A Camping We Will Go-Sort Of

Each summer we have good intentions of taking the kids camping. We brainstorm a little, then go over the schedule, and abandon the idea.

So last summer, we decided to set up the tent in the back yard. It's pretty big, and there are a lot of tall weeds (thanks Lehi soil), and a lot of pesky trees (quaking aspens), and sometimes we don't mow the grass for quite a long time. So the experience can be very wilderness like.

The tent is foolishly large. I snatched it from my parents a few years ago. It has three rooms and a covered porch. The instructions on how to put it up seem to be missing a few key steps, so Nate and I have to pretend that we have degrees in engineering for a few hours. And then once it is up, it's sort of stable, unless there is a big gust of wind.


But the kids think it is fabulous and don't seem to care about sound construction. They pull out the air mattresses, sleeping bags, camp chairs, and flashlights, and have a bunch of fun. Bella packed a suitcase full of dolls, bouncy balls, and games to take with her. Jack filled all the pockets in the tent with treasures he needed. And Sophie played during daylight hours, not realizing there is a sleeping in the tent option. She and I camp inside the house. We are holdouts till next year. The kids watch movies outside on the laptop, and giggle into the wee hours with their flashlights. It's all great fun! One day, we will hopefully make it out camping into the great wide world, but until then, the back yard is a great substitute. You can't beat the very close indoor plumbing and stocked fridge.