I actually had a super duper time with my rugrat and her 3rd grade buddies on our camping trip. The class left ahead of me on Thursday morning due to the fact I had just worked a graveyard shift and did not feel as though I would have the patience or stamina to put up with other people or the light of day for that matter. After a quick three hour siesta, and uploading several new tunes to my I-Pod, I drove my car like it was stolen, making my way out the vomit inducing HWY 36. The weather was fairly overcast and cloudy, with the occasional little downpour - rather crappy things to deal with as a tent camper. I packed light - forgoing my make-up and hair supplies - as I thought my homely appearance might look foreboding to any bears stumbling into camp or little boys trying to take a peak into the girl's tent.

Once I got to camp (Grizzly Creek State Park, or as I like to call it, Camp Valium), I met up with the little heathens and a handful of parents. They were just starting a delicious sack lunch as I waddled up with my Whopper and fries. Taters practically attacked me for the remnants of my lunch as Hubby evidently let her pack her own lunch to the tune of raspberry Poptarts and Cheetos. As I let her take hidden swigs off my Pepsi (yes, I know I'll win Mother of the Year for that one), lunch slowly ended and the fun began. Please note that this would be my last caffeinated beverage for the day.

Here's Tater's chipmunk cheeks as she frantically stuffed cold fries into her beak:

We started off with four different activities involving teams of children and parents. I had previously decided to warp the minds of today's youth and had signed up for a team leader position. Any sort of control I can get is a good thing; I feed on the power. My swollen head demanded my group members call me "Ma'am" and salute me as necessary. I cried when they laughed.

Our first event included learning how to use a compass. I, for one, suck at directions. If I don't know where the ocean is placed, I have no clue where I'm at. I love GPS and believe strongly that God invented it for stupid people like me. Thankfully, the kids in my group were way smarter than me and seemed to have no trouble figuring out the little plastic compass. Mr. P was super patient with us and the kids seemed to really enjoy it:

The kids even found a treasure chest full of goodies at the end of the route. I freely admit that I cheated and followed Taters, but I pulled rank to get the candy:

The next event for us was the Visitor's Center. It was hit and miss for a few; I really had to defend the kids and adults in my group. I threw down with this guy:

Had a slap boxing fight with this gal:

And then these two morons tried to get sassy with me and I ended up with a beautiful bear rug and matching sofa throw:

I tell ya, we barely made it outta there alive. It was a crazy moment, as you can tell by the camera shake and slight blurriness. It was my adrenaline kicking in - trying to escape from the various paws of death.

Although I was exhausted from the animal hunt and whoop ass fight, we ventured onto our third activity which was the nature hike. I like to imagine that I'm in good shape. Heck, I like to imagine that Brad Pitt and George Clooney are at home waiting for me each night, ready to pamper my aching body after a long day. Let's just say I have a really good imagination - an evil side of me which quickly made me realize there was no way in heck I could keep up with four nine year olds on an uphill hike. The little turkeys ran the hike while I panted, puffed, and looked for soft places to lie down in. We did lots of "stopping and looking for wild animals." In other words, sit your butt down so Tater's mommy won't die.

Our final event was the shirt making and cooking station. The kids took a navy blue shirt and lined up various nature goodies on the shirt. Once they were happy with the layout, they sprayed it with a bleach solution and made some pretty cool shirts:

Once the kids were sparkly clean, we helped to prepare a dinner of tacos, which, after that fight and hike, were a welcome sight. Notice I have no pictures of this part. That's because my hands were full of food rather than my baby, Canon 50d.

Prior to dinner, we took the kids down to the river bar. It was beautiful, but cold:

The water is about -10 degrees currently, but when you're a third grader, evidently hypothermia is just a myth:

After the kids turned a healthy shade of blue, we brought them back up to camp to have dinner. Again, no pics here because I was too busy stuffing my face. After dinner, we made our way to a little gathering spot for some spooky stories, singing and s'mores. One of my buddies suggested that this would be the perfect time to calm the children by slipping them some Valium in their marshmallows. Surprisingly enough, the thought never even crossed my mind although I did think some margaritas with dinner would have been fabulous. And a Hot Toddy with my s'more might have been to die for, but I kept it legit with a container of low fat milk. Blech.

Prior to the main program starting, Taters decided to utilize her summer drama camp and act out a play with her buddy called, "Family Drama." I quietly choked when she announced the name, hoping that she wouldn't be giving up any family secrets. No secrets were given, but a lot of screaming, giggling, and pushing each other down was had by her and her buddies.

Thank God for Trina. She is a plethora of positive energy and goofy songs. She save us by getting up and leading everyone in a bunch of fun songs and crazy dances:

Finally, it was bedtime. I had three little girls and Mrs. P (the world's best third grade teacher, hands down) in my tent, so there was quite a bit of giggling. Since I was already sleep deprived, I immediately zonked out and left Mrs. P to fend for herself with the incessant giggling and shooshing. The girls slept well until about 5AM when a mass exodus for the bathroom occurred and I was woken out a sound sleep to make the mile long walk to the bathroom. Who knew at this time of morning little girls could still be so noisy and giggly? They never simmer down. Was I like that? I hardly think so - just don't ask my mom or you may get a different answer. One I might not like too much!

Stay tuned for tomorrows exciting finish to day two of Camp Valium.