Something Seems A Little Odd...

.....about the tent being set up when there is still snow on the ground.

 

 I know, I know, there's not much snow.  But do you see it?  That white stuff between the trees?  That is snow.

There should be some law against setting up tents in these kinds of weather conditions.

I really have no idea why I am complaining -- it's not like I was the one setting up the tent.  

This camp out thing is become some sort of tradition.  As soon as the weather hits about 60 degrees, the boys are begging to sleep outside.  We say things like...

It might feel nice outside now, but the low tonight is 40.

Are you sure you want to go to all of that work?

Weather.com says there is a 30% of rain from 11-12 tonight.

They quickly inform us that the tags on their sleeping bags say they are made for 20 below zero, the tent is waterproof, and they will do all the setting up and taking down.  Besides, if they get too cold, they can always just come in the house.  

True.  The tent is about three steps from the back door.  Literally.

And, really, it's fine.  They set up the tent.  They are excited. The neighbor boys haul over their sleeping bags and get settled in.  The parade of stuff goes out the back door.

12 blankets

2 pillows

MP3 player

iHome

Monopoly

Uno

Life

Battleship

Sequence

Books

Flashlights

Clock

Legos

Little side note about the neighbors.  We hit the jackpot when this Holdeman Mennonite family moved in.  My kids play with their boys nonstop.  But here's the thing...nobody goes into anyone's house.  I don't know if they are not allowed in our house because we are not Holdeman Mennonite, or if it is just because they don't want their boys to be intrusive.  I really wouldn't mind them being in the house, but I have to admit, the current set-up is pretty nice.  No one rings the doorbells, no one is in and out.  If one sees the other outside, they go out.  If not, they don't. It's a sweet deal.

So the kids do all the work.  I sit on the couch and watch. We get a quiet night inside the house.  They have fun with friends outside.   It's a beautiful thing.  I'm thinking the tent should stay up year round.

Until mid-morning.

The friends have to go home, and the clean-up begins.  And, trust me, there is not near as much excitement about putting it all away as there was setting up.  

I get tired boys fighting about the other one not helping enough, broken game boxes, lost pieces, and 12 dirty, grassy blankets that smell like boys who have been outside.  Then I start sounding like the disgruntled parent.

You will not leave that stack of games by the door.

I know you are tired, but you still have to do the work.

No, you may not play in the iPad, you still have a mess to clean up.

This is the price you have to pay for doing fun things like this.

Quit whining and get busy.

 I'm all for my kids having fun (especially when it involves a relatively quiet night for me).  

However, next time I am making laundry a part of the deal before I say yes to the whole tent gig.

And possibly they should wait for a low temp warmer than 40 degrees.

Although in boy terms, they "were fine."  I think their words were something like, "It wasn't any colder than last time we slept in the tent when it was cold."

Spoken like a true 10 year old.