Spring break

CAMPING!!

My three boys and I used to go camping all the time.   We would usually go with just me, sometimes my mom  and 5 or 6 kids.  The Mister does not camp.  Ever.  Years before I met him he woke up with a centipede or something on his person and never went again.  Hotels only.    The boys would bring friends, cousins, whoever wanted to go.   We can go really locally, it takes about 1/2 hour on a good traffic day to get to this particular campground.    We feel like we are out in the wilderness, but a major city is 10 minutes down the road so it was always a good place to go with a bunch of kids in case of any emergency. 

We haven't been in awhile, we stopped going about 5 years ago.  No reason, just didn't go.   My two boys that are still at home and I and one friend (20 and never been camping!)  of Middle son went.  We came up with the idea to go on Thursday afternoon on Thursday morning.   That means we pretty much just grabbed basic stuff out of the garage, stopped of at the grocery store on the way and stocked up on junk food.  I'm a junk fooder when it comes to camping, I don't want to bring a kitchen load of utensils and stoves and food that must be prepared.    Hotdogs, chips and candy!   And of course marshmallows,graham crackers and chocolate bars.  

I am a Starbucks every morning kind of gal, I don't usually make coffee at home.   But we were roughing it so I brought my pan for hot water and the little packages of instant coffee Starbucks has now, VIA.  I must say, they are very  good.   I boiled water on this campfire in the mornings.   It took a good 45 minutes to boil the water this way.    There was a woman camping alone across the road from us, she left in her little car and returned about 20 minutes later with a Venti cup of Starbucks coffee.   I think she cheated.  I was a little envious as I was still waiting for my water to boil but  my boys would have given me the business if I went and got coffee so I didn't dare.   Especially after telling them no laptops or PS2's or any electronic devices.  Other than my phone, and Middle Son's phone.   Little boy had walkie talkies which he throughly enjoyed. 

We slept in these tents.  In sleeping bags, on the ground.   Note to self, older now with achey bones-get a mattress!   That part was a little difficult,  I kept waking up with sore hips and numb thighs from the hard ground but it didn't bother the kids at  all.   Never used to really bother me either but well...........things have changed some.

We brought both of our dogs for their first camping trip too.   They seemed to enjoy it!  We all had a really nice time, was nice to be away from the computers and the video games for a few days and hike around, play cards, talk to each other.   I'm thinking we will go again really soon.