Spring break camp out

A very long time ago--like as long ago as 2005, when Jeremy and I lived in Montana and had no children and a house that was always clean--we (I) decided to celebrate a very cold spring break by camping in our tiny living room. As witness:


At the time, I was frustrated that we couldn't go anywhere or do anything during spring break. That frustration has become a familiar one, as we've always lived in places where "spring break" typically found us 1)poor; and 2)buried in snow (anyone remember our spring break trip to Mexico?).

This year, we are only slightly less poor and we had no snow, but Jeremy had a lot of grading and odds and ends to do. Plus it was kind of rainy and lame. What better way to celebrate those conditions than another spring break living room camp out?


I should pause here to give Jeremy credit for going along with this idea. When I first suggested it, I expected to meet with a subtle but recognizable amount of passive resistance. Instead, he seemed mildly enthused by the hassle of setting up a very large tent in our living room. He even managed to set up the tent by himself while I was out, all without Jonathan and Clara discovering the scheme. Remarkable!


When the kids finally rounded the corner to the front room and were greeted by a tent where no tent had been before, they were satisfactorily excited. Much jumping, laughing, and dancing ensued. (By the way, Clara told us she picked that particular nightgown because camping gives her so much joy.) Then we dined on hot dogs, chips, and root beer (nothing says "living room camping" like a meal of processed foods) followed by oven s'mores, which we did not eat in the tent.





After dinner, we told stories, sang songs, then settled in for a comfortable night of sleep. (We crammed our regular mattress into the tent, and Cole slept in his crib. And of course the kids can sleep anywhere.)


In the morning, we feasted on pancakes and sausage, thoroughly enjoying the end of a memorable camping trip. Since I don't plan on doing a ton of camping in the Missouri insect-ridden humidity, I'll have to look forward to our annual living room spring break camp out. It has most of the fun of camping with very little of the mess and hassle. Maybe that's why Jeremy went along with it so easily...