Friday, August 17, 2007

Pitch - Tent, Sap, Whine

We're going camping next week. The setting will be breathtaking with the impossible green of the deeply wooded Adirondacks against a sky so blue I sometimes squint my eyes and pinch myself to make sure it's real. It's that beautiful. And the lake? Don't get me started on the restorative powers of Lake George.

I am not kidding when I say that two days before our wedding I was wild-eyed and panicked, threatening to order the entire Pro Activ line and have it overnighted because I had a break out that I thought merited giving me my own Garabage Pail kid card - Bespotted Bride, don't lift the veil.

Sean took me to the lake, my stubborn chin jutting out beneath a full force pout. I dove in, not for, as he put it, a relaxing dip, rather to hide my face. The next day I woke and angels sangs as I faced the mirror, so clear and creamy was my complexion. It has also cured cramps, a bad mood so fierce that I made flowers wilt, and sorrows untouched by sweet nothings and tender hands.

Add it all up: exquisite backdrop, majestic skies overhead, magical lake, sweet kids, doting husband and dear friends = Perfect, right?

Well...

I try to avoid the obscene and the obnoxious here at Tumble Dry, I find it unnecessary to share certain aspects of parenting. It isn't that I want to hide the truth, I just think too few people focus on the wonder of it all. Becoming a parent, experiencing the limitless potential for loving and rediscovering joy is worth writing about. Chronicle these moments, leave little crumbs as you move ahead so that one day you can look back, gingerly lifting the delicate morsels as you slip through the cobwebs of your memory and revisit with unerring clarity, the sensation of running your finger along a chin wet with drool, wiping it away and looking into the delighted eyes of your child. Hear the breathy cooes and rolling gurgles of pleasure, smell the memories of alabaster baby belly and wispy curls, of cuddling as the sun rises, little feet pushing gently against your hip. We must preserve this, and so I write and live and passiontaely love my life and my world.

But camping, oh camping with kids. Here I must put down my sentimental foot and explain a few things, paint a picture of what it is to try and camp with kids.

Tonight, Sean is camping with Briar in the backyard. The idea being that this will prepare her for next week, protect us from two sleepless nights on a bed of lumps and bumps. I think it will just make for a sleepy Saturday, but that is his to deal with, I have to pack.

Diapers - swimmies and overnights, 4's and 5's

Wipes - for wiping and playing, for pitch in hair and marshmallows on hands.

Sippy cups - the inevitably missing tops and the plastic thingies that go in to prevent them from leaking when upended.

Clothes - backups for spills, explosions, wet bottoms and sticky tops. For sleeping and playing, for swimming and hiking. Shoes for walking and shoes for playing, shoes for when we lose the others.

Toys - for entertainment and bartering, for peacemaking and time passing.

Meds - Salves for itches, ointments for bottoms, gel for teeth, lotion for sun, spray for bugs, solution for eyes and paste for teeth.

Must haves - princess blankets and princess pillows, baby dolls and fuzzy bears. Contact cases and glasses, deodorant (I rough it, but not that rough), aspirin and sinus tabs. Bags for trash, bags for dirty clothes, bags for wet clothes, bags for stinky diapers.

Food - I cannot bear to think about this one. We tread a fine line between allowing the girls to assert their independence with regard to the foods they eat and laying down the law of, "You will eat it or go hungry."

It is an arduous process and I know as surely as I sit here today, as we reach the point in the drive of, not-yet-there and yet too-far-to-turn-back-now, three things will happen:

One of the girls will cry needing something I do not have.
One of us will realize we have forgotten something we cannot survive without.
I will realize that not only do I have to pee, but my period has just arrived.

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13 comments:

TSintheC said...

Can you send me some water to make my skin clear up?
And...
May I suggest, extra glasses if you have them ;-) because, you know. Yours will get stepped on. (Don't ask me - I just know)

btw - my word verification for this comment? ztpms hahahahaha

Jennifer Swanepoel said...

Thanks for the reminder to think of the sweet and joyous things!

Have fun camping. We recently went camping with our friends, their 8-month old and our 5-month old. It was interesting.

Crystal D said...

Hope you have a wonderful time and come back with wonderful memories and funny stories.
Don't forget band-aids, towels, towels, towels, buckets and shovels, glo-bracelets/sticks, small flash lights, life jackets, arm swimmies and a stain stick.

S said...

I'm laughing. Hard. Wanna know why? Cuz I got my period unexpectedly the last time we went camping and had NOTHING -- no pads, no tampons.

I spent the whole time with paper towels wadded up uncomfortably in my underwear.

Anonymous said...

We took the kids camping ... 4 months and 3 years. We had FUN! It was great not a lot of sleep but it was so fun.May you guys have even more fun (and sleep!)

BetteJo said...

My daughter went camping for the 1st time at 19 years old. My son has never been, and he is 23. He won't even do what most guys love to do - pee outside.

Enjoy your time with your family,I'm sure the fun will be non-stop! Of course, you need to bring everything you said and everything suggested!

flutter said...

have a wonderful time lady.

karla said...

Hats! Don't forget the hats!

The site seems to load much quicker now, but in my IE browser, it still hangs for about 7-8 seconds before it finishes loading.

That isn't the case in firefox though.

I noticed when I test my own blog in firefox and IE, firefox renders how everything loads differently, and it seems to let the page and images load before it processes scripts. IE seems to wait for everything to load up all at once before displaying anything on the page.

Anonymous said...

Welcome to BlogHer! I'll be featuring your blog in my Life Blog Surf at BlogHer.org this morning. : )

Enjoy the water, the night sky, the slow brush of time against your fingertips.

Cheers,
Birdie, Life Contributing Editor, BlogHer

painted maypole said...

i hope that lake can tackle the real tought issues - like missing toys and whiny children- and have a lovely camping trip!

Janet said...

Your list is missing something: "Wads of cash to pay off the fellow campers who observe you in your darkest, camping-tinged parenting moments."

We just got back from our camping trip. I had my period. There ought to be a law....

Too tired to blog about it tonight. Will write tomorrow. HOpe you have fun.

growingupartists said...

Yes, but...once you have this camping trip under your belt, fears real or imagined, your sentimental stance will return. You'll prepare better next time, and your poetic self can continue to wax the joys and blessings of all aspects of motherhood. Pleased to make your acquaintance.

Anonymous said...

Well, at least this entry can serve as a checklist...if you don't have a list, you don't have anything (that's my motto)...And God bless you guys for going camping. You are brave, brave souls.

Love you,
Abs