The joys of camping!

Camping – with four young children – now there’s an experience! Firstly there is the huge amount of equipment that needs to be sorted, packed and loaded into the car (really, you wouldn’t believe the amount of stuff that you have to take for two nights away in a tent – or how Rob manages to actually fit it all in the car). We used to have a perfectly adequate tent, with one bedroom compartment for Rob and I and the other for Abbie and Millie, then along came Hannah and Georgia and we outgrew it over night! We now have a tent the size of a small bungalow, which takes over an hour to put up and sort out, but on the plus side, on a rainy evening all six of us can fit into the living space quite comfortably. When we first started camping with all six of us we found fitting everything in the car with the four kids all in their car seats a bit of a challenge. We had so much stuff stacked up in the footwells of the car the kids used to sit with their feet out horizonally! We decided that long term this was never going to work, at some point their legs would grow to a length that they would actually need the foot spaces! so we decided to get a roof box. All seemed great, sleeping bags, pillows, buggy all safely stowed away. Then the kids started wanting to take their bikes and we got a few more bits of equipment, so along came the trailer! So, off we set at the weekend, roofbox on, trailer attached, bikes strapped onto the trailer, four kids (and numerous very important teddies that HAVE to be taken, but don’t actually get given a second glance once we’re there). All is looking good, however, ten minutes into the journey we find the sky is looking extremely dark, five minutes later and we are driving through TORRENTIAL rain! We can hardly see more than two feet in front of us and Hannah is covering her ears, saying “Noisy!” At this point, my heart sinks, the thought of four tired, miserable, soaking wet kids in a wet tent on a wet campsite is not filling me with much joy. We arrive at the campsite to find it cloudy, but not raining, so there is hope! We begin the long task of putting up the tent and sorting all the equipment, we are half way through this task when the heavens open! Fortunately, we have the outer shell of the tent up and can quickly send all the kids inside. We press on and eventually get everything sorted, much to our delight the rain passes and it turns into a reasonable evening. The weather on the following two days is absolutely gorgeous and we end up having a fabulous and relaxing time! We went with our neighbours, who are new to camping (and I think they enjoyed their first experience) and it was great because the kids all played together, their kids are older than ours which was great as they helped out with the little ones. We were able to sit and relax, chat and have a few drinks!

Having taken Hannah over to the toilet block for a wee at one point, I realised that Abbie was in one of the toilets (Abbie being a ‘big’ girl had gone to the toilet with our neighbours daughter – great, a bit of independence for her). So as I am walking out of the toilet block I call “Abbie? Are you okay? Do you need any help wiping your bottom?” (this is the child that still shouts me every day at home to come and wipe her bottom after a poo!!) to which Abbie replies “No Mum, I’m a BIG girl! I can do it myself!” which got a few sniggers from the other bathroom goers! (You could almost hear the “Go away Mum, your embarrassing me” tone in her voice). So out I go with Hannah, who then decides (having just been sat on the toilet for a number of minutes without doing anything) that she needs a wee! Deep breath, fine, take her back in, sit her on the toilet (trying to keep quiet, so I don’t embarrass my other daughter) when a shout comes from Abbie, “Mum? I’ve flushed it, but it won’t flush away! Mum? can you help me?” Oh joy, I’m sent away when offering to help with the bottom wiping, but needed now for un-flushable poo!!