The Gift that keeps on Giving

The greatest gift I hope to give my children, my nephews and nieces is the gift of wonderful childhood memories. Things they can laugh about. Tell their children about. Oft-times parents get caught up in giving their children "things", the newest cool toy, the most expensive video game.

I was that parent once.

Now I love the looks on their faces when they share their memories with each other. The words "Remember when..." are like music to my ears. I want to show them the world, give them the gift of seeing things some people only see on tv or in magazines.

I want them to be fearless adventurers. To not be afraid to follow their dreams. I want their spirits to be awakened to all the beauty there is on this planet. I want them to marvel at the tiniest bug and the biggest tree.

That is my motivation. My driving force.

Finding the Perfect Campground

Finding the best place to go camping is a fun, yet daunting task. There are so many things to take into consideration. How big are the sites ? What kind of recreational activities are there ? What's the campground atmosphere like ? Will there be room for my tent (or RV)? Where are the bathrooms located ? Is there a camp store ? An ATM ? WiFi ? Pool ?
So here are my 4 hints on finding your perfect campground. Happy travels.

#1. Know What You Want. Looking for peace and quiet ? A family atmosphere ? Beachfront camping? Do you need hook-ups ? What kind? Only you know what type of place will meet your needs. Make a list of all the things you need your campground to do. My list includes lots of recreational activities (to keep the kids busy), restrooms (you know why), Beach or a Pool, and nice big sites. (cause I hate feeling crowded)

#2. Look Online. Pick your area and Google campgrounds in that area. I love looking at campground websites. When searching online I look for a campground map, pictures of the amenities, rate details and campground rules. I would like to see pictures of each individual campsite...but I haven't ran into a campground website that does that yet.

#3. Go Visit in Person. Sure the pictures online make the place look like Club Med, but in reality you might not like what you find. I, for one, don't like surprises. So we go out a few weekends before a camping trip and tour campgrounds. It's actually fun and you get a feel for the environment and the people who run the place. I also pick up any literature the campground has (activity schedule, campground maps, etc) I have a file I keep all our campground info in.

#4. Check the Reviews. Trip Advisor, RV Park and Campground Reviews are my go to sites for checking out what other people are saying about a campground. Also take the time to review a campground when you return from your trip. Whether you loved it or hated it let people know.

Snow Tubing (Mad River Mountain)

Sometimes it's hard to find an activity the the entire family loves, especially when you have kids ages 7-16. I found this cool place and we decided to go on New Years Day. For $25 per person you could go up and down the tubing hill for 3 hours. At first Iwas concerned that three hours was too long....but it wasn't.

I also figured it would be pretty busy, since it was a holiday weekend. I was wrong. We got there by noon and it wasn't crowded at all.

***TIPS***

To save money bring your own snacks and beverages.

Dress warmly in layers. (The kids were coming down off the mountain sweating)

Camping Trip 2010 (A Tale of Rain, Wind and No Socks)

This past weekend was our first family camping trip. The 14 of us spent the weekend at Indian Lake State Park in Lakeview, Ohio.



I have to say this one thing...none of our trips ever go easy. We always have some sort of trial that (hopefully) makes us stronger and more united in the end.


Day #1- Saturday Rollout And Arrival Day- I really wish I had taken a picture of the amount of stuff that we took on this camping trip. We looked like we had 50 people going instead of 14. We filled the storage area of the van and the trunk of the car and still had to stuff stuff in every available nook and cranny. It took about a half hour to get our gear loaded up. Then we were finally able to hit the road.

We arrived at the campground a little after 3am. It was humid and warm but it wasn't too bad. Rain had been threatening all day. We immediately set to work putting up the tents.

My daughter Pinky has developed an amazing talent for putting up tents (and taking them back down, too) She put up one of our larger tents almost entirely by herself .

We spent the rest of the day getting familiar with our surroundings. Some of the kids headed to the beach for a swim, others went up to the camp store for basketballs for a quick b-ball game.

Dinner was hamburgers and hot dogs, we were hard pressed to get the kids to eat something. they played until they wore themselves out.

The wind had started to pick up late in the evening, but there was no sign of rain. The rustling of the trees was non-stop. By 2am the rain had started. Torrential rains, heavy winds, thunder and lightning...everyone was concerned but nobody said anything. The tents held up amazingly well. They barely moved in the wind, maybe that's why we weren't as worried as we probably should have been. We found out the next day a tornado had hit a city 34 miles from where we were.

About 4am I had to make a potty run. I NEVER have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The storm was churning around us and I had to go to the bathroom. I tried to wait it out, but the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the tent was making matters worse. Finally, I had no choice... I threw on my shoes and raincoat and hiked over to the bathroom. It wasn't a long walk, but it was long enough. By the time I got back to the tent my socks and shoes were soaked.

It was at that very moment that I remembered that I did not pack any socks. Neither had any of the kids. Now I have wet socks and shoes and cold feet.

By morning we were just glad we made it through the night.

Camping Trip 2010 (Part 2-Day 2)

Day #2 Sunday

Sunday was our first full day at camp. We started off with some issues... mainly no socks, needing bigger pan to cook pancakes in, and a few other small things. So we headed off to Wal-Mart while my niece figured out a way to cook pancakes and sausages for 10 hungry kids.

By the time we got back to camp my niece had finished cooking breakfast and the kids were off playing ball and swimming. We decided to rent some bikes for the gang and they were off... tearing around the campground, having fun, smiling and laughing.

'Cole drove a car for the first time. She did pretty good. She really enjoyed herself.

We finished off the day with a ghost story and the kids retired to their tents happy, content and a bit leary that an indian ghost might come by in the middle of the night.

Camping Trip 2010 (Part 3-Day 3)

Monday was Packing Up Day. After another breakfast of Pancakes and sausage we got to work taking down tents and cleaning up camp. Once everything was done the kids went back to the beach for one last time and swam until it was time for us to leave.

I really enjoyed myself and I'm sure everyone else did also. It was amazing looking up at the sky and seeing it filled with stars. Simply beautiful. I have to say the dark at night was really dark. I can't ever remember being anyplace so dark. It's funny the amount of noises you hear at night. You want to get up and check and when you do you can't see anything.

Looking forward to doing it again soon.

Tent Set-Up Day

Monday was the day we drug out the tents and did a run-through. I've never assembled a tent before so I was excited and leery at the same time. I read the instructions a few times. Looked at all the parts, read the instructions again and Pinky and I started working on Tent #1.


It went up like a dream. It only took us about 15 minutes. Judy came by to help and that's probably why we got done faster. I cannot believe the amount of space this puppy has. Wow !

Next we started on Tent #2...




We were almost done with Tent #2 when we discovered an issue. The brackets (or hubs) that attach the legs to the tent on one side were wrong !! All wrong !! So we studied the the tent to make sure we hadn't assembled it wrong, but it wasn't us. The tent had the wrong brackets. So we pulled out Tent #3 (same as Tent #2) to inspect its parts. It had everything it was supposed to have. That's when we realized we were going to have to contact the manufacturer for replacement parts.

After checking online and finding nothing, I knew I was going to have to call. I called this morning and was amazed by their customer service. The rep knew the product and pulled up the parts we needed instantly. I ordered my parts ($4.50 each), selected 2-day delivery and I just got the e-mail stating my order has been shipped.


So here's what I learned...
#1. We need about 20 minutes to set up each tent.
#2. Two people can do it, but three is better.
#3. They come down easier than they go up. lol
#4. I (heart) the company that makes Northwest Territory tents.