How to Camp Clean

Our little adventurous, family went camping again. While camping we had some adventures getting clean. We camped 3 days 2 nights this time, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday after we set up camp I did Katie's hair. With 13 "ponies" . This smart lady does it so much neater, but I don't think she has 13 ponies. I actually started doing Katie's hair this way as an idea from Lacy. I knew it would be the easy to keep it cleaner this way and it would probably stay in for until Wednesday, and it did!

Tuesday afternoon we went to find a near by creek, stream, lake, pond, anything fun to play in or throw rocks into. We drove to the closest creek on the map. There was nothing. We then drove to the closest Lake it was a meadow with a mud pit. We passed! Then we drove to the next closest like about 30 min. away. It was a nice, little sunny lake. Lake Cuyamaca The kids had fun walking out a short ways and throwing rocks. Check out Katie's poses! What a lady.
Our first adventure getting clean started with blowing bubbles at the lake. One of the kids poured too much soap into the bowl they were dipping there wands into. Then they started fighting over the better bubble wand. I took the chance to introduce Brian to the art of making bubbles with your hands. He was actually very good at it! I could not blow one bubble and he had a whole stream of bubbles coming from the little circle he made with his hands.

This got the kids and me really soapy. We did no think the Lake was a good place to clean off so we decided and try to find a bathroom sink but we found something better.

We got lots of funny looks. Brian and I thought oh man I bet we look like red-necks, but,
Do red-necks take pictures when they do something that looks trashy, or funny? Probably not so there fore we are still not red necks.

Susan is the master at getting dirty! On our last camping trip she loved falling down flat onto the dirty ground. This trip was no different. Except the camp ground was dusty! There was dust everywhere. She would take a drink, dribble down her shirt, then fall in the dirt and have muddy lines going down her round belly and on their face. She got very dirty! I let her play happily and get real dirty.

Then at bed time I did the cleaning routine that I love. Brian Sr. warms up a pot of soapy water. One at a time the kids undress to there undies and I wipe them down with warm soapy water and clean rags. I always remember my Mom teaching us how to wash your body, "face first, then work your way down to your feet. Top-to bottom." (not literally "the bottom" that special place gets wipes) I also wiped a rag over the kids hair to get some smoke and dust out. Then they run to the tent in there undies and I dress them in clean pj's in the tent.

Wednesday Morning Brian and I wanted to go home through Julian and Romona. Brian did not want to go into a restaurant or stores smelling like smoke and feeling all dirty from camping. So in the morning we took a family shower! I packed shower supplies just in case and bathing suits for everybody. The campground has pretty clean showers and they were big enough for everybody. It was quite an experience to all shower together, but the shower had 2 heads one regular height and one shorter for the kids.
We left the camp feeling cleaner then we have ever felt after camping!

and that is how you camp clean.

btw, while camping we did some camping crafts. More at my other blog. We also saw crazy trees from busy wood peckers. and probably 50 squirls!

AND this awsome tree stump we had to take pictures for my Mommy.