Introducing Light of the World Seed & Tea Co.

I'm proud to say we've planted our own seeds of change.

This morning, my children - inspired by our school and church's commitment to a community in Haiti - announced the formation of their new company: Light of the World Seeds and Tea Co. This local business is proud to offer hand-harvested seeds and loose-leaf peppermint tea as a benefit for the Haiti ministry.

I'm inspired. Inspired that they came up with this idea. Inspired that something as small as leftover seeds could make a difference for families miles and miles away. Even if it's a short-lived effort, I love the love for our fellow man that was behind it.

Right now Light of the World has the following seeds to share for a donation to the Hearts for Haiti Ministry: chive, dill, bok choy, asparagus beans and peas. Cantelope is coming soon (still drying).

If you're interested, please send me an email at goinggreenmama@gmail.com.

Bug Fest is today!

Bug Fest is today at Southeastway Park (5624 S Carroll Rd., New Palestine, just southeast of Indianapolis). Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. The event is free but parking is $5. We went a few years back and the children truly enjoyed it!

Summer fun on crutches #summerfamilyfunparty

Last Wednesday I got the call from camp that no mom wants to hear: An ambulance was coming for my daughter, who couldn't move her leg after a fall at camp.

This comes just days after my dear husband wound up in a sling after moving his arm just right (or wrong) while playing with our son.

And then this weekend my friend posts her photo of date night with hubby gone horribly wrong when she fell:

So summer fun - which usually looks like pools, long hikes and bike rides - has suddenly taken a significant turn.

Injuries happen. Life happens. But as a parent, how can you keep your summer from evolving into weeks in front of the television or computer when your child is hurt?

A little creativity is what counts.

Does being on crutches mean my daughter can't enjoy summer day camp? Hardly. The day after her knee strain, she was on the way to the zoo. I checked online, and wheelchairs were available. The kids fought over who would push her that day, and she had a blast.

When we go on our summer vacation and hit the St. Louis Zoo and other St. Louis attractions, we'll take the same tactic. Renting a wheelchair for your injured child - even if there is a fee - allows your child to still enjoy most of the experience, and it prevents them from overuse injuries and tiredness as a result.

Bring out the forgotten gifts and toys. As going up and down the stairs is a one-time-a-day activity right now, I've had a chance to take advantage of this "special time" and go through her room. I've found several arts and crafts activities and kits from Christmas and birthday gifts that I'm bringing out to help her pass the time.

Rethink your summer child care options if and when you can. The day I got the call about the ambulance, I was planning to drop off camp fees for tae kwon do camp. Obviously that's out. So I've been creative in filling in the last of the empty weeks for child care, including finding Vacation Bible Schools in the morning - an opportunity to meet new kids - and hiring a high school student to watch them in the afternoon. That being said, I have no concerns about sending her to the camps she's already scheduled for; it's just a matter of her being able to balance rest time too.

Rethink their socialization ideas. Play dates at the park, needless to say, are going to be limited the next few weeks. Instead, we changed her Harry Potter sleepover party (for which she was actively planning things like broom races!) to a low-key party at the local frozen yogurt shop. We'll probably have movie dates with buddies rather than invite them to the pool as she heals.

Check out the summer reading program. Even if you don't have a bookworm, encourage your child to explore new ideas through the library's summer reading program. Many times the local library offers programs for children and teens, and they are all wheelchair-accessible per the ADA. Encourage your budding reader with prizes for reading a certain number of minutes. (Our library offered haunted house passes!) And I'm not above a little healthy competition among siblings either. You could also encourage your child to read on a certain theme with a family outing tied to it if they reach the goal. (Space junkies could go to the planetarium, etc.)

Explore new ideas. Buy a science kit. Look up projects on Pinterest. Teach your kids to bake cookies. Earn a Scout badge. Take advantage of this time and the usual summer boredom to try a new activity.

Don't forget the well kids. It's not their fault their sibling is injured. Prevent resentment by allowing them special times to do the things they enjoy. Taking my first-grader on a bike ride, just the two of us, was just what was needed to turn his attitude about his sister's situation around.

What are your favorite indoor summer survival tactics? Join our Link-Up here.

An InLinkz Link-up

Join us for #summerfamilyfunparty on Wednesdays at:

• http://www.alifeinbalance.net
• http://writtenreality.com
• http://lifeinahouseoftestosterone.com
• http://www.nepamom.com
• http://apronstringsotherthings.com/
• http://www.mommalewsblog.blogspot.com
• http://www.funfindsforfamilies.com
• http://coconutheadsurvivalguide.com/blog/
• http://going-green-mama.blogspot.com
• http://oboyorganic.com/blog/
• http://www.superexhausted.com/
• http://blog.HomeroomAtHome.com
• http://www.supermommyclub.com
• http://www.thevintagemom.com

Surviving sunburn with our essential oils

Easter Sunday, the kids played baseball. And gardened. And visited two neighbors. And jumped on their trampolines.

All without sun protection.

Did I mention the tank top?

My daughter returned home near bedtime, beet-red shoulders. In pain already. I felt terrible, but the damage had already happened.  I'm grateful that I could do more than say "You should have..." though.

Luckily I still had a bottle of sunburn blend I had made up last summer. We've been rubbing it on her shoulders and back a few times a day, and the pain and redness has really made a difference. (We did add some lavender essential oil, which helps soothe burns, along with the mix of coconut oil and tea tree oil.) But the pain quickly subsided, and the redness will as well.


Looking for a resource for essential oils? You can shop my doTERRA affiliate online. Send me an email at goinggreenmama at gmail if you'd like to learn how you can save 25% off your orders.

Santa's not stuffing us with toys

Santa's not stuffing us with toys this year. And I am so excited.

We've really tried to watch our consumption of toys and stuff, and have been doing considerable purging of late. Even this Christmas has been lighter from a "stuff" perspective. We still got the kids three gifts each, but they were smaller, like small Lego sets and photo books of our day at Disney World. It was a relief to have October arrive and not have to sweating Christmas gifts for my kids - or where to put them.

But what about from Santa?

We realize this may be the last year both my children "believe," and we don't want to diminish the joy of stockings on Christmas morning. But again, we didn't want to fill our kids up with candy or lots of trinky toys.

Our solution: Simple. Santa got each child a book for their stocking and a small item to quietly play with Christmas morning (my daughter is getting washi tape; my son a mini Lego set that was free with purpose.) But the "Santa gift" will be the best surprise of all. We found a Living Social deal for a trip to an indoor water park to knock off the winter blahs.

We're excited that this year Mr. Claus is giving the gift of experience. Hopefully it will be lighter on his sleigh, too.

Looking for experiential gifts? Here are some ideas:

 Family Experiences

• trip to a museum
• trip to the zoo
• an afternoon movie
• tickets to a children’s show at a local theatre or the movies
• ice skating
• rollerskating
• tobaggoning
• going to a minor league baseball game
• train ride
• trip to the beach
• skiing

Upcycled desk system for kids

My daughter has struggled her entire life with organization. She gets it honestly, as my coworkers who have seen my desk can attest.

We have tried everything to help her. Planners. The Brownie organization badge. You name it.

Our latest project came courtesy of the school pizza fundraiser. No, it wasn't a prize for selling, either.

You see, each year, we're stuck with the question of what to do with the boxes leftover from the pizzas we buy for our house. And then I got inspired by Pinterest. Somewhere, along the way, we'd seen a project about project drying racks out of pizza boxes. Granted, the post has long since left me, but the idea stayed pinned in my brain.

So this year, I took a stack of pizza boxes left over from storing them in my freezer (I don't put the boxes themselves in due to space.)

I folded in one side and stacked them, then went nuts taping row after row of peace sign, heart and flower duct tape I'd bought at the school supply clearance.

Ten minutes of effort and a few dollars' worth of duct tape later, and my daughter was blessed with a surprise on her desk: A new organizer for all of her random papers.

Now she has plenty of space for her looseleaf notebook paper, her construction paper, and her various works of art in progress!

The best part was SHE was inspired to do something as well. She took a McDonalds Happy Meal Halloween bucket that was otherwise destined for the Goodwill bin and redecorated it with Monster High duct tape for a storage bucket for her rolls of duct tape. She even took a toilet paper roll and made her own pencil holder.

What ways have you creatively reused or upcycled items to organize your home?

Kansas City with Kids - Frugal Edition

Our trip to Kansas City was derailed before it began.

Instead of spending Fall Break with our family, we were waiting in the car shop. That, coupled with some unexpected expenses, meant we were going to have to tighten down on the trip to Kansas City.

I'd lived in KC for a decade, but we found great ways to enjoy the days with Grandma and Grandpa even on a budget. We weren't completely perfect - we did eat a few meals out and did stock up on some local foods to take home for the year - but these were great budget extenders, and even better activities to do!

Getting Crafty At Kaleidoscope

I'd heard of Kaleidoscope in Crown Center but had never been, as we were childless when we lived in the Kansas City area. An afternoon at Kaleidoscope was just the trick for creative types with a big case of the wiggles.

Kaleidoscope is basically a huge kids craft playground, filled with the leftovers from Hallmark's projects. Paper crafting with glow-in-the-dark paints, making cards, designing your own puzzles. It was the fastest hour spent all week. Everyone from my rambuncious 5 year old son to his preteen cousin and grandfather enjoyed experimenting and creating their own works of art. Best of all, it was free to the public - just requires a timed ticket.

(As an aside, Girl Scout leaders and educators take note: Kaleidoscope offers themed packs that you can take home - for 50 cents per child. For frugal troops, this is a great idea, and they do ship!)

Betting on Basketball in Lawrence

One bet failed, but the other was a hit.

We had hoped to attend the (free!) open scrimmage for the basketball team, but weather and a sick cousin derailed our plans. Luckily, our little jock had the chance to enjoy some KU basketball earlier in the week.

The Booth Family Hall of Athletics at Allen Fieldhouse has a stuffy name, it's far from a boring monument to basketball. Sure, there's 100 years worth of sports memorabilia to peruse, but the kids loved the interactive exhibits. Their favorites? Pretending to call some classic basketball games - from the tie-breaker game against Memphis in the Final Four to a game from Wilt Chamberlain's days. They also loved checking out their wingspan and attempting to palm as many balls as they can in 10 second's time. Mostly, they loved wandering the stands around the hallowed basketball court - site of many a memory for their mom and dad.

Other Free Things to Check Out In and Around KC

Family time is just that, so while we had a lot of ideas on our list, we also kept things simple: a lot of time with Grandma and Grandpa, with ample time at the local park.

On our list to do this fall but didn't get accomplished:

• University of Kansas Natural History Museum (free, though donations encouraged)
• Louisburg Cider Mill - Washed out by a rainy day, my daughter wanted to return so bad she wrote her social studies paper on it!
• Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead

Kansas City natives: What are your favorite ways to spend a week with the kids?

Yes to restful Sundays - even as a working mom

I don’t think it’d be possible for me to stay home on Saturday and Sunday…that’s when I get everything done around my house that I’m not able to do during the week when I’m working. And I so wish I had some margin in my days, but again, it’s just not possible with a full time job. 

When I saw this quote from Allison on the Money Saving Mom blog this morning, I just felt sad. Yes, working moms can make the impossible happen: Making Sunday a day of rest.

Finding the balance between work, home, chores and faith is always a struggle. My husband works odd hours and most weekends, and I confess many weekends I feel behind and ever-ragged. But building out a bit of down time into your weekend - which in theory is a time of rest but in practice often is not - can be a gift from God.

Has my family evolved into one from "Little House on the Prairie," where the kids sit sullenly on the chairs while their father reads from Scripture? No. But we are quietly working in ways to enlist a little more rest into our weekends.

Here is how we're making the juggle happen.

1) On Sundays when dad is off work, it's family day. It may mean listening to the Chiefs game on the radio, snuggling watching cooking shows or going for a hike, but family is together.

2) Homework gets done before Sunday night. It gets squeaked in before Friday dinner or early Saturday morning. (We even did it before we left town for fall break at Grandma's.) Getting homework done early sets the tone for a positive start for the week.

3) Church is family time. Whenever possible we attend as a family. It may mean attending at unusual hours but the kids know that unless someone is sick, we worship as a family.

4) Sunday morning is quiet time. The kids may quietly play, catch up on "Cat Chat" recordings or read books. We enjoy a home-cooked breakfast and stay in our PJs as late as we can.

5) Laundry doesn't stack up for Sunday. I'm blessed to have a washer with a timer, so I get my laundry loaded before the kids wake up in the mornings and set it to wash about an hour before I get home. (OK, I do confess, the folding may accumulate, but at least no one has dirty clothes.)

6) Errands are reserved for Saturdays when possible. It might be a trip to the farmers market or pharmacy, but I try to group them all together.

7) I try to begin my day with a quiet reflection or prayer before the kids wake up. Somehow it sets the right tone.

8) I use my late Sunday mornings or early afternoons as a time to cook meals or things that might not otherwise get done. Cooking is a form of relaxation to me, and I'll admit, the smell of the bread dough rising is calling!

While my Sundays may not be completely quiet, I feel just by carving some of my time for rest has made a huge difference in our home life.

How to you make the juggle? What works for you in trying to create  a sense of rest in a hectic weekend?

Life Lessons From Paula Deen

Five years ago, my tiny daughter made a discovery with her dad: Paula Deen on the Food Network. She instantly fell in love with her food and Southern charm, and a strong resemblance to her grandmother didn't hurt, either. Hence, a longtime love of the "Grandma Cooking Show" was born.

Now, my third-grader learned this week that Grandma has been knocked off her pedestal, and the days of snuggling on the couch to watch her show are over.At nearly 8, 

At nearly 8, my daughter is in that tenuous middle ground where you want to fiercely protect her from the world but realize at some point you need to let her know what's going on. And the Paula Deen fiasco was one that made a difference. 

For the first time, we talked with our daughter - who thankfully knows nothing about the color of the skin other than it's like the color of your eyes or hair - about racism. How people in 2013 do sometimes treat others different based on how they look. How words can destroy. And how your choices can affect you for years to come.

It was a far cry from the talk we had with our 5 year old - how Paula Deen was in trouble for calling others a bad word. But it was effective for his stage in life, his personal challenges as he too grows.

On Wednesday, after breakfast, I let my daughter watch the end of the interview with Matt Lauer. Was she sorry? Absolutely, I believe. But still, it's hard to undo what's been done. And words are tough to take back.

I know my daughter has learned a lot from Paula Deen over the years around her stove. Now I hope she can learn from her recent life lessons - and the importance of repentance and forgiveness as well.

Edible Fire Safety Tutorial for Kids and Scouts

With the recent drought and wildfires in this country, teaching kids fire safety is even more important than ever. 

I loved this lesson we had during Girl Scout camp, which taught the girls how to safely start and put out a campfire for cooking.

Edible fire safety lesson for Scouts

What you'll need:

• mini marshmallows and/or cheerios
• pretzels
• potato sticks
• red hots, hot tamales or other candy
• candy corn
• cups
• plates

Directions:

1. Pull back your hair.
2. Create a safety circle outside your "fire circle." (Make sure the area is clear around your plate.)
3. Fill a "water bucket" (a cup) and keep nearby.
4. Make your fire circle ring with cheerios or mini marshmallows.
5. Create an A-frame of "logs" with your pretzels.
6. Make a teepee of "tinder" (potato sticks).
7. Light with a match (red hots or hot tamales).
8. Add your "kindling" (short pretzels or Chinese noodles).
9. Candy corn will show it's burning brighter. (optional)

The girls loved this activity, and we were sure to plan an active activity soon after!

Follow Robbie @'s board Girl Scout Camp on Pinterest.

Quick homemade ice cream

Hand-cranked ice cream made by my mother-in-law is one of my favorite memories of summer. But, being a diabetic and aiming to reduce clutter in my home, I don't have the desire to buy and store an ice cream maker for the occasional summer treat for my kids.

Instead, I stumbled on a simple recipe for homemade ice cream that's portion-controlled and quick to make! The kids loved the process, and in 10 minutes - just a few quick songs on our playlist - they had a cool treat on a hot summer day.

Easy vanilla ice cream
1/2 c. half and half or whipping cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. sugar
Put in a small plastic bag and seal.

In a gallon bag, add 6 tbsp. ice cream salt or kosher salt, then fill halfway with ice. Add the small baggie; seal the large bag. Shake 10 minutes for a soft-serve consistency.

A Million Tiny Things Book Review

Today at the Green Phone Booth, I'm reviewing and giving away a copy of A Million Tiny Things: One mother's desperate search for hope in a changing climate. The book comes out on Mother's Day, but here's your chance to check it out early.

Bunny "baskets" for the garden

Baskets from the Easter Bunny have been something I've struggled with since becoming a parent. I don't want the kids overrun with trinkets, or worse, drowning in sugar, but there's something fun to the tradition of a little treat on Easter morning.

In recent years especially I've worked to simplify the kids' baskets, adding a small religious book or item or a toy that they can enjoy. Last year, The Bunny brought "harvest baskets" - large baskets that the kids have since used to harvest their beans and tomatoes from the garden.

This year, we're taking a different spin on it. Noting my kids' love of (OK, fights over) watering our plants with the hose, we're investing in cute watering cans which will be used as the "baskets" this year from The Bunny. Keeping with the theme, my little guy will get his own pint-size gardening tools, and my daughter will get a flower ring she pined over at the Girl Scout shop.

You could easily add seeds or other fun items to the mix, but in our home, we're well stocked-up.

Are you doing any alternate Easter basket ideas this year?

Advent season: Slowing down

Advent was a season I had never given much thought to in years past. Beyond the candles burning at Sunday masses, an evening reconcilliation service and the promise of a Nativity scene, Advent didn't really register to me.

Until I started to slow things down.

First, I cut out a lot of clutter around the holidays. Over the years, I've worked most of my Christmas shopping to where my gift buying was completed over months, not weeks or days. Instead of a mad scramble to find something that "fit" the person on Black Friday, I slowly discovered gift ideas over the seasons. Come this Thanksgiving, I really only had a gift or two left to purchase, December birthdays included.

Further slowing my life down was my husband's unemployment/underemployment the last few years. Suddenly dinners out and shows seemed like unnecessary extravagances. Would I like to see Transiberian Orchestra? Of course. And some year it may happen. Just not this one. Instead I've begun searching for Christmas activities in our community that don't necessitate a $100 outlay. Like community Christmas tree services. Or a visit to Santa. Or the free day at the holiday trains at Garfield Park. Or the Nativity show at our parish.

Putting a focus on the Christmas season has helped our family put it back in the right focus. This year, I've made an ardent effort not to schedule non-Christmasy things on our calendar. Yes, we missed Scout night at the circus, and stayed home and played games and watched Rudolph. And other than a small family dinner and treats at the daycare, my son's birthday will be celebrated with friends after the Christmas business dies down. I don't know that either will be missed.

Instead of being stressed about errands, I can focus on my family. We can bake a batch of cookie if we want. Or read Christmas stories from around the world from the library. Or bring out more Christmas decorations. Or take them to play at the park for hours on a warm day without thinking about the "I need to do" list. Or (gasp!) even focus on cleaning our house for our Christmas company.

Is it tough to make a conscious choice to slow down during the Christmas season? You bet. But trading off the calendar items, the unneccessay errands, the stressed shoppers and children, it makes it all worth it. And I hope my family is happier for it.

Snowman kits

Winter weather on the way means my kids will be begging to build snowmen in the dark tonight!

It's time for us to dig out our snowm an kit we received as a gift years ago, but it's simple to put one together for gift-giving or to have ready for eager children. Check out simple ways to convert unused items into a fabulous, frugal Frosty.

Overheard

"Go tell it on the mountain...'cause I'm getting nothing for Christmas."

Yet another reason why I love my child.

(Sometimes, you just need to start your day with a smile!)

Free at last!

After our trip to 100 Acre Woods the other day, we made a surprising discovery: Hermie had hatched! It's truly amazing to watch the first flutters of a butterfly's wings, as it tries to dry off. The kids were anxious to see the first flight, cheering it on ("Fly, butterfly, fly!"). But eventually as the rains picked up, it left its comfortable cage for a new adventure.

One chrysallis down. Two to go.

Sweet start to a life

For the last two springs, we've had a nest in a tree in our front yard. This weekend, we were able to see an amazing sight: the first haphazard attempts at a first flight. The baby bird took off and tumbled, jostling, to the ground.

My daughter took pity on the baby, and after I explained we shouldn't touch the baby bird, she came up with another way to show kindness. She plucked a strawberry from our garden and presented the berry to the bird so it would have something to eat. It's those little bits of kindness that just make me love her!

Cloth pull-up connundrum

Cloth diapers were officially retired in my home a year ago. We were down to naptime/nighttime accidents, and I thought, surely it won't be long now.

As the cloth diapers were outgrown, they weren't replaced with larger sizes. But the reality is no two children are alike, and my first child's potty training successes weren't perfectly replicated in her brother.

A few weeks ago, I conceded defeat. Not that I think my child won't get through bedwetting, but that he will do it on his own time. And after loads of loads of morning washing of bedding and PJs, I figured something had to be done. I could continue to invest in overnight pullups, with modest success, or I could try a new tactic.

Cloth diapers worked well with my wetter, wasn't there a "big boy" option?

The reality is, while the web world may be abuzz about cloth diapers, there isn't much of a peep when it comes to its older pull-up cousin. It's like we don't discuss the challenges of bedwetting, even among preschoolers who may still be in daytime pull-up land. While you can find a few "potty-training" cloth pull-up options, cloth pull-ups are typically larger versions of cloth diapers in look and functionality (side snaps, etc.) And as we're keen to prove we can keep up with the 10 year olds on the block, that just wasn't going to cut it. Nevermind that the closest thing to a nighttime cloth pull-up option was just layering in more bulky inserts into a cloth diaper, creating extra bulk, an issue as we approach summer.

Yes, we're in a cloth pull-up connundrum. I searched off and on for a few weeks for any cloth overnight pull-up on the internet. Most options were on small mom vendors and most cloth pull-ups were designed for day (or non-heavy bedwetter) use, but I was able to finally find few overnight cloth pull-up choices to check out. (Happy Heinys and Super Undies were on the short list.)

After researching options on a few mom sites, I settled on a purchase of some overnight Super Undies. (Truthfully the deciding factor was after contacting the business and finding out they had some returned items, which saved us on our purchase.) And the other day, a box was waiting at our front door. Addressed to the little guy, who's always wanting the brown truck to deliver a box to him. We opened it up, and looked at the picture of the cool "big kid" who was in pull ups and a "super" cape and talked about his new cloth pull-ups. While he didn't get why the kid wanted to wear his cape, he proudly put the overnight pull-ups on that night, talking about his "Batman" pull-ups. (Whatever works.) And he slept soundly, really soundly that night, a far improvement from the accident-prone evening the night before from a disposable product sample that failed.

Was the cost of cloth pull-ups worth it? Time will tell. While overnight cloth pull-ups did cost more than my cloth diapers, they weren't considerably higher than the price of the all-in-ones I bought before. Given that you can easily spend $30 a month on overnight pull-ups/diaper solutions for preschoolers if you're not catching sales or couponing, I figure I'll make up the difference quickly. And if it saves me from a few loads of laundry or extra bags of trash. all the better!

Realizations after our camping fiasco: Surviving with a preschooler

Perhaps fiasco is too harsh of a word, but as a mom who in her past life loved to camp, I walked away from this weekend's 20-hour camping trip a little bit smarter.

After having a good night's (or two) worth of sleep in my own bed, I came to a few conclusions about camping with a precocious preschooler:

1. Know your location. Check out the web, brochures, online reviews, your friends...anyone you can to get their sense of the location and why their families liked and didn't like it. The reality for us was our Girl Scout council is trying to build the family camping program, so we didn't know people who had gone. Had we, we would have known that the platform tents area near the lake had less room for preschoolers to roam, and our money would have been better spent reserving in the "primitive camp" area, still not far from the lodge, where there would be space for the little guy to run around.

2. Nap time is futile. Maybe it's easier if your preschooler isn't in the middle of transitioning out of naps, but couple the excitement of sleeping away from home with the lack of naps, and you've got a recipe for "not listening" moments.

3. Realize your restrictions. The pint-size restrictions. Even though they can stare at a worm for 10 minutes at a walk at home, hiking for half an hour in the morning may not be as thrilling.

4. Plan for a little home essentials. Please, don't be like one of our platform tent neighbors and pack your DVD player, but bring a few comforts of home to make your trip more bearable. Like your preschooler's "tag" (or lovey). Or a football. Or a book or two to help them settle down if needed. Or crayons and paper while you're cooking over the gas stove.

5. Focus on the bright side. Yes, we had to bypass the latrines about 15 times to go to the indoor plumbing at the lodge, but at least I got my steps in!!
For your first few adventures, stick with sites closer to your home. It makes needing to cut your trip home short a little more bearable.

Any other tips you can share about camping with little ones?