Gabrielle Balkan Gabrielle Balkan is a writer and editor, mostly of children's books, living in Brooklyn, New York. Some of her titles include 50 Cities in the U.S.A., Book of Bones, and The 50 States. In addition to writing children's books, she's also worked at Scholastic, and spends plenty of time in classrooms as an author! Have you ever wondered how author's draw inspiration for writing so many books? In this episode, Gabrielle shares her secrets! She also talks more about the books she has written, as well as provides advice for children who love to write! Links: https://www.gabriellebalkan.com https://twitter.com/GabrielleBalkan https://www.facebook.com/gabrielle.balkan/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMKskNqxxc6Bn1Zgns7GyyQ https://blog.mindvalley.com/podcast-kamal-ravikant-love-yourself/   Sponsor:   http://audibletrial.com/g

Go Adventure Mom Podcast

Children's Book Author Gabrielle Balkan

Selena Baldwin is the daughter half of the mother-daughter team behind Shabby Alpaca, which carries alpaca and other soft goods from around the world, many which are hand-crafted. Before telling us about the business, Selena tells us about how it all started, which includes the story of her getting pregnant - immediately after her and her husband had finalized the adoption of two children! Along with this big life change came the start of Shabby Alpaca, selling to markets at first, and then moving online as well. Selena, her family, and the business are all doing well, and we're happy to share their story on this episode. Links: Website: http://www.shabbyalpaca.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/shabbyalpaca Facebook: http://facebook.com/shabbyalpaca Sponsors: 

Shabby Alpaca: Birthing a Business

Here at Go Adventure Mom, we love finding ways to adventure outdoors. It’s important that we all play a role in preserving and protecting nature, and Great Old Broads for Wilderness are helping to do just that. Great Old Broads for Wilderness is a national grassroots organization, led by women, that engages and inspires activism to preserve and protect wilderness and wild lands. Conceived by older women who love wilderness, Broads gives voice to the millions of Americans who want to protect their public lands as Wilderness for this and future generations. We bring knowledge, commitment, and humor to the movement to protect our last wild places on earth. Shelley Silbert and Lauren Berutich join us from the organization talk more about what they do, where the name come from, how you can get involved, and some specific things you can do right now to help preserve and protect our wilderness and wild lands. Links: www.greatoldbroads.org https://ww

Great Old Broads for Wilderness

Guest - Tom Boyd The GoPro Mountain Games are coming up June 7-10 in Vail, CO. Tom Boyd is Media Chief of the games, and here to tell us all about them. The GoPro Mountain Games are hosted by the Vail Valley Foundation, a non-profit in Vail, CO that seeks to raise the quality of life in Vail through arts, athletics, and education. GoPro has been the title sponsor since 2011. The event is 100% FREE for spectators, and family-friendly! There are tons of events and expo areas just for kids including climbing, kayaking, paddle boarding, and more! It’s the ultimate experience for an outdoor-loving family, so be sure to check out the link below for more details. Tom also shares some advice for preparing and the importance of gear, the “Dock Dogs” canine aquatics competition, and more! Links: https://mountaingames.com https://www.instagram.com/mountaingamesvail https://www.facebook.com/mountaingames/ https://tw

GoPro Mountain Games with Tom Boyd

026 - Backpacking with Kids - Melissa Lynn Lieser Think backpacking is something that has to wait until the kids are older? Not at all! Backpacking is immersive, rewarding, and will provide some quality family time in the great outdoors. In this episode, we cover all the questions and concerns you may have. What is a good age to start backpacking with your kids? How far should you go? What supplies must you take? Can the kids carry anything? One important consideration is food! Traditional backpacking food options are generally not so great. Add a picky eater into the mix, and you may decide it’s easier to just sit home on the couch. But, not to fear! Melissa Lynn Lieser of Backpacker’s Bistro is here to help! Backpacker’s Bistro provides gourmet, nutritious alternatives for the trail, made with healthy and fresh ingredients. Round up the family, because after this episode you’ll be eager to get started on your next backpacking adventure. 

Backpacking with Kids

Jessica Reimer works as a policy associate for HEAL Utah focusing on air quality. According to data and information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Utah ranks among the highest producers of toxic chemicals in the United State. Jessica looks at the policies for cleaning the air, and suggests what we as citizens can do to help. She’s participating in the upcoming 2018 legislature in Utah, explains what changes they’re pushing for this year, and how you can get involved. You can also take the Clear The Air Challenge, simply by turning off your car instead of idling when bringing kids to and from school. It’s small actions like these that will go a long way towards helping our planet! Links: Heal Utah - http://www.healutah.org/ Utah Legislature - https://le.utah.gov/ Clear The Air Challenge - https://slchamber.com/clear-the-air-challenge-kickoff/ Sponsors: http://audibletrial.com/goadventuremom

What we can to do help our air quality

Skiing is a great way to get out and enjoy the winter weather, but it can seem intimidating or even dangerous. Not to worry! Our guest today is Alyssa Erickson from the Online Family Ski School. As you’ll find out, learning to ski doesn’t start on the hill. There’s lots to learn ahead of time to make sure your experience is a great one! Aside from the obvious of actually learning to ski, there can be unexpected challenges such as kids being nervous, not knowing how to get on and off the chairlift with a toddler, and more. Having a plan is the best thing you can do to ensure things go smoothly!      Links: http://kidproject.org http://mountainmomandtots.com http://braveskimom.com   Sponsors:  http://jakesnatureblog.com/book-jakes-nature-guide-rocky-mountains/ https://www.instagra

Online Family Ski School

Go Adventure Mom 024 - Danielle Bates: Pond Town Happy Holidays! Get in the Christmas spirit with our guest Daniel Bates, who has launched a podcast based on a short story she’s written about Salem (Pond Town). The Pond Town Podcast is essentially an audiobook of her story, with new episodes being released leading up to Christmas. In this episode of Go Adventure Mom, Daniel shares how the podcast came to be, the inspiration behind it, and as a bonus, some ideas for adventures in your own backyard. You can listen to the podcast and find out more using these links: http://www.pondtownpodcast.com/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pond-town-podcast/id1317782347?mt=2 Thanks to: http://www.365milechallenge.org/ https://www.lifesabundance.com/goadventuremom

Christmas Edition: Pond Town with author Danielle Bates

Are you being present with your kids? Parenting has increasing become harder as we fight for time with our kids. The time we have with our children is precious and fleeting. While distractions and the monotony of life can sometimes cause us to forget, we need to make time to connect and celebrate beautiful family moments. Artist Pam Baumeister hopes to capture these moments, with her pieces serving as a daily reminder to parents to be present, finding deeper joy and avoiding regret later in life. Kathy and Pam talk about the importance of spending time outdoors as children, the challenge of distractions, the false sense of connection we get from social media, what we can learn from kids, and what really matters in life. http://www.pambaumeister.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pam_baumeister/ https://www.facebook.com/pambaumeister/ Books mentioned: Last Child in the Woods Big Magic Sponsor:

How to be present with your kids with Pam Baumeister

Go Adventure Mom 022 - Special Edition 7 Miles in 7 Days Challenge 7 miles. 7 days. Can you do it? Take this FREE motivational mini-challenge with an amazing group of people, and get moving outdoors for 1 mile each day. After the overwhelming response of the 365 Mile Challenge, Kathy Dalton, Alyssa Erickson, Rebecca Walsh, Jess Curren, and Amelia Mayer came up with the idea of a 7-day mini-challenge. Now, you can get a taste of the 365 Mile Challenge! The 7 Miles In 7 Days challenge is completely free. Learn more and sign up here: http://www.365milechallenge.org/ Jess Curren http://currentlywandering.com/ Amelia Mayer http://talesofamountainmama.com/ Alyssa Erickson http://kidproject.org/ Rebecca Walsh https://www.justtrails.com/ + https://hikelikeawoman.net/   Sponsor: Spot Gen 3 https://www.findmespot.com  

7 Miles in 7 Days

Adam from the Marine Mammal Center in California joins us for an episode all about the ocean and marine life! ocean in some way, and we depend on a healthy ocean

What you can do to save marine mammals

Go Adventure Mom 020 - Linda Akeson McGurk “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes,” says today’s guest Linda Akeson McGurk. Linda started the Rain or Shine Momma blog, and has now written a book called There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather. Linda grew up in Sweden, where she was taught to go outdoors every day, rain or shine. As a mother in America, she noticed how many children seemed to lack a meaningful connection with nature. Starting a blog was her first step towards changing that. While 21st-century childhoods seem to have less outdoors time than ever because of hectic lives and electronic devices, the barriers are easily overcome! Whether it’s clothing that provides comfort for extended periods outdoors, or simply doing away with excuses, Linda explains how a lifestyle with more outdoors time is easier than you might think. Links: http://rainorshinemamma.com/ Giveaway: 

There's No Such Thing As Bad Weather

You’ve heard of homeschooling, but how about wildschooling? Nicolette Sowder is the creator of Wilder Child and the wildschooling Facebook group, which has grown to over 17,000 members! The Wilder Child community is for those who are passionate about raising a Wilder Child and getting back to nature. Nicolette coined the term “Wildschooling” as an extension of this, for families who are passionate about supporting a nature-based, active, and joyful childhood. While Nicolette’s family purchased a farm and are literally able to homeschool their children with a focus on nature and farm life, you don’t have to do all of this to reap the benefits! The Wildschooling group is open to everyone, whether you’re able to spend a little time outdoors or a lot! You can learn from and exchange ideas with like-minded people for exploring life outdoors! Links: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wildschool

Wild Schooling with founder Nicolette Sowder

Go Adventure Mom Podcast 018 - Woom Bikes Biking is a great and healthy activity, and a skill that kids will have for life! In an episode all about biking, Mathias and Marcus from Woom Bikes share their passion for getting kids outdoors. With increasing bike use comes the importance of education and safety, a big responsibility for parents. You’ll learn some great riding safety tips, such as correct helmet sizing and why kids benefit from bikes designed specifically for them. Mathias and Marcus tell the story of how Woom bikes came to be, maintaining its roots as a small business today, despite selling to all parts of the world! Woom’s success has allowed them to assist with programs for children in need, and even offer programs to recycle and reduce waste. Does your family bike together? If not, this episode surely inspire you to strap on your helmets and get riding! Links: https://us.woombi

How this kids bike company is getting kids outdoors

Go Adventure Mom 016 - Bird Nerds Unite: The National Audubon Society Today we are talking about birds! Birds can add excitement and depth to all of your outdoor experiences, whether it’s camping, hiking, or in your own backyard! Our guest is Dr. John Rowden, Director of Community Conservation at The National Audubon Society. Dr. Rowden explains how he came to study birds as a career, his graduate work studying a group of parrots in Australia, and talks about his role at the Society. You’ll learn a wealth of bird knowledge, such as what to do if you find a baby bird that has fallen out of its nest, how simple changes to your garden can help support the bird population, and how to get involved with your local Audubon chapter. We spend some time talking specifically about hummingbirds, and Audubon’s citizen scientist program “Hummingbirds At Home,” which you can find more details about in the links below! Birds provide your family with many opportunities

How to save humming birds with John Rowden at the National Audubon Society

Welcome to the Go Adventure Mom podcast, where having kids only adds to the adventure! Get outdoors. See the world. Live a full life. Go Adventure Mom: For families who refuse to be indoorsy people. Now, let’s go adventure with Kathy Dalton.