Relaxing Spring Days
I love walking up to the house after working outside and seeing a child reading on the swing, especially when she’s in full dress-up garb of pioneer clothes! I also love walking through the house and seeing a child contentedly reading on the couch. Makes me realize that although many days are hard growing up with a single mom trying to make ends meet, life is good.
Surprise Treasure Hunt and Backpacking Trip
One night after rehearsal Samuel handed Anderson a clue. He read it and went to the place it said, which was in our front woods. There he found a clue which led him to a place in our back woods. And on and on! Each stop had either a challenge (pulling himself up into a tree with a rope pulley system) or a pile of things from which he could choose 1-2 to bring along. There was a backpack already supplied with clothes and toothbrush and food. Then other stops he had to choose between a tent or hammock, different tools to bring, different flashlights/lamps to bring, and other backpacking items. It was so fun! Samuel’s clues were so cute and creative. In the end they arrived at a clearing where they pitched their tent and bedded down for the night. I hope it’s a memory they always cherish! And hopefully I can take them backpacking soon! Check out the vlog to hear some of the clues!
Alice in Wonderland
The 5 younger kids were in Alice in Wonderland and loved it. Kaitlyn was Mathilda, Alice’s older sister who has the first and last lines of the show. (See them on the vlog!) In the middle she was a butterfly. Makenna was a sheep. Samuel and Anderson were royal cards with lines and a few solos. Talea was Rose, the head flower who makes fun of Alice being 3″ tall. She had many lines and solos too. They all did great! Check out lots of their scenes in the vlog!
(Random picture of Talea on the swing and didn’t know where to put anywhere else.)
My Birthday Campout with 3 Kids
A saw a few free days with no activities and no rain and took advantage. Kylie in particular was so sweet in encouraging me to go camping for my birthday, which is my favorite activity. So I did! We went to Hanging Rock State Park and picked out a beautiful camping spot. Each day we went on a 4-5 mile hike for a total of 13 miles over the 3 days we were there. They were so much fun! The rest of the time we rode bikes around the campground, read in the hammocks and around the fire, sang around the fire, cooked delicious food and more! Check out the vlog and get excited to go camping yourself!
Thursday: Hiking Hanging Rock
The first hike we did was Hanging Rock. It was 4.64 miles from our campsite up to the top and back. A pretty easy hike with only 820′ elevation gain that took us 1.5 hours not including the time we spent taking pictures on the rock. Everyone was in great moods and we had a wonderful time.
That night we had taco salad and read around the campfire until bedtime. Samuel and I slept in the hammocks and Anderson and Talea slept in the tent. In the morning Tilly and I went for a bike ride around the lake. Then we all set off on another 4.7 mile hike with a fire tower and terrific view.
Friday: Hiking Moore’s Wall
Loved this hike! So many rhodendrons in bloom. Fairly easy trail (the website says strenuous) that included 1000′ elevation gain. Lots of stairs on the trail and more on the fire tower. We thought it was gorgeous and a lot of fun (besides the stairs.) Did it in 1hr 37 minutes not counting time on the tower and rocks where we snacked.
We got back to camp by lunchtime and relaxed the rest of the afternoon. The kids read in hammocks, played made up games in the tent, and went for bike rides. I worked some, writing notes on paper. We also sketched in our notebooks and went for bike rides together. It was a fantastic day!
Saturday: Three waterfall hikes
Saturday we hiked from our campground to 3 different waterfall hikes totally 3.68 miles. They were all easy hikes with the reward of a waterfall only a mile or less into the hike. A great way to spend our last day camping. Check out the vlog to see the videos of the waterfalls because I didn’t get pictures. The waterfall in the last picture wasn’t even one of the waterfalls we were hiking to see; just a bonus waterfall after we climbed through a cool rock window.
I had a wonderful birthday campout! I’m so glad we went. It’s hard to take time away from business work, housework, yard work, and the other kids. But afterward I never regret going. I cherish the memories I make camping with my kids and wish I went more often.
When we got home Thomas had a birthday surprise for me! He made me a beautiful set of stairs to the storage shed. He did an amazing job with them. I made enchiladas and brownies for my birthday dinner and treat but only got it on video, not pictures. A viewer sent us a Sunoven so the next day Anderson made bread in it that turned out delicious.
Have a great day!!
Things we love that we used in this blog post:
(I get a small commission when you purchase anything from Amazon after clicking on these links, even if you don’t buy these things. But I do also like to make suggestions of products we enjoy.)
hammock: https://amzn.to/4dUaR9T (After the first time I slept in a hammock camping, I have never once slept on the hard ground in a tent again. Hammocks are the best!)
Core 4 man tent: https://amzn.to/4o3Pmb9 (My brother gave it to me as a family Christmas gift and we love it. Great quality.)
Hiking backpack with water bladder: https://amzn.to/4nQNOky (I take this on every hike. Can keep 4 people hydrated on a hike up to 10 miles.)
Merrill Hiking shoes: https://amzn.to/3RBpnM3 (Any Merrill shoes are great! I have had mine for 9+ years and they are still in great shape. I wear them all the time to hike, cut firewood, play in our woods, camp, etc. Other shoes wear out in 1 year for me because I tend to have one pair and wear them out. I got these in 2017 as a present and they still look new! I can’t believe it. Way worth the price since I’m not having to waste time and money shopping for new $30 ones every year and putting the holey ones in the landfill.)
Glerc bike Tilly rides around the campground: https://www.glercbikes.com/?ref=SingleMomOnAFarm
Use code FARM10 to get $10 off!