Instagram #OutdoorFamilies Photo Contest – Enter to WIN $2,500 in Prizes! Nov. 19 – 26, 2013

Posted on by Jennifer Fontaine
With the plethora of smartphone instant photo sharing capabilities available to us these days and the advent of Instagram, it’s no wonder an average of 500 Million photos are shared online every single day! I know I certainly contribute my fair share of pictures to the interwebs, as do my amazing Outdoor Blogger friends, so we decided to get together to inspire you, with a little help from our awesome sponsors, to get outdoors with your family and hopefully, to remind ourselves just how thankful we are!
Enter to win the #outdoorfamilies giveaway!  Simply share a picture of you and your family doing an outdoor activity on Instagram and use the hashtags #outdoorfamilies and #thankfulforfamilies. Contest runs from November 19-26. You can share a photo daily (up to 7 total photos) and winners will be chosen at random and announced on Instagram by each participating blogger on their blogs. 
Giveaway entry rules:
  • Must be a resident of US or Canada
  • You MUST follow all the blogger participants on Instagram listed below to be eligible to win any of the prizes: 
  • All photos must be originals and taken by YOU (a reposted photo will disqualify you!)
  • All photos must be tagged with BOTH #outdoorfamilies AND #thankfulforfamilies and submitted by 10 pm MST on November 26th.
  • All winners will be chosen randomly from all submitted entries at the end of the week and announced on each of the blogs after November 26th.  Comments will also be left on the winning photos to let you know you won.
What you can win:
**All prizes with the exception of one (noted) will be open to both US and Canadian residents**
  • A pair of Oakiwear waders for your child
  • An Ambler kids’ hat
  • Nikwax Products (Sandal Wash, Freshbase and Polar Proof)
  • Snowstoppers Nylon Mittens
  • Spyder Mini Cubby Long Ski Mittens and Bob Skates from Mountain Baby
  • An Outdoor Wine Glass Set and pair of snack trays from Grasshaven Outdoor
  • Kowalli Baby Carrier Cover
  • $150 Gift Certificate to spend at any retailer on the ActiveJunky.com Site
  • HABA sand toys
  • Bandi Bands 
  • From Honey Stinger – 2 boxes (choc and van) of the new kid’s waffle – US ONLY!!
  • Education Outdoors board game  
  • Hero Kit – First Aid or bike repair kit
  • Ducksday Rain Suit
  • Easy Rider Chair from Travel Chair
  • A Children’s Outdoors Book: “Watershed Adventures of a Water Bottle” by Jennifer Chambers
  • Winner’s choice of one pair of shoes from Hi-Tec
  
Participating Bloggers (who worked hard to round up these great prizes!):
*Make sure you check out all of these great blogs!*
  1. Adventure Tykes: http://adventuretykes.com
  2. Adventurous Moms: http://adventurousmoms.com
  3. The Adventures in Parenthood Project: http://adventurousparents.com
  4. Chasqui Mom: http://ChasquiMom.com
  5. Go Adventure Mom: http://goadventuremom.com
  6. Mommy Hiker: http://www.mommyhiker.com
  7. The Kid Project: http://kidproject.org
  8. Tales of a Mountain Mama: http://talesofamountainmama.com
  9. Velo Mom: http://Velomom.com
  10. Wild Tales Of: http://wildtalesof.com
By Jennifer Fontaine

[Family Volunteering Series Pt. 4] It Takes a Village To Make a Difference

Posted on by Jennifer Fontaine
For our family, Thanksgiving, and pretty much every holiday, is always about valuing the love that we have for each other and showing our appreciation for that love. It’s so easy to fall into that trap of taking things for granted and I believe there’s no better way to remind ourselves of how blessed we are than to put ourselves in the position to serve others who are in need.  

Volunteering is so much more than handing out or picking up things, it’s about making that human connection to another person or to Mother Nature. It’s about getting family together, radiating a positive and nurturing energy and taking the time to emphasize the importance of loving acts.

Planting Native Plants with Tree People

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I thought it would be inspiring to me, and hopefully to you, to spotlight a few other families who value how beautiful family volunteering can be. Do you have a favorite family volunteering tradition? Share it with us and let’s inspire each other!


Melissa from Keeping up with the Rheinlander’s

Holidays are a special time for families! However not all families can or are unable to give their children what they want/need during the holidays! That is where my family and friends like to help! During the Holidays we all get together and pitch in money to “adopt” a family every year! To ensure that at least one family in our area has a wonderful Christmas/Holiday!! I think it is a bright spot in our Holiday tradition and makes everyone feel as if they made a difference. 

As a family we donate to places, events, charities throughout the year (especially our local children’s shelter). I always involve my daughter (who is now 4) because I want to teach her to give, that we share what we have with others.  I want to teach her to be a generous and loving person. 

Having worked with at-risk youth and children in Foster care I feel that I “know more” than the average person and a responsibility to GIVE. If I am able to impact the life of one child and teach my own child a valuable lesson in the process then I am doing something right! I challenge you to find a charity or local family in need and give back! You can do it alone or gather family and friends to help make someone else’s Holiday special for them!! 


Jennifer from The Good Long Road

Our family holiday volunteer tradition began when our oldest son was barely 2 and our youngest son was not quite 4 months old. 

My husband and I nurture family volunteerism by example — showing our boys the importance of doing what we can to help others, particularly in the ways that make the most sense for us. My husband shot photos and video footage of the event (he and I are independent filmmakers). This was a talent he could give to the organizers — quality photos they could use to promote the event and get more people involved in the future. It helps the boys understand the importance of their job, as a job that a little one can do varies quite a bit from an adult. Still, children can give back. They can also learn a great deal from seeing parents give back and having parents prioritize giving to others, both time and donations.

Since our particular family holiday volunteer tradition relates to feeding those in need, this theme often runs throughout the year for us as we try to donate items to our food pantry on a regular basis and engage in other creative ways to raise awareness about hunger and help individuals struggling with food insecurity. 

I love that my kids take joy in helping others. As they get older, I look forward to seeing what volunteer opportunities and giving activities grow out of their own interests and concerns, and we’ll continue to have fun committing lots of random acts of kindness!


Amber from The Mile High Mama 

I’ve always had a problem with Thanksgiving. By its very definition, this holiday should be about giving thanks with those we love but has become an excuse to be over-indulgent stuffing our faces while watching football all day (can you tell I have pretty strong opinions about this? 🙂 So I decided my family’s Thanksgiving would be about service. 

This will be our third year serving Thanksgiving dinner through Volunteers of America to a residential and support program designed to help chronically homeless women. We bring a side dish to share, we make cards for them, we play BINGO together and, most importantly, we are filled with gratitude for all that we have while realizing maybe we’re not so different after all. 

Melissa From Chasqui Mom

My husband and I have been youth leaders for eight years at our local Spanish speaking church, Iglesia Esperanza Viva for Junior High and High School Students.  

Last year in addition to starting a wilderness program, we wanted to teach our youth students the value of giving back to our community.  We coordinated to have 13 students volunteer at the Telegraph Ministry Center’sfood pantry and it was a great opportunity for them to serve their neighbors.


Even though my own children are toddlers, it’s very important to me to teach my children to serve the needs of our community.  As in all our outdoor adventures (we do everything as a family) our own children come along on volunteering activities.   I love working with teenagers whether it’s teaching them  outdoor skills, spiritual lessons or volunteering alongside them in our community.


By Jennifer Fontaine

[Food Series] Roasted Acorn Squash with Crispy Brown-Buttered Sage and Toasted Pine Nuts

Posted on by Jennifer Fontaine

There’s just something so inviting and cozy about roasting squash, not to mention the fact that it’s pretty much the easiest thing in the world to do! Since the weather here in LA has decided to stay hovering in the high 80s, I decided I would fill my house with the quintessential Fall aroma of cinnamon and acorn squash. Enjoy!

2 Acorn Squash
1/2 cup of mixed grains or rice
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup raw Pine Nuts
8 Sage leaves
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half and place seed-side down on a roasting sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until you can easily depress the outer shell of the squash. When the squash is done, take it out and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. In a pot, prepare the grains or rice. I used Trader Joe’s Harvest Grain Blend which is a mix of some fun grains including orzo, baby garbanzo beans, Israeli style couscous and red quinoa. It cooks up, per the directions on the package, in 10 minutes! Remove the seeds from the squash and gently scoop out the inside into a mixing bowl. Add the grains, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. Carefully scoop the mixture back into the acorn shells for a cool presentation. In a large pan, melt the butter on low heat, then add the pine nuts and sage and sauté for about 4 minutes. Watch it closely to make sure the butter doesn’t burn! Pour butter, pine nuts and sage evenly over the four acorns, serve and enjoy!

By Jennifer Fontaine