The Family Krout: Thoughts on Camping

So, we took our second camping trip this weekend...and I have to say, I still don't get why people enjoy it so much! I like the setting up of the camp and being outside (well, for the most part) and the kids really enjoy it...and of course there are the S'mores (my main reason for even going). But, there is no way to stay even remotley clean when camping. And you can't avoid the spiders. Ugh, they're everywhere! And we're not spider people.

I just don't think camping is a girl thing. I'm not a high maintenance woman, but I like to be clean. I can't go a day without a shower (in camping's defense, there are showers at the site). And when a girl has to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, she can't just step outside her tent and go, she's gotta haul her butt up the trail (in the dark with all those animal noises and the spiderwebs) to the bathroom. (I guess I need to learn to 'cop a squat')

Now, the two times we've gone camping, it's rained over night. If you have ever slept in a tent in the rain, you know, it sucks! Not only is the rain loud, everything starts to feel damp, and guess what, now you have to pee (see above problem)! So, Brad and I laid awake all night long just listening to the rain start and stop...thunder, silence, weird animal noises, and then around 5 when we were just drifting off...the birds wake up. Then Luke wakes up to look for Olivia and asks me to cuddle. Did I mention it was like 85 degrees in the tent?? The campsite was pretty crowded too, we were a bit farther away from the playground than last time, and it was all wet, so the kids just stuck around the camp while we set up waiting for the tent to be ready to wreck! They got in and glossed over their job of laying out the sleeping bags to take out everthing we had brought. At least they were enjoying themselves!

It takes about 1.5 hours to set everything up at a campsite (only about 10 minutes to check into a hotel I'd like to point out). That's 1.5 hours of trying to remember which poles go in the tent first, which grommets to stick the poles into and "Don"t wear your shoes in the tent!!"-reminding the kids to keep it clean! That's the tent we sleep in...there's also a tent we eat in. I've never seen anyone else with one of these tents, but they are awesome. You can actually eat in a huge net and keep the bugs off. It's the best way to eat outside (restraunts don't need these of course because they are INside)...of course you still have to avoid the spiders crawling around the table areas. I don't mind the cooking or the fact that someone had to eat with a spoon because we only had 3 forks. I make up for it by making S'mores with those giant marshmallows (actually too big believe it or not). Luke took a few bites of his, but passed it over just to eat a marshmallow off a stick.

Did I mention that I forgot my toiletries bag? Yes, girls need things even when camping and "roughing it". "Roughing it" means I bring travel shampoo and the Clinique bonus time face lotions instead of the really good stuff, and I only bring concealer and mascara. It wasn't a good thing that I forgot all that at home! We all had to share a tootbrush (luckily Brad rememberd his stuff) Hotels bring this stuff to you if you forget, or you can buy them at a store next door.

And camping to many people means peace and quiet and maybe sleeping in...well, when there are kids around, there's not much peace and quiet! Luke's a loud voiced kid...and it's really hard to get him to use his quiet voice. And kids wake up early. (though in Luke's defense, the birds were way louder) So, if you are near our site...sorry.

In the end, we ended up packing it in this morning (wait, all that set up and then we have to tear it down less than 24 hours later!) due to the "Tornado Watch" that the campsite manager warned us about. No thanks! We are not sticking around for that! The kids were really dissapointed to leave (they actually were dissapointed that they couldn't spend all day throwing rocks in the pond). We had another camping trip planned for the end of the month, but after this one we've decided that we are not summer campers. It doesn't make sense to sleep in a down sleeping bag in 84 degree tents. (if only they made little ceiling fans for the tent...or an ac unit) So, we're going to hold off for an unusually cool weekend, or September!

Ironically, Luke was the one who slept all night long without tossing and turning, and he was the one with the nap on the ride home!