On labor day weekend we decided to go to bow hunting season for the first time with our kids. My husband is usually the one that goes hunting by himself or with a friend or his dad every year. This time round we made it more exciting by taking the kids “real camping” That’s right. We did not rented out a cabin or had a camper. “That’s not real camping!” -my husband adds. We did it the usual way by setting out a regular large tent, out in the sticks, literally, and enjoyed the quietness and darkness of the forest.
We left our house at around 4 pm and we got up to the summit of the mountain at about 9 pm. It was exciting for the kids to experience a different atmosphere. We did have quite a hard time setting up the tent since it was so dark and we couldn’t really see much around us. Picking out a flat surface was challenging but after an hour or so, of driving up the mountain we finally found the perfect spot.
Here’s the picture of our tent at night. My husband is quite experienced when it comes down to camping. That’s why mom stood in the car while the kids were asleep waiting for dad to finish. Once my husband was done, we moved the kids inside the tent. I had the baby with me so she fell right to sleep. My other 3 were tightly snuggled under some heavy-duty military blankets (my husband is ex navy) and my husband and I slept at each end of the tent, having the kids squeezed and protected in the middle. You always have to have your precautions. Out in the woods, some pepper spray and a knife will always come in handy.
It got really cold during the night. The kids have never really experienced this type of cold (exposed, outside) We keep placing the blankets on top of their faces to cover them up but they all woke up at about 2 o’clock complaining of a cold face. Lucky for us (or me I mean) I had packed some winter hats and this did the trick.
My husband got up early in the morning (4 am) got himself dressed and ready, boiled some water (in a very convenient portable camp stove similar to this one) and added some starbucks quick instant coffe packages (hey! better than no coffee AT ALL)
BREAKFAST TIME
Once the kids were awake (they woke up by the sound of the birds) at about 6 am I sat to quickly breastfeed my little one while reading a book to the kids (Madeline is one of their favorite books)
I knew I needed to pack some quick and easy foods they could eat and munch on during the day. Since I was the one in charge of 4 kids, under the age of 4, in the middle of nowhere, and with no time to build a fire, I thought about making in advance some homemade granola (basically a variety of nuts, dates, apples and raisins) all mixed up with some good quality butter and coconut oil. My kids are not allergic to nuts, but if they were in a period of no nut intake or immunity protocol diet profile (usually when I want to reestablish their gut flora) then I would’ve taken some boiled eggs in a cooler. After having a cup of granola mixed up in some coconut milk, they ate a whole apple and were set for the morning. I made little baby some apple sauce as well.
By this time, my husband is out hunting trying to hopefully see some deer or elk. Elk smell is very similar to farm poop, horse poop. This, I’ve found, it’s not necessarily helpful sometimes, and it doesn’t mean that elk could be right around the corner. A good hint if you ever wonder,next time you’re out in the woods.
While my husband hikes, he likes to have some kind of energy bars for fuel. I made him some date and butternut bars (crushed walnuts and macadamia nuts, butternut squash and mashed dates with butter too, mixed all and browned in oven at 350 degrees until crispy) he also took some summer sausage, a gallon of water and some beef jerky. The sausage and jerky were store bought.
PLAYING TIME with the kids
I took the kids out for a walk. A Short walk since they tend to just run sometimes out of my reach, and in the mountains, you tend to find big piles of wood or dirt and might find rattle snakes and that’s no bueno. I carried baby in a back pack and kept and eye on the rest.
For snaking I packed them some summer sausage as well, made a huge batch of bacon and some fresh blueberries and strawberries. My kids only drink water. And they adore it. As long as I have liquids and small things for them to eat, they are happy campers. We enjoyed the outdoors and they kept themselves busy building things with sticks and rocks and smelling and digging on tree stumps.
WHO SAYS KIDS NEED TOYS TO PLAY?
I myself ate some beef jerky and a whole avocado (I just carried the whole thing with me along with a pocket knife) water and I was golden. I like to keep high calorie-fatty foods with me when I go on hikes. Water is essential. I usually avoid juice or natural sodas.
When we came back to the tent, my husband was getting back from hunting. He had no luck this time finding elk ,although he’ll get another chance next week to catch a deer or an elk (knock on wood).
LUNCH TIME
For lunch we had salami, bell pepper slices with lime and salt and some really good raw goat’s cheese (I am not antagonistic about dairy after all and it sits well with my children nowadays on small quantities)
YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT
We had to leave the campsite early. I won’t rant too much about the trip but we also got a flat right before coming out of the mountain (agrrrrrrr) spare tires are a life savior!!! lol
Once my husband changed the tire (notice, while he was changing the tire I was quietly listening to my husband on how to change a tire, which is a good skill to have) we jumped back in the car and headed home. We were somewhat disappointed about not seeing any deer. I got to shoot my hungarian bow once or twice (naja!) but… I knew we had to get rewarded for such adventure, that, in the middle of our trip back, we found ourselves with this huge pile of squash happily laying right next to a farm and with a sign stating –FREE— ”hell yah!”- I said to myself, “I am taking these babies home.”
So here we are, we come back home with a catch of ” ridiculously sized squashes” (freaking huge!!!) probably the biggest I’ve seen so far.The kids had fun, We had fun, MOM was very exhausted nevertheless but camping is not a piece of cake with kids. I already knew that. It’s a hassle.
The good news is that in the next few days I get to experiment with different ideas on how to cook zucchini and summer squash and hopefully come up with some tasty recipes. I made some noodles last night which turned out pretty good. Today I am stuffing a big squash with some ground beef and rice (our financial situation is a bit tight, so rice there is) and perhaps some fried fermented zucchini (both great ideas from Marissa and Linda, Facebook followers) Thank you ladies!
