Summer is coming to an end. Have you enjoyed a fun break with your family? If your answer was "I wish!", we should talk. You don't have to go far from home to have a restful trip that teaches your kids about the world outside of your daily routine. By shifting our pre-child mindset of vacationing into a parenting one, we can see how these breaks can be well within reach with a little planning and prioritization, and without great expense.

Our family recently returned from a really fun, short vacation at a location about three hours from home. As we were driving back, I thought about how valuable these breaks are for us as parents, and how important it is that we recognize and honor what relaxation time means for families.

Long-distance trips (like Hawaii) or exciting outdoor adventures (like rafting the Grand Canyon) can be less relaxing when our children are small. Every heard anyone say: "I need a vacation from my vacation?” There’s no need to set yourself up for exhaustion!

Since my youngest was born, we have focused on short trips that don’t require long-distance travel. What is important for us is to step away from the home front and experience some enjoyment doing things that we love. For us, that is biking, hiking, canoeing and other outdoor pursuits. For you, it might be something different.

Just taking time to be together away from all the distractions of work, email, phone calls, bills arriving in the mail, and home management can reconnect a family. Also, it teaches kids important life skills like how to relax, take time for enjoyment and how to be present with people rather than just being productive.

Even on short trips, your kids are learning about the greater world beyond your daily routine. Even if you visit a spot close to home, the richness of new experiences are vital to their learning and growth. Think about what you would like for them to experience - nature, art, music, interesting geography, a physical challenge (like hiking), meeting people who have a different lifestyle - and pick a location that matches your goals.

Even if you are planning your trip around your kids, the perspective you can gain from just a couple of days away from home is priceless. You are likely to return with a new idea, a refreshed sense of gratitude and a bit more energy for home and work life.

Summer is almost over! Be sure to make time for a short, restful break - even if it's just a Saturday or afternoon trip into some unknown territory or a favorite nearby spot - before the fall arrives.

Our family loves to ride bikes. From commuting to work to participating in long distance rides, my husband and I have always enjoyed the simplicity, sustainability, health benefits and great fun of riding bikes. But when you have small children, family rides can get a little more complicated. Through two kids, I've had experiences with balance bikes, mini bikes that attach to the back of an adult bike, and front- and rear-mounted child seats, so I thought I'd share a few impressions on our favorite kids' bike seat to date: The iBert Safe-T Seat.

Our toddler can balance for long distances on his pedal-free kids' bike. It's great for his own play, but not suitable for riding as a family.

When my older son (who is now 17) was little, I used a bike seat that attached to the back of my bicycle. While he enjoyed getting out on the bike with his mom, he often complained that he couldn’t see anything (besides my backside) and I didn’t like how difficult it was to talk to him. As he grew older, we got a Trail-A-Bike that was a blast for us both. We rode daily to school and even did some short “long distance” rides (25 miles) with friends.

Now, our younger son wants to be more involved in our bicycling adventures. He isn’t willing to sit quietly in a trailer and we knew he would want to see everything we were seeing from our bikes. So after my husband made a trip to Tokyo and saw countless Japanese families riding around with front-mounted child bike seats, we researched front seats online and found one available in the U.S.

The iBert Safe-T Seat allows our toddler to really participate in the ride. Since the seat faces forward and attaches near the handlebars, he can see where we are going, is able to talk to us while we are riding and feels safe right between our arms rather than being banished to the back of the bike. Out on a typical ride, he points out objects like airplanes, animals (he loves cats) and other bicyclists and is able to put his hands on the handlebars (which can be a liability if you aren’t paying attention).

The iBert Safe-T is recommended for children ages one to four with a maximum weight of 38 pounds and a maximum height of 42 inches.

The cost is reasonable compared to seats that go on the back of a bike - at around $85 it's cheaper than some, and costs more than just a few. Better still, assembly is a piece of cake - it literally took five minutes to install, and has a quick-release for the seat so you can ride solo again quickly. That's a great feature!

There are two drawbacks to the iBert:

1. Your handlebar stem needs to have 3/4" clearance for the iBert to fit properly, so make sure to measure it if you're thinking about getting one. Our family is proof that the mounting bar doesn’t fit on all bikes - it fits on two of the five bikes we have between us.


2. Ergonomically, it doesn't work equally for all users. My husband is tall (6 foot 1 inch) and he still has plenty of knee room to pedal. For me at 5 foot 3 inches tall, it is not as comfortable. Reaching over my son to get to my handlebars, I feel crowded. So, he usually rides with his Dad.

The seat has a very minimal affect on the handling of the bicycle and the balance feels natural, with more of the weight towards the front rather than the back of the bike.

Overall, the iBert seat is simple to use and our son loves it so much he asks to go on bike rides!