Big Family Camping

(This post is actually part 2 in a mini series.  Go here for part 1.)
I love reading blog posts about family camping.  I usually come away with a great organization tip, a neat campfire recipe or an idea for a fun activity.  Because of that I decided to write my own blog post about how we organize, pack up the gear, and enjoy our camping trips in case I might have some ideas that help a reader or two on their next camping trip.

My husband and I have made many changes to the whole camping experience as our family has grown in size.  Having six children makes camping more fun than ever, but it also adds a few challenges.  Below I will share some ideas about how to deal with those challenges and capitalize on the fun.

For me it all starts with the planning, and the planning takes place in this well used binder!    It's starting to look a bit sad, I'll admit.  I've used it for 5 years now and it's very worn. My kids have decorated and redecorated it for me, and while I would like to start over with a nice clean binder, the stickers and finger smudges hold memories, so I'll refrain for now and show you a very real picture.  This poor notebook has been tossed onto car seats, left in the rain on picnic tables, taken to sandy beaches and even stepped on.

What is in this binder?  Everything that has to do with any of our camping trips or vacations, except pictures.  It's not a scrapbook of memories about our trips, it's a planner.  That being said, each time I pull it out I do a quick review of past trips and it brings back great memories.

I use a dividing page for each trip.  Behind that I put the itinerary, menus, shopping lists, phone number of the camp ground, reservation confirmations and, once a arrive, I include one of the pamplets that the state parks usually have a available to visitors.  On this pamphlet, which often contains a map, I mark where our site is, and I note which sites look really good incase we return for another trip.  This has really come in handy!


Elsewhere in the binder I have sections for our camping gear check lists, notes regarding fun menu ideas, and notes about great gear or packing ideas that I see other campers using.

Finally, I have a page with important phone numbers and addresses: the kennel where the dog might be staying (although she usually comes with us), trusted neighbors in case we suddenly remember we left the iron on (lol), and the addresses of people we might want to send post cards to.

Once I get everything organized on paper it's time to get it physically organized.  I have four systems that help with this.  When we camp the first time each season, I go through everything with my checklist and make sure it's all ready to go.  Then, I just replenish used up food or items that need to be replaced for any additional trips we want to take.  I can pack this group of 8 campers and dog up pretty quick because it's all organized and ready.

My four systems are:
1 - Sterilite stacking drawers. 
2 - The giant, bear proof cooler.
3 - Food pantry bin.
4 - Duffle bags.

Starting from the bottom of the list and working up, the duffle bags are used for clothing (obviously).  Below is  a picture of some of them that are waiting to be packed into the van.  We have two colors - army green and black.  No one has their own.  When it's time to pack up, everyone gets a bag with a different colored bandana tied to the end.  That person simply remembers his or her bandana color for the trip.  These bags were big enough for our two week trip out west, but since they can be folded up they also work for weekends.
This past fall when we camped every weekend for 6 weeks in a row, I literally washed the clothes and put them directly back into the bags for each person.  Easy peasy.

We have one extra bag that stays packed all the time.  This is our emergency weather bag.  In this very important bag we have for each person:
Long underwear
A hat
Gloves
Hand warmers
Rain gear - pants and jackets with hoods.  No ponchos.  Little kids can't play in ponchos and if they fall in the mud their pants are soaked.  Rain pants keep them dry and are easily hosed off when muddy.  (Believe me, I know! :)
For little people I also include ultra warm footed sleepers.

 The food pantry bin is another item that I restock at the end of a trip and it is all ready to go for the next.  In this bin are canned or dry items that we use every trip.  Things like salt, pepper, cooking oil,
protein powder for my son with Celiac, pancake mix, etc.   I have a list of items to keep in this bin that I've taped to the lid.  That way I don't forget important things like coffee!

 

 Our giant, bear proof cooler is called a Yeti.  Most places don't require a bear proof cooler, but our trip out west did.  We bought a nice big one and it has worked well for all of our trips. I bought four plastic water jugs that I fill with drinking water and freeze.  When it's time to pack the cooler, these four jugs go down the middle.  They are frozen solid so they are all the ice we need.  As the ice melts we use it for drinking. They keep the cooler very cold.  For the two week trip we took, it was necessary to replenish the ice and the drinking water though.



And finally, there are the Sterilite drawers.  Here they are under our camp table.  I love these things.  They hold everything we need for camping and we keep them loaded, all the time.  When we get back from a trip, they go directly into the closet where they live until the next trip.  In these drawers are everything from clothes lines to cast iron pans.  The smaller, 3 drawer unit is on top of the table.  This is where we keep things that we use a lot, like flash lights, bug spray and one of them holds the silverware.  Once again, this stays packed all the time.  It goes directly to the camping closet at home and it's ready to go when we need to pull it out for the next trip.

So that's how I organize.  I will admit, the first time I got all this gear together it was a huge task.  But I can say it was worth it.  It is so easy now to get everything together to camp.  Going to the grocery store to buy the food is probably the biggest ordeal.  Everything else is ready to go, and we don't forget things like camp stoves and matches.  It's all right there.   Next time I'll give you a tour of one of our camp set ups.

Happy camping!

Organizing For Vacations

Early this month, while I was finishing up the final touches of our homeschool plan and jumping into a new school year, I was also planning for our month of craziness!  September was such a blessing but sooooooo busy.  Now that it's over we are exhausted!  What did our September involve that kept us running, running, running?  Well, the first weekend in September we went camping.  We got to visit with Night Owl since we camped about 30 minutes from Hillsdale.  The main purpose of this trip was to see the HIllsdale football game on Saturday night (and they won!  Woo Hoo!), but camping always involves tons of fun so there was lots of other things going on too.

The very next weekend we left for a wonderful trip to Williamsburg VA and then to Oak Island NC.  We've been to Williamsburg before, but this was the first time we were there for the Homeschool Days.  It was fabulous!  Oak Island is always wonderful.  Mom Mom and Pop Pop live near there and we get to visit with them and spend time on the beach as well.

We returned home the weekend after that, completely exhausted from the 20 hour drive that we did non stop (except for potty breaks and picnic meals).  Unloaded our work horse of a mini van and started right in on reloading it for the next trip!

The final weekend in September was spent, once again, at the state park near Hillsdale so we could cheer the team on to another victory, spend time with Night Owl and enjoy camping.  The fall weather was absolutely gorgeous and the trees were in full color.  But we're still  not done! As I type this I have one more trip I am planning for!

So, how do I keep from going insane with all these trips?  My one tool that has saved me is this binder which I put together several years ago!  Let me tell you, it has gotten a workout this past month!  I thought I should clean it up a bit for the picture, but then I decided to keep it real.  This poor binder gets left on picnic tables, rides in tote bags, gets tossed into the back seat of the van...  It's a trooper!

Since most of our vacations involve camping or staying in a condo, and since we aren't big restaurant eaters, there is usually quite a bit of planning to do ahead of time.  We need menus and shopping lists, lists of gear to pack, lists of what clothing is necessary, maps and directions, copies of reservation confirmations.....
It all fits quite nicely in this binder and, while I don't keep pictures in here, I do write notes ... lots of notes!

It's fun to go back and read what I've written.  A perfect example is this comment from about eight years ago - "Camping idea! - Use plastic drawers to store gear in, then just pack them when it's time to camp." Those plastic drawers are looking a little worn, but still in use!  I also write notes about which camp sites at state parks are better than others, which condominiums are nice (and which ones were disappointing!), fun new recipes to try while on vacation, great game discoveries, etc.  When we go back to certain locations  I review my notes and it makes the planning that much easier.

In part 2 of this series I'll give a little more detail about how we get and keep everything organized to make packing easy.

(Go here for part 2 of this series.)

Until then remember...


"An organized camper is a happy camper!"  :)

Colonial Williamsburg

We had a fantastic time at Colonial Williamsburg this year!  We've been there several times but this is the first year we were there for the Homeschool Days.

The Ferry over to Williamsburg is always a big hit!

Benedict Arnold came riding into town to try to convince us all that we were following the wrong leaders!  We needed to go back to being loyal to England!  This was one of several educational

re-enactments we saw.

P.J. loved his new fold up wagon.  So did the rest of us!

 

The stocks, of course.

 Just one of the many exhibits we saw - the Powder Magazine. 
The kids did a great job asking questions and listening to all of the presenters.  Some of the favorites were the Wig Maker, the Taylor, the Silversmith and the Brick Maker.

On their way back from the Brick Maker.  Builder was in a hurry for lunch, which we enjoyed at the King's Arms Tavern.  Excellent food and excellent atmosphere.  I highly recommend it if you go there!

The kids all went on the "Children's Orientation Walk".  This is Andrew, the leader, who did a great job explaining what some of the aspects of life were like around the time of the Revolutionary War.

This is not an exhibit from Williamsburg but the cottage we stayed in!  We normally stay at a state park where we camp.  However, this year we decided to try the cabins at the same state park which were from the early 1800's. This is the boys bedroom in the upstairs of the cottage.  It was built in the early 1800's and preserved to be an exact replica except for the electricity and running water.

The cottage was surrounded by cotton fields on one side and peanut fields on the other.  This was a big deal to us northerners who don't often see cotton and peanuts growing!

This is a picture from the kitchen. The stove is obviously electric and designed to look old, but the cabinets, walls and flooring (and maybe the kitchen table) were original to the house.  It was a great place to stay while visiting Williamsburg.  We felt very much immersed in the time period.

Do these stairs look dangerous?  They were!  Carrying a toddler down these steps was not an easy task.  And, since he constantly wanted to play on these steps I had to carry him down way too often.  Next time, we'll remember the baby gate!

These last pictures were taken in the Master Bedroom.  All the rooms had fire places. 

 

 Social Butterfly's bed (her room was also upstairs) had a trundle where Beany slept. The one bathroom in the house was built in what we think was a pantry of some sort.  It had all the electricity and running water of a modern bathroom but was designed to look old.  I didn't get a picture of the free standing, claw footed tub but wish I did. 

  It was a very memorable experience!

Brain Clutter Solution

Over at 4Real some of the ladies are talking about Decluttering the Mind.  I thought I'd share a bit about how I do that.  This year in particular  I've had a lot on my mind and not a lot of time to be organized.  When I tried to sit down and start my planning for the coming year I had too many thoughts swimming around in my head!  It made it difficult to focus.  There were too many thoughts and not enough of the organization that my "type A" personality craves.  This was causing much stress and anxiety.  Enter the "Everything Notebook" or, to take a phrase from the ladies at 4Real, the "Brain Dump" Notebook.

I bought this little journal notebook from my local store when it was on sale.  It's a bit fancy for what I need.  I'm not usually a "jewel studded" person, but I thought this was pretty, and the price was right.  I had it sitting in my "giant bag of things to read and do" for a while until I decided I was going to use it to write random notes down, in no special order.  Well it didn't take me long to nearly fill it! 

"Giant Bag of Things to Read and Do"

I keep it with me on a regular basis and I've discovered how valuable it is for when I'm waiting.  I think I spend a lot of time just waiting - waiting to pick up Social Butterfly from dance, waiting for Night Owl to get done with his Chem lab at the university, waiting for various sports practices to end ...
I used to keep all my notes on my computer, but I don't always have access to that.  This little notebook has been just perfect for what I need.  As I'm leaving the house it's become my habit to grab my phone, my purse, my keys, and now this little notebook.

I decided right away that I was not going to try to keep it in any special "order".  This was difficult for me!  I don't even date the pages!  That's because I want to keep it random.  If I'm writing notes on our schedule for next year, I don't want to feel like I can't insert a note about Builder's Math.  If things were dated and in some sort of order I would hesitate to write it down.  I add these random notes by simply inserting a "random thoughts" box right smack down in the middle of my other strand of writing.  I just draw a box around it and label it "Random Thought" or "Side Note" or some such thing. Then I continue on with my thoughts on scheduling, or whatever I happen to be writing about.

Is it confusing to read then?  Not really.  I think since they are just my thoughts I can pretty much follow them.  It's actually sort of fun to detour from what I'm writing to insert something completely off topic.  I put these detours into  boxes or surround them with brackets; something to set them apart from the original writing.  I haven't gone so far as to use different colors yet.  I'm afraid I'd get too caught up in the "artsy" part and lose track of my thoughts.

This little notebook has really been the basis for much of my planning for the coming year.  It's been a crazy Spring so far and before I could actually get to the nitty gritty of planning for the coming year, I had to get all the those thoughts swirling around in my head down on paper.  My "Brain Dump" notebook has been just the thing I needed.

Builder's Birthday

We were blessed with a beautiful day for Builder's birthday celebration.

It started with a trip to Builder's favorite "hiking place".  Hiking is something all of us enjoy so when Builder requested that on his birthday everyone was quite happy to oblige.

While Builder enjoys hiking, there is more to this place that he finds interesting. It is a rather short trail, I think just a little over a mile, which makes it perfect for Beany at this age. But all along the trail, at different stopping points, there are little forts or playhouses set up. These were donated by various companies in the community. The kids really enjoy coming upon them and exploring them before we move on to the next.

The "Look Out Tower" is another big hit. The kids enjoy climbing the many steps to the top so they can see the whole area from above.

Then there is the "grand finale". The last stop on the trail includes what looks like a mess! It is actually a "Build Your Own Fort" area. Builder loves this! All the kids enjoy it really, but Builder is always the last to want to leave. Even Dad enjoyed the break to check his favorite team's score!

After the hike we moved on to the second thing Builder requested for his birthday: a Happy Meal! I usually let the kids choose what they would like for their birthday dinner. The older kids always seem to want to go to the expensive steakhouse or to have some elaborate meal that takes half the day to prepare. I admit, while Happy Meals aren't my idea of a healthy dinner, I was relieved that his request was so simple!




Then it was home for birthday cake and icecream and presents! It was a great day.
Note: You may have noticed someone else in a couple of these pictures!  I do not have a daughter that is older than Social Butterfly.  Night Owl's "friend" joined us for the day! 

A Visit From Mom Mom and Pop Pop

Mom Mom and Pop Pop came for a visit last week and we had a very nice time.  One of the places we went while they were here is a zoo in a city not far from our home.  It was a beautiful day, although a bit warm.  Here are the pictures, mostly taken by Night Owl ...

                            (Dad, with Mom Mom and Pop Pop)

(The boys, watching a tide pool as "waves" roll in)

(Night Owl holds Beany up to see the penguins being fed)

(Otters are my favorite!)

(This fellow seemed less than enthused)

(Pop Pop)

(Dad and Mom Mom - I'm not sure what they are looking at)

(Builder and Social Butterfly, learning about lion skulls)

(An air conditioned spot to take a rest!)

The trip to the zoo was a perfect ending to an enjoyable visit from Mom Mom and Pop Pop.  They are headed west now, and in our prayers and they make the long journey to the other side of the U.S.!