Wander Everyday Project Review: How We’re Creating a Winter Outdoor Rhythm With Littles

When I started thinking about the Wander Everyday Project, I had a picture-perfect image in my head. Fresh air and perfect mountain sunshine every day. Intentional outdoor time. Kids happily playing outside while I soaked in the magic. Beautiful little moments intermixed with big adventures.

And… some of that has happened.

Snowy landscape with sparse grass under a clear blue sky. The sun shines brightly over distant hills, creating a serene and calm mood.

But if I’m being honest? Being consistent in our outdoor time this month has also been harder than I expected. (It's -24 as I write this...yet there's almost no snow. How's that for magical?)

Winter with littles is no joke. Cabin fever is real. Motivation dips. Tiny gear is hard to manage. Most days I want real adventure - long hikes, road trips, red rock desert sunshine (hello, Moab… we’re coming for you in a couple of weeks). And Colorado has delivered anything but an inspiring snow-year so far that's made it hard to say yes to even everyday adventures. Too cold for summer activities. Too snowless for winter fun.

So instead, most of our days look like this:

Bundling kids. Opening the door. Letting them play in a combo of snow and mud. Standing in the cold longer than feels comfortable. Warming up cold wet fingers. Doing it anyway.

And that’s exactly why the Wander Everyday Project matters.

What Creating a Winter Outdoor Rhythm Actually Looks Like in Real Life

To truly Wander Everyday isn't a highlight reel. It’s not a perfectly curated life of Instagram worthy hiking, camping, and outdoor activities that makes you feel like a failure if your kids haven't yet hiked Everest or backpacked 100 miles.

It’s a commitment to making space for fresh air, free play, and sunlight - even when it’s inconvenient, messy, or underwhelming. Even when its ordinary.

Some days, wandering looks like:

A short walk down the sidewalk
Backyard play while I sip coffee and watch
Letting the kids dig in snow piles or mud
Opening the door “just for 10 minutes” and staying out longer than planned

Other days, wandering is:

Scenic hikes
Learning a new outdoor skill
Tailgate picnics
Backyard campfires
Watching the sun dip behind the mountains

Most days, it’s somewhere in between.

The Honest Part: This Is Harder Than I Thought

We are a family that loves the outdoors. Most of our year-round recreation is based on something in the fresh air. We live on a dirt road with an acre of space to roam. We live in the mountains of Colorado, for heaven's sake! I thought the challenge would be remembering to go outside. But the intentional practice of spending time outdoors whether we have something fun to do or whether we really feel like has been what takes discipline.

The harder part has been:

Pushing through my own resistance
Letting go of “it’s not enough”
Accepting that winter wandering is quieter, slower, and less dramatic

There are days I crave:

Road trips
Big landscapes
Long days of adventure
Sunup to sundown outdoor time like in the summer

Instead, we’re here - building something smaller but deeper. Truly weaving nature into routine.

And that’s been the unexpected gift.

What’s Actually Changed Since We Started

While spending time outdoors for us is nothing new, the daily practice of even just a few minutes outdoors (even when we don't feel like it) and creating a winter outdoor rhythm has been a surprisingly hard habit to build. But even on the days when it feels mundane, the impact is undeniable.

1. Our Days Have More Rhythm

Outdoor time is an anchor - something we return to no matter how the day feels. It most often falls naturally into a specific time block of our afternoons and is the perfect way to get wiggles out before rest. But the focus on small amounts of outdoor time has also made an opportunity to look for simple ways to incorporate fresh air more often into our days, rather than just a scheduled time to "play outside."

2. The Kids Settle Faster

Fresh air does what even the best of lectures and activities struggles to do. Less friction. More regulation. When my kids are getting exceptionally antsy, we head outside and, just like magic, most bad moods cease. My daughter was having one exceptionally rough morning and finally sighed and told me, "Mommy, I think I just need some outdoor time." Parenting win.

3. I Feel Less Pressure to “Do More”

Wandering doesn’t require a plan. Just presence...which is almost harder for a Type A mama like me, but also surprisingly freeing. It's also a powerful lesson to me and my kiddos that joy in the everyday, not waiting for the next big thing.

4. Adventure Feels Accessible

We’re not waiting for the “right” conditions. We’re practicing now. This month hasn’t been glamorous, but it’s been grounding and even humbling. It's easy to harp on the wonders of outdoor time in the glorious days of summer or fall. But a cold and snowless winter has put even our nature-loving family to the test. Focusing on small moments rather than big adventures has been freeing because it's reminded us that nature is just outside the door for all of us, no matter where we live and no matter the season.

5. NATURE IS SOMETHING KIDS WANT

Sometimes big adventures leave little kids burned out and exhausted and the next time you drag them out for (fill in the blank of your outdoor activity of choice), they're more resistant. But small touches of outdoor time and nature play leave them wanting more, building a habit around the outdoors but also a love for it. Isn't it a beautiful thing to hear your children ask for time outside rather than being forced into? That's the magic of Wander Everyday.

The Next Step to Wandering

Winter with young kids is a training ground. Not just for them, but for us.

We’re:

Building tolerance for cold or less-than-perfect conditions
Learning to play without a plan and enjoy without expectations
Practicing flexibility
Creating muscle memory for outdoor habits
Perfecting our "gear management" skills

These small, imperfect outings are what make bigger adventures possible later. And they continue to build a child's love and hunger for the outdoors. We want them to LOVE to spend time outside, no matter what. And that habit starts right now.

Child in green coat and pink hat sits at snowy picnic table, gesturing near three paper cups. Evergreen trees in the background.

Although a part of me wants to pack these munchkins up and take them on grand expeditions TODAY, I know that another part of me will miss these small moments and slower days of early childhood. No moment of fresh air and sunshine is ever wasted when it's spent together. In ways that are both tangible and intangible, we can rest in the certainty that these small touches have a big impact.

If You Haven’t Started Yet — Start Now

So I hope now you're with me in seeing that all those Pinterest-perfect moments that we see on social media aren't all there is to outdoor time. Sometimes it is ordinary, messy, and imperfect. Sometimes it is a big adventure, but more often than not, it's a backyard. Sometimes it feels like something you just need to do, rather than want to do.

You don’t need:

Perfect weather or conditions
The full gear list
A schedule of activities
A checklist for goals and learning objectives
1,000,000 acres of forest land

You need:

Intention
Consistency (imperfect is fine)
Willingness to open the door

If you’ve been watching from the sidelines, wondering if it’s “worth it” or feeling like a few minutes every day outside with your kids is a discipline you're not sure if you can build - this is your invitation.

Getting outdoors every single day with your kids no matter the weather, where you live, or what you're doing is HARD. But like every habit, it gets easier and more natural the more you do it.

Start today. Start small. Start messy.

Let’s wander together. Not worrying about what someone else's definition of adventure looks like. Not comparing our outdoor hours to theirs. Just an introspective look that says, "I want and need more unrushed, low-pressure nature time with my babies." Sound like your inner dialogue? Mine too - we should be friends.

How Are You Wandering With Your Family?

Tell me:

What does outdoor time look like for you right now?
What’s hard?
What’s working?

And if you want something tangible to support your days outside, the Wander Everyday Journal was created for exactly this season - to help kids notice, reflect, and remember the small moments that add up, even if its on a cold wet day in a snowless backyard.

No pressure. No perfection. Just wandering - every day in any way we can.

How Our Colorado Family Is Finding Joy In Everyday Adventure

If you need one last motivational push, let me show you what our Hearth & Wander family looks like wandering everyday.

And here's your own challenge - take a picture every time you spend those micro-moments outdoors. In a month, you'll be surprised to see your patterns but also your special moments pile up. It can feel like it isn't "enough," but when you see a month of memories side by side, it makes you realize that these are the things that shape childhood, just a few minutes of outdoor play and family adventure at a time.