Sunday – Time to pack up and go home. But not before some more fun.

Climbing Trees and growling like a lion.

Eating chocolate bananas. A throwback to my childhood camping days. I suppose this is the Aussie version of s’mores (and SO much better).

To make these, simply cut a slit in a banana. Do not cut the whole way through the banana, just enough to make an opening where you can insert little pieces of chocolate (in this case Trader Joe’s belgiun chocolate bars – yum!). Wrap the banana in foil and then put it on some coals in the fire. (It’s important to put the banana on coals. If you put it in the flames the chocolate will burn). Leave it for about 7 or 8 minutes and then take it out and open up the foil. The chocolate should have melted and the banana will be all mushy so you can mix it together. It should look something like this.

Eat it up with a spoon and enjoy! These were a huge hit with the adults and the kids and is set to become a new camping tradition.

One last visit to the beach and time to make sand candles with Deek (sounds like a children’s TV show). To make these we dug a hole in the sand, hung a wick in the hole – tied to a stick to hold it in place, and then filled it with hot wax (which Deek melted over a portable stove). Then we waited for the wax to cool and dug the candle out of the sand. I think we may have a candle lighting ceremony tonight. 🙂 Some challenges to consider when doing this with toddlers: don’t dig the holes too early before the wax has melted because the temptation to fill in the hole is VERY strong. Create a protective barrier of parents around the hot wax holes to prevent any wax-related injuries.

And most importantly…Keep the kids occupied while the wax cools…

…By hitting them with a large ball. They LOVE it!

And then running around with them on your back. But not sure I would recommend doing this when you are 6 months pregnant (Chris – I am talking to you!).

And just sitting around enjoying the sunshine while the freezing cold wind whips at your face. The dog’s name is Foster. He is so beautiful and gentle that it almost made me want to get a dog. Almost.

Then we headed back to camp for the final cleanup before heading home.

Other Observations from the day.

• When you dream about someone offering you a breathmint then it’s definitely time for some attention to personal hygiene.
• Don’t sweat it when someone spills coffee all over your clothes on the very last day of camping. It may actually make you smell better.
• Cleaning up is never fun.
• You WILL take half the beach home with you no matter how much you try to shake the sand off everything.
• Nothing feels as good as a shower and sleeping in a tent makes you truly appreciate your own bed.

I feel like I was away for a month instead of just a few days (and the laundry pile supports that). As hard as it is camping with two small children (especially at bedtime), it was worth just a few days to get away from it all, spend some quality time with family and good friends and come back to the city feeling a little refreshed.