Tester Jobs Requirements (VIDEO GAME)

So my husband is making it sound like the most important item we forgot this past weekend was the coffee grinder. That is not true at all. The forgotten item that caused the most panic, stress, and early morning misery was my boys alarm clock. This is not the kind of alarm that is meant to get one out of bed in the morning; its primary purpose is to keep our children in their beds until a not-so-god-forsaken hour.

Let me back up a bit...

My four year olds have always been early risers, and I mean earrrrly.  I did not sleep past 5:30 am for the first two years of their lives. Camping always seems to heighten their desire to greet the sunrise. I dont know if it is the fresh air or the morning songbirds, but they wake up ready to go while it is still dark out and the entire campground is still sleeping.

So we first introduced the portable DVD player when traveling in our popup. Sounds ironic, right? Get out into the great outdoors and... pop in a show for the kiddies. Well, you should only judge if you have been in a camper with extremely loud toddlers crashing around in the predawn hours. Believe me, our RV neighbors appreciated our kindness, Im sure.

Last year I got one of my favorite products ever--an alarm clock by American Innovative that changes color when the kids are allowed out of bed. When they go to sleep it looks like this:

The Quechee / Pine Valley KOA in Vermont had me at hello.  I had emailed the campground a couple of weeks before our visit asking for a list of family-friendly hikes, and the co-owner, Cindy, sent me a friendly email that became the blue print for our adventures. So I was predisposed to liking the place before we even pulled in.  But then we actually pulled in....

It took me about 20 seconds to realize that our whole crew was not going to like it here--we were going to love it.  The campground, which has an upper and a lower level, is lovingly manicured and the tall pines make it feel like a secret forest.  The camp store, with the bright yellow bike rentals out front, has that old school KOA charm that always makes me feel like a kid again.

My own kids ended up loving the playground, which was neat and tidy, and I ended up loving the pool, which was heated for Vermonts cool August afternoons. Our double pull-through sites also allowed us to camp awning to awning so that we could create that common area in the middle that we love so much for cozy campfires and shared meals.






The Quechee / Pine Valley KOA also passed one of my newest campground quality tests--the grounds are perfect for a deeply relaxing and peaceful morning or evening stroll.  The entire campground is wooded and the lower loop and the larger upper section are connected by a shady forest path complete with a wooden contemplation bench.






I met so many interesting people during my walks, including a couple from Wales who were nearing the end of a three month motorcycle tour of the United States.  They were lovely and engaging conversationalists who shared many of their adventures with me over the course of several mornings.

But perhaps most importantly, the owners and the staff were warm, welcoming, and kind.  Joe and I particularly loved chatting with a "Work Kamper" named Paul, a retired lawyer from Colorado who used to pack up his entire family for a month every summer to travel throughout the U.S. and Canada.  He said that when his kids get together for meals they still talk about all of their great family adventures.  His only rule while on the road? NO TV. EVER.  Paul was inspiring to talk to and he got Joe and I pumped to take some of those great, big trips out west that we have been dreaming about.

But there will be time for those trips later.  For a family with young children this trip could not have been more relaxing or more adventurous.  New England has its own magical places, and the Quechee / Pine Valley KOA is surrounded by them.

And then there are those magical places that travel with us wherever we go...

We had another lovely stay at the Allentown KOA last weekend.  It served as a convenient base camp for exploring the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, which is filled with gently rolling hills and picture perfect farms.  The campground itself is deeply wooded and tucked away, far from traffic. A gentle stream also meanders through the property and many of the sites rest directly on its banks.  We were travelling with our good friends again and we had booked "buddy sites" so our campers could face each other, creating a large common area in the middle.




The sites also allowed us to sit around the campfire and watch the boys on the nearby playground--which was filled with unattended kids of all ages.  Things got dicey over there a few times, and the boys occasionally ran back to the campfire crying, but overall, they had a blast.  We sent them back to the playground each time, not because we wanted to relax around the campfire with our friends, but because we are always looking to develop our childrens "social skills."



My favorite part of the whole weekend may have been the Saturday night hayride.  I love me a good hayride--and this was the best one I have ever been on.  But it almost didnt happen.  The boys were having so much fun "socializing" on the playground that they didnt really want to come.  Theo, in particular, was being very whiny.  But Stephanie and I forced the issue and made them go.  I am so glad we did.  The boys enjoyed every second and talked about it for the rest of the night.

The owner drove us around the entire campground and then surprisingly, drove us up onto a high ridge that runs the entire length of the property.  The ridge ride added an element of adventure that you just dont get on your average hayride.  We could see the campfires being lit below us as each family settled in for the evening.  On the way down our driver popped the gearshift into neutral and let the tractor race down the hill.  I held onto the boys tightly as they laughed and screamed.




When we reached the bottom we drove past our campsite and waved at mommy, who was relaxing by the campfire.


When we hopped off of the tractor I made sure that we all thanked the owner for the extra-long ride.  He told me that "tonight was special" and that the new owners were not going to take the tractor up on the ridge anymore.  I didnt know that the campground had been recently sold. But I suddenly realized that this kind man, after 26 years of ownership, had probably just completed his last hayride.  I felt a little sad for some reason.  But at the same time I felt like I had been given a special and unexpected gift.