Camping Tips and Tricks

WOW are we having a hot summer! I love all the sunshine, but my plants are just about dead and my makeup sweats off my face the second I step out the door. Can't there be a happy medium?

In any event, a couple weeks ago while we were back home in Illinois, some friends of ours asked us to go camping with them. We said, "Sure! Great! Sounds like fun!"

So plans were made to join them in their camping adventure. Honestly, anytime we get together with these friends it's quite an adventure... Picture two girly-girl mommies chasing around 7 rambunctious boys! Between her 4 boys and my 3 boys (yes, we count our husbands as "the boys" - trust me, they deserve that title!) we always have lots of stories to share and laugh about.

But as the camping trip got closer and the thermometer swelled to 105 degrees, we thought,
"WHAT WERE WE THINKING? Are we really going to go TENT camping in this heat??"

But as the boys get older and families get busier, it seems to be harder and harder to find time to spend with friends. When would we get another chance to do this? And surely we could survive a few days sweltering in the heat in exchange for making so many great memories with the kids.

So we packed up the car and headed to the campground!

If it was up to my husband, all we would have packed for the trip was a fishing pole and a gun. For me, however, that was not going to fly. I need stuff... food, shelter, clothes, iPhone. You know, the essentials. But I still had to keep what we packed as light as possible so it would all fit in our car.

To save space in coolers, I pre-made sandwiches instead of having to pack bread, meat, cheese, and various condiments. I spread mustard or mayo between the meat and cheese to keep the bread from getting soggy. Since we all like different things on our sandwiches, I labeled the plastic-wrapped sandwiches with my new favorite labels: washi tape! (See how I used washi tape to label my pantry here)




I had a large, rectangular tupperware container that perfectly fit eight sandwiches so they wouldn't get smashed in the cooler.



We also packed baby carrots, grapes, and cheese sticks in the cooler and graham crackers, goldfish, and mini boxes of cereal in a bag.

OK...
Now you're in the middle of nowhere, it's 105 degrees, and you are DRIPPING with sweat. How do you cool off?

This next trick I cannot take credit for. When I told my Mom we were going camping she shared this nugget of advice with me from our many years of camping growing up.

When packing for your trip, grab washcloths (one for each family member) and soak them in water.



Wring them out slightly and stick each washcloth in a ziplock bag.



Keep them in the cooler, and you'll have always have a frosty cold wet rag to wipe off your face and cool you down. This was a life saver!!



Not only did we survive the heat, but we had a blast. So many great memories with great friends were made.

Like father...

Like son. 

We went fishing,




and caught some catfish!



Even I cast a few!



Luckily we were able to cool down in a creek nearby.



And then with sandy toes and sun-kissed cheeks, my little boy fell fast asleep.



We are all looking forward to many camping trips in the future! What camping survival tips do you have?

I wish you many sweet summer memories!



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