Mikaiah loves her "new home for camping."
Staying warm with Papa.
Mikaiah had a bun at the top of her head and when I took it out this is what was left. haha.
On Friday night our good friends the Miller's joined us for the evening. Here their youngest daughter Tillie (3 months) and Sequoia (6 months) get aquainted.
We spent three nights, with slow relaxing mornings around camp and afternoons/evenings spent in Bend with friends. A lovely way to end our first complete year of monthly camping.
I decided that every time I post about our camping trips I will try to include a tip or two that have worked for us.
Like most people I dislike packing and unpacking, but unpacking is truly the worst. I hate that end-of-trip feeling when you're headed back to life, and work, AND you have a bunch of unpacking and cleaning ahead of you. However, I have found that taking just a little extra time while packing up can save you a lot of time back home. When packing up I try to group things not so much according to what they are, but to where they will go in my home. I put everyone's dirty clothes in a foldable laundry basket (I usually put things like extra shoes in it to begin with, and then put the shoes in our bags in exchange for the dirty clothes.) Since I have a tote of dry goods which always has some food stored in it, I take all the perishables (half full bag of tortilla chips, oranges, bread, etc) and any food I simply want to eat soon (chocolate covered almonds, for example) and put them in a bag at the top of the tote so that when I get home I simply remove the bag, and store everything else. This system works really well, getting my laundry started right away and my things back where they belong, allowing me to sit down and enjoy the rest of my weekend much sooner than I would otherwise.
Something else that is helpful is having set tasks for both Seth and I. We have these both for packing up to go, and packing up to leave. I pack all food and clothing for me and the girls along with the sleeping bags and bedding. Then I have it by the front door. Seth gets all the camp gear and packs it all up. Once we get there he unloads and I set up the kitchen area and watch the girls while he gets the tent up. Then I set up our beds. For packing up I load up stuff in the tent/yurt while Seth watches the girls and makes breakfast and then I clean dishes and pack up the kitchen stuff with the girls while he does the rest. Having these things laid out (we just naturally figured this out and then have stuck to it) can relieve a lot of stress, especially by taking turns so that each can do their job without getting in the others way or while watching kiddos.
Also, no matter how organized you are packing up and trying to get out the door can be stressful (or maybe this is just stressful for us, but I'm guessing not.) Try to focus on just getting done what needs done and getting in the car. Once you're in the car, let it go. Stress can make us all irritable at times but there's no need to let it carry on into the weekend. As soon as you're in the car, preferably before you pull out look over a list to make sure you have all the essentials (Seth and I do this from a mental list but having one written up ahead of time is a good idea.) Whatever else you have have forgotten try to pick up at a store on the way out, or do without. Or if someone is joining you later you can check to see if they can bring your forgotten items. Remember that things are just things and often not as important as we think. Blaming someone for forgetting them never bring about anything positive. Enjoy your travels and one another and if you have any great tips I would love to hear them. We are constantly evaluating what worked and what didn't work great, what we needed/used and what just took up room. This keeps our trips getting better and easier as we go.
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