los angeles – Page 10

The End of an Era – Saying Goodbye to My Beloved Merrell’s

Posted on August 12, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

I’d like to introduce you to my long time friend and trusted travel companion: Meet my Merrells!

The rocky cliffs of the Northern California Coast

This year they turned 15. They have carried me across molten volcanoes and barren deserts, through the rain forests of Costa Rica,

The mystical Arenal Volcano looming in the distance. Costa Rica.

the mystical Underground cities of Cappadocia and over countless mountains, streams and picturesque meadows on four different continents.

They are more than a pair of shoes, they have been my most trusted travel companion (aside from, of course, my husband and more recently our daughter!).

High Sierra Mountains – Sequoia National Park

They have kept me grounded and allowed me to explore the great and vast world we live in. They have propelled me forward through the twists and turns of each and every switchback to revel in the beauty which lies beyond and I will be forever grateful for the day they were given to me by my best cuz/bro/twin.

Alas, it is the end of an era. The time has come to say goodbye, to lay them to rest and the daunting yet exciting task begins: Research, testing and buying new hiking shoes!

The research is probably my most favorite and the most overwhelming part of the whole process. The hiking industry is definitely not what it was 15 years ago. Technology has soared by leaps and bounds and the brands available have grown exponentially! I’ve said it before, I’m not by any means a “gear head.” Case in point, I have 15 year old hiking shoes! Ha!

Thankfully, I have a strong and supportive network of Outdoor peeps and will definitely be pumping the ladies for all of their Female Hiking Boot opinions. I also came across a great Outdoor Gear website called TheClymb.com. It’s a membership based private-sale network that you sign up for like Zulily or Groupon and they offer deals on everything Outdoorsy up to 70% off. Sign me up! I’m always looking to save money.

What are you most favorite pair of hiking shoes? Why do you love them? Help me decide!

[Food Series] A Summer Picnic at The Hollywood Bowl

Posted on August 8, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

The Hollywood Bowl is a beloved LA landmark whose cultural and musical history has been delicately woven into the very fabric of our lives for over a decade. It will be featured in an upcoming MommyHiker.com article, but today I wanted to showcase a few quick, easy and nutritious summer picnic ideas, perfect for mad-dashing out to a concert or just to the neighborhood park!

Caprese
1 Heirloom Tomato
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
Fresh Basil
Red Onion
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Thinly slice the tomatoes, mozzarella and red onions then lay them on a plate, alternating tomato, mozzarella, basil leaf. Once you have used up all of the sliced ingredients, sprinkle red onions on top, lightly salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar!

Roasted Broccoli & Fennel
2 heads of Broccoli
1 Fennel Bulb
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Cut the heads of broccoli into florets and slice the fennel. Toss everything lightly in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Fruit Salad
2 Large Apples
1 small container of Blueberries
3 Persian Cucumbers
1/4 pound of Grapes

Core and slice 2 apples. Remove grapes from stem. Peel and chop cucumbers. Toss everything into a bowl and serve!

[Guest Blogger Series] Making Time For More Family Time by Kerem Hanci

Posted on August 6, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

This month Mommy Hiker is pleased, honored and proud to welcome my very own husband, Kerem Hanci to the Guest Blogger Series! Pro Photographer, Husband, Daddy, Blogger extraordinaire, he has been writing his own very popular Friday Photo Blog for just over 5 years now and if you’ve been with us from the beginning, you may remember waaaay back almost a year ago to his first Mommy Hiker Guest Post (Wow! A year!). Let’s give him a warm welcome back!

I am so happy to reconnect with all the readers of Mommy Hiker again.

As a professional photographer who shoots primarily weddings, summer is extremely busy for me.

Although this can create certain challenges in getting my much-needed family time, I never let it become an excuse to take those precious fleeting moments away from me.

We were able to schedule a fantastic camping trip (my blog post on that trip and I am sure you already have read Jen’s blog post) last month and this past week was extremely busy for us in a very good, outdoorsy way!

First we spent an entire afternoon at the park. We were supposed to meet with friends and something came up on their end and we ended up having a family day at the park.

Following that wonderful day, right before the weekend, I went along to my first official Mommy Hiker Los Angeles hike! The Mommy Hiker regulars and their children who joined, the energy of the group and the joyful couple of hours that followed were one of the absolute highlights of my summer!

The camaraderie of the children, with the older ones taking responsability for the younger ones was adorable to witness. I kind of stayed away from the socializing moms (which is another perk for the members of the Mommy Hiker community) and focused on the children. Their laughter, their fascination with the nature and their endless imagination uplifted me to a whole different level on Friday morning.

The lunch time was a carnival of carefully packed delicious, healthy snacks and it was followed by a festival of children taking turns blowing bubbles and get lost in their excitement of chasing soapy water filled with air. The joy of life really is just that simple!

Over the weekend we drove down to Long Beach for a baby shower, than we drove up to Oxnard for a wild-life cruise, which Jennifer is dedicating an entire blog post to later this month.

I am certain I am preaching to the choir here, but I would like to finish this photography-heavy blog with this: don’t say you would go out and explore the outdoors and let your child(ren)’s imagination run wild “when you can”. Make time for it, create it and give your undivided attention to how your little one is expanding his/her horizons. Expand yours with theirs. We are blessed in California, with year-round lovely weather, kid and wallet-friendly outdoor attractions. Come join the Mommy Hiker group when they are hiking on Friday mornings and make a serious effort to go every week. It is a fantastic opportunity to stay in shape, to challenge the little ones and yourself to achieve new heights in personal development.