i get the comment, “i just don’t know how you do it all?” a lot. like, every time we go out. my standard answer, and the actual truth, is “i don’t.” i learned a long time ago (aka 21 months ago) that i am in a season of saying no to doing things, and therefore saying yes to more sanity.
but my husband and i realized we are not so sane. having four kids in under five years makes you a little nutty. either you have to be nuts to have the kids or it’s in having the kids that you become nuts. either way? that’s us.
one thing we are crazy to say yes to is camping. we have been going camping for a year now with the kiddos. and we are about to do so again. last year we had an eight month old and that was c-a-razy. she just ate sand the entire time. so so gross. this year we will have a three month old. i actually think it will be easier than last year. but then again who am i kidding, it’s going to be a mess.
my husband grew up camping as a family vacation, me not so much. i have come to learn to love it. i love what it allows our large family the ability to do. make memories. we can’t afford to go to a hotel or stay in a condo on the beach. but we can afford a beach front spot with our trailer. it’s not a vacation. let me make that very crystal clear. not. a. vacation. it’s so much work. actually harder than having the kids at home because of all the sand and dirt and not having things readily available to me at any moment. however, it’s a ton of crazy chaos which we are big fans of and my kids love it.
people have asked me how we’ve gone camping or how we are planning on going camping with four little kids this is my advice…
1. do any and all prepping at home.
i meal plan my little heart out every two weeks and camping is no different. the only difference is that i prep and make as many of my meals as i can the week before and then freeze them. this is great because now they can help keep the cooler cold, thaw by the time i want to use them and then we just grab the bag for that nights dinner! all our snacks and such i also like to prep ahead of time. that way if they want to grab something they open the cupboard in our trailer and grab a bag of whatever they’d like.
2. do not save your packing till the night before.
i have been packing the kids for a few days now. as the laundry gets done i have their bags in the nursery and i put what i need from it in them. my packing list sits on top and i can cross of what goes in so there is no guessing. i have totally shown up to our camp site with no undies for the kid. or no pjs for myself. or no toothbrush. which is way worse than no pjs. yuck yuck yuck.
3. invest in or borrow some big time essentials.
if you have littles like myself there are some key items you are going to need.
a go pod!
or 
i have toddler/preschoolers who must be holding hands. therefore i need to be hands free when holding the baby. having a carrier for when we walk to the shake shack or even walking to the small park by the campsite is a bigggggg necessity. i use both of these all the time. i personally prefer the moby when they are little babies. it’s so soft and snuggly. the ergo has way fewer steps. as in you buckle it, rather than wrapping what seems like a miles worth of fabric around your body. i can however get the moby on in under 3 mins. and probably with my eyes closed. cuz’ i’m cool like that.
Amy Kneisler 