Camping Series: Part 2- Camping With a Toddler

Camping with a toddler has been an adventure. Khloe really has been great on these camping trips, but she's a busy little bee and keeping her occupied is always a challenge. I've found a few tips and tricks that have helped along the way. Here's my top ten list of tips for camping with a toddler. 

1. Keep them busy!- Bring lots of toys, games, ect.  A couple of our favorites are bubbles, coloring books and dirt trucks.  Khloe also loves going on the boat or just swimming wherever there is water... or a mud puddle :)  Try to go to a campground with a good playground.

2. After dark games/ activities- I know for us, it usually gets dark before Khloe goes to sleep and as much as we like just sitting by the fire, her- not so much.  Glow in the dark anything is so exciting for kids.  We like glow in the dark bubbles (you can buy them at Walmart), glow sticks, flashlights, and toys that light up like Dream Lights.  You can also buy glow in the dark paint and put it on balls and other toys.

3. Bring lots of snacks- I actually forgot to bring snacks on our last trip and it was a disaster.  Never again.  Individual bags of corn chips, fruit gummies, graham crackers and fruit are some of our favorites, and you don't have to keep them cold.  Oh, and we also have the occasional chocolate chip muffin.

4. Bring familiar toys & special comfort items- For Khloe it's her binky. We're actually working on weaning her now, so she probably won't have it next time. I also pack her blankie and a doll that she sometimes sleeps with. They'll be in a different environment, in a different bed and that can be a tough adjustment for little ones.  Make them as comfortable as possible if you want to sleep.

5. Lots of sunscreen & bug spray- pretty self explanatory.  Protect that baby skin from sun and bugs!

6. Even if it's hot, bring pants, a jacket and rain boots- Even if the days are smoldering, a lot of times it's a little chilly in the mornings; the boots will help guard against wet feet from dewy grass.

7. Shower time is the devil- So, the first time we took her camping, Chris went into the men's bathroom to take his shower and I went into the women's with Khloe to take ours.  All there was were two curtains guarding us and our birthday suits from the rest of the people in the bathroom.  Khloe had sandals on because I was paranoid about her feet on the shower floor and I was trying to bath both of us.  First she kept wanting to sit on the floor and I would scream "NOOOOOO!!" So, I ended up holding her the whole time.  She's not used to showers since she usually takes baths and she hated the water hitting her in the face.... so I couldn't turn the water on without her screaming.  After soaping her up with no water, I had to hold on to her while she screamed and wiggled trying to get loose while I rinsed her.  Wet babies are very very very slick!  No joke.  They should give you that warning when you leave the hospital with them.  Finally it was my turn to get clean.  I couldn't very well take her out to Chris while I had no clothes on, so I had to continue holding her while I dry soaped.  One last screaming/ wiggling/ fighting match and it was time to get dressed.  Another adventure all it's own.  When we finally got out, my first words to Chris were "NEVER AGAIN!"  After that I found that most campgrounds have a room connected to the bathrooms with a big laundry sink in them.  Perfect size for bathing a toddler.  Look for a sink.  You've been warned.

8. 3-in-1 soap- Less steps the better for shower/ bath time.  I took Khloe's Suave 3-in-1 kids soap for her and I both instead of taking soap, shampoo and conditioner.  

9. Learn to change diapers while they're standing up- No joke.  When we got to our first campground I realized there was no place to change Khloe's diaper.  Our tent was 900 degrees and the truck was full.  So, I stood her up and changed it while she was standing.  Now I do it all the time. There is rarely a time when she wants to lie down long enough for me to change it, but she's okay with a couple minutes of standing still.

10. Bring a tablet with one of their favorite shows ready to go- We keep this as a last resort, but it's nice to have the option.  If she's having a night when she's restless and nothing else will do, we can break out the Bubble Guppies and she calms down.  

Best. Picture. Ever.

I hope these help you out.  We're still learning as we go, so I'll let you know if I discover any other helpful hints!  

Don't forget to check out the rest of the camping series!

Camping Series: Part 1- Favorites & Wishlist  

Camping Series: Part 1- Favorites & Wishlist

This year we've taken a new approach to vacation.  Both Chris and I get 2 weeks of vacation from our jobs.  In the past we've taken 1 week-long vacation in the Spring and 1 week-long vacation in the Fall.  So, that was all well and good, but trust me it gets frustrating when you have to work all through the Summer months and watch everyone take Fridays off.  

This year we decided that we would take 1 week-long vacation and we would use the other week of vacation time 1 day at a time.  We've been taking a few Friday's off here and there to have long weekends.  Seriously, it feels like we have so much more vacation time.  

Here's the thing, we can't afford to go to a resort every weekend... so we've been vacationing around our wild and wonderful home state of West Virginia. We're really outdoorsy people and we have a boat so camping at lakes is one of our favorite things to do.  

Last year we didn't camp because I'm not a masochist and wasn't about to take an infant camping.  This year we decided to give it a try.  Khloe has been excellent.  She absolutely loves it, probably even more than Chris and I.  Even when we're home, I'll ask her, "Do you want to sleep in your bed or in a tent?" and she squeals "TENT!!"

This is the 1st of my 3 part Camping Series.  When we go camping, it seriously takes so much room because of all of the toys and accessories we take.  We're like sardines in the truck- all squished in and about ready to bust out.

One of my favorite places to get camping things is (oddly enough) Dollar Tree. Who doesn't love a store where you can go buy 20 items for $20??  Enough talking... on to the lists.  

Favorite Dollar Tree Camping Accessories:

1. Glow sticks- Khloe literally FREAKS OUT when I pull out a pack of glow sticks.  It pretty much makes me the best mom in the world.
   
   
   
   
2. Table cloth clips- okay, so I think these are actually heavy duty clothes pins, but they work perfectly to hold the table cloth in place.
3. Anti-bacterial wipes- need I say more?
4. Dirty laundry bag- these bags are huge.  This way I can keep the dirty clothes away from the clean clothes and I don't have to wash things we didn't even wear.
5. Pool noodles- we don't camp anywhere where there isn't water to play in, so we have to have toys.
6. Tap light- tap lights are perfect for the tent, they give off just enough light.
7. Hand sanitizer- again, need I say more?
8. Headbands- yeah, these things save my life when we're camping.  My hair doesn't tend to cooperate when there is no straightener involved.
9. Sidewalk chalk- best. mom. ever.
   
10. Kid's lights- Khloe loves having her own flashlights and lanterns to use when it gets dark out.

Of course there are a lot of things you can't buy at Dollar Tree (unfortunately) so here are our more expensive favorites along with links to buy your own from Amazon.

Favorite Camping Accessories:

1. Dutch oven- this is a must for cooking over an open fire.  Seriously just search "dutch oven recipes" on Pinterest and your life will be changed. Get it here. 
   
2. Cast iron skillet- ditto to above. Get it here.
3. Campfire waffle iron- we bought this on a whim and love it.  We just take waffle mix that you add oil and water to and it makes a super simple breakfast.  The waffles are thin and crispy and kind of taste like funnel cakes.... I don't hate 'em. Get it here.
   
   
   
   
4. Campfire pie iron- ditto to dutch oven.  Search pie iron recipes... you won't be sorry. Get it here.
5. CANZ speaker- this little guy uses Bluetooth to connect to your phone.  We can listen to music without dragging a stereo around.  It's surprisingly loud too. Get it here.
6. Tiki torches- keeps bugs away and provides a little mood lighting... or just lighting for that matter... Get it here.
   
7. Portable charcoal grill- Get it here.
8. Puddle jumper- this is the best life jacket we've found for Khloe.  She's actually comfortable in it and the design keeps them from face-planting in the water. Get it here.
   
9. Fan- tent camping... fan needed. Get it here.
10. Hammock- sit back and relax!  Get it here.
    

Last but not least, here are a few camping accessories we're swooning over at the moment.

Camping Wish List:

1. Coleman popcorn popper- get it here.
2. Campfire tripod- get it here.
3. Camping Toy Set- get it here.
4. ReVIVE Rugged Camping Charger & 5000mAh Solar Battery Pack- get it here. 

Do you have any favorite camping accessories?  I would love here so maybe I could add them to my list to pick up before our next trip!  

Stay tuned for the next post in my Camping Series- Camping with a Toddler: Tips & Activities!

- Brooke 

Linking up to

 

Khloe's Monthly Photo Project & Photo Book

Way back when in this post, I talked about Khloe's monthly photo project.  I showed a few months of her photos, but never got around to showing the final project.  I took a picture of her every month and kept track of milestones throughout the year.  Then for her birthday, I made her a photo book called "Khloe's 1st Year".  

The pages were laid out with the picture on the left side, labeled with the month, and a paragraph on the right with a blurb about what she did that month.

I tried to take a picture of every page so you could see what each said.  Some are crooked and a bit distorted... just ignore it :)  Click on the pictures to make them a bit bigger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was really pleased with the book and everyone loved looking at it at her birthday party. I decided to continue on into her second year.  I've been taking monthly pictures, but I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do on the right side page.  Thinking about maybe funny stories or things she says. 

Here are the pictures so far for this year.  

September (with birthday cake of course)

October (we just so happened to have puppies!!)

November

December

January

February

March

 April

May

June

 July

 

I wonder if she'll get annoyed with me when she's 16 and I'm still doing this..... 

-Brooke

Cleaning Schedule

I thought I was busy before I had a kid.  I really did.  I wasn't.  I didn't even know what busy was until I had Khloe.

I've always strived to be an organized person, sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail.  When I had Khloe and then went back to work, I realized just how hard it was to keep up with simple things that I had taken for granted before.  I would go to work all week, come home, cook dinner, bath Khloe, play with her and then it was time for her to go to bed.  By the time she would go to bed, I was exhausted and ready for bed myself.  Then came the weekend and I would have 10+ loads of laundry to do (how in the world do 2 1/2 people go through that many clothes???? It's one of life's great mysteries), every room of the house to clean and then my weekend would be gone before I even got to relax.

I've seen a million and one cleaning schedules on Pinterest and have tried a few.  Every time I would fail miserably. They were all way too intense for me.  In my mind they were for someone who was home all day with no kids to watch and nothing else to do except clean.  I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to clean my windows/ baseboards/ lights every week!!!   Are you kidding me!  I’m lucky to get the dishes out of the sink!  I can count on 1 hand the number of times my baseboards have been cleaned ever!  After being extremely frustrated with these cleaning schedules, I decided to make my own, more reasonable schedule that fits my life.  I’ve been trying it out for a few weeks now and it’s actually working.  No, my house is not immaculately deep cleaned every week…. (I don’t know too many people  anyone who actually shampoos their carpets once a month…. ) but my house is clean and presentable.  If someone decided to drop by unannounced, I’m not going crazy trying to hide things.  Yes, I would like for people to think that I mop my floors once a week, but I don’t.  I’ve found that the best part of this cleaning schedule is the 10 minute tidy every evening.  I actually set a timer for 10 minutes and challenge myself to see how much I can get done.  Usually this 10 minutes is spent putting things away like toys, books, food back in the pantry, bottles and hair tools back in the cabinets.  This has been the key step to keeping my house presentable.  As Khloe gets older, I’m going to implement this as a part of her chores and she’ll have her own 10 minute tidy.  I’ve also found that if I can do 1 load of laundry a day (put it in the wash at night and move it to the dryer in the morning) it never adds up on me.  Some days I don’t have enough for a full load, so I’ll go 2 days in between.  

Hope it helps you out!

-Brooke