Hi-Ho-Hi-Ho It's off to camp he goes!

Sama-lama-ding-dong is headed off to his second year of summer camp! He'll be gone for 6 days!
He's super excited this year because he's not a newbie any longer. He knows the ropes and got well-acquainted with the camp last year.

We send him to a church camp just up the road a-ways. That way he gets to experience camp life but his worry-wart momma is less than an hour away!

Last year, I too was a newbie to camp. I had only gone to Girl Scout camp as a child and all this was a little different. Never mind the fact that Sam had never been away from me for more than just a few days and that was when he was 6 months old. So I was a tad nervous about how he'd do, who he'd meet, whether he'd shower or brush his teeth (I still wonder if he did.), and if he'd survive 6 days being away from me. Needless to say, he survived. I survived and he's going back!

I also worried about what to pack and how to pack it. When I got there to drop him off, I quickly realized that ANYTHING goes. There were kids who had their things packed in giant military duffel bags, traditional camp trunks, rubbermade storage containers...you name it. A friend who is a veteran camper's mom advised me to "just pack smart"! Huh?!?!

I started a week ahead of time and my dining room table looked like a miniature Target. Clothes, shoes, sheets, toiletries, checklists. I didn't want to leave anything out!

Okay. Pack smart. I was thinking rain and lots of dirt...I need something water repellent, as the "cabins"/tents are not 100% water-tight and it had to be out of the elements. I also thought about lost articles of clothing...Everything got labeled with the Sharpie and his cute personalized stickers, so there was no mistaking to whom it belonged. I packed clothes that I wasn't worried about ever seeing again. And surprisingly, he came home with all but a couple of pairs of socks. I was shocked! I was also thinking BOYS...It has to be easy to get in and out of or else it will be a tussled mess. It had to be organized and self-explanatory.

So I chose to pack Sam for camp using the incredibly handy and compact plastic storage drawers. They worked perfectly!  I labeled each drawer with it's contents so he could easily locate and return items. It fit cozily next to his bunk and served as a bedside table for his little fan and water bottle. He had easy access to everything he needed. He said he really liked the system so we did it again this year.

He's really looking forward to going. He'll be with his BFF from school and they can't wait to play their little diddies on their guitars in the camp talent show together. What wonderful memories they'll be making...again.

As for F & O, they'll be attending "Camp F-O-C", as Fulton named it - for Fulton-Oliver-& Claudia. And we have to say F-O-C, otherwise it sounds a little odd. But that's Fulton for ya. Since Fulton won't be ready to go to camp until next summer, we have planned lots of fun activities and outings for his week here while Sam is away. I try to make it extra special for them too. They are also going to participate in an evening VBS so Shan and I may actually have a date night or 5! We're making up for lost time. We think our last date night was in April sometime---we lost track.

Hopefully camp week will prove to be fun and exciting for everyone, not just the one getting sent away!

Well, it's lights out for me, campers!