Roam With Friends

Category: Events

Halloween Camping With Friends
There are two camping trips we do every year that I think our children live for. The first is our Annual Family Camping Trip. The second is the Annual Halloween Camping Trip.

We have been fortunate to have a two local state park who organized a Halloween camping trip for years. Unfortunately, this past year one of them ended this tradition. Fortunately for us, a few other local campgrounds have stepped up to host Halloween camping events. Each of the campgrounds we have visited host a Scariest Campsite Contest. We are competitive enough that we want like participating in that contest.

2019 was our sixth year celebrating and competing in a Halloween at the campground. We have evolved, what started out with two families and a few visitors has grown to a dozen families camping and celebrating Halloween together.

Each year we pick a theme and coordinate our costumes with the site decorations. Part of the fun for us is the prep work and getting ready for the camping weekend. We share text messages, photos, costume finds, and then get together to create whatever props we need. The excitement for the camping trip builds with each passing day. That excitement is felt not only by the kids but also the adults.

Let’s review our Halloween trips over the years. Our first year we used our leftover Halloween costumes from Disney and we were crayons. That year we were told we were “creative” but not scary.

The next year, we got it together and created a mad science lab. We had science experiments as well plenty of gruesome sights (it’s amazing what a black light, neon water, and some grow in water animals can do!).

The third year we dressed up as Zombies and decorated our site as a Zombie Prom. We danced the night away and had a lot of fun dancing with random strangers.

In 2017 we turned our campers into giant pirate ships and we dressed up like Pirates! We created games and had everyone walk the plank if they wanted a Halloween treasure. Right after trick or treating ended, the sky opened up and we got drenched!

2018, we created a haunted house and each family took a different room. The result is we had a six room haunted house with a GhostBuster room, a western bar with dead outlaws, a science lab, a haunted surgical room, a haunted dollhouse, and clowns. We even created a chicken exit!

2019, we decided to make a ghost town. We decided our costumes could have anything to do with cowboys, cowgirls, western outlaws, dead or alive. We each purchased a sheet of plywood so we ended up with 7-9 sheets. We built a fake ghost town out of plywood. It was pretty epic.

Unfortunately, as we were setting up the town at the new campground, the campground host came by and told us we needed a million dollar liability insurance policy. They were worried our plywood city would fall on someone. (UGH!) They were nice enough to let us keep it up, but we were instructed that no one could walk on the site. We had envisioned visitors could walk through our town and interact with us. So much for creating selfie stations!

In addition to the campsite contest, the park also had Halloween games, pumpkin carving contest, and site to site trick or treating. The weather was a real challenge, it was cold and damp. However, it did not stop those kids from hitting up every loop in the park for trick or treating.

There are so many aspects to our Halloween camping trip that make this special. Some of those I have already touched upon. We love creating the concept together. We love the pre-trip. I also think we love the competition of it all. But most importantly, I think we overall just really like each others company and this event speaks to how much fun we have while camping and outside of camping. I think our children love seeing their parents let their hair down and play (or dress up in silly costumes in this case).

Do you have access to a Halloween camping trip? If so, do you decorate your site or just participate in the trick or treating? If you are looking for a campground in the Kansas City area that celebrates Halloween, I suggest you check out:
January 30, 2020
Camping With 100 (or so) Friends: Organizing Tips and Tricks
Have you ever invited a few friends to go camping with you? Camping is fun but camping with other friends is like…more fun. How about inviting 130 friends to go camping with you? Yep, I have done that.

In August 2019 we held our 8th Annual Family Campout at Smithville Lake. And while I did not take attendance, I think we had nearly 130 people there.

I started organizing and planning this annual camping trip years ago…well 8 years ago. I invited a bunch of friends who had kids to go camping. My thought was, as cool as I think I am as a parent my daughter would have a much better time camping if she had friends. So I over invited hoping for one yes. Instead, I had multiple yeses. The daughter had a great time but so did everyone else. So we have kept doing it.

And having fun while we do it.

Planning and hosting a giant camping trip really isn’t much different than hosting a party. You need a mix of structure with unstructured, a wide range of personalities, food, and a venue. I am honestly humbled and honored that so many choose to come camping with us.

Activities for this years campout were diverse. We have found that some activities need structure and others just need a place to grow. Organized events are important but allowing time for campers to synthesize is also very important. I have learned over the years that there are two types of campers: the watchers and the doers. Our success is making room for both types.

This year we had several structured activities:
- A return of boat races. Any former cub scouts who use to do raingutter regatta. Same concept. Pro tip here; skip the cheap boats from Dollar Tree.
- Sip and Paint. Amazon had mini canvases and I asked volunteers to bring acrylic paints. We set a painting station up at a picnic table and campers could come/go all day. For the life of me, I can’t believe I know so many creative talented people who can really paint well!
- A giant chalk bag fight. I happened to find some chalk bags at Dollar Tree. I thought the kids would love it. I couldn’t predict the adults were going to love it just as much (maybe more) than the kids. Either way, everyone was chalked.
- A washer tournament. Two years ago we introduced a washers tournament. It has been a lot of fun. And I remain thankful to the duo who organizes the tournament, deals with the rules, and the over competitive players. (Just kidding, we have no over competitive friends!) I love that my role is to advance the bracket and announce the next games. Easy stuff. I can handle the easy stuff.
- Our annual glow party: black lights, UV body paint and a play list. Is there a better way to spend a Saturday night? We do not think so!
In addition to the structured activities, at their leisure campers could: swim, boat, bike, hike, or fish. There was plenty of organized activity as well as spontaneous activities (I loved the breakout musicians!) and even some down time. The weather was perfect. Well, except for that rain storm on go home day. We could have done without that.

Oh well, ya can’t have everything.

While this started out as a personal invitation from me to camp, we are well beyond that. Our camping trip has grown by word of mouth. From one camper to the next, this camping trip gets recommended to someone new every year. Our current camper population is made up of “OG’s (those who have been around for all 8 years) to newbies (first year campers) and everything in between. We have tent campers, campers who rent RV’s, and day campers who just swing by for the day and go home at night. The most important attribute the campers have is they all are coming to enjoy the outdoors and the companionship of others.

Feeding hungry campers is always the area that I struggle to get right. We have streamlined the menu as much as possible: walking tacos for lunch, hot dogs and s’mores for dinner, and pancakes, biscuits and gravy for breakfast. But the quantity of each items is honestly a stab at a moving target! I have given up the dream of no leftovers. Instead, I open any leftovers to those who linger on the last day. I mean can you go wrong with two days of walking taco’s?

As our group grew, communication became even more important. Last year we had a giant paint ball fight and I found myself waiting with a group of anxious children on other kids who were at the park or out swimming. I searched my brain for some way to communicate to everyone at all times about events as they were happening. In the end I chose to use two communication tools: one is the website Sign Up Genius and an app called TEAM APP.

I use the sign up genius for all the community meals. I list out all needed ingredients and how much is needed and campers can sign up to bring the items. The most asked question around food sign up has always been how much do I bring? My easiest answer to that question is “most of us have an idea of what it would cost us to provide groceries for our family for three camping meals so we strive to contribute that number.”

The TEAM APP is an app my daughters cheer team was using. It suddenly dawned on me during cheer season that this type of communication app would work perfectly for us. In this modern world we can count on someone or several someones to have their phone with them. So I set up a team on TEAM APP and communicated to everyone who registered for the campout to download the app and join our team. This was so much faster than a group text. The administrator can send quick important messages out to everyone all at once.

This year I asked several friends to text me the answer to one simple question: “What is your favorite thing about the family campout?” The responses melted my heart. (thanks guys!) Let me share some of the nice things:
1. “We were nervous, lots of new people, meals, events…but man it was the best. Come as you are and be ready to make new friendships and just share in good, wholesome [fun].”
2. “We love all of the family activities, specifically the glow party! It’s a safe environment for the kids to explore. Feels like a great way to kick off school season!”
3. “My initial reaction [to being invited camping] was “heck no”! But as I thought about it and processed my feelings, I realized that camping was never going to be something that I introduced to my family because it was never introduced to me as a child. I wanted better for my kids. Tagging along while someone else (Pam) planned everything out for me was a super safe, and not too overwhelming way for me to be a better mom for my kids.”
4. “We love that the loop is made up of our group and for the most part, not outsiders. We don’t know everyone but someone in our group does and it makes me feel a little more at ease with my kid running around having fun.”
5. “We love the family activities…having a group makes meals and activities more fun due to competition, shared meals, and playmates for the kids so the parents can enjoy sitting on occasion.”
6. “I absolutely love the camaraderie of the family camp out! Lots to do and fun meeting new people! The community meals are great because you don’t have to cook an entire meal yourself.”
7. “I love that we are big enough to have the entire loop, my child enjoys playing with all the other kids, I really enjoy the group meals because it takes stress off of me to meal plan.”
8. “The thing I enjoy most about the campout is how excited Pam gets when she talks about it and starts planning.”
From the very first campout I have enjoyed organizing and planning this weekend for everyone. My heart swells thinking this weekend has become important to others.
January 14, 2020
6th Annual Family Camp-Out

According to The Short Chic she has two camping trips that are her most favorite camping trips of the year. The first is our Annual Halloween Camping Trip and the second is our Annual Family Camp-Out. We started the Family Camp-Out six years ago in 2012. It started as a desire to introduce our kids to camping. We thought it would be “funner” if we could convince a friend or two who also had kids to join us. To our surprise, that first year we had about 35 campers. That is 35 people who wanted to go camping or introduce camping to their family as well. We have continued to gather every year since then. Some come for the day, some spend a night, while others have graduated up to three nights of camping.

In September 2017 we had our Sixth Annual Family Camp-Out at Smithville Lake. For the past several years we have camped in the same spot and this year, we moved the camp-out to Loop F. Moving to this loop gave us beautiful views of the lake and easy access to the playground, bike trail, and restrooms/showers.

This year we fought with the elements. It was super windy Friday night, which prevented us from showing our outdoor movie. It rained Saturday afternoon, which pushed us all inside our campers and threatened our Glow Party. I know now the maximum kid capacity of our camper, or at least the number that will lead me to uncorking a bottle of wine.

We ended up with an extra spot from a cancellation so we found out how nice it is to have a “party” spot. We also learned that total strangers will pilfer your party spot when they think no one is watching. Thankfully in a large group camp-out someone is always watching.

I personally learned that I am over tie dying t-shirts. I learned that walking taco’s are always a hit and everyone loves a glow party. Okay, maybe I love the glow party the most. Allen learned not to bet money on my Family Camp-Out knowledge or maybe he learned not to place a bet over Friday evening cocktails.

Each year we still entice someone new to try camping. Beth, Ken, and Martin joined us this year. The rain did nothing to woo them over. I do hope they know it has only rained once before. Two rain storms in six years is not bad, huh. Please try again, Beth! Not new to camping but new to the family camp-out was also our college friend, Joy and her family. There are three families who have attended every single camp-out: us, The Todd’s and The Bell family. We affectionately call ourselves the OG’s.

Each year the Glow Party inevitable draws a total stranger to the fun. Meeghan found this out during a game of Simon Says. Some random little girl just joined in the game. I wish everyone could have seen Meeghan’s face when the little girl told her she had no parents there. That same little girl proceeded to cover every inch of her body in glow paint during the glow party. I should make a mental note that I need more glow paint before the 7th Annual Family Camp-Out!

I am happy to say that our friends Jaime and Aaron made a return visit. Neither Dawn or Mary needed urgent care and no one was hospitalized during the camp-out. And I think no one was happier that Nikki was able to make it than Mary!

Plans are already under way for our 7th Annual Family Camp-Out. We are leaving the month of September as I heard so many tell me how busy that month is.

As I reflect back on the six years of our family camp-out and really look at that first year, I realize this was truly the beginning of our love of group camping and our Roaming With Friends.

See you soon at the campground!

March 14, 2018
Total Solar Eclipse Camp-Out

As I am sitting at my computer my outside world seems to finally be thawing from the snow and ice we have been encased in for months. This is the winter that just won’t leave! In fact just yesterday it snowed enough to cover the ground in parts of our state. To keep what shred of my winter sanity is left, I am spending time thinking about last year’s camping season.

Some of you may recall this thing that happened last summer. It was a huge thing. A total solar eclipse. Many of you may have experienced it. We sure did. It was visible here in the USA and we found ourselves right smack in the middle of it! I learned of the eclipse early and started making plans. St. Joseph MO was considered to be “Ground Zero” for the eclipse; the area with the largest total darkness view time, where the solar eclipse would happen right at the mid day. St. Joseph is only an hour north of our home.

You may recall that our friends, The Master’s family, spend a lot of time at a private family campground, Camp Katmandu. Located just west of St. Joseph MO near White Cloud Kansas, as a crow flies it is maybe 30 miles west of St. Joseph. So, I reached out to the Master’s family, who had graciously invited us back to visit, and inquired about visiting the weekend of the Eclipse. They happily said yes, and my spirit soared as I realized we would be about as close to ground zero as I wanted to be with little to no crowds!

No one could have guessed how crazy Missouri was about to get over the eclipse. Missouri State Parks along the path actually started making reservations a year out vs their normal six month window. Not only campgrounds but lodging across the state sold out. Business closed for the day. Schools cancelled classes. NASA came for goodness sake.

As the date approached, my perfectly laid plans started to crack. Eventually, I watched them crumble away. The eclipse was on a Monday. Despite school district after district cancelling school, my daughters school was not going to cancel. I was trying to decide if my plans would be cooler than the school plans but the school district kept their plans under lock and key. Like DEFCON 1 lock and key. I am still shocked the school district decided to have class and turn the eclipse into an educational experience. On a side note: my daughter has had perfect attendance in school for the past two years. I dunno why but this is very important to her and there was no way she was going to miss school for an eclipse.

As if battling perfect attendance against a lifetime experience that would last 3 minutes is not bad enough, Wayne decided to go and get a new job this summer. When he negotiated his new start date, guess what date he picked? Yep, August 21. Double Whammy!

Thankfully, Meeghan forged ahead and planned a perfect Pre-Eclipse weekend party at the River.

The weather the weekend prior to the Eclipse was perfect. Hot, sunny, cloudless skies. Uncle Bud treated everyone at Camp Katmandu to a steak dinner Friday night. After dinner we enjoyed a campfire around the hexigon swing and fire pit. It was a nice evening to catch up and say hello to friends.

We spent a weekend watching the river flow and wondering how the fishing was. The men folk even helped clean the daily catch when the fishermen returned. We visited Papa and Grandma Master’s home and played with their farm animals. We enjoyed family meals and good conversation. There was no shortage of chuckles when we shared the Eclipse Milk from a local dairy farm; extra dark cookies and cream milk that was almost black. Beyond that, it was a relaxing weekend, one that allows you to sit back and watch the corn grow.

Our gracious host even offered to let me stay at the river by myself if I wanted to stay and watch the eclipse from there. Worried about the traffic on the way home and making it back by the end of school, I reluctantly passed. I made plans to watch the eclipse at home with my college bestie.

I am thankful we had such a wonderful weather and company during the weekend prior to the eclipse. On the actual day of the eclipse, Ol’ Mother Nature had other plans for us and we fought with rain and dark clouds all day. Triple Whammy! The next total solar eclipse visible in the USA will happen in 2024. I have already put the family on notice.

March 12, 2018
Ahoy Ye Scallywags, The Pirates Have Landed

Each year we participate in a Halloween Camping event at Watkins Mills State Park in Excelsior Springs, MO. Each year this event grows in popularity and I will warn anyone interested in attending; the entire campground was sold out within a few hours.

We were luck to reserve six camping sites in a row and we set about creating a scene worthy to compete in the scariest campsite contest. Should I mention we have won this contest for the past two years and feel a need to defend our “title”?

In years past we used easy up tents to contain our decorations. It has worked well for us but we decided this year to tackle a larger space. We made the decision to move away from the tents, Our theme for this year was Pirates.

Our goal was to turn the front of our campers into large pirate ships. We also knew we wanted to use our outdoor movie system to show a popular pirate movie and we wanted to make our visitors walk the plank. The rest came together with the help of a well pinned Pinterest board.

Thankfully, our camping group really likes hanging out together so we had a few work days prior to the event. We painted a lot of cardboard, empty wine bottles, and put our creative minds together to sketch out a plan that we hoped would be sufficient to win this contest for the third year. I should also state that our goal for this contest is always to use as much recycled/reused materials as possible.

So, please let me walk you through our 2017 Halloween Campsite: Shipwreck Cove.

Up till this weekend we had pretty much a beautiful, dry fall. Our children had been counting down for this weekend; madly crazy about the idea of camping and trick-or-treating as well as seeing our campsite plans come to life. Not only where the kids excited but we adults were as well.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had her own plans for this weekend. A massive storm was scheduled to move through and it should be hitting the campground right around trick-or-treating time. We were determined that the show must go on despite the weather. Mid Saturday morning the campground host came around to tell us the organizers had moved up the time table in anticipation of the storm.

We scampered to set everything up. We had to bail on the night time effects (outdoor movie, fog machine, lighting, ect). We barely finished decorating in time and found ourselves with only twenty minutes to get ourselves into costume/make up. The wind kept picking up the entire day. Our massive sails took a beating. We ended up having to cut tears into them to allow the wind to pass through.

From the moment trick-or-treat started until the costume contest started we had a line of kids (and parents) coming through the site. They entered and got their candy, walked a path by the pirate table, Played the Hook Toss game and then got to claim their bounty. However, they soon found out that since they touched the bounty they had to walk the plank, right past a “giant kraken”!

The scariest site judging was a little odd this year. The judges came by our site during the trick-or-treating but the organizers had told us that actual judging would not occur until 8:00 p.m. We stayed in costume the entire day despite trick or treating ended by 4:00. The judges came by a second time right before 8:00. We started taking things down as soon as they left and by the time they came back 10 minutes later to tell us we won, it was pouring down rain! What amazing timing!

So, here is to another year of Halloween camping. We are excited to have won but most importantly, we are excited to have another weekend together. Sadly, the grand fall weather we had been having blew away with the rain we got that night. It has been very cold since then.

November 11, 2017
6th Annual Family Camp-Out

School starts here next week. Where has the summer gone? It just seems a few short weeks ago that we were finishing school and starting our big That’s WY vacation.

Last week The Short Chic told me she was sad summer was about over but she was excited for one thing. I asked her what the was, thinking she would say seeing her friends, meeting her teacher, cheerleading, etc. instead she said “it is almost time for my favorite camping trip of the year, the Family Camp-Out.”

If you are new, we have hosted a camping trip every September for the past five years. It started off as a small idea to find a family with children to go camping with us back when we were in between RV’s. To my amazement not only did we find one family we found nearly 10 families. It is a weekend full of friends, activities, fun, and fresh air.

This year the 6th Annual Family Camp-Out will be on September 15-17, 2017 at Crow’s Creek Campground at Smithville Lake. This year we are in Loop F. There are still spaces available in that Loop if you are interested in joining us. Many people like to join us for two nights of camping while others prefer to day camp. Last year I noticed a trend of many campers to tack on a third night.

We have cultivated a few camping traditions over the past few years. Saturday afternoon we will have walking tacos for lunch. We will once again tie dye t-shirts. Saturday night we will have a bon fire with hot dogs and s’mores. After dinner, you can expect we will break out the black lights and the neon for our annual “Glow Party”!

To help you prepare for the camping trip, I am providing a few helpful items.

Reservations for camping at Smithville Lake can be made on their website.

Sign-Up for community food at this Sign Up Genius.

Tie Dye Kit: we are asking each family bring a tie dye kit as well as t-shirts/clothing they would like to dye. I found this kit at Dollar General but if you can’t find this one, you can find reasonably priced kits at Wal Mart, Hobby Lobby, or Michael’s.

Meals:

There are three organized community meals: Saturday lunch, Saturday dinner, and Sunday breakfast. You will find a sign-up for those ingredients on the Sign Up Genius. Friday night, All other meals are on your own including Saturday morning, or even Sunday afternoon meals.

Glow Party:

We provide the black lights and a play list. You provide the creativity. Neon glows well but so does a plain white t-shirt. Body paint is a huge hit and it can be purchased on Amazon. I am not sure if the kids or the adults love this fun activity the most. Either way, it makes for one enjoyable evening.

Have a great first week of school. September will be here before you all know it. We look forward to seeing everyone who plans to join us so you can see that fall camping is the best camping of the year!

August 9, 2017
Farewell Miss Norma
In August 2015, Norma Jean Bauerschmidt became an internet sensation. Days after her husband of 67 years passed away Norma found herself sitting in a doctors office being diagnosed with cancer and facing treatment options. The 90 year old woman squarely told the doctor she was not going to be doing any treatment options, she was hitting the road! And she did.

For the past year I have been one of thousands who have followed Miss Norma’s story through their facebook page, Driving Miss Norma. Miss Norma joined her son and daughter-in-law and traveled 10,000 miles in a 36 foot RV. They have traveled the country in the past year and posted inspirational photos along the way.

Last week, Miss Norma at the age of 91 passed away. Her end of life celebration is tomorrow, October 7 in Friday Harbor, Washington where Miss Norma spent the last of her days. If you are in this part of the country, the end of life celebration is open to the public. But if you are not able to attend, you can still honor Miss Norma’s life by simply spreading joy in your world. She loved cake and root beer floats.

Miss Norma’s story has touched me for several reasons. Obviously being a RV traveler and enthusiast, I am taken by anyone who hits the open road for an extended time. While I need to work right now, one day I plan to live my days out as a nomad just as Miss Norma did.

The other reasons Miss Norma’s story touched me in such a significant way is that I, just like Norma, have sat in the doctors office and been handed a cancer diagnosis and weighed all the treatment options available to me. Yes, I am a cancer survivor. Six years ago, as my Time Hop app is now reminding me daily, I was battling cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. Many of you here don’t know that about me. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and every year that I pass my diagnosis date I am reminded that my life is forever changed:
- I do not want to put off doing what makes me happy. There is no time like the present to live a happy life. Life is too short to put off things that you “one day want to do”. Make the time for those things now. Honestly, that is why I love our RV so much. We are able to travel and spend time as a family doing those things that make us happy.
- Life is full of adventure; even if you can’t hit the road for a 10,000 road trip, there are places to explore and adventures to be had in our own back yards. Go and explore!
- Life is too short and precious to carry around heavy baggage; let it go! From relationships to personal choices don’t carry around negativity. This is probably another reason I love camping so much. You hardly ever encounter a grumpy camper.
- Be present and make memories often. I get it, I like my technology as much as the next person, but sometimes we just need to put it down and be present enough to make a memory with a loved one. When I was diagnosed all I could think about was my children’s lives without me. Even when I managed to not think about it during my waking moments, it seeped into my dreams at night. So, yes, we make the time to play checkers, catch fireflies, or play Bocce ball. We go for hikes and we teach ourselves how to Geocache just so we can look back on all of our shared experiences and smile. Even when they were not so successful!
Miss Norma’s decided to forgo treatment and to hit the road. She made a decision to take control over the time she had and to live each day to its fullest. I respect the decision she made and each day I saw her Facebook post, she inspired me. As Miss Norma is honored tomorrow, lets be inspired by her once more. We do not need to wait until we are handed a medical diagnosis to change our lives. We can do that today!

Our thoughts and prayers are with Miss Norma’s family and loved ones. Thank you for sharing her with us. I hope our love and support can comfort you in this time of loss.
October 6, 2016
5 Tips For Hosting a Large Camp Out

For the past five years we have found a way of sharing our love for camping with our friends through our annual Family Camp Out. What started off as a desire to go camping and finding a friend, or two, to join us tent camping in the cooler fall weather has grown into something I never could have imagined. This year we had nearly 60 people (16 families) join us as either weekend warriors, overnighters, or day campers for a weekend of games, activities, camp food, fun, and relaxation.

As you can imagine organizing, planning, and hosting a camping event does not happen overnight and requires some attention to detail. Here are 5 tips to help you plan a large camp-out for your family or friends.

1. Select a Setting: The setting to any gathering is important and a camp out should be no exception. Finding a campground that will allow a large group to gather and has sufficient parking can be a little tricky. We originally selected Smithville Lake because it is beautiful and we could pick a loop that was close to the public restrooms which was super important when we were all tent campers. We keep returning to Smithville Lake because I have not found another campground that will let us buy day parking passes and park on the grass near the sites we have rented. One last tip about the setting, find a place that allows advanced reservations or will do group reservations.

2. Select a Date and Invite Some Friends: We live in the Midwest and have a lot of weather considerations; spring and fall are unpredictable and the summer is humid and hot. We selected the fall and hope each year for sunny days and cooler nights. Most of the families attending the camp out are no longer in tents but we still have some tent campers who do prefer fall to summer. Each year the weather has challenged us and surprised us; we have encountered near freezing temperatures, wind, storms, and even sunshine.

Once you have a date set, start inviting friends. I did not look for friends who liked to camp, I started with friends who had children. My goal was to create a weekend of camping that my kids would enjoy and playmates were central to that. One friend I invited was so shocked she literally asked if I had sent the invitation to the wrong person as she had never been camping in her life. As she laughed about it, she actually let the idea sink in and she decided to join us. My dear friend Deanna has been at every single camp out and tells me every year that without this opportunity her two kids would never experience camping. So, when looking for guest, don’t limit yourself by looking for campers instead open the opportunity to others and they might surprise you and themselves!

3. Activities: There is absolutely nothing wrong with free play but no parent wants to hear the words, “I am bored” especially during a weekend camping trip. Each year we attempt to plan a few activities we think the kids will enjoy just so we can proactively ward off those three dreaded words. Pinterest can provide you with a plethora of ideas: nature scavenger hunts, wood chip necklaces, stamped metal, painted rocks, and one year we even had our very own raingutter regatta. In addition to the activities we have also do crafts. Every year we have either tie dyed, reverse tie dyed, or screen printed a t-shirt. It makes me very happy to see a returning camper wearing shirts from previous years.

This year, our fifth year, we started the morning with an oversized adult coloring book poster that I found at 5 and Beow. It allowed for quiet time while parents fixed breakfast or just enjoyed a cup of coffee in the quiet morning hours. Mid morning we a painted pet rocks. By late morning we had started tie dying t-shirts and by the afternoon all the kids had migrated to the lake to play in the warm water and the cool clay mud.

4. Food: As I have previously stated, this camping event has morphed from tent camping to mostly RV camping (although we still have several tent campers) and many of those camping had never been camping prior to our first year. The menu for the weekend was fairly prescriptive at the request of the guest. By our second year, we had a menu that pleased everyone and we have kept it year after year. You would think someone would complain but they have not, and until they do, I am going to keep doing what works.

We have a balance between community meals and on your own meals. One of the main reasons we do community meals is because of the amount of children we have at the camp out. Small children, as well as picky eaters, tend to shop between their friends to see who has the most desirable meal. So to avoid one parent being targeted to feed a large number of kids, we chose to organize community meals. We use a Sign Up Genius for the community meals and campers bring their own drinks and paper/plastic wear. Determining how much of each item we will need is probably the hardest part of the entire planning. How many hot dogs per person, how many bags of marshmallows, how many eggs for breakfast? Each year the attendance at the camp out changes so the amounts change as well. This one aspect of the planning probably causes me the most grief so I start mapping this our early so I have time to gather as much input as I can. Despite the grief, you know what? Only one time have we came close to running out of food and more often than not, we walk away from the weekend with very little leftovers!

Here is a sample of our tried and true menu: Friday Evening and Saturday Morning are on your own meals. Saturday lunch is a community meal of walking tacos (a camp favorite). Saturday evening we light a huge bon fire and have a hot dog buffet: chili dogs, bacon wrapped dogs, dogs stuffed with cheese, and even corn dogs in a pie iron! After dinner we break out the smore’s to round off the night. Sunday morning we have a community meal of eggs in a bag and hash brown potatoes.

If you select to do community meals, I would suggest that you ask for volunteers to help get the food heated up, fire pit made, and to help keep things rolling. An event this large takes multiple hands and there is no harm in asking for help in the set up, the delivery, and the clean up of community meals.

5. Continue the Fun After the Sun Goes Down: Fun can be found around every corner at the family camp out all day long. For years, the kids played on a picnic table at an empty campsite next to ours and somehow the water fountain just accidentally gets the kids soaked EVERY SINGLE YEAR. The lake is great for fishing or wading and the sandy beach is perfect for building sand castles. But my final tip is simply, the fun does not have to end when the sun goes down. Find a way to keep the young guest and their parents engaged right up till bedtime.

A few years ago, we found ourselves with some old florescent light fixtures and we decided to recycle and reuse them by hosting a glow party every Saturday night of the camp out. We fix the lights to our awning, open a few bottles of glow-in-the-dark body paint, add a few glow sticks, create a play list, and we have ourselves an instant child friendly dance party at the campground. Young and old guest alike will enjoy watching their clothing change appearances under the black lights. Seeing parents and kids dance together for a few hours is just another memory that makes me happy.

Dancing and glowing the night away is one option for using night time but there are other ideas worthy of consideration. Night hikes are awesome and with limited sight other senses increase creating a whole new learning experience. If you plan a night hike, I strongly recommend introducing a whole new crop of campers to the sparks Wintergreen Lifesavers make. Star gazing is another fun activity if your camping setting is dark enough.

I hope these 5 steps help you create a weekend camping trip with your friends or family that is just as memorable as our Family Camp Out. To all the folks who came out and attended our camp out, thank you. I had a great time and look forward to next year!

I am going to leave you with a collection of short video’s of the glow party. They are so cute I can’t keep it to myself!

September 26, 2016
5th Annual Family Camp Out

This camping season is going by so quickly it is making my head spin! September will be here before you know it and that means that the 5th Annual Family Camp Out is right around the corner! (Still want to reserve your space: click here!)

Here is some information for those of you planning to attend. This is turning into a record breaking year for us; we have 11 sites booked, several sites have 2 families on them. I am expecting close to 60 overnight campers and more day campers. We will continue to do community meals for three meals: Saturday lunch, Saturday dinner, and Sunday breakfast. Friday night meal and Saturday morning breakfast is on your own. I have created a SignUp Genius to sign up for community food, I only ask that you try to be equitable. Please visit it and sign up. If you have any questions, please run them through this blog or the facebook page. The SignUp Genius does not include silverware, plates, napkins, or drinks. Please bring those for your family.

Friday Agenda

Set up: arrive at your schedule, don’t forget to get water before you arrive at the site. Water is located at the beginning of our loop between sites 361-365.

Dinner (on your own); I will try to have a fire going in case you want to cook over the open flame. Historically it has been windy and cold this night so prepare!

Bring and App to share: Just for fun, let’s each bring an appetizer to share.We have talked about finding judges to select a favorite for our first ever Family Camp Out Cook Off Award.

Saturday Agenda

Breakfast is on your own. We will have a camp stove available for use. I will make coffee. Bring your own cup. The Smith-Taylor Family will be making breakfast grilled cheese sandwiches (a grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with eggs and sausage) so we will also have a griddle available as well.

Paint a Critter: Every year we have done a craft and this year kids and adults will have the opportunity to paint a rock and create a critter. Paint and rocks will be provided.

Tye Die T-Shirts: Every year we have done a t-shirt and this year is no exception. I am still working on these details, so please check back. We are working on two options 1) an available for purchase t-shirt designed by one of the campers himself or 2) you bring a t-shirt, screen print a design, let it dry, and then tye die away. You provide or buy the White T-shirts and a ziplock baggie for your wet t-shirt, I have dye and rubber bands.

Adult Coloring Books: If you have not joined in the craze you are missing out. No need to be an adult to partake in this relaxing pass time. Markers will be provided as is the canvas.

Lunch: A Family Camp-Out tradition for the fifth year in a row, Walking Tacos. Please use the Sign Up Genius.

Afternoon Yard Games: Ladder golf, cornhole toss, bocci, washers, yard yahtzi. Whatever it is, bring it and we will play it. Brackets will be available for friendly competition.

Camping Ice Cream: At the very first family camp-out we made tin can ice cream and we are bringing it back. Kids (and interested adults) will have an opportunity to make home made ice cream two non-traditional ways: with tin cans and Ziploc bags. I just need a headcount on the number of kids at the camp out. Parents are welcome to assist!

Can’t Stop This Feeling: We will be making a camping music video to Justin Timberlake’s body moving song: Can’t Stop This Feeling. Get your family together and work out a few dance moves! After the camp-out we will put it all together and make one super cute lip-sync video! Yep, costumes and props are totally welcome!

Saturday Dinner: We started this tradition during our second year and it is still going strong: the hot dog buffet. However you like that hot dog, you can have it: want it lightly browned or seared and blackened, how about wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cheese, or maybe topped with chili. We got it all, you just need to fix it. After dinner there will be S’mores! Bring a hot dog stick and come enjoy our buffet!

GLOW PARTY 2.0! This was a huge hit during our fourth family camp-out and we just have to repeat it. We will supply the black lights and playlist you supply the glow and the dance moves. Kids and adults are sure to have the best time! Get creative and find the best way to glow!

Sunday Agenda:

Breakfast: Eggs-In-A-Bag: we introduced this during our third year and we are gonna keep doing it. We will supply the pot of boiling water and everything else is in the SignUp Genius. We also put dehydrated hash browns on the menu. A volunteer or two to help cook the hash browns would be awesome!

Check Out is 3:00 p.m. How long you stay is your choice. Last year many stayed and watched The Chiefs game. If you linger, as we will, plan for lunch.

A few extra details:

I have heard that the cost of day entry has increased from $5.00 to $7.00. Remember to bring sunscreen, lawn chairs, and your cameras. We are close to the large bathhouse for easy access to restrooms and showers. Fishing is near. Smithville Lake has amazing trails, both paved and unpaved, so you can take a hike or ride a bike.

Thank you to all who come out for the weekend/night/day to camp with us. This is an event that we have come to anticipate and look forward to! See you in September!

August 7, 2016
Happy Independence Day

one year ago we were still in our pop-up camper! So many things have changed in one year.

Happy Independence Day for us to you!

July 4, 2016