It started a bit poorly because I was rushed getting packed up on Thursday. I needed to meet with my new boss to sign a contract for next year ($39997) at four. Before that I needed to pack my kids, stuff, food, toys, bedding and collect an extra kiddo who was coming with us. I forgot some stuff.
Camping can be fun. Camping with my cousin, on my aunt's dime and agenda, not as much fun. To me camping should be about being relaxed and happy go lucky and building campfires at night and eating fruit and sandwiches during the day. With my cousin, its about hassling the kids (Who cares if they crawl around and get dirty and make mud pies? its camping!), and making more work for herself and the people around her than is needed. We got a site with electricity, but some how all three nights her tent was the only one that had fans going (even though I brought fans and cords). Also, her 18 month old is autistic and sleeps poorly, I think part of the reason is that she keeps him corraled in a playpen all day when he would really like to be active, anyway, she insisted that everyone at the campsite be absolutely silent when she wanted him to go to bed, but the allowed her other kids to get everyone up before six the next morning. She also complained about her husband (didn't seem so bad and better with hunter than she is) and being hot and sticky alot.
Her mom, my aunt, just as bad. She didn't ever actually camp. She did try to set the agenda of what we did, how we cooked and organized bathtimes, toiletries, and sleeping. In the process my tooth brishes, tooth paste, and sunscreen were all misplaced until we were packing up to leave. She also has a personal tick against alcohol, so wanted us, grown adults with no history of substance abuse, to camp four nights in the heat without beer or booze. She got all sorts of pissy when it didn't happen.
My boys were pretty great. They swam in the lake, hiked up and down trails for me, ate campout food, managed not to fall into the fire, fell asleep to movies on my laptop, and woke up after the sun came up (as opposed to before . . . )
I definitely want to take them camping for myself. Using my own equipment and not in conjuction with any sort of family meal or reunion or get together attached to the trip. It kinda sicks to have been camping in the heat for three days and be hot and sweating and still in a swim suit from being at the lake and have a bunch of cool as a cucumber relatives show up looking great. Also sucks to have one's aunt show up while we have the kids down at the beach and throw a fit about where things are stacked and insist it all be moved around.
So to camp with my boys I need : tent, cooler(s), sleeping pallet and bags (really not fond of trying to sleep on an air bed, it wobbles), flashlights, lantern(s), campstove or lp grill, food, fans, cords, first aid kits, proper shoes and shower or water shoes . . . . oh, and the dog likes camping so he has to come too.
What else? I've been asked out for tomorrow, but not sure I want to actually go, need to go house hunting in Iola, I have lots of offers of help to move. And the longer all these guys live in my house, the worse i like it. I'm gonna move and leave them here. Shane took Isaiah on Friday, he insisted on just Isaiah because he had a big weekend planned in silver dollar city, he didn't think that the little guys would have the stamina to do it. Turns out they just went on Sunday, and came back on Sunday. Isaiah could have camped with us until late saturday . . . but that's Shane's own power trip and there will definitely be other camping trips.
Dad and his wife are trying to arrange for the boys to visit them in a way that is very convenient for them and not at all helpful for me. I'm gonna try to work it out.
I got myself a bike so I can ride with the boys, but its got messed up gears and I need to take it back, not terribly happy about that.
Class tomorrow, papers to write tomorrow, I hate having to "collaborate" with other students.
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