Following my tips about booking a camping trip + gear essentials, the final post I wanted to share about camping is about tips for the camping trip itself. But quickly, before I do that I wanted to share a recommendation from Kris-Ann. Kris-Ann's family participated in a Become an Outdoors Family Camping Workshop last year, which included lessons on how to start a campfire and how to set up your tent, as well as other activities. So cool!

Now, here are 8 tips for camping with kids. Feel free to add any others in the comments below!

1. Give your kids jobs. Giving kids jobs will make them feel that they are part of the team, and also helps kids really experience what camping is all about. Kids can help gather kindling, set up the tent, arrange items inside the tent, etc. Laurel and Vi were really helpful with both setup and breakdown!

2. Go over ground rules. We didn’t have a ton of rules, per se, but remember that kids will not necessarily have the same context as you do for experiences like this. Our main issues were to talk to them about fire safety, water sources, and trash/food cleanup.

3. Explore the grounds. Laurel and Violet are 6.5 years apart so obviously, their physical abilities are very different. If we had stayed two nights I think Jon and I would have probably split up, with one of us taking Laurel on a longer hike and one of us taking Vi on a short hike or to scrabble around the woods. But a simple exploration of the grounds -- walking to the beach, climbing rocks, finding the general store -- all made for good adventures.

4. Go device free. Seriously, you’re in the woods -- enjoy unplugging your family! I loved kicking back and relaxing with the girls amidst a pile of books and magazines. They never once asked, “Where’s the kindle?”

5. Enjoy the slowness. One of my favorite things about camping is that it really strips life to the basics; it’s wonderfully slow and simple and I suggest enjoying the slowness! My friend Charles referred to this as “saving the time to breathe.” Charles shared: “Sometimes it's tempting to do the hike and the swimming and the campfire social and the kickball game and the boating... Overtired kids don't make good tent mates.” So true!

6. Embrace the small teaching moments. Related to #2 and #5, we found that many of the tasks associated with camping offered an opportunity to teach the girls about something practical in a setting where we had the time to slow down and chat and teach (vs. just doing it ourselves). For example, we taught the girls about building a fire, how to identify poison ivy, interacting (or not interacting) with animals, etc.

7. Collect nighttime needs while it’s still light out. I really didn’t want to be fumbling around in the dark so after dinner I collected and arranged in the tent various things we might need in the middle of the night, such as water bottles for everyone, flashlights, and extra clothes in case of accidents.

8. Keep them up. We put the girls to bed around their usual bedtime and in retrospect, we should have kept them up until it was totally dark and they were really tuckered. What with different surroundings and sounds, the girls had a harder time falling asleep which led to many frequent visits to the tent. Next time we'll keep them up late!

Do you have other tips to share about camping with kids? Feel free to comment below!

Image credits: Christine Koh

Though I’ve done a couple of backpacking trips (a million years ago), I was initially hesitant about the idea of camping with the girls. I mean, I loved the idea but wasn’t sure how our fiery Vi would take to it. And while there were some inevitable squabbles (no different from home!), for the most part we had a great time. This and next week I'll share a few posts about camping with kids because many people have asked me about it (in the vein of it seeming impossible). Today I’ll start with the first step: 5 tips for booking your trip.

1. Start close. I recommend starting with a short radius, not only so you don’t have to spend a ton of time in the car, but also so that if for some reason things go awry, you know you can pull the ripcord and be home in a reasonable time. (In general, I’m a proponent of sticking with a commitment, but there’s comfort in knowing you could pull the ripcord if you needed to, even if you don’t!) We booked at Pawtuckaway State Park & Campground in New Hampshire, which was about 1 hour, 20 minutes from home -- the perfect distance to get woodsy but not be too far away.

2. Scout out the family friendly factor. Pawtuckaway ended up being super family friendly. In addition to trails, there was a beach, fantastic playground, canoe and boat rentals, and a cute little general store where you could get everything from beach toys to puzzle books to ice cream treats. It was really perfect for families.

3. Be strategic about campsite location. When you’re booking your campsite, think about positioning. For example, Jon smartly booked us at a site on a dead end so we didn’t have a ton of traffic coming through. Also, I recommend positioning yourself close (though not right next to!) bathrooms depending on where your kids are at with the potty situation.

4. Try one night to start. For peace of mind, try one night first to see how it goes. No doubt, it would have been more efficient for us to book 2-3 nights given that it takes some effort to get packed and organized (I’ll cover that topic in a separate post), but for our first time camping as a family, we felt better just committing to one night.

5. Just do it! I know many people are hesitant about trying camping with kids, what with gear (again, I’ll get to that in a separate post!) and different temperaments but I recommend you just do it! It’s simply wonderful to be in nature and away from devices and household chores...to live more slowly, even if it's just for a short stint. In the grand scheme of things our camping adventures was less than 24 hours but it was fun and different (and incredibly affordable!) and we plan on going again!

Do you have other tips for booking camping trips with kids? Feel free to share them in the comments below!

Image credits: Christine Koh

Happy weekend everyone, I hope you're enjoying the spectacular weather! If you're looking for something fun to do, don't forget to check the weekend mega-roundup (35 ideas = awesome)! Meanwhile, if you have a little browsing down time, here are some fun reads/visuals that caught my eye this week via Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome. Enjoy, enjoy!

- Moms: don’t wear insecurity, put on that swimsuit.

- The key to lasting relationships.

- Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others?

- Remember last week when I posted about Sir Mix-a-Lot? Here’s Baby Got Back via Brian Williams.

- One easy daily habit that makes life more awesome.

- A lesson not to fake your period. But be prepared. Ha!

- Why my kids’ looks shouldn’t matter.

- Man, I love this song right now. Mary J. Blige is a great addition.

- Why women don’t negotiate their job offers.

- Totally making this frozen coconut limeade this weekend.

Image credit: frozen coconut limeade via Pinterest

Hi everyone, I'm sharing this week's edition of Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome a little early since I suspect I'm going to be away from my laptop most of the weekend (a good thing!). The girls and I have an exciting little adventure planned tomorrow if you want to follow along on Instagram! Anyway, enjoy this roundup of reads/visuals that caught my eye this week (and now I really, really want to make chocolate whoopie pies):

- So. amazing. My talented friend Jessica just launched a site for single moms: Single Mom Nation.

- How to drive through all 48 of the contiguous United States in 113 hours.

- Parenting the non-girlie girl.

- As a former violinist of 20+ years, this Sir Mix-a-Lot performance with the Seattle Symphony blew. my. mind.

- Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks are the new matchmakers.

- The parent’s guide to Instagram (& how to protect your kids on the service).

- Share your #RealDadMoments.

- Creating your owners manual for a happy life.

- The one conversation that could save your teen’s life (and your own).

Image credit: chocolate whoopie pies via Pinterest

Happy weekend, everyone -- I hope you're enjoying the beautiful weather! I'm sad to have missed a party for my sister Sharon's wonderful family today (the girls both woke up feeling sick) but everyone seems to be improving steadily. Meanwhile, if you're kicking back and relaxing, enjoy this roundup of fun reads/visuals that caught my eye this week via Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome:

- Discussing #yesallwomen with the kids (emotional and essential read from my friend Gabrielle).

- Sharing a favorite motherhood tip re: self care during play over at Clementine Daily

- The anywhere workout.

- 20 things to start doing in your relationships.

- Cool Father’s Day gifts via my fine friends at Cool Mom Picks.

- Power popsicles.

- Parents worry too much about what their children read.

- Philip Seymour Hoffman on happiness.

- A good reason to stop drinking soda.

- LEGO to launch female scientist series after online campaign.

- Knowing my sons a little less.

Image credit: power popsicles via Pinterest

I'm penning today's Lessons Learned essay in honor of Jon and my anniversary:

Fourteen years ago today Jon and I got married. I have learned so much about myself and how to be in a partnership during these 14 years, but it wasn’t until last year that I learned about the power of compromise. I’m almost a little embarrassed to write that, but it’s true and I feel that the story of this revelation is worth sharing because compromise is a crucial part of making a marriage work. And I know lots of couples who struggle with it.

I’ll back up and be plain and say that traditionally, I’ve not been the best at compromising. I mean, I think in the past I have felt as if I have been compromising, but in reality, I haven’t. Or at least not where it’s mattered most. I imagine this is rooted in how powerless I felt during the stressful events of my childhood, as well as the hard headed aspects of my personality.

Anyway, my current profession has brought many gifts and opportunities, but one of the related tradeoffs is travel. In 2012, everything in my life was stretching my time (and the residual demands on Jon’s time) to the max: in addition to my general palette of writing, consulting, and design work, Violet was just a baby, I was writing a book, and my travel was at an all time high; notably, there was a 6-week stretch where I was in California, Las Vegas, and Ethiopia (for 10 days). My last day in Ethiopia, I had a complete meltdown during breakfast; I was scared to return home because I knew there would be tension and unhappiness.

I always thought it was stressful for me to put each travel opportunity in front of Jon because I knew it would lead to a stressful conversation. Looking back, the way it usually played out was that I would position each trip as imperative (sometimes it was, if I was working for a client but sometimes -- I now realize -- it wasn’t...it just felt imperative to me), Jon would push back, and I would lock up and freeze (my typical response to stress) until I got a green light. I often would counter with, “But I have said no to x, y, and z” but I now realize that those weren’t really compromising points because I’ve actually become really good at saying no to things that I don’t want to do. It’s saying no and compromising around the things I do want to do that have been the issue.

As a result of the toll that my 2012 travel took on my family, in 2013 I reigned things way in, only traveling when truly essential (e.g., client work) or for very select advisory type work (e.g., ONE Moms). The stressful fog happily started to lift just as the offer to speak in New York at a high profile event was offered to me.

My brain immediately jumped into “how can I make this work?” mode. The reality was that I was already feeling pretty maxed out with client work but I figured I could do a quick overnight to New York. I could feel the stress and anticipation welling up as I looked at the calendar and realized that the trip would immediately precede Jon’s first university teaching engagement. I think part of me knew I needed to let this opportunity go, but I brought it to Jon anyway. It was a difficult conversation and we basically left things at a standstill.

I decided to call Asha (ever a source of wisdom for me) and during our conversation she said something that finally penetrated. It was something along the lines of, “I know this is a hard decision, but the sadness you will feel about not going will be so trivial compared to the hit your marriage will take if you do go. You have shown time and again that there will always be more opportunities...let this one go.”

And with those seemingly simple words, I finally realized how little I had been compromising. I realized that while yes, part of me did feel as if I was letting something big slip away, I wanted to compromise. I wanted to support Jon’s new journey as a professor and have his back if he needed help to get ready for his class. I wanted Jon to know we were a team.

When Jon and I sat down again to discuss the New York trip, it was a turning point for me and for us. I think I probably shocked him by saying that I wanted to let this opportunity go and play a supporting role to his work that week. And you know what? It felt damned good. It changed the way I have handled every opportunity moving forward and it changed how we talk about travel and events. The stress and angst that typically clouded our conversations is now gone. Because we’re truly having a two-way conversation, and making decisions together as a couple.

+ + + + +

Happy anniversary Jon; thank you for being my beloved partner in this journey. I'm so grateful for you every day.

Do you want to submit a Lessons Learned essay? See submission guidelines here.

Image credit: Christine Koh

Hello folks! We have my sister and her family here this weekend (yay!) and I'll be ducking out for a few hours for the Splendid event in Chestnut Hill today (I'd love to see you there!), so I wanted to take a moment to share some fun reads/visuals that caught my eye this week. I've been so enjoying sharing links and commenting on posts these days (wonderfully old school!); happy reading and have a great weekend!

- For any creative professional who struggles with comparison.

- Doing nothing is OK. (Hell yes.)

- 7 common problems solved by owning less. (Again, hell yes.)

- 10 DIY window treatments.

- What happens when a 35-year-old man retakes the SAT. (Warning: profanity)

- Eight ways to be (more) here and (more) happy.

- Dancing Korean chunkamonk. OMG.

- Dads who do housework have more ambitious daughters.

- 17 crazy animal photobombs.

- Warped childhood, Restoration Hardware style.

Image credit: triple pocket napkin fold tutorial via Pinterest

Hello folks, I hope you're enjoying a lovely weekend (and thank you rain, for watering all the plants and then departing to allow for lots of outdoor weekend fun!). This weekend is a perfect mix of social engagements, household projects, and a little bit of work time for me. If you're looking for some good reads/visuals, enjoy this week's Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome:

- How young is too young for a digital presence?

- 25 cities to visit in your lifetime.

- A decade of same-sex marriage began in Massachusetts.

- The best back stretches.

- A lovely sunny day.

- 50 completely unexplainable stock photos no one will ever use. OMG.

- The definitive manifesto for handling haters.

- How to style a coffee table.

- Why paternity leave is so important.

- My lovely friend Jessica has a book coming out + an amazing video that will make you cry (scroll to bottom of post).

Image credit: chocolate covered strawberry popsicles via Pinterest

Happy Saturday everyone, I hope you're enjoying a wonderful weekend! We kicked things off with a neighborhood cleanup this morning (I've truly never been so excited to pick up trash!) and will be cheering on the Bruins later today, among other things. Meanwhile, if you're looking for some good reads/visuals, here's what caught my eye this week. Have a great rest of the weekend!

- Humans of New York captures the Met Gala.

- On kids and privacy (and how it could impact your relationship).

- Rob Lowe is unprepared (and amazing).

- How parents are ruining youth sports.

- Congrats to the incredible winners of the Iris Awards.

- A beautiful bangle to benefit the incredible organization ONE.

- And speaking of ONE, remember how I went to lobby in February? The Electrify Africa Act passed! Simply AMAZING.

- Could the internet have saved my mother?

- Things to do in Boston with kids (my guest post at my friend Jo-Lynne’s site!).

- Have an artist at home? Their work could appear in a book!

Image credit: a trio of mosquito repelling plants via Pinterest