Stories

Some of our personal anecdotes to inspire you to be active, not busy.

STORIES

6 Tips for Harvesting your Garden and How-to Get Kids Involved

One of our favorite ways to be active, not busy during spring and summer is gardening! What a great way to get your little ones outside and teach them about plants and the nutritious food we can grow in our own backyards!

4 Ways to Get Your First Time Student Excited for Preschool

The end of summer is a bittersweet time for everyone, especially your little ones. The end of long sunny days, unstructured routine-less-ness, and what seems like endless playtime can be a hard transition—even more so if it is your child's first time going to school.

Five Fun (and Free!) Summertime Spots for Kids in Pittsburgh

Summer is a great time to make new memories as a family—and experiences outside of your regular routine can add valuable variety to your life! Checkout the five (free!) outdoor spots to explore in Pittsburgh below and take advantage of the sunshine.

How to Keep Kids Entertained and Engaged During Summer Break

Summer is in full swing, which means that most kids are out of school and on a different rhythm. While rest and fun are important for children of all ages, you can still keep their minds engaged outside of the classroom during this season.

These Are the Days

Dinner prep. Two babies crying. One slashed his toe when popping a balloon with a pen and the other has been awake since 11:30 am. The oldest screaming at me from the backyard to come see his flower bomb growth.

The Unofficial Start of Summer: Fun Ideas to Celebrate Memorial Day on a Budget

Memorial Day is considered the unofficial start to summer and with it brings fresh opportunities for your family to be active, not busy. Below you’ll find some ideas to enjoy the warmer temperatures without breaking your wallet.

Fred Rogers Productions chooses local startup, carter joey™, as one of 40 licensee partners world-wide

Today, the children's outdoor company is announcing a new partnership with Fred Rogers Productions to help bring the themes of hit PBS KIDS series, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood to life off-screen.

The Story of the Sling Pack

The climb started three years ago when our oldest son, Carter, and I were in the habit of taking walks during lunch. We were stuck at home through the pandemic, so lunchtime walks...

Blooming Tales

We’re beginning to shake off the cold days of winter and welcome the warmer, cheerier days of spring. And in these early days of this new season, we can expect to see some eager flowers blooming before the rest..

4 Tips for Helping your Animal Friends Thrive this Winter

If you think it’s difficult to make it through some of these dreary winter days, imagine the animals that live in your neighborhood.

The Next Phase

The days are a little different now. Three is more. While we’ve been walking through the valley of diapers and nursing, our family has been changing. We’ve been growing, stepping into the next phase.

Winter Blues: They Impact Kids Too

Now that we’ve packed the holiday decorations away and swept up the confetti from ringing in 2023, we’re faced with the cold winter days ahead.

Happy Holidays

I just reread my post from December 2021 and we accomplished everything except a new book. I’ll point to Conner for my lack of time and creative abilities. But that little elf is worth more than a new book to offer.

A Year of Gratitude

What a year! We have so much to be thankful for, both personally and professionally. We welcomed Conner baby to our team and his older brothers can’t imagine life without him now.

10 Spooky Tips for a Safe Halloween!

Halloween is a time for kids (and adults) to dress up, have fun, indulge in treats, and enjoy the last bit of fall weather before Jack Frost comes to town! What a joyful time!

What Does It Look Like to Chase Your Dreams?

What does it look like to chase your dreams? What does it look like for you to have courage? What does it look like to push yourself, to hold yourself accountable?

Our Newest Addition!

Conner Baby joined our family back in April and it’s been a sleepless time warp ever since. What month are we in? What day is it? What’s happening? Are my kids alive? Okay, good. That’s all that matters.

Our 1st Product Is Here!

We’re thrilled to bring this first and newest product to market. It’s been in my brain and heart for over four years, and it’s been incredible watching it become a reality through different iterations, new manufactures, and many patient days.

Is It Spring Yet?!

Is it too early to hope for Spring? I’m ready to say goodbye to grey skies and hello to warm weather. The other day I heard Carter say, “Dear God, please just make it summer.”

Why I Love Being A Mom!

Damon asked me recently, “What is your favorite thing about being a mom?” The answer came instantly. Lately, my favorite thing about rearing two children is watching them rear each other.

You Can Do Hard Things!

Now and again Carter whines, as 4-year-olds do, over practically anything. Depending on our patience level, we gently remind him that eating green beans isn’t that hard.

Let's Make Resolutions Together!

A new year, a new start. A chance to do things better. Or simply just differently than we how were doing them. The new year is a time for not only reflection, but action.

Another Year With carter joey

carter joey has genuinely been so fun to work on this past year. We’ve added features to our infrastructure, we’ve fine tuned our brand definition...

Great Gift Ideas to get Kids Outdoors

With winter break approaching, we can almost already hear the post-Christmas cries, "Mom, I'm bored!". Often, the best solution to this problem is to get outside. Getting some fresh air (even in the snow, even in the rain) can soften so many of life's challenges.

Advent Calendar

Printable Holiday Adventures for You + Your Littles! We're hoping to make it a bit easier to be active, not busy this holiday season by giving you the gift of adventure! We put together a printable list of holiday activities to inspire joy and help you unplug and get active as a family.

Thankful

It’s like a rollercoaster, this startup life. The beginning of the year was a simple introduction of our hopes for this brand. A “let’s get an Instagram account and try to make a consumer product” idea.

Let's Celebrate

Beyond celebrating the boys, we have another new birth to celebrate—our new carter joey website! Our website redesign is complete. Although we’re always making updates and changes, we’d still like to invite you to check out the site again.

Changing of Seasons

Grief is real for our Littles. It’s so much easier to brush their sad feelings aside and say, “You’re fine, you’ll be all right. Go play.” I need to remember that not focusing on their sad feelings and not giving time to their raw emotions may begin to form unhealthy habits.

Another First

Trade show season. There are so many emotions. We’re excited, thrilled, scared, and in disbelief. But mostly—we’re ready. We’re ready to be here. We’re ready to have a presence. We’re ready to get it.

BIG NEWS!

I’ve always enjoyed writing. I have books upon books filled with internal thoughts, dreams. And when I was younger written communication flowed easier than actually speaking.

Cheers to Dads!

Being outside has always been my favorite place to be. Lounging in the sun, playing barefoot in the grass or sitting around a fire is always on the top of my list.

May is for Mom

There were lots of options to highlight for May’s newsletter. Another family story, May Day, Labor Day. But Mother’s Day seemed to fit best

Value #1 Family First

Indulge me in my nerdiness for a moment. As Damon and I shape the carter joey brand and the organization it will become, we are brainstorming its values.

Meet Carter!

This wild child with wonderous eyes has simply stolen our hearts since the beginning. However, he’s also made us question everything we knew about ourselves.

Haircuts and Donuts

Carter Joseph is our oldest son — three going on thirty. This child is a wonder and terror all wrapped up in a ball of energy who knows too much...