Next Time We Bring the Tequila....

In our considerable camping experience, both before and since we have had children, there are just some truths that have emerged that we can have carved in stone at this point:

1. Camping + Kids = Dirty Kids. Everyone who has taken kids camping knows this is a truth beyond debate. I am always amazed- not at the fact that it happens, but the speed and the degree always astonish me.

2. Kids love the set-up and take down, but are really unsure as to the purpose of the time in between. To a certain extent this applies to some Dads as well (I'll take the 5th, thank you very much). But the quiet, contemplative, Walden Pond like aspects of camping will always elude them. If we could have shotguns and fireworks, that would be much more their speed.

3. Water, independent of temperature and weather, will always draw children like magnets (whether you want them wet or not). My intelligent wife remembers this one and for our one night of camping brought each child three

 changes of clothes and two pairs of shoes (all of which were used, by the way....)

4. Kids + Camping + Full Night of rain = What I would imagine waterboarding to be like, only louder and more frustrating.

We went out on an overnight trial run

 up to Lake Cascade this weekend. This was in preparation for our four day trip with Lisa, John and the Girls over the upcoming 4th weekend. I wanted to do an equipment shake down and see what needed replacement- plus we needed to see what would and wouldn't work for the kids (questions, see this post). We knew that it was going to rain for a good portion of the trip, we knew thunderstorms were possible, we knew that the children wouldn't sleep well, and you know what...we went anyway. Yep, masochists as always...

I'm not sure if the word "fun" applies here. Don't get me wrong- there were some fun MOMENTS, but overall I would say that it was "trying". Some of the highlights:

• The kids playing "Wipeout" in the tent. This is a game they made up during our several hours in the tent which is based on the horrible TV show that we let Jake watch wherein the kids run and jump and barrel into things while yelling "WIPEOUT!" loudly while Brian and I hush them repeatedly and hope the tent doesn't rip.
  
• Swimming in the lake (even though it wasn't even 60 degrees outside)
• Using the light sticks that Brian got them as: light sabers, pretend cameras, exploring sticks, guns, and bug killers.
  
• Using the pit toilets (this was a highlight only for Tanner and Faith)
  
• Teaching Jake to play solitaire while Tanner and Faith colored Diego pictures while listening to the pounding of the rain on the tent
• Starting the fire with a bag of Cheetos (based on an online camping tip Brian read before we left, it works better than lighter fluid believe it or not). It worked so well we think we will buy a bunch of small bags for our next trip.
• Brian and I cracking open the bottle of wine, our loaf of bread, and the artichoke dip and lounging on our sleeping bags while the kids entertained themselves (OK... so this only amounted to about 5 minutes of our trip... but still... it was definitely a highlight!)
  

The lowlight (I guess it is really just one... but it was a doozy):

• The fact that Faith was HORRIBLE. Seriously, I don't think I have ever been so frustrated or angry at ANY of my children in the last six years. She would not settle down in the tent and it was after "quiet hours" and she kept whining and crying and screaming (repeatedly, "WHY" over and over and over again),  and being a total brat. We had no recourse except to repeatedly threaten to lock her in the car (which we obviously couldn't do) or drive home (which we weren't willing to do). Even her brothers- who usually have the patience of saints with their sister- were annoyed with her.
  

But, like Brian mentioned above, we are gluttons for punishment and are already excited for the big trip to Coeur d'Alene in two weeks. This time I think I may pack Benedryl for Faith, though. We are also thinking about bringing the kids their own tent....