Being first timers, we all helped set the tent up, the 4 year old held the pegs, 8 year old held the mallet and hubs and I did the tent, he then finished the outside bits, I did the inside.
Good thing was all the trip hubs did all the cooking
Will have to go away more often
------------- No longer a camping virgin!
July 2012 - Newquay, Cornwall
Aug 2012 - Dawlish, Devon
July 2013 - North Devon
Aug 2014 - Sanford park
Aug 2016 - Hendra
The OH and me put the tent up together, have the customary argument (Its not camping if you dont have at least one tent erection argument), The kids go play we get the bags emptied and the furniture up, cooker set up and lastly the EHU gets plugged in (if we're using it).Then I usually put the kettle on for a cuppa and we sit down and do the rest between us. I do all the cooking because if I didnt we'd all starve.
------------- FyneFest -1st June - Fantastic!
Pillaton Hall Farm - 5th July
Woolacombe Bay 7th July
OH usually does the driving so I let him have a rest whilst I unpack. He then helps me with the frame/poles and canvas and a few guy ropes/deltas but after that its me and the mallet and pegs, me and the groundsheets, me and inner tents, me and the furniture (he might put together the table). If it's the frame tent he will reach the bits I can't when putting up the canopy and ceiling lining. OH does the airbeds ('electrical stuff' is his domain) and I make the beds. I also cook. I'm just thinking where's my holiday... I do confess to control-freak tendencies so perhaps I should get him do more: but NOT the packing - we'd never find anything ever again or get it in the car!
Edit - he does do the washing up with me: togetherness
Post last edited on 13/08/2012 20:11:35
------------- Camping - emotional resilience in action, a triumph of hope over adversity and antidote to virtual reality.
We all help to pitch the tent, although our 12 year old seems to spend more time winding up daddy than actually helping. Then I get the job of putting in the sleeping pods whilst hubby does the guy ropes and the kids pump the air beds up and sort drinks and water out. Once the beer/wine/lemonade is poured we all pitch in to get the furniture and other odds and ends sorted.
When we're camping hubby becomes Gordon Ramsey and does most of the cooking although I do insist on cooking the bacon. Now the kids are older they go off and do the washing up, but they are both starting to want to help out more with cooking.
We arrive... kids take dog and themselves out the way(they know whats coming)
Me and hubby both start setting up
1. Footprint - already one of us in the huff
2. take tent from bag and rollout - entering shaky ground
3. start putting poles in - surprisingly this bit goes ok
4. try to ring and pin and erect - either too windy, too sunny, too rainy - loads of huffing, grumfing going on
5. kids come back from walk, to witness their parent impeding divorce (run kids go get firewood)
6. My mother gets out of car and tries to help, (go away mother ur making it worse)
7. tents up (but we hate each other will never camp again)
8. carpets down, beds inflating.
9. Porch is up fairy light surrounding it.
10. Compound created (windbreak city) Jolly Rodger and Scotland flags in place.
11. Chippy for tea.
12. wee drink with the chippy tea - Camping is great we love it what Divorce, who was grumpy?
13. Beach fire at night - looking like a happy family never a cross word.
Hubby does breakfasts i do dinners (unless it's a BBQ then it's man make fire cook meat time)
we all tend to pull together for duties i.e wash up, wee cuppa time, thats about all the duties there is as theres no housework etc
It's just the setting up that gets us annoyed lol
------------- I'm working class, I do what I have to do, to get by.
The last time Hubby did all the driving, manhandling the trailer into place and lifting out of heavy pole bags. I sent him and DS off for a look around the campsite while me and DD did the footprint and put the tent up.
Hubby and DS came back in time to help me knock in some pegs, then I got them to put the table and the kitchen up for me and also they did the setting up of the fridge and its table while DD pumped up the airbeds and I unloaded and sorted out, made beds etc.
From start to finish it took us 2 hours, only me and DD had words and thats cos I forgot to peg down the corners and the back fell down while pulling the front up, my fault totally, so we ended up putting the Monty up front first which annoyed DD but her being a teen that really doesn't take a lot of doing
I took breakfast (sausages, bacon) so cooked two mornings but the rest of the time we ate out.
Oh the fun starts here before we even leave!
1) I do ALL the cleaning, shopping, checking of the bags (I hate coming home to a dirty house)
2) OH asks if Ive asked the neighbours if they'll feed the cats - NO! You can do that bit.
3) OH throws all the camping stuff in the car & marvels how much spare room there is. I then point out the cool box, the pillows, coats, clothes bags and shoes still need to go in. I then act like a crazy woman squeezing shoes and pillows into minute gaps.
4) I drive to site (I hate how my OH drives my car).
5) OH gets the tent out of the car, puts down footprint etc.
6) We both put the poles through, normally having a grumble at each other.
7) He moans at me for not being strong enough to hold the tent up one handed...
8) Once the tent is up, I undo the guy lines & then go into the tent to put the centre pole in. He does the pegging out.
9) I rehook the bedroom pods around the bottom (why do the hooks always come out?)
10) He slaps me on the at rse as I reverse out between the pods.
11) The carpet goes down (2 man job as Im picky about it laying flat)
12) The furniture is put together by whoever gets it out of the car first, along with the bedding etc.
13) He goes and gets fish and chips AND does the washing up. Me, I get my kindle out and a glass of wine.
My OH is the "creative" type, thus he's bloomin' useless at anything practical... our routine is usually both pitch in, with me "bossing him around" (his words), him then complaining about said bossing and me complaining we would be sleeping in the open air if I didn't!
He then inflates the airbed whilst I sort out kitchen
It gets done eventually, and we enjoy the rest of the trip, with me doing all the cooking (for fear of starvation otherwise - either that or sandwiches for every meal) unless we have a BBQ, then he does his caveman "me cook meat" routine, which considering he is worse than useless in the kitchen, he is surprisingly good at!
The rest of the jobs, like clearing up, washing up, fetching water, etc - we tend to share...
Can't wait until BH weekend! Taking my nephews, so will be changes to the routine, but I'm absolutely certain we will have a great time :)
After a few trips out I soon realised things would be much quicker if me and the OH each had a mallet. So we work together to pitch the tent and are a bit quicker at it with two mallets. I sort the kitchen while the OH sorts the airbeds and the gas cylinder then I get a brew on or the alcohol out! The clothes stay in the holdall.
------------- A problem shared is a problem halved
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: whos does what jobs once on site
although I do insist on cooking the bacon. Now the kids are older they go off and do the washing up, but they are both starting to want to help out more with cooking. 
