camping practice

School's out, and I decided a few days ago (before I got in a bad mood) that we'd set up the tent and let the kids (and that means me with them) camp in the backyard as a surprise for the start of summer. I made a mistake in that plan - I told Jack. Jack is 4. 4 birthdays is NOT enough time to have learned what a secret is, apparently, because five minutes after I told Jack, he told the girls. I figured he'd keep the secret because he was PART of the secret - he and I were to set up the tent alone while they were in school. But once he told them, my excitement level dropped, and with them asking me every five minutes "are we gonna put the tent up yet?" for the past three days, I figured maybe we should just do it another day. What is with that? Why do we, when we want to surprise someone, then want to pull the surprise away if they find out? I do that all the time.
Back to the tent. Finally, it got decided on, whether they knew it or not, it was a good idea, and who cares if a surprise is ruined - they were still SO excited!
So, I timed myself putting up the tent yesterday - Daddy was at swim practice with one of the campers, so myself and two of the smaller campers set it up in - wait for it -..........22 minutes!!!!!! I was so proud of us! I've set it up before, but it wasn't THAT quick the last time!

 To be honest, the rain cover on the top did take an extra five minutes or so to figure out...but we won't count that, because it wasn't NECESSARY, really!
So camping in the backyard is GREAT practice for the camping we'll do toward the end of summer. We are very excited, but it is smart to do a little run through, and I definitely go that from last night.

 Seeing the kids excitement once the tent was up was priceless. They ran in and out, in and out, in and out, waiting for their sister to get home so they could start loading things inside.

 One of their favorite parts of the tent is the dual dog doors..it's a three room tent, so in two of the rooms, there are zip down dog doors. They LOVE these, and they actually use them often to go in and out.

 Here's a good look at the three rooms...and a good look at all the rooms we own BEHIND the tent, that we COULD have slept in, but for some reason, when you are a kid, sleeping in your REAL house is no fun. Sleeping in your vinyl/plastic cold damp house is just the way to go to celebrate the beginning of summer!

 We borrowed my parents fire pit, and this made it SO much more campingish! In fact, we all STILL smell like campfire now! My entire HOUSE smells like campfire, as does the inside of the tent and all it's contents. Talk about AUTHENTIC!

 Yes, we used Daddy's dry cleaning hangers to roast Hebrew Nationals. They were EXCELLENT. The kids said they were the best hot dogs they'd ever had. OF COURSE they would think that. Anything that takes time on the stove or in the oven, no thanks. Something from the end of a bent wire, AWESOME.

 Where else can you wear your ROBE camping?

 Daddy's superhero skills once again - they just thought he was SO cool for using his FOOT to move the logs in the fire. Every time he did it they squealed and thought his shoe would catch on fire. I can just see them, in the years coming, putting their shoes in the fire the way daddy does.

Utter excitement over all that is going on, while roasting a hot dog.
By the way, some things I learned from last night: OUR TENT ROCKS. It's just a regular Coleman we bought about three years ago. It was on sale at Costco, and I want to say it was a little over 100 dollars. My mom gave me a tip to go somewhere I NEVER go, Big Lots - she said she thought she'd seen a Coleman for way less. I took a picture of the costco tent, then went to Big Lots. It was the SAME tent, just green instead of blue, and it was half the price. I want to say I paid $50 or $55 for the tent (I have a horrible memory with numbers). This tent is SO fun because of the little walls you can put up inside which makes each kid think they're in their own room. Obviously once all five of us are in there for the REAL camping, they won't be in their own rooms, but last night, they loved that part. Jack slept with me in the big room, and the girls got the outer rooms. They loved it.
Also, I learned we need a few things to make our camping experience better. Both of us adults do NOT like air mattresses, but we WOULD like an egg crate cushion, so I'll probably invest in one of those. How is it that when you're younger than 18, sleeping on the hard floor is fine. Your sleeping bag is cushion enough! Not so much anymore.
Also, a good lantern. I know we got one for our wedding ten years ago, but I'm pretty sure I gave it away. A lantern or flashlight OTHER than my kids' kiddie lanterns would be magnificent.
And I learned - camping on grass is SO CLEAN and soft. No dirt in the tent. Nothing to sweep out. Our grass is lush and soft and tall, so it was like having an airmatress anyway! Why can't more camping grounds let you sleep on lush grass? :)
If you have a tent and have not camped in your back yard, I highly recommend it. PLEASE, do it. It's so easy, cheap and clean - and the kids will LOVE it. And the bathrooms are wonderful!