Memorial Day Weekend

The family is going camping this weekend.  I'm so excited, I love camping.... the smell of an open campfire, the sounds of birds in the morning, coffee under the stars at night.  There's nothing like it.  Really.... there is nothing like it.  My camping trips with the family have never turned out like that. 

It usually begins with a 4 hour packing fiasco, during which time ALL of the necessities are forgetten and only things that are of absolutely no use in the woods actually make it into the back of the pick up.  We will end up running even later because we will have to stop by the store to replace the expensive flashlights we bought for this trip but lost.... with the cheap $1.50 ones that come with their own 30 minute batteries.  The trip up the hill will be total terror!  The kids fuss if someone touches them, they fuss if someone sings the same song they are singing, they fuss if someone looks at them wrong.  They fuss all the way there!  The radio will die out about mid-way and then the kids will start fussing about my husband's choice of music.  Last summer it was the greatest hits of the Carpenters.  Even I started fussing when he put in the 2nd volumn.

I always help the kids pack, and I always make sure they have clean underwear and socks to change into.  I don't know what happens to these items of clothing because they NEVER make it to the camp grounds.  I usually end up donating a pair of my socks just to keep the funk to a minimum.  Ever been in a warm tent that has a couple pairs of socks that had been reused for 2 days in a row?  When you camp out your feet can be in shoes for 18 hours at a time... oh my gosh!  And to wear the same socks for 2 days in a row...  Last year I went into the boys then but had to leave because the stench was so bad.  I literally could not breath in that tent!  My eyes were watering so bad I couldn't even see.  I don't think the kids were asleep when they were in there, I think they were actually unconcious by the smell, I am sure of that!  Those socks went straight into the trash as casualties of the camp-out.  Don't know why they don't just make disposable socks, I would be their best customer.

I won't be going up until tomorrow being as I have to work tonight.  Steve will be taking the kids up this afternoon.  I pretend to be disappointed in not being able to go up with them, but I'm not fooling my husband.  I made a huge pot of chicken chili for them to take up with them.  They will eat it for supper.  Hopefully it will be out of their systems before I go up tomorrow.  If not, none of them will be sharing the tipi with me, especially if we get a fire going in there.  Don't want that tipi blasting off into space.

Guess I better get started on the list of things that we should take with us but probably won't.  I think I'm more excited about having the house to myself tonight than I am about camping.  Woooo hooo!  This is so great!