Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Ode to Camping

So basically the month of April and May have been camping, hiking and more camping.  So this may turn into an informercial for camping.  I think we have been camping at least 5 times so far this spring.  Several times have just been quick Friday night trips, and a couple have been more elaborate couple night stays.  Some have been with other families, and some have been just us.  Bottom line is we have grown to really love camping here in Indiana.  Within a couple of hours there are tons of state parks and state forests that have a wide variety of landscapes and features that are fun to enjoy.

When we got married, the Whiting siblings got us a camping gift of a tent, cooler, camp stove and a lantern.  It has really turned out to be a great wedding gift.  All of the products are still in great shape and have made it nice to get into camping.

So to help all of you that may not have had the best experiences with camping, here are the Whiting Family Tips for success.

  • Rule number 1:  Have a good air mattress (or cot).  A bad nights sleep is the reason why most people don't like camping.  
  • Rule number 2:  Have glow sticks.  They are tons of fun and are (almost) guaranteed to make any kid have fun while camping.  Flashlights are obviously good for being able to see, but the glow sticks are fun.  If you play around with shutter speed on your camera, you can also get some fun pictures too.
Now the rest of our tips (in no particular order):

  • (From Maggie) Try to go to a place that has the flushy kind of toilets cause the other kind stink!
  • Make sure to have enough firewood to have a big fire at night.  (Lighter fluid is always a good thing too.)
  • Instead of cooking hot dogs on the fire, try cooking frozen corn dogs. They work well too.
  • On a related note, have some favorite camping food that you take.  Our include, but are not limited to, poptarts, cheetos, peanuts in the shell, and bacon or sausage.
  • If going for multiple days, be sure to have a place to shower each day.
  • Go for hikes and try to have hikes that go through water so you can get wet and dirty.
  • Have a laptop or iPad to watch a movie in the tent if it is raining.
  • Get a big tent.  For around $100 - $150 you can get a nice big tent with good space.
  • If you live in a hot area, get a battery powered fan.  For about $20 you can get a good size battery powered fan and it makes a big difference with the heat.
  • Finally, have lots of fun!  
It takes some work the first few times you go, but camping can be a lot of fun.  Get online and search for "Best camping spots in ___________ (insert your state)" and pick one and go for it.  Hope you all enjoy and if you want to come and go camping with us, we would love to have you.

In other news, Maggie finished kindergarten and loved school.  She is excited for first grade next year.  Eva is growing up to be a really funny, great little kid.  The girls usually play really well together and they both love little Beau.  Oh wait, did I say little?  This kid is large and in charge, but such a great baby.  At his 4 month appointment, he weighted 18.5 pounds and is in the 95% of both height and weight.  We love him so much!  He has been a great sleeper, and is generally a happy and great kid.  Maggie and Eva adore him and love playing with him.

Hope all is going well for everyone else.

1 comment:

Flori said...

The *one* time we went camping in Indiana, we went to a state park called "STarve Hollow"--a couple of hours from Bloomington, I think. It was really pretty!! You are brave to go camping with 3 kids!!!