Camping with Kids: You don’t do it for the sleep

Our second tent-camping experience with kids was a success! We drove to Palmetto State Park after school, stopping in Lockhart for dinner.

Similar to our first tent-camping experience with our kids, we arrived later than I wish we had. Unlike our first trip, we at least arrived while it was still light outside. Fortunately, our tent is incredible. It literally pops into place! However, it got dark right when we finished, and it didn’t leave a lot of time to play and socialize with friends. Next time, I definitely want to bring battery-powered string lights to create a nice ambience for hanging out before bed. Lantern-light is so harsh!

Sleeping was honestly pretty terrible. Matt was exhausted and getting frustrated at Henry for not falling asleep faster. I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of an animal banging around our stuff. I flashed a light at it and scared it away. But then I couldn’t fall back asleep. I went on Facebook for awhile. Then, the animal returned. This time, Matt also woke up.

So then we did what we did the last time we were camping, woke up in the middle of the night, and couldn’t fall back asleep: we turned it into a date. We spent about an hour just talking with each other, which ultimately was really nice. It was such a reminder about how hard it is to fit in adult conversation into our daily routine.

Waking up at the camp site is so fun. I used our new camp stove and pans to make oatmeal with dried cherries, chopped apple, and pumpkin seeds. That’s when we realized that the animal stole two loaves of bread from our cooler!

Then we went down to the river. I love sticking this chair in several inches of water and relaxing while the boys just play.

Whenever anyone asked me how well I slept, I would just say, “Well, you don’t go camping for the sleep!”

Because we were camping with our school, there were always kids to play with. There were communal hammocks hanging between trees, we had a fun game of dodge ball available, the river was so fun, and there was a fort-building activity. We made grilled cheese for lunch. Matt and I played travel Scrabble. Henry read in a hammock.

Dinner was a potluck. We brought cheese and crackers. And we ended the night with S’mores!

Most families stayed Friday and Saturday or came up on Saturday to stay the night. We chose to drive home after S’mores on Saturday so we could sleep in our own beds, unpack, and get ready for the week with less stress.

Unpacking wasn’t too terrible, since we keep most of our supplies in a large Tupperware container. Before we go camping next time, I would like to figure out how to add a little organization to the large Tupperware bin. I would also like to bring a bin for washing dishes.

We will actually be camping again soon with our scout group! I’m looking forward to it.