First, I said an emphatic "Hell no" (actually, I just said no, but in my head, it was emphatic and involved the word hell) to the bikini. It's the most hyper- sexualized article of clothing in the clothing repertoire. A has been asking (begging and whining) for a couple of years now to wear a bikini and lately I started questioning my stance. Most of my super smart mama tribe also has said no.

​And then we really started talking about it. Delving deeper into the quagmire of the swimsuit dilemma revealed that maybe saying no to the bikini was more about my shit than her. More about my fears of what other people would think when they looked at my perfect child in her teeny tiny suit. More about the way that I would look at her in her teeny tiny suit. I want to drag on the wheels of time and seeing her in a bikini (which I see as a sexy and adult article of clothing) makes her look more grown up. I hate that!

I like to measure the success of my summer by the number of nights spent outside. Admittedly, this summer, it's been a little trickier, what with the rainy weekends and all. But we're pushing through. We're getting muddy and hunkering down. We're packing up in the rain and playing more card games under the tarp than other summers, but we're getting outside anyway. And, it is excellent. Even if a little soggy. Though, to be totally honest, if it looks like it might be rainy aaallllllll weekend, skip it.

Every summer I feel like I get a little better at the planning piece. A little better at not running around like a crazy, very irritable person as I prepare for departure. A little better at not forgetting shit. At least not the important shit. I made some checklists and I published them on Portland Mom's Blog. Lists to help you not forget the important shit. You can check them out here.

Let me say right here, though: I forgot to put beer on the list! Also, I like to pack iced tea, lemon and Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka. It's the best camping cocktail ever! Not the beer and vodka together. Two separate beverages. I did put fancy cups for cocktails on the list. Twice. So, there's that.