A Camping with Kiddos Update

It is official...I have survived tent camping with the kids! To many, I am sure this sounds silly. You probably have camped dozens of times with your kids and are thinking, "so what". Well, to me this was truly a feat! First of all, "tent camping" and "Jackie" don't get along, but surprisingly it was much more fun that I had expected. The 50 mile per hour wind gusts and sideways rain wasn't what I considered fun, the fact that our tent was only on the ground because we were all in it wasn't really fun, the stakes that we lost from the storm and the rain drizzling through onto our sleeping bag wasn't a joy... but somehow...it was fun. After some friends let us borrow more stakes and helped my husband and daughter secure the tent into the ground and replace the rain shield, we were able to stay and actually spend the night.

Now, lets talk kids shall we? For the most part, my almost 3 year old and 20 month old had a fantastic time. They had a great time wandering around looking for dirt to embed under their fingernails and rocks to throw. They liked checking out the tent and seeing where they would be "sleeping" (not much sleeping happened though). The homemade ice cream we made in ziploc bags, shaking for about 5 minutes or so was pretty tasty, and of course the s'mores were delectable. All in all, the overnight camping trip was a success and the kids had a blast. I actually feel like doing it again very soon...but maybe I have blocked out all the not-so-great things about the trip so I will do it again...kind of like pregnancy and labor. Not fun, but the end result is satisfying. It was an inexpensive way to have a little fun with the family and make some memories, and definitely worth the effort!