Instructions for my husband: Sleep-away camp has all the comforts of home. Even if it sounds like it doesn't.

My oldest, Magpie, at the age of 10 has now joined the ranks of those who can say they've gone to sleep-away camp.

My husband, who never went to sleep-away camp, finds the whole idea of sending one's child away incredibly baffling. And it becomes even more baffling to him because Magpie isn't just at any sleep-away camp this summer, she's at my childhood sleep-away camp.

Which means my husband and I have conversations like this one, which of course only re-enforces his whole idea that the concept of sleep-away camp is extremely befuddling:

Husband: I'm worried about if she forgets something.

Me: Don't worry! If you need something, Blue Boar's has it.

Husband: Blank stare.

Me: Y'know, I told you about Blue Boar's. Actually it's not Blue Boar's anymore, it's Jean Mart.

Husband: Blank stare, now on an increasingly irritated face.

Me: Jean. You don't remember me telling you about Jean? The head of camp for like years and years? Very beloved. She was awesome, truly a very special person. That's why Blue Boar's is Jean Mart now.

Husband: Blank stare, possible smoke coming from ears.

Me: (sighing) The commissary. Blue Boar's, which is Jane Mart, is just the commissary. Okay?

Husband:  (sighing in a way that makes my previous sigh seem like a tiny, little whisper) What the fuck is a commissary?

Me: The camp store. It has everything. You don't need to worry about her forgetting something, because she can get it there. The camp store. The commissary. Blue Boar's. But to be entirely correct Jean Mart.

Husband: Would it have been so hard for you just to say there's a camp store?

Me: It's not MY fault you never went to sleep-away camp.

This is my thirty-seventh instruction in my ongoing series Instructions for my Husband.

Follow along on Facebook on the Instructions to my Husband page since something stupid funny is always going on there.

Name Bubbles: Great Labels for Kids Stuff for Camp and School

 

I recently sent my oldest off to sleepaway camp, and in addition to finding just the right hiking boots, duffel bag and shower caddy, I wanted to find the best way to label it all.  A good friend pointed me in the direction of Name Bubbles, which are sticky labels that once applied stay stuck on clothes, shoes and toiletries through just about anything - they're laundry and dishwasher safe as well as bug repellent and sunblock proof. They're also freezer friendly, and will stick through -60 F.

Name Bubble has labels for all needs, including a Camp Labels Pack ($38.88) which has over 100 labels in a variety of sizes and styles. I received a pack of these labels, which were more than we needed to label every last item my daughter brought to camp - with a few leftover, too.

 

Name Bubbles not only make labels for camp, and also for school, as well as allergy alert labels

 





medical labels, and more. My daughter is back from her sleepaway camp adventure, and so is her stuff... and all the Name Bubbles labels are perfectly intact, too.



 

Thanks to Name Bubbles for providing a Camp Labels Pack for me to review.

 

 

Month In Review: It's July Already?!

How is it already July?! It seems like just yesterday the blank slate of June was in front of me, and all of my good intentions to scritch scratch my entire to do list off during my self-declared Being a Grown-Up Month.

Being a Grown-Up Month was an epic fail: I got nothing done. But in my defense, Being a Grown-Up Month's success was stymied by all the things I had to do because I am in fact already a grown-up, so I'm giving up on the idea - at least for now. July and August are no time for being a grown-up in general, let alone for tackling endless lists of things to do. (Unless your my husband, in which case you should feel free to get on all those home repair projects I like to nag you about right away.)

Last week, we took our annual family vacation to Delmarva which was great as it always is, photographic evidence here:

You may notice the absence of any photos of Magpie - she missed our trip because she is at sleep away camp, and while I want to think she is sad to have missed it the numerous photos from camp say otherwise, as does this letter in which she spends the entirety of it making her case to stay at camp longer.

 

In case you can't read it, the last line is "I miss you... sarcastic font."

In addition to taking a vacation, I also wrote some stuff, including:

Golf Courses About in the Westfield Area - public and private courses as well as where to mini-golf!

Music, Movies and More - Summertime Fun in and Around Westfield - so many fabulous events and things to do for families, most of them free!

Great Stationery for Sleepaway Camp - there are tons of awesome ideas for camp stationery, but not so many ideas on how to get your kids to actually use it.

And last, but not least, I won a VOTY! If you aren't a blogger, this will definitely mean nothing to you (and if you are a blogger, it probably still doesn't mean anything to you) but all the same, getting the email that my post I'd Like to Thank the Academy was one of twenty selected by BlogHer as a "Voice of the Year" in the humor category was better than another email from a Nigerian Prince about my riches that never seem to materialize. Way better.

Click here to read the full list of VOTY winners.

And Happy July!

Perfect for Sleepaway Camp: Kids Stationery and Journals from Minted

Thanks very much to Minted for providing me with this opportunity to review heir fantastic designs. If you don't already know Minted, they are a site specializing in indie designs for everything from personalized greeting cards to wedding invitations. Also: I want one of everything on the site.

In just a couple of weeks, my kids are heading off to camp. With the biggest event being that my oldest, Magpie, is heading off to her first summer at sleepaway camp.

I am so excited on her behalf, but as the mom of a kid heading off to her first summer at sleepaway camp, I had no idea I was in for so much planning, prepping and packing.

Also, as it's her first summer at sleepaway camp I want everything to go as well as possible, which means I'm making sure she has everything perfectly checked-off on the packing list sent by the camp, and of course I want to make sure to hear from her while she's away.

Which means she needs just the right stationery, not only to write me her dear ol mom but also her friends.

We picked out stationery that Magpie loved from Minted.com, which has an entire section of children's stationery, most which can be personalized with name and a photo.

Magpie choose this design:

 

but instead of adding a photo of her cute self, Magpie being Magpie, decided to personalize it with this photo of her holding not just one but five cicadas.

And of course, cicada stationery pairs perfectly with a cicada journal.

Because why choose a cute head shot for the cover of your journal.

when you can be a cicada whisperer.

 

 

Journal pictured here is $16 and can be customized with lined, graph, or blank interior pages. Cicada photo is of course entirely optional. To see all the journals for kids, click here.

 

Thanks again to Minted for giving me the opportunity to create one-of-a-kind items that perfectly reflect my daughter's unique style.

Seasoned parents of campers who have gone to sleepaway camp - please tell me, what do I need to know?