About Us
Get To Know Adventure Riders
Hi, my name is Justine, and I’m the innovator, designer, and creator of the Adventure Riders and the Stroller Blanket Accessory. I wear many hats: Head of Family Operations, Mother Warrior, Chaos Coordinator, or you could just say that I’m a hard-working stay-at-home mom of two (a 1 and 3-year-old). We have two golden doodles, Arizona and Georgia. Oh, and two cats, who’ve politely asked not to be mentioned. My life is very busy to say the least. Prior to becoming a SAHM, I finished my degree in teaching and taught for several years while also doing a little photography.
How It All Started
It was a beautiful spring morning in April. The snow had finally melted, and it was the perfect day to go for a stroller ride with my gang – and it really is a gang! Myself, my son (3), daughter (1) and the two dogs are a sight to see when we set out on our morning stroll through our suburban streets. My husband sings to himself, “Me and My Gang” By Rascal Flatts and watches us from his office window as he always does, and we head up the street in our little gang ready for an adventure. I often hear from passersby, “You have your hands full”. Oh, you have no idea!
The morning breeze felt cool and brisk, I could smell the spring grass, and see the flowers blooming. I tuck our little girl into her blanket to keep her warm. We have a farm down the street from us. The wonderful smell of the country life that we’ve grown so fond of catches our noses while we walk. Suddenly... uh-oh. We stop. The blanket fell off. I lock the stroller - *Click*. I immediately wrangle the dogs. “Arizona SIT! Georgia SIT!”. I tuck the blanket back in and around our daughter. Off we go again! I unlock the stroller *Click* and we continue walking down the road. Until, uh-huh… The stroller blanket has fallen off again. We stop, again. It’s caught in the wheel this time. *Click* “Arizona, Georgia SIT!”, I tug, tuck, and repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Feeling frustrated, I throw the blanket into the bottom of the stroller, and we walk home.
At home, I Google search, “attachable stroller blankets”. Everything is made for -20 degree temperatures and hundreds of dollars. So, I get to work. I draw a picture of what I need and text my super creative sister-in-law, “There needs to be something out there that attaches to the stroller, the waist of the child, AND gathers at the bottom to keep them warm!!”. She, another mother with her hands full, agrees that something needs to be done!
I spend months in front of my sewing machine during the kids’ nap time. Finally, at around 30+ prototypes later (which are currently sitting in a pile in my dining room as evidence of my work), Adventure Riders is born! A handmade product for those busy parents and caregivers who have faced the same problem I have. The Adventure Rider is exactly what we’ve been waiting for - It hugs, holds, and stays on for the ride!
Adventure Rider, Explore Little One.