MOM ’ S CORNER
MAY 2018
FAMILY LIVING
Page 9
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MOM ’ S CORNER
FAMILY THAT CAMPS TOGETHER
My husband and I began our child rearing days early in life . We met and married all before I turned 20 . He had custody of our amazing oldest daughter and shortly after we added a son and daughter to the family . Our financial situation was always a little tight since I had decided to stay home with the children . My husband worked up to 3 different jobs at once to make ends meet . We did not have a lot , but we always had fun !
As soon as summer vacation from school began , the kids were anticipating what type of adventures we would have . For the first week or so , I could usually bank on the kiddos lounging about , sleeping in , catching up on TV , and having outside playtime at home . While this was generally a restful time , the natives began to get restless a few weeks in . They wanted to go on a summer vacation .
I can remember wondering what we could do on our meager budget . How could we have a fun and memory filled time with less funding ? The answer we came up with year after year was primitive camping . The smell of the forest , the wind in the trees , and the sound of a river lulling us to sleep were some of our favorite things . We quickly discovered that a family that camps together stays together . Camping provided such an amazing opportunity to problem solve as a team . There were many years my husband did not get home until late Friday night . We would drive up that night and pitch our tent in the dark so we could spend as much time together as possible . The kids would be exhausted and cranky . Sometimes the flashlight wouldn ’ t work or we would forget batteries , but we always got through it . The life lessons we learned were worth every moment of frustration . We learned how to love and honor each other through difficulties . Let ’ s face it , we were in the woods and had nowhere to run from each other .
Many of our trips were spent outside of Helen , Ga ., in the Chattahoochee National Forest . Here is a fun fact : it is free to camp in most national forests across the U . S . Helen was great because we could camp for free , bring our own food and supplies from home , and take a tubing trip down the river for a mere $ 3.00 each . Year after year , we would spend our time working together to set up camp , cook our meals , and enjoy just being
together .
Now , even though we can afford a hotel stay and airfare , we choose camping . We choose camping so much so that we bring a ton of “ family ” on our trips . We take our entire family , the student body from AWAKE Coffee Co and now The Metro Times ’ team with us each summer .
As I said , “ A family that camps together stays together .” Camping together has become our most favorite adventure . Consider family camping today . Pinterest has a ton of great ideas !
Noelle Cosby A Happy Camper