Camping in Our Backyard

The hubby and I were not going to let a pandemic take away our family camping tradition, so we pitched our tent in the backyard this weekend.

It was also camping week at homeschool this week. T’s teacher gave a series of camping-themed learning activities, from books and poems, to math exercises, and more.

T went for a walk around the block with the hubby and took pictures of bugs and learned about them on an educational website.

He learned about planning skills when we worked together to create a layout of a campsite and a list of things we needed to pack for a camping trip.

The week’s activities culminated on Friday night when we set up our tent in our backyard.

T was super excited Friday morning. So so excited. He could barely contain it. And it was a wonderful incentive to use to motivate him to complete his school work.

At night, as the sun was going down and the sweltering heat subsided, the tent went up.

Camping Night 1 was not what we expected. T was so ramped up about it all day and couldn’t wind down.

Close to midnight, I called the hubby (who was still working) to take him in. Apparently he had a 30-minute long meltdown but the hubby stood his ground and did not let him come back out.

It was still a super fun evening. We read camping-related books and T explored the nooks and crannies of the tent. He poked his head out to see if there were raccoons.

But I had a great sleep outside on Friday night by myself! It got nice and cool overnight and I was snuggled in our comfy sleeping bag.

Being a horror movie fan, I did think about the possibility of someone murdering me in the middle of the night. The few hours of peace and quiet were worth being butchered for!

The birds and daylight woke me up at 4:45. I was surrounded by calming soothing chirping. Then after 10 minutes of chirping, I wanted them to STFU. I fell back asleep around 7 and the hubby called me at 8:30 to come in cuz T was up and I have the Saturday morning parenting shift.

The second night was much better. We warned T ahead of time that he had to calm down or he would not get to stay outside.

He fell asleep in no time. The hubby stayed inside because he didn’t want the entire street to hear his snoring.

I woke up around 5:30 this morning, on Fathers Day, and watched T sleep next to me. He is at his most lovable and peaceful best when he is asleep!

We had a very leisurely Fathers Day. We lazed around at home in the morning.

Then in the early afternoon, we went for a hike in nearby Altona Forest. It was our first time there, literally a forest in the middle of suburbia.

It was a scorching hot day. We all wore light colours and hats. But we forgot to pack bug spray and I got eaten alive by mosquitoes.

But it was worth it to be lost in nature for a short while. T is in his element when he is exploring nature, picking up sticks and lost in his imagination.

It was a nice hike and we said we’ll come back one day and be better prepared for the bugs!

We drove to a nearby gas station afterwards and ordered ice cold slushy drinks and enjoyed it in our air conditioned car.

When I got home, I had a sun-induced headache so I took a nap while the hubby and T kept themselves busy.

When I woke up, the hubby had a late lunch/early dinner prepared – takeout from one of favourite restaurants, Dumpling King. It was just what I was craving. Very camping themed, I know!

Today is Summer Solstice and it indeed has felt like such a long day. But it’s not over yet. And I am glad and thankful for that.

We still have one more camping-themed surprise for our beloved little T later tonight – s’mores!

I bought this s’mores kit a few weeks back and I’m excited to finally tear it open tonight.

It’s been a wonderful week. While camping in the traditional sense is out of the cards this year, I am glad we were able to bring its essence home for T.

And the wonderful thing about our sweet little boy is that he teaches us to make the most out of any situation – even a pandemic.

This has been a low key but wonderful Fathers Day weekend. And I wish all of you had an equally fantastic weekend.