A mompreneur's chronicle of life with her boys.
As a way to round out our fabulous camping season I put together some numbers that encompass our experiences. We really enjoyed our inaugural year of camping with Boomer, the new trailer and can’t wait for next year. Planning has already begun for our first big two week trip.
What was your favorite camping number or memory from this year?
Photo Friday – “The Crawl”
Last weekend we went on our last camping trip to the south side of Mt. St. Helens to visit the Ape Cave. The Ape Cave is a few mile long lava tube that visitors can walk through. We opted for the “easy” side, which was still pitch black, 40 degrees and plenty challenging enough. After the cave we went to the Trail of Two Forests that had a mini lava tube that the boys and I crawled through. I still have a bruise on my knee, because you are literally crawling on rocks the whole way.
Since we are in the middle of camping season, I thought I would give you a little comparison of trailers. Happy camping!
Saturday June 23rd is the Great American Backyard Campout, sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation. This would be a great way to take a baby step into camping if you haven’t taken your family camping yet. Or if you are avid campers you can take this weekend to jump into the summer camping season.
Since camping is one of our favorite family activities I thought I would share some of my favorite reasons to go camping.
1. Being outside – At home, would you spend most of the day outside? I know I probably would be stuck inside working or doing household chores. Fresh air and sunshine have a great way of lowering your blood pressure. It is great to get the whole family out and enjoying our beautiful planet.
2. Seeing beautiful parts of the country – We have a beautiful country, so diverse in topography. I love waking up and stepping outside in a new place to see the ocean or the mountains. The boys also get to learn about the different environments and natural beauty our country has to offer.
3. Spending time with friends – You really get to know people when you go camping with them — three days without washing your hair will do that. It is fun to sit and talk about random subjects that you probably wouldn’t get to at other times.
4. Watching your kids play – How often do you watch your kids play at home? I know I usually head off to get some things done. When we are camping there are only a few things I have to do, so I get to watch them play and marvel at how much energy they have.
5. Campfires, red wine & smores – What is it about campfires? Nothing goes better with campfires than red wine and smores (well maybe peanut M&Ms too). Jim is obsessed with making great fires, so we always make sure we have enough wood. At each campground he also searches for the perfect fire poker.
6. Cooking outside – You know you are a cook when you can make an entire dinner on a campfire or camp stove. We have fun planning the menu to see what creative ideas might work. I think food tastes better when eaten outside, especially breakfast.
7. Making new friends – Campgrounds tend to be friendly places. People are more likely to walk up to you and start talking about something, like your trailer or what you are making for dinner. Your neighbors can easily become new friends, especially if they have kids, because the kids tend to easily jump into games together.
8. Playing with your kids – Camping can turn adults back into kids. We ride bikes, fly kites, play board games and catch. At home we tend to just go about our days. When camping we don’t have projects to do, so we can just enjoy being a family.
9. Afternoon cocktails – Is there anything better than sitting on a beach watching the kids play while enjoying a margarita and not feeling guilty about it? There aren’t chores to do or projects to complete, so you can just enjoy life and the company you are with.
10. Laughing until your sides hurt (or you pee yourself) – Campgrounds are also really great places to people watch. All sorts of humanity goes camping. Then there are the silly things that you do or say. At least with our group those never seem to go away. Someone is always telling a funny story or making a joke. I think laughter is the best medicine, melting away our stress; that and a few cocktails.
Hopefully this summer, if you haven’t tried camping yet, you can at least take a baby step into camping and try a staycation in your backyard. It is an experience like none other.
Ever wonder what life is like for the family dog, especially on a camping trip? Having lived with our beloved puppy for over 11 years now, fortunately we are able to read her thoughts (and a lot of overt and obvious body language – queue the audible groans when she doesn’t get her way). Here is what our trip over the weekend was like from Mulligan’s view point.
I started to notice something was going on Wednesday when Mom was back and forth to the trailer all day. The site of packing is a source of concern for me, even when Mom tells me that I am going. So I stood by the door. That way they wouldn’t forget me. Mom seemed to be annoyed with me since I was standing in her way every time she opened the door.
Finally on Thursday they loaded me in the car and I relaxed a bit. I never know when we are getting to our spot (they don’t give me the map or itinerary and I wouldn’t be able to hold it anyway) so instead I get excited each time we stop, thinking “this could be the place.” After a really long time in the car, we finally arrive at the campsite and I can get out of the car. I must investigate every square inch – this could take some time. I detect the presence of other non-humans. Must research further.
SQUIRREL!!!!!!!!!
Potty break. When we camp with our friends, the Craigs, I like to go potty in their campsite.
On this trip we got to go with Quinn and Griffin. Even though they don’t have a dog, they still play with me. Quinn is really nice to me and gives me lots of tummy pats. Dad gets my mat out of the trailer, but I don’t like this one as much as our friend Allison’s so I lie on hers instead. I finally get to have dinner (I was convinced this was the day they forgot). After the kids go to bed, Mom and Dad and the other parents sit around the campfire and have beverages that make them laugh a lot. It seems like forever before I get to go to bed, but they are having fun. I like to go to bed.
My bed is in the car because I have been told that I snore so I can’t sleep in the trailer. It is OK, I like the peace and quiet. In the morning Dad gets me up and I get all excited and do the puppy run. Even though I am older now I can still run. Although the last time I did it I blew out my ACL.
During the days while camping it is hard for me to take my naps — there are just too many people to watch and things to do. The kids run around all day; don’t they get tired? At least Will still takes a nap, and usually Mom makes me lay down and take a nap too. The older boys ride bikes, play in the sand, go to the playground, find sticks and then do it all over again. I get tired just watching them.
All of the family went down to the beach and flew these things in the sky (kites, I think Mom said). It was really windy so it was hard to see, but Will kept spilling his snack so I got to clean up. My favorite thing about camping is cleaning up after the meals. It’s vacation for everyone.
Finally the next day we went to the beach and I got to swim. I love to swim; the boys even throw the stick for me. Although I am a retriever by name, I drop the stick in the water within 1 yard of the shore. I like to frustrate my Mom and Dad with this trick. Mom didn’t like that I was rolling in the dirt and sand, but it feels so good for reasons I will never disclose.
When we got in the car to come home I was happy because I was tired, but sad because I had fun. I like going camping because my whole family is together.
You are supposed to spend spring break at the beach, right? Ideally, you probably want to spend it somewhere a little more tropical than our destination, the Washington and Oregon coast, but a beach is still a beach. The water on our coast this time of year is just a tad colder.
After a minor repair in Portland where we bought our new trailer, we embarked on our inaugural trip in Boomer, our 2012 Keystone Outback 250rs travel trailer, to Cape Disappointment State Park on the southern Washington Coast. The Ford Expedition pulled the trailer well, even over some steep hills. The campground was beautiful and had everything to offer, including plenty of space and hook-ups. The beach was a short walk from our site and had black sand and lots of driftwood.
We spent part of a day exploring Astoria, Oregon, and Long Beach, Washington. In Astoria we went to the Columbia River Maritime Museum, where we discovered that Will loves model ships. He stopped and looked at each one as we walked through the exhibit. We are trying to figure out a way for a three year old to enjoy model ships in a non-destructive, but interactive way, since he clearly enjoys them. We had lunch at a great microbrewery, Fort George, and even bought a growler (just love that term) to take back to the trailer. Astoria is a really cute town that has retained its small and historic feel and we will definitely go back.
Long Beach is much more of your typical beach town. One highlight was driving the car on the beach. As we drove up to park for a walk on the beach, the car in front of us kept driving right onto the beach. After reading the sign that allowed cars on the beach during a small window during the year, Jim followed him. We were a bit afraid of getting stuck so we didn’t do anything crazy. Later in the day, the boys got to drive go carts, and we bought salt water taffy and ate clam chowder. Traffic must come to a halt in the summer months in this sleepy, one-road town.
One morning at the campground we heard a helicopter flying low and looked out to see a Coast Guard helicopter flying by. Later that morning during our short hike to the Cape Disappointment lighthouse, we happened upon some Coast Guard guys up on the cliff who explained that they were running training missions all day. We got to see them lower a man out of the helicopter and pick up what we hope was a dummy and then fly away. Not something you see every day.
The second leg of our trip took us into Oregon, with lunch in Cannon Beach and camping at Nehalem Bay State Park. Nehalem Bay was also a nice campground, but the sites were closer together so it probably feels crowded in the summer. The dunes there were gorgeous and made us feel like we were on the East coast. We decided to only spend one night there and continue on to our friend’s house in Newburg and pull an “Uncle Eddie” from Christmas vacation and park the trailer in front of our friend’s house. We almost staged a photo of Jim in his bathrobe with a beer while dumping the holding tank down the sewer but we refrained.
It was the perfect way to end our week long trip just hanging out with good friends. Boomer faired very well and we are getting used to all of his wonderful amenities. Probably the most telling thing from our trip is that we all can’t wait for the next one.
Photo Friday – Lounging by the Campfire
We have been camping this week in our new trailer on the Washington and Oregon coast. On our first evening the boys were sitting in their chairs and Jack decided they needed foot rests. He went and got their dump trucks all on his own.
Today we are trading in our pop-up trailer, Poppy and upgrading to a different trailer. It will be a day of mixed emotions. We had some great times in Poppy, so it will be sad to leave him behind. However we are very excited for our trips to come in the new one. (More to come on that one.) This photo is from our first trip in Poppy. We know he will make a great addition to another family.
Early in the summer we created a list of all the fun things we wanted to do over the summer, made a poster, and checked them off as we completed them. I was hoping that it would help keep things top of mind while providing a fun activity as we decorated the poster with stickers. Most importantly, it was a good reminder to celebrate what is truly important – family and the time we spend together.
Here are some of the fun summer activities we completed:
1. Go camping – We went four times, including a trip to Dosewallips with five other families.
2. Swim in the lake – We got to swim in both Lake Sammamish at my aunt and uncle’s lake house and Pine Lake with some good friends.
3. Go to SeaFair – Auntie Steffi, Unkie Paul and Oliver joined us at SeaFair this year and we got to watch the Blue Angels and the hydroplane boat races from the shoreline.
4. Make tie dye shirts – The family has a matching set of tie dyes. I am sure this is only the first of many tie dye projects.
5. Find a new ice cream spot – While in California we went to a new ice cream spot near Auntie, Unkie and Oliver’s house.
6. See fish throwing at Pike Place Market – After selecting our fish, Jack was so excited to see it get thrown back over the fish counter to be wrapped up.
7. Make garden art – Our painted rocks for the garden were not only fun, but were also featured in FamilyFun Magazine.
8. Pick berries – The boys and I got to pick blackberries near our house and came home with some war wounds to prove it.
9. Play golf – There was backyard golf, as well as golf on the course. Jim and I even got to go play a couple of rounds on our own – a rarity.
10. Paint a project – Jim and the boys made a pirate flag for the play fort and Jim is currenly working with Jack on a complete room makeover. They are making Jack and Optimus Prime bed and his room has been repainted to match the new colors.
Summer was fun, but we are ready for fall. Fall means Husky football, Friday night soccer and prep for Halloween. What will the costumes be this year? You will just have to wait and see.
I am linking up with Monday Listicles at NorthWestMommy.
We were trying to get one more camping trip in this weekend, but the weather is turning into fall up here and scared us off. When I was thinking about camping I remembered this photo. Will just needed to rest and read some books. He sat in his chair for awhile and just read. Sometimes you just need to have a break with your friends, Woody, Buzz and Thomas.
Sarah is the mom to two boys, a mompreneur, an aspiring author, a technology geek and passionate blogger.
