A Lesson Learned About Camping

We decided to take the kids camping for Labor Day weekend. What a way to add to my labor.
We left Friday after work. I tried to talk Trent into getting a good night rest then leaving Saturday morning, but he wanted to get on the road. And because you can't really get ready too much in advance, I was rushed to get things together and forgot a lot of things. And after we got on the road we sat in traffic until it was dark. Instead of getting all the way to our camping spot, we had to stop for the night in Price. The lesson here, leave earlier, and prepare better.
We set up camp in the dark and I always sleep really bad the first night camping. This night was no exception. We got up, broke camp and hit the road. We should have just stayed. I love Price, it was beautiful, and by the time we got to our next camp, in the desert, it was hot. The lesson here, get a pop up trailer. Easier to break camp. We wanted to camp someplace else too, but breaking camp was so hard and we were so tired, we just stayed.
Luckily we found a shady spot to set up our tent, again. Blow up air mattresses, again, and unload the car, again. The lesson here, get a pop up trailer (we have been talking about it for years) camp will be easier to break and set up.
I just need to accept dirt. Camping is dirty. I have 6 kids, it's dirty. But it still bugs me. Add 2 nights of no sleep, and I become neurotic. We were next to water, but that mostly just made mud.
Lesson here, get a pop up trailer. It'll be easier to keep sleeping spaces clean, when they are not on the ground.
I like camping. But, I like not being tired. And right now, with the dynamic of our family, both are not possible,. It may be next year, before I am going to do that again. I have a friend who goes camping to take a break. I kept looking for that break this time, and never finding it. Between cooking meals, then cleaning up meals. Holding tired kids, taking kids to the potty, breaking up kids tifts, he won't play with her.... one of my wonderful kids feeding 4 of 6 sunflower seed shells.... It was a constant. I didn't even get to relax and recover at night. 6 of 6 only slept okay. Thank goodness I hadn't weened her yet. One of the nights she was awake for 3 hrs. And you can't just let her her cry, you're in a tent full of other people and a camp ground full of campers. Lesson here, get a trailer so we can camp away from anyone ;) It may be awhile before I'm up for that again. The kids love it, so we will keep camping, even with out a trailer, but this weekend was hard. and I'm exhausted. It was good to send them to school.