camping

by admin - November 3, 2008

Our Camping Trip

This weekend while everyone else was trick or treating we went camping. The packing started last Wednesday, even though we weren’t leaving until Friday. I used my dining room as a staging area for all of our camping items. Everything was going great until Thursday afternoon when I decided to put up our tent in the living room.

I realize as I type this how ridiculous it sounds, but at the time I thought it was a good idea. I was very worried about the temperature and wanted to see if we could all fit into our big tent. Usually we camp with two tents, but I thought we could stay warmer if we crammed into our big one.

I am sure it will come as no surprise to anyone that the tent did not fit in our living room. So Thursday evening I had this mess in my dining room.

I couldn’t really get the tent back into the bag because there wasn’t enough room, and the kids kept getting in the way….

I didn’t have time to deal with the tent anyway because I had another job calling me from the upstairs.

I am not sure how many loads of clean laundry that is, but it is a king sized bed.

I finally got all the laundry folded and either packed or put away and went to church. The next morning we packed the suburban.

Oh for the person who asked about mountain pies… basically it is two pieces of bread cooked in the pie iron with stuff in the middle. My kids like cheese, pepperoni, and pizza sauce. Here is a picture of the pie irons.

Okay, back to packing, we packed the back…

We put stuff on the roof…

And we even bought a hitch haul to carry more stuff, but don’t worry we didn’t drive with her on the back.

When we were finally packed we headed to the campground. The campground was absolutely beautiful and we had a wonderful time. The jobs at the campground were much more fun than the jobs at the house.

Cooking hot dogs…

Taking walks…

Exploring…

Skipping stones…

I took your advice and didn’t make anyone take a shower while we were gone. It was way too cold in the morning and evening, and who is going to make a kid take a shower in the middle of the day? I think some of the kids wore the same clothes the entire trip, which at first grossed me out, but I now realize it saved me a ton of laundry.

The stuff they did wear was filthy so it is now soaking in oxy clean on my back porch.

At least it was only one cooler full of dirty clothes, not two.

For more Talk about Tuesday visit Lara and for more Tackles visit 5MFM.

by admin - October 28, 2008

This weekend we will be camping. For those of you living in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas I know you all are gearing up for your camping trips too. The bugs are finally dying off and the nights are actually cool enough to build a fire. I however, live in Maryland, and for some insane reason agreed to a camping trip in Delaware. It will be cold, very cold. I might not return, but at least we will have had some cheap family fun!

My childhood memories of camping involve throwing up, bug bites, high fevers, and food I didn’t like. Needless to say, as an adult I was in no hurry to share such wonderful memories with my children. We have friends who love to camp and after hearing stories of campfires, fishing, hiking, and delicious food I was willing to try one more time.

On our first camping trip, our friends were kind enough to pick a full service campground with plenty of playgrounds, bathrooms, and a Walmart just 10 minutes away. We had an absolutely wonderful time and began to make plans for our next trip. Our next trip was to a state park with fewer amenities and fewer people. We enjoyed boating, fishing, hiking, and my husband’s new love, Frisbee golf.

Over the past few years I have realized that camping is a wonderful thrifty vacation, especially for a large family. Most state campgrounds allow up to eight people at a campsite and the site are very inexpensive, especially when compared to a hotel room. Many campgrounds are located near activities that are also free or inexpensive. Camping is also great if you have little boys who like to run wild all day. Camping, hiking, collecting sticks, and tending the fire help to wear them out by the end of the day.

As for all the camping supplies, many can be found at yard sales or thrift stores. In fact while I was at the thrift store today I saw a man walk by with a Coleman stove in his arms. I often see sleeping bags, tents, lanterns, and other supplies while yard saling. Many stores clearance their camping items at the end of the summer and you can get some really great deals. If you want try camping, borrow supplies from a friend. The first time we camped we only had one tent but needed two so we borrowed one from our neighbor. Every military base I have ever been on rents camping items for a pretty low price as well. Many also have campgrounds.

If I survive our upcoming weekend with freezing temperatures, I hope to blog a little next week about some camping tips I have picked up from my friends. Until then you can download the camping check list, and pray for a heat wave.

For more Works for Me Wednesday visit Rocks in my Dryer, for more Frugal Fridays visit Crystal.