Why (and how) we started camping as a family

My family LOVES to go camping. We have been 11 times since last Labor day, stopping in October and starting again in April. When we started, it evolved from an all day trip to the park. We would take the kids to the park for the whole day, pack the cooler, and bring lots of things to make us comfortable for the whole day. I would set up a little area for naps, pack two meals, and lots of stuff to keep the kids occupied. We would stay all day, and always be sad when it was dark and time to go. It was also a lot of work for just one day. But, the kids always had so much fun, and so did Hubby and I. The kids were experiencing nature more, and were fighting less. So, we decided to try camping, even though we had no equipment, and no experience. We ended up renting a rustic cabin at Millersylvania State Park in Olympia, Washington. It was several hours away, but was the only thing available that weekend, and we were lucky to get it. Someone must have canceled because finding a cabin is rare. It was also scheduled to rain (and rain it did !) and there was a fire ban in Washington when I booked it (which was lifted the day we got there) 

Our first camping trip

Millersylvania State Park

Memorial day weekend, 2015

We had a great time, despite the rain. There were some things we liked, and some things we did not. We decided we would keep camping and find a better place for our family. This first campground had no playground and the tent sites did not have electricity. We could not afford to continue to camp in a cabin (nor could we even find any available anywhere!). 

We started discussing this and looking for campsites, and couldn't find any really at all After calling looking for some, we were advised of walkup sites. These are only available on a first come, first serve basis and cant be reserved   That sounded crazy to us. Basically, we would have to pack up all our stuff and just go and hope we could get a campsite. We were not really sure about that but we decided to try and if we couldn't get anything, we would stay for the day and then come home. 

We ended up going to Fishermen's Bend near Lyons, Oregon. They  have electricity in the sites, and a playground. We were able to get a site and were so very excited, The camp host was so nice. He looks like Sy from Duck Dynasty and everyone calls him that! He was very helpful to us. He taught us how to make a fire and even found us a tent when we forgot ours once! We ended up going there three times last fall and had such a great time, we became hooked on camping. 

First camping trip at Fishermen's Bend Recreation

September, 2015

Our kids seem to sleep so much better in the woods. There were several times we felt colds coming on, and the fresh air really seemed to help. We get a lot more family time while camping, and there is less fighting between my kids (if I keep them entertained!). My children are making childhood memories they will never forget, are learning about nature, and seeing new places. They love camping, and hopefully will continue the tradition with their own families some day. 

We tried another campsite last fall. We went to Beverly Beach State Park and got rained out. When we left on Sunday, all of us, and all of our stuff was soaked! We were done for the season after that! 

Beverly Beach State Park 

October, 2015

We spent the next few months gathering equipment and doing research to be better, more efficient campers.When Spring Break rolled around, we decided to go camping during our time off. We booked another cabin at Battleground Lake State Park. It didn't take but an hour to get there, but it rained most of the time. We had Easter there. I did an egg hunt for the kids, and they met a boy who took them fishing for the first time. For some reason, I have no pictures from that trip. Although it may have been a better experience in the summer, being able to go to the lake and really enjoy the area, we haven't been back and I'm not sure we will be. We booked another trip to Beverly Beach after that, and the weather was great. We were right next to the park, so the kids played there pretty much all day. It didn't rain, BUT, some guy backed his truck into the main water line, and all of the water ended up in our campsite! Hubby was not happy. 

After that, we have been back to Fishermen's Bend three times this year. We tried to go in the middle of March, but they were closed so we ended up at Silver Falls State Park. That place is beautiful. We were lucky to get a site. That campground is always booked. But we don't care, we love Fishermen's Bend the best. The first trip to Fishermen's Bend this year, we got rained out. We have been experimenting with tarps, and ours was not placed right that first time. It sagged and filled with water and our canopy, which was tied to the tarp, fell over, on to the top of the tarp, getting everything wet underneath. 

That didn't stop us. For memorial day weekend, we ended up at Viento State Park in the Columbia River Gorge. We were right on a busy train line, but it didn't bother us much. We were happy to be there for the long weekend and that we were able to get a spot at all. Once it got hot, we went to Fishermen's Bend again. It was hot but we brought a fan, and were just really happy to not be in the rain. We actually planned that trip on a Friday after work, and arrived before it got dark to set up. We were very impressed with ourselves. We keep boxes packed with camping equipment, which makes it alot easier to get out  and on the road quickly. 

Fishermen's Bend 

Spur of the Moment trip

June 2016

Now that school is out, we have been back to Fishermen;s Bend once more. We had such a great time there last weekend, for four nights. The weekend started with rain, but we have improved with our tarp skills drastically. My friend and her kids came with us on this last trip and her oldest son was such a big help. He found a long stick with a smaller stick nailed to the top, that formed a T. We used that to hold the tarp up and it worked perfectly. 

This last trip was the most successful and the most fun. We ate well, relaxed, and spent a lot of time together. The weather improved greatly over the four days were were there and we didn't want to leave when it was time to go. 

Fishermen's Bend, Again, for 4 nights (with friends) 

June 2016 

 We have another trip planned in August there, for eight nights. Next weekend we are headed back to Beverly Beach. We are very excited to go there in the summer. 

As you can probably tell, we love camping. I have a lot of blog ideas for campers and families with children who like to go camping like we do. I have recipe  ideas, packing tips, and ideas to keep kids entertained. Follow my blog for more  posts on camping. 

Camping with Kids: Movie Night!

Camping with kids can be tricky. They get bored and need lots of things to keep them entertained. They also get hungry, a lot, so I have to be prepared. Bed time while camping can be chaotic so we came up with a solution to beat the boredom and hunger after showers and before bed:

Movie Night! 

They really enjoy Movie night! We set them up in front of Hubby's Ipad pro (a laptop would work just as well). He put digital downloadable movies on the Ipad for traveling so the kids just pick one of those. Here they are watching Goosebumps, which is one of their favorites and is perfect for around the campfire.  Hubby set up the speaker to make a more surround sound type feel and played music before the movie, just like in the theater. Next time, hes going to add some previews before the movie as well!

 I set them up with movie snacks like popcorn and a few gummy worms, give them some glow sticks, and their blankets if they get cold and they were good to go.. For an hour and a half, my kids sat there nicely and watched their movie under the stars without fighting the entire time! We were able to finally sit down for the first time all day and get some work done on our laptops. Camping with kids is just like living at home with kids. Its a lot of work. Movie night breaks up the mundane and adds a little excitement to the night. 

See how happy they are? 

Movie Night while camping is perfect for kids. 

Garden Update

Hello, I have a garden update to share...

Its been exactly three weeks since this happened...

The horror I felt when I came home and saw the groundskeepers made a huge mistake! I freaked out at first, calmed down after a while, and realized, they will grow back. And grow back they are! Let me show off my beautiful garden that is blooming and flowering, and growing like crazy! 

Here are the two beds, three weeks later... 

I have replanted some, thanks to my property managers, and just continued to weed and water daily, and feed them every week. We have had a good amount of sunshine and not too much rain. 

Here is what I also have growing and amazing me everyday...

I have several varieties of fruits and veggies doing very well. Here are a few... 

Boysenberries 

Blueberries 

Tomatoes 

Corn 

 Artichokes 

 Red Bell Peppers 

Eggplant 

I am very excited to see my results at the end of the summer. I have had a lot of things go wrong: bad soil, disappearing flowers, squirrels, rough kids all around, and I even had a chicken in my garden at one point! My mother, who has been gardening for thirty years is surprised as to how well it is doing. My garden is resilient, that is a proven fact and I am excited to watch it grow!  

Easy Meatballs

I find meatballs to be pretty easy. I mix everything together, fry them up and Im done, with little cleanup. Meatballs are a great comfort food served with spaghetti and tomato sauce, and even better, on a meat ball sandwich. Ive also used them on pizza. Meatballs can easily be transformed with different flavors such as sweet and sour or teriyaki meatballs. Ive also added fresh perlini mozzarella to the middle to make stuffed meatballs. I normally use just Angus ground beef in my meatballs, This time, I added about 1/3 pound of ground sausage. All I had was ground original flavored breakfast sausage and it worked perfectly. The sausage added another dimension of flavor to the ground beef, but wasnt too overpowering. I will keep experimenting with sausage, maybe swapping for Italian sausage next time.

Here, I make a classic Italian style meatball 

Mom's Bags of Tricks Meatballs 

 1 pound Angus ground beef 

1/3 pound sausage 

1/2 onion, small diced 

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons italian seasoning

dash of salt and pepper 

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese 

1 cup panko bread crumbs 

1 egg 

Heat large skillet over medium high heat. 

Mix all ingredients together 

I formed the meatballs round after using a 1/8 cup measure for each meat ball. 

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to skillet and allow to heat up. 

Add meatballs in two batches to the oil, turning and browning on all sides, cooking until no longer pink in the middle. (You get to taste test here !) 

Drain on paper towels. 

Add to heated marinara sauce and serve with spaghetti. 

Makes 28 meatballs 

I served 7 people dinner, plus 4 people meatball sandwiches all with this batch of meatballs 

  

Chicken Dinner Mondays: Cracker Chicken

 

 I am staring a new series: Chicken dinner Mondays. This is the first recipe I have to share. There is a very similar recipe is all over the internet. Its found under the name Famous Butter Chicken. I have cut back on the butter a bit, added milk and tried different seasonings as well. Also, my children changed the name. Because its made with Ritz crackers, they call it Cracker chicken. I need to start doubling the recipe for dinner because they all love it so much. My whole family would eat this for leftovers, if there was any, but there never is. If I served my son this everyday, with ketchup and ranch, he would be one  happy, happy, happy little boy! I always serve it with broccoli and crescent rolls for some reason, and usually a boxed rice side dish. I changed it up this time by adding a boxed noodles side dish and frozen biscuits! 

 Mom's Bags of Tricks Cracker Chicken

Serves 4 (well its supposed to! We never have enough for seconds. so sad! )

Prep 10 min 

Cook chicken at 375 for 40 minutes 

 Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken Breasts,split and cut in half 

1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed in a ziplock gallon bag 

one egg 

2/3 stick of butter (I use salted) 

Dash of Salt and pepper to taste

1- 2 tablespoons seasoning: Italian or ranch is what I always use. I use Papa Johns seasoning packets in my cooking a lot, or I will use 2 tablespoons of Hidden Valley dry ranch powder 

1/4 cup of milk (we use lactose free) 

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 Making the chicken is fairly easy. Preheat the oven to 375.  I use a plastic gallon ziplock bag, empty the crackers into it, and crush away using my marble rolling pin. (sometimes I just grab the meat mallet tenderizer thingy instead, works just as well. Then I split the chicken in half to make 4 pieces using my chef knife. Whisk the egg, milk, salt, pepper, and seasonings together. Using tongs, dip the chicken in the egg, then into the breadcrumbs. Place in a shallow baking dish. Cut the butter into small pieces and place on and around the chicken. Bake for 40 minutes. Then, watch it disappear off everyone's plates in 5 minutes (or less)! 

Movin' on up!

Today my daughter Ruby, who is 11 1/2, started summer school.   Less than two weeks ago, she graduated from elementary school and is now officially a sixth grade middle schooler.  I am happy she has summer school.  I dont want her to lose everyrhing she learned throughout the year during summer break.  Im also glad she will get a chance to get used to her new school and make some new friends. 
The fact that Ruby is now in middle school means she is growing up. I am seeing signs of this everyday.  A few weeks ago i read a magazine article specifically about tween girls growing up.  It gave tips for different products to let them try first such as deodorant and lip gloss.  The article threw me for a loop because it totally pertained to her, and alot of the items they were talking about, im not ready for. Things like mascara and shaving her legs will wait atleast until the fall and as long as possible after that.   The article also touched on attitudes and responsibility.  She definitely is finding her place in this world and is getting bolder with letting me know when she dosnt like something im telling her to do.  I can tell by the eye roll and blank stare.  Be careful your face dosnt freeze like that my lovely daughter! Responsibility is a hard one.  We are working on this every day.  She is starting to realize her actions affect her level of responsibility and  inturn, my level of trust in her.  She is trying to be more responsible and more independent and i can see that.  She is growing maturity. She is also growing vertically! Last week there was one morning she woke up and i swear she was taller! Shes out grown all her clothes i bought her last fall and starting to really find her own style.  I hate to be cliché but i need a tissue.  My baby is growing and movin' on up and there is nothing i can do to stop it!

An Unexpected Visitor Episode 2

This weekend, we were on a camping trip. We went to our favorite campground, Fishermen's Bend on the East Santiam River near Mill City, Oregon. We were there on a mini vacation for four nights, and like normal, it was amazing. The weather started out with rain and very mild temperatures and over the last several days, it improved greatly. The poor weather didn't bother us too much. We were very prepared for rain so everything was really pretty perfect. Maybe it was the greeting we received when we first entered our campsite that really set the tone for a long, fabulous weekend. Upon getting out of the car, we immediately found a lizard. It was pretty amazing. He was just sitting there waiting for us to show up. My friend's son found him first and promptly named him Bob. My children changed Bob's named about six times during his visit in our campsite. As we set up camp for several hours in the rain, Bob kept us company and did a great job of welcoming us there for the next several days. The kids wanted to keep him around until his brother and sister arrived so we placed him in the firepit that we wouldn't be using until later that night. The kids put some leaves in there for him and kept checking on him. Bob was perfectly fine and happy as a lizard could be. He just stayed there, chillin. Once the other kids arrived, we had even more excitement over Bob, and more name changes for him, too. After it got dark, we needed to start a fire and no longer had a proper place to put him, so the kids let him go in the forest. I was hoping he would come back and bring his friends, but he never did. Unfortunately, we didn't have a proper lizard photo shoot. I did get a few shots of Bob and my son. He was sad to see the little guy go.

BzzAgent Daisy Sour Cream campaign

 I am a member of BzzAgent.  Its very simple to become a member and was quickly and easily qualified for my first campaign.  I answered some questions about Daisy sour cream and sour cream in general.  I was qualified and about two weeks later, i received an envelope  from BzzAgent and Daisy sour cream.  The envelope included 6 coupons for the new squeeze container of sour cream and a recipe book.  6 coupons is amazing.  I gave some to my mom and kept some for myself.  The sour cream costs about $2 at my Kroger store. It took them a while but they finally got it in stock. 

 I like the squeeze feature of the package redesign.  They really thought outside the sour cream container and pretended to be an applesauce squeeze pouch.  Apple sauce squeeze pouches are convenient and easy to pack.  They don't require a spoon and there is no mess.  Daisy took that concept and made it work for them (and all of us). I just twisted off the cap and opened the spout, put the cap back on and squeezed away.  

I decided to use the sour cream in coffee cake.  I bought a Krusteaz coffee cake box mix to save time while preparing for our camping trip.  I replaced all but two tablespoons of the water required for the mix on the back of the box with Daisy sour cream. The squeeze pouch made it easy to measure. I mixed the water with the sour cream and then added the egg and mixed with the dry coffee cake mix. 

The coffee cake smelled amazing while baking and browned up nicely.  I made the cake in a square tin and took it with us camping.  I was feeding 8 people and thought the coffee cake would go perfect with hashbrowns, eggs and bacon and i was right! I've made this coffee cake many times but this time, when i used the sour cream, it turned out so moist and just tasted a little more special.  The whole 8x8 pan was gone after breakfast and everyone raved about how delicious that was.  Having a good coffee cake at breakfast is always a big hit but having it made with sour cream while camping really elevated us to GLAMPING status which was exactly what i was going for! 

     

I received coupons from BzzAgent and Daisy sour cream complimentary for testing purposes.  All opinions are my own. I would like to thank BzzAgent for including me in this campaign and to let Daisy sour cream know that they took a great product and made it better.  Thank you!

Big Lots! Haul

This haul is also a video on youtube! watch the video here. DOnt forget to hit the like button and subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgk29njKwjU

I went to Big Lots! after I got paid last week on a whim. I dont shop there often, but its right by my house, so occasionally I will check them out. Their prices seem to be high on a lot of items but on this haul, I did find some good deals. I was looking for some type of dresser to hold some of my clothes, and some camping items. 

 I ended up picking up this 6 cube storage for my new dresser. It was only $30 bucks. Hubby put it together for me. Took him a little while but it came out perfect and he did a great job. 

I bought three storage bins to match my room in red, black and gray. 

I found some good deals on some items for our camping trip that we just had over the weekend. I got extra cups and plasticware because on this trip I invited my friend and her three kids to come and share our campsite with us for a few days. I needed some extra supplies. I got the antibacterial wipes to have handy during cooking, extra bug spray, which worked very well and is almost gone, the tin baking pans for different things I was planning to make and take on the trip, and these three pack of head lamps. The head lamps were $ 10 for three and I was very skeptical. I have paid $10 for one headlamp and had two of those break on me. These headlamps are awesome. All three still work perfectly. These have an extra strap that goes on top of your head and for some reason, that makes it much more comfortable. These are sturdy and do have a hinge to change placement of the lamp. There are two light settings and a flashing setting and these were so helpful once it got dark. Hubby, my friend, and I all had these on and we didn't need flashlights at all otherwise. Very impressed by these! 

 

I picked up a few snacks for the trip. All the kids really enjoyed these pretzels. The brownies were a big hit for desert one night during our trip. I made them in the tin baking pan I got here as well and put them in a plastic bag and stored in the food box. Easy to make, store, pck, and serve. The Nerds, I brought but we still have them. These were my favorite as a kid. I may end up eating these!

I got myself some face wipes with argan oil for removing makeup, a big pack of ankle socks for $5 bucks, and some Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition dry oil for body, face, and hair. I love Garnier and pretty much use it all the time. I have not tried this but it was fairly inexpensive so I will give it a try.  

I got us a new shower curtain set for the main bathroom. This picture doesn't do the shower curtain justice. Its beautiful. everything here cost 14 bucks. Very inexpensive way to change the look in your bathroom quickly and easily. 

 These pool loungers did double duty while camping. I used them as extra mattresses in the kid's tents and then when our friends left, my kids used them down at the river. My only complaint is they take longer to inflate then our regular air mattresses due to the use of a smaller nozzle to fill it up with the pump, and deflating them also takes a long time as well. You have to pinch the opening and put weight on it for quite a while to get it deflated. $14 bucks for 2 is a good deal and was handy when I needed extra bedding but the time taken for the money saved was a lot.

I got myself new hair ties and some nail polish remover wipes. The hair ties were a great deal. We used the different colors to mark water bottles while camping. This helped us keep track of who's bottle belonged to whom. The nail polish wipes were $1 but don't work very well. They smell nice but the formula didn't hold up to my glitter nail polish and I didn't have time to keep taking forever to get my nail polish off using those so I grabbed my bottle of nail polish remover to do the job. These wipes are a fail. 

My favorite items from this haul? 

The dresser was the most expensive item I bought, but a very inexpensive option for a dresser. It is working out very well. 

The head lamps were an awesome surprise as to how well they worked out. We kept them all together near the picnic table, None of them got lost!

The shower curtain items were such a good deal and it looks so pretty hanging in my bathroom. 

The shower curtain wins this haul!