Camping with kids can be a lot of work, but it can also be a lot of fun for those who come prepared. With a little planning and effort ahead of time you can ensure new and exciting experiences for the whole family, and maybe even a bit of downtime for mom and dad.
We now have one summer of camping under our belts and I wanted to share some of the many ways I have come up with to keep the kids happy and entertained when we are out camping. Continue reading “Happy Little Campers”
I feel like I am already way behind in getting this year’s Summer Bucket list completed! Last year my son’s preschool ended in May so we had a whole extra month to take in all the fun without school getting in the way. We also bought our camping trailer last summer and my husband is itching to get out as much as possible, so this opens up a whole new list of things to do and explore this summer! We will be buying a National Parks pass and are looking forward to exploring Banff, Jasper and Waterton, as well as enjoying some of favorites in and around Edmonton. Continue reading “2016 Summer Bucket List”
Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park has been on my husband’s camping bucket list for the last several years, so when we finally got a camping trailer we decided to take a week long trip this past August to explore the area.
Continue reading “Campground Review: Marten River Campground”
I admit I am not the best at getting my kids outside during the winter months. Once the snow hits and the temperatures plummet below zero, I am more then happy to pay admission to the nearest indoor playground and happily sip my coffee in the warmth as the kids play.
This past Saturday the temperatures hovered close enough to the zero mark that we decided to embrace the cold and check out the Edmonton Ice Castle. This spectacular frozen display is a man-built maze of icy castle walls built up in Hawrelak Park in the Edmonton River Valley. Continue reading “Exploring Edmonton’s Ice Castle”
Last July we got a new (to us) trailer and made many wonderful memories camping in the last half of the summer and into the fall. As the snow has begun to melt, we are all longing for the warmer weather and the chance to get the trailer back out of storage so we can go on some new adventures. Continue reading “13 Lessons Learned Camping with Kids and Dogs”
It looks like we will be summer vacationing this year after all. 🙂
It has been a couple years now since we have been camping and both my husband and I seem to be missing it more then we expected. My husband has some holiday time to use up and is in need of a break from work, so at the beginning of July he suggested we take a road trip and rent a camping trailer to do some camping along the way. While I didn’t hate the idea, I was not completely sold on the thought of a) spending extended periods of time in a vehicle with my young children and b) spending that kind of money to rent a trailer. We were hoping to plan a fairly inexpensive holiday by camping, but a lot of the trailer rentals we came across cost just as much as a night in a hotel would.
I ended up saying no to the idea, but that apparently didn’t stop my husband from looking and considering other options. I suggested we maybe look at something inexpensive like a tent trailer and that somehow snowballed into us planning a trip across Saskatchewan at the end of the month to purchase a travel trailer. Looking back at my initial concerns, I am still not quite sure how that all worked out; there is still the long road trip with young kids and this option is costing us a whole heck of a lot more money!
Either way, I will admit that I am pretty excited. This is something we have been wanting for a couple years and by buying it now we will have it to enjoy taking the kids camping while they are still young. We did do some tenting when my son was still really young and really enjoyed it, but the tent was already starting to get pretty cramped with 2 adults, 2 dogs and a baby.
We were blessed to have friends lend us their trailer to attempt a camping trip with both kids when my daughter was 1 and we both really liked it and agreed it was the better way to camp now that we had a family.
Back in 2012 we attended the RV show in the hopes of someday buying a trailer, and ended up finding one we really loved the layout of – The Gulf Stream Visa 23CSK. When my husband came across the used 2013 model that we are buying, it was hard not to say no knowing how much we loved this trailer and how few are available on the resale market. We are limited to towing with our SUV and this trailer manages stay lightweight while packing in all the features we wanted.
I am very excited to go pick up our trailer and finally get to see it in person. I have been spending way too much time on Pinterest these past couple weeks looking at trailer hacks and all the neat little storage solutions people have come up with in their limited space. I can’t wait to get my hands on ours and start personalizing it for our needs – and, of course, sharing all my hacks here!
It will be so nice to get away and just spend some quality time with my little family – furry members included. I am keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well and hopefully I will have some good pictures to share with you in a couple weeks after we return from our inaugural trip!
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