After 7 years with my last tent, it was time to say goodbye. Both of the door zippers were broken and they were being held together with Velcro the last 2 times it was used. It was a 4 room ginormous tent that was hard to replace. After much looking we decided on this one because I really need a tent to take to girls camp next week. We found it for 100 dollars cheaper online than it was going for at an outdoors store in town, and we got free 2 day shipping. We pay a yearly "prime" fee to get that 2 day shipping free and it has been worth every penny. So, with limited time to do a test run with the new tent, as soon as it was dropped at our front door it was being set up in the backyard. It was one of the very few days when the weather has been perfect. Not too windy and not to hot or cold, just perfect. It took a bit of brain power, but the kids and I got it all set up fairly quickly with only a mild amount of fighting over who got to do what to help. I guess it is better to have them fighting over who gets to help instead of fighting about not wanting to help. :0) Everyone pitched in and Jared was a big help figuring out what poles went where.
When I was a kid we had a truck camper sitting on the side of our yard that my brothers and I would beg and plead to be allowed to play in it. The question was always met with a "maybe later" or "I'll think about it." Did we ever get to play in it? Not once. So, when this tent was set up, it called to my kids like all new adventures do. What question did I get? "Mom, can we play in it?" From the pictures you can probably guess my answer. They had a ball hanging out in the tent and when darkness began to descend "Mom, can we sleep in it?" This of course means dragging everything from the house out to the tent and I was leaving the next day. OK, go grab all your stuff. How could I say no with the excitement in their eyes of an awesome adventure. Luckily Daddy made it home by this point and helped the kids get out the sleeping bags. I was surprised that they ended up staying out there all night, but Emma realized that sleeping on the ground wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. She has always had an air mattress or cot while sleeping in the tent before and not a rock sticking into her back. Some would say that it is only truly camping if you are suffering. Not me, I'm only interested in camping if I can minimize my suffering. But, they still really had fun sleeping out there. They had lanterns hanging from the ceiling. They used an extension cord to get a fan out there to keep them cool. Emma took her locks from school out there to try out different ways to lock someone in a tent. That is one of the ultimate camp pranks and I guess I better be on the lookout next week because I have a sneaking suspicion that I am going to be getting locked inside my tent.
Taking down a tent is not nearly as fun as setting it up. Will it fit back into the bag is always the dreaded question. Surprisingly it fit back into the bag without having to try 3 different folding methods while trying to keep all the air out of it. Maybe I'm getting better at folding tents, or maybe the bag was actually big enough this time. Who knows, but hallelujah, it fit. We got it all packed up and put everything away the next morning and off I went to help my friend pack up her house in Arizona.
You are a kid for such a short amount of time on this earth and I'm a firm believer that life is meant to be enjoyed. Sometimes this enjoyment takes a lot of effort on the part of the parent, but it is worth every minute when you get to see your kids having the time of their lives in their own backyard all because I needed to see if I could get the tent set up the next week while camping. These are the kinds of memories that stick with you forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment