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Our weekend camping and summer arrives
May 26, 2009
Our first camping trip of the season on Memorial Day weekend always seems to kick off summer. This weekend we swam (well the kids did - have you noticed kids aren't the least bit affected by cold water), climbed mountains, slept under the stars (in the tent), ate every meal outdoors and sipped cool beverages on our "town" day. Summer, summer, summer. Even the rain we experienced wasn't the cold rain of spring.
At home this morning I planted the sunflowers and carrots because tomorrow it's supposed to rain. And it's unlikely we'll get anymore frost so later this week I'll pick up tomato seedlings. Little white strawberries are peeking out where blossoms once were and in the background we hear the grind and whir of the neighbor mowing lawn. Summer, summer, summer.
It's not all sunshine and blossoms of course. The kiddos and I also washed and hung four loads of sweaty, sandy, smoky laundry this morning. I swear we didn't take that many clothes camping so I don't know where it all came from!
Getting back into the groove after a long weekend away from the house is always a bit challenging for me. I lost 2 of my work days and I'm trying to pick up the pieces and fit them into this coming week.
But I'm getting better at this. After a couple years of camping once a month May through September and hiking almost every weekend all year round I've learned a lot. Like how to let go of unrealistic expectations while still holding onto the things I value most. And how to re-structure the schedule around the needs and wants of my family so we can truly enjoy and live summer while it's here.
I'd be remiss if I didn't say this: Damien, thank you for this gift of adventure, light living and all the work you do to get us out every weekend
Here's more photos of our weekend.
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nicola on May 31, 2009, 3:13 p.m.
gorgeous. you have a lovely home, too! nicola http://whichname.blogspot.com
nicola's last blog post... packages
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daniela on June 4, 2009, 3:18 p.m.
oh, what delightful photos and stories you have! nice to be here :-)
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Natuermama on May 28, 2009, 3:44 a.m.
Lovely pictures, Renee. Of course, I have to say, your peas are adorable :-). This post really spoke to me. I really feel like, for the first summer, I am so settled in our life and that we are all so much happier when we take the time to do what is best for all of us. Which tonight included baths after dinner and a night trip to the biking trail in jammies, just because we needed that more than we needed to clean up after dinner. Coming from a traditional schooled family with only two kids 7 years apart, I am really trying hard lately to let go of my unrealistic expectations and hold on to knew ones that fit our homeschooling, three-kids-under-6 life. Our camping summer will start in a couple of weekends, too, and after this pose I'm even more excited than I was! Wow, this is quite a disjointed comment:-). So to make sense of it all, I'm glad you had a beautiful weekend and that summer is gracing you with its presence. And thank you for reminding me I'm not the only one struggling to make our meanderings fit into the rest of our lives!