Have you camped with kids? I was a little scared to try, but we did it last summer.  Remember last summer? It rained. The whole time. And it was freezing cold. So that was awesome. Not. Our brand new Fancy Brand tent leaked, so our kids were wet AND freezing. Of course we had our dog, who added an interesting perspective. And by perspective, I mean aroma. We gave up after one night.

So now we don’t even have a tent. I found this program from The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Gander Mountain (which, by the way, I cannot say with out immediately shouting HUNT CAMP FISH afterwords) that I’m pretty excited about. Has anyone tried it? It looks like you can kind of  ‘test drive’ camping and see if it is for you.

The First Time Campers Program provides:

•  Two Nights of Camping
• Two daily motor vehicle permits
• Gear provided by Gander Mountain (HUNT CAMP FISH!) including a 4-person tent, a tarp, 2 camp chairs, a flashlight, a lantern, a camp stove, 4 hot dog /marshmallow cookers, and 2 fishing poles.
• Hands-on instruction on setting up camp and outdoor living from Michigan’s most experienced campers.

You don’t get to keep the stuff, but still; that’s awesome! If you want to give it a try, contact the park where you want to stay, and ask to enroll in the First Time Camper program. Cabins are available for an extra $15 at some parks. That might not be a bad idea… Check the DNR website for the parks that have this program.

Or, if you just want to go for the day and sleep in your own bed at night, AND you are a card carying member of the Grand Rapids Public Library, don’t forget card-holders can check out a day pass to MI State Parks and save the entry fee.  There are some fun “State Parks Explorer” programs that the kids might enjoy, and you can scoot home before the mosquitos come out.

If you’d just like to watch someone else camp from the comfort of your laptop, you can check out WeeShare’s “Celebrate Camping” event, where there will be prizes and reviews of camping gear.  No Deep Woods Off necessary.

In my time away (it was only five days, but I think fast) I thought a lot about where I’m taking Big Binder. Or as is usually the case, where it is taking me. I have been tossing around a few ideas and I finally found one I like.

I’m going to help raise West Michigan.

Not just in the sense of raising its children to be active both physically and in their community, but in raising up all of us. Our health, mental and physical. Our economy. Our image.

It’s a big job for one person, but many hands make light work. And many blogs make lifting a region easy. If not easy, than at least very interesting.

I am going to start featuring other West Michigan bloggers, whether they like it or not. Just kidding. There are fascinating people out there right in our backyards, so to speak. Most of them don’t maintain a regional focus, like I do, but some do.

I thought I’d start at the very beginning – literally. Donielle from Naturally Knocked Up explores different ways to get your body ready for child-bearing, and also deals with infertility and some natural ways to try and increase odds for conception.  She herself converted to a natural diet and lifestyle. She’s a talented writer, and folks wanting to really focus on this are extremely fortunate that she has created an e-course.  It starts next week on Monday, July 12.

Donielle really wants to share her own story of becoming pregnant through nourishing foods, and help you to have the same success. She has put a tremendous amount of work into this course, and it includes recipes, how-to videos, and so much information it had to be put into a class format to avoid being overwhelming.  I am thrilled to be an affiliate for this course, and hope that you put some serious consideration into it.

According to Donielle, this course is best for: 

• Couples who want to learn natural alternatives to increase the odds of conception.
• Fertile Myrtles looking to best prepare their bodies before trying to conceive.
• Engaged or newly married couples who want to learn how what you do now affects your fertility later.
• People who think they’re too old to become pregnant and carry to term.
• People who are looking at conventional infertility treatments (IUI/IVF) and want to increase their chances of success.  Preparing your body takes a holistic approach that can complement modern medicine.

The course is $96, and goes for 12 weeks.  That is $8 a week for very valuable information.  Each week, you’ll download new materials and read the lessons on your own schedule. Here is an overview of each week:

Week 1. Cleansing Your Body

Week 2. Natural Living – such as cleaners and beauty products

Week 3. Exercise

Week 4. Fertility Awareness

Week 5. Real Nutrition

Week 6. Super Foods for Fertility

Week 7. What Not to Eat

Week 8. Herbs and Fertility

Week 9. Alternative Treatments for Infertility

Week 10. Stress

Week 11. Tips for Increased Fertility

Week 12. Where to Start

In my opinion, the real value of an e-course instead of a book is the online forum you can participate in.  You’ll have access to the materials as well as the forum forever – not just the 12 weeks during the course. So if you have to put the course on hold and finish up at a later time, that is completely fine.

Now, $96 is a lot of money. You can also make 3 payments of $40 if you’d like, and there is a money-back guarantee until July 18, so you can complete one chapter and get a refund if it isn’t the right fit for you.

Are you ready to get Naturally Knocked Up?