Ok, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you have kids and you haven’t gone on an unplugged media free family vacation, do it NOW! Something amazing happens when you remove your kids from media, they remember how to be kids. They find pictures in clouds, skip rocks, and build things out of sticks.
For spring break we went to a local national park. This is not the first time our family has gone to a destination where there was no cell reception, but the outcome never ceases to amaze me. The trip there was like all of our family road trips, a little conversation, but mostly consisting of three kids on three different media devices. It’s really great when they all three are listening to different music on different devices, all singing along to different songs with their earbuds in. It is enough to make you insane. But then you pull into a place where there is no cell reception, and the only thing to do is hang out with one another, and you know what…you do hang out with one another…and laugh…and get along. Sure, the first couple of hours are full of attitude and eye rolls, and you think that they are never going to be enjoyable humans the entire trip. But then, magically, all of the attitude melts away and they become kids. On this trip it happened in the river. Everyone was all full of attitude and sass until we got to the river. But then who can be in a bad mood when they are playing in a river?
The cell phones had all been in the glove box of the car for days unused. On the way home, five hours into the drive my husband pointed out that the kids were still playing card games together in the back seat, and that none of them had asked for their devices. This was by far the highlight of our family camping trip, getting away and spending time together, remembering that we all like each other…at least a little.
The second best part were s’mores cones. Camping = S’mores, S’mores = Camping. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. The park we went to was under a burn ban, so no campfire was allowed. This begs to ask the question, How do you go camping and not have s’mores? It’s a travesty. It just can’t be. Insert the s’mores cone. It’s great because you can have hot gooey s’mores on any camping stove or grill in minutes.
Simply take large waffle ice cream cones and fill them up with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. If your feeling adventurous throw in some raspberries, strawberry pieces, or banana slices for a deluxe version. Make sure your cones are nice and overstuffed to the brim, and wrap them up in foil and toss on the grill. Wait until they are good and melty and enjoy! These more edible, less messy s’mores make eating them while playing family games under a lantern a little easier.
My Outlandish Life 