Twirls and Travels » a blog about exploring with kids

I am not good at a lot of things. I have the penmanship of an eight year old boy and can’t ice a cake. Don’t open any of my cupboards, and certainly not my linen closet (never did figure out how to fold that fitted sheet). I am not just being hard on myself listing my shortcomings, I’m just stating one of my truths.  Every person has certain talents they can share, ones that are a reflection of how we were raised and our collection of life experiences. My talents just happen to revolve around being outside and exploring with my kids. Thankfully I have become increasingly more content with that. My mother showed me the world early, showed me that so much can be discovered by being brave and having a sense of adventure.  And now there is nothing I like more then sharing the world with my own children. Everything has become more beautiful and everything has become just that much better. And through all those trips (our five year old has been on 37 airplanes and we’ve lived to tell the tale) I have learned how to make adventuring easy and how to keep the long travel days fun.  I have also learned that exploring Alberta can be just as much fun as exploring new countries. There is something special about travelling to a place you’ve never been, no matter how close it is to home.

We travel with our kids because we want to them to experience new places and see new things.

To understand there is so much beyond our street, their school and our lovely bubble.
To remove them from their schedule and to teach them to be flexible with life.
To not be afraid of what is different to them, whether it be food or experience .
To have courage to try a new language, even if they can’t say the words perfectly.
To understand we are all different but inside we are so similar.
To see how much there truly is out there and have the curiosity to take it all in.
To teach them to become explorers at their core.
To give them the chance to be brave.

There are so many adventures to be had. So much to learn.

So I’ve decided to share a part of our lives with you and share our tricks, tips and favourite places. I can’t be a perfect pinterest mom, but I can share my ideas and experiences with the hopes that you can give your children a lifetime of exploring.

Thank you for following along with us.

Violet,  the chief explorer and feisty-pants extraordinaire.  A 6am pyjama adventure in one of our favourite places in the world. (August 2014 in Jasper)