fanny
We went camping for the first time last week. First time because I am not a camping person despite the fact that I do love nature. I really do! Hiking, sunbathing, lake swimming… I would do these things for my whole life. But camping – sleeping on rocks and pooping in a hole in the ground? And then a bear comes up and is like, hi, I’m here to eat you. But first I need to rip all of your limbs off. While you’re still alive. Hmmm… not very positive feelings.
And things didn’t get better when we checked in the campsite, the staff warned us, “The bears are extremely active recently. Lock up your food!”
Being parents sucks. You have to sacrifice a lot for your kids. Doing camping is one of my sacrifices. But we genuinely believe that this would be a good memory for us as a family. So we let the kids skip school for this camping trip. Yes, SKIP SCHOOL! Well, it’s summer. Not a big deal! Plus we are awesome parents!
Our kids are high maintenance. They can’t be bored for one second. I was a bit worried on the way up to the campsite thinking what they would do while camping. They had to leave all their games and sports behind for nothing but nature and bears? And when I said high maintenance, that includes their appetite.
When we arrived, the first thing my daughter said was I AM HUNGRYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! We were at least 20 minutes away from making food. And 20 minutes for my daughter is no different from one second, the period of time that she cannot tolerate. I remembered I’d packed a few CLIF Kid Organic Zbars that I was sent before the trip. I gave each to both of my kids. I knew my daughter would shut up right away and start eating. My son is a picky eater. He doesn’t normally like granola bars because he finds them too sugary. I was surprised that he didn’t say a word and happily finished the whole thing.
They spent the rest of the day going in and out of the tents, throwing rocks, battling with sticks, running around the forest. We ended up in the beach after dinner when kids were in their bare feet building castles and drains. They stayed up several hours past their bedtime and of course they got hungry AGAIN! This time they were smart enough to come up to me and asked, “Mom, did you bring any Zbars?” And of course I did!
When it was finally time to retire for the night, my daughter and I share one of the tents. And this has to be my favorite part of the entire trip. This is going to seem totally lame because I know a lot of parents have been sleeping with their kids for years and it’s no big deal. However, I do not sleep with my children because both of them rotate like the propeller on a plane when they are in bed. I’m surprised they don’t fly in their sleep.
It was freezing. We pulled the sleeping bag up around our chins, and we slept all night snuggled in and around each other. I loved it! I loved waking up in the middle of the night and feeling my daughter’s shoulders move up and down as she breathed. She couldn’t pull her usual propeller moves because we were snuggled so tightly. Maybe that’s the secret.
If we totally disregard the hour long hiking next morning, my kids will tell everyone that they had the best time ever. Turned out they spent the whole time doing nothing but exploring. And that’s the most awesome activity! Plus I got to be named the “Best Mom Ever” again (Again? That was not the first time of course). Because I always had CLIF Kid Organic Zbar around when they declared, “MOM! I AM HUNGRYYYYYY!!!”
CLIF Kid Organic Zbar is an organic baked whole grain snack made with a nutritious blend of carbohydrates, fibre, protein and fat to help maintain kids’ energy… so kids can keep zipping and zooming along.
Now, if you’ll excuse me. Summer is here, meaning kids are running around outside like crazy, and they get HUNGRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY all the time, and I need to stock up on the staple of the season.
This post is brought to you by CLIF Kid Organic Zbar – wholesome, delicious snacks made from organic ingredients to keep kids going, growing and exploring.