Surviving the Storm ::Weekend Snapshots::

As we all know Houston is currently under water, again. The rain has not given our communities a rest. Of course, mother nature is so unpredictable and we can't allow it to dictate what we do. For a few weeks now we had planned to go camping this past weekend since it was Memorial Day and we all had some time off. But, we didn't expect the rain to pour down the way it did last Friday night. As we packed up and got our truck ready for the weekend's adventure the rain came down, we didn't let that stop us. 

We had planned to arrive in San Antonio that night and then drive out to Garner State Park Saturday morning. As we started our drive out of Houston and onto I-10 the rain started to clear. We made it to San Antonio with no rain in sight and the next morning left to Utopia. Camping has become one of those yearly must trips! Especially as the kids grow and learn to love  the outdoors. 

This has been, at least, our 4th or 5th time making this trip with the kids and despite the hiccups along the way, it's always fun! The kids do become restless and get on each others (and our) nerves.  But, it's manageable and all part of the road trip experience. We tolerate it to a certain point and take plenty of rest stops to give one another a break. It's all about learning along the way and fixing those areas where we could all use some help, like patience!  

As I said before, Friday night we made it into San Antonio and the next morning after a very hardy breakfast at Cracker Barrel (I had never been) we started our route to Garner. It's always exciting knowing that you are so close to your destination. 

We arrived at Garner Saturday morning and spent the day setting up, cooking and swimming in Rio Frio. Everything was great. We ate good food, laughed, splashed in the water and had some sangria made by my Sister-in-Law, Ale. It was picture perfect until the storm.

That afternoon I took a much-deserved nap and when I woke up it was night time and the kids were roasting marshmallows. At about midnight, the rain started, but it wasn't some light trickle rain. It was a flood advisory downpour rain. After about 30 minutes or so Ricardo and I decided we needed to abandon ship, or in this case evacuate our tent. The water was seeping through the seams of the tent and rising from below. Our air mattress and pillows were getting wet. It would be a somewhat long, uncomfortable and kind of scary night for us. The rain poured for about 3 hours or so. When the morning came the sun came out but we had already decided to head back to San Antonio and spend the rest of our holiday weekend there. 

We made breakfast Sunday morning and then headed out once again. 

The kids were such good troopers and usually go with the flow so it's easy to make quick decisions. It's always good to remain calm and the kids will follow your lead. We did panic the night before thinking about rising water and our safety but overall we made it through. We did have a great weekend with lots of fun memories and good experiences that will help us survive any other storms that come our way!

LINKING UP WITH ARI OF 3TWENTYSIX FOR HER WEEKEND SNAPSHOTS ROUND-UP! 

{Pictures from San Antonio tomorrow...}

::5 Things to Know when going Camping::

This is our final installment of this years camping trip.

As stated before, camping and all the details are fairly new to us. We have learned as we experience it all. Here are 5 things we think are good to know before you head out for your next camping adventure. The best website to explore is the Texas State Park {or your states, state park page}. We browsed through it a few times and still missed these items or failed to research more. But, if you have little ones it's best to do your investigating before heading to a camp site. 

On one of our days we went from our camp grounds at Garner State park to a near by park, Lost Maples which is about 45 minutes away. We have been to Garner a couple of times so we wanted to venture out to other nearby parks and explore. It was a great decision.

The following 5 items are good to know and will save you some time and stress: 

::Park Day Pass:: 

As stated above for this last camping trip we stayed at Garner State Park {it was a last minute plan and we were lucky enough to get a spot} and then we traveled 45 minutes out to Lost Maples. When we arrived at Lost Maples we discovered that we didn't have to pay for a new entry. You can use your pass from one park to another, if it's valid for the same day. Ours was, so we got into the park for free. Winning! 

::Texas State Park Pass::

Another great idea is to purchase a State Park pass, which will give you unlimited entrance to all state parks. Which is a great deal if you think you will be visiting a lot of parks in a year. We do this once a year, if we decide to increase this, then I know we will be purchasing the state park pass. Because, it saves you the hassle of paying every time you go and/or waiting in line too long. There are other benefits of being members as well such as discounts and special offers.

::Right equipment::

Being prepared is highly important. I suggest everyone carrying a light backpack for your daily hikes with water and snacks. Especially for your little ones. Mine have a ton of energy  and climbing makes them thirsty and hungry, the bigger they have gotten the more they need. This trip I underestimated them, but my Sister in Law who seemed to be our saving point for this trip had a ton of extra snacks. Bringing the right shoes is a good idea as well, a good pair of tennis shoes or good fitted worn in hiking boots will work too. So important. You do a lot of walking and climbing, taking care of your feet is important.

::Know your Camp-site options::

Primitive camping really is PRIMITIVE , if you are not used to this type of campsite or aware of what it truly is, look it up! At first glance I thought, oh we can do this. But, once we made it to Lost Maples and we got a taste of the hiking to get to a primitive site, we knew that a site with water and electricity or a shelter is best for us. At least for now. The trails can be a little hard  but you must keep going, cause it's the only way to make it to a campsite. These types of trails and campsites are for EXPERIENCED campers. Garner has great sites, we usually get a shelter with water and electricity or a regular campsite with water and close to the bathrooms, my kids love the potty these days! Just know the sites and what you are prepared to experience.

::Cancellations::

We were told at 3 different parks that they were "full" but to call back the day of our travel for cancellations. Before we got on the road the day of our travel, we called in to Garner and there were cancellations for campsites. They do happen, even though the park might be "full". Don't give up on your favorite park or campsite. We booked a random spot and lost $10.00, but got a preferred spot the day of for $20.00. It worked out for us and we were literally happy campers.

::5 Camping Lessons Learned:: Prarents Editions

As a parent I often underestimate not only my own abilities but also those of my children. Last weekend we went camping. In hind site, there are certain things I don't ever think I can do but thanks to our camping trips my perspective has changed. 

Last year I wrote about the 5 lessons I hoped my children would learn from camping, you can read those here. Today, I am sharing the 5 lessons that I have learned as a parent from our camping trips. In hopes that these might encourage you to venture into your own outdoor adventures. 

1) Creativity- My Husband and I are not, by any means, expert campers, nor did we do this a lot as children. We have had to be creative; when it comes to our sleeping arrangements, daily activities and eating. We don't have a camp guide who tells us the plan. My Husband usually takes charge in this area and creates the meal plan and our tentative schedule. We then have to execute it with the little information or no true knowledge of what we've gotten ourselves into. But somehow, we do it and have been successful at it, twice!  

2) Resourcefulness- When we do make it out into "the wild", we have to be resourceful and make use of what we have. We have traveled out of Houston for both of our camping trips and we usually can't run back home for anything. Nor is there some  big retail store near by for extra stuff. Garner does have a mini-grocery store onsite, which we do rely on for most of our forgotten items. If they don't have it we are basically out of luck and use what we have. It has worked out pretty well and thankfully we haven't forgotten anything major.  If you read our first recap you know that my Sister-in-Law did save us  on this trip, bringing us extra towels, snacks and blankets. 

3) Relax- Now regardless of the situation, I am always a Momma on the edge of my seat. Always aware of where we are and the surroundings. I am a bit of what one would call a helicopter Momma. I don't want to be that way and want to trust my children and their abilities, as well as allow them to explore and learn. So, I have learned to let go and realize that the kids are OK. And, I do tend to relax just a little more than usual. If you know me, that's nearly impossible. But, I try I don't ever want to hinder my children's learning experience and from growing into their individuality. But, I am always conscious of large bodies of water or high dangerous areas. 

4) Packing- Kind of! When you go camping you do realize that you don't need everything from your house and we do have to learn to pack a bit more light. But, there are certain things that I don't pack and that I know I don't necessarily need daily. Like electronics or flat irons. The kids don't ever need more than I bring them and they don't miss things like their toys or the TV. We do bring our phones and I-pad only because it helps with the crazy long trips and to keep them busy while we cook or prepare the tent.  But, in all honestly as they get older I feel the packing may get lighter. At least I hope. Ha. 

5) Adaptability- Kids are adaptable, this is something I tend to forget because I see my children as too young to know this. And, I always expect them to react {or over react} to certain situations, that really hasn't been the case other than true joy and excitement. More times than not they are the ones who adapt the best to just about any situation. It's always a relief and something great to see as a parent. Meanwhile, I do tend to freak out about certain things and know that I shouldn't but I try to remain calm and "play it cool". Only because I don't want my children to be scared of trying new things. I want them to always be open to exploring and discovering their abilities! 

At the end of the day, we have learned that while we love camping we still have so much to learn! And, we hope that by camping trip 20 we will be somewhat experts.

Do you go camping? What are some of your favorite lessons/ self-discoveries from your trips? 

:: 2015 Camping Recap:: The Good, the bad & oh yes, the Ugly!

{Photo credit: A nice lady riding her bike up the hill and needing a rest. So, she took our picture.}

My Husband always, always thinks I don't ever share the bad and of course the absolute ugly on my blog. I tell him, then you must not read my blog. I try to be as open and transparent as I can here. Always sharing truth and who we really are, if you ever ::laughs here:: think we are "perfect" please don't. We most definitely are far from that. Mini-disclosure over. 

This past weekend we went Camping. While, we love the idea of it and have now completed a couple of successful trips. I am sharing with you today, the Good, the bad and the oh yes so ugly! To help  my Husband sleep at night and rest at peace with our imperfections. Always.

::The Good::

Usually out weighs the bad. I don't care how bad things get, you can always come out on top with the absolute best moments. That's what matters. My Husband said, just take the picture cause you will make it seem like we had an amazing time anyway. Of course! Ha. But, truth is while the good is present the bad is always lurking near by, HA. I am never lying about our good moments or trying to hide the bad, it's just that I want to always give people good happy content, not whiny, complaints. And, when it's appropriate I share our bad moments, cause we do have them. 

Family time- our days get busy and the nights are short, so spending family time together just the 4 of us, is always good. We don't sit around and sing kumbaya or anything {if we could we would but that's not us}, we do share and love one another a lot. Listening to the kids and their crazy stories or rants is always priceless. My Husband and I will stare at each-other thinking, where in the world is this coming from? It's epic ya'll. 

Time away- it's good to disconnect and get away from the city for a bit. Little short vacations help bring back focus and forget about the hectic city life that awaits us. Even my kids are busy between school, sports, homework and annoying one another it gets tough for a 6 and 4 year old to find down time. Just laughed. It's not but they are busy kids and deserve a break too. We all do! 

New experiences- We all deserve new experiences, they help us grow and learn more about the world and more importantly about ourselves. We love being able to provide our children with new experiences. Some are even new to us and that's always fun, learning with our kids is a great adventure.

::The Bad::

Things don't always go as planned- they rarely go on without a hitch. This time, and it seems like every time we are traveling, our car {s} break down. Thankfully this time it was just a battery issue. We got the truck to work but there is always something that doesn't go as planned and could potentially ruin our trip. Car trouble is a bad one though. 

Last minute changes- so, while we love the outdoors and camping we are not expert campers and have not been doing this for years. Our kids are usually great at whatever we throw at them but this time we had to make an executive decision to switch the desired camp site at Lost Maples to Garner { more in part 2 of recap on this and why}. We also had planned for my parents and friend to join us, which didn't happen. We had to re-plan food and our minds as a whole, ha. 

The weather- the forecast had rain and cold. And, it did. Rain and it was cold. Which due to some unpreparedness was rough the first night! But, thanks to my Sister-in-law we got it all fixed by night two. Which was great. It didn't totally ruin our trip but by Sunday morning it was a nuisance and we were a little annoyed by the rain. But, we survived and all was well.

::The oh SO very Ugly::

The whining, complaining and fighting...and that was just the adults! Remember I mentioned the mishap above with the camping site. Yeah, it was kind of my fault. I didn't book the site in time so we ended up with a "Primitive" camp site at Lost Maples, not at all what we wanted. I had to last minute book a site at Garner. Which was tricky but I pulled it off. It didn't come without the stress, the fighting words and the blah. So much so, I forgot our big blankets and the first night had to rough it out with small blankets and sleeping bags. Again, thankfully my Sister-in-law came to the rescue! 

Mood swings- this kind of trip involves long hours together, in a car or small space! Which in return results in mood swings, one minute we love one-another the next, it's Hunger Games all in one small tent. Camila and I get moody. Please beware. Ha. The boys do to! So, it's an even game. 

Ugly cries- Not just mine, the kids have their moments too, ha. They can't control it and cry. Sometimes a lot. I get nervous easily and the sweats kick in. I don't want to be seen as a bad parent who can't control their kids! I get anxious. I  do very well though at controlling the situations and deal with them. But, most times I hand it over to my Husband. Much easier. 

Tantrums- Every second, after every activity! OK, maybe not that bad but they do happen and it's not pretty. We deal with them as they come. People stare. We have gotten used to them. We have learned that to diffuse them we must first ignore them, easier said than done. Some moments it's easier to gain control and others you just want to lose it with them. But. for the most part we have learned to remain calm and simply...let it be. 

Hair pulling, fighting and biting- The kids love each other but the car ride and then being with each-other constantly for 3 days, becomes a bit much. As much as I would love for my children to be nice, sweet children who sit still and never fight. It doesn't happen. They get unruly, we control it and sometimes if they are outdoors, we just let them figure it out. If it gets too bad we stop them but for the most part it's harmless, they annoy one another and then move on. Then they have moments of happy, "I love you and lets be friends". Which are my favorite. 

And, I think Jim Gaffigan, has captured all of our camping trips in one big joke....