Colleen Langenfeld - Mentoring Busy Mothers

If you are living where it's summertime, you may be considering some fun recreational activities with your family. Depending upon where you live, there could be an abundance of possibilities or very few at all. Have you considered camping? Whether your family has never camped before, has tried camping and decided it was too much work, or are veterans of the camping game, one tool you won't want to be without is a camping checklist.

Why? Because a camping checklist can make or break your family getaway. And if you once enjoyed camping, but have decided it was too much work, a camping checklist can help you get rid of the drudgeries and enjoy camping again.

Believe me, camping can be terrific fun...or one of your worst nightmares! My family has been camping in the Colorado Rockies off and on for nearly 25 years. Mostly, our camping has been 'roughing it' in various-size tents.

We've had great times. We've had sour-and-silly times. Most importantly, we have a vast storehouse of family memories that we can enjoy reminiscing about today. Part of the fun of camping is to take up the challenge of living (temporarily) out-of-doors. So it follows that the better planning you do ahead of time (when you are surrounded by resources), the more fun you'll have when you're actually camping (and not surrounded by resources).

It all starts and ends with the camping checklist.

Now, I will admit, I did not understand this at first. But the first ten years of tent-camping with a husband and two young sons taught me a vast appreciation for the thoroughness and the stress-reducing nature of this camping method. The last ten years of camping have brought two daughters into the scene.

Absolutely, undeniably, planning is what makes camping enjoyable.

Here are some ways you can put a camping checklist to work for you.

* Use your camping checklist to prepare for your outing.

Start with as complete a list of camping needs as you can come up with. You can make your own list, but if you're just starting out camping, it might help to use an established camping checklist and then modify it to meet your own needs. If you want a printable camping checklist, go to http://www.pain...ecklist.html and start with ours.

You'll notice it's a fairly exhaustive list. That's because I've found getting ready for camping and cleaning up afterwards are the truly un-enjoyable parts of camping. So I took up the challenge to eliminate as much of the upfront and back-door work of our camping treks as possible. By having a camping checklist that lists everything from 'tent' to 'toothpaste', I don't have to carry an ever-growing list in my head of what we need. I put an item on the checklist, mark it off once it's packed, and we rarely find ourselves without something we need on the trail or at the campsite.

* Use your camping checklist to re-stock your camping supplies.

Keep a camping checklist with you as you camp and mark off items that are getting low during your time away. Then when you return, you've got a ready-made list to use to re-fill your camping gear. I find that re-stocking immediately upon getting home means I spend very little time doing 'clean up' and I eliminate searching through camping gear trying to figure out what we ran out of the last time.

* Use your camping checklist to track your family's camping needs.

As you gain camping experience, you'll discover little tricks that make your time away from civilization all the more pleasant. Some of these tricks will require a simple adjustment in methodology of some sort, some of these tricks will require a little more equipment.

Let's face it. There's a reason why recreational stores have plenty of camping accessories on their shelves. While your budget may determine how many gadgets becomes a part of your camping gear, you'll do yourself a real favor by window shopping these gadgets and then paying attention when you camp to what your camping pet-peeves are. Eliminating these pet-peeves is almost always worth the money spent on the appropriate gadgets. Likewise, buying a gadget you never use, but looked cute in the store, is just frustrating. By using your camping checklist, you can keep tight tabs on any changes your family may need to make in the way of equipment or methodology.

Need an example? For years I tried to 'save money' by taking plenty of towels for washing up messy kids and adults at the campsite. But when you don't have the luxury of running water, not to mention what water you do have may not be the temperature you prefer, you may find yourself working harder than necessary to keep people 'clean' (which is a relative term when camping anyway). Besides the water issue, wet towels at a campsite are a nuisance, in my book. I finally gave in and went totally to pre-moistened wipes. Yes, we go through a lot in a typical camping weekend. And they are worth every penny. Remember to choose unscented ones for outdoor use (insects and animals can be attracted by the scents in all toiletries).

There are other resources that have been helpful to us throughout our years of camping, but when I discovered a camping checklist and how to use it to my advantage, I stopped feeling exhausted just *thinking* about camping and I started truly enjoying the quality time outdoors with my family!

About the Author
Colleen Langenfeld has been parenting for over 28 years and helps other busy moms at http://www.paintedgold.com . Get a camping checklist at http://www.pain...ecklist.html . Colleen Langenfeld may be contacted at http://www.paintedgold.com. Click here to view more articles by Colleen Langenfeld.