Mom of Four Finds Healing and Rejuvenation in the Outdoors

She Who Wanders

Jun 29

A Convo with Holly from @allweatheradventuring

Meet Holly. She’s a wife + mom of four, currently living in Boise, Idaho where she spends as much time as she can outdoors adventuring with her kids. After seeing the positive effects of spending more time outside, she’s on a mission to connect more kids with nature through her Adventure Kits, which encourage creative play + fun with natural elements. Her belief that nature is both healing and rejuvenating drives her to share her story and inspire others to connect more outdoors.

Tell us a little about you and your family like where you’re from, where you live now, how old are your kids and anything interesting or unique you’d like people to know.

I was born and raised in small towns all over Oregon, and we moved to Boise, Idaho when I was 13. After going to college and getting married, my husband and I lived in Washington state for 10 years. We absolutely loved Washington, but my husband needed a job change/change of pace, so in the summer of 2019 we moved to Boise, Idaho. We have been here ever since and have truly fallen in love with all that Idaho has to offer: from the Boise River Greenbelt to the Sawtooth Mountains, and from the many hot springs to the incredible hiking trails available, we love it all and truly love living in this wonderful state. We have four very active kids: girls that are 10 yrs old and 9 yrs old, and boys that are (almost) 7 yrs old and 3 yrs old. Along with raising four kids and running two businesses and a household, I am currently doing research for a Hiking with Kids in Idaho book that will feature 50 hikes for families in this incredible state.

The Great Wanderlust is all about moms stepping outside of the box and diving deeper in both travel and in life! The mission is to inspire mamas and families to feel fully alive through adventure and exploration! What is your great wanderlust? What most makes you come to life??

What helps me feel most alive is adventuring and exploring beautiful places in nature with my family, whether it’s a new spot we find along the river, an alpine lake we love visiting, a hiking trail with epic views or a weekend unplugged in the mountains. Anytime I can get disconnected from the busyness of daily life and fully connected to my people and nature is a happy time for me, and that’s what I always crave. That feeling is my wanderlust.

How did you discover your love for nature and the outdoors? Have you always known you were passionate about it or was there a point in time or event in your life that made you fall in love with it?

I have always loved the outdoors and was raised by outdoorsy parents who took us camping and on trips to the coast and who encouraged us to play outside often. As a teenager, I still enjoyed outdoor activities, but I wouldn’t say they were a priority. When I met my husband, he introduced me to backpacking (which I fell in love with) and we adventured a lot before having kids. When my first daughter was born, I took her outside and to parks a lot but we didn’t get out on bigger adventures as often as before. Our first camping trip with kids was when we had both girls, and we only went once, but we did hike a lot when both girls were little and we had lots of outside time in our yard.

In January of 2018 (when I had 3 young kids all at home) I read Linda McGurk’s book “There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather”. I highly recommend that book to all parents. It helped me rediscover and solidified how I felt about giving my kids a nature-immersed childhood, and I felt less alone with my longing to always be outside.

After reading that book, I got a lot more intentional about getting us outside everyday and doing bigger adventures with our kids, which I realized were important to me. That being said, I truly believe small adventures close to home are just as important as the big ones, and nature is a healing and rejuvenating space for all of us, however you get outdoors.

In what ways has exploring nature had an impact on who you are as a person and your experience of motherhood?

I feel like I am a better mom and better human when I get consistent time in nature. There are so many proven mental and physical benefits to getting outside and getting fresh air, and I have seen that work firsthand for me and my family. Also with having very active children (and a lot of them), going outside has saved my sanity. I am happier outside and my kids (seem to be) calmer and more content as well.

What are some challenges you face in getting outside more with your kids? How do you overcome those challenges and make it happen anyway?

One of the biggest challenges sometimes is simply convincing my four small humans to get out of the house. Even though they all love being outside and have a great time when we get out, they still protest occasionally and like most kids they do enjoy screen time and chill days at home. Some things that help us are: having consistent routines and rhythms so they know what to expect, having a set plan before presenting it to the kids, and wording it in a way that excites them. I also think there is a lot to be said for switching up the kinds of activities we choose to do as a family. If the only thing we ever did outside was ride bikes or hike or chill in the backyard, they would likely get bored of the same activity over and over.

Tell us about your Adventure Kits. Where did you come up with the idea and what is your mission behind them?

I created my adventure kits with the intention of getting kids excited about getting outside more and connecting with and learning from nature. The adventure guide kit is ideal for hiking and exploring outdoors, and comes with a cute magnifying glass, carabiner, and sheets that feature helpful and interactive information and activities, from a scavenger hunt to animal tracks and more. I have created these kits for every region of the United States, so each regional kit features local animals and flowers to look for while out exploring!

I have also created adventure kits for each season of the year: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. These kits are full of activities and ideas for kids to connect with and learn from nature in each season. My hope is that these kits give parents lots of ideas for how to get their kids outdoors year round, taking a bit of the pressure off for busy parents when trying to figure out what to do.

What advice or tips would you give for moms who see the benefits of spending more time outdoors with their kids, but just don’t know how to get started and maybe feel overwhelmed by the process and figuring out where to go/what to do. Also, what are some tips for getting kids excited and on board?

Honestly, half the battle is just getting started. Some of my advice:

Find small things you can do outdoors almost just as easily as you could indoors. Laundry needs folding? Take it outside and fold it on a picnic blanket. Love doing yoga or reading? Do it outside. Setting the example for your kids and also being outside with them will work wonders.
Start small with family walks in the evening or stopping by a park on the way to or from running errands.
Buy gifts that inspire outdoor play: my adventure kits, bubbles, sand toys, water table, scooters, bikes, mud kitchen, etc.
Find people in your area that also want to get outside with their kids and plan meetups with them! Instagram and Facebook groups are both great places to look for this.

Where are you off to next and what are you most looking forward to about it??

We are heading to Bear Lake at the end of June for a family reunion. I am really looking forward to family time and swimming in the gorgeous blue water, and we will be camping which I always love too!

Is there a question you wish I would have asked or anything else you’d like to share with other mamas relating to travel or life?

One of my main goals with my account and my business is to inspire people to get outside in whatever way works for them. Every season of life offers new challenges as well as new opportunities, and my hope is to help moms feel empowered to figure out what matters most to them and do it. Find the outdoor activities that light your soul on fire and go after them, no matter what other people are doing. Don’t compare your outdoor adventures to other families’. Discover what brings joy, connection and peace to you and your family, and do those things.