8/26 Blog: A family camping trip

This past weekend we went on our 2nd family camping weekend. Last year we decided to start camping as a family. I grew up camping (my little brother won a 21 foot trailer in a raffle when he was 2!) and Arnie just loves the outdoors and began to camp as an adult. We always knew when Sarah was old enough we would start camping. Last summer she was about to turn three so we decided to bite the bullet and try it. We invited our neighbors the Taylor's to join us. We bought a tent at Sam's Club (great deals) and borrowed a ton of stuff from a women I work with, just in case it didn't go well, this way we wouldn't have wasted a lot of money. We went labor day weekend to Indiana near French Lick (famous springs) and had a blast...we were hooked.

This year we had hoped to go more often, but with our vacation schedule, travel schedule and just "life" (little league through June on weekends) it made it hard to find a date. We finally locked on this past weekend. This year we decided to go closer to home, given we didn't have the extra day off. The Taylor's found a place less than 90 minutes east of us, and it was very "family friendly." It had a lake with diving boards, water slides, water park, go carts, carousel, and put-put to name a few. Once we got there we realized about 2/3 of the place were people who permanently kept a trailer there and make it their weekend home. That brought a very family feel to the place.

We got there Friday around 6pm. This was a good thing as it was light out, last year we had to put the tent up in the dark ;). We were set up before we knew it and ready to cook dinner. Going with friends is a great thing, you split the meals ahead of time which takes a lot of stress away as you only have to prep for half the meals. It also means the kids have their playmates which makes the weekend so much more fun. We were lucky to get spots not too far from the restroom and right next to a playground, so the kids had "many" friends within an hour. I think we adopted Gabi for the weekend.

All in all camping is a fantastic way to bond as a family and teach the kids about nature. Sleeping under the sun, all in one tent is a real treat. The fresh air is so good for the kids and it keeps our children grounded given the fortunate life we lead. I highly recommend hitting a campground near you, many have "cabins" (and this one did too....Long's family retreat is the name for those of you in Ohio) if you want to ease into the roughing it part. Finally, I am always looking for tips for camping, so if you have any (good meals, fun games to play, packing tips) please send them my way.