Note to self: when sleeping in your toddlers room all night, make sure to take a middle of the night potty break before the sun starts to come up. This morning at 5am I had to pee. I tried to ignore it and fall back to sleep, but, well, I really had to go. So, I quietly snuck out of my child’s bed and walked across the hall to the bathroom. Mid-pee I hear, “MOMMMY! Where’s my sky bankie? Moooooomieeeee.”
CRAP.
I look out the skylight. The sun is just starting to rise. Well, it must be at least 6am, right? That won’t be too bad, I tell myself. I crawl back into bed with my child, tell him it’s still bedtime and look at the time.
CRAP 5:15 AM
Rather than go back to bed like a good, obedient little boy (like that even exists), Octavian climbs up onto the window seat in front of his window, peeks behind his black-out curtains and exclaims in a (very loud) whisper, “OOOOhhh! Look at dat! Da moon!” I pretend I’m sleeping. He crawls down, climbs over to me and says, “Hey, Mommy. I got a supise fo ou. I got a supise fo ou. Come, get up.” Since he is so stinkin’ adorable, I peek out the window with him and watch his eyes light up as he shows me the moon.
As you may predict, my 2-year-old did not go back to sleep this morning. Thanks to our early start, however, we managed to make a trip to Wal-Mart and the gym before getting home for lunch.
Oh ya, have I mentioned that we’re going camping? Yep. We’re leaving tomorrow morning. Kid, puppy and husband (and me) on our first camping trip as a family of 4. Hence the trip to Wal-Mart. I may have picked up some “luxury” items (according to the husband), but, I don’t know, I’m the Mom here and I know best. And if I think Octavian needs a fold-n-go chair, a shade canopy thing and some new bubbles, then I’m right.
Right?
I’m just going to blame all the other Mommy blogs and Pinterest. I was reading must-have lists for camping with kids last night and I realized we are not at all prepared. I had to beg my husband to upgrade to a 6 person tent, when HOLD ON, there are 2 room tents out there! We need that. And why didn’t I get Octavian his own toddler blowup mattress? And then there’s food.
I may have a food blog, love to cook and definitely love to eat, but camp cooking? Yeah, maybe next time. Isn’t that what freeze dried food is for? Oops, I guess that’s only for trekking and hike-in camping?
Is it obvious I don’t have a lot of experience with car camping? Or family camping? It’s true.
Good news? I will have a lot of tips by the end of the trip.
To celebrate Memorial Day Weekend coming up in just a couple days, I have this super yummy, super fresh and super pretty Caprese Salad with Avocado and Balsamic Glaze. Perfect as a side dish or party appetizer, this salad is sweet, buttery and creamy and is so good for you thanks to healthy proteins and fats.
- 15 oz white kidney beans one 15 oz. can, drained and rinsed
- 20 oz. cherry tomatoes halved
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese
- 8 fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
- 1.5 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 1 ripe avocado cubed
- Balsamic glaze for serving
- Combine all ingredients except avocado and balsamic glaze in a medium bowl and gently mix. When ready to serve cube and add avocado and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
Enjoy!
I do my best cooking when we glamp…I mean CAMP! Everything tastes better when you eat it at the campground (says the city girl). I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Grilled chicken fajitas…smores in a cone…breakfast skillets. Yummy. But today I am having Caprese salad. Thanks Jess!