This post is sponsored by FLYJOY. All opinions are my own.
When we were growing up I distinctly remember my dad telling my sister and I that we were going to go on a different kind of family vacation one summer: we were going camping. Looking back I can see how excited he was to take us on an adventure unlike one that we’d ever been on. Which makes me super sad to say that we flipped out and cried our way out of a family camping trip because we were terrified of bears.
Yes, bears.
Which are truthfully very scary and all, but the likelihood of us seeing a bear where we were going to go was pretty slim. Regardless, because of our prissy ways I never actually went camping – or slept outdoors at all for that matter – until I was a 25-year-old semi-newlywed with an adventurous husband in Colorado.
You know, where there’s a much higher likelihood of running in a bear…or mountain lion.
The first time we went camping it was with a group of married couples from our church and I tried so hard to look like I knew what I was doing. Deep inside though? I was terrified of the whole mountain lion thing (Colorado has ’em, y’all!) and semi-grossed out by the lack of hygiene. Apparently Nate hadn’t cured me of my prissy ways!
But something happened after that – I saw that camping was actually super fun, and that sleeping under the stars high up on a mountain is one of the most calming, fun things one can do. I remember so clearly how bright the sky was that night (because I totally had to pee in the middle of the night and made Nate watch my back for predators) – I had never seen anything like it. I didn’t even need a flashlight and could see everything plain as day. It was beautiful!
We went camping a few more times after that and every time it was glorious and crazy and memorable. I honestly can’t wait til our boys are old enough to come along for the ride!
Since moving to Arkansas things are a bit different on the camping front. With two small children in tow everything is a little more complicated, not to mention things like mosquitoes and insane humidity make it all the more difficult. But even in the middle of crazy parenthood seasons and summer heat we are still doing everything we can to instill a sense of adventure in our boys. Because I know when the time is right and my husband announces a big family camping trip the last thing I want is for them to pass up that opportunity!
One thing we’ve been trying to do is spend a few hours outside every weekend day, slathered in sunscreen and bug repellent, with our new Kammock Roo hammock, a healthy stock of FLYJOY bars and water. We’ll run and play, stop and rest, snack and rehydrate, then repeat until nap time. And you can bet that once the weather allows we’ll be doing this throughout the week too! Having a great camping hammock and a healthy snack that we all enjoy makes getting outside easy and enjoyable – just as it should be!
Looking to sample the amazing FLYJOY products? I’ll be doing a really fun giveaway over on my Facebook page over the next couple of days – click on over to check it out!
Told you so!:)