And We're Off!

Brialee RV & Tent Park in Ashford, CT   April 22-24, 2016

We made it!

Despite two storms on Friday night, the second one being a huge thunderstorm, our first camping trip of the 2016 season went down in the books as a success. We decided to try an April trip this year and chose Brialee RV & Tent Park because they had a full activity schedule, which can be hard to find this early in the season, plus with an off-season rate of $20/night, we couldn't go wrong!

Living in New England limits our camping season and our camper has been parked in our driveway since the end of October. It was as though it was Christmas Eve again the night before we left, based on the level of excitement in our house. All three kids were eagerly anticipating a fun weekend of camping. The camper was fully stocked, car packed and address loaded in the GPS when I got home from work at 11am on Friday. The kids chatted about the "new campground" for most of our trip and my youngest son spent almost the whole hour asking "are we there yet?".

When we arrived, we were given a map to our site. I was a little disappointed at first as we drove away from the playground since I asked to be on a site near there, but was pleasantly surprised to discover a second playground as we pulled up to our site. Our site was in a field-type area and we were not thrilled with that. I did call the office to see if we could be moved to a site with some shade, but was told that all of the sites were full! We certainly weren't expecting to hear that in April. We settled into our site and while my husband was setting up the camper, the kids and I went exploring. We were near a brand new bathroom, with showers, in addition to playground, fields and covered pavilion. The site was a little tight, but was all grass, which is always a plus.

The new bathroom and showers

One of the playgrounds 

It was Earth Day Weekend, so the campground's activities were Earth Day themed, as were the activities I planned for my kids. While there, we went for walks in the woods on their paths (the wooden walkway definitely needs a little TLC), visited the playgrounds, participated in activities like crafts, candy bingo and a 2.5 hour marathon kickball game for my oldest son. There was a Family Movie Night on the Saturday night and the movie being shown was Daddy's Home. I didn't think was the best choice for younger kids, so we had a fun evening around our campfire instead.

A walk through the woods

 A majority of campgrounds don't have activities on Sunday and have an early checkout, but Brialee has Sunday activities and a late check-out. It definitely made packing up on Sunday morning less stressful!

Overall, we had a good time and would definitely consider returning, especially since we were not able to enjoy the pool, splash pad and pond this visit. All three kids asked when we were going back as we were heading home. I would not want a site in the same area during the summer as there was no shade, but there were some shaded sites that would be great for a hot summer weekend. 

Next up, Whispering Pines Campground in Hope Valley, RI for Memorial Day Weekend!

Happy Camping,
Rachel

P.S. See below for some more pictures from our weekend at Brialee!

Collecting rocks to paint.

Planting our strawberry plants for home.

Painting their rocks.

Imagine Sisyphus Happy

Last month, I saw a posting an Facebook and although I can't find it now, the gist of it was "I just conquered a mountain.  So what if it was a mountain of dirty laundry?" I 'liked' the post when I saw it on Facebook, but lately I've been thinking about it again. I think the fact that I have endless loads of laundry to do each day as the mom of 3 kids, including 2 babies, has made me reconsider that quote.  

I think that it would be easier to climb/conquer Mount Kilimanjaro than the laundry in my basement.  No, I am not saying that I could wake up tomorrow morning and set off to climb an actual mountain because I definitely couldn't. After all, I did take a van tour to the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. I'm also not discrediting the amazing amount of training, strength and endurance it takes to climb an actual mountain. But, think about it. You have a list of things you want to do in life and one of them is "Climb Mount Kilimanjaro." You climb the mountain and once you successfully descend it, you can put a nice checkmark next to it or cross it off your list entirely. If "laundry" is on my to-do list for the day, I can put a nice checkmark or cross it off my list for about 2 minutes. Then more clothes are dirtied and the entire cycle starts again. Rather than conquering a mountain, I sometimes feel more like Sisyphus from Greek mythology. Most likely you know his story, but may not remember his name. He angered Zeus, Father of the Gods, and his punishment was to roll a huge boulder up a hill each day, only to have it roll back down at the end of the day for all of eternity.  

Philosopher, Albert Camus, invited his readers to look at the myth of Sisyphus from another angle and said, "One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” In light of so many tragedies throughout the nation during this past year, I try to pause when I feel that I have a never-ending task as Sisyphus did and reflect upon what I am actually doing. Yes, I have endless piles of laundry, dirty dishes, diapers to change and Legos to move from my living room. I have days when neither baby will nap and my 6 year old is as ornery as can be. Days when I feel that my life is like the movie, "Groundhog Day," and I'm destined to repeat the same day over and over.  Rather than dwelling on the negativity of Sisyphus' fate or that of Bill Murray's character in "Groundhog Day," I need to "imagine Sisyphus happy" because I sometimes forget how fortunate and happy I am. I have 3 healthy children, a loving husband, family and friends and a home in a great community. Those dirty clothes, dishes, diapers and house are here each day because they represent, not my "burden" to carry each day, but the abundance of love, laughter and joy in my life.  

Date Night

I gave my husband a restaurant deal from Groupon for Christmas and we're finally using it tonight before it expires.  Between having 3 kids and him teaching two nights a week this semester, the past 3 months seem to have flown by.  For those of you that are Rhode Islanders, I know you're familiar with Federal Hill in Providence.  For anyone planning a visit to Rhode Island in the near future, be sure to visit Federal Hill while you're here!

Federal Hill is Providence's version of a "Little Italy" and the restaurants and shops will not disappoint you.  We're dining at an Italian restaurant, one of many there, but one of our favorites.  Our meal deal includes an appetizer, entrees and wine.  Of course as parents of 3 going out on a weeknight, we're going early and will most likely be home before our oldest goes to bed.  Hopefully the kids are all cooperative for Grammy and Pa because I've had 2 grumpy babies here today.

I'm looking forward to a rare night out with my husband and will share our thoughts on dinner with you soon!  If you're looking for more information on Federal Hill, visit the Federal Hill Commerce Association.  

Summer Belongs to You

To quote the famous stepbrothers, Phineas and Ferb, "Summer Belongs to You."  In each episode they work towards their goal of having the best summer ever.  My twins were born prematurely last June and were in the hospital through August, so my entire summer was spent in the NICU.  Summer belonged to Women & Infants and visiting our babies.  This winter has seemed extra long with too many snow storms and frigid weather, coupled with the lack of summer last year, I'm ready for the warm weather to arrive!

One day a few weeks ago, my oldest was climbing off the walls and we were all suffering from cabin fever when I came up with an idea to keep him busy and bust our winter doldrums.  I proposed that we create a list of things we want to do once the nicer weather arrives.  (It was also part a sneaky plan help him to practice his writing!)  My only guideline was that it had to be something that we couldn't do in the cold weather.  He and I both came up with some ideas and my husband added to it when he came home that evening.  Since then, we've been adding things to our "list" and it helps to have some things to look forward to once we can begin wearing shorts and flip-flops again.

Right now, our Summer List is just on the pad that we started with.  Some of the ideas are one time things "fly a kite," while others, like "plant a garden," are long term projects.  I'm debating how to display these ideas and how to choose what to do.  Do I put the ideas on slip of paper in a jar to choose randomly?  Do I make a colorful list of all of our ideas and check them off as we go along?  I certainly have some time to decide, but I would like to have it ready sooner rather than later to remind us that the spring and summer will be here before we know it!

How are you and your family preparing for summer?

Welcome!

I've been toying with the idea of creating a blog and finally took the leap.  I'm not sure how often I will post, but I hope it's pretty regularly.  First, a little about me.  I'm a native Rhode Islander and like many of us, I have no plans of ever moving to another state.  My husband and I are parents to 3 children--a 6 year old boy and 9 month old boy/girl twins.  I'm primarily a stay at home mom, working only 3 hours a week in the "real world."

This past year has seen us navigating through a lot of changes: premature births, lengthy hospitalizations, kindergarten and new job opportunities.  I now feel like we're in a good place, but will be the first to admit that our home often has a circus-like atmosphere.  Of course that may be the only way life with three kids 6 and under (2 of whom are babies) can be.  We often joke that our family's theme song is Journey's "Who's Crying Now?" as the title reflects many moments in our life these days.   

I hope to share my thoughts, musings, likes and dislikes with all of you out there.  I'm an avid reader of both adult and children's books, plus I'm always on the lookout for great deals and fun, inexpensive/free activities to do with my kids.  

Welcome to "When Did I Join the Circus?" and feel free to contact me and share your thoughts.

Rachel