Stroller shopping?

I know that this seems a little late for me to be talking about strollers considering our boys are almost completely finished with them. However, had I only known, 7 years ago how serious it is to choose the right stroller, I would have taken more time to figure out which one was best.

I bought the Maclaren Volo last week at a resale shop for our upcoming San Diego trip and it was a lifesaver. Yes we already had a cheapy umbrella stroller from WalMart that we dropped only $15 on, but with that being said, it was rickety, too short to comfortably push, sun shade was useless, no storage and you had to bend over and use two hands to fold it up. I pushed our "new" stroller all over the San Diego Zoo and Sea World with one or both the boys in it and couldn't help thinking "Oh, if I had only known." Disney, here we come!

Here are my top reasons I love this stroller:

• Mesh, think garden hose for cleaning
• Light, think connecting in an airport from valet check to the end of the jetway before the mad dash to the next flight
• Sturdy, Patrick is only 40lbs and it goes up to 50!
• Really small folded, fits sideways in the truck of our Jetta
• Storage basket
• Large, useful sunshade
• You can fold and unfold it with one hand and your foot

So for those of you looking for your first or a new lightweight, umbrella, it would be worth your while looking into these little buggers. It may save you a whole lot of hassle in the long run.

Go here for an extensive review so you know the pros and cons to see if it's a good fit for what you need. Momokd.com has some other good product reviews as well so check her out while you are there.

Why I live in Durango

Durango is so far from family, the nearest interstate is over 150 miles away, the shopping is abysmal, and the median house price is close to $400K! We sacrifice a whole lot to live here and people ask "WHY?!?!"

Getting ready for the ride

Here's the answer. On a given Friday afternoon, we go to play in someone's backyard after school and it looks something like this: Bike racks on mini vans, miniature mountain bikes, rainbow colored helmets, dusty, rocky trails through the sage brush, cactus and pinion pines, skinned knees, kids covered in dirt, and afterward, huge slices of watermelon and mixed drinks for the moms on the front porch all to the backdrop of the LaPlata 12K.

Patrick, Aeneas, Ava and Alaysia

Aeneas and Lauren taking a scenic break.

Aeneas making tracks.

Alaysia, Ava, Patrick and Aeneas having some refreshment.

A group of very different people all striving to give their kids a gift. The gift of the wilderness and open spaces. And there is no price to put on that. That's why.

Patrick riding the trail with the La Platas in the background.