I love the outdoors and nature. I jokingly tell my family I’m going to pitch a tent out back and live there a few days a week! I am currently working on making a platform to pitch our 4 person tent on for backyard camping. This will allow for an even surface for the tent as well as off the ground in case of rain. If you have been putting off taking your children camping then you should consider starting with backyard camping!
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Do you like to go camping? Are you itching to get out and explore the great outdoors? Is Winter giving you the blues? Not enough snow to send the kids outside? Too low temps to safely play outside? What does any stir crazy,outdoor loving, cabin fevered mom do? Get ready for warmer temps by finding Ways to Beat the Winter Blues! In this multi-post series I will share with you some ideas to get your family ready for Spring and Summer by taking simple steps now. I will share a variety of easy craft and DIY projects to inspire you and prepare you for the seasons ahead!
This is sort of an odd post for me really. Why? Well, my hubby doesn’t like to camp or at least the one camping trip with a 1 yr. old/pouring down rain and tornado warnings did not go very well! Trying to keep a newer walking tot dry and clean was near impossible. But I digress because we did buy a tent last year. The kids used it for backyard camping. I thought we could trying camping again this year if we bought a larger or 2nd tent, but now that I am pregnant not sure if that will happen. (edited to say that this post was written in 2013!) I am not currently pregnant, lol.
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My 5 year old has been begging to camp outdoors since a few weeks before his birthday in April. Since the weather was very cold then I promised him that once the weather got warmer we’d camp out. Well, now the weather has been in the mid 90’s during the day and only cooling down to mid 70’s at night-ACK! I am watching the weather like a hawk for a good night the little boys and I can camp out back.
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This weekend is the Great American Backyard Campout, but with the heat and humidity we may not actually do any backyard camping. If we are actually home we will put up a tent for play or bring it inside for a great humidity-free camping adventure. We did put up two different tents in our backyard but only for a day or two so we didn’t kill the grass. I actually moved the smaller play tent around everyday so the grass underneath wouldn’t be flattened and die.
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Okay, so April is gone and May is rapidly coming to and end! Soon Summer will be in full-force! This Summer my hubby’s job will take him away from us 5 days a week except some days which he can telecommute. This will be our first Summer with FOUR CHILDREN and daddy working full-time. Eek! I definitely need some cheap ways to have fun this Summer! Who better to ask then my children, right? If I do not ask them for input, then we might miss doing something that is on their Summer bucket list!
1. Summer Reading Clubs– usually we join 3-4 different library programs to fulfill all of our reading fun! We just happen to live within a 15 minute radius of four different libraries. Each one has it’s pros and cons as far as how active their program is and what their library has to offer.
2. Backyard Camping– this year might prove a little difficult with an active infant but mom wants to sleep in a tent with kids this Summer. Last Summer being pregnant prevented such fun times!
3. Bonfires– we usually forget to have them early on and then the heat of Summer takes over. We then feel it’s a bit ridiculous to have a hot fire on a hot day! With hubby’s new work schedule we should be able to have one each week if our heart desires. I want to practice cooking on a fire in case we ever go camping:)
4. Grandma’s pool- I hope my parents get their above ground pool prepped early this year. As soon as the temps stay steady in the 80’s then we can drive to my parent’s to enjoy some cooling off.
I enrolled both Eldest and Princess in a free class called “Be a Better Biker” day camp that a local police department puts on for 4th through 6th graders. It is a week long half-day camp all about street smarts and bike safety skills. We live in town so this information will prove valuable for their safety as well as other neighborhood kids.
Princess wants to take a gymnastics class. She took gymnastics at the YMCA when she was preschool age then switched to cheer then to ballet. Last Summer she took tennis so I was surprised when she opted for gymnastics class this year. She even opted to NOT take a jump rope class.
Eldest has been really wanting to do basketball AND Lego League/Robotics. This was a little tricky since most kids his age may have Open Gym times through their local Middle School. Since we homeschool sometimes you have to get creative. I found a local community center that offers a two day basic basketball skills camp and a seasonal leagues. His age is co-ed and starts shortly after the skills camp.
Big Red has no clue. He was offered to attend a nature camp but didn’t think it sounded good to him. GO figure he’s 4! I know he will enjoy swimming in grandma’s pool and taking some short staycation trips with the rest of us. He might even enjoy a backyard camping trip including a bonfire or catching lightning bugs.
