Abiding in Grace: Family Fun Activities

7/14/14

Family Fun Activities - Camping

Our Monthly Link-Up for July is Family Fun Activities!

Our family really enjoys camping...
although it was not always so for me.

Before I met my husband, I was this person:

The bugs....ewww

The dirt....ewww

Sleeping on the ground....ewww!

No bathroom...ewww!

Now, it is one of our favorite family activities. Although I wouldn't go so far to say that I LOVE camping, I do enjoy it!

Some of the reasons are:

Being unplugged.

Although we get service, we like to put away our phones away and only use them for calling. No Facebook. No Instagram. No internet. We cheated a little by posting a picture or two, but for the most part we just enjoyed being together, unplugged.

Quiet.

Although birds and neighbors can be loud - the lack of noise from appliances, AC, traffic, etc. is wonderful.

Being Together - Out of Town.

Everyone can relate to going on vacation: you still do the same things - but you get to do them in a new place!

God's Creation

I love that my boys get to explore! They gathered sticks, threw rocks, got dirty, and just explored the campsite looking for adventure. We drove to the lake one evening at dusk - it was beautiful! Our God truly is an amazing artist!

A lot of people are hesitant in taking their little ones camping....but we have found the secret:

Stay up late and wear them out!!

We know that even if they do go to bed late, the birds will wake them up in the morning. BRIGHT AND EARLY. The best revenge we ever had was last year. ALL night, yes ALL NIGHT long our neighbors across the campground blared music. We had worn the kids out so much that they never even heard it. Jason and I, on the other hand, looked at each other about 2AM and were seriously debating letting our dog loose on purpose. If she disrupted their party, so be it. 6AM came REALLY early for us. Our revenge for those thoughtless neighbors?? Kids screaming and playing at 6:30AM...you're welcome. The next night, surprisingly, we didn't hear a thing.

This year we stayed in a different location. My aunts both have campers - I think I could LOVE camping if I had a camper. So we stayed near them. It was much quieter. You can't escape the birds, but at least we didn't have loud music playing! We really loved our spot this year and will probably camp there again. There was a playground across the field (a LIFE SAVER!). The pool and lake were just a five-minute car ride away. AND the bathhouse was within walking distance!

Helpful Tips

Some other helpful tips when you take little ones camping are:

1. Be flexible.

2. Don't be afraid of dirt. (Everything can be cleaned)

3. Bring trashbags.

4. Bring a clothes line.

5. Bring lots of snacks!

6. Bring balls and outdoor toys.

7. Bring two pairs of shoes for everyone.

8. Expect to stay up late and get up early.

9. Let them explore.

10. Get them each a flashlight and/or glow sticks - you can find cheap ones at the dollar store!