Taking Kids Outdoors on the Road

Big families are like strainers. Stuff is always leaking out. We don’t keep big secrets very well. In fact, the bigger the secret the harder it is to hold it in. And the more children you have the more holes in your strainer!

So now that approximately 23.7% of the whole world already knows this, we’ll officially make our announcement.

Drum roll, please.

Kids Outdoors is hitting the road!

What Does That Even Mean?

In a nutshell, it means starting this fall, 2019, we’ll be leaving Minnesota and heading south with our RV and all our Kids Outdoors gear. We have no definite travel plans or destinations in place yet but who knows, Kids Outdoors may be coming to a lake near you! (Or, you know, a place where outdoorsy kids can do outdoorsy stuff.)

Just how does a family of six (and a dog) just decide to leave their homestead after investing so much into it and take off on a crazy adventure like this?

As hard as it may be to understand, sometimes the biggest decisions can be the simplest ones to make. Not easy – but simple. And that’s what I wanted to share with you today.

Are you ready for the juicy details?

Our Goals

Investing in our children has always been our biggest priority. Helping them establish and nurture their relationship with Jesus was our first goal from the beginning. And since we have no idea how long this world will keep spinning, preparing them to thrive in it as well-equipped, confident individuals is very important to us.

For us, this means building something that we can pass on to them that will give them a start when it’s their turn to launch out into the world on their own.

Now, we could keep doing what we’ve always done. Joel works a job, we pay the mortgage, we spend what little free time that’s left experiencing life with our kids.

OR we can break the mold.

Where the Life on the Road Idea Came From

To be honest, Joel and I have been contemplating moving out of Minnesota for a few years now. We just haven’t landed on exactly where we want to go. So in the meantime, we’ve just kept building our little homestead and working to start the Kids Outdoors business.

Then, from years gone by, Abraham Lincoln reached out, tapped Joel on the shoulder and said (something like), “Don’t let what you want now get in the way of where you want to go.”

Hmmmm.

The next day the same sentiment was echoed by a friend at work. They were discussing how most of our time and money are taken up to pay for and maintain our homestead here instead of being able to build Kids Outdoors the way we want to and go where we want to.

Double hmmmm.

Then, on the way to church one Sunday, a crazy thought flitted through Joel’s mind which he jokingly passed on to me. “What if we sold the farm, lived in an RV and traveled around with Kids Outdoors until we knew where we want to be and can afford what we’d like?”

Instead of laughing at the idea like he’d expected, it actually struck a chord in me – which was pretty much a sign in and of itself. After living in our two bedroom mobile home for four years I was actually more interested in spreading out – not getting smaller!

After some prayer, reflection, reasoning, research, and discussion we arrived at our plan.

The Plan For Living on the Road

We’re not selling the farm. Instead, we’re renting it out while Kids Outdoors is on the road in order to make it an asset eventually and just in case we want to land back here someday.

As a US Army veteran, Joel has been using his GI Bill to go back to school for awhile. He’s currently finishing up his law enforcement degree and training (which is why we can’t leave Minnesota until this fall) and then has a few months left to finish his bachelor’s in fish and wildlife.

His GI Bill benefits will provide our needs while we’re on the road while we also get Kids Outdoors off the ground.

Which brings me back to Kids Outdoors. I honestly can’t think of a better way to build an outdoors business than to take it on the road! We’ll be able to travel across the states, fish in lakes, rivers, and ponds from coast to coast, hunt and explore areas we’ve only dreamed about, and meet more kids than we could ever reach in just our own community.

And we get to do that with our kids – as a family – learning and growing together to give them and kids everywhere a better future.

What Could Go Wrong, Right?

Well, I’m sure plenty can go wrong. Life on the road is definitely not the “safe” way to live in our culture but it will let us be the family we want to be. And we have a Friend who walks with us giving us wisdom and counsel, courage to go on, and strength to face what comes.

‘Cause we have NO IDEA what we’re doing!

We’re a recipe for crazy as we learn how to build our business, live with four kids and a dog in an RV, navigate the country, and experience LIFE.

Sure, the episodes will tell you what we’re up to but this blog will tell you what it took to get there. I could assume that life will go smoothly and we’ll just naturally know how to do everything.

But I highly doubt it.

And that’s why you’re coming along, right?

‘Cause you’re about to get a taste of some of our crazy!

P.S. The truth is, Kids Outdoors is all about getting kids outside and experiencing nature in many different ways. But I’m the mom who makes sure the kids stay alive long enough to do that. Yes, I’m part of the hunting and fishing trips (some of them anyway) but I’m also keeping them fed, clothed, educated, and in general good health. As a mother to outdoorsy kids, my life can be – interesting.

So I’m asking you, do you want to hear about my side of things? Or would you rather just get more info and advice on getting your kids outside and successful in the outdoors? Or maybe both? Please drop a note in the comments or email us through the contact page. Thank you!