Bear Lake is a summer must for our family. We've teamed up with Conestoga Ranch again this year and whether you are Glamping or Camping, we wanted to share 11 Hacks to make your experience "easy peasey lemon squeeze" as my 5 year old would say.

TIP #1 BUSY BAGS

I hung canvas bags over the head rests and filled them with things to keep little hands and minds engaged on our road trip to Bear Lake.

Each bag was filled with age appropriate items.

Here's what I put in my 8 yr old daughters bag. I let the kids bring a book of their choice, then I packed colored pencils, a sharpener, a pencil, an activity book, and an iPod full of audio books and a couple movies.

Hello Nature: Draw, Collect, Make and Grow

I saw this book on Instagram after a few people had shared how awesome it was, I decided to check it out. SO AWESOME! You can color, draw, and learn all at the same time. Its interactive and educational and I thought it would be the perfect summer activity book for them. Not gonna lie, i want mine own. I bought them HERE. And if you are a little less nature, and little more glam, I thought this one was equally amazing HERE.

My 22 month olds bag included a board book, lego figure, 4 crayons pack and coloring book, and a spinning toothbrush. Pushing the button and making it spin was a HUGE it! Best $3 ever spent.

After our First Glamping experience at Conestoga last year (HERE) my kids quickly added it to our Summer Bucket List again this year. I think we might have a new family tradition of Glamping in Bear Lake.

So thankful for the complimentary golf carts to haul our gear to the campsite.

When we arrived, we had a little s'mores kit on our bed. The kids ran wild exploring every nook and cranny of the tent and picked out their beds.

TIP #2 Simple Snacks

Bringing rolls vs bread, squeeze mayo vs jar, sliced cheese vs block, all of these little things can help save time, space, and hassle. Keep it simple!

TIP #3 Something Special

This year we tried matching PJs. They were a surprise for the kids (and husband) and they were a HUGE HIT! I was looking for "something special" that would really make this trip memorable and found matching PJs for the entire family at Pajamagram.com. They were so cute I couldn't resist. The kids were in instant hyper mode when they put them on, something about all matching, or maybe it was the bum flap, but they had a blast! Whether its matching T-shirts, breakfast in bed, a snipe hunt, or picking one special thing to add to your trip can set it apart from the rest and help the kids remember the magic.

TIP #4 S'mores hack

We LOVE these fudge stripe cookies vs gram crackers and chocolate, it just simplifies things one step further.

I found these sticks at the dollar section of Target, they expand! Genius!!!

Obligatory "we all match" photo.

TIP #5 Fire Starter

Homemade Fire Starters for the win. The kids love emptying our dryer lint into a paper bag by the dryer. When it fills up, we stuff the lint into TP rolls. These are amazing fire starters, and the kids love making them and using them to help start the fire. Conestoga will come start your fire for you of course, but the kids always like to try to do it on their own first (so far they have succeeded every time).

TIP #6 Get Dirty

Don't worry about the dirt. You are camping/glamping, there will be dirt, that's what it's all about. These were new PJ's just for the trip, but I let the kids run wild in them and just soak it all up and have fun. Then when we get back home, they will only be able to wear them inside because #RealLife.

TIP #7 Bend Bed Time

Even for littles, we stretch the bed time a bit so we could enjoy the fire and stars. It was worth it for the special time together.

TIP #8 Morning Magic

Camping mornings are almost as magical as camping nights. I like to make is special and buy mini cereal boxes that I loved as a child. No bowls necessary. Just open, pour milk in and consume. This concept kind of blew my kids minds. This might have been the highlight of their eating experience this trip!

TIP #9 Kill Boredom with Board Games

Bringing your families favorite games is a great way to make memories and build tradition. Our favorite camping games are Ticket to Ride, Bird Bingo, and Spot it (camping edition). Having something for the quite times to keep the kids busy is a must. Conestoga has an incredible play ground too!

A Berdee bath in the sink was a must, because cute sink! Also because she was covered in dirt and mud.

TIP #10 Free Stuff

We will splurge on 1 major thing on vacation. Whether it's a fancy meal, staying in an awesome Glamping tent, or renting a wave runner. Whatever it may be, we seek out the FREE stuff. We love Free Beach in Bear Lake. The sand is great. There are bathrooms, shower, drinking fountain, picnic table... And we took this awesome trail to get there.

It was windy and the water was cold in mid-May, so we opted for remote controlled boats, and flying kites instead of swimming.

 

Quiet time while baby sister napped. Movies on the iPod, and reading.

TIP #11 Food Prep

Tinfoil dinners are a favorite. I do as much "work" at home as I can so meal are as easy as possible. I packed everything in baggies. For the potatoes, I added a small bag of EVOO, rosemary and s&p to pour over after I cut them.

Chicken was easy, I just cut into bite size pieces, added a can of Trader Joes Salsa Verde and that was it! So Yummy!

I like to keep our tin foil dinner flat vs round, it cooks faster as it's cooking. 

And I forgot to pack paper plates! I always forget something, but at least we had forks. We all just dug in family style. The chicken was amazing and tender. The potatoes could have used a little more s&p, again, something I forgot to bring. 

My Happy Camper Tee is in our shop CoLab Print. It's basically so comfortable I want to wear it everyday, but I'm reserving it instead for EVERY SINGLE camping/glamping trip we take instead, sorry, you'll be seeing it a lot this summer.

For dessert we had s'mores the first night (of course) and baked apples the second night, just cut and add cinnamon. DONE! And so good!

Here is a little tour of Conestoga Ranch and our Glamping Tent!

Hey Dads!

Conestoga is having some amazing Fathers Day celebrations. Just wanted to give you a heads up, Dads staying over June 17-19th will receive a $50 credit to use on your next visit! Plus they have some great BBQ's and live music, and contests for Dads!