Adventures in our pop-up camper!

Since our first camping trip in our pop-up there's been no turning back.  We are definitely an outdoor type of family.  We don't mind being hot and sweaty and the sight of bugs, leaves, trees, webs, and water gets our blood pumping in the best possible way.  We are most at home and near our heaven on earth (if there is such a thing) when we're outdoors.  Naturally, camping is the perfect road to travel for us as a family of four, with two toddlers.  

Although I don't think owning a camper is necessary, it is really nice to have the air-conditioning on at night! Okay, so maybe we're spoiled campers.  But today I wanted to share a few tips with you that have made each of our trips very enjoyable.  First, I personally like a pretty table.  Remember, this is The Rosy Life's version of tips so you might not care at all about how things look when you camp and that's okay too.  To each their own!  I thrifted the tablecloth (and several others for later!) and filled up this giant jug with wildflowers before we left the farm for the weekend.  

Now isn't that better than a plain picnic table?! 

I thought so. 

Here's a peek at our pop-up in the middle of the day.  I've seen plenty of ideas on Pinterest for "redoing" the camper and putting up new curtains/recovering all the cushions.  That sounds like WAY too much time and money and work for me.  Instead we keep a bunch of colorful blankets and banners I've made or thrifted inside the camper and within 10 minutes the camper is cloaked in color!

We usually plan one "big" activity per day when we're on the road.  This particular day we visited a local "beach".  So basically the Arkansas, country gal version of a beach, on the lake! The kids and their cousins had so much fun playing in the sand and wading out into the water.  We always make the girls wear their life jackets the entire time they're by the water and keep a close eye on them as well.  

After all that fun and exercise, of course good food is a must! And by "good" I mean meat and veggies and potatoes.   Specifically garden potatoes and veggies! We keep a small variety of cooking items tucked away in the camper which makes packing for a trip a breeze.  That's probably what I like the most about camping.  We keep it so low maintenance as far as clothes and food goes, we can load up for a weekend away much faster than if we were staying in a hotel. 

I must say, this is me at my happy place! 

Makeup free and hair pulled back. 

I've also learned it really helps to have some fun transition activities.  For example, in-between playing on the campground playground and dinner, I led the kids and cousins in a quick art lesson which helped the time pass quickly until time to eat! 

I'll be back tomorrow to share some of my favorite outdoor learning/art supplies! 

YUM.

(Do you have a favorite camping recipe? Please share if so!)

One last "rule" of camping for us is that we let the kids stay up late! Only a couple of our kids (between my twin sis and I) actually nap so in order to make sure all the kids sleep soundly we keep them up an extra hour or more after dinner.  This particular night we went hiking for an after dinner activity!  

In case you're wondering, our kids sleep pretty great in the pop-up and my sister's kids did really well in their tent also! Exercise for the win! 

And that's a wrap! 

There are certainly parts of camping that can be a bit challenging.  Mostly if things don't go according to plan and the kids end up having to spend a lot of time waiting and being patient.  We tried to rent a boat this particular trip but none were available, so we moved to plan B which was to swim in a particular area.  Well, that area was flooded, so we moved to plan C.  By this point the kids were getting a bit grumpy (well, some of them).  

But overall the adventure far outweighs any other feeling that might show up on the trip.  Sitting around the campfire, going to bed early, watching the sunset, discovering new bugs and plants, eating delicious food, meeting other nice families, and being together makes camping my fave. 

Brett asked me after returning home, "Do you think we're a camping family?"

Yes, I most certainly do. 

{How are you adventuring this summer?}