This poor neglected blog.  I hate going this long between posts, but at least this time I have a legitimate excuse- we were on vacation!  And not just any vacation, but the vacation I look forward to more then any other all year long.  We were camping.

I know, right? Camping- that is the vacation enjoy the most?  The Hubs and I have been to some amazing places both in the US and abroad and, yes, camping is my favorite in terms of pure relaxation and enjoyment.

Home Sweet Home

It helps that we camp with pros (and that the camp ground has indoor plumbing and hot showers).  We have been going to this particular campground since I was itty bitty. Out of my 33 years on this earth, I think I’ve been on this particular vacation 27 of those years.  My parents started going with my aunt and uncle and other family and friends when I was a year old and they just kept going back every year.  At it’s craziest, the trip would include 7 families, 14 kids and a handful of dogs.  Things are bit more subdued now- my kids and my niece are the only little ones around, but that’s just fine.  Scorch camped for the first time at 8 weeks old and the Bean at 3 weeks old.  Some years we rent a pop up camper and others we stay in a tent.

The most stressful decision of the day is whether we go to the beach before or after the kids naps and how many smores my kids can have before bed and still fall asleep.   Breakfast  (scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage & toast) is eaten in our sweats and hoodies around the fire pit, lunch is had at the beach and dinner (burgers, ribs, steaks, chicken & even shrimp) is eaten around picnic tables when everyone is slightly sunburned and tired out from a day playing in the waves of the lake.

There are no TVs, no video games and no computers.  We bring board games, cards, ladder golf and bocce ball and the kids play basketball, football, baseball and lacrosse.  No one ever says that they are board or argues over which movie to watch.  There are 12 adults to 3 kids- a perfect ratio to ensure that the kids never get into too much trouble and one person isn’t spread too thin keeping an eye on them.  In short, it’s wonderful.