank you to everyone, especially to sv online for all your help and care. I may not leave Calle's side for the rest of the day.